Dear Readers,

A few months has passed for everyone me mostly and I have to say I am sorry for keeping you waiting and worrying. This year has been the worst for me…slowly it is getting better. From the heartfelt PMS to the wonderful reviews, each heart touching. I have missed my place in fanfiction writing for you and for myself. After my mom passed I didn't want to write anymore what could a 21 year old girl gain from writing from anything life is ruined gone…I realize just how wrong I was. Writing is my life my blood it's freedom as it is for all of us here on fanfiction. I apologize to you all for my absence but I am back. I'm here to stay. One more thing to a friend Atraxotax here on fanfiction, give him a look he has some pretty great things I'm sure of it. Read. Laugh. Love. Enjoy.

Ever gratefully yours,

Luthinea

Guan walked into Lilith's room to see the pup curled up with Bakuub on one side of her and that large stuffed plaything on the other. The sleeping pup had her arms wrapped around the plaything, and was resting with her back nestled firmly against the side of the Yaut hound. She could see that the pup was wearing the strange covering that hung down past the pup's knees, and she couldn't help but wonder if Lilith was actually comfortable in wearing that while sleeping.

"Lilith? Lilith! I need you to wake up now. It's time for the morning meal."

Guan watched as Bakuub raised her head and looked over at her, before nudging Lilith. She watched as the little ooman pup moaned and rubbed her face before sitting up. The pup looked around the room in apparent confusion, before focusing on her. "Come Lilith. It's time for the morning meal."

Lilith nodded her head and set the huge white Teddy bear to one side. She was really glad that Gwen had bought it, because for the second time since she had been chained in the basement, she hadn't had a nightmare. She knew that her nightmares were the kinds of things that either made her wake up ready to scream, or made her wake up with an urge to hide like she had the day before yesterday. Hiding under all the stuffed critters hadn't helped much, but it was better than doing nothing. Lilith just wished she knew how to hide from bad dreams. Being here with these Predators was a lot better than being in the basement, because so far, none of them had even tried to hurt her or make her scream in pain.

It was weird. These Predators looked like monsters out of a really bad nightmare; Scar, Celtic, and Rave had even killed people, but they didn't do anything to her except make her feel like she was actually safe here.

'Any time I want something to eat they give me something and they keep making that purring sound to make me feel better. Gwen even wakes me up so I can eat breakfast with them. They won't even tell me why.' Lilith thought as she followed Gwen to the table.

"Look… she's alive!" Hulij-bpe exclaimed with a laugh.

"Oh… I don't think she's alive yet. It's more like she's in that state which is somewhere between sleep and waking. She is obviously a person who is not fond of mornings… which means she'll be angry at everything!" Setg'in replied with a slight chuckle and a grin.

"I think you're right Little Brother, because she's looking at you like she wants to pound on you for a while." Nihkou'te chimed in with a snicker.

"Stop trying to agitate the Little One and eat your morning meal. She looks irritable enough as it is." Kwei ordered quietly while watching Lilith climb into her chair.

Once Lilith was in her chair she had to wait while Gwen poured a cup of broth and placed it in front of her. As soon as that happened, she was grabbing the cup and drinking the hot broth. She still hadn't learned what it was, but it was hot and good. She had gone through almost half of it, when she spotted the sliced fruits on the serving plate. She set the cup down, and quickly leaned forward and tried to get some of the mango slices that she could see was on the plate, but the plate was just out of reach. Then, before she could try to squirm just a bit closer in her booster chair, a hand reached over and held the plate out to her.

"Get what you like Lilith, just don't eat so fast." Setg'in told the pup with a light smile.

Setg'in watched as Lilith eyed him warily. He was sure that she fully expected him to take the plate of fruit away from her. She grabbed several slices of fruit, and he noticed that she was mainly getting the naxa fruit. The ooman pup settled back in her chair, and began to eat. She didn't eat quite as fast she usually did, but still… at least she had slowed down some.

Than-guan was quietly observing Lilith as the ooman pup ate her morning meal. The little ooman female ate very fast in her opinion, although it wasn't quite as fast as the pup had eaten the first day that she'd met the little female. She couldn't help but notice that Lilith was paying far more attention to what she and the others were doing, than she gave to what she was eating.

"Why is she watching all of us like that?" Than-guan asked in curiosity.

"Because I'm almost positive that those who were starving her often took her food away from her. So she watches to make sure that we won't do the same." Setg'in answered quickly.

"I'd kill anyone who tried to do such a thing!" Yeyinde growled threateningly.

"I agree sister. Such is not the behavior of an honorable warrior." Than-guan stated firmly.

Lilith was so surprised that she actually stopped with a slice of fruit almost to her mouth while she gaped at the Predators. 'Why would she kill someone just for making me go hungry? Why would they care about that? I'm just a worthless mistake, not someone worth fighting over.' She wondered in disbelief.

Lilith continued to watch the Predators warily while she finished eating. Everyone took their dishes and placed them in the sterilizer to be cleaned for later use, before moving to the main room where the fireplace was. She headed towards her bean bag, when she was stopped by Gwen.

"Lilith… will you inspect our armor and let me know if it meets your approval?" Guan asked as everyone began gathering behind her to show off their armor.

Lilith nodded her head and began to look over everything that she could see on each of the Predators. She just had to grin at the sight, because everything had been polished to a high shine, and it looked good on them. She nodded her head and gave a thumbs up before heading to her bean bag chair.

Lilith flopped down on her bean bag, and reached for her coloring books. The box of map pencils and the ten coloring books were things that she had placed by her bean bag so she could sit and color without making any noise or bothering any of the Predators. She sat and colored for a decent amount of time until Old Bruce, Celtic, and Rave had to go do some things. She didn't really pay much attention to what it was though. After they left, Gwen, the Thing Sisters, and Scar were talking about May-day.

Lilith didn't really want to hear about the Predator who had tried to take some food out of her hand yesterday. That was why she got up, went over to Gwen, pointed to herself, and then outside.

"Lilith… if you are asking to go outside; that will not happen until after you are wearing our Clan's symbol. Is that understood?" Guan replied quickly.

Lilith nodded her head with a smile and ran to her room. She decided to change clothes, and put on the black shirt, pants, and boots that Gwen had bought her along with the belt and necklace. Then she went back to the living room where Gwen was still talking with the others.

Guan looked at the pup as she entered the main room. She was wearing the coverings that she'd purchased that first day, and the Clan's symbol was clearly visible. "Very good Lilith. Now you must listen to me on this. You are not to leave the grounds! You may cross the trail that leads to the door, but not the main trail… is that understood?"

Lilith thought about what had been said for a minute before she realized that Gwen had basically said 'stay in the yard and don't cross the street'. Under other circumstances, she might have thought that Gwen was treating her like a baby again, but this wasn't Earth, and she knew that there was no telling what could happen to her if she got lost, because there weren't any signs that she could read. She decided right then, that Gwen was just trying to keep her from getting lost. That was when she remembered Gwen's warning from yesterday morning about how some of these Predators didn't like humans. She also remembered the way Scar, Celtic, and Rave had killed the people in the pyramid. She didn't want to be killed, at least not the way these Predators could do it, and she definitely didn't want to be hurt anymore. That was why she nodded her head to let Gwen know that she understood.

As she stepped outside, Lilith could see that strange orange sun rising in a sky that was a dusky orange color. The dark green plants that were almost black in some places were all over the place. That was when Lilith spotted a tree that was growing right up next to the pyramid that Gwen lived in. She went over and sat down with her back leaned up against the tree. She listened for a while and soon heard the weird but also familiar noises made by the different bugs and birds.

It felt so good to be outside where it was nice and warm, with lots of fresh air, and no one around to bother her. She sat there watching the bright red sun rise in the dusky orange sky, a few of what looked like flying lizards go by in the air, and even a weird looking butterfly that she would have sworn was some kind of cross between a bug and a bat. She was half asleep when an angry voice caught her attention.

"I said… what are you doing here ooman, and where are you supposed to be?"

Kujhade-de K'var-de (Destroying Hunter) stormed over to the ooman as he spoke. He hated oomans, and felt that they shouldn't even be allowed on the planet as pets or slaves, but this one… this one was lounging about as if it had every right to be here, and the very thought made him burn with rage.

Lilith heard the question that was growled at her. In fact it was the angry sound that had gotten her attention. Then she realized what the Predator had asked and she pointed at the ground to show that she was right where she was supposed to be. Apparently that wasn't good enough to satisfy the Predator because he was still coming at her and she could tell that he was pissed about something. She stood up to get ready to run or dodge, but she never got the chance.

When the ooman merely pointed at the ground instead of answering his question, before standing up, Kujhade-de K'var-de got even angrier. He moved with all the speed his race was capable of and grabbed the ooman by the throat. As he lifted the ooman off the ground to bring the pathetic creature to eye level, it emitted a loud and piercing two tone whistle almost like a bird. He ignored that sound which he figured was nothing more than panic, because he could smell the stink of fear on the miserable thing.

