After finding something that would improvise as a decent crutch, the Elder led Nina out of Sain'ja's home and through the Jungle Clan's settlement. It was obvious she wouldn't get far in she tried to run on that leg, so there was no worry about her getting into any kind of trouble and winding up dead. The problem would be if she was ever found alone in the tribe.

It was easy to see just how young she was whenever she stood up; she didn't even come up to his shoulder height. She was nearly a head shorter than Sain'ja and the other Yautja adolescents who would be around her age mature wise. No one that was any older who had some self-respect would think to hurt her anyway as defenseless as she was right know.

Nina walked/limped right behind him. If it weren't for the multiple signs of technology and the occasional ships passing overhead, she would've thought she had walked back through time into the ancient Mesopotamian period. There were multiple stone buildings and statues of Predator warriors from the long ago. Temples that stood hundreds to thousands of feet high towered over the other structures. The size of everything made her feel like an ant in someone's house.

As they walked, Nina would spot out of the corners of her eyes other Predators looking their way. She wished they wouldn't stare at her, and would've preferred staying and waiting for the one that took her here to begin with. She knew he wanted her alive, just not why, but it was more she could say about him than the others surrounding her.

The Elder also saw the curious glances their way, but one look from him told them it was nothing they would need to get involved in. He looked behind him to spot the human female look around as if a hidden threat might pounce on her at any moment. It was clear to him that she was a bit nervous, and why shouldn't she be after everything? Still, none of that would get her to open up.

Trying to spark up some conversation in order to calm her nerves, he asked, "So, what do the call you where you're from?"

"Nina," she said softly.

"Nina," he repeated, "Hmm." He preferred Sain'ja's name for her a lot more. "And what do you do back at home?"

"I'm in military school."

That intrigued him, "Oh? And your parents?"

"Dead."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

They continued walking in silence. The Elder finally stopped when they came to one of the most extravagant temples Nina had ever seen- not that she had visited any in real life, but that's what history books were for. Outside of the steps that led in was a pair of giant statues of Cetanu, the Black Hunter. The God of Death. The one who inevitably wins all battles in the end. The Elder saw the human female looking, fascinated by the architecture, and grinned with pride. He wondered if she knew his people had taught hers to build similar structures many years ago.

Priests and guardians surrounded this one as well; it had to be one of their most sacred. This was the Jungle Hunter Clan's Temple of the Fallen. Generations of skilled warriors and hunters were buried through its depths, along with their prized trophies from their most honorable and proud hunts. A person could easily get lost rooming around in it, that is, unless you knew the right pathways.

Nina felt a sudden chill down her spine as they entered. Whether it was from the multiple sarcophagi and bones that was the cause of it or the thought of anyone around her being able to turn her into one of those trophies, she had no clue. She felt herself twinge sympathetically whenever she saw some human skulls, hoping the Predator before her didn't notice.

Torches lined the walls, which had deep inscriptions and images of the hunters in triumph over the course of thousands of years. Nina's eyes eventually got used to the dim lighting, but everything seemed to grow colder as they moved. Soon, they entered a large chamber. Row after row of stone coffins were lined before them. The Elder had her follow him to a very specific one.

He carefully shoved away the stone slab covering the coffin, creating a partial opening so the pair could look down into it. Nina turned her head away, astonished that even he would show her a rotting corpse. However, when he made her look, all that the coffin contained was one large, curved skull from an alien that was clearly carnivorous, and a row of six human ones. There were a couple of other items she recognized as well; a dark gray claw, a whisky flask, a melted looking bullet that had already seen its use. But most hauntingly out of all the items, was a leather necklace.

She backed up as if in the path of a serpent and tripped on her own two feet, landing on her bottom and dropping her crutch. The Elder helped her back up before pulling out the necklace for her to look at it further, but she didn't dare touch it, seeing it more like a venomous thorn. He curled it up in the palm of her hand and as he did she could almost feel a dreaded poison flowing through her, turning the world she knew into a black abyss. Would the past ever stop provoking her future?

