Lilith set the large box in her arms down and grabbed the box of rat traps. She quickly opened the case and began opening the package of the first one. The whole time she worked, a smug smirk was plastered on her face. She was going to make sure that these super sized space rats were gotten rid of.
Thwei-de stood next to Setg'in as he watched the ooman's actions curiously. He wasn't at all sure what the little female was doing, but there was no doubt that she had a definite purpose in mind. He watched in silent curiosity as the ooman fiddled with numerous devices that were all alike before setting them in front of one of the vent openings. Then, he noticed Setg'in stepping towards the ooman with something in mind.
"No; wait. I want to see what she's doing." Thwei-de instructed the young hunter.
"But, you didn't give her permission to use those things, and she's already opened them." Setg'in protested wanting to avoid allowing Lilith to get into trouble with an Elder.
"Actually, I did give her permission to use anything she needed as long as she shows me how to use the items in the same way. I can easily learn by watching from here. Besides, I want to see what she does. This looks like it's about to become very interesting!" Thwei-de said with a smile.
Lilith looked down at all fifty of the rat traps that she'd set in front of the vent, and smiled grimly. 'Okay, so maybe one of them won't stop one of those bastards, but I'll bet that all of those traps put together will damned sure stop one! Hopefully, seeing the first one dead will make the others go another direction, and I can make sure they all head straight to Slobber!' Lilith thought with a snicker.
Now that one opening was taken care of, Lilith ran back to the large box she'd set down and began digging through it with a smirk on her lips. Her blue eyes lit up like stars when she dug two small packs of Black Cat chain firecrackers out of the box. She quickly opened them up and began to unravel the fuses so she could set them off one at a time instead of all at once. It took her a couple of minutes to separate all the firecrackers, and she immediately started looking through the box again.
When she pulled a bottle of Crown Royal out of the box, Lilith gave it a look of disgusted hatred. That had been the kind of whiskey her parents had liked before she was put down in the basement. She started to put it down when she suddenly smiled at the bottle. She quickly pulled the velvet bag off and cocked her arm back to hurl the bottle away from her, when she noticed the shopkeeper watching her. With a somewhat guilty expression on her face, she put the uncovered bottle back in the box, and kept looking through it.
Sky rockets, pop bottle rockets, Roman Candles, a few more strings of Black Cats, a couple dozen little smoke bombs, and about three dozen of what her father had always called 'Nigger Chasers'. She had no idea what the actual name for them was, but she knew good and well from experience, just what they'd do. Put one down, light it, and run like hell, because there was no telling which direction it was going to go in! She remembered her father laughing really hard when she was crying after one of them had chased her. If she knew how to make them go where she wanted, they might do her some good, but as it was... Lilith shook her head as she put them back in the box. When she pulled out a half dozen mortars almost big enough to put her fist in, Lilith's eyes went wide. These were the kind of things someone could go to jail for if they tried to use them at home, but they were also the best ones to watch, and they were the kind that were always used at shows.
Suddenly Lilith's eyes went as wide as saucers when she saw what else was in the box. A whole case of M-80 firecrackers! She knew from listening to older kids at school, that they had been outlawed many years ago, and no one was even making them any more. She'd never been around one when it had gone off, but she knew from the conversation she'd once heard that they had the loudest bang of any firecracker ever made!
Lilith grabbed about half of the one hundred unraveled Black Cats and stuffed them in the empty Crown Royal bag; several smoke bombs were then added, along with one of the big strings of Black Cats that she hadn't unraveled, and ten of the M-80 firecrackers.
'If these things don't scare the living shit out of those bastards and make them go running out of those vents, then nothing will!' Lilith thought with a malicious laugh.
Thwei-de watched in silence as the ooman rooted through a box of things that he knew had come from her world. He knew where it had come from because all of the racks and shelves were marked with which world or species the items had come from. Hunters would often bring in odd things that their prey had possessed at the time the hunt began, or they would claim various objects from the home or business of the prey. The result was an odd collection of items from across the galaxy, and while there wasn't anything that had actually been used or recognized as any kind of a weapon, this ooman pup seemed to be finding quite a bit to use in hunting the tunnel runners infesting his shop. As he watched, he couldn't help but wonder how an adult ooman who knew that they were being hunted would react if given the chance to prepare, and equip themselves as they saw fit.
Thwei-de was positive that the ooman pup had laid out some type of trap for any tunnel runner that used that shaft as a means of escape, but he wasn't sure about how effective such a trap would be, especially since it was made from many small components. All he could do was watch and wait to see how well this ooman could reason out the needed techniques and skills for hunting. He didn't know what objects the ooman was putting in the small bag that she'd obtained, but he could tell that she obviously had a specific plan in mind.
When the ooman opened several small packages from a much smaller second box, and bent them in the center, the snap of something breaking was clearly heard. Thwei-de was not pleased to hear that sound, but when the ooman pup started shaking the objects that looked like small vials, he became curious. He walked over and removed one of the packages from the box and opened it. The visual modes of his mask revealed that the object actually was a vial of some kind and that it contained a fluid. There was also a smaller second vial inside the first that also contained a different fluid. Puzzled by this, he took the strange little container over to a piece of equipment that analyzed various substances to determine their chemical properties. What he learned was that each of the vials held two separate chemicals. One of them had a high concentration of the same element that Yautja blood was based on.