Suddenly, Kujhade heard the hiss of a door opening, which was immediately covered by the very loud and deadly growl of an enraged Yaut Hound. Both of the ooman's hands were wrapped around his wrist in an effort to support the ooman's body weight. That grip made no difference to him as he flung the ooman aside to deal with the angry beast that was charging at him. As the Yaut Hound leapt at him, he used his hands to hurl the beast over his head while he dropped to the ground.

Immediately rolling to his feet, Kujhade once again faced the snarling and now stalking Yaut Hound. That was when he heard the door a second time, only this time four females, and one male Yautja came running out. As soon as they saw him, they looked over at the ooman sprawled on the ground holding its neck and whimpering in pain. He barked out a single laugh, before he realized the severity of the growls that were coming from one of the females.

Kujhade-de K'var-de knew that sound. He knew that even as adrenaline flooded the muscles of the body, almost all of the strength was taken from the vocal cords so that it could be used by other muscles. Those very relaxed vocal cords were what caused that very distinctive low pitched growl that heralded the condition known as 'Bearer's Rage'! Knowing that they would probably be too late, he quickly reached to his left forearm and summoned an Arbitrator to his location.

Setg'in watched his mother carefully. He knew very well what that growl meant, and he was sure that if anyone went near Lilith, that they would be torn apart without hesitation or mercy. He hoped that the Arbitrators that he'd summoned as soon as he saw what was going on would arrive soon. Right now, the only thing he could be thankful for was that Lilith was still alive, and being protected by Bakuub who was standing just in front of her and snarling.

Suddenly, a loud blaring and strange noise thoroughly surprised everyone. It was so unexpected that it shocked Guan right out of the rage she felt. Not that it mattered to her, because she could see at a glance that Lilith was injured, and that sight made her anger begin to rise once more even as she looked over to see the cause of the strange sound.

Guan was very surprised to see a pair of Arbitrators watching her warily. Instantly, she looked over at the male who had invaded her grounds and injured the pup she had accepted into her home, and saw his relief at the sight. That was when Guan decided to press the one advantage she had.

"As the owner of these grounds and this home, I demand an immediate hearing before the Tribunal." Guan growled as her anger began to return.

"I too demand a hearing before the Tribunal!" Kujhade declared loudly.

"I am U'sl-kwe, (Death) and all of you will be escorted to stand before a Tribunal of Elite Arbitrators. The Yaut Hound is to be secured where it can cause no harm or disruption." One of the Arbitrators said sternly.

Setg'in called Bakuub to him, and she was not too pleased at leaving Lilith, but Guan barked a command and she followed him into the home where she was locked inside. He turned around just in time see the unknown male demand that Lilith remain untreated until after the hearing.

Kujhade looked around at all four of the now growling and clearly angry females, and the angry male who had burst from the home. "I will see that ooman executed for the disrespect that I was shown! That worthless creature is not to be treated, except by order of the Tribunal."

Guan heard that demand and had to struggle with the rage that threatened to consume her. As of now, this male was playing with his life, because she now intended to kill him no matter what happened, and she knew just how to see to it. "As the rightful owner of these grounds, I will kill you if she dies. Regardless of any decision by the Tribunal!"

Guan went over and began to carefully lift Lilith into her arms, but was prevented from doing so by one of the Arbitrators. She was not happy with what had happened, and she could only hope that Lilith had not been at fault to cause this incident.

"I know that your neck hurts Lilith, but you must bear the pain for a while longer." Guan said softly as she watched Lilith use her hands to hold her head in the position that seemed to cause the least amount of pain.

After nearly half a day of walking, during which Lilith began stumbling along in obvious pain, and breathing raggedly, the two Arbitrators finally ushered everyone into a large chamber that was filled with various statues of Paya, and Cetanu. Guan quickly looked around, but her attention was drawn to the five Elite Arbitrators who were seated behind a large desk that was raised to the point that it was more than twice her own height of nine nok. (Nok = 13 inches)

"Since I was disrespected by that disgusting creature before the females arrived, I wish to be heard first." Kujhade declared loudly.

Guan looked over at the male and narrowed her eyes at him while her mind raced in thought. Then a smile of deadly intent crossed her face as she spoke without taking her eyes off the male. "Let him speak then. After that… I will state my claims against him!"

Kujhade-de K'var-de actually smiled in true delight. He was certain that it would only take a single question to effect the ooman's execution. "I demand for the ooman to provide the justification for refusing to give answer when I questioned it."

The Arbitrator in the center of the five seated in the position of Judgment looked at the ooman now standing alone and holding its neck with both hands. "Well? What was your reason for not speaking to an Honored Ancient when he questioned you?" He demanded in English.

Lilith heard the question, and she knew that she was in serious trouble. She was sure that this was some kind of Predator court room, and that these were Judges. She tried to shake her head, but that sharp stabbing agony shot through her neck and almost knocked her to her knees.

"You will answer the question ooman!" The most senior of the Elite Arbitrators said in warning.

Guan wanted so desperately to tell the Tribunal that Lilith would not speak unless drugged or asleep, but she knew that speaking without the express instruction from one of the members of the Tribunal wasn't allowed unless she were questioned, or it was her turn to state her claim against the male.

The Tribunal waited in silence for a long while. Then, when it became obvious that the ooman was not going to say anything, one of the Arbitrators turned and looked to one of the other Arbitrators scattered about the Hall of Judgment. "Take the ooman for cerebral scanning. It is to be questioned about its refusal to speak."

"Honored Arbitrators! I must insist that only female Arbitrators be present to conduct the scan. There are valid medical reasons for that stipulation, I also will accompany the ooman whose name is Lilith, since she lives in my home." Guan blurted out.

"Normally… one would be censured for speaking out of turn. However, since you say that there is a medical reason for your outburst, it will be temporarily forgiven… this time!" One of the Elite Arbitrators declared sternly.

Guan watched as a female Arbitrator stepped forward, and placed a hand on Lilith's shoulder to guide her in the direction they were to go.

Da'dtou-de (Little Knife) could see from the way the ooman was holding her neck that she was injured, and the strong smell of stress being emitted by the ooman was overwhelming, and from that alone, she knew the creature was in very severe pain. She guided the much smaller creature who was barely half her height to another room. She told the ooman to sit in a specific chair along one wall, and was surprised that the creature complied. She secured the ankles of the ooman, and then as gently as possible forced the hands down so that they could be secured as well.

Lilith's neck and head were hurting so much that she didn't even realize that she was being tied to a chair until after it was already done. She started breathing heavier even as her tears began to fall faster. She knew that they were now going to make her suffer far more than her parents ever had.

The heavy breathing surprised Da'dtou-de, and she glanced up at the ooman's face to see that tears were now flowing freely. There was a strong scent of stress, but also an overwhelming scent of fear. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that other than the sounds of the ooman's breath, there was no noise coming from the creature. She nodded her head in silent approval at the tolerance of pain, before lowering the dome that would scan the neural network of the subject and show the memories as a holographic projection that was visible to Yautja eyesight. She activated the device and stepped back to allow it to begin the designed function. When the device was ready, she began her questions.

Guan watched apprehensively as Lilith was locked in the cerebral scanner. She knew that there was no way to lie while subjected to the device, because instead of a verbal answer, the machine read the actual memories of the one being questioned. She knew that she would now learn why Lilith didn't speak to them. She quickly put her mask on so that she could clearly see what transpired.

"Why did you not speak when you were addressed by the Ancient?" Da'dtou-de asked when the machine was ready. Instantly, the holographic display sprang forth with an image accompanied by sound, along with a readout of both Lilith's physical and emotional sensations. The display would indicate where any injuries were, what type of pain was incurred by that injury as well as the intensity of that pain. It was as complete as possible without knowing the actual thoughts of the one being questioned. The interesting thing about the display was that the image varied the heat of the projection so that every color that Lilith had seen was displayed so that the Yautja also saw it in those exact same colors.

Guan watched the display from Lilith's point of view as an image of several other ooman pups seated on a strange looking fur were being addressed by an adult ooman who was clearly more than twice the height of the pups. "Never talk to strangers! Teachers, police officers, firemen, and ambulance drivers are allowed, but other than that… you must never talk to someone that you don't know! Talking to other kids is fine, but don't ever talk to an adult that you don't know unless your parents are with you."

Suddenly the scene switched to something that made Guan's blood run cold even as her anger rose.

A belt came flying at her, hard and fast as it smashed into her face sending her falling into the door. "Look at this. Look! You cost us $484,286.92. Do you have any idea how much money we could have saved if you weren't born? Do you?" The paper flew in and out of her face. Tears slid from her eyes. Her father had never once hit her or even yelled at her before.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her father's face had turned into something unimaginable as it was twisted by the hate that she could now see there. His voice held more venom than a rattlesnake's fangs.

"Sorry, you're sorry. Sorry doesn't pay the bills; sorry doesn't put food in my mouth; sorry is a worthless excuse of what you are! A worthless mistake!" His words hit her even harder than his belt.

With a scowl on his face he grabbed a fist full of her hair and dragged her down the hall into the kitchen, opened the basement door and threw her in. She hit every stair going down. It was a wonder no bones were broken. She sobbed as she stared up at her father with a mix of confusion and pain.

"You will stay down there where all worthless, bad, selfish, bastard mistake kids go for the rest of their lives… including yours!" Her father yelled at her before he slammed the door shut leaving her alone in the dark.