She had been so very young and care-free back then. Back when life was wonderful and good. It had been during a very long, very warm summer. She had just turned six, graduated kindergarten, and her father was home. Due to his position in the military, he would leave off and on, sometimes not returning for a couple months, but he had been with her then. And they had been a family since he had last been called to duty.

During the summer, he would send her to a day camp that lasted about two weeks and pick her back up in the afternoons. In Arts and Crafts, they had learned to brand pictures and letters into solid leather, and with some extra help, Nina had crafted a leather necklace that she had planned on giving to her father for his upcoming birthday. She had pressed in his name on the front, and on the back put a heart, star, and flower.

When he came to pick her up later on, she had hid the necklace into her bag and scooted herself onto the passenger's seat in their Jeep. He spoke to her camp consular for a little while before returning. He had been especially quiet that day.

As she told him all the fun things she did at camp, he would nod or smile. Eventually, he let the truth out.

"Hey baby girl, you won't be coming back for the rest of camp, ok? So you can sleep in tomorrow morning."

"Why?"

"I just think that since your summer will be about over soon and you'll be heading off to school this all, we should spend some time together. Just you and me. Does that sound fun?"

She nodded rapidly; glad to be spending time with him.

He took a deep breath and then continued, "You see darling, Daddy's going to be gone for a while too."

"Oh," she frowned, "How long?"

"Not long, it'll just be for a week or two tops. We've just got a big mission far away we need to do. So you'll be staying in another home until I get back, ok?"

"Ok…"

"Hey," he took her small hand in his large, warm one, "I'll be back before you know it. Then we'll have our own missions and adventures in the woods. Ok?"

"Yes Daddy."

For the rest of that week, they had done everything together, but when it came time to leave, and she sat in the car of a social worker, she couldn't stand it. She jumped out and ran into his arms, crying and hugging him tightly.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'll be back home soon," he whispered to her, consoling her.

"Daddy," Nina said choked up, pulling out the leather necklace and holding it out to him, "For you." It had seemed a good a time as any for her to give him his gift. Plus it would give her something to top when it was his birthday.

He smiled and looked at it, then put it on. "I'll wear it the whole time while I'm gone, so I'll have something to remember you by." He stroked her cheek and kissed her, then sent her back to the car before either of them could get any more upset.

She flipped the necklace over slowly, as if it was something fragile. Sure enough, on one side was his name and the other the exact same designs. Now she was truly at risk of crying, and that was something she couldn't allow to happen. Not here.

"Do you recognize it?" The Elder asked. Nina had completely forgotten he was there, too submerged in her own thoughts and memories.

She nodded as she handed it back to him. Whatever expression she had on her face would've given it up anyway. "I made it when I was little. For my father," she felt her anxiety grow. What if, because of this connection, they killed her, or worse? Nina reached to her neck to grasp her dog tag, "I had wanted to make it similar to-" She froze. It wasn't around her neck anymore. Panicking, she searched frantically to see if it had fallen off when she tripped. "M-My father's dog tag! It's gone!" She burst out before she could stop herself, no longer caring about what the Predator thought towards her or her dad.

Her worry for that piece of rusting metal bewildered him. Whatever type of man her father had been, she was definitely proud of him and that thing of his meant something to her because of that. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and shook it to get her to look up at him. Worry filled her eyes, "Its fine. You haven't lost it. Sain'ja has it."

Nina studied him, raising an eyebrow.

Now he felt foolish, forgetting she had no idea who he was talking about. "Sorry, Sain'ja is the one who brought you here. I doubt he would lose it either."

She didn't know whether to believe him or not. Either way, she didn't like the thought of anyone else having it. Once more, Nina felt cold, only it was much more severe now, causing her to shiver. This time, it was something she couldn't brush off and ignore. It was a sign of something wrong. Her "sixth sense" never failed her. Looking beyond the Predator, she saw three triangular lights pointed directly at them from seemingly nowhere.

