\
Hulij-bpe-thwei had seen the ooman pup just as she entered the airlock to go outside. Since the Elder hadn't ordered her to be confined to the ship, he didn't try to stop her from going where ever it was that she was headed. Not only was he curious about what the little pup was doing, but he also wanted to make certain that she stayed safe, and since he knew that the Elder had kept the small weapon she'd had, he decided to follow her, and make sure that she was okay. He activated his cloak to help retain his body's heat and followed the little pup. He couldn't help but notice that she didn't even stop to retrieve any of the discarded weapons of the oomans who had been up here, nor did she try to enter any of the ooman structures that were here, so where was she going?
He sped up a bit, until he was less than a handful of strides behind the little ooman, and listened closely to see if she was saying anything. He certainly wanted to hear more of her wonderful laughter, because that had been a sound that had truly warmed his heart. He knew that she was much, much smaller than he was, not to mention weaker and probably smarter too. But he had personally watched her use a pair of truly amazing attacks against a Hard Meat drone to save his older brother's life, and that was something he would never forget! He felt that since this tiny female pup had risked her life to save his brother when he hadn't been able to get there fast enough, that he owed her in a way that he couldn't explain. It was true that this pup had been very disrespectful to him and his brothers, but then maybe she just hadn't wanted to be carried. He was pretty sure that the pup had her reasons for doing what she had done; she just hadn't told anyone what those reasons were. Regardless of whether or not she was willing to speak, he was still going to make sure that nothing happened to the little female, and that was why he followed her.
He stopped not far behind the little one as she looked out at the freezing ocean. He had been told that oomans saw through a different part of the spectrum, and that they didn't see things the way a Yautja would. Remembering that made him wonder what it was the ooman actually saw as she gazed out over the ocean. He watched in silence, because he didn't want to disturb her in any way, and she seemed so peaceful standing there. Although he wasn't happy about her being so close to the edge of a very high cliff, he also noticed that there was no scent of fear or anger coming from her.
Suddenly, there was no time for him to think or even blink, as he watched her deliberately step off the cliff. Powerful muscles in strong legs that had never failed him before seemed to take an eternity to cover the few short steps to where the little female had stood only an instant before. His left hand flashed out, and he felt the cloth of the pup's covering against his claws. Instantly his hand closed around the strange fabric, and he knew that he had her in his grasp. It was too late for him to stop his speed as they both went over the edge of the ice, but a single flex of his right forearm, and a pair of sharp deadly blades penetrated the ice to bring them both to a bone jarring halt.
Hulij-bpe-thwei felt the muscles in his right arm strain with the effort of bringing him and the ooman pup to a stop. He wasn't even able to form a coherent thought in his mind, as his extensive training made him pull himself back onto the ice above and bring the female pup with him. Getting to his feet, he carried the pup a short distance away from the edge before setting her down on her feet. Concern, shock, and pure disbelief flooded his mind as he took in the nearly blank expression on the face of the little pup. Then she seemed to realize where she was, and opened her eyes to look at him.
When Lilith realized that she was staring at Celtic's stomach, she couldn't but wonder why she was still alive. It took her a moment to comprehend exactly what had happened. Suddenly she was madder than she'd ever been in her life. Angry tears of frustrated rage flowed from her eyes as she began pounding her fists against the stomach of the huge Predator. What right did he have to take away the one thing she deserved? What right did he have to stop her? Why had he interfered? If he had just left her alone, she would never have had to worry about anything or feel anything ever again!
"Why? Why didn't you let me die like I'm supposed to? I have to die! Don't you see that?" Lilith was so upset and distraught that she didn't even realize that she was screaming what was going through her mind as she kept banging her fists against the stomach of the Predator in helpless rage.
Hulij-bpe-thwei stood there in pure astonishment as the little pup beat her fists on her stomach. There was literally no strength or power to the blows that were raining against him, so that didn't bother him in the least. What did bother him were the words that this pup had screamed at him, and the only thing he could think was… why? He couldn't have said how long the pup railed at him before she collapsed to the ice in a sobbing heap. He scooped her up in his arms, and purred as loudly and strongly as he possibly could. He didn't know or understand why this tiny little pup felt like she had to die, but he did know that he wasn't going to let it happen if he could stop it. Whether this little female knew it or not, he would make sure that he was there to protect her… even if he had to protect her from herself.