Deciding that further analysis was called for, he bent the object in the way he'd seen the ooman do, and when he heard the snap, he saw that the two chemicals were now able to mix. Nodding to himself, Thwei-de shook the vial to thoroughly mix the two components, before sticking it back in the analyzer. The result showed that the chemicals inside were releasing a high amount of photonic radiation. Unlike many parts of the electro-magnetic spectrum, photons had long ago been deemed useless to the Yautja race, when other, more penetrating forms of radiation were available to use in visual enhancements. There was also the fact that the photonic part of the EM spectrum covered such a broad range that any mask equipped with it, would be limited to that range along with only one other mode of vision, and such hampering of a mask was deemed both foolish, and wasteful. None the less, it was an interesting little discovery, even if completely useless.
Setg'in watched curiously as Lilith tied two of the odd little vials around the wrist of her left hand and hung three of them around her neck. He had no idea what purpose they would serve, but he figured that he would find out when Lilith put them to use. He was beginning to see that Thwei-de had been right, and that this was going to be interesting to watch.
Lilith knew that she was almost ready. 'Now if I can just figure out how to get Slobber to stay in front of that one vent, I can get rid of the rest of these ugly things.' She thought to herself as she racked her brain on the problem. She walked over to stand by the vent, and watched Slobber chase down one of the creatures. Suddenly, Lilith realized that if Slobber was trained well enough to growl at Scar because of a wrong command, then Scar would know how to make her stay put.
Lilith let out a shrill two tone whistle to call Slobber over to her. When the Yaut Hound got to her the first thing that happened was that Lilith received a long wet tongue right across her face. Lilith sputtered in disgust, and irritably started wiping the drool on Slobber's neck. Seeing that Slobber was now where Lilith wanted her, she motioned to Scar to get his attention, then she pointed at Slobber, and pointed straight at the floor, before watching him expectantly.
Setg'in almost snickered at the little ooman as he walked over to her. It was obvious that she wanted Bakuub to stay in that spot, and given that the Yaut Hound was right in front of a vent opening, he was pretty sure he knew what Lilith had planned. Now he just had to find out if he was correct in his guess.
"Thwei-de; is the ventilation system shut down?"
"No, why?"
"Because I think Lilith plans to enter the shafts and drive the tunnel runners out. If that is her plan, then you'll need to shut down the blowers so she isn't injured." Setg'in answered quickly.
Thwei-de looked over at the ooman pup as he considered the arrangement of things. A trap of some kind had been set in front of one opening, and now it seemed that she wanted the Yaut Hound in front of another. That left one ventilation shaft free for the ooman to enter. Suddenly, the old shopkeeper was laughing at the ingenuity of a mere pup! With a trap in front of one vent, it wouldn't matter if the tunnel runner was actually killed. The noises made by the injured or dying beast would warn the others away from that shaft. With the ooman going in one, the other blocked by a dead or injured tunnel runner, the only remaining exit would be to get past the Yaut Hound. He had to admit, that it was a sound plan, and a cunning one at that. The only question that remained in his mind was if the ooman could actually succeed in frightening the tunnel runners. He walked over to a set of controls and shut down the ventilation system to allow the ooman a chance to try whatever it was she had in mind. He knew that the only real way to learn a proper hunting technique was to either fail while trying, or succeed while trying, either way, the attempt must be made!
"The vents are shut down. If she enters, she won't be harmed unless it's through her own actions." Thwei-de said reassuringly.
Setg'in nodded to acknowledge that he'd heard before looking down at Lilith.
"Let me guess…" Setg'in said slowly. "Do you want me to tell Bakuub to stay here?" He asked as if slightly confused.
Lilith nodded her head emphatically.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" Setg'in asked in the same tone, although he was glad that he had his mask on or else Lilith would have seen him smiling.
Lilith nodded again, not sure why Scar was asking her twice… unless he knew something that she didn't. Lilith began rapidly going over her entire plan in her head. She had the sling shot, the firecrackers, and she even had several glow sticks so she could see. Traps were at one vent, and if Slobber was at the second one, then all that was left was the one she'd be crawling in to.
"Are you really, really sure that you want me to tell Bakuub to stay here?" Setg'in asked teasingly, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice this time.
Lilith huffed angrily, and popped the knuckles of her right fist while pointedly glaring straight at Scar's loin cloth!
Setg'in caught on to Lilith's unspoken threat real quick! That was when he remembered what his mother had told him; that Lilith would find a way to tell her if anything had gone wrong. Suddenly, Setg'in realized that his mask would have the entire day as a recording! Lilith wouldn't even have to say anything! All she'd have to do is demonstrate that she was angry, and Guan could demand his mask to find out what had happened. He sighed heavily as he realized that he'd have to find another way to tease the little ooman.
"Bakuub; defend!" Setg'in snapped seriously as he ordered the Yaut Hound to stay where she was and to try to kill anything that approached her position.
Lilith huffed in irritation while glaring at Scar before she started walking over to the third vent. She reached into the right front pocket of her jeans, and pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. She stopped and stared at the pack in her hand for several long moments while she thought. She clearly remembered how her parents had given them to her, and why.
Lilith was pretty sure that she couldn't use the cigarettes the way her parents had intended anymore… not that she wanted to, and not after the way Gwen had paid a ton of whatever these Predators used for money to have new skin put on her legs. The mere thought of enduring the searing, mind numbing pain again made her hyperventilate a little. She positively hated being hurt, but at the same time, it was now one of the only sensations she was familiar with. Pain and hunger… she was so very tired of both, but strangely, she had come to welcome those feelings, because they were the only physical things her parents would give her. She opened the box and began to pull out one of the Kool Super Long cigarettes, so she could light it.
