It has taken me forever, but here it is! I greatly appreciate your patience, it has been a crazy time in my life (I graduated from school and I am now working full time). Lately, I've been having a burst of writer's inspiration, so expect more chapters coming up. The next chapter will be from A'chide's perspective.
I love every one of my readers, you are the people who push me to write!
Please read & review!
It was early dawn on the day of their departure.
Her trunk had been packed and taken away by two young warriors that prior evening. Camilla had come back to her rooms after making a meal for A'chide and his guest. The girl had found her belongings gone. It was weird seeing the house emptier than usual. A'chide's trophy room had been stripped down – gone were the skulls she was so used to seeing. The kitchen had been cleaned out as well. Camilla wondered if this meant she would cook for A'chide and his comrades. The idea pleased her. These tasks, though menial made her feel useful. The monotony of cleaning, cooking, and washing clothes gave her a purpose.
A'chide had not been explicit with his expectations for her. What was she to do besides be a burden to him and the others? She had dreamed of Yautja hunts; wondered what it would be like to partake in the honored tradition.
She had barely seen her master in the past two days. Most often she ran into his guest, Gur'rung. The Yautja ignored her, most often chuffing at her like a pest. Then there were times that Camilla would find the grey Yautja staring at her; his gaze searing into the back of her head. In those moments the woman often felt like crawling out of her own skin. Therefore, Camilla did her best to avoid Gur'rung. This had not been easy. Having two large Yautja and one female human in a confined house meant limited space for hiding.
At the moment, Gur'rung stood beside A'chide. The three of them were in the entry way of the house standing before a seasoned Yautja dressed in ceremonial garb; a priest of sorts.
It had always fascinated Camilla to see Yautja rituals performed. The priest did not wear the normal attire of a hunter, but instead was wrapped in a great cloak of deep emerald material that hung from his shoulders. She had seen him before at the ceremony years ago; from afar Camilla had watched the strange procession. Now it was up close and personal. The crown of alien-like hair on his head was streaked with white and a bright red blood marking was on his forehead. There were several more on his cheeks. The priests' multiple clicks and hums were a prayer for safety. Camilla had heard it before. They were the same words spoken at the ceremony A'chide had taken her too.
The young woman watched as her master accepted a small token from the priest, Gur'rung doing the same. Without turning to Camilla, A'chide motioned for her to come forward.
Without hesitance, Camilla came before the grand Yautja. Her head was bowed, eyes carefully cast down to the floor. The priest passed a hand over her, chuffing and clicking in the Yautja tongue. Her utility band was not activated and could not translate the priest's words. It was cumbersome being unaware of what was happening. A firm hand on her shoulder caused the young woman's eyes to alight on the priest's face. A low hum resonated from the Yautja. His yellow eyes met Camilla's and for a moment she was entranced by the softness of the priest's eyes. Despite his great age, the Yautja's eyes appeared young like a suckling's. Camilla felt herself growing comfortable staring at the priest, but then he let go of her and turned to A'chide again. She did not receive a token like the others which she was slightly disappointed about.
The priest pushed the entry doors open. The human woman followed behind her master and the warrior.
A gasp caught in her throat.
Lining the pathway from the house were twenty unblooded warriors. Though not as tall as A'chide or Gur'rung, the unblooded loomed over Camilla. Their imposing forms, ten on either side of the walkway, created an intimidating wall of strength. The normally expressive faces of the Yautja were hidden behind black masks, impassive. She watched as their hands turned to fists and they began to thump their chest at A'chide's appearance. The sound of twenty Yautja hitting their chests caused the young woman to jump. From the look on A'chide's face, Camilla could tell he was proud of the scene before them. Even though, from her understanding, this was not a duty he had wished for, it was an honor for A'chide to be recognized in such a way. Honor was a cornerstone of Yautja civilization.
It was overwhelming to be around all these creatures. Camilla could not help but flush as she passed by the unblooded warriors. She felt their eyes upon her like Gur'rung, watching her movements. Decidedly, she focused her attentions on the back of her master avoiding eye contact.
There was a ship at the end of the pathway. Its silver form levitated above the ground, the soft whirring of the engine flooding Camilla's ears. The priest stood now at the base of the ship's stairs.
Fear struck Camilla. It crept up on her suddenly sending a chill up her spine and causing the hair on her neck to stand at end. This would be the first time she had been on a ship since she had been brought by A'chide to this planet. She stopped at the foot of the steps leading up into the ship. Her legs were shaking. Her mind was screaming at her to ascend the staircase, but Camilla was struck dumb by her fear. Where was she going? The weight of the journey now suddenly weighed heavy on her shoulders, and in that moment Camilla feared crumbling under the pressure.
A low chuff directed her attention to the top of the stairs. A'chide was observing her movements – or lack thereof.
Camilla met his gaze. The Yautja stood waiting for her. There was a choice to be made; go with A'chide onto this ship and travel to god-knows-where, or stay on this planet and give up the chance at the life A'chide handed her.
