Aliens vs Predator: A New Home

by OstracizedAng3l

The most unlikely 14 year old is taken to the coldest part of the world... Antarctica There she encounters something straight out of her worst nightmare and her best dream.I don't own AVP! Everyone thank Khalthar for this person is the best beta reader.

21. The Challenge

(Sorry for the late update, been doing testing for the army.)

Lilith looked around in confusion at the strange gloomy grey environment. A thick grey gloom surrounded everything, but somehow she knew that there was nothing else to be found anywhere. There wasn't anything to be found except the weird grey nothing. There was no sky, no ground, no mist, and no fog, no anything… just… grey. It was everywhere. There seemed to be no end to it, and no beginning either. She kept looking around trying to find some way out of this strange place when she spotted her mother and father coming towards her at a run. Lilith tried to turn to run and hide, but found that she couldn't, because she was far too scared of them, and the expressions on their faces promised more pain than she'd ever felt in her life. Their faces twisted into horrible malicious smiles and that filled her with terror, because she knew that she was about to be made to suffer like she never had before. A soft whimper of desperation left her throat as she again wanted to run, but something stopped her from taking even a single step away from her tormentors.

Then, off to her left she saw… something. She had no idea what it was except that it was a strange shadow of the purest and blackest pitch. She thought that it looked like one of the Predators, but she couldn't really tell since it was nothing but shadow. It was total darkness, complete, impenetrable, engulfing, and it was heading towards her… fast!

Confusion welled in her mind even as a whole new level of terror filled the depths of her soul, because whatever that shadow thing was, she was somehow even more terrified of it than she had ever been afraid of her parents. Lilith heard her parents scream in absolute fear, which was something they had never done before as they turned and ran from the swift moving shadow as fast as they possibly could, Lilith desperately wanted to be running as well. Then, slowly at first, she began to move. Even as terror froze the breath from her lungs, her feet slowly began to move. She had no idea where she had found the ability or the strength, but she was now stumbling forward as she tried desperately to run for her life. The only problem was that her parents were running faster, and they were leaving her far behind to face the shadow thing on her own. So great was Lilith's fear when she tripped that she couldn't even scream. She knew that the shadow thing was going to unleash more pain and torment upon her than anything else ever had.

Then, before she could even hit the grey surface that was supposed to be the ground, Lilith was being swept up into strong powerful arms, and carried off in a new direction.

Whoever had her must be running as fast as a souped up race car; faster than she dreamed possible. Lilith looked over the shoulder of the one holding her and saw her parents still running from the shadow thing. Then it caught her father; and she watched in terrified silence as the shadow thing was ripping him apart, tearing his arms and legs off in large pieces, and making her father scream loudly in horrible agonizing pain and terror while doing so. The agonized screams that came from his throat sounded like he was now hurting even more than she ever had. Then, even as she watched, the incredibly frightening shadow thing turned from her father who was laying in numerous bloody pieces that were scattered all over the place and looked towards her.

"You may leave now little ooman, but one day… you will be one of mine!" The voice of the thing was filled with incredible power and seemed to come from everywhere at once. Then it turned and chased down her mother who was still running from it. Even before the woman was caught, her father was somehow healed and running again. A choked sob left Lilith's throat as she realized that not even the terrifying shadow thing could stop her parents. She watched in horror until all three figures were swallowed by the strange grey nothing. Looking up to see who was carrying her, Lilith gazed in shocked surprise at the very serious expression on Gwen's face.

Lilith sat up gasping for breath while her entire body shook and shivered from fear and from the cold sweat that drenched her skin. She'd had nightmares before; she'd even lived though one that had lasted for four long terrifying and miserable years… but this… this nightmare was worse than any of them. Never had she been so scared of anything as she was afraid of that shadow thing! Lilith looked down at the furs and skins of her bed hole, her huge white teddy bear, and even the pillows that Gwen had gotten her, and knew that there was no way she was going back to sleep while staying in the room alone.

Guan lay in her bed, unable to sleep. She couldn't sleep because every time she closed her eyes, she saw yet another nightmarish scene from the true horror that Lilith had been forced to live through. The agony and torment that had been so brutally unleashed upon a mere pup was something that she simply couldn't wrap her mind around. She didn't want to believe that anyone could do any of those horrible things to their own pup, but those pauk-de s'yuit-de (fucking pathetic) oomans that Lilith had been unfortunate enough to have for parents had done all of them!

'Cetanu and Paya along with all of the Gods must have been with her for her to survive all of that. Forget about her spirit, it's a wonder that her mind isn't broken. She's just a pup! She didn't ask to have them for her parents. No pup would have wanted such a thing; no pup deserves such a thing! After living through that… for years… there's no way that she could ever learn to love or trust anyone else.' Guan thought in despair.

That was when a truly unwelcome and nasty thought occurred to her. 'Oh Paya… she… she believes what they kept telling her! She must! That is why she tried to end her own life by walking off that cliff! She wasn't trying to reclaim her honor… she was trying to die so that her torment would come to an end. How can I possibly make her understand that no one here would ever do such things to her? How can I make her know that I am honored to have formed this Blood Bond with her to make her my own daughter? Will she ever be able to love anyone after going through that? How could she when the very parents who gave her life and brought her into being have treated her so abominably?' Guan wondered in dismay.

Guan rolled on to her right side to face the door to her room and let out a long shaky breath. She knew that she was going to have to show what her mask had recorded to her Lifemate, and sons, as well as her new sisters.

'Sisters… I have three new sisters and a new daughter because of Lilith. All three of my sons survived to return to me because she was there for Al-Nihkou'te. With what I've received from her and because of her, how can she ever believe that I would think her to be as worthless as her ooman parents claimed?' Guan thought sadly.

Suddenly Guan's sleepless eyes narrowed in wary tension as the door to her room slid silently open. It stayed that way for several heart beats before she saw Lilith enter and face her. When the door slid shut, Lilith crouched down slightly, stretched her hands out in front of her, and began to slowly make her way to the bed. Guan watched in silence even as her right hand hovered near a ready blade while the pup approached her bed. She watched the pup feel around on the bed for a heartbeat or two before slowly climbing on, placing her back to Guan, and pulling a fur over her.

Guan scented the air carefully, but silently as she watched Lilith closely. A strong sadness that might well be utter despair was thick about the pup, as was an incredibly large amount of stress, and fear, but there was no anger in Lilith's scent. Instinctively, Guan began to purr in an attempt to sooth the distraught ooman female. Almost immediately, Guan heard the soft sound of Lilith's sobs as the ooman pup started crying. Then, even as Guan was reaching out to pull the pup closer to her, Lilith spoke.

"I'm sorry…"

'She's apologizing? Why? What could she have possibly done to apologize for, and how could I have ever doubted that she still has honor, when the first words she ever speaks to me are those of an apology?' Guan wondered in surprise.

"What do you mean, Lilith? What are you apologizing for?" Guan asked in a puzzled tone.

Guan watched Lilith roll over so that the pup was now facing her. The pup's eyes seemed to stare at nothing in particular as Lilith's right hand found her shoulder and slowly moved upwards to gently touch Guan's lower left mandible.

"For hitting you. I… I don't even know why I did it… it just happened and I'm sorry." Lilith said in a soft tearful voice.

"Lilith, you do not need to apologize for that. Even though you didn't speak, your actions made your apology very clear. I accepted your apology then, but I must tell you that I had forgotten it. So why do you feel the need to apologize again?" Guan answered softly while still maintaining her soft purr.

"Because you didn't deserve it." Lilith answered in a sorrowful whisper.

When she heard that, Guan couldn't help but think of the incident that Lilith was referring to, then unbidden, a startling revelation struck her. 'Her parents kept her trapped while they tortured her for years. When I got that close to her, she was trapped between me and the chair. That must be why she did it, because she felt trapped again!'

"I think that what happened was my fault as well. I think you might have felt trapped between me and the chair, and I must apologize to you for making you feel that way." Guan said seriously.

Guan watched as Lilith once again stared at nothing while her hand moved towards the subject of the discussion. This time it caught Guan's attention. "Why aren't you looking at me Lilith? Do you feel that badly about it? I told you, I had forgotten it, so there is no need for you to say any more." She asked in irritation.

"Sorry… I… I can't see in here." Lilith answered plaintively.

Guan's eyes shot wide in shock when she heard that. She knew that she could see Lilith clearly, and had thought that the pup could see her as well. That was when she remembered that oomans had a different type of vision than Yautja did.

'Blessed Paya! She… she came in here knowing… knowing that she couldn't see anything! Why?' Guan thought suddenly. Then she just had to know the answer to that.

"If… if you can't see anything at all… then why did you come in here?"

"I woke up scared and… and somehow you always make me feel better… and… and even though I'm scared of the dark… I thought I'd feel safe if I was with you…" Lilith answered as fresh tears filled her eyes.

'She… she feels safe enough with me that she would even accept being rendered completely blind simply because I am with her?' Guan thought in shocked disbelief.

There was a look of confusion on Lilith's face as Guan sat up and moved to lean against the wall behind her. She began purring loudly and intensely as she reached out and pulled Lilith into her arms. "I'm honored that you feel that way Lilith, because you will always be safe while you're with me. Sleep now, Little One, because I know you're tired after what's occurred today. I will hold you until you wake up. I want you to sleep for as long as you like."

Guan couldn't express how honored she felt at that moment. That Lilith could place herself in a situation so as to willingly render herself completely blind said far more about the level of trust that she had bestowed upon Guan than mere words could ever say. Now, more than ever, she knew she had made the right decision in forming the Blood Bond with Lilith.

As he approached the table, Setg'in was surprised to see that his mother hadn't prepared the morning meal as she'd usually done. He looked at her curiously and immediately noticed two things. One, his mother wasn't wearing any clothing or armor, and two; she was holding Lilith who was sound asleep. He moved closer intending to ask if there was some kind of problem.

"Lilith came to me last night after waking up frightened. I told her that I would hold her until she wakes up, so I'll need you to prepare the morning meal." Guan instructed softly.

Setg'in didn't need to be told twice. Although the basic explanation left more questions than it answered, he knew that he'd be able to get any questions answered once the morning meal was made. He quickly warmed up plenty of s'pke and heated the broth that they always drank in the mornings. As he set the food on the table, he couldn't help but notice that the chairs had remained rearranged so that three more were added. Instead of sitting to his mother's right, he now sat to his father's right, while Nihkou'te would sit to his right.