The sight of the tunnel runner trying to sneak towards the vent that she was heading to, made Lilith burst into a run. The creature squeaked in fear and ran faster. Lilith dropped on her back in a slide as she slammed her feet into the creature, and allowed her momentum to smash the thing into the wall next to the vent. She didn't care at all that her shirt had slid half way up her chest in her slide, all she cared about was getting another one of those things that had scared the crap out of her. She started kicking the beast angrily, and didn't stop until it quit moving. The she doubled over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
Thwei-de-thei-de froze in mute horror as the ultraviolet visual mode of his mask clearly illustrated the hideous pattern of multiple scars that literally covered the ooman pup's back. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw that the young hunter beside him had also frozen in mid stride. 'He said that she'd been tortured by ooman Bad Bloods, but apparently he didn't know about that… that horrid abomination! How could anyone do such a thing to a mere pup?' He wondered in disbelief. Then, he watched in silent shock as the Young Blood stalked angrily over to the ooman pup.
Setg'in grabbed Lilith's shoulder with his left hand to hold her in place while his right pulled the pup's shirt up to see the rest of her back. An incredible rage was instantly flowing through his veins as he stared at something that he knew should never exist. The flesh of Lilith's back was a horribly twisted mass of scars. Looking much like a very serious burn in which all of the skin had been nearly incinerated; Lilith's back was truly a horrifying sight to behold. Never in his life had he seen anything like this. He had thought that the injuries on Lilith's arms had been horrific when he was trying to get her to the ship, but this… this was far more devastating to behold. Lilith's life had been nearly ended by the incisions on her arms, but somehow, by some miracle of the Gods, she had survived receiving… that!
As soon as she was grabbed, Lilith began to struggle to get away, but she felt her shirt get pulled up around her shoulders at the same time. Then, she was released, and she darted a few feet away and pulled her shirt down before turning to glare who ever had grabbed her.
Setg'in stared in silent shock as Lilith's entire body shook with rage. It was a rage that he could well understand, because he felt a similar level of anger coursing through his own body at that moment. Now he understood exactly why the healer had said he didn't want to see those scars, and why his mother had specifically told him to say nothing to his brother about them. He knew that Hulij-bpe would very likely go mad from the knowledge of such a thing, and might well even kill someone without even knowing, or caring who it was.
"I'm sorry Lilith." Setg'in said in a hoarse whisper. "I was told you had scars on your back, but..."
Setg'in had intended to say more, but the way that Lilith was backing away from him with an expression of anger and a scent that held a high amount of fear as well as rage, made him go silent. He stared at her for a moment before slowly shaking his head, and turning away.
"I'm sorry." He said again in a soft voice.
Lilith glared at Scar as he walked away. She was madder than hell after having her shirt pulled up like that, but there was one thing about this that confused her. Scar was walking in a way that made him look almost like he was… broken or something. She'd heard the softly muttered apology, but she wasn't exactly sure what he was apologizing about. Was it because he'd grabbed her like that, or was it for pulling her shirt up? She didn't know, and she didn't really care either as long as she wasn't being hurt. She kept a sharp eye on the Predator for a couple of moments to make sure that he wasn't going to bother her anymore, before she turned back to what she'd been about to do.
Thwei-de did nothing until the young warrior stood beside him with his head hanging low. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the Young Blood had just dishonored himself. He couldn't help but feel much the same after what he'd just seen on the ooman's back. Pure morbid curiosity struck him and he pulled the image of the ooman's back up on his mask and magnified it. He could see that the twisted mass of flesh was composed of numerous individual scars. He set his wrist computer to link with his mask and analyze those scars. Each scar was long and very thin, and was determined to have been made by some type of hard impact by a flexible object. Even as he watched, each scar was being highlighted and added to the total count being made by the computer. Higher and higher the tally rose until the number was changing faster than he could keep up with. When the count reached the staggering number of forty thousand and was still climbing so fast that he couldn't read the last three digits, he shut off both the image and the count.
The shopkeeper stood there in mute shock as he thought about what he'd just seen and learned. The term 'torture' took on an entirely new meaning at that moment, and it made him feel physically ill. He looked over at the Young Blood who was currently acting as a keeper for the ooman, and saw that Setg'in appeared to be as horrified as he felt. He had no idea how old the ooman was, but he knew that she was still considered a pup.
'Merciful Paya! Not even Bad Bloods are whipped in such a fashion when they're caught. I don't care what she might have done… there is nothing that could justify or even excuse such a thing. Even if she were the worst Bad Blood to ever live, she would have been executed rather than be subjected to such an atrocity!' Thwei-de thought before he looked to where the ooman pup had just entered the vents.
Setg'in wasn't aware of moving to stand beside the shopkeeper. He turned to watch Lilith disappear into the ventilation shaft, and wondered how she could actually stand to be around anyone after enduring such an atrocity. That was when he recalled the times that he'd actually heard Lilith laugh. He had to admit that she hadn't done so very often. The first time he'd heard her laugh had been back on the ship, before they'd even left her world. As injured as she'd been, with everything she'd been through, Lilith had still found something to laugh about. Granted it had been him being corrected by his father, but still… she had laughed.
Then there was the morning meal the day before. Lilith had laughed at the faces his brother was making at her. The other two times he'd actually heard her laugh was when she'd been playing with Bakuub. That realization made him very glad that the large Yaut hound was present, because the rather strange and unbelievable level of trust between the two meant that Lilith knew she had a way to feel safe at any time she needed it.
Setg'in hung his head in shame as he recalled something else. He remembered spanking Lilith while they were still inside the Temple of Passage. 'No wonder she doesn't seem to like me! She must think I'm no different from the Bad Bloods who tortured her. I've spanked her, scolded her, and taken her food away from her. How can she possibly think I'm any different from those who did such things to her? It doesn't matter that I was only trying to correct her, and get her to behave properly. What will matter is what I've done; that's all she'll care about. I will have to show her that I am not a Bad Blood who would do such things… but how?'
