Tessera was in mourning after Don's disappearance. She had arrived back at camp, had just decided the noise she had heard had been nothing, only to come back to a sleeping Colton and Don missing from his spot on the earth he had laid on just moments before. Had she stayed, she might've known what had become of him and had been less heartbroken.

She had kicked Colton in the side, waking him up instantly and the two had searched for their lost comrade. The only things they found were his weapons. Tessera had doubted he would've just left her to face everything alone. He had never been like that. It just wasn't in his nature.

Currently, she stood on one side of a wide gorge, looking down at the hundreds of feet drop below her. She had lied to Colton, telling him that she was going to collect water after their several mile hike uphill to get away from their last campsite. In reality, she had just needed time alone. Time to shed a few tears for her lover.

They had their whole lives planned back home. After Don exited the National Guard, he was to join her in quiet life. Somewhere peaceful and nice, where they could start a family and live happy. He was so kind, sweet, and faithful to her. To be honest, he was the only one she had dared to trust with her secrets and dreams, knowing he would never laugh, or criticize, or tell the next person he came in contact with. Now, everything was gone.

Fox watched the female. She had been standing like that for about an hour, doing absolutely nothing. It seemed irrational for a prey who knew she had to be on the run to act like this. Besides that, the male she was with would come soon if he didn't act fast. He was just about to pounce for the kill, but his movements rattled a nearby bird's nest, scaring its inhabitants who made desperate, scared tweeting sounds and flew away in fear. Dang it!

The birds caught Tessera's attention. She looked over in the direction of Fox's perch and grabbed her pistol, pulling it out with rapid speed and quickly firing off to shots. They barely missed him, passing by a few, short inches. He might as well uncloak now. He jumped down from the branch and took out his Smart-Disc, revealing himself to the human.

Tessera stood there, shocked and afraid. She kept firing at the Predator, but they seemed to have little effect on him, even when she scored several shots in the chest. He was advancing and fast. Her legs shook and she nearly froze in terror. This just wasn't right. He should be dead by now! He kept coming with ease. Her skin started turning ghostly pale.

What to do? Run? No, he looked like he would catch up with her in mere seconds in the cruel weapon in his hands didn't. She backed up as far as she could go, still firing and still failing to stop the oncoming brute.

Her heels came it connect with the cliff, sending a few pebbles down into the gorge. Tessera looked down at the earth, her attention split just in time for Fox to get the drop on her. He ran towards her at full speed. Panicking, she did the only thing she could do to save her from a bloody demise. She jumped.

Tessera saw everything from her life flash before her eyes as she fell to her death, and a smile played on her lips. That's right you thug! If anything, at least this is how I choose for it all to end. You won't get any satisfaction from me. She closed her eyes, waiting for the fall to end. For everything to end.

Fox had had just enough to time attempt to skid to a stop as her saw the female dive into the gorge, but not soon enough. He slipped right off of the edge with just enough time to flip himself around and grab hold. His body dangled as gravity mercilessly tried to yank him downward. He activated his wristblades and jammed them into the ground, pulling himself back up onto his stomach and rolling onto his back.

He looked back over the edge. The female soft meat was long gone. There were no ledges or breaks in the rock wall for her to have landed on instead. He was just about to go after the male when his wrist communicator beeped to life. He opened it up and a hologram of another Youngblood appeared; Adahy. It was time to regroup for a short while and report to the clan on how things were going so far. To think things were just starting to get a little more interesting right now too.

Shaking his head and getting back on his feet, he went in search of the rest of the hunting party.

Sain'ja had awoken before sunrise. Now, he carried a once more knocked out human female in his arms. She was surprisingly lightweight for her strong build. She had her head tilted on his chest. He had realized pretty quickly that he liked her much better when she was asleep, unable to talk back or wrestle with him on just about everything. Were all human females as incredibly closed minded and hard-headed as she was? If so, than he pitied the males of her species and what they must go through. Women of his kind were usually much larger than the men, and just as equally respected, but they took care of the children and mainly stayed at home on their choosing.