She had never realized how cold it was down here and her skirt and tank top did little to help her against it. She scuttled over to the water heater to absorb the slight warmth it was giving off. She was down there for a two whole days with no food and no water, then on the third day the door opened. It was her mother, and she wanted to run into her arms and absorb all the comfort she had to give.

Her mother approached her with a smile playing on her lips. Lilith stood.

"Strip!"

The command confused her.

"I said strip!" Her mother's right hand made solid contact with the soft flesh of her left cheek. Not wanting to give her mother any more reason to be angry than she had, she quickly did as she was told, before turning to face her mother while standing there fully naked.

Her mother threw her against the wall and began removing her belt. Lilith looked back with pure terror in her eyes. She ran. She ran up the basement stairs and into the house only to be caught by her father and dragged back down with her kicking and screaming.

"Shut up!" She didn't. She couldn't! She somehow knew what was about to happen, and it terrified her more than anything she'd ever experienced.

"Shut up!" Her father screamed as he slammed her head into the wall dazing her. She didn't even notice that she was down the stairs again being held by two strong hands holding her up right, but she did notice the searing burn in her back. She screamed.

"Oh dear, do you think we should gag her." Her mom sounded positively thrilled. She couldn't comprehend anything. Not even when a small red ball was forced in her mouth and tied in the back of her head.

"That should keep you quiet."

The agonizing burning sensation was back and now she knew what it was; the belt.

"You have cost us a grand total of $484,286.92! You're going to get the same amount… plus double!" He father yelled in rage as he kept swinging the belt with every bit of strength he had. The pain was too much. Her skin felt raw after the twentieth hit, by the fiftieth she had passed out.

Guan saw what had happened from the perspective of Lilith's own eyes. The readouts along the side showed not only the immense amount of pain that the pup had felt, but also the incredible fear caused by her own parents! It was the kind of thing that stunned her speechless. Just when she thought that it couldn't be any worse, the scene changed again.

She was being held down tightly by a rope. Her arms, legs, torso, and neck were unable to move. Any attempt at movement brought pain. The ropes tore at her skin when she tried to move. What was going to happen to her now? The basement door opened with a bang sending chills down her spine.

"Mommy, Daddy?" Her voice was raw from her screaming. Recently they had thrown both of her arms on revolving blades that had cut deeply into her hands and part of her forearms. The flesh had hung apart showing the bone, blood vessels, tendons, and muscles. Her parents had reluctantly rushed her to the hospital and told the paramedics that she was playing in the workshop when this happened. They did immediate surgery saving both of her arms, and they healed miraculously, not even a scar formed.

She had tried to tell the doctors and surgeons what had really happened, but none of them would believe her. They thought it was the drugs making her hallucinate. After her release this is where she wound up, on her old bed tied down.

"You rotten little bitch! You tried to get us in trouble!" Her mother's eyes were filled withabsolute rage. "You see how well that worked, now don't you? You know you deserve every last bit of this." She stood up straight, putting on one of the smuggest smiles Lilith had ever seen. "Well, we'll fix that won't we dear?" Her father side stepped around the woman, holding in his hands a brand new roll of duct tape. "Indeed we will."

Lilith tried to scream, she tried to beg, but her father forced her mouth closed and wrapped the tape many times from the bottom of her jaw to the top of her head and back around. Her teeth were pressed tightly together and held that way by the thick layers of tape that she couldn't move. Now terrified of what else they might do, she tried to beg once more, but her pleas might well have been made to a brick wall, as her father began putting the tape over her mouth and taking it around the back of her head.

She had no idea how long they had left the tape on her like that, but the pain that she felt when they finally tore it off was unreal. Lilith screamed as she felt her hair being torn roughly from her scalp by the sticky tape. She cried and wanted to beg for them to stop, but they didn't. Her mother kept ripping the tape off, and laughed whenever bloody hair came off with it.

Guan stared at the holographic display in mute horror. Every single one of Lilith's begging pleas had been ignored by her own parents as they had laughingly tormented her.

Her arms had long ago gone numb from being suspended above her head. Her wrists were chafed beneath the straps and the cuts that the hospital had sewn up had even bled, so that dried blood ran down her arms. The welts and cuts on her body were still raw and some of them still bled a bit. She hung her head, and looked down at the cold cement beneath her bare feet that was stained and splattered with her own blood.

The door to the basement slammed open and her mother came storming down the stairs into the basement.

"Well now, you little bitch! Your father thinks that duct tape might have finally shut your worthless ass up! Now since he's at work trying to pay for all the fucking bills that your worthless ass keeps racking up, I'm going to find out if it really did work!" Her mother said in a snarl.

Lilith whimpered in fresh fear. All she wanted was for the hurting to stop. Suddenly, she was screaming at the top of her lungs as her mother threw lemon juice on the still open cuts! The cruel smile on her mother's face was something that she knew would give her nightmares as the woman almost laughed while pouring some of the lemon juice into her hand. "Talk now, you worthless bitch, because every time you open your mouth, you prove just how fucking worthless you really are!" Her mother sneered before deliberately rubbing the numerous cuts and wounds on her body with the hand full of lemon juice!

Guan could read the translations that were provided by the machine, so she knew what had been rubbed into Lilith's wounds, but she had no idea what 'lemon juice' was or what it was used for. Suddenly her attention was drawn to a horrified whisper from the Arbitrator.

"What all did they do to you?"

At that point, Guan's mouth fell open in sheer disbelief as the hologram displayed one atrocious scene after another. She watched in mute horrified rage as Lilith was forced to slice her own arms open with the blade given to her by her father. She felt her blood boil during the repeated and almost constant daily beatings that grew ever more than brutal in their nature, and only became more violent as time progressed. Unable to speak, she wanted nothing more than for this nightmare of a horror show to end, but it quickly became clear that it wouldn't. One horrific memory after another, every one of them full of more dishonor than a hundred Bad Bloods would display. It made her feel physically ill to watch, but at the same time she couldn't look away, because it was simply too horrific.

Somehow in the midst of all the horror she saw, Guan knew that this ooman pup who had become a part of her life deserved something much better than what she had received from her own parents. Honor, compassion, and even love had not been a part of Lilith's life, but she became determined that that this ooman pup would learn what it was like to receive such things.

"How in Paya's name did you manage to escape?" Da'dtou-de asked in sheer disbelieving wonder that this ooman was even alive after what she had just seen.

Her parents were stumbling as they came down the stairs. Lilith shrank back away from them in absolute fear. They had just left a while ago, so why had they come back? What would they make her do now? They were both drunk this time. That was a very bad sign, but maybe she would get lucky and they would kill her this time.

"Time for you to have a cigarette, you worthless bitch!" Her mother told her as she stuck her right hand down her own shorts and started doing something between her legs.

Lilith did exactly as she was told. She knew that she wasn't allowed to make any sounds, or even cry while she was burning or cutting herself, or she'd get a horrible beating from both of her parents. The sickly stench of burning flesh assailed her nostrils as she held the lit cigarette against her right leg. Strangely, this was one smell she could never get used to. Flakes of dried blood fell from her shaking wrist as she struggled to keep tears from her eyes, so she wouldn't get hit anymore.

"Just fucking worthless! Hell, I bet she'd even be a worthless fuck!" Her mother snarled drunkenly.

"You know… I think it's time we found out, don't you honey?" Her mother smirked suddenly, before lunging forward and grabbing her wrists.

She couldn't help but cry out in pain as her mother opened more than a dozen of the cuts on each of her wrists. That was when she realized that she'd been so focused on her mother that she'd completely forgotten to keep an eye on her father. She turned her head back to face him and saw that he'd taken off all of his clothes. He grabbed her legs forcing them apart, and brutally shoved that engorged thing between his legs into her. So intense was the pain of the dry insertion that she couldn't even scream. It felt like she was being ripped in two from the inside out. Her mother was behind her, holding her in place with a knee in her back while hanging onto her now bleeding wrists from the reopened wounds. Then finally, a scream left her mouth as tears of agony fell down her face as her father began pulling himself out of her. That was when she thought that whatever was being done to her was over, but she was wrong.

Her father had continued hurting her inside for a long time. Then he grunted and pulled that painful thing out of her, and even through her sobbing tears of agony, she couldn't help but notice that her blood was all over it. Her father then laughed and said that he wasn't even close to being done! "You stupid, worthless bitch! This is for crying and screaming."He had pinned her legs with his and maneuvered his body so that he could stick that throbbing and twitching thing inside her again. But this time he stuck it in a different place.

Lilith screamed until her throat was raw and sore, with no thought given to the penalty for screaming. Her father didn't stop his brutally agonizing method of anally raping her still developing body, and her mother wouldn't quit laughing. Then her whole world exploded in fresh pain from another source as her father began using his free hands to pound on her sides and stomach with his fists.

When it was over, Lilith cowered as close to the water heater as she could. She was so cold, and she was hurting both inside and out after what her parents had done to her this time. She had no idea how long she had huddled there, but she looked up towards the still slightly cracked open door of the basement as her parents began to argue.