Once Scar had left her alone, she quickly retrieved her dropped cigarette and lit it. Then she grabbed what she needed, dropped down, and crawled into the vent shaft. Lilith reached into the bag she'd tied to her belt, and pulled out one of the black cats. She kept that in her right hand as she crawled forward with the sling shot on her left hand. The darkness of the vent shaft was well broken by the five glow sticks she had with her, and she could hear the awful scuttling and slithering sounds that were being made by the creatures she was after. She hadn't gone very far when the shaft curved in different direction. As soon as she rounded the bend, Lilith spotted several of the tunnel runners in a group. She immediately put the firecracker to the coal of her cigarette to light it and loaded it into the sling shot. She didn't pull the sling shot back very far, because she needed the firecracker to land between her and the tunnel runners. It wasn't easy to use the sling shot, because she had to brace her weight on her left forearm, and she almost overshot where she intended for the firecracker to land.
The sizzling firecracker hit the floor of the shaft and bounced closer to the tunnel runners. The creatures were quickly looking and sniffing at what had invaded the territory in which they'd made their lair. Lilith could see that they didn't like the smell of the firecracker one bit. The things were still backing away from it as it exploded with a loud bang that echoed and reverberated through the vent shaft. Instantly, Lilith was wishing that she'd covered her ears because that noise was loud enough to hurt. She couldn't help but smirk and almost giggle in satisfaction when the tunnel runners squealed in fright before bolting in the other direction, and that did make her laugh.
Setg'in was startled when he heard the sound of the explosion come out of the vents, and he immediately surged towards them with a loud cry. "Lilith! Are you injured?"
Thwei-de was also moving towards the ventilation shaft when he heard what he was sure was a triumphant laugh come out of them. In disbelief he looked over at the young hunter who had brought the ooman, and saw that Setg'in was looking back at him with a surprised expression as well.
"I thought that there weren't any weapons in this shop!" Setg'in exclaimed angrily.
"That's what I thought as well. No one ever sells me any weapons that I know of." Thwei-de answered in confusion.
"Well that sure sounded like some type of explosion!" Setg'in retorted.
Thwei-de walked over to the items that the ooman had left out after entering the vents. He ignored the strange vials of photon emitting chemicals, because he knew them to be harmless. The odd container though had many different objects in it. Then he noticed that there were still many pieces of the item that the ooman had taken apart. He picked one up and took a closer look at it. Examination through several of the visual modes of his mask, showed that the object was an explosive, but one that didn't produce any type of shrapnel, and only a negligible concussion. It would however, produce a loud report very much like the one that was heard.
"She did use an explosive." Thwei-de said in a dead tone.
"What?" Setg'in demanded instantly. "What the pauk is she doing with explosives, and where did she get them?"
"Apparently this container is filled with many of them, and she took more than a few with her. An analysis shows that they're not powerful enough to cause any type of injury unless she's actually in contact with it during detonation." Thwei-de replied in a stern tone.
"Why would she take explosives if they can't actually cause any damage? That doesn't make any sense." Setg'in said in confusion.
Their conversation was suddenly cut short by the sight of dozens, and quite probably even hundreds of tunnel runners emerging from each of the two shafts that the female pup hadn't gone into. The traps that the ooman had set managed to stop two of the tunnel runners, but the rest were in such a panic that they barreled right past the two trapped creatures, knocking the rest of the traps out of the way. Looking over at Bakuub, they saw the great Yaut Hound being overwhelmed by sheer numbers as what appeared to be more than a hundred of the beasts ran past her position. The teeth and claws of the Yaut Hound's forepaws flashed in and out of sight as she fought valiantly to stop all of them. Within mere heart beats the fight was over and the grisly mangled remains of more than two dozen tunnel runners was scattered around her. A few moments later, the ooman came crawling out of her point of entry to survey the level of carnage.
Lilith laughed when she saw how many of those things Slobber had killed while they ran past her. She moved closer and saw that Slobber was snarling towards where the tunnel runners had gone. Lilith leaned against the great beast for a moment before she started scratching the Yaut Hound's favorite places. 'Don't worry about it Slobber. We'll get every last one of those ugly things; I promise!' Lilith swore silently.
As Lilith scratched behind the Yaut Hounds ears, she was rewarded for her efforts with a long wet and very bloody tongue sliding up the side of her face. For once, Lilith didn't really care. She was too busy looking at where the creatures were hiding under the racks and shelves in the store. She didn't pay any attention to the gory mess that she knelt down in to look across the floor of the shop, because she was seeing what had to be several hundred of the tunnel runners!
'Holy shit! There's a freaking ton of 'em! How the hell am I going to get rid of all those ugly things?' Lilith wondered as she sat back on her knees to think. 'I got some of them before going into the vents, and Slobber got even more when they came out. This is nuts! I'm not sure Slobber can even get all of 'em… there's just too many. I'd have to run those things in and out of the vents a hundred times, and Slobber would get tired of that crap real fast. I got lucky in killing a couple of them because they're faster than I am. I need to slow them down, so I can catch up to them in the store instead of in the vents. The question is how. Those traps only got two of them…' Lilith wondered as she racked her brain for an idea.
Thwei-de's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched the small ooman sit up after looking under the shelves of his shop. He knew that she was now aware of the enormity of what she'd insisted on assuming. Now he would see what the ooman was made of. Either she would be able to become a hunter, or she wouldn't. Seeing Setg'in step forward, the older shopkeeper knew that the Young Blood was going to interfere in some way.