Emotionally, physically spent, and completely drained, Lilith lay almost helpless in Celtic's arms as he carried her back to the ship. She felt like there was nothing else left inside, and that included strength. She had used everything she'd had to make this one final effort that should have done the job, and now she was just… empty.
Hulij-bpe-thwei was worried. If it weren't for the steady beat of the pup's heart, and regular breathing, he would swear that she was now lifeless. She was there in his arms, and her body was totally limp, while the expression of her face was listless and devoid of any emotions at all.
'Why? Why would she choose to give up now? She survived a Chiva without even having a decent weapon, and she wasn't even supposed to be there! I know she has honor, and that she's very smart. She has to be! There's no way I would have thought of attacking a drone like she did… and she did it to save my brother! Al-Nihkou'te would have been killed if not for what she did. She saved my brother's life and gave him the chance to become a Blooded Warrior. He owes her much, and so do I. Why is she supposed to die? Could she have done something that was so dishonorable that that even a pup couldn't be forgiven for it? What could that have been?' He thought as he raced for the ship as fast as his legs could take him.
Upon entering the ship, he immediately began yelling for the Elder as he made his way quickly to the infirmary. Once there, he laid the listless body of the female gently on the bed, and tried to get some type of reaction out of her. His purring was getting no response, even after he had taken her small hand in his much larger one. He knew that she was angry with him, so maybe… maybe if he showed that he understood, maybe she would do something then. He began moving the fingers of her right hand until only the pup's middle finger was left extended, and there was still no response.
"What are you yelling about now? Don't you know that others are trying to sleep?" Demanded an older male as he entered the infirmary.
"Elder, she… she won't respond. Can't you do something? There has to be some way to help her." Hulij-bpe-thwei asked in a near panic as he looked over at the ship's captain.
"It's only a filthy ooman! They are barely worth being hunted as trophies. Throw it outside! Let it freeze, and be done with it." The captain retorted angrily as he turned to leave, only to stop short because the still open door was occupied.
"I would like to hear you say that again. Because I would love to see the reaction of the first female to learn of your suggestions regarding a pup!" Kwei-vor'mekta said clearly.
"If she is still a pup then she has no place here!" The captain retorted quickly.
"It is true that she should not be here, but there are no oomans left alive to give her to. We can not abandon her outside because she would die as a result. There is no food for her to eat, no fuel for to stay warm, and no way for her to contact other oomans who might retrieve her. Therefore, she must come with us! Besides, she has already been through a Chiva, and she was able to honorably draw blood from a drone using a blade no more than three times the length of a single claw,plus she saved the life of a warrior as well! Let a female hear you speak such things about such a pup, and I wouldn't wager a shattered and ruined trophy on your chances of survival." Kwei-vor'mekta warned.
The captain turned to look at the ooman pup lying on the bed. He could see that the pup was awake, but unresponsive. "Do what you will then. I want nothing to do with the ooman!" He said as he moved past the three males standing near the door and began to leave.
"Since the Chiva is complete, and the Temple of Passage is once again sealed, we are ready to leave this world. It is time that we return to our own." Kwei-vor'mekta ordered before the captain left.
"That will be done, but pup or not, I want that ooman off my ship as soon as possible!" The old captain said as he finally left.
"Now, what happened? She was fine when last we saw her." Kwei-vor'mekta asked quickly as he looked down at the female who was just laying there.
Hulij-bpe-thwei quickly related everything he knew, and when he realized that he wasn't providing the whole story, he held offered his mask to the Elder who took it in silence.
Kwei-vor'mekta lowered the mask in heavy silence, before silently handing it back to his son. "The only thing I can think of… is that she might see us as being no different from the Hard Meat. If that is the case… then she may well make further attempts to salvage her honor."
"What? How could anyone think we are anything like Hard Meat? Unlike them… we have honor!" Al-Nihkou'te protested angrily.