"Look out!" she shrieked, slamming herself into the Elder and causing them both to topple to the ground. She bit her lower lip as her leg began hurting. A blue blast zoomed past them, hitting the far wall and rattling the chamber, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

The Elder was about to pound her for such stupidity and disrespect, when small bits of rock landed on his face and he saw the scorch marks from a large laser shot on the wall. He quickly turned, shoving the human female behind the coffin and glaring in the direction of the shot.

"Come out and fight like a man, you cowardly insect!" he roared in his own language.

Nina peered over the coffin in time to see a smarm of blue sparks appear, followed by another Predator who was even larger than Sain'ja or the Elder. His armor and mask looked different as well. As the Elder allowed the blades of his Combistick to jut out of the sides, forming a long spear, he glowered at her in a silent order to get down and stay down. She, for a change, listened.

The new Predator fired a few smaller rounds at the Elder, who dove forward and dodged the blasts, rolling behind a few other coffins. Dishonorable scum! He could call for help, but this was his fight to face. He highly doubted this simpleton wanted the human. He couldn't even have known she was with him until of late.

The Predator stopped firing, racing off to the left and extracting his wristblades. He wasn't much of a duelist and knew he would lose in mere minutes in he accepted the Elder's challenge. However, the female soft meat that had saved the Elder from his shot was fair game. She was young, wounded, and an easy target. She would make a good shield since she wasn't dead by now, meaning she was to be protected in the first place.

Nina more so felt than heard the Predator come in her direction. She bent her knees, her back against the coffin, and waited for the right time to shove her momentum at that killer. Her heart pounded. Why does it always have to be me? She gripped her crutch in both her hands. As soon as he appeared, she lifted herself up on her good leg and swung the crutch against him like a bat. The Predator had been caught off guard, not expecting her to pack that much of a punch.

"Duck!" she heard someone yelled at her from behind. Nina dropped down to the ground hard, gritting her teeth and covering her head. Something sharp swooshed past her, although from which Predator, she had no idea. After a long pause, she felt someone grab her from under her arms and lift her back on her feet, setting her against the coffin.

Opening her eyes, she saw, gladly, that it was the Elder. He gave her back her now cracked crutch and then spun on his heel out into the hall. She heard him roar again and shadows of another pair or Predators came into view before running off who knows where. Looking the other way, her eyes almost widened into perfect circles.

The Predator that had attacked them now was pinned against the wall. There was the spear, impaled in his neck, with Neon green blood dripping down onto his chest and then the floor.

"There has been an assassination attempt by a Bad-Blood, whose corpse now lies in that chamber! Search the rest of the grounds for any more of those parasites and warn the other Clan Leaders, Elders, and Adjudicators. Send the women to make sure every Unblooded child is accounted for. I demand to know who is responsible!" The Elder commanded the two Guardians, who bowed and ran off diligently.

He went back into the chamber and collected his Combistick, allowing the Bad-Blood's body to flop down upon the stone earth. He kicked it in disgust, shaking his head. Then he went over to the human female. She seemed a bit shaky over what just happened, but right now, he didn't care in the slightest.

"You knew he was there the last minute. I don't know how, but you knew, didn't you?" he asked, he voice slightly raised. He tried to calm himself down, but was failing, too caught up in his own aggression.

Nina nodded.

"How?" he asked, flaring his mandibles a bit.

Nina backed up against the coffin as far as she could, feeling threatened. "I-I don't know. It's something my father and I shared. S-some kind of tracking ability. It's like he and I could feel things before seeing them. Like that guy." She nodded to the dead Predator. "We called it a sixth sense."

The Elder took this in and shook his head. He needed time when he would be less stressed and aggravated to think on this. On all of these overlapping troubles. On top of that, now Sain'ja wasn't the only person who owed something to this human. He himself now owed her his life.

"Come on," he said calmly, backing away and gesturing her to follow him once more, "It's not safe for you out here. I'm taking you back to Sain'ja's."