"No." Thwei-de ordered softly but firmly as he grabbed the younger hunter by the arm to stop him. "This is where we find out if she has the ability to persevere in the face of insurmountable odds… or if she will surrender to defeat without even making the attempt. It is rare for the moment of revelation to come during one's first hunt, but it has been known to happen. If she is unable to rise to the challenge of the task at hand, then she may not be suited for the life of a Hunter. This moment is just as important in a hunter's life as the Chiva. This is where she…"
Thwei-de trailed off what he'd been saying as a silent, smirking snarl began to show on the pup's face, and it was accompanied by a fierce giggle. Then ooman was on her feet and moving rapidly to one of the shelves to grab some items that she'd earlier rejected. He cocked his head in curiosity as he stepped closer to watch what the pup was doing. He watched in silent curiosity as Lilith opened one of the net style packages of small spheres that had come from her world. Then the pup kept one of the items she'd obtained earlier and used that device to launch one of the small spheres into the vent shaft that had been set with traps. Thwei-de wasn't at all pleased to hear numerous impacts as the sphere shattered, and he used his mask to see what was being accomplished by the destruction of his wares. The ooman pup paid no attention to him, the tunnel runners, or anything else as she launched one sphere after another into the shaft to shatter on impact.
Thwei-de-thei-de said nothing as he walked over to the pup and took one of the spheres to examine. Small, round, and hard; the sphere didn't seem to be anything special or dangerous. So what was the ooman doing? Using the gauntlet on his right wrist, he broke the sphere by smashing it on a counter, and picked up a piece to see if he could figure out what the ooman was thinking. He started to roll the broken piece of sphere between his fingers, when he felt a negligible pain in his thumb. He quickly appraised the small cut, and was suddenly looking at all of the pieces of the shattered sphere. Every last one of them had several edges that would cause minor and easily ignorable injuries.
Thwei-de was very puzzled as he looked back at the ooman to see her opening another of the small net bags. Checking the floor of the vent shaft, he saw that those sharp fragments were covering the area near the entrance. 'What the pauk is she doing?' He wondered in confusion. 'If she tries to go in there, she'll end up looking like she's been used as a target for a disk blade class.'
Suddenly Thwei-de was chuckling softly. 'Oh… you sly little ooman!' He thought as he realized what Lilith might be doing. 'If any of the tunnel runners go back inside that shaft, they'll receive countless cuts and abrasions all over their feet and tails. That certainly won't be enough to make any of them bleed to death, but it might just slow them down enough to make it easier to catch them…' Thwei-de's thoughts trailed off as he started chuckling again. Now he only had to watch and wait to see if any of the tunnel runners decided to go back inside the vents.
Lilith used six bags of marbles in the opening of the vent where she was going to set the rat traps back up. Then she walked over to where Slobber was standing in the middle of a gory neon green blood spattered area. Looking over at Scar, she motioned as if she were trying to shoo Slobber away from where the Yaut Hound was standing.
"Your asking him to move the Yaut Hound… aren't you?" Thwei-de asked the female pup when he saw what the ooman was doing.
Lilith looked over at the shopkeeper and nodded her head firmly. She wanted Slobber to move so she could smash another three packs of the marbles in that vent. In spite of getting licked every time the big beast got near her, Lilith actually liked Slobber and didn't want the Yaut Hound to get hurt by any broken glass.
Thwei-de nodded his head in thought for a moment as he studied the small gore splattered ooman female. "You know… I'm beginning to wish that you could talk just so I can find out exactly how intelligent you really are. Even without speaking you are communicating quite clearly, and given the way you are improvising tools and weapons to hunt with, I would have to say that you would be a very interesting person to talk to."
"She can speak if she wants to Elder, but she chooses not to. We don't know the exact reason, but we suspect it's because of what was done to her by the ooman Bad Bloods who were in control of her. The problem is, as long as she refuses to speak, we have no way of knowing for certain." Setg'in answered.
Thwei-de glanced over at the ooman pup in question and saw that she was watching them closely. He could tell that Lilith was well aware of being discussed, and that she didn't appear to be very pleased with being the subject of the conversation. He frowned beneath his mask when he saw the ooman back further away while watching both of them warily. The ooman's sudden distrust was obvious, and he wondered about the reason for it. It was a strange thing to see an ooman that could be readily trusted, but at the same time, did not seem all that willing to trust others.
'I can't fault the pup for such wariness after seeing those scars on her back. After all, there's no way that anyone could have submitted such an atrocity willingly. Someone much stronger than she is would have had to restrain her while another was causing that. The question is… how many dozens of times have they beaten her to cause that? I know some Warriors are occasionally whipped, but only in rare situations. The resulting scars are often viewed as a mark of merit, because it indicates that the Warrior was found to have honor and was considered worthy of continuing to live. But that… that is proof of someone else's dishonor! She obviously tries to hide it, and she shouldn't need to… she shouldn't even have such scars to begin with. I can only wonder if she'll ever overcome such dishonorable actions. She has the makings of a good warrior, but she'll need to learn how to trust others for that to happen.' Thwei-de thought as he studied the ooman pup. He nodded his head to her, and watched in silence as Setg'in ordered the Yaut Hound to him.
Lilith eyed the shopkeeper warily, because he was watching her just a little too close for her comfort after he'd seen her back. She knew that she had all kinds of scars back there, but she had no idea what they might look like. One thing she knew for certain though was that she didn't want anymore scars or beatings.