"In our own eyes… yes, we do. But this thing whole incident involving this ooman pup has forced me to look at things from an ooman perspective. Have we ever told them of our laws regarding the hunt? Have they ever been told that we will not hunt pregnant or nursing females? Have they ever been told that we will neverallow a pup to be placed in danger? If they do not know such things, they just might see us as being just as dishonorable as the Hard Meat. This is not a pleasant thing to consider, and the more I think of it, the more I think that we will need to prove what our honor is truly worth to the ooman. If she were Yautja, this would not be an issue, because none of this would have happened. But she is not Yautja, so she doesn't know that we would not tolerate the kind of things that have already been done to her. I think she will need to be shown. Whoever it was that tormented her did not even have the concept of honor! I think she will even believe that we lie, because those who have no honor will lie about anything, so how would she know that we speak only truth? She won't; until she is shown." Kwei-vor'mekta explained heavily.
"I will show her what Yautja honor really is! I will not allow her to come to any more harm for any reason! I can't just allow her to die… not after she saved Al-Nihkou'te." Hulij-bpe-thwei declared strongly.
"That diligence will need to wait until we are home. For now, she will be given the time to recover from her experience in the Temple… and her attempt to meet the Dark Hunter." The Elder said as he prepared a sedative and administered it to the ooman pup.
Half a day. That was the amount of time that it took the vessel to meet up with the interstellar transport and return to the home world. It was also the amount of time that Kwei-vor'mekta spent thinking about the ooman pup. Was it possible that all of her disrespect had stemmed from a belief that Yautja warriors had no honor, or might be no different from the Hard Meat? If that were truly the case, then why had the pup risked her own life to save Al-Nihkou'te's? All three of his sons agreed with no reservations that she had done so, and their description of events coincided with some of the sensor results from the Temple. This whole situation involving the ooman pup presented a strange and confusing paradox that made his head ache to consider it, but he didn't have any other choice. It was the type of thing that made him sincerely wish that circumstances were slightly different. If the pup didn't have so many injuries; if the pup hadn't been there to begin with; if only the pup would speak to him and answer the numerous questions he had for her; then things might be different. He knew that the only thing he could really do at this point was to get Guan-kv'var-de involved. He only hoped that another female such as his lifemate, might be able to get the ooman pup to speak. If that didn't work, there was another option that could be considered, but it would remove every shred of privacy the pup had. He knew that final method would not even be considered unless all possibilities were exhausted, and that it would only be used as a last resort.
Almost as soon as the ship touched down, the captain was demanding that the ooman be removed immediately, and never brought on board again. He chose to carry the pup himself since only a female, or an Elder of higher rank would dare to question him about it. Hulij-bpe was not fond of that idea at all. Kwei-vor'mekta then had to explain that, being a newly made Young Blood, he could easily be challenged by any one of higher rank for possession of the pup. It was only then that he was able to carry the still sedated ooman to his home.
Guan-kv'var-de was polishing her awu'asa at the moment when her three sons entered the dwelling. Each carried the skull of a drone in their hands as they entered, but the proud bearing of both her oldest sons was a bit surprising to her, considering that none of the skulls were those of a warrior or a queen. Then she frowned in confusion when she saw the bundled up burden in her lifemate's arms.
"What do you have there Kwei?" She asked a little confused.
"It's an ooman pup, mother! She was in the Temple during our Chiva, and all the other oomans are dead, and she saved Al-Nihkou'te's life without anything worthy of being called a weapon! Since we couldn't give her back to the oomans, we brought her here, can we keep her?" Hulij-bpe-thwei blurted out excitedly.
"The ooman is a female, and a pup?" Guan-kv'var-de demanded in surprise.
"Yes, she is. She hasn't had an easy time of things either. During the Chiva, she was captured by a drone, and she used a small blade maybe three times the length of a claw to cut into her wrists. I think she was trying to preserve her honor and avoid being infested. The wounds she inflicted were deep, and would have been fatal with a little more time. We got her to the ship, and when she recovered from those wounds, she refused to speak to any of us. She also tried to greet the Dark Hunter by slipping out of the ship and deliberately walking off a cliff. There is more that I must tell you about her, but I wish to do that in private." He said as he made his way to the room where each of his three sons had been cared for when they were pups.