Setg'in saw the confusion of his brothers as they took their new seats, but that confusion quickly changed to delight as the three newest members of their family took their seats across from them. Setg'in happily nodded his greetings to the three healers, and turned his attention to his meal. He'd only taken a few sips of his broth when his father entered and sat down tiredly.

"How is she?" Kwei asked as he spotted Lilith in his Lifemate's arms sleeping soundly.

"I'm not really sure." Guan answered morosely.

"What do you mean? Why not?" Yeyinde demanded almost instantly.

"Yesterday, I learned the incredibly horrible reason behind Lilith's silence… and her injuries. Both have the same terrible cause. What's been done to her is an abomination beyond anything I ever imagined possible. Yet, at the same time, there is still trust and honor within her." Guan said in a soft but heavy tone while keeping her voice down to avoid waking the female in her arms.

"I know the trust and honor are there, because she entered my room last night absolutely reeking of fear. She finally spoke to me last night, and the first words she spoke were those of an apology." Guan said with no small amount of pride.

"An apology? What could she possibly have to apologize to you for?" Kwei demanded in disbelief.

"That was what I wanted to know, and I asked her about it. She apologized for striking me the other day. She wasn't sure how or even why it happened, but I think I know the answer now." Guan stated before looking over at her new sisters.

"Than-guan, I need you to prepare at least twelve injections of sedative. Make sure each one is potent enough to subdue an irate female. When Lilith wakes up, I will inform her of what I'm going to do, then I'll allow each of you to learn what I did yesterday. It will not be at all pleasant, but you deserve to know why Lilith acts as she does, since each of you will now be sharing a home… and your lives with her." Guan said heavily.

"I know I get angry mother, but isn't that a bit much… even for me?" Hulij-bpe asked cautiously while looking at his mother nervously.

"They aren't all for you. Before this is over, all of us may need to be sedated." Guan answered seriously.

"All of us? Guan, you must remember that we at least know something of what to expect." Yeyinde exclaimed quickly.

"No… no you don't. What has actually happened to this tiny Little One in my arms is far worse than we ever began to suspect! Slaves, even… even animals are given better treatment than Lilith received." Guan said with a shaky breath.

"It was her father… wasn't it?" Setg'in asked softly.

"What? No! Impossible!" Hulij-bpe exploded angrily.

"Silence!" Guan hissed angrily. "Do not wake Lilith! After being forced to recall the living nightmare that has been her life, she needs a peaceful rest, and for right now at least, she's getting it. So do not wake her!"

"Setg'in… you will be silent, and say no more! Besides… that wasn't the entire cause of the problem." Guan added a moment later.

Around the table, every Yautja felt their blood run cold at those words which had been spoken in a soft but toneless voice that said far more than any amount of emotion would have been able to convey.

Lilith moaned softly in her sleep addled state. Two large and strong arms were holding her, as she was being cradled against a warmth that was as craved as it was unfamiliar. A soft hum of contentment sounded in her throat as she snuggled closer to the wonderfully warm body of the one holding her. At that moment, she was comfortable, and barely on the verge of consciousness, so none of the fears or apprehension that she lived with on a day to day basis intruded on her mind. Gone were the cares of the world. Gone were the worries of being found worthless. Gone was the lonely heartache of not being wanted by anyone. For the first time in just over four years, Lilith was actually happy to be held by someone.

Lilith sighed in a contented hum as the warm body she was snuggling up to began to vibrate from a soft but powerful purr. She started waking up as the feeling of being safe and secure grew stronger. She opened her eyes to see that her head was resting on a grayish green shoulder that was nice and very warm. She sat up a little and looked at the Predator woman who was holding her. She knew that she almost always had some kind of nightmare whenever she slept. The only other time she could remember that she didn't have some kind of a nightmare about her parents, was when Gwen had been holding her the day before yesterday. It was strange, because it seemed like being held by Gwen actually made the nightmares stay away.

'Maybe she looks scary enough to even scare the bad dreams away.' Lilith thought as she looked down. That was when something caught her attention, and she glanced down to see that Gwen wasn't wearing any clothes.

Realizing that she was at the dinning room table, Lilith glanced around behind her and immediately saw the others sitting there. Instantly, her eyes darted to her own body, and to her great relief saw that she was still wearing the dark blue T-shirt that went down past her knees, and she could tell that she was still wearing the cut off shorts from those super long alien pants that Gwen had bought her. Lilith looked up at Gwen with confusion evident in her eyes; wondering why the Predator was sitting at the table while completely naked.

"Did you get enough rest Lilith?" Guan asked as she looked at the pup in her arms and offered her a cup of hot broth.

Lilith looked at Gwen and the cup suspiciously; wondering if Gwen was treating her like a baby again, or if there was some other reason for this. She took the cup and stayed in Gwen's lap drinking quietly while waking up. She could see the other Predators eating their breakfast and drinking their broth, and she noticed that Thingy and her sisters were still there. The whole situation made her nervous and made her feel like she was on trial for something. Lilith had the nasty suspicion that she knew what that something was.

Guan sipped at her own broth and watched in silence as Lilith slowly woke up. She wanted the ooman pup to be fully alert for the question she wanted to ask, and she was prepared to wait as long as needed for that to happen. Guan soon realized that she could tell whenever Lilith looked down at her body, because the female pup's face would instantly flush with heat, and she knew the ooman pup was embarrassed by something, and she knew very well what the cause was.

Guan knew that adult female Yautja had no qualms about being nude around those they knew. She knew that as adults themselves, her sons had no problem seeing her naked, since she didn't have anything they hadn't seen before or would see again. There was a common insistence that female pups be properly covered though, and that was because their bodies tended to develop oddly sometimes, and the genitalia could become inflamed and appear ready for breeding even though the young female clearly wasn't, for no reason at all. It was well known that many younger males could be horribly randy at times, at that was the other part of the reason that female pups were almost always covered. The only exceptions to that were medical necessity, and when the only other company was other adult females who could adequately defend the young female from any unwelcome male advances.

"I told you that I would hold you until you woke up, didn't I?" Guan asked softly.

Lilith nodded her head slightly, because she did remember Gwen telling her that before going to sleep in the woman's arms… but she never would have believed that Gwen would go around wearing nothing simply so the Predator could hold her.

"Good. Now, I need you to drink your broth while it's hot, and eat your morning meal. You won't be doing anything strenuous or exerting yourself today, because I want you to relax and recover after what happened yesterday." Guan instructed firmly.

Lilith nodded her head, and couldn't help but wonder why Gwen was treating her the way she was. 'They told me that machine would show them everything I remembered, and I even saw it. She knows all of it now. She knows how worthless I am, even if the others don't… so why is she still being nice to me? Why can't they just start hating me and making me hurt like my parents did? Why are they making me wait like this? It's driving me crazy! I know they're going to make me suffer, so why don't they just get it over with and start hurting me?'

When the strong acrid scent of stress mixed with fresh fear along with a touch of anger began to rise from the ooman pup in her arms, Guan knew that Lilith was fully awake. It saddened her to know that the only times the ooman seemed to feel at ease was when under the effects of heavy sedation or sometimes while sleeping, but now she understood that there were very valid reasons behind Lilith's fear.

Guan knew the depths of the horror that Lilith had been forced to live through, and she knew that she was unable to counter such an abominable tragedy by herself. She needed help. Help from her family; help from what was now Lilith's family, and that was what she planned to obtain. She knew the depths of honor possessed by her family members, and she readily included her new sisters in that knowledge. She also knew that it was going to take every last bit of that honor, along with all of their mental strength to help Lilith understand that she was no longer alone. She would get her family to make Lilith see that she now had others that she could rely on, others that she could trust, and others who would see to it that she was safe, and well protected. Guan knew that together, her family could see to it, that Lilith learned the truth of the lies she'd been told by the ooman Bad Bloods. Guan knew that her family would see to it that Lilith never suffered such torment again.

"Lilith you know that I am aware of why you choose not to speak to us. What you may not be aware of is that I was wearing my mask, and that it recorded everything I saw while you were questioned under cerebral scanning. All of those memories, and the readouts that indicated the physical sensations you experienced, along with your emotional state at the time are recorded on my mask. I will tell you that your thoughts during those memories were not scanned, so I can't begin to guess what you might have been thinking while such things were done to you. All I know is what was actually said and done… as well as how you felt at the time." Guan said softly as she stroked Lilith's arms in a comforting caress.

"May I show everyone here what my mask recorded yesterday?" Guan asked the ooman in her arms.

Lilith went stiff in renewed fear. 'It doesn't matter if she shows them or tells them, they'll still know the truth. Even if I get away from Gwen, I can't open the front door, and even if I got out, I'm stuck on a world full of Predators that will hate me.' She thought despondently before she nodded her head, because she knew there was no way to stop what she knew was now going to happen.

"Kwei, I want you to retrieve my mask from our room. I will say now, that what all of you are about to learn is the reason that Lilith has refused to speak, and each of you will need to decide for yourselves how you will deal with this knowledge." Guan instructed as calmly as she could manage.

Kwei stared at his Lifemate for several seconds before he got up and went to their room to retrieve the afore mentioned mask. When he returned he placed it on the table next to Guan, before silently resuming his seat at the other end of the table.

Guan took the mask and placed it on her head for a moment, before holding it out to her largest son. "Hulij-bpe will view the recording first; then Nihkou'te, and finally Setg'in. After Setg'in has viewed it, I will make an adjustment, and the others will see it starting with Kwei, and working down the table back to me." Guan said heavily.

"Why do you need to make an adjustment after I see it?" Setg'in asked cautiously.

"Because there is something in Lilith's memories that the three of you don't need to know at this time. The rest of us are already aware that the incident occurred." Guan snapped quickly.

Hulij-bpe placed the mask on his head, and within mere moments, the large Yautja began shaking, and his dreadlocks flared with rage while every muscle in his large body tensed for combat. The rage that flowed through his veins was clearly visible for several long moments before it began to be replaced by something else. Shock and horror were readily apparent on his face, as he despondently laid the mask on the table and stared at it in total dejection.