When Scar called Slobber away from the vent, Lilith got to work. One marble after another was smashed in the entrance of the vent, until she'd used up three bags of them. Then she walked over to where she had everything laid out. The glow sticks, and sling shot were immediately swapped for the baseball bat. Lilith planned to kill as many of them as she could before she tried to run them back into the vents again. The only difference was, this time around, she was going to try to do it a little smarter.
'One ugly critter at a time. That's what I need to do. Don't worry about the rest; don't even think about how many there are; just get one at a time.' Lilith thought with determination as she hefted the bat in her right hand.
There was a steady purpose to her stride as Lilith started walking towards one of the racks with several of the ugly things under it. She knocked the end of the bat against the rack to see if it would scare any of the giant space rats out of hiding. She wasn't surprised to hear more than a few frightened squeals come from under the rack, but she was surprised that one of those things made a break for it.
As soon as she saw the critter bolt from cover, the chase was on. Lilith had the song "Murder Ballad" from the third album of "One Eyed Doll" running through her head as she chased after the creature. The space rat was faster than she was, but Lilith quickly realized that she had one advantage. The thing's claws kept slipping on the floor, and her boots didn't. It was one of the few times she'd been glad that she'd gotten them instead of a pair of shoes from her mother's closet. As the creature tried to run around the end of one of the shelves that was sort of like an aisle, Lilith was able to catch up to it because of the way its feet were slipping. Lilith knew that she didn't have time to stop and go for an over head smash on the critter, so she swung the bat like a golf club instead.
Lilith caught the thing right in the hip above the back leg, and the space rat went sliding and spinning away from her while squealing, snarling, and hissing in a mix of rage and pain. She didn't hesitate to go after it to finish it off, but the thing turned towards her, and made a quick desperate lunge at her.
Lilith knew that she'd gotten really lucky when the bat connected in a solid hit, because she'd never played baseball in her life. She almost dropped the bat in surprise when she saw the creature get knocked back away from her and go sailing through the air to hit the floor in a twitching heap that was bleeding that green stuff from its head. She watched it for a second to make sure it was dead before going back to finding another one that would be dumb enough to try to run for it.
She wasn't as lucky with the next space rat that made a run for it. That one scrambled into the vents and got away from her. That wasn't really a problem though, because she knew they'd all go back in there sooner or later, and when they did, she'd be ready. She kept after them, and while most got away, the rest got splattered in one way or another.
Lilith knew that she was well past tired, but then she'd gotten seventeen of the over grown space rats, and had chased almost fifty of them back into the vents. She leaned the baseball bat against her right leg and bent over to catch her breath. She felt like she'd jumped in a pool, because her clothes were not only soaked, but they were even dripping with sweat.
'At least I'm not freezing anymore.' Lilith thought with a single snort of a rueful laugh just before she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked up to see Scar walking towards her.
"Lilith are you having any trouble breathing right now?" Setg'in asked the ooman in concern. He clearly remembered his mother's warning about the breathing difficulties Lilith might have. He knew that she was underfed and malnourished from the medical exam that had been performed on her, and that her physical condition likely left her short on endurance. The resulting combination could easily prove dangerous under the proper conditions, and he most certainly didn't want to see Lilith die simply because she'd overexerted herself.
Lilith shook her head because she knew that she was only out of breath… well that and hotter and sweatier than she could ever remember being. She didn't want to stop now, because she was doing something that just might make a difference to someone… besides, she already had a serious trap in place that she hadn't even used yet. All she needed was some time to catch her breath.
Thwei-de walked towards the ooman pup with a container of what was called 'Training Water'. Containing various salts, and minerals that were vital during strenuous exercise, it was something that everyone made use of sooner or later. When he'd seen the ooman female start to perspire, he'd thought that something was wrong with her, and he'd immediately looked up what was known about the oomans on his wrist computer. What he'd learned was that exuding moisture through the skin like that meant that the female was exerting herself at what was likely her peak abilities, and that she was overheated. The training water would replenish the minerals she lost, and help her stay properly hydrated. He noted that the ooman looked up at him suspiciously as he approached, and he held out the container of water.
"Here, you should drink this. It will help give you the strength to finish the hunt." Thwei-de told her with a smile.
Lilith took the funny looking canteen or what ever it was, and cautiously took a sip. It was water, bland and flat, but still water, and Lilith was really thirsty, but wasn't about to ask for something to drink. She started slugging it down as fast as she could only to find it snatched away from her.
"Drink this slowly! I've been told that you eat faster than a starving Yaut Hound, and that's fine, if that is how you choose to eat… but this will make you sick if you drink it too fast as hot as you are. Drink it slowly, and you can have more if you want it. If you drink it fast, I will not be giving you any more, because I am not going to be held responsible for you getting sick; understand?" Thwei-de said sternly.
Lilith nodded her head, and gratefully accepted the water when it was handed back to her. It was only through sheer willpower that she was able to drink it down slowly enough that the shopkeeper didn't growl very much while she did. All too soon, the weird canteen was empty, and she handed it back to the shopkeeper with some reluctance because she wanted more.
Thwei-de noticed how the little ooman female was watching the now empty container. He could see that her breathing was labored, and that the moisture she'd exuded was covering her skin in beads. 'Losing fluid through her skin like that has to be dehydrating her. She'll need more water to compensate for that loss.'
"Come with me, and I'll show you where to get water when you need it. A smart warrior knows to maintain their strength during a hunt and their health too." Thwei-de told the ooman pup as he motioned for her to follow him.
Lilith followed the Predator while still struggling to catch her breath. He'd said he would show her where to get more water, and right now she was very thirsty. She followed him to one of those weird alien bathrooms, and watched closely while he showed her how to operate the strange sink.