"That worthless bitch is a waste of money even when she's tied up in the basement!" Her father's voice yelled angrily.

"Well at least you got a couple of fucks out of that damned mistake!" Her mother's voice yelled back just as angry.

"The only good thing about that fuck was popping that little bitch's cherry before she could accidentally get knocked up like you did, and that was the biggest mistake you ever made… otherwise she's just as worthless a fuck as you are!" Her father's voice yelled even louder.

"You take that back you fucking sorry ass bastard or I'm calling the cops. They'll take her, and they'll throw us both in jail over that worthless mistake… what do you think about that, you sorry piece of shit?"

Lilith heard the sounds of them stomping and running through the house upstairs. Then she heard a scream and a very loud bang followed by a weird sounding thump.

"I'll be damned if I go to jail you sorry cunt. Now that you're dead, I'll make sure that worthless bitch rots down there!"

That was when Lilith heard two more loud bangs followed by a couple more weird thumps. She sat there near the water heater for a long time, and all the while she listened carefully. Finally, after hearing no noise or sounds, she began to suspect that her parents had left. The only difference was, this time; the basement door was left cracked open.

Lilith knew that she couldn't unbuckle the collar, because they had somehow put a small padlock on it, but it was some kind of cloth, that meant she might be able to cut it open. That was what she did.

Once she was free of the chain, Lilith crept up the stairs to the basement, and looked out into the kitchen. There… on the floor, in a pool of drying blood was her mother who was dead. She knew the woman was dead, because some of her brains were on the floor, and some were splattered on the wall over the sink.

At first, Lilith was filled with fear of what the woman might do to her, but then she realized that her mother couldn't do anything to her anymore, because she was dead. Creeping silently out of the kitchen, she saw a dog that was also dead, and then she saw her father's foot in the hallway by the kitchen. Easing into the hallway she saw her father laying part way in the living room, and he was dead too.

Relief flooded through Lilith as she headed upstairs to her old room, but when she got there, none of her things were present. All of her things were gone. The bed, her dresser, her nightstand, the nightlight to keep her from being afraid of the dark, and when she opened the closet, she saw that there wasn't anything of hers in there either. Everything… the whole room had been turned into a room for the dog that she'd never seen before… the dog her father had killed right before he shot himself. In disbelief that everything she'd once had was now gone, she turned and went to the spare bedroom. Inside there was a computer on a desk with a lot of boxes full of papers scattered around. Not even the closet had anything that had been hers.

Knowing that all of her things were now gone like she had never lived there at all, Lilith went down to the kitchen to find something to eat. In the cabinets were an uncooked box of rice, and one lonely bag of pinto beans. She didn't know how to cook, so she couldn't eat that. She opened the refrigerator to see what was in there. Two cases of Budweiser, a bottle of Crown Royal, and two twelve packs of Bud Light were all that she could see until she looked in the drawer for cheeses and lunchmeat. One half eaten pack of bologna was all there was. She quickly snatched that out and was already eating it, before opening the freezer where she found a large bag of chicken legs. With nothing to drink, she grabbed a cup of water from the sink.

Lilith started to put the cup in the sink, but then she realized that with her parents dead, they couldn't beat her for not doing it, and she defiantly put the dirty cup on the counter. That was when she noticed how dirty her hands were. A look at the rest of her body showed her that she was covered in a dark grey film of dirt and grime, with a mix of fresh and dried blood almost everywhere. In the darkness of the basement, she hadn't been able to see how filthy she was, but now she could, and she didn't like it at all.

Lilith would have run up the stairs to the bathroom, but she hurt too much to run right then. Once in the bathroom, she opened a cabinet to get a towel, and saw her mothers hygiene articles; pads, tampons, cotton balls, and cotton swabs, but her gaze stopped on the box of black hair dye. She snatched that and a couple of towels. The box of dye was dropped in the bathroom sink, while she dropped the towels on the closed toilet. She turned on the shower and it took a few minutes for the water to get hot, but when it did, Lilith got in and savored the first shower she'd taken since she was locked away in the basement.

Lilith had to spend a long time gingerly scrubbing the dirt and blood off her body and she'd had to wash her hair four times before it stopped feeling greasy. Once she finally felt like she was clean, she tried to relax under the spray of the shower. After four long and miserable years of being cold all the time, she reveled in the feeling of being warm and wished that it would never end.

It was a long time before Lilith noticed a drop in the temperature of the water. She hadn't tried to take a shower that most people would consider hot, because she wasn't sure if she still had the tolerance for that kind of heat, besides, the length of time that she had spent under the hot spray had done wonders for her bruised and battered body and muscles. She got out and dried off before looking in the mirror.

The sight of long brown hair that reached the middle of her back wasn't at all pleasing to her, so she went back into her parent's bedroom and found a pair of scissors in her mother's dresser. She cut all of her hair back to shoulder length, and then dyed it black. After she was finished, she went into her parent's room one last time.

Lilith searched the room for nearly an hour, closet, both dressers, and even the tables by the bed, and so far there were no underwear that would fit her. A pair of her mother's hiking boots that she had to use three pair of sock to make fit right, a pair of her mother's black jeans that were too long, and too big in the waist, along with a t-shirt that was also a little big. At least she'd found a belt to use for the pants. Then she grabbed a jacket off the bed, and went down into the basement for the last time. Quickly grabbing her cigarettes, lighter, and pocket knife, she turned and fled from the house.

Guan was truly appalled at what she'd seen. The schematic of Lilith's body had clearly shown every each spot where a sensation was felt, along with the intensity of that sensation. Cold, pain, and hunger… those had been her only physical sensations while in that chamber of horror. Then there were the emotions that were also indicated, anger, depression, hatred, but most of all, there was fear and terror. The knowledge that those who had wreaked such torment upon a helpless pup were dead did nothing to sooth her careening thoughts. Now she knew, not only why Lilith refused to speak, but also the other reasons for the pup's behavior. The attempt to meet the Dark Hunter had not been to reclaim any lost honor… it had been an attempt to put an end to any more torture!

Suddenly, a strange suspicion entered Guan's mind. She knew from the medical exam that Than Guan had conducted on that first day, that all of Lilith's injuries were fairly fresh, no more than a few days old. So how had the pup gotten from an inhabited area, to the barren waste of the Chiva? Knowing that a lie was impossible, she just had to ask.

"Lilith, how did you manage to end up in the Chiva structure with my sons?" Guan asked quietly.

As she left the house that she'd once called home, Lilith ran. She ran as far and fast as she could before exhaustion overcame her. She knew that she hadn't gotten very far, but even though she was tired, she determinedly put one foot in front of the other to get as far from her parents as possible. She had no idea how long she'd been walking, but it felt like forever… that was when she saw it.

It was an old insane asylum. Figuring that no one would bother her in there, since the place looked abandoned, Lilith searched for an open door so she could get out of the wind and snow. She'd tried lots of doors before finding one that wasn't locked, and closing it behind her shut out the wind. It was still cold, but at least the wind wasn't cutting through her clothes like a knife through her skin. She sat down against a wall to rest, and she couldn't stop her eyes from sliding shut. The next thing Lilith knew, there was a bright light shining right in her eyes. She raised her right hand to block it out and tried to see what was causing it.

"You can either get up and come with me, or you can go to jail. Your choice." A man's voice told her.

Lilith followed the man to a big black limousine that made her jaw drop. She knew that they were owned by rich people, and that they were very expensive, but that was all she knew about them. The man opened the back door, and told her to get in. Lilith thought about trying to run, but the blast of very pleasant heat coming out of the car convinced her otherwise. She was tired and freezing, and it was obviously warm in the car. With not much of a choice, she got in. Inside was an old man who looked at her sharply before nodding his head.

"My name's Bruce Weyland, and I own the facility that you snuck into. You're clearly a runaway, because your clothes are certainly not suited to the weather, and they don't even fit properly. So where are your parents?" The man asked while watching her carefully.

Lilith just shook her head.

"Are your parents still alive?"

A slow shake of her head provided her answer.

The man looked at her strangely while seeming to judge her for a long time before he spoke again.

"I'm not going to bore you with all the details of why I'm offering this, but I'm giving you a choice… you can either stay with me… or you can let the police decide what to do with you… jail, foster home… whatever. Which is it going to be?"

Lilith sure didn't want to go to jail. She didn't know anything about it, except that it was a very bad place for very bad people. She pointed at Weyland, and wondered if he was going to send her to jail anyway.

"Can you talk?" Weyland asked irritably.

Lilith shook her head in answer.

"But you can hear just fine?"

Lilith nodded her head.

"Well, since I don't know sign language, I'm hoping that you know how to read and write, because otherwise, I'm not going to be very happy talking to myself." The man said almost sourly.

Lilith nodded her head, because she didn't want to make this man mad at her, she knew that would happen later, and she wanted to put it off as much as she could.

"Well that's something at least." He said in a slightly better tone as he handed her a pen and a note pad from the business supplies carried in the car. "What's your name?"

Lilith wrote her name on the pad and gave it to the man. Then, she glanced over at the black guy who had gotten into the back with them. She knew that someone else was doing the driving, but she couldn't see what he looked like.

"Sir… may I ask again why you even have that place?" The black man asked.