Guan watched her largest son carefully for several long moments out of concern. She had been positive that he would live up to his name and go mad with rage. His current reaction surprised her, but then, with the horrible knowledge her mask held, no one's reactions could be certain. Then, her eyes went wide in shock as Hulij-bpe reached across the table to grab one of the injectors and quickly dosed himself with the entire contents. She didn't bother to ask if he would be okay, because after seeing what he had, Guan was certain that few things would ever be the same for him again. She nodded to her eldest son, and watched as he donned to mask with obvious reluctance.

Al-Nihkou'te froze in disbelief in the act of putting his hands down. They seemed to hover in front of him for a moment before dropping to his lap as if the Warrior had somehow forgotten that they were still attached to his body.

When the recording was nearing it's end and Nihkou'te was watching it in silence, Hulij-bpe got up from the table and stumbled away muttering about being sick. Even as the large male left the room, Nihkou'te placed the mask on the table with shaking hands. He seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before he pushed it away as if not wanting to ever touch it again, then he placed his head in his hands and leaned his elbows on the table to think about what he'd learned. A second later, he reached across the table to grab and injector loaded with sedative and dosed himself with it. Then he tossed the empty injector on the table, and shook his head while he tried to understand why Lilith had been treated in such a way.

Setg'in reached for the mask with a strange mix of reluctance and curiosity. From the reactions of his brothers, he knew that what he was about to see was bad, and that the various injuries and scars which Lilith bore, gave him at least the idea that it was much worse than he wanted to imagine.

The first few seconds of the recording didn't seem that bad, but then each scene spiraled rapidly from one atrocity down into the abominable depths of one horror after another. Partway into the recording, Setg'in began to feel as if he were the one being subjected to such torment. He wanted to scream in helpless rage to the far ends of the universe. He craved the opportunity to rend those two oomans limb from limb slowly, so they could suffer at least some of what Lilith had been forced to endure. He wanted to speak with Cetanu himself and beg for the privilege of hunting the two oomans for the rest of eternity, even at the cost of his life and soul. Then, when the recording finally ended, the young Warrior couldn't bring himself to face the unwilling victim of what he'd seen. Revulsion, disgust, and horror warred in his mind and sadness bordering on despair filled his spirit as he tossed the mask away from him. He stared slack faced at the table, while Than-guan passed the mask back to his mother.

'No wonder she seemed to enjoy herself in the Temple of Passage! After going through all of that, she must have wanted to die just to put an end her suffering. If that other ooman female hadn't pulled her away, Lilith would have stayed and faced me. She would have tried to taunt me into killing her.' Setg'in thought miserably.

That was when he caught the familiar tang of fear that originated from Lilith. That scent was familiar because it was what Lilith felt all too often. Now he understood why she had cried out or even screamed in her sleep. Lilith was reliving the same horror she'd already endured, that same horror that he'd only just learned of. He now knew that Lilith wasn't being disrespectful or disobedient. She was being valiantly, and bravely… even courageously defiant in the face of those she had no hope of even fighting. He knew that Lilith had even less hope of being able to fight him off than she'd had against her parents who'd performed such tortures on her. He recalled how she had boldly faced him in the Temple, how she had courageously challenged him in every way she could, and how she had fought determinedly against him while literally using tooth and nail even as he tried to carry her to safety.

That was when he knew. Setg'in knew that Lilith had the heart and soul of a true warrior beating within her chest, and that not even the worst treatment from those despicable Bad Bloods had made her forsake her honor. He realized that Lilith didn't trust his family not to do such things to her, because if her own parents could do such things, then how could she possibly believe that others would not? He knew that his family members were honorable, but he had to wonder if that honor was strong enough to withstand the constant doubt and mistrust that Lilith must surely feel towards them. Setg'in didn't know the answer to that, but he did know that they were going to try. He was going to try! For his newly Blood Bonded sister, the young Warrior could do no less.

Guan looked around the table at the members of her family who remained seated there after learning the sickening truth of what had been done to the ooman pup that they now claimed as their own. Her Lifemate and her three sisters were all silent as they sat in various stages of mixed shock and anger at those who were beyond their grasp. Both of her sons looked as if they were going to lose their morning meal, and she couldn't blame them for feeling that way. Still reeking of fear, Lilith moved to get down, and she let the pup go while longing for something to say that could change what she knew to be the truth. She heard the ooman pup go into the room that was now hers alone, and wished she could think of something to alleviate at least some of Lilith's fears. Suddenly, Guan realized that she had one resource at hand that just might help, and it was one that Lilith had been responsible for giving her; one of her newly Blood Bonded sisters.

"Yeyinde, you've now seen what Lilith has endured from her own parents. I'm sure she fully expects us to do the same. I ask you… how can we prove that we won't?" Guan asked in a soft but fervent tone.

"We can't! Not now and maybe not ever. She may end up doubting us until the day she dies, because there is no way to actually prove that we won't cause her harm." Yeyinde said sadly as she shook her head and replaced her own mask on her belt after making an adjustment to it.

"We knew some of the damage that was done to her body, because we've seen and even removed some of it… but the injuries to her spirit and her trust may never heal. I… I've been taught many methods to help those who've been tormented by Bad Bloods who were strangers… or possibly even other relatives… but I don't think anyone could have envisioned that a pup's own… own parents would… or even could do such things to their own offspring." Yeyinde continued before breaking off in deep thought as she remembered something else from the recordings.

Yeyinde took a deep shuddering breath as she clasped her hands together on the table and looked at them while she concentrated in thought. Finally, after several long moments, she spoke.

"There may be one chance." Yeyinde began in suddenly renewed hope. "Lilith was repeatedly told by her parents that she's worthless. You tried to counter that yesterday, just before the Blood Bonding, and I think you made a fair start of it. In fact, I think it was your question that surprised Lilith enough to make her injure herself exactly as needed by sheer accident. Perhaps it might have been influence from Cetanu or even Paya herself, but that one cut can now be put to good use. We can't prove anything to her… but we can show her what she has accomplished that makes her worthy! Give her something that she can look back on and know that she isn't worthless! She must be made to see what she now means to us. I think her personal honor is important to her, because she probably sees that as the only thing she has left that is hers and not something given to her by another."

"Her hunting of the tunnel runners the other day was hailed as an unqualified success by all who observed the hunt, because she got all of them! Can't that be used?" Guan asked suddenly as she began to wrack her mind for possibilities.

"That is one thing, but she did have the help of Bakuub during that hunt, so she may not see that as we do. On the other hand… there is the way she polished our armor the night before. Even your training armor was polished so impressively that the technician thought it was new. He even stated that there would be those who would pay very highly for such a service. That is something she accomplished on her own… with no help or input from any of us… and she did it without even being asked. Not to mention that she also showed us how to do it." Kwei suggested after thinking about it for a moment.

"That is an excellent suggestion. It's something that she has done which is much appreciated by others. That proves some kind of worth at least. What else is there? The more examples we can give her, the more of a chance there is that she'll believe us instead of her ooman parents." Yeyinde said firmly.

"I know without an explanation that it doesn't sound like much, but there's the means that she's been using to communicate with us." Setg'in said quietly.

"What do you mean? What has that to do with proving her worth?" Than-guan asked suspiciously.

"Lilith has a remarkable intelligence for her to be able to make herself understood the way she does; in almost any kind of situation." Setg'in replied with a rueful snicker. "From demonstrating that I started the argument that first night by taking her plate, to explaining how she wanted her room changed to better suit her wants, and needs. Thwei-de-thei-de even commented on her communication skills, and remarked that he was impressed by them."

"That's right! I've seen how adept she is at getting her point across without speaking." Than-guan exclaimed. "Setg'in has a very good point… Lilith is very intelligent, and she uses that intelligence freely. Even though she has no more than a pup's education, and an incomplete one at that, she still reasons things out quite well. She's to be commended for it."

As soon as she entered her room, Lilith looked around despondently. There was the small closet with no door where her clothes were hung, the four Aztec, Inca, or maybe even Mayan hangings that Gwen had gotten her, one of her bean-bag chairs, the notice board of cork where she'd already hung a few pictures of Slobber, Gwen, along with the others and the ton of… well… toys really. The only things she'd actually gotten from the shops that weren't decorations or toys, was a grooming kit, a small picture sized mirror, the Polaroid instant camera, and some clothes. Gwen had gotten her all of these things, and had even helped her set up the room by putting in some weird looking nails for the hangings and mirror.

Tears of grief fell slowly down her cheeks as her blue eyes displayed the sadness that welled within her heart. Not only had she begun to actually like these Predators, but she'd even started to have fun with them. They had even started to seem almost like a new set of friends to her. 'All that's over now. They know the truth… and they'll start hating me… just like my parents did. I couldn't even fight back against my mother and father… so how the hell am I supposed to fight them? I can't, and they know it! I thought I was trapped in the basement, but now… now I'm not even on Earth anymore. Even if I knew how to get out of this house, there's no where for me to run, no where to hide, and no place where I won't get hurt.'

The pain of grief and heartbreak in Lilith's chest was like a physical thing bearing down on her. Her tears began to flow ever faster as she realized that she'd actually begun to have hope. Hope that these Predators would start to like her, hope that she wouldn't have to suffer, hope that she could somehow become something other than a worthless mistake, hope that she might actually have a home now. But what really hurt more than anything was that she realized she'd begun to hope that someone… even if they were monstrous looking aliens… that someone might start to care about her enough to actually love her.

For a long and miserable time, hope had been a nearly non-existent thing. What tiny shred of hope that she held had consisted of a few scraps of food, some water, or that maybe… just maybe she wouldn't receive a horribly brutal beating that day. Her life in the basement had become such a grim and pathetic state of being that no other kind of hope had existed for Lilith, because she knew that nothing else was possible.

Lilith knew there was no way to escape from these Predators, and despair mixed with desperation as she changed into the clothes she'd taken from her mother's closet. There were still quite a few large greenish stains on the jeans from her killing of the tunnel runners a couple days earlier, and the back of the shirt was torn from the claws of the tunnel runner that had attacked her in the vent, but she ignored that and got dressed quickly. She grabbed her pocket knife which had finally been given back to her the day before, and left what she knew would no longer be her room.