"Here… but do not drink fast! It will make you sick if you do, and if you try, I will stop you! I am not going to be held responsible for causing illness to a pup." Thwei-de told the ooman pup before handing the container to her. He watched closely to make sure the pup wasn't going to drink too fast, and because he was curious as to how warm or cool she would want the water.
Lilith fiddled with the controls to the weird sink for a while. She found that she could get water that was scalding hot or nearly freezing cold and anything in between out of it. The idea of a cold drink was really tempting as hot as she was. She filled the canteen or what ever it was with water that was nearly freezing and started to drink it. The first gulp stole what breath she had clean out of her lungs, and she stopped to gasp for breath.
Even while gasping for her breath, Lilith was grinning at the container in her hands. She never would have believed that she'd actually be glad to have something cold after her long miserable stay in the cold basement. She slowly drank her fill, before going back to where the space rats were.
'I've got to figure out how to get these things faster. If I have to chase them down one at a time, this will take forever!' Lilith thought in frustration.
Lilith had no idea how to speed things up, so she stuck with what had already worked. She grabbed the bat and stalked over to where she knew a bunch of them were hiding under a shelf. Dropping to the floor, she swung the bat under the shelf and hit at least one of the things. Several of them burst from cover to run towards the vents with Lilith in hot pursuit. She caught up with one of them and brought the bat down hard on its neck. The result was that the bat sort of slid down the neck to crush the skull sending brains and blood squirting everywhere.
"Oh… pauk! That's disgusting!"
Lilith looked over to see who had said that and saw a group of several Predators that she didn't know, and all but one of them were laughing.
"That should teach you not to get to close to someone making a kill." One of the others snickered as the first tried to wipe the grisly remains off his chest and legs.
"What is that thing, and what's it doing here?" Asked one of the Youngblood hunters as he turned to the shopkeeper.
"That is an ooman pup, and she is here because I need to be rid of a Tunnel Runner infestation. So she is undertaking her first hunt. I'll admit that though she has no training with any weapons or in hunting, she is proving to be quite the Little Hunter. I apologize that you were caught by the blood of her latest kill, but there is a waste closet right back there where you can clean yourself off." Thwei-de said pleasantly.
Their attention was diverted back to the ooman in question by a grunt of effort as Lilith dropped into a slide and pinned a tunnel runner against a wall. Acting quickly, the ooman pup grabbed the bat in the center with both hands and used the bat like a pile driver as she slammed it into the creature's head with a snarl.
"Actually, I think I'd rather watch the… ooman did you say? Yes… I'd rather watch the ooman. This looks to be entertaining." The Youngblood replied.
"Setg'in! There you are. I thought you were supposed to be hunting these Tunnel Runners for my uncle." One of the hunters called out in a puzzled tone.
"I had planned to, but that plan was destroyed when a tunnel runner ran past Lilith and scared her. Now, she's out for revenge, and she's doing a fair job of getting it too." Setg'in answered.
"So how many do you think she'll kill before she quits?" Thwei-de-th'syra asked intently.
"Are you joking? As stubborn as she is… I would think at least half, probably more, and it's even possible that she might continue until she gets all of them." Setg'in replied with a smirk.
"Between the ooman, and that massive Yaut Hound she's working with, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this turns out to be a cleansing." Thwei-de interjected while keeping a sharp eye on the ooman.
Just then Setg'in looked to the door as another Yautja entered, and he nearly groaned in dismay when he recognized the female that Lilith had angered by trespassing.
"Hail Thwei-de, I've come hoping that you've obtained some more seeds from other worlds." The large female greeted amiably.
"Lar'ja-sain'ja, (Dark Warrior) greetings. I must apologize but the few seeds that I received were taken by the tunnel runners infesting my shop. I've taken measures to ensure that any others I obtain are properly protected from them. I am also pleased to tell you that my infestation is being dealt with even now." Thwei-de replied with regret.
"Really? You've employed a hunter then? Just how skilled is this hunter, and are you certain they'll be able to deal with your problem? I am not without skill you know." Lar'ja-sain'ja retorted quickly.
"I will admit that the hunter has had no training in weapons or hunting and that this is her first hunt, but she does have a distinct advantage in that she's small enough to pursue the tunnel runners into the vents where they've built their nests. Though she has nothing by way of experience, she is proving to be quite cunning, and resourceful in her methods. In fact, she's already dispatched about fifty of them. She is being assisted by a very large Yaut Hound, and the two of them make for a very impressive team." Thwei-de answered with a satisfied smile.
"If that's the case, then I wish to meet the supervising mother. It's always a pleasure to see a 'First Hunt' take place." Lar'ja-sain'ja said agreeably.
"I regret that I don't know if the mother even lives. The hunter I speak of is an ooman pup, and though she has apparently chosen not to speak, she understands, and listens quite well. That is why I am acting as the Supervising Elder for this First Hunt that she's insisted on taking." Thwei-de informed her.
"Ooman…?" Lar'ja-sain'ja asked in confused surprise before turning to look at the source of a strange sounding snarl.
Every Yautja in the shop turned to stare in curiosity as a tiny ooman went careening past a tunnel runner in a slide. Though the creature had been successful in avoiding the ooman's feet, there was no such luck against the bat in the ooman's hands. The Yautja watched as both ooman pup and tunnel runner went sliding straight towards the waiting maw of an eager Yaut Hound. The tunnel runner was snapped up by powerful jaws that made short work of the creature, while the ooman pup slid between the front legs of the beast to slam into the back legs with what looked like a painful impact. The breath was knocked from the pup's lungs and the resulting noise was clearly heard. Then, the Yaut Hound was turning to lick the ooman pup across the face.