Her stubbornness was just the reason he made sure to get up earlier than her and inject a serum into her bloodstream, so she would be out for about eight to twelve hours. That suited him just fine. He preferred that than her thrashing around in his hold, demanding where they were going and why he was taking her there. Silently, he thanked the Gods for allowing there to be knock-out drugs in existence.

He been walking for about four hours when he got the message from Adahy to regroup, setting the human down so she wouldn't be seen in the hologram. Sain'ja had told them that he was close enough to the settlement and that he'd meet them there. Personally, he just didn't want them to know about him being stuck with this…this thing.

He had just seen the top of the electrified fence through the denseness of the trees. Guards would be posted here and there around it to make sure wild animals and prey alike wouldn't sneak in somehow. Luckily, he knew their posts like the back of his hand, having snuck out sometimes in his childhood to explore the jungle alone. He slipped through one of the closest routes to his home and remained undetected. No one had seen him enter the grounds.

At first, there was just a bunch of trees and vines like the rest of the jungle. Then they began passing the first signs of Yautja civilization; a few marked posts with his people's elegant writing inscribed on it, the occasional fire pit, places where prey was to be skinned. Yeah, he was definitely glad the human wasn't awake to see that last thing.

Finally, he got to a one-story adobe building; his home. Even though the walls were made of brick and clay, there were telltale signs of heightened advancement and evolution; pieces of technology intertwining with the stone and other details such as ray-shielded windows and keypads. Pressing a button near the back door and scanning the area for witnesses, he heard a thankful swoosh and stepped into the temperature regulated structure, quickly closing the door back behind him. For not the first time in his life, he was glad that he lived alone.

The first room was both a kitchen and a parlor. Trappings of his clan's symbol, with images of their greatest legends and battles decorated the walls, along with a few skulls and other bones from previous kills. A fire pit sat in the center of the rock floor. Around it was mats and fur covered skins for people to sit on whenever he did have visitors over, commonly just a couple of the other Youngbloods he had known for a time.

Placing the female down on one of the mats, he removed his helmet and set it over on a small table near the wall. He removed some of his other armor and placed their belongings in a corner. With a sigh, he headed out the front, thinking of how he would word all of this.

When he reached the Temple of Zazin Kv'var-de, where the clan leaders resided, he was immediately blocked off by two guardians with Combisticks until he stated his purpose. Sain'ja merely told them that he wished to ask for guidance. One strode off, then came back to tell him his request had been granted and that he may pass. He nodded and moved in, quickening his pace from nervousness and almost losing what he had thought out in his head to say.

One of the clan leaders, who was an Elder as well, saw Sain'ja approaching and grinned. Sain'ja had always been an excellent student, never failing during training or hunts, listening to his teachers' orders, eager to one day prove himself to be a true hunter. Whatever the lad had to say would have to be of some importance, or else he wouldn't have bothered them like he had.

Sain'ja kneeled, bowing before them all. Each sat on varying thrones and looked at him with interest. "Rise, young Sain'ja," one of them said at last, "why is it that you come forth to us this day?"

He stood up, "Mighty leaders, I come for guidance. During the recent hunt that I gladly accepted, I discovered an Ooman female among our quarry. She had challenged me at one point in melee combat, and in the end ran from the fight. I pursued and both of us fell into traps I believe had been set by another prey a long time ago. I was injured and stunned in mine, so she had gained the upper hand. However, rather than impaling me with her blade, the Ooman spared and healed me. Now I am unsure what to do with her."

The clan leaders stared at him in disbelief. Never in many years had something like this happened, certainly not during a Youngblood hunt, so it came as a surprise to all of them. During the silence, Sain'ja showed them his leg, which still had the female's medicine and carefully wrapped bandage on it, as evidence. It was obvious it hadn't been his handiwork and that this was all some sort of joke. Finally, another leader asked, "Is the Ooman with you now, or did you hide her in the jungle?"

"She is in my home, safe."

"Not for long if she manages to break out and gets lost in the settlement."