She stood outside the door for a moment as her mind raced for any kind of possibility that might get her out of this hellish mess. She knew that she'd rather be dead than be made to suffer anymore, and she was absolutely frantic as her panicked mind scrambled to think of a place that would give her at least a chance of fighting these Predators off long enough to make them kill her. The living room was out of the question, because she could hear the Predators still talking at the dining room table, which was right next to it, so she went into the kitchen. There, she saw the spot where a trash can was put while fixing meals. Between the weird refrigerator and a wall, it was the best spot that she could think of. The rather deep niche wasn't all that wide, but that only made it more suitable for what she intended to be an all out final fight. The tight quarters would make it almost impossible for any of the Predators to get a hold of her without getting hit or kicked in some way. She didn't actually want to hit any of them, because she was actually starting to like them, but she knew there was no choice anymore. She hunkered down with her back to the wall and her knees drawn up in front of her. That would let her kick pretty hard if she had to, plus her arms were still free so she could use her pocket knife as her final resort.

Lilith sat there with tears making silent trails down her face while she wondered just what the Predators were going to do to her. Her breath was coming in short gasps as she remembered the incredible pain her parents had forced her to endure. Her fear and terror soared to new heights as she thought of the kind of beatings that could be easily delivered by the much greater strength of these Predators.

Suddenly, Lilith was holding her breath as she tried to be silent after hearing the talking at the table come to a stop. She could hear the chairs move as the Predators got up, but their footsteps were as silent as she could only wish to be.

"Lilith? Why are you in here instead of in your room?" Guan asked softly.

Lilith just shook her head by way of answer, and her breathing kicked back into high gear. She could see all three of the 'Thing' sisters standing behind Gwen, along with Old Bruce, Scar, and Rave. Now, all of them knew the truth about her, and Lilith just knew that they had come to get her and lock her up somewhere so they could start hurting her. That was when Gwen squatted down in front of her.

"Lilith… I want you to know that I understand why you might be frightened of us, but you have no need to feel such fear. We won't harm you; not now; not ever... do you understand?" Guan asked in a strong purr as she reached out in an attempt to offer some type of comfort.

As Gwen reached towards her, everything snapped in Lilith's mind, and rage filled her soul to join the terror, and despair that was already there. In total desperation, she began kicking out at Gwen, punching with her right fist, and waving her pocket knife back and forth in her left hand while her eyes were squeezed shut in total panic. Suddenly her eyes flew wide open when she felt Gwen grab both of her wrists and pull her from the space in which she'd sought refuge.

The stress, fear, and anger that was now boiling from Lilith created such a strong, acrid, and almost acidic stench that it not only burned her sinuses, but even made Guan's eyes water from the power of it. Even as she pulled the ooman pup out into the main area of the food preparation room and closer to her, the already biting scent got even stronger. Then, Guan had her hands full as Lilith began to struggle against her with a strength that could be born from nothing but pure desperation! As fast as she was, she almost didn't react in time as Lilith tried to impale her own throat on the knife that was still clenched in her hand.

With almost no time to stop the obviously desperate ooman, Guan twisted the pup's wrist to her left and made a quick jerk in an effort to keep that sharp and deadly blade away from Lilith's all too vulnerable throat. Guan neither noticed nor cared that the blade sank so deep into her own left bicep that it became lodged in the bone. All she cared about at that moment was making absolutely certain that Lilith wasn't harmed. Seeing that the blade was no longer pointing towards Lilith, Guan quickly used a pressure point and forced the small ooman to let go of the knife when the ooman pup's hand lost all feeling in it. Suddenly, Lilith was knocked forcefully from her grasp even as she was hurled backwards to land in a sprawling heap.

Lilith smashed her nose and bottom lip on her left arm when she landed, and she knew that something had hit her from behind, but she had no idea what it was. It took her a moment for the stars to clear out of her eyes, and she tried to get up, but she was being held down by an immovable weight that covered her entire body. Whatever was on top of her was so heavy that she could barely breathe, and she sure couldn't move.

"Bakuub; defend!"

Guan sat up and stared in complete disbelieving horror at the sight of an obviously enraged and loudly growling Yaut Hound literally lying on top of the ooman pup she'd claimed as her own daughter. It made no difference that she had raised this particular Yaut Hound; she knew that she'd never be able to retrieve Lilith from that position with Bakuub alive! Guan knew that Yaut Hounds had a well known and very well deserved reputation for killing anything that got beneath them, and it was far too often that the deadly response even included their own offspring!

"Lilith… please… don't move!" Guan cried out in horror.

"Mother… relax! Lilith is safe. Bakuub won't hurt her, and she won't allow anything else to hurt Lilith either." Setg'in reassured calmly as he placed his hand on his mother's shoulder from behind.

"Don't you dare tell me that she's safe, Setg'in! Look at where she is!" Guan finished in a desperate shout.

"I know exactly where she is, and I've actually seen her do this before." Setg'in replied as calmly as he could. He knew that nothing short of a high powered plasma blast would be able to get past Bakuub to harm Lilith, so she was perfectly safe. Calming his mother down, was going to be the more important matter right now.

"Bakuub won't hurt her, not even for getting beneath her stomach. I don't know how or even why such a thing is possible, but I know that Lilith can get beneath Bakuub at will, and she even scratch Bakuub's stomach. There is that much trust between them."

"How can you prove that without risking Lilith's life?" Guan demanded angrily.

"That shouldn't be too hard. All we have to do is get Bakuub to stand up." Setg'in answered before turning his attention to the Yaut Hound. "Easy Bakuub. Fine girl."

Once her head cleared, and the stars left her vision, Lilith became aware of a loud and deadly growl coming from whatever was on top of her. The sound was so intense that she could feel that growl vibrating in her chest as she struggled to breathe. She tried to raise her head to see what was going on, because she couldn't hear anything except that loud and deadly growl that was scaring the living crap out of her! It was even worse than the one she'd heard from Gwen when they got to that weird hospital. Unable to move her head, arms, or even her legs, Lilith finally gave voice to the terror that had filled her soul.

Guan shook her head sadly when she saw that Bakuub was clearly ignoring the command that said everything was okay. So loud was the enraged growl coming from the Yaut Hound that she barely even heard the desperate, terror filled cry from beneath the large beast. Suddenly Bakuub stood up and ducked her head towards her chest to lick the ooman pup who was still on the floor, while whining plaintively.

Almost as soon as the crushing weight disappeared, Lilith was getting licked across the side of her head. She quickly rolled over, only to get licked again, only this time it was right down the middle of her face. She looked up in surprise and saw that Slobber was the one who had knocked her down, and had held her on the floor. She didn't even think about what she was doing as she reached up and scratched lightly at the huge belly over her head.

Guan stared in open mouthed shock at what she was seeing. She knew that this was not something that was supposed to be possible. But it was happening right in front of her!

"That's impossible!"

Guan looked behind her to see that Than-guan was the one who had whispered those words in just as much shock as she felt. Her surprise was so great, that she couldn't find her voice to agree with the healer.

"Lilith? Are you calm enough to understand me?" Setg'in asked softly.

Lilith nodded her head with a soft whimper of renewing fear.

"That's good. You need to stay calm right now, because you and I both know Bakuub is only trying to protect you, but mother thinks that Bakuub will kill you if you try to get out from under her. None of us want to see you hurt Lilith. No one here is going to hurt you, and we aren't going to allow anyone else to hurt you either. Do you understand?" Setg'in asked as he let out a shaky breath.

Lilith nodded her head. 'Oh, sure! I understand alright! You just want me to get away from Slobber, because you're scared of her, and she won't let you hurt me like my parents did.'

"Good, because this is very important. Mother will kill Bakuub if she doesn't think you can get out from under her safely. She certainly doesn't want to do it, but she's not going to risk allowing you to be hurt or killed. So if it becomes a choice of one of you getting killed, mother is more than willing and ready to kill Bakuub to make sure that you are safe!" Setg'in explained as calmly as he could because he didn't want to see either of the two harmed. "Now I don't want to see Bakuub killed, and I certainly don't think you do either, especially not when Bakuub's only trying to protect you."

Somehow Lilith knew that Scar wasn't joking, and she really didn't want Slobber hurt or killed. So she flipped back over onto her stomach and slid out from beneath Slobber by going between the big beast's back legs as the big beast watched her every move. The whole time she made sure to keep a wary eye on the Predators, because she was sure that Slobber was the only thing keeping her from being hurt right then. As soon as she got to her feet, Slobber turned and licked her face while whining softly. Lilith absently scratched the Yaut Hound's ears, and moved to keep the big beast between her and the watching Predators.

"How is that possible?" Guan asked in a stunned whisper.

"Somehow I don't think Bakuub is going to tell us the answer to that." Setg'in answered seriously but with a slight chuckle in his voice.

"That's not funny Little Brother! Lilith could have been killed, and just how did you even know that she's able to do that?" Al-Nihkou'te demanded quickly.

"I've seen her do it before. So did Thwei-de-thei-de just before she started eliminating the tunnel runners in his shop." Setg'in replied right before he got an idea. "It's something that really makes you wonder just what Bakuub sees in Lilith, that gives her the kind of trust that has no one has even heard of before."

Lilith gaped at Scar in disbelief. 'Slobber trusts me? Wait… that means Slobber thinks I'm worth something… doesn't it?'

"I don't care how Lilith managed to gain such trust from Bakuub; all I care about is that Bakuub is willing to defend her against anyone, and that includes me!" Guan said to her son firmly as she got to her feet.

"Lilith, I need you to listen to me. We have no intentions of hurting you… not now, or ever. What your ooman parents did… well… they would have been killed for doing such things here! We do not, and will not tolerate that kind of behavior… ever! They are already dead, so there is no way to have them face a Tribunal for the punishment they surely deserve. You need to understand… they are the ones who were worthless; not you! You are not worthless, and you are certainly no mistake either! There will almost surely be times that you will do things which require punishment, but what your parents did… they would have been executed for doing any of those things to you, so you do not need to fear that such things will happen again, because they won't." Yeyinde said firmly.

"Tell us Lilith, does your back cause you any pain? You know I saw the scars the other day, but only now does it occur to me that your back might still hurt from those injuries." Setg'in said softly.

