The jungle grew more dense around them. Light seemed to scarcely reach the earth through the thickness of the treetops, even in the very middle of the day. As they moved, inside the four boys questioned the wisdom of passing the fence. At least before they knew what they were dealing with. Now it seemed the game had shifted slightly, and whatever the odds, they weren't in their favor.

At first, everything had seemed like it was before. A mess of trees and other flora had surrounded them, covering every view in sight. Then the jungle's wildlife seemed to come into action. There were creatures that looked like giant wasps that took over the skies above, swarming over the young cadets, who were scared out of their minds as the things would sometimes dive for them. Corin had just narrowly missed being impaled by one of them. He had shot it down with a few rounds when it neared him, and after it squirmed on the ground, incapable of flight, he had thrown his knife into it to be certain it wouldn't attack again. This enraged the others of its species, who chased the young humans until they fell into a large stream, whose strong current pulled them away. The four could've sworn they had felt something nipping at them in the water too.

Now drenched, tired, and once again afraid, they marched through the tangle of plants. Insects attacked them, biting them, but at least these were tiny. It seemed the deeper they went in, the worse things were. They began seeing yellowed with age bones and shreds of torn cloth, bullet shells at scenes where men seemed to have fired in all directions. Whoever had fought here, whatever had happened here, it hadn't been good and those men were obviously dead.

Still, it was the first and only signs of other humans they had seen. Others could have made it this far. Others could have lived by their wits and made a home here, or as much as one could make on this rock. So far, the only thing that had kept them going this long was their limited supplies and hope.

"If we ever manage to get home, I'm never teasing my little sister about monsters again. I can't believe I miss the squirt," Nick said, killing the silence.

Jacob smirked, "I think that goes the same for all of us. On the bright side, watching horror movies will be a snap in comparison."

Chortling, Chase added, "Fighting in full out wars would be easier than living through this the rest of our lives," then continued biting down on his blanket, which he carried rather than a gun lately. It seemed to help him cope with reality, so no one complained or tried to get him to do otherwise.

Corin smiled, he was glad to see his friend able to talk in actual sentences instead of repeating a few random words or laughing like an insane person. He wondered if he might ever be fully stable again. If they did get home, he knew Chase would need a therapist's help, but then again, if they told anybody about what happened when they got home, they might all be sent to the nut house.

He tried counting the days they had been trapped here and failed. How long had it been? A couple days? A week? Maybe a little over half a month? And that was just if the planet's days held the same amount of hours as Earth's. Yes; he knew they weren't on their homeworld anymore. What Corin first believed to have been a mirage, or his own sanity being lost, was a huge planet similar to Saturn in the sky, very close to this planet. He could've almost made out the details of that world's terrain.

He was stuck in his own thoughts when he felt a hand suddenly jut out and stop him. It was Jacob's, but he wasn't looking at him. No one was. Everyone was too busy staring, horrified, at a falling apart, human corpse slumped against a boulder. Maggots and blow flies moved in and out of it. The man's ribcage could be seen, for his chest had been sliced open with some type of blade. A few yards away in a similar state was a Predator's body lying on the ground. Chase began breathing heavily, making quiet, screeching sounds into his blanket.

A shoot was fired right over their heads, causing them all to jump from fear. The bark of a tree behind them soon began smoking from the blast. Now was the time to start running.

The boys took off, weapons drawn, Chase needlessly shouting to run over and over. More blasts flew past them, but these much larger and more explosive. Jacob felt hot sparks sizzle on his legs and waist as a shot nearly finished him, landing not a foot away. Terror was always a great motivator to get people moving more than their bodies normally would allow. Whatever roots, saplings, and vines tried to make them falter, they tore through, desperately trying to escape their attackers.

These hunters seemed more skilled than the ones that had attacked them before. Their moves were more precise, more deadly. In other words; they were more likely to die because of them.

With unimaginable speed and targeting ability, a large net came from nowhere. Chase was caught in its mesh before he even knew to dodge. It threw him back several feet, slamming him into a large tree. The solid, hard impact of the wood against his spine visibly dazed him, but very soon he was screaming like the hurt, paralyzed creature that he was. The net held tight to him, refusing barely any movement.

The grid of it was razor sharp, and it cut into his flesh, sending blood flowing down from all over. He howled, tortured as all seemed to drain from his body. It slid down his brows and into his eyes. Crying, Chase urged his hand to his side, pulling out his knife. He wildly moved it back and forth on the net, needing to get out fast. The mesh couldn't be cut.

"Chase!" Corin yelled, about to run back to help him.

Jacob grabbed Corin's arm and yanked him back, "It's too late! We can't help him!" Another shot grazed past them. "Move!" They continued running.

A minute later, the knife slipped out of Chase's limp and bloodstained fingers, falling through the net and sinking into the dirt near his dangling feet.

Uncloaking, an adult Yautja walked forward to the dead human male. The bottom of his mask where his mouth would be was decorated with the sharp, dark, needle-like fangs of a Xenomorph, resembling its maw. Small bones and miniature skulls hung from the mesh on his body. With one quick swipe of his wrist blades, the net cut loose. Chase's gory carcass dropped face forward at the Yautja's feet.

These young prey had not been sent here by his own brethren. They lacked much sport, although they did put up a good pursuit for humans. Still, best not to let such meager, yet interesting entertainment go to waste. Dragging the male's corpse behind, he went back to the camp.

It was a lovely night. Nina sat next to the two other humans and Sain'ja and his friends, along with a few other Predator's around a large fire outside. Each had a hunk of cooked meat from some four-legged animal that was roasting on a spit over the flames.

It had been three full days since she had first been taken to the settlement. The brace had been taken off her leg and she was free to run and walk about as she pleased now. However, tomorrow, Sain'ja and his friends would head out again for the hunt, and that meant she was instructed to stay in his home until he returned. There were enough rations, so she would be fine, but Sain'ja had told her often enough…Don't. Touch. Anything! Especially if it was sharp or had a metal muzzle. Not that she couldn't have guessed that to begin with.

Other than finally having the chance alone to organize her thoughts, Nina didn't wish to think of tomorrow. She had learned quickly that the Predator culture solely revolved around hunting and battle. Her comrades could die very soon because of that lust. The problem was what would happen if she dared to intervene?

Interrupting her meditations and bringing her back into the present, Nina caught on to the conversation between her fellow humans, Kota and Halian- they only went by their names given to them by the Predators now.

Kota was a dark-skinned man who has his head shaven and in place of hair were a few markings and scars. Although he was nearing his fifties, he was strong and lean. He was also very tall, although still nowhere near as tall as the Predators.

Halian was fair-skinned, but had hair that was almost black as coal. He had a short beard grown in and piercing, light-blue eyes. For a man in his forties- just a few years younger than Kota- he was very youthful and full of life. Sain'ja had murmured to Nina one day that he was practically the jester of the clan.

"You heard about the prey escaping onto the Super Predator Clan's territory, right?" Kota asked.

"Yeah, but can you really call that escaping? That's almost as bad as tying a rope around one's neck and hanging yourself," Halian said.

"Those teens, they thought they were in over their heads before, they're in deep now."

"How long do you bet they'll last?"

"I'll give them two or three days tops."

"I'll be surprised if they any make it through the first. Those Bad-Bloods should know they're there by now," Halian turned around and looked at Nina, "What about you? Being that young yourself, you've gotta have some idea. What's your guess?" he asked with a smile, not knowing just who he was talking about.

Adopting Makya's quiet and "leave me alone" attitude, she shrugged and stared expressionlessly at the dirt. They were just about to press her for an answer when they noticed Sain'ja and a couple others glaring at them, a warning for them to shut up.

A few hours later, when the fires had died out and most everyone was asleep in their homes, Nina gathered her belongings silently, moving around like a specter. She pressed a few buttons hastily on the wall to get out of the house- having remembered their order for if ever she needed to run away- then got out and sealed the door shut in one fluid, noiseless movement. She pulled her hair in a ponytail, took one last look around, and left.

She had been walking for a little while, leaving behind the towering structures and returning deeper into the jungle, she could just see the fence right ahead, when a twig snapped behind her. Whipping around, she saw nothing at first, and then she noticed a shuddering spot of air two yards away that was tall and humanoid in shape. Nina relaxed and stood straight as Sain'ja uncloaked before her, wearing his mask. "Why are you following me?" she asked quietly.

Sain'ja reached into a large bag he had swung across one shoulder and lifted out her earpiece, putting it back on her. "Why are you heading back out there?" he countered.

"Take a guess."

"You can't fight them."

"Watch me."

"Watch you get yourself killed? It's actually kind of tempting. But why put yourself at risk in the first place, just for a group of mindle-"

"A group of what, Sain'ja?" Nina said, her voice rising slightly, along with her temper, "Just a group of mindless game is that what you were going to say?"

He didn't answer.

"Guess what? I happen to be one of those mindless game, and proud of it! And believe it or not, they're people to me! If you have an issue with that, then fine. They're nothing to you anyway, so what? But I'm heading out there for them, and dying with them if it comes to that," spinning on one heel, she began to march off, anger helping propel her forward, as if she could face any enemy that stood in her way.

"Dto-Raija-"

"It's Nina!" she growled, turning around and walking backwards, fists clenched, "And what is it now?"

Sain'ja caught up with her, digging out a few more things out of the bag as he did. He pulled out a mask first, showing it to her. It had simple features and somewhat used, but it was what he could grab at a moment's notice. They had some of these in stock for Unblooded children to practice with before they were old enough to make their own. Nina looked at it, then raised one eyebrow at him.

"You might as well go in on equal footing with those bugs. They're known to fight dirty." He put the mask in her hands, then dug out a pair of wrist gauntlets, some armor for her shoulders and legs, a small Combistick, and a Shurikan- a weapon similar to a smart disc, only smaller and with curved, retractable blades. These had been his when he was younger, so they should fit her just fine.

"You're not worried I'll try to run off somewhere else?"

"That's what the tracker I placed in your helmet is for." Nina grinned a bit before quickly remembering she was supposed to be mad and erasing that sign of emotion. Sain'ja helped her put the stuff on, explaining how they functioned as he did. Once he was finished and everything seemed to work properly, he stepped back and looked at her. If it weren't for her clothing underneath the armor and her hairstyle, in this darkness she would've looked like a young Yautja. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, "This is important. If you find you can't make it out of there alive, there is a self-destruct device on one of the gauntlets. Use it. Take out some of the Bad-Bloods with you. Understand?"

She nodded once, "Thank you."

Sain'ja clicked his mandibles together under his mask, regarding her before giving a single nod in return. He turned and left, heading back home.

Nina took a deep breath, watching him until he was out of sight. The mask she wore made it much easier to see. When she changed the settings from normal-vision to infrared-vision, she cursed herself upon seeing other Predators farther off along the path she was going earlier. She should've guessed a lot of areas would be guarded.

Nina activated the cloaking device, then head off silently around the guards, past the fence, and beyond the borders.