"Very well then." She said before turning to address her sons. "Find a place in your rooms to mount your trophies, but leave them out for now. I'll want to hear all about your Chiva when we get done."
Kwei-vor'mekta laid the ooman pup in the depression that served as a bed for pups. It was a shallow pit that was heavily lined with all kinds of furs, instead of a raised bed. This arrangement prevented an unsupervised pup from rolling off the bed and injuring themselves. He quickly unwrapped the little ooman who had been wrapped in a fur blanket during the walk home to hide her from prying eyes. Then, looking up, he saw that the door had been closed and they had the freedom to speak without being over heard.
"This little pup has been tortured by someone. I don't know who, or even why, and I can't begin to imagine any kind of reason for it, but her back is covered in scars from being subjected to some kind of whip. There may well be a couple of hundred scars on her arms from having them cut open, but the wounds on her back must number in the thousands!" He said sadly, as he finished removing both of the extra coverings that the pup had been wearing, and were used as wrappings during the trip.
Guan-kv'var-de quickly donned the mask attached to her belt and examined the ooman pup with a critical eye. The numerous scars on the lower arms of the pup sent chills down her spine, and she quickly switched the visual mode in her mask to see if there was any internal damage that might have been overlooked. The extra calcium buildup of previously broken ribs showed up clearly, as did the remains of massive bruising that was the result of damaged blood vessels in the pup's skin. She wasn't able to stop herself from looking up to see the pup's face, and there she saw further evidence of past damage to the lower jaw, that included a missing tooth or two, along with signs of old fractures in the bones of the pup's face. She switched back to the ultra-violet mode, and saw the somewhat baggy but lightweight covering that the pup was wearing on her torso, and she just had to know.
"If she is properly covered, then how did you learn of the scars on her back?" She demanded dangerously.
"Setg'in had removed all of her upper body coverings to treat her injuries. Several of the wounds on each wrist were open and bleeding. She had already lost enough blood to threaten her life. I arrived soon after he got her to the infirmary. I gave her a few injections to heal her, and then lifted her so that Setg'in could put this covering back on her. That was when I saw the scars on her back." He answered softly as he pulled the ooman into a sitting position and lifted the covering to show the now angry female the scars he spoke of.
Guan-kv'var-de felt her heart skip a few beats and her mandibles go slack as she stared in pure horror at the nearly solid mass of scar tissue that did indeed cover the pup's entire back. She didn't know what could have happened to cause such horrific injury to a mere pup, and she couldn't help it as she reached out and felt the twisted mass with her sensitive fingers. Even though she couldn't really see where one scar left off and another began, she could feel the differences in the scars, because some were deeper than others.
"Merciful Paya! She… she has been whipped! What… kind of dishonorable creature could do such a thing to a pup?" She demanded past ragged breathing as she stared in helpless anger at the scars.
Kwei-vor'mekta pulled the covering back down to the pup's waist, and laid her back down. "Now you understand why I didn't try to find a way to return her to the oomans." He said heavily. "She can't be very old, and there are too many signs that she's also been starved for a long time. I am at a complete loss as to what to do."
"You were right to bring her with you. At least here, she won't have to face such dishonorable treatment." Guan-kv'var-de said as she looked at her lifemate.
Kwei-vor'mekta began to tell his lifemate everything he knew about the little female, and even displayed the small blade that wasn't even as long as one of his fingers. It took him a bit of time, but he even told his larger lifemate about his suspicions regarding the ooman and what he thought were the possible reasons behind the pups actions.
As Kwei finished telling her everything he could about the ooman pup, Guan couldn't help but look again at the numerous scars on the little female's arms. "I will contact Than-guan. She's a good friend of mine. Both she and several of her sisters are noted healers. I will have her examine the pup with something better than the emergency units that are on a ship. She might be able to remove these dishonorable scars. If they had come from being punished as an adult, or from battle, it would be one thing, but this… this does the pup no justice to bear the proof of another's dishonor."
"The sedation that I gave her will wear off shortly, so you should take the pup with you to meet them." Kwei-vor'mekta suggested quickly.
"I'll make the arrangement once she wakes then." Guan said as she looked once more at the ooman who seemed at peace while sleeping.