Lilith stared at Thingy and Scar stupidly as she tried to understand what was going on. 'Why are they acting like they care? Do they think I'm stupid or something? There's no way I'm gonna let 'em get close enough to grab me so they can tie me up or chain me to a wall again.'

Guan watched Lilith closely as the little ooman maintained her strong distrust and suspicion of them, and her mind raced to find something to say, some kind of explanation that would at least give them a chance to gain her trust. Suddenly she remembered the first time she'd held the female throughout a night. It was the same night that the procedure had been done on the pup's arms and legs. That was when she recalled the comment that was made shortly before Lilith had become so distraught. 'That procedure was more expensive than sending my sons to her world for their Chiva. If she really believes that she's worthless, then she must think that I regret such an expense.'

"Lilith, I know you have no reason to believe that we mean you no harm right now, but I think I know of something that might convince you." Guan said fervently before turning to Than-guan. "When is the procedure to remove the scars from Lilith's back scheduled to take place?"

"Tomorrow. You've had to reschedule it twice now, because after the way she was injured by the tunnel runners, and after the way that… fool… injured her yesterday, she needs time to get all the chemicals out of her system. That's why we plan on performing it tomorrow, but I think she's too distraught right now to even consider such a thing. If she needs a sedative, then we'll have to put it off for at least another day." Than-guan answered a little confused.

"You see Lilith? Not only do I not regret the expense of having the scars removed from your arms and legs, but I am still going to have the same done for your back. We all know the torment that your ooman parents inflicted on you, and I don't know of any words to tell you how horribly wrong your ooman parents were for even thinking of doing those things. I know I can't take away the memories of what they did to you, but I can at least take away the physical reminders of it. Please… come back to the table where we can all sit down and talk to you properly. No one is going to try to harm you or even touch you, so you won't have anything to worry about. I just want us to talk… please." Guan pleaded softly as she turned to leave the meal preparation room.

Lilith watched in confused silence as all seven of the Predators left the kitchen so that she was now standing there alone with Slobber. She took a deep shuddering breath and wrapped her arms around the Yaut Hound's neck.

"Thank you." Lilith whispered to the Yaut Hound as she laid her head against the big beast.

'Why do they want to talk to me? All they'll want to do is make me suffer. Why can't everyone just leave me alone? I'm tired of hurting all the time. It's nice here… at least it used to be… but now they all know. They know what a worthless mistake I am, and they'll hate me now.' Lilith thought sadly.

That was when Lilith realized that she really didn't have anywhere to run, and nowhere else to go. She knew that this was the final straw, because even as powerful, huge, and dangerous as the big beast was, even Slobber couldn't protect her all the time. 'I might as well go see what they want to say and get this over with.'

When Lilith stopped in the entry way with Slobber right beside her, the first thing she saw was Thing-one getting ready to pull her pocket knife out of Gwen's arm.

"This is so deep that it's become lodged in the bone, so it's really going to hurt when I pull it out. How did this even happen?" Than-guan asked in concern and confusion.

Guan shook her head as she tried to remember the series of incredibly fast events. It had seemed like a blur as it happened, but now, in her mind, it was like seeing a slow motion atrocity taking place.

"Everything just happened so fast. Lilith was going to use it to impale herself in the throat, so it was a choice of me getting stabbed or watching her die, and I… I couldn't let that happen! Even if she weren't still a pup… I just… I just couldn't." Guan said in a soft growl of pain as the knife was removed.

"I know Lilith is distraught, but surely not to the extent that she'd try to end her own life." Yeyinde exclaimed more than a little disturbed by the mere thought of the pup killing herself.

"It wouldn't be the first time she's tried to use death as a means to avoid further torment. The last time she tried it, Hulij-bpe was nearly killed as well. If he'd had any less strength in that huge body of his, he and Lilith would both be dead right now." Kwei said bitterly as he watched Than-guan apply healing paste to his Life Mate's arm.

"This may well be more difficult than I thought. Lilith has even less reason to trust us, than she did her ooman parents." Yeyinde said with a frown. "Guan, I know that you've claimed Lilith as your daughter now, but… if it becomes necessary I would gladly take her to raise and give her time to adjust to being among us where she's free from the dishonor she's been through."

"No! … No… I know you mean well Yeyinde, but I think it best if we all work together to combat Lilith's past. She is now a member of my family, and I won't turn away from her simply because she doesn't trust me. I'll just have to show her that she can trust me… trust all of us! Even though she shouldn't have been there to begin with, I'm glad that Lilith was in the Temple of Passage. If it hadn't been for her presence in that Temple, I would have lost at least one of my sons, and now, not only do I have all three of my sons back as Blooded Warriors, but I have Lilith to raise as my daughter, and now I've even gained three much loved sisters as well… and it's all because of her! I owe Lilith! I owe her in a way that can't ever be repaid, and the only way that I know of that will even begin to pay that debt of honor back is to try to give her the kind of family that she should have had among the oomans. After what she's been through, she deserves a home where she can be happy, and a place to feel safe from the horrid torture she's been put through. I know we can give her that… she's earned it!" Guan said with a fervent growl.

Lilith's mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief as she heard that. Fresh tears began flowing down her face as she stared at the Predators sitting at the table. 'They don't know I'm here. They're so busy talking that they don't even know I'm here!'

"Do you really mean that?" Lilith asked in a shaky tear filled whisper of disbelief. "Do you really mean that I… I won't have to be hurt anymore? Please… I… I just don't… I can't… I don't want to hurt anymore."

Guan turned her head towards the entry and saw Lilith standing there with Bakuub right next to her. She could see the lower temperature of the fluid that was running from the pup's eyes, as well as smell the intense stress and fear coming from the ooman. Instantly, she was out of her chair and moving fast as she pulled Lilith into her arms in a firm protective embrace.

"Yes Lilith, I do mean that! I mean that absolutely! This is your home now, and the kind of life you led before Kwei brought you here is over. There will be no more torment; no more torture, and no more pain; not from us. I won't say that everything will be easy and happy from now on, because only the Gods can know the future, but I can, and with the help of our family, I will make sure that the life you have here is much better than what your ooman parents gave you." Guan insisted as she laid her head against Lilith's.

"How can you say that when… when I'm just a worthless mistake?" Lilith demanded in a sobbing whisper.

"I can easily say it because I am not a fool, or ignorant enough to believe that! You have proven your worth and honor several times during the few short days that you've been here. Just look at all you've done… you've given Nihkou'te his life, and given me my son. Thanks to you, I have three females whom I have long cared for to claim as my actual sisters now. You've proven to be one of the most devastating hunters of tunnel runners that many have ever seen, you've polished our armor to the point that several of the Clan's Elders have asked not only for your services, but also for your instruction on how to polish armor!" Guan said insistently as she held Lilith away to look into the pup's eyes.

"They are asking for a mere pup, for you, Lilith… to teach them your methods of polishing armor. Warriors who have been tending to their awu'asa for several ooman lifetimes want to learn what you know; they want to learn from you Lilith! If you were truly worthless, then no one would care about anything you knew, now would they? Bakuub would not tolerate being around you, and she certainly wouldn't let you get away with crawling around beneath her. If I or anyone else were to even try doing such a thing, Bakuub would kill us so fast we'd never know how we got to the after life." Guan said fervently.

"You haven't even been on our world for a single ten day, and already the High Elder and the High Matriarch wish to speak with us about you, because of what you know that we do not. Your name is quickly becoming known to those who govern us. If you were truly as worthless as your ooman parents claimed, do you think anyone would care? They would not. Those who are worthless have nothing of value; they know nothing of value; they have no skills that can be commended, and no honor to redeem themselves. Even the dead are not considered to be worthless, because their bodies feed plants, plants feed animals, and those animals feed other creatures that we enjoy hunting. The only beings who are actually worthless are Bad Bloods! When one is proven to be a Bad Blood, they are hunted down and killed. Not even they are made to suffer as you were. I do not know how you regard your ooman parents, but they would have been immediately labeled as Bad Bloods for just a few of the things they did to you! If any of us were to try even one of those abominable actions we would be executed as a Bad Blood." Kwei stated firmly as he stood up so Lilith could see him from the other end of the table.

"I know that Guan would never do any of those things to you or anyone else, but if she did, her own sons, and even I would be required to kill her for it. So even if you were worthless, and you are not… you are still safe among us." Kwei finished softly.

Lilith wrapped her arms around Gwen's neck and began sobbing hysterically. "I tried… I tried to tell them I was sorry… I tried to be good… but they wouldn't even tell me what I did wrong. How can I stop being bad when I don't know what I'm doing wrong? I don't wanna be worthless… but I don't know what I did…"

"I don't know what you might have done wrong Lilith, but I can tell you that I don't care either! I'm not sure about what you might have done before they started tormenting you, but I do know that your ooman parents were Bad Bloods who had no honor, or even any concept of honor. Maybe they saw that you do have honor, and that was what angered them, and turned them against you. We'll never know, but I will say that I do not regret claiming you as my little sister. Granted, you can be even more stubborn than Hulij-bpe at times, but you have never shown any dishonor. There has been some disrespect, and definitely defiance… but dishonor? No! I haven't seen any of it. Not from you. The only time I've seen dishonor in relation to you was when I watched that abomination of a recording on mother's mask, and even though I'm glad to know what happened to you, I can wish that I had never seen it. Even more… I can whole heartedly wish… that you had never been forced to live it." Setg'in finished quietly.

Lilith lifted her head from Gwen's shoulder to look at Scar irritatedly. "If you're talking about when I flipped you off in that pyramid… you had it coming! You threw that Frisbee full of knives at me and it flew so close that it could have cut a bunch of my hair off!" She protested.

Guan placed her hand over Lilith's mouth so the pup could say no more. "Setg'in, retrieve your mask. I will see who deserved what."

Guan waited with Lilith in her arms while her son retrieved his mask. She put it on, and quickly loaded the recording of the Chiva. She sped through the recording until she spotted Lilith in it, then she slowed it down to almost normal speed. She couldn't help but notice the way her son had faltered when Lilith had smiled at him. The expression on the face of the ooman pup who was even now in her arms, was one that was so peaceful, serene, and happy that she'd only seen that look when Lilith had been under the influence of the sleeping draught.