So, Camilla ascended the stairs. A series of clicks emanated from A'chide. Her master was pleased with her intention on coming aboard the ship. For a brief moment, the woman turned back to gaze at the house and the planet's countryside. This had been her life for the past decade. This new life she would lead would be a challenge, but Camilla had accepted it. She was determined to prove to her master and his comrades that she was not a weak little Ooman. Camilla could hold her own.
In the ship's cabin, Camilla kept her head down while inspecting her surroundings. The twenty unblooded warriors had followed them onto the ship. They remained at attention until A'chide dismissed them. All at once, they went about doing their assigned duties; two of them going towards what looked like the cabin. It was not a large space, but the woman assumed this was only the ship that was taking them to the unblooded training station. She couldn't imagine the vessel fitting anymore people in it, let alone an entire squadron of unblooded warriors.
As the ship ascended, A'chide motioned for Camilla to stand beside him before taking up conversation with Gur'rung. Their clicks and growls were quick and low. Camilla was annoyed that she did not know what they were saying. How would she know what was going on, or what she was supposed to do?
With a click, the young woman opened her utility band and activated the translator. A robotic voice greeted her. Automatically, the voice loudly translated the last few sentences of their dialogue.
"It would be beneficial for her to have the implant."
"I will not force her into it. She will have to consent."
"She is your pet – her consent is invalid…"
Camilla froze as A'chide and Gur'rung stopped their talking to gaze at her. Perhaps it had been better not to know what they were saying after all.
The woman's cheeks grew red from embarrassment. She quickly slammed the lid down on her utility band, cutting the robotic voice off mid-speech.
Gur'rung thrilled in amusement. The girl's master huffed in annoyance. He came before Camilla, intimidatingly standing over the seated woman. Camilla attempted a sheepish grin, an action she often used when A'chide was upset with her. The Yautja's clawed hand took hold of the utility band, promptly dragging Camilla's arm up with it. The woman came to stand before her master as he unhinged the band from her arm. A memory of A'chide attaching the metal object to her body flashed across her mind; she had only been a child then.
With a rough pull, the utility band came off. Camilla swallowed a yelp as she rubbed the skin, the roughness of A'chide's actions leaving a welt.
Did he have to be so rough? Camilla remained rubbing her arm as A'chide seemed to bark commands at several nearby unblooded warriors. They disappeared down a corridor, and Gur'rung thrilled again; a sound the young woman was quickly growing quickly to despise. Suddenly, she was roughly jerked by her master this time his grip was relentless. She was being dragged around as of late, Camilla noticed. A'chide was taking her down the corridor, the same the unblooded warriors had gone down. Gur'rung brought up the rear.
The fear from before was creeping up her spine again. Normally, she would feel safe in the presence of her master. However, his face was impassive, a slight frown around his mandibles.
"It would be beneficial for her to have the implant."
What implant? She raced to try and understand what they had spoke of. She didn't know of any implant that was given to humans on the Yautja planet. It was unusual for humans to even have possessions of their own besides clothing.
The pair cut a corner and ended up in a bright white room with a simple silver table in the middle. Camilla squinted, her eyes adjusting to the change. The two unblooded warriors stood beside the table waiting for instructions. A'chide lightly pushed Camilla forward and she fell towards the silver table. It was made of smooth metal and terribly cold to the touch. Did he want her to lie on it?
Turning to face A'chide, she looked at him expectantly. He reached out his hand, a low chuff coming from his mandibles. She did not know what he wanted. Frustrated, Camilla turned to the unblooded who did not face her but stood gazing ahead. Silently, A'chide came up behind her, one of his clawed hands pushing her forward so that she was bent over the metal table.
Panic quickly set in. So much for her consent!
Camilla attempted to tug herself away from his grasp, but a huff was her master's only response. Her cheek met the cold metal and Camilla cried out, "What is going on? What are you doing to me?"
Her hands began to pound the metal table, her body going into survival mode. A'chide chuffed and the unblooded each took a wrist, holding Camilla still. Her master's hand left her and she watched out of the corner of her eye as he picked up a syringe. There were hands on her shoulder blades and the grips on her wrist were visceral. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes and she began to cry out from frustration. She had never been so afraid. Correction, she had been afraid as a child first coming to this world; but, since then, she had nothing to fear. She had lived in a little sanctuary, a dreamland. That dreamland had been abandoned the moment she had stepped aboard this awful ship.
Camilla could do nothing but watch as her master stood behind her once more. The needle on the syringe glistened and a single droplet of liquid fell onto her skin. With one final burst of energy, she used every ounce of strength to fight her captors with a final cry, "Let me go!"
Her master pushed her head roughly to the side, his claw covering the entirety of her skull holding her still.
The last thing Camilla remembered was the prickle of the needle at the base of her neck and a sharp pain blooming behind her eyes. Then the world went dark.