"I assure you; I will not let that happen. I slipped her a small dose of a sleeping drug this morning and she shouldn't awaken for another hour or so."

At least that came as a relief, "Well, you know the Code, Sain'ja. That Ooman is now to be treated as an equal by you. If you end her life, you must end yours as well. Is that understood?"

He bowed his head, "Yes, my leaders, but she is stubborn and strong-willed. She even resisted help when first given it. I am unsure if she will understand. Is it possible for her to be returned to her homeworld, so it is guaranteed that she won't become as issue?"

The clan leaders looked at one another, murmuring on this. "We shall see. If your request is accepted, we shall send her on the next ship back to Earth when they leave to pick up new prey for the following season."

Sain'ja bowed, getting ready to turn and leave when the Elder stopped him, "Sain'ja, is there more you wish to explain. More you are not telling us?"

He paused and turned back around. This Elder had always managed to see right through whatever emotional mask a being had in order to hide their thoughts and feelings. "No, my Elder. It is nothing to be concerned of."

The Elder smirked at the Youngblood before him and nodded in the direction of a separate hallway, "Then I trust you are not too busy to speak with me alone for a brief moment?" He stood.

Sain'ja nodded, his words now stuck in his throat. He followed the Elder down the hall until they came to a separate enclosure.

"There's more to this story, isn't there? What is it?"

He paused before answering, "There's something she must know. Not only just about us. She had this," Sain'ja showed the Elder Nina's dog tag allowing him to read the inscription. Yes; this was strange. It was all too familiar and exact.

He nodded slowly; now understanding Sain'ja's want to keep this a private matter. "I see," he handed him back the dog tag, "Once you have reported to your instructors and the rest of your hunting party returns for a few days, I want you to leave with them and continue with the hunt. If you don't mind, I'd like to see this Ooman for myself."

"Yes, my Elder, but Dto-Raija can be very uncooperative. She-" he froze in mid-sentence when he realized what he just said and noticed a smirk on the Elder's face.

"Dto-Raija?"

He nodded.

"You actually named it."

He looked down, slightly embarrassed now, then nodded, "I figured if I have to take care of her, I should call her something."

"Try to remember she isn't a pet you would be able to tame, not that you would be allowed to keep her from the start. She'll be on her way home soon."

"Yes, my Elder."

"Good, now go wait for friends. I'll head to your home and keep an eye on her for you."

Sain'ja bowed once more and left. The Elder alerted the guards and the others of his leave and made his way out of the Temple.

Nina woke up, feeling groggily, and looked around, startled when she saw the pelts and mounted skulls around her. How long had she been out? She examined herself closely and saw a small place where a needle had punctured her flesh. She had been drugged! So where did the Predator take her to this time?

She spotted her supplies in the corner and was tempted to grab her rifle, but felt for sure if he came back, he would shoot her without a second thought before she even had it pointed at him. So instead she waited, rubbing one hand on the furs and poking the spot with the needle mark until it bruised a bit. Looking up, she spotted the Predator's helmet sitting on a table and stared at it. It seemed just as cold as when he wore it.

Suddenly the front door zipped sideways and in came a tall being that loomed over her ominously. In stepped a Predator, much bigger than the one that had hunted her had been. He seemed older too, much more knowledgeable, but just as violent. He didn't have a mask on.

It was easy to put Dutch's words together with the Predator's appearance, but no matter what, hearing and seeing things were very different cases. It took all her nerve not to stare in utter shock. She didn't think it would help solve her dilemma in the slightest and only backfire on her if she did.

The Elder looked at the human female, just as surprised. He hadn't been expecting a hardened veteran of war, but definitely more than this. She was practically a runt. This was the soft meat that had caused Sain'ja so much trouble? He almost burst with laughter at the thought.

He noticed her staring at him just as curious. "Hello," he said in the human's language, getting a kick out of her eyes widening at the fact she could understand him. During his many hunts, he had found it useful to learn the languages of other creatures when he wasn't wearing his mask, which had a language-translator built in.

"Hello," Nina ventured cautiously.

"Glad to see you're up. Do you mind talking for a little while?"