Guan was so pleased to see Lilith happy for once, that she almost missed it when a pair of oomans were peering through a gap in the walls of the Temple. She saw Setg'in's hand as he threw the blade disk at them. The two oomans ducked, leaving Lilith exposed to the deadly attack. She watched with disbelieving eyes as Lilith simply stood there, and the blade disk actually did sheer a small bit of hair from Lilith's head. Guan pulled the mask from her head in annoyance.

"You were both at fault in that instance." Guan snapped. "You Lilith, do not need to be using that gesture. It is not proper for a female to use." She said to the pup in her arms before turning to glare at her youngest son. "And you need to be more aware of what is behind your target! They ducked, but Lilith did not, and that attack could well have killed her… then where would you be?"

"Dishonored." Setg'in muttered inaudibly.

"For some reason, I was unable to hear that answer Setg'in. What was it that you said?" Guan asked in a seemingly sweet tone.

Lilith's eyes bulged as she figured that Scar was about to get in serious trouble over something that didn't really matter anymore.

"I said I would have been dishonored." Setg'in answered bitterly.

"Yes you would, and your two brothers would have paid for your dishonor along with you. One of the things you will really need to work on is observing and being very aware of your surroundings at all times. Just the other day Lilith would have avoided you, and could even have ambushed you had she been of a mind to do so. That is several times that I know of when she has shown that you aren't always aware of what is around you. Be glad Lilith isn't your enemy Setg'in, because she could have killed you several times by now if she were." Guan lectured sternly.

Lilith let out a large breath of relief, because she'd thought that Scar was about to get the kind of beating and punishment that she'd always received in the basement. That was something she didn't want to see. Being forced to live through the experience of the beatings was bad enough, but watching someone else get one, hearing their screams of pain, and knowing how it felt, would have been a lot more than she could handle right then.

Guan easily caught the spike in the scent of fear before hearing a sound that was accompanied by a drastic reduction in the level of fear and stress in Lilith's scent. She realized then, that Lilith had feared that she would somehow harm her own son as a form of punishment. She immediately refocused her attention on the pup in her arms.

"Lilith… I want you to listen to me very carefully… although I'm sure that I'm going to end up repeating this lesson to you often, I am hoping that I won't have to, because you learn it properly the first time." Guan began seriously. She heard the sharp intake of breath, and caught the increase of fear in Lilith's scent, and knew that her statement had gotten the desired effect; Lilith would be now paying close attention to what she said. "Punishments are only used to correct a pup's behavior so that they do not repeat whatever mistake or action requires the punishment. Setg'in is old enough and intelligent enough to understand how to correct his mistakes when I speak to him about it."

Guan rubbed her right hand lightly down the back of Lilith's head as she looked into the ooman pup's eyes. "I'm beginning to suspect that you are just as intelligent as Setg'in. That means I won't need to use physical punishment on you Lilith. Just speaking to you about any mistakes that you might make, should be more than enough to get you to correct your behavior. Physical punishment is always reserved for very serious wrong doing. That is something you haven't done yet, and I will always tell you what it is that you have done wrong before you receive such a punishment, but I will say though, that you will only be warned once; so do not test my tolerance by doing the same thing again; understand?"

Lilith stared at Gwen in disbelief. 'No more spankings? All… all I get is being scolded? A place where they won't beat me anymore?'

"Am… am I really here?" Lilith wondered in a shocked whisper, not realizing that she'd spoken aloud.

"What do you mean?" Guan asked while trying to understand what the pup was meant.

"I mean… did… did I die back on Earth?" Lilith asked suddenly.

"No, you didn't. Setg'in got you to the ship in time to save your life, and Hulij-bpe put his own life at risk to make sure that you didn't die when you stepped off that cliff." Guan answered.

"Actually, Hulij-bpe saved her life twice." Setg'in interjected.

"What? How? … Explain." Guan demanded quickly.

"The first time was when I was trying to get Lilith to the ship; I knew she was bleeding too heavily to survive long enough to make it. The healing serum was too strong for her, and I was at a complete loss as to what to do. Hulij-bpe wished that there was a way to put her blood back inside her where it belonged. I don't even know if he meant to say it aloud or not, but it doesn't matter, because that was what gave me the idea of diluting the serum with Lilith's own blood. I never would have come up with the idea, if Hulij-bpe had remained silent so I could think. The brilliant method that saved her life was actually his idea… I simply put it to use." Setg'in explained readily.

"So… I'm… I'm not dead? I'm… I'm really here, and this isn't some kind of dream or something?" Lilith asked hesitantly.

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Lilith looked over at the source apprehensively. Thingy was standing there looking at her with those deep set gold eyes that all of these Predators had.

"I'll answer that question for you. This is no dream Lilith, because you are really here. This is not the realm of the afterlife, and you are not dead! You will live with us now. Your ooman parents are dead, and they can never harm you again! We are your family now! Guan-kv'var-de who is now my sister, thanks to the Blood Bonding, is your mother now, and she will love and care for you just as she has all three of her sons. Those three Youngbloods, whom you met in the Temple of Passage, are your brothers now, and they will help to guide, teach, and protect you. The honored and honorable Elder Kwei-Vor'mekta has assumed the role of your father, and he will care for you, protect you, and teach you just as he has done for his own sons. My sisters and I are now your aunts, and we will also serve as both protectors, and teachers. You may safely place your fears and worries aside now Little One, because we are here with you, and we will not allow you to endure such dishonor again." Yeyinde said with as much conviction as she could.

"What my elder and my youngest of sisters have said to you Lilith, is something that can not be argued with. If they say that you will be cared for, then that is what will happen whether you wish it or not; whether you like it or not!" Than-guan said seriously.

"Now, before you begin thinking that I'm jesting with you, you would do well to remember the events that occurred at our bathing pool. It's true that you are perfectly capable of drying yourself, but you learned then that we will not accept 'no' as an answer when it comes to something we think you need." Than-guan said with a light smile.

"I know that what we did that day made you angry, and even though we didn't know it then, you had every right to be angry at us. But, that should also tell you that when we think you need something, you will receive it! It will not matter if that something is no more than a simple purr to make you feel more at ease, or facing off against an armed and highly experienced warrior as we did yesterday. Yes, Bakuub and was the first to act in your defense, even at the risk of her life. That Ancient might have killed her, and likely could have, had the rest of us not arrived when we did. I am only telling you this to show you that we have no intention of hurting you. I want you to think about it, and then tell me when any of us have caused you pain." Than-guan continued.

Lilith frowned in both confusion and in concentration as she thought back over everything that had happened while she was with these Predators, and there was only one time that she could recall ever being actually hurt by one of them. "When Scar spanked me in the pyramid." She answered sullenly as she remembered the event.

"Who? … Who do you mean, Lilith?" Than-guan asked in confusion.

"I think… she is referring to me. She must be, because to my knowledge, I've been the only one who has spanked her…" Setg'in began before suddenly holding up his hands to show that he wanted no quarrel from the now advancing female who was obviously angry. "Father has already told me that I am never to do so again… and I completely agree with him!" He added quickly.

"Tell me why you spanked her!" Than-guan demanded in a soft growl as she continued stepping towards the much smaller male.

"First let me say that at the time, I was unaware that she had any injuries, or I would not have punished her in such a way, nor would I have placed her on my shoulder as I did. Either action could have made her injuries worse, and might even have killed her. The reason I spanked her was because she had repeatedly used the ooman gesture of 'Ell'osde-Pauk'…" Setg'in began rapidly.

"I was hitting him and biting him too… and pulling his hair… and trying to scratch him hard enough to tick him off. I figured that since he was going to kill me anyway, I might as well make sure he did it quick." Lilith admitted in nervous apprehension as she interrupted.

Setg'in stepped over and knelt down next to the ooman being held by his mother. "But I didn't kill you… did I? I didn't do it then, and I won't do it now." He told her seriously.

"Whatever happens now is something that only the Gods can know, but I will say that I am going to enjoy having someone in this house who's intelligent enough to use playthings as weapons while hunting tunnel runners. Then there are those strange playthings of yours that are perfect for training. With those, my brothers and I, will make certain that you are able to use a weapon properly." Setg'in told her before he began to smile.

"No one has said it yet, so allow me to be the first to do so…" Setg'in continued in a satisfied tone. "Welcome home… Little Sister."

Lilith gaped at Scar before looking at each of the others. What surprised her even more than what Scar had said was that all of the Predators were smiling at her, and she could see that every one of them fully agreed with what had just been said.

An emotion that Lilith wasn't all that familiar with anymore immediately began to fill her mind, heart, and spirit to the point of bursting. That emotion was hope. Hope that there was actually something other than pain and suffering possible in her life; hope that she could live somewhere with someone would actually care about her; hope that her life would no longer be the kind of living nightmare that had become all too familiar to her. She knew that even dreaming of such things was futile, because she could never be that lucky, but at the same time, she still desperately wanted what she thought was being offered.

"You… you really mean it… don't you? I… I can live here… I can live here, and no one will make me hurt anymore? No one's going to chain me to a wall and make me be cold and hungry all the time? No one is going to make me cut my arms or burn my legs so they can laugh at the blood or beat me for making a sound when it hurts?" Lilith asked in a desperate whisper as fresh tears flowed from her blue eyes.

"That is exactly how things are going to be from now on. You won't have to go hungry anymore, and I will make certain there is food that you can access on your own anytime you do get hungry. As for being cold… well you won't have to worry about that unless you enter a meat storage unit. As to the rest… that will not happen." Guan said firmly as she pulled Lilith to her and stood up.

Guan carried Lilith back to the table before she sat down with the pup in her lap. Grabbing the pitcher, she poured some fresh steaming broth into a cup and handed it to Lilith, while at the same time nodding to Yeyinde who quickly prepared a bowl of s'pke.

"We need you to eat this Lilith. You haven't eaten anything yet, and the morning meal will not be finished until everyone in the family has eaten… and that includes you." Yeyinde instructed as she put the bowl of S'pke in front of her newly Blood Bonded sister and niece.

Lilith looked up at Thingy with confusion written all over her face. 'What is it with these Predators? Why do they keep saying that I'm a part of their family now? When did that happen?'

"Why do you keep saying that I'm a part of this family? I'm not even… I'm just… I…" Lilith broke off in a state of confusion because she wasn't sure how to voice what was on her mind.