"Is that insolent wretch the ooman you speak of?" Lar'ja-sain'ja demanded angrily.
"I will freely admit that she is very stubborn, but I have seen no indication of insolence or even the slightest disrespect from her. Although I have seen evidence that she responds with the same level of respect or hostility that she receives." Thwei-de replied candidly.
Anything else that was about to be said was forgotten as all of the Yautja stared at the now laughing ooman who was climbing to her feet from beneath the belly of the large Yaut Hound.
"Even though I have seen it once before… that is very disturbing to watch." Thwei-de muttered softly.
"I have to agree with you; although I want to know how the ooman gets away with it." Lar'ja-sain'ja added softly.
"I don't know… but it makes me very curious to know just what that Yaut Hound senses about the ooman that makes her worthy of such trust." Thwei-de offered.
"Aren't Yaut Hounds supposed to be somewhat empathic?" Lar'ja-sain'ja asked suddenly.
"I've heard of many who claim they are, and I suppose it's possible I guess… but if they are… no one's ever been able to prove it. If they are… then I would really like to know why that ooman is trusted in such a way." Thwei-de commented while in deep thought.
As Lilith got to her feet to and was once again licked across the entire left side of her face, she realized that there was no way she could chase the space rats down one at a time when they were faster than she was. She figured that it was time to start running them in and out of the vents until they slowed down some. That would give her the chance she needed to get rid of them. She started walking towards the shelf at the back of the store where the jet balls were, because they would be perfect for shooting under the shelves and racks. Then, Lilith stopped as she stared at a pair of boxes that contained fireplace sets. She stared at them for a moment before she realized that the screen could stop the space rats from going into a vent.
'If I put those in front of the vent Slobber watches, and the one I crawl in, then they would have to go in the one with lots of busted marbles! Then I shoot a firecracker in there, and they all come running out again. They'd have to hurt their feet when they run past all that glass twice, and then I can catch up with them.' Lilith thought with a wide smile of satisfaction.
Lilith pulled both of the boxes off the shelf and opened one to get the fire screen out. She quickly set that aside and got the second one, before going over and setting them up where she wanted. Once the screens were in place, Lilith frowned at them, because they didn't look like they would stop the space rats from getting past them.
'If they work, and make those things go in the vent where I busted most of the marbles that will be great, but they probably won't because they'll be too easy to move. Oh well, it's worth a try.' Lilith thought wryly.
With one last uncertain look at the vents, Lilith walked over and got the plastic jug of jet balls. She picked a spot on the floor where she could see under most of the racks and shelves in the store. Then, she lay down and got the wrist rocket in place on her left arm, and started firing the jet balls at the space rats. She wasn't really aiming to hit them, because all she needed to do was scare them. She was not prepared for the result. The first shot bounced off one and slammed into a second space rat, and both snarled loudly.
Lilith had quickly fired no more than fifteen of the jet balls at the tunnel runners when the mandibles flared and jaws dropped on the face of every Yautja in the shop.
'This can't be what the ooman planned… can it?' Thwei-de thought in a stupefied daze as he watched and listened to the angry squeals, squeaks, screams, hisses, and snarls of the tunnel runners as they turned on each other in fits of rage and terror.
Lilith stopped shooting the balls at the space rats when she noticed that all across the store; they were now fighting each other. Fighting, and killing each other! It was an all out war, and she had started it. Suddenly, she realized just what she had done. She was getting the space rats to kill each other off, and that would leave less of them for her to have to chase down. She burst out in a demented giggle that soon turned into an all out laughing fit as she watched 'The War of the Space Rats'!
Setg'in was very glad that he was wearing his mask, so that all of this was being recorded, because otherwise no one would ever believe it! He no longer cared that this was supposed to have been his task to pay for the disk and chain of heat metal, because seeing what was now taking place all over the shop was well worth standing aside and watching!
Lilith lay on the floor laughing as she watched what was happening. All of the space rats were fighting each other furiously, and the various fights were now spilling out from under the shelves and racks around the store. She could see that with more room to move around, the fights were getting more vicious and violent, and that only made her laugh harder. She watched with wide eyes as one snarling mass of bloody space rats got closer to her, and she could see that they were literally ripping each other apart. She rolled onto her hands and knees to begin crawling closer for a better look, when she was suddenly snatched from the floor and carried quickly away from the ongoing fight.
Lilith was so surprised by being snatched up and carted away from what she wanted to watch, that she'd barely begun to struggle when she was shoved into the arms of one of the Predators.
"If this ooman is only a pup, and you are supposed to watch it, then you will keep it from being harmed! I'm not sure what is going on with these tunnel runners, but that isn't normal, so keep that ooman away from them while that is happening." Lar'ja-sain'ja growled angrily as she shoved the ooman into the Youngblood's arms.
Upon finding Lilith shoved into his arms, Setg'in quickly set her on the floor and steadied her while she got her feet beneath her. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but notice the surprised but satisfied grin that was plastered on her face. The floor of the shop was in total chaos as the tunnel runners continued to tear each other apart in their fear and rage over being disturbed. Then, Lilith broke away from him, and darted over to the bat that was leaning against the wall.
Lilith grabbed the baseball bat, and turned to look at the space rats who were fighting each other. There were swarms of them scattered all over the store, and she looked carefully for one of the smaller piles. She got a solid grip on the Louisville Slugger as she sidled her way around the store, then she saw the swarm she was looking for. With a malicious grin, Lilith charged right in with a swing of the bat leading the way.