"It's simple. That facility is already outfitted with steel doors that are two inches thick. The doors even have internal hinges so they can't be broken to get the door open. Reverse the frames on those doors, add a few more security systems, and I'll have a several hundred million dollar research facility that is very secure at a mere fraction of the cost. The monitoring systems have just proven how effective everything will be when it's all complete. Think about it… an insane asylum actually has much higher security than even the best built prison! People have escaped from almost every prison in the U.S., and that includes Alcatraz… but you never hear of someone escaping from an insane asylum." Mr. Weyland explained smugly.

The black man smiled at that. "And here I thought that this particular investment amounted to nothing more than a waste of money. That is a very shrewd move, Sir."

"Thank you, Max." Mr. Weyland smiled. "Now, what about the preparations for our trip to Antarctica?"

"We are heading to the airport now where we board a plane able to make a long flight, and then we will land in Argentina, where we'll transfer to the ship by helicopter. Alexa Woods and the archeologists will be joining us a couple hours later. With the sole exception of personnel, everything is ready and in place, so we will definitely be the first to explore the site." The man explained.

"Good job Max. Now is there anything that you might be concerned about?" Mr. Weyland asked with a slight smirk.

"I only have one question in mind Sir. What do you plan to do with her?" Max asked interestedly with a motion of his head.

"You and I both know what my situation is Max. Knowing that ahead of time like I do, gives me a chance to set some things right; take the opportunity to actually live for once, instead of chasing every possible last dollar like a starving bulldog after a steak. This expedition to Antarctica is going to be a fresh start… so is she." Mr. Weyland said candidly.

"So are you thinking of adoption then?" Max asked.

Mr. Weyland shook his head while reaching for a plastic mask that fit over his nose and mouth with a clear tube attached to it. Lilith watched him breathe through it a few times before he answered.

"No… money issues aside, my health wouldn't allow it to go through. But I can at least get her off the streets and make sure she's in a decent home, and I can afford to make sure she's taken care of." Mr. Weyland said with a light smile.

"Besides, it's not like this expedition is going to kill me, because I already know that you've taken care of any possible security issues… now haven't you?" Mr. Weyland smiled.

"Yes Sir, I have." Max answered honestly with a smile of his own.

The flight south was quick and uneventful, and Lilith stayed to herself, wondering how this was going to end. She was beginning to hate that bastard Weyland, and she didn't care that he was sick. She was so wound up that she didn't bother to look out the window even though she'd never been on a plane before. All she could think about was that she wanted her suffering to end. Her arms, legs, stomach, chest, and even her insides hurt more than she wanted to think about, but at the same time, she couldn't think about anything else. Her parents had called her a worthless mistake so many times that she knew it had to be true, or they wouldn't said what they did, or done what they had. That was when she realized that they were dead… if she were dead, then no one could ever hurt her again. The very idea of that was so appealing that she couldn't resist a light smile.

When they landed at the airport, they quickly got into a helicopter, and flew to a ship. Lilith was taken inside quickly. Then she was given some pants, gloves, and a coat to wear over what she had on.

"These should be about your size. It won't matter if they're a little big, as long as they aren't too small. Once we get back stateside, Mr. Weyland will see about a new wardrobe for you." Max told her as he handed her the heavy clothes.

Less than an hour later, Lilith had drank a cup of hot chocolate while that bastard Weyland coughed and hacked into that plastic mask of his. Lilith finished her drink before he got done with that mask. When he was finished, they gathered in a small room, where he told everyone what was going on. After that, they all boarded more helicopters and landed on the ice.

Spotting the large hole that had been cut into the ice, Lilith walked straight up to it.

"That's enough Lilith. You… you don't have to remember any more. I know the entrance to the cavern that holds the Temple Of Passage, after having seen it on the recordings from my sons." Guan exclaimed in relief that she wouldn't have to see this pup endure anymore foul treatment at the hands of abominations.

"The… the requirements are satisfied. This ooman has sufficient justification for not speaking. Therefore, this is over now." Da'dtou-de declared as she deactivated the cerebral scanner, and carefully un-strapped what she now knew to be an ooman pup. As an Arbitrator, she had seen more atrocities than she cared to remember, but this… this was something she wouldn't have imagined to be possible.

Lilith was still holding her neck with both hands as Guan followed her and the Arbitrator back into the Hall of Judgment. There were tears of pain in the pup's eyes, though not a single sound was being made except for some heavy breathing. She understood now, that it wasn't simply speaking that Lilith refused; it had been ingrained through severe traumatizing pain for her not to make any sounds!

"Well Arbitrator, did the ooman have justification for not speaking to the Ancient?" One of the members of the Tribunal demanded as soon as they had resumed their places.

"The… the ooman…" Da'dtou-de paused as she struggled to keep from regurgitating all over the floor. It wasn't easy though, and after a few moments looked up at the members of the Tribunal resolutely. "The ooman does have sufficient justification for not speaking to the Ancient. The ooman also has more than sufficient justification for refusing to speak to this Tribunal, or any Yautja for that matter."

"How is that possible?" One of the two female members of the Tribunal asked.

"Oomans are apparently taught from the time they are small pups not to speak to those they do not know, unless the mother or father is present and approves." Da'dtou-de explained.

"That does not explain how this ooman has justification for not addressing us!"

"In a way it does, Honored Arbitrator. Although this particular ooman still has the physical ability to speak, she has undergone various types of treatment to ensure that it will never speak again." Da'dtou-de said more firmly. "To anyone!"

All five of the Elite Arbitrators forming the Tribunal looked at each other in disbelief; before the male on the far left turned his head back to the floor and spoke.

"In that case… is there a valid medical reason for the scan to be conducted solely by a female and will justify one who spoke out of turn?" The male demanded.

Da'dtou-de instantly flared her dreadlocks in anger over what she had seen and heard, and her mandibles ground against each other before she gave her answer. "The answer to both of those questions… is yes!"

The most senior of the Elite Arbitrators nodded his head, before turning his attention to the female who had spoken out of turn. He quickly pulled up some basic information on the computer in front of him and addressed the female.

"Apparently your name is Guan Kv'var-de, and you own the home and grounds that this incident occurred on. Is that correct?" The Arbitrator asked from his position in the center.

"That is correct, Honored Arbitrator." Guan replied in a respectful tone though she actually quivered with barely restrained rage at how Lilith was being forced to unnecessarily endure the pain that was caused by this unknown male.

"State your claim then."

"I have several, Honored Arbitrators… but they may be dealt with individually." Guan said with a bare hint of the rage she felt in her tone.

"Very well. Proceed." One of the two females said after being impressed by the tone and words of respect even though the scent of the female's anger was almost filling the chamber.

"I demand to know this male's justification for addressing Lilith to begin with! Was she on the main trail or not?" Guan stated loudly.

Kujhade-de Kv'var-de directed a sneer at the much younger female before aiming a look of pure death at the ooman. "That pathetic creature was leaning again a tree near the home the female emerged from. It was not on any trail. It has no right to be on our world. Oomans are not worthy to be slaves or even pets! That is why I requested to know where it belonged."

"My second claim is to demand to know his justification for addressing one not of his clan." Guan said as she struggled to maintain control of her anger at the male who had hurt Lilith.

"Has anyone touched or come into contact with the ooman prior to reaching this chamber?" The senior Elite Arbitrator demanded of the two that had brought the group in.

"The female attempted to attend to the ooman, but I prevented that after the male insisted that it remain untreated until after this Tribunal, so no one has touched the ooman except Arbitrators." U'sl-kwe replied firmly.

"Even from here, a symbol of the Burning Mountain Clan who possesses the ooman is clearly visible, because it is obviously composed of heat metal. Your Blooding mark and your armor show that you belong to the Raging Storm Clan." The most senior of the Arbitrators composing the Tribunal growled.

That was when Kujhade paled, because he knew that there could be no justification for having addressed one not of his Clan.

Guan saw the rapid dissipation of heat in the male, and knew that she had already won, but now she wanted an even greater and undeniable victory. She flared her dreadlocks and allowed some of the rage burning through her veins to show as she ejected her wrist blades twice so that the tips nearly touched the floor.

Instantly, every Arbitrator in the Hall of Justice crouched as they prepared for combat. Those five who were members of the Tribunal reached for plasma casters that were hidden within the large desk before them so that they were ready to deal with Bad Bloods.

"My third and final claim is to demand everyone's justification for allowing a mere pup to stand here while obviously injured and listen to this!" Guan bellowed in rage.

"You will have to prove that miserable creature is still a pup! Everyone knows that ooman females experience many breeding cycles before reaching physical maturity. I demand a medical exam!" Kujhade answered with a bellow of his own.

"A complete medical exam has already been conducted!" Guan shouted before anyone could say anything.

"And just how old is this medical exam?" A pair of Tribunal members demanded at the same time. The two looked at each other angrily for a couple of heartbeats before turning their attention back to the floor.

"A complete medical exam of Lilith was performed only four days ago. The technician who performed the exam is fully qualified." Guan answered quickly.

"Very well… name the technician, and they shall be summoned so that we may hear from them the results of that exam." The center Arbitrator declared.

In answer Guan merely gestured to her right indicating one of the females standing there.

"State your name and rank for the record."

"I am Yeyinde of the Burning Mountain Clan, and I have the Honor of being Fourth Healer at Paya's Medical Center of Healing." Yeyinde said wondering why Guan had chosen her for this… until she realized exactly what it was that Guan was doing. That was when she had to suppress a smile of real appreciation at how the Tribunal was being maneuvered.

Each of the Elite Arbitrators who comprised the Tribunal turned to look at each other in disbelief. It was extremely rare that a medical opinion was needed, but to have one who was ranked as the Fourth greatest Healer in the Yautja race to give such a statement was unheard of.

"Is this Tribunal to understand that you were actually present when the ooman was examined?"

"Yes, Honored Arbitrator, but I must defer in this to one of greater skill and standing. My sister Than-guan Thwei." Yeyinde answered with a near smirk on her face.

Than-guan Thwei stepped forward to present herself and waited.

"And just what is your ranking?" One of the Elite Arbitrators demanded irritably.

"I am Than-guan Thwei of the Burning Mountain Clan, and I hold the position of Second Healer at Paya's Medical Center of Healing."

"Were you there when the ooman was examined?" The female on the far right demanded.

"I was asked to assist in the exam, but I must defer to one who possesses even greater knowledge and skill than I." She said as she pointed at her older twin sister.

Every member of the Tribunal was staring in stunned astonishment as a female stepped before them on the floor of the chamber. They knew that there was only one individual who could possibly dispute what might be stated by the previous witness, but if this female turned out to be that individual then it could never be disputed by anyone.

"I am Than Guan of the Burning Mountain Clan, and I hold the position of First Healer at Paya's Medical Center of Healing. I was assisted by both of my younger sisters when we first examined Lilith four days ago, and performed a vital surgical procedure on her three days ago. I can say with absolute certainty that Lilith is still a pup! The reason I can say that is because while ooman females are known to experience as many as eighty breeding cycles before they are physically mature, Lilith has not yet even experienced her first breeding cycle!" Than Guan said loudly with the last almost a growl of anger.

"Kill him!"

Lilith watched Gwen smile broadly as she moved towards the Predator who'd grabbed her by the neck and realized that Gwen was going to do exactly what that Predator Judge had said. She tried to shake her head but it hurt too much to move. She knew that if someone got killed because of a worthless mistake like her, that she would be made to suffer like nothing else.

"Nooo!"

Guan spun at the sound of that scream. From the tone and pitch she knew that it was no Yautja who had made that loud and anguished plea. The language of the word alone told her that it came from none other than Lilith. She quickly flexed her right arm and retracted her wrist-blades, as she approached Lilith and crouched down in front of the now crying pup.

"Lilith… if for some strange reason… you wish to spare his life you must accept an apology from him, and he has not even bothered to offer you one…" Guan began as gently as she could manage; certain that Lilith had been mentally and spiritually decimated by having been forced to actually relive rather than just remember the horror of her life before being found by her sons.

"I apologize for my actions earlier. It was not my intent to cause harm to a pup, and had I known that you are still a pup, I would not have disturbed you." Kujhade growled out quickly after hitting his knees.

Guan turned her head to the male and snarled in anger, before composing herself and looking back to the pup who was in front of her. "Lilith… do you accept his apology?"

In spite of the pain that nearly made her black out, Lilith nodded her head without even a whimper of agony.

Guan stood up and turned to face the male who had been so arrogant earlier. "She might be willing to accept your apology, but she lives in my house and as the adult who is responsible for her… I do not!" She told him firmly before looking up at the five members of the Tribunal. "I will leave him in your hands; I have an injured pup who must be cared for!"

"She may be treated in that room. Any equipment which might be needed is already there. First Healer… this Tribunal must respectfully ask for you to treat an ooman pup in order to ensure a full and proper recovery." The senior Elite Arbitrator said while pointing at the same room that held the cerebral scanner.

"She lives in the home of my Hunt Sister, and the ooman pup named Lilith is an Honored member of that house; even if I were not already here, I would insist on treating her injuries with the assistance of my sisters." Than Guan answered before following Guan and her two sisters to the room so Lilith could be tended to.

A few moments after the four females entered the room with the ooman pup, Da'dtou-de entered followed by the five Arbitrators who had comprised the Tribunal. What she saw was that two of the Healers were holding the ooman. One stood behind her holding her head immobile, while the other was holding the shoulders, and the third Healer was administering an injection.

"I need you to remain still for just a bit longer Lilith. Give the serum time to work." The Healer who had identified herself as Than Guan said.

"How is she?" Da'dtou-de asked quietly, noting that Lilith made no sound, but that she had tears streaming down her face. It was something that truly impressed the Arbitrator, because she knew from experience that the healing serum was absolutely excruciating.

Guan spun to face the Arbitrator, and immediately saw that others had followed her in. "Lilith is lucky to be alive after what that male did to her. Every muscle, ligament, and tendon in her neck has been severely strained from trying to support the weight of her entire body when he lifted her by the throat. When he threw her away from him, two of the vertebras in her neck were fractured. She is alive only because those vertebras somehow weren't displaced by either the throw or the impact when she hit the ground!"

Six Arbitrators watched in silence as Lilith was slowly lowered into a prone position with two of the Healers being very careful not to allow even the slightest movement in her neck. Then, they saw Than Guan coat the shaft of the injector with pain blocker, and place some on the site of the intended injection, and allowed a moment before administering the injection.

"Lilith, I do not want you to even try moving your head or neck until I tell you that you can. You may slightly lift your right hand to signal 'yes' and your left hand to signal 'no', do you understand me? I don't want you paralyzed for the rest of your life!" Than Guan instructed the pup firmly, before glancing at her two sisters. "Do not let her move her neck or head! The healing serum needs time to deal with her injuries. If either vertebra is displaced or her neck is out of line when everything heals, she'll be that way permanently, and I don't think any of us want that to happen."

"Will she be returned to full health?" Da'dtou-de asked seriously.

"Physically… yes. My sisters and I will make certain of that; although there will still be some procedures that need to be done. Her mind and spirit are other matters entirely." Yeyinde replied sourly.

"I take that to mean that she's been seriously injured before now?" One of the two female Arbitrators asked suspiciously.

"Don't… don't remind me! I can most sincerely wish that someone would construct a device to remove memories so that I can forget what I witnessed in hers!" Da'dtou-de said as she tried to control a rebellious stomach that had once again started acting up.

"You… you are becoming physically ill from this… was it that bad?" The senior Arbitrator asked in disbelief.

"Yes… it was! I went through the same training that you did, and I will tell you now, that this pup has endured the kinds of things that no Yautja has ever done to another." Da'dtou-de growled defensively. "Until this day, I believed that nothing a Bad Blood could do would affect me… but after seeing her memories…"

Da'dtou-de shuddered in both disgust and horror at what she'd witnessed from the memories of a mere pup. Even as she did she couldn't help but notice that the other Arbitrators were not pleased to see her reaction. She didn't care what they might think, because she knew that what she had been witness to, was an atrocity that should never be mentioned, and most certainly should never have been experienced by a mere pup.

As soon as she finished treating Lilith's neck injury, Than Guan turned to the half dozen Arbitrators who were watching. "As soon as she is able to be safely moved, she will be taken back to her home. As it is, she should never have been made to come here without treatment."

"Relax Than, when we reach my home, Lilith will not be doing anything strenuous. I will not allow her to play as she did yesterday. I will be home for the rest of this day, so I will be able to properly supervise her." Guan said reassuringly.

Than-guan nodded her head and turned to prepare a bit of sleeping draught. She poured some in a cup and measured it. There was barely a swallow there, so it should be just enough to make Lilith lethargic, and possibly put her into a light sleep for a short time.

"Here Lilith, I want you to drink this. It's only a fraction of what you drank a few days ago, and it might make you sleep, but that won't last very long. You'll be fine by the time for us to eat the evening meal." Than Guan instructed.

Lilith did as she was told, while Thing-two and Thingy held her up so she could drink the stuff. There was only two swallows there, but it still tasted as good as she remembered, even though it wasn't quite like her pink lemonade. The stuff took effect pretty quickly and Lilith could feel her limbs getting heavy. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, but it felt like forever before she finally drifted off to a light sleep.

Yeyinde was watching Guan carefully. She could tell from her Hunt Sister's scent that whatever she had seen in Lilith's memories had severely disturbed her. There was grief written in her expression, all over her body, and even in her very posture, while her scent contained an incredibly high degree of stress.

Lilith opened her eyes with a start. She was breathing heavily after dreaming that her parents had just opened the door to the basement and was on their way down. As soon as she opened her eyes though, she saw Gwen's face looking down at her. Although she had never actually seen the expression before, she knew what it was that she saw on Gwen's face… worry. She looked at the Predator for a moment before swallowing hard to try to clear the lump of terror from her throat.

Guan looked down at Lilith and couldn't help but smell the fear from the ooman pup. Now she knew why Lilith had been often been afraid of them at times, and she was able to understand why the little one refused to speak. Lilith's parents had been true abominations of the worst possible kind. The term 'Bad-blood' was far too mild to describe what they had been.

"Come, Lilith. I will take you home now. You may not like being carried, but that is exactly what I'm going to do. You should not have been forced to walk the entire distance here, and you certainly should never have been made to make that walk while injured. Just relax and rest now." Guan said softly as she lifted Lilith into her arms and placed the ooman pup on her left hip.

As Guan prepared to leave the Hall of Justice she was stopped by the members of the Tribunal.

"Ooman Lilith, I ask you to accept our apology for being made to stand and face us while injured in so grievous a fashion. It was not our intent to allow a pup, such as yourself, to continue suffering when that should have been alleviated and tended to immediately. Our only justification is that we were completely unaware of your actual age until the end. We will ensure that full and proper justice is served." One of the Judges said sincerely.

"Lilith… do you accept their apology?" Guan asked softly. She intended to add some information, but Lilith nodded her head almost immediately. Guan nodded back to Lilith, before she faced the waiting Arbitrators.

"Lilith has signaled her acceptance of your apology, and there will be no retribution for this. I can readily say that Justice has been delivered this day, but there is yet more to be disbursed once I reach my home, but that is a matter that I will personally attend to. It is the concern of myself and Lilith, but you may rest knowing that justice will be properly served at the end of this day." Guan said before leaving the room.

Guan could easily smell the high amounts of both stress and fear that Lilith was feeling as she carried the little pup home. It grieved her to know that a mere pup had been treated in such a way. She was certain that it had only been an act of the Gods that Lilith had survived such foul and dishonorable treatment. She walked at a brisk pace, because she wanted to get Lilith taken care of as soon as possible. She knew that the midday meal had long passed, and as thin as Lilith was, she was not about to allow the little pup to go hungry until after the evening meal had passed as well.

Lilith was very tired, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw another memory of the living nightmare that she truly wanted to forget. Whatever that machine was, it didn't just make her remember what had happened to her in the basement… it had made her relive everything! The never ending pain, the constant hunger, and thirst, the feeling of always being so cold. She'd had to relive the despair, terror, and eventual hatred that she'd come to feel for her parents. She wanted to do nothing more than sleep so badly, but she couldn't because of what she saw when she tried to close her eyes and rest. She was actually glad that Gwen was carrying her, because she knew that she couldn't walk very well right then, and she certainly couldn't keep up with these Predators as fast as they were walking… she'd have to run just to keep them in sight!

Then there was the problem that Lilith kept thinking about. She couldn't help but wonder if Gwen was only carrying her to make sure that she didn't try to escape or run, because she knew that Gwen had seen everything. The Predator knew exactly what her mother and father had repeatedly said and then proved… that she was a worthless mistake! Lilith wasn't sure why Gwen had let the others do something about the pain in her neck, because she was absolutely sure that Gwen was going to make her suffer now that the Predator knew what a worthless mistake she was.

As Guan entered her home, she was immediately accosted by Bakuub who was sniffing and licking the little female in her arms intently. She allowed the greeting for a moment before she stepped over to a large well padded chair and placed Lilith in it.

"Lilith I want you to sit there. Do not try to get up and walk around. You have been through more than enough today, and that was after being injured. Bakuub can stay with you, and judging by her welcome, I'm sure she plans on doing exactly that. I'll go and prepare the evening meal." Guan said with a gentle purr.

Lilith nodded her head tiredly before she remembered how much it would hurt to do that. Suddenly her hands were feeling around her neck, because she didn't feel any pain there at all. That was when she looked up at Gwen in confusion.

"Is your neck causing you pain Lilith?" Than-guan-thwei asked quickly when she saw the little ooman grab her neck.

When the ooman pup shook her head slowly, Than-guan-thwei nodded in approval. "Good! I want you to let me know if it does… and you will do so as soon as you begin to experience any pain from your neck."

"We'll stay here this night to ensure that Lilith has proper treatment close at hand in case it is needed." Yeyinde told Guan.

"Thank you. I was going to ask if you would be willing." Guan replied in relief.

"You've accepted Lilith into your home Guan, doing anything less would not properly honor the bond we share. We are Hunt Sisters, and there are now many who do not properly honor the bond that is created when Warriors Chiva together, but your Bearer (Mother) has taught us better than that. You do not have to ask, Hunt Sister!" Than-guan replied firmly.

"I'll prepare the evening meal while you see to Lilith. I can smell the stress on you, so I know that whatever it was you saw in her memories is something that you aren't willing to discuss just yet, or you would have already told us about it." Yeyinde instructed gently. "Just relax Guan, whatever her past, we can see to it that her future is much different."

Lilith wasn't paying any attention to what was going on around her, because Slobber was right there by the big chair she was sitting in, and she was petting and scratching the big beast. Even though she'd been hurt pretty bad and in a lot of pain, she'd still recognized that Slobber had gotten there before everyone else. She wanted to do something special for that walking mountain of overgrown spikes, because she knew that Slobber had protected her. The problem was; she was so tired that she couldn't really think all that clearly. Still… Slobber needed some good payback after what she had done, and Lilith was going to find a way to do it.

Since there wasn't anything to do except stare at the walls, or watch Thing-two build a fire, Lilith started to get out of the chair so she could sit in her bean bag and color.

"Where are you trying to go Lilith?" Than-guan asked before Guan could speak up.

Lilith pointed over to her bean bag where she wanted to go.

"No. I need for you to stay in that chair Lilith. While that piece of furniture of yours provides excellent support for the rest of your body, it does nothing for your neck. I need for you to stay in that chair until I'm certain that the healing process is complete. I do not want you to leave that chair until you are ready to sleep, eat, or until you need to relieve your waste." Than-guan said in a stern tone that brooked no arguments.

Lilith frowned because all she really wanted was her coloring books and map pencils which were on the floor next to her bean bag. She thought about how to ask for a moment, before she started making motions with her hands to show small objects about a foot long and a few inches in width, then she pointed at her bean bag.

Than-guan watched Lilith carefully while the little female signaled something to her. It wasn't until Lilith pointed that she looked at the floor next to the strange piece of furniture, and saw a stack of objects placed neatly next to it.

"Are those things you can use while staying in that chair?" Than-guan asked.

Lilith nodded her head.

"No!" Than-guan nearly shouted. "Lilith, I do not want you to nod or shake your head right now. I will not have you permanently injured or paralyzed. If you need to signal yes or no, then raise this hand," Than-guan said as she grabbed Lilith's right hand, "for yes and this one for no. Do you understand me?" She finished firmly after indicating both hands.

Lilith raised her right hand nervously. At this point, she didn't think Thing-one was going to let her have anything to do. She didn't want to think about what would happen now that Gwen knew everything. She knew that Gwen had been acting a lot differently than she usually did, and Lilith knew that it meant trouble. Trouble was something she didn't want, because trouble always meant blood, tears, lots of incredible pain, and sometimes, when she just couldn't take it anymore, her screams. She really didn't want to think about those things right now, and she didn't want to think about what Gwen was thinking about doing to her for being such a worthless mistake.

Suddenly, even as she was looking at Thing-one, Lilith could help but wonder if Gwen was now pissed because of how expensive it had been to have her arms and legs fixed, now that the Predator knew the truth. Then, Lilith's thoughts were broken as Thing-one spoke again.

"I will ask again Lilith… are those things that you are able to use without leaving that chair?" Than-guan asked suspiciously.

Lilith started to nod her head, but then she remembered what she just been told and raised her right hand before her head even moved.

"Very well then, you may have them, on condition that you do not try to leave that chair, is that agreed?"

Lilith raised her right hand in confusion. She would have sworn that wouldn't get the stuff, but she had. She couldn't help but smile upon having the books and box of pencils placed in her hands.

Guan didn't need that keen Yautja sense of smell to know that Lilith's smile was nervous as well as a host of other emotions. She could see it in the pup's posture, the apprehensive glances that were directed at everyone Lilith could see. Then there was the fearful way that Lilith fairly huddled in the chair… as if fully expecting someone to inflict further pain on her. She knew that would never happen, because no Yautja with even a shred of honor could do such a thing, but she could tell that Lilith fully expected exactly that same kind of dishonorable treatment at any moment. That sudden revelation made her think back over every moment she had spent with the little ooman female, and she came to the conclusion that Lilith had always been ready, and even expected such treatment from them. That was not a pleasant thought or realization.

Anger, horror, shock, rage, disbelief… Guan couldn't even begin to describe everything she was feeling after learning what Lilith had been made to endure. The entrance of her Life mate and two older sons were noticed, but didn't break her thoughts. Why… no… how could those two oomans ever have thought that Lilith was worthless? It was something that made no sense to her. Then she was pulled from her thoughts by Than-guan telling Lilith that it was time to eat. She watched her Hunt Sister lift the little pup and carry her to the table. Guan went to her room for a moment before joining them for the evening meal.

As everyone began fixing their plates, Kwei couldn't help but notice the anger, despair along with extreme amounts of stress emanating from his Life Mate. Dealing with a female who would be in such a foul temper was not something he felt like doing. Thinking that just maybe discussing the problem might help some, he asked about it.