"Do you not know what the Blood Bonding ceremony means?" Guan asked in confusion.

When Lilith shook her head, Guan felt her heart sink, and she saw dismayed expressions on the faces of her family members who were present. "Yesterday, when you cut your hand; we then cut ours in the same place. The significant aspect of that cut was that it was your left hand. The blood that flows though the veins in that hand comes directly from the heart and returns directly to the heart. Each of us placed our blood in the bowl with yours, and I mixed that blood before it was placed back in the open wounds prior to having those wounds sealed. It means that our blood now flows in your veins… just as your blood now flows in ours. You are now a part of each of us, just as we are now a part of you…" Guan began carefully.

"And all of us are now a part of each other. It means that even though me and my two sisters have different parents from both Guan and Kwei, they are now our brother and sister, because they are a part of us now. We believe that sharing our blood in such a way forms a bond that makes us family… whether we are genetically related or not. Even though you are definitely not Yautja, you are now a member of this family. Had any of us not wanted you as a part of our family, then we would have refused to share our blood with you. This was not something that we were forced into doing with you Lilith. We have all shared our blood with you because we want you to be a part of our family, to sit with us during meals, talk with us at night in front of the fire, and… and to laugh and tell jokes with us." Than-guan explained forcefully.

"You aren't in the hands of your ooman parents anymore, Lilith. We have seen the quality of your honor, and we know what you are actually worth… even if you do not!" Than-guan added in a kind tone.

Lilith turned and looked at Gwen. She took in the dark grey skin, the mandibles that pointed inward from the four corners of the Predator's mouth, the dreadlock looking hair, the short spines along the top of Gwen's head, and the deep set golden colored eyes that looked back at her. Before her time in the basement, Lilith would have been convinced that this was the face of a very frightening monster, but now, things were different. She knew that monsters could be anywhere… or anyone! Her own parents had been monsters… monsters that had made her hurt, suffer, and experience pain like she had never dreamed possible; they had been the kind of monsters that still gave her nightmares… but Gwen had never done any of those things.

When she really, really thought about it, Lilith knew that Gwen had every right to make her scream in pain… especially after what she'd done to the Predator woman. She knew that she'd ended up attacking the Predator and dislocating one of those weird mandible things on her face. Now… now Gwen was telling her that she'd even given Lilith a new family, and a new home.

'How can she be doing this for me? Even after yesterday…' Lilith's internal questions came to an abrupt halt when she realized that Gwen hadn't done any of this until after learning the whole truth about her!

"You… you knew! You knew, and… and you… you still made me part of your family?" Lilith demanded in a panicked whisper of disbelief.

"Yes Lilith, I did." Guan answered calmly while looking directly into Lilith's eyes. Then, she began speaking again as soon as she saw the questioning look on the pup's face. "I have given you my family, because you have earned it. I made my decision to claim you as my Blood Bonded daughter even while you were being forced to relive the torment you have been through. But I chose to give you my home long before that. That decision was one I made on that very first day, even before we took you to the bathing pool to get you cleaned up. Ask any of my sisters what it was I said about you after I learned about some of the injuries you had suffered."

Lilith glanced from Gwen's face to Thingy, and Thing-two, and both were smiling at her.

"I think the exact words were… 'I'm keeping her.' I even asked what she meant, and she answered me clearly… 'I am going to keep that little ooman pup and raise her as mine. My family and I will show her the honor which has been denied her.' And I fully agree with her on that decision. Welcome to your new home Lilith… my niece." Than-guan said with a smile of her own.

Lilith closed her eyes as emotions she wasn't used to feeling began to overwhelm her in a torrential flood that couldn't be stopped. Within mere heartbeats, her breath was coming in ragged gasps as powerful sobs tore through her chest.

When the little ooman in her lap started sobbing, Guan couldn't identify the cause from Lilith's scent. Not knowing what else to do, she began a strong deep purr that she hoped would be allowed by Lilith this time, since the ooman appeared to need the comfort it could provide. Then, Guan realized that Lilith was so distraught at the moment that she couldn't object to the purring, and that was when she pulled Lilith closer into an actual embrace.

When she felt Gwen's arms around her, part of Lilith knew that this was real. Somehow, Gwen really wanted her, and actually wanted her to be, and more importantly feel safe. Suddenly, Lilith was wrapping her arms around the Predator as she buried her face in Gwen's neck and cried even harder. She was crying in relief, because she knew that she wouldn't have to worry anymore that someone would learn her secret. Because she didn't need to be scared that she would be made to suffer anymore pain because of what she was, and because she was finally free from the torturous existence she'd had in the basement.

When the ooman's crying increased dramatically, while suddenly clinging to her like a lost suckling, Guan quickly sampled Lilith's scent. What she learned was that Lilith was releasing some of the stress, and fear that had built up in her mind and soul over a very long period of time. It wasn't a pleasant thing to know that Lilith needed such release, but she couldn't deny that she was glad she was able to give the little ooman that comfort.

"Just let her continue… for as long as she needs to. The kind of stress and fear that she's been forced to live with is not easily forgotten, or cast aside. I know it isn't enjoyable to see her like this, but she's at least trying to accept what we've told her. She may still be leery and often frightened of us… but I think she'll begin to start trusting us; at least… I hope that's the case." Yeyinde said softly as she watched Lilith cry on Guan's shoulder.

Lilith had no idea how long she'd spent crying on Gwen's shoulder, but she knew that it had been a while. Instead of treating her like a baby, or scolding her for crying like one, Gwen had just held her while the emotions that Lilith had kept bottled up for so long had finally come pouring out. She took a deep shuddering breath as she finally tried to get control of herself, and realized that Gwen had been purring the whole time. She leaned back and opened her eyes. That's when she saw that Gwen's shoulder was soaking wet from her tears. She flushed with embarrassment and shame as she also noticed that Gwen still hadn't put any clothes on, because she knew that Gwen hadn't been able to get dressed while holding her.

Guan waited calmly and patiently as Lilith slowly regained some composure. It didn't matter how she looked at it, this situation wasn't easy for any of those involved. She couldn't help but notice when the temperature of Lilith's face increased because of embarrassment, and suddenly, she realized why Lilith would have a problem with any kind of nudity. 'She was kept chained to a wall like an animal. She was kept without any clothing at all for a long period of time, so there isn't any wondering why she wouldn't want to be reminded of being forced to remain naked!'

"I'll take Lilith to my room for a moment to speak with her, and give her a bit of time to calm down." Guan began to tell the others.

"Do not give her any sedatives! Her system needs to be clear of chemicals for at least one full day before attempting the procedure to remove the scars from her back." Than-guan instructed firmly as she interrupted.

"I know, Sister; I know. Getting that done is very important to me. The only scar I want Lilith to have is from the Blood Bonding ceremony yesterday… if it becomes possible that she can take a Chiva, and she gains honorable scars during that trial, then that will be a different matter. Until then, I want her to live scar free, and pain free!" Guan stated firmly.

"Good! We're in agreement then." Than-guan said simply as her sisters nodded their heads in full agreement.

Gwen stood up while holding her, even as she gaped at the other Predators in shock. Lilith just couldn't believe that Thing-one, and Gwen had been ready to start some kind of fight over making sure she wasn't hurting, or going to be hurt. It was a drastic difference from the way her own parents had treated her, and she had a very hard time believing that this wasn't some kind of dream.

As soon as Gwen's bedroom door slid shut. The Predator woman put her down on the bed and stepped back.

"Just relax for a moment while I get dressed. I understand now why you don't like to be without coverings, and why you aren't pleased to see me without them. You should know that if any male tries to do what your ooman father did, I will kill him without hesitating. What he did to you during his last… visit… with you is not going to be tolerated at all! Do you know what 'castration' means?" Guan asked firmly.

Lilith shook her head, because she wasn't at all sure what Gwen was talking about.

"What your ooman father had between his legs… that is what all males have for genitals… and I will slowly rip those off of any male who ever tries to hurt you in that way again. Then, I will leave him to die very painfully from that injury. Now do you understand what I'm talking about?"

Lilith's mouth dropped open as understanding dawned on her. Gwen was talking about the way her father had hurt her between her legs and in her butt. 'She wouldn't really do that… would she?' Lilith wondered in shock.

"I'm not joking or exaggerating about this Lilith. All Yautja females will feel the same way if they ever learn about what your ooman father did to you. Not only would they feel the same as I do, but they would demand to know where he could be found so that they could castrate him before leaving him to die as a result of it. The only time that you will be allowed to be naked, is when you are either alone, or in a strictly female presence. You are living among us now, and you will be treated with the same level of respect and honor that we treat our own female pups with. That means that when you finally do have your first breeding cycle, that I and my sisters will make sure that you are never left alone with any males! This is not meant to be any kind of punishment, but something that we do for our own female pups so that what your father did to you, does not happen to them, and will not happen to you again." Guan said as she retrieved a set of clothing from a drawer.

"You're talking about when he hurt me between my legs… right?" Lilith asked uncertainly. She had sometimes seen her parents having sex before she'd been put in the basement, and many times afterward when they had finished beating her, but she didn't really know anything about it, and she didn't know anything about rape except that it was something very bad. All she really knew about sex was that while her mother and father had seemed to enjoy doing that stuff, and that it had only hurt her in ways she didn't like to remember.

"Yes, Lilith, I am. I think you are far too young to learn the intended purpose of such things, so I'll wait until you begin your breeding cycle before I tell you about all of that. As I understand it from Than-guan, you are overdue for your first breeding cycle, so it shouldn't be long before the proper nourishment you're getting allows your body to develop enough for that to happen. Later, I'll explain everything about that. Right now is not the time, though." Guan said firmly as she donned all but her breast halter.

"Right now, you need time to learn that you are safe here, that you will not be harmed, and that you will now be treated as one who was born to my family… as if I had been the one to give birth to you." Guan said softly as she finished getting dressed.

Guan knelt down in front of Lilith and took the ooman's head in her hands to look the pup straight in the eyes. "I don't expect this to happen anytime soon Lilith, but I hope that one day I will have earned your trust. I hope that I will earn your friendship, and I can only pray to the Gods that one day I will eventually gain your love. You are my daughter now Lilith, bonded to me by the blood we now share, and that is something that will never change!"

The flood of conflicting emotions that Lilith was experiencing at that moment had her so choked up that she couldn't speak. It was the first time in many years that she actually wanted to speak, but found that she couldn't. She settled for lunging forward to give Gwen a heartfelt hug as her body shook from strength of the emotions she felt.

Guan knew from the response that Lilith wanted to accept what was being freely offered and given to her, but she was also enough of a realist to know that it would take time for Lilith to accept her new life. She pulled Lilith closer to her as she stood up and went back to sit at the table. She placed Lilith in the elevated chair to her left, and pulled the bowl of food along with the cup of broth back in front of the little female, before pouring herself a cup of broth as well.

Lilith took a deep shuddering breath as she tried to steady herself. This morning had started out much like the others she'd spent here, but today was different. So much had happened, and all of it was sudden and unexpected. These Predators were telling her that she was safe, and that no one would make her hurt anymore, and she really wanted to believe them.

Then, Lilith recalled some of the things she'd done that should have gotten her in serious trouble while she'd been living with these Predators. There was the stuff she'd done to Gwen. Even if Gwen didn't count getting hit in the face as doing something wrong, Lilith knew and felt otherwise. Sure it was something that happened so fast, Lilith hadn't understood it herself, but that 'Texas Titty Twister' that she'd used on Gwen was another matter entirely. She had done that out of pure spite and anger because she wanted to do things for herself. Okay so the other Predators had held her while Gwen dried her off. That wasn't a punishment; that was only what she deserved for acting like a spoiled little brat. Gwen didn't even yell at her or scold her for it. She'd only said not to do it again. She hadn't gotten spanked for taking something that didn't belong to her. Then, she realized that she hadn't actually gotten scolded for that either. Instead, Guan had simply explained to her that she was never to touch any weapons or armor that didn't belong to her without permission.

Thinking about that incident, made her see that she hadn't even gotten scolded for fighting at the table. Gwen told her one time, and then repeated it to make sure she understood, but other than that, there was no scolding, no spanking, and no beating. Then, she felt a flood of shame as she remembered that even as hurt as she was, Gwen had actually scolded Old Bruce to make sure that she wasn't punished for hitting Gwen in the face! None of that probably even mattered next to the fact that not only had she taken Gwen's knife, but had stabbed someone with it! Lilith knew that she deserved to be in serious trouble for many of the things that she'd done and there was no two ways about it.

'Then, there's last night. Even after she learned the truth about me, she still treated me nice and… and even made me a part of her family. She… she wants me to be friends with her… she even wants me to love her!' Lilith thought in confusion.

Lilith raised the cup to her lips and was slowly drinking it while watching all of the Predators surreptitiously. She saw that several of them were watching her as well. It was something that really made her nervous. Were they waiting for her to let her guard down… or did they really mean what had been said? Lilith wasn't too sure of the answer to that, and she dreaded finding out the hard way.

"Lilith, I noticed that you never answered Setg'in's question… so I will ask now… does your back still cause you pain?" Kwei asked in concern.

Lilith shot a worried glance at the Predator sitting at the far end of the table, before turning her focus back to her cup of broth. It was only when she thought about it that she became aware of the constant burning ache in her back. She didn't really want to answer the question, because it would only show that there was something else wrong with her. It was something that made her feel as if she were somehow… broken.

"Pauk!" Than-guan exclaimed in an angry shout as she suddenly stood up from the table.

Than-guan glared at the walls, then the ceiling, and finally leaned on the table while she wanted to curse the very Gods themselves. She hung her head while still standing and released a long breath with a soft growl of frustration. Finally she lifted her head just a bit and looked over at her ooman niece.

"Lilith… staying silent as you are… isn't the same as trying to tell a lie, but when one of us wants to know if you are in pain, then you need to tell us. You need to tell us where it hurts and how bad the pain is. You are not on a hunt, and you have no reason to continue to be in pain. I need to know how bad your back hurts, so I'll know if the procedure on your back needs to wait or not." Than-guan said heavily.

Lilith put the cup on the table and stared at it despondently. These Predators had just told her that they actually wanted her in spite of how much of a worthless mistake she knew she was, but would they still want her if they knew how much pain she always felt? Would they still accept her, or would they start making her hurt even more?

"Lilith… I need you to answer me. How bad is your back hurting you?" Than-guan demanded in a firm but gentle tone.

"It's not as bad as when I had to burn my legs." Lilith answered softly.

"Does it hurt more than when that tunnel runner clawed you?" Guan asked in concern as a nasty suspicion took hold.

When the ooman hesitated a moment before nodding slowly, Guan looked sharply at her sister Than-guan for some sort of solution.

"I suppose we can try a topical application of pain blocker and see if that works. I can only hope that it does. If it doesn't… Lilith, I'm sorry, but if the topical pain blocker doesn't help, then I'll have to let you remain in pain for a while until your system is clear of chemicals so that I can perform the procedure. That procedure will be dangerous enough as it is, and I don't want any complications caused by other chemicals being in your body." Than-guan said gently.

Lilith nodded her head before cautiously reaching out and pulling the bowl closer to her. Nervous, uncertain, and even scared; Lilith wasn't actually very hungry right then, but there was no way that she was going to pass up on the offer of food. She had gone hungry for far too long, and she knew from painful experience that food wouldn't always be given to her when she was hungry. She picked up the spoon to get some of the strange soup that she knew she'd like. It wasn't the giant mango that she'd come to love more than any thing else, but it was certainly very good. She chewed slowly, nervously, and with a lot of apprehension because she knew that they were all watching her, and she was sure that something was going to happen soon. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, as a slowly growing churning sensation that told her something bad was going to happen.

Yeyinde watched as Lilith moved like one of questioned and faulty honor awaiting the judgment of a Tribunal. It was a slow process, because every one of the pup's actions were filled with obvious fear and nervousness. She knew that Lilith was in a lot more fear than she usually was, because she could easily smell the difference. She thought she understood why as well, but without talking to Lilith, she couldn't be sure. She knew that the major obstacle that she would need to deal with was going to be one of trust. She needed Lilith to trust at least one of them enough to discuss her fears and feelings, before those fears could be alleviated.

'How am I going to get her to trust one of us, when it's been proven to her that she couldn't even trust her own parents? She's not going to believe that we wouldn't dare do such things to her, because she doesn't trust us. This is … this is insane! We can't begin to earn her trust until we already have enough of her trust to do so.' Yeyinde thought bitterly.

"Lilith… I know you don't trust us, and that is perfectly understandable after what your ooman parents did to you. But I want you to think about something. I want you to think about the Ancient who attacked you yesterday. You weren't willing to accept his apology, until you saw that he would be killed if you didn't. He was going to be killed for the same reason that I would have been killed had you not accepted my apology after I nudged you towards the bathing pool, and you fell in. He deliberately caused harm and injury to a pup. When you saw that Guan was going to execute him, you broke your silence to spare his life. That was a very honorable thing to do Lilith, and I commend you for it. However, once it was proven that he had no justification to question, or even speak to you, and that you are still a pup, his life was forfeit whether you accepted his apology or not." Yeyinde began as she tried to reason with the frightened ooman.

Lilith was listening to every word the Predator said, and when she heard that last part, she looked up at Thingy worriedly. 'They killed him anyway? Even after I said that I'd accept his apology?'

"Why?"

"You must understand that we are not ooman, Lilith. We do not have so many laws that no one person can know all of them. Instead… what we have are simple laws that we live by. If a Yautja intentionally causes a pup harm, or gives them cause to fear for their life, then that Yautja is executed. If a Yautja accidentally causes a pup harm, or gives them cause to fear for their life, then an apology must be given for the offense. It is then up to the pup, or the pup's mother to accept or deny that apology. If denied, the offender is then executed in dishonor. That is what would have happened to me, had you not accepted my apology the day we met. My life has been in your hands, and you have proven your honor, now I would ask that you allow us the same opportunity so that we can show you ours." Yeyinde explained carefully.

"I'm not asking you to place your life at risk." Yeyinde clarified quickly when she saw the wary expression on Lilith's face. "That wouldn't prove anything. No honorable Yautja would be able to stand aside and do nothing, because they would be executed for it."

"Last night, you told me that you thought you would feel safe if you were with me." Guan interrupted quickly. "The only thing that has changed between last night, and this morning, is that now we all know the reason you are so afraid much of the time. I've told you that we can smell your fear. The fact that you are so often afraid, bothers me greatly."

"It bothers all of us! Just a few short days ago… you were defiant and fearless in the presence of the Hard Meat… while my brothers and I were the ones who were afraid. Me and both of my brothers were afraid of them… but you weren't." Setg'in began firmly.

"Only a fool does not fear the Hard Meat during their Chiva!" Kwei exclaimed forcefully.

"A fool… or one who has no fear of death. Lilith faced them without fear! She had no fear of them… and no fear of us! The only time I smelled any fear on her was when she was sleeping… that was because she was reliving her torture at the hands of those accursed Bad Bloods." Setg'in explained firmly.

"How do you know that's what happened?" Yeyinde demanded.

"Because my mask has the translation of the words she screamed in her sleep. She actually begged her father to stop hitting her. She said that she would leave… go away and never return… that she would do anything if he would only stop hitting her." Setg'in answered as he looked over at his aunt.

"Lilith, you had no fear of me or my brothers while we were in the Temple together. You taunted me, tried to anger me, taunted my brothers… our brothers, and fought me so strongly that you gave me more injuries than the Hard Meat did. Then, when we were on the ship, you showed us that even without a weapon, you were not one to be angered lightly. You mocked me, taunted me, tricked me, teased me, and even felled me! I was fully armored, and wearing a full arsenal of weapons, and you placed me on the floor in a groaning heap with a single unarmed strike! You did not fear us then… so why should you fear us now; when we are claiming you as a member of our family?" Setg'in said earnestly.

"I want to see the fearless warrior who readily mocked, and taunted those who were armed, when she was not. I want to see the cunning little warrior who proved to be a dangerous and deadly scourge to all tunnel runners everywhere. I want to see you be as fearless as you were when you attacked a Hard Meat with nothing more than an excuse for a blade… and a courage that I have rarely seen from an Elