He never bothered looking back. Corin continued running through the dense jungle terrain, explosive blasts hitting his heels and zooming past him. The Bad-Bloods were upon him, seven in all. Losing speed now would mean certain death. He had to keep going, just a little farther.

There was a cliff ledge just ahead of him that he knew had the rushing river on the bottom. He stopped and turned, making himself an easy target as the Bad-Bloods came into view. "Now would be a good time guys!" he called out. Nick and Colton appeared on each side of the Predator group, blocking them three ways. They two were healed again and had their guns pointing at their opponents.

The Bad-Bloods began laughing. How foolish could these humans be? They were nowhere near as spirited and violent as their female counterpart, so what made them believe that they stood a chance? Two Predators each aimed their plasma cannons on the young human males. The leader aimed for Corin as well.

The first shot was fired, but not by any of them. It came from above and struck one of the Bad-Blood's from behind, knocking him forward and killing him instantly, his head jerking back from the strike.

The rest of the Predators looked up and around to see where the shot had come from, and who dared to fire it. After a series of sparks, three Youngbloods appeared standing in the trees, all armed to the teeth; Makya, Fox, Adahy.

The leader of the Bad-Bloods recognized that they were from the Jungle Hunter Clan instantly. Glaring in fury, he ordered, "Finish them! Kill them all!" The twelve fighters-Bad-Bloods, Youngbloods, and cadets alike-began fighting head on, each fighting one of their quarry solo.

The leader came after Corin, activating his wristblades and shoving him back towards the cliff. Corin attempted to use his gun to block the strikes, but it shattered after a few blows. He took out two, long hunting knives from his belt and turned them side length to block the much more deadly blades of his opponent.

Corin blocked well enough, but he was being forced back, his heels nearly reaching the edge of the cliff. Any farther and he would fall off, get caught into the swirling current, and drown. The leader managed to knock one knife out of his hands, cutting him as he did.

Makya had just killed his opponent; his Combistick stuck right threw his quarry's abdomen, when he noticed Corin's distress. He took his enemy's Combistick and tossed it to Corin before joining Nick to fight another Bad-Blood.

He saw it flying to him just in time, and caught it slippery in his blood-soaked hand, defending himself once more by lifting it up and stopping the leader's downward strike to his skull. Never had he used a spear or staff, but it made it much easier for him to block.

With their combined strengths, the cadets and Youngbloods had wiped out all but three of the Bad-Bloods from the group; the leader and two of his strongest allies. Seeing how his forces were evaporating and how quickly they were being overpowered and ensnared into the trap they had fallen for, the leader shoved Corin aside and slammed him into Adahy. The other pair, grasping what their leader was trying to do, did the same to the other two human males and ran to the side of the cliff, protecting their chief from the others that cornered them.

After finishing the basic commands, the leader yanked off and tossed his self-destruct device at the humans and young Yautja, then grabbed his comrades from behind, pulling them with him as he fell off the cliff and into the water.

Upon seeing the explosive, the six immediately took off in the other direction, running away from the incoming detonation. If they didn't find cover fast, the only thing that would proclaim to others of their existence would be ash and bits of shrapnel and bone splinters.

"Sain'ja! The Bad-Bloods turned on a self-destruct device! You and Dto-Raija might still be in range! Get cover now!" Fox quickly yelled into his communicator as they ran.

He didn't need to be told twice. Holding Nina's unconscious form in his arms, Sain'ja stood up and ran from the direction his friends had gone at a quick pace. He prayed that the God of Death wouldn't decide to take them all yet.

The bomb would detonate soon and there was nothing but jungle for miles. They had to move faster. Seeing a rock overhang, Makya gripped two of his accomplices and pushed them hurryingly in that direction. The others soon understood and followed.

Three…Two…One…

The bomb when off, destroying everything in range and clearing the jungle. Obliterating all that stood in its path. A huge orb of blue light could be seen from far off, and the Yautja that did spot it feared the worst for whoever had been in the bombs reach.

Their ears rang. Opening his eyes, Nick saw the destruction the bomb had caused and was stunned at how powerful it had been. The rock wall behind them was falling apart. All of plants and other vegetation that once covered every sight was replaced with smoke, dust, and charred bits of wood. For a while, the six sat there, breathing heavily, thankful to be alive. The next thing they knew, they were laughing, cheering, and congratulating each other on the outcome of the fight.

Sain'ja had heard the bomb go off. They had gotten out of range in time; however the vibration the bomb had caused had sent him flying off his feet and landing on his back, still holding the human female protectively to his chest. One the shuddering of the earth had subsided; he sent a message to his friends to let them know he and Nina were safe and to see if they were as well. He grinned when he heard the response; Adahy's voice laughing, with whoops and hollers in the background. After agreeing that they would meet back at the Jungle Hunter Clan settlement, he began walking again.

Three Bad-Bloods stepped out of the river, drenched and enraged. They couldn't believe they had allowed themselves to be defeated by a group of mere children, and now they were all that was left of their original hunting party. One day though, oh one day, they would get revenge. A Berserker, a Falconer, and a Tracker swore this on their graves.

Now sitting in the clan's medical facility, Sain'ja kneeled by a healing tank. A comatose Nina laid inside, floating in the curing waters and now wearing some suitable, light garments to cover her privates. She also wore a breathing mask over her nose and mouth, with small tubes that collected fresh air from the outside world for her to take in.

He noticed her cringe a bit as the waters soon began to take effect. It would sting at first before working, then just like the medicines he had given her before, she would feel numbness, only this time over her completely, inside and out. He placed a hand on top of the inch and a half thick glass separating the pair.

The rest of the team sat outside by a bonfire, eating. Although they had been fine when fighting together, there was that same awkward silence as when the Youngbloods had first met Nina. The three human males sitting with them might fight like warriors, but they were different from her and were also not used to this kind of life. They would also not get over the deaths of their friends or the fact that the Youngbloods were the cause of them, even if they didn't mention it.

Nina had been the bridge to gap whatever differences they had. Now that she was safe and would be knocked out for some time, they were at a loss for words with one another again. They could've stayed with her in the medical facility, but felt it best to leave Sain'ja alone and with time to think, since she was his to look after.

"Youngbloods, Oomans," a male Yautja guard said as he approached their fire, his expression and tone grim and stern, "Your presence is wanted by the Clan Leaders and the Adjudicators as soon as possible to discuss the seriousness of your traveling and battling on Super Predator Clan Territories. Proceed to the Temple immediately." The cadets- having received earpieces- and Youngbloods nodded, all of them rising to their feet. The guard walked off and headed inside the facility to tell Sain'ja the same news.

Sain'ja stood, but looked at Nina worriedly after hearing the order. He didn't believe she would be harmed here, but what if she still died. That and he wanted to be here when she woke up. He felt she would be less afraid that way, at least now, after everything.

"The Ooman will be fine. The healers will look after her. But you need to do as told if you wish for the best for both hers and your life." He and the guard turned to leave, Sain'ja planning out what he needed to say. Wondering what sort of punishment might be given to him and his friends for not only leaving the grounds without permission, but disobeying clan rules on trespassing.

Nina's eyes slowly fluttered open, only for her to quickly seal them shut again as the water reached them. Cracking an eye open once more, she found that she could see clearly and that the water she was in had more of a relaxing effect. As memories soon poured in, she wondered where she was and how she got here. The tank she was in soon felt claustrophobic and the tubes that allowed her to breath seemed more so like the tendrils of a squid ready to squeeze the life from her. Where am I? What's going on?

Were Corin, Sain'ja and the others alright? What had happened while she was out? Was she still a captive of the Bad-Bloods? These questions and hundreds more surrounded her thoughts, making her desperately want free from this confinement and head out on her own. She began pounding on the glass above her with her fists.

Hearing the banging noise and checking her vital signs on a screen, two female Yautja slid open the healing tank and helped her out. Nina shivered a little as the cool, night air became a shock to her system. They gave her dripping wet form a towel.

After explaining where the others were and letting her know just how "safe" she was, Nina headed out of the medical facility, despite their protests. If they were with the Clan Leaders, either something really good, or more likely, really bad was going to happen. Nina knew that much from her short amount of time spent in the settlement. They could get into trouble for rescuing her. She couldn't allow that to happen. Besides, if she was healthy enough to stand and hit stuff, she was healthy enough to walk and find them.

She had reached the door when she looked down and saw the path of water she was making, along with the fact that she was in some skimpy clothing. Blushing slightly at her appearance, she wrapped the towel around her waist before walking out in her bare feet. The ground felt cold underneath, but she didn't care. She would get used to it and it was nice to feel something other than pain and numbness for a change.

The healers eventually gave up on stopping her from exiting and told one of the Unblooded children to lead her to the Temple and make sure she didn't wander off and get lost. He nodded and took her hand as he led her excitedly, knowing just which short cuts to take and how to get there the quickest. Last of all, he gave Nina her earpiece, then headed off.

Bravely, even in her just healed, shaking from the cool breeze, and in her skinnies body, Nina looked one of the towering guards in the eye with a neutral expression, telling him her urgency to be alongside her friends and just exactly who she was.