"Don't bother her right now. This morning, a Warrior from another Clan tried to interrogate Lilith while she was outside. By his own admission, she was leaning against the tree next to our home, but when she didn't answer, he injured her… badly. The issue was taken before a Tribunal, and when Lilith didn't answer their questions… they put her through cerebral scanning. Mother was present when they scanned her." Setg'in stated sourly before he started eating.

"So what ever it was that she saw in Lilith's memories is what's bothering her." Kwei said in a flat voice.

"Yes… and she has said only a few words since we left the Temple of Justice. Whatever it was that she saw in Lilith's memories was severe enough that it was making the Arbitrator who conducted the scan become physically ill. You and I both know what types of atrocities Guan has had to become inured to in order to progress in her training." Than-guan said as she spoke up.

Kwei-vor'mekta knew that the training to become an Arbitrator meant being forced to view all types of dishonorable acts. Potential Arbitrators were shown things that would make any other Warrior sick to their stomach so that they only provided anger and determination to an Arbitrator so that they could then rid the universe of a plague of dishonor. For an Arbitrator to become physically ill meant that whatever had been found in Lilith's memories was very grim indeed. He decided to say no more during the meal, because such a topic was not one that was beneficial to an appetite. The bad part was that he'd actually had some good news to impart, but with the somber mood at the table, and the concern over Lilith's injury, Kwei kept his silence for now.

After everyone had finished eating, Yeyinde planned to clear away the dishes and place them in the sterilizer, but before she could do that, Guan had turned to Lilith and given her something.

"Lilith… this belongs to you. Although I would prefer that you do not have it, neither I nor anyone else has the right to deprive you of something that was given to you by your ooman parents. I will tell you now that they should never have given you that." Guan said as she handed Lilith her tiny blade.

Lilith looked at the pocket knife and felt a blast of fear shoot through her at the sight of it. She opened the knife, but she had no idea what Gwen wanted her to do with it. She put the point between the thumb and first finger of her left hand, while she stared at the blade in shock.

'I should have known that this was going to happen. Instead of them doing it, they're going to make me do it… just like my parents did. I… I don't wanna hurt anymore.' Lilith thought in frustration, sadness, and anger at the ignominy of it all. That was when she heard Gwen ask everyone at the table a question, and that one question blew her mind so much that all she could do was stare at Gwen with her mouth gaped in utter shock. She was so stunned in fact, that she failed to notice that the tip of her pocket knife was now buried half an inch into the palm of her left hand.

"Why would anyone think Lilith is worthless?" Guan wondered aloud.

"What?" Hulij-bpe asked in a near shout. "How can you even ask something like that? How can Lilith be worthless when she saved Nihkou'te's life? If Lilith hadn't intervened when she did, Nihkou'te would have no honor, and he would be dead too. That drone would have killed him. Lilith can't be worthless!"

"I would have to agree with my older brother. Lilith might be mischievous and disrespectful at times, but natural cunning like hers is a very rare thing. She's far too intelligent to be worthless! She could become one who forsakes her honor, but I don't think that would make her worthless even then." Setg'in said slowly while thinking about what he was saying.

Guan turned to look at Lilith intending to argue with what she'd seen and heard the pup's own parents saying, when she saw that Lilith was simply staring at her in shock with the tip of her tiny blade sticking into her left hand. It was more than disturbing to her when she saw that Lilith didn't appear to even notice that the blade was buried in the palm of her left hand between the thumb and fore finger.

Guan stared in utter shock for a few heart beats before she acted quickly. She grabbed an empty bowl that had held unpeeled fruit, so she knew that it was clean. She immediately placed it under Lilith's hand, which was just starting to bleed. Then she quickly pulled the blade out and allowed the pup's blood to drip into the bowl.

"Just hold your hand there Lilith. Let your blood spill into the bowl so it doesn't get on the table." Guan instructed.

Guan couldn't believe what had just happened. She didn't know or even care if it had been an accident, sheer luck, destiny, or even the will of the Gods… what she did know was that she would certainly be giving her thanks to both Paya, and Cetanu for that one small cut, which could and would do so much! She gently took Lilith's knife and cut her own left hand in an exact duplication of the cut Lilith had on hers.

"As our blood joins and mixes, so will our lives!" Guan stated seriously as she squeezed her left hand into a fist over the bowl to force her blood to flow into it as she laid the knife on the table next to her.

"I see Honor within that blood, so I will add mine." Yeyinde said as she reached over, picked up the pocket knife, and cut her left palm, before placing the knife in the middle of the table.

Lilith watched in open mouthed confusion as Thing-One, Thing two, and then Old Bruce each cut their left hands before dripping their blood into the same bowl she was bleeding into. Then Rave, Celtic, and Scar each did the same thing.

Lilith had no idea what was happening when Gwen smiled brightly at the rest of the Predators who had all cut themselves and poured their blood in the same bowl her blood was in. She could even swear that Gwen was almost happy enough to burst out singing, and that really scared her. Then, even as she watched Gwen use her pocket knife to stir the blood in the bowl until it was glowing dark green, she could hear the big Predator humming softly to herself. That was when she watched Gwen use that same pocket knife to scoop out some of the blood and smear it into the cut on her left hand. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she saw all of the other Predators do the same thing. Then they were using those weird claw looking fingernails to push the dark green blood deeper into their hand before using some stuff from a giant syringe looking thing that Thing-one had laid out to heal the cuts on their hands.

"It is now your turn… if you are willing Lilith. You do not have to do this with us, and no one can make you finish this ceremony, but we will all be deeply honored if you decide to do so." Guan said gently as she held out her hand towards Lilith.

Lilith had no idea what this was about, but she could tell that Gwen really wanted her to do this. She held out her left hand which was still bleeding and watched as Guan took her pocket knife and smeared some blood from the bowl into the cut on her hand. It didn't hurt anywhere near as bad as the things her parents had done to her, so she only winced at the sting of the blood being pushed and worked into the cut. Then her eyes almost bugged out of her head at the burn from the stuff in that syringe. Now that burned! It was as bad as a cigarette felt, maybe even worse. There were tears in her eyes when Gwen grabbed another syringe from her right leg and shot some of that stuff on her hand. Almost instantly, her left hand went completely numb, and Lilith stared at it in shock.

"Good thinking with the pain blocker, Guan. That is full strength healing serum, and it can cause enough pain that it might just make Lilith want to be rid of that hand otherwise." Than-guan said quickly.

"I have seen that Lilith has endured enough foul treatment. So long as she lives in this house, she will not endure such things again. I will always have the pain blocker you made for her with me!" Guan replied heavily.

Guan Kv'var-de had seen many things in her life. At three hundred and seventy two ooman years old, she'd seen and done a lot. During her training to become an Arbitrator, she had been shown many of the atrocities that have been committed by bad bloods. Many of the crimes were gruesome and without any shred of honor… but never, never had she seen anything like the absolute horror that Lilith actually lived through! That little ooman female was only a pup. Lilith was young enough that she was supposed to be a living example of the morals and honor that her parents taught her. Instead, Lilith had been made to suffer through more dishonor than could ever be believed. She knew that Lilith had managed to retain some semblance of honor, because her actions had shown that. Giving the Elder who supervised her First Hunt a gift was a sign of that honor. The fact that it was useful gift, only made it that much more obvious. Then there was that strange thing that she had been given by the pup, who had actually purchased the object with money earned by selling a trophy. To be sure, it was only a simple shield to keep the rain off of her, but Lilith had acted almost instantly to obtain it. There had been no hesitation from the little pup to spend the money she had earned through blood, sweat, and pain to buy something that the little ooman obviously had no use for.

"Come Lilith, we will all spend a quiet night in front of the fire, before getting some sleep. None of us have anything scheduled to do tomorrow, so we can simply relax, rest, and allow our food to digest." Guan said as she picked Lilith up and carried her to the main room.

Guan placed Lilith in the nearly shapeless lump that the pup used as a piece of furniture. Before handing her the things that had been left in the other chair. She noticed that Bakuub immediately took up a position on the floor next to the pup. Seeing that, made her recall exactly how fast the Yaut Hound had responded to Lilith's desperate call.

Guan knew that Bakuub had acted instantly to defend the ooman pup, and had done so without any instruction or commands from her or anyone else. She had absolutely no doubts that Bakuub had saved Lilith's life by acting immediately. After everything she'd done, and all the time she'd spent to train the Yaut Hound to help her as an Arbitrator, that effort had certainly proven to be well worth while in that one simple act. Guan was no fool of a Young Blood; she knew that the Elder was most likely experienced enough to have seriously injured Bakuub and killed Lilith. She could only give thanks to the Gods that things had gone as they had.

Guan reached to her belt and removed her mask as she sat down in the chair facing the little ooman female. She wouldn't even try to deny that she had somehow felt drawn to the Little One the very instant that Kwei had revealed her small and sleeping form, but now that simple feeling had become something much more than that. She knew that she would never again give birth to another pup; never again become pregnant. Yet somehow, the Gods had seen fit to miraculously give her one final chance. That chance had come in the form of Lilith. Small, determined, and willful, but honorable none the less. Lilith was her daughter now, and she was determined that the pup's life would be one that was much different than what she'd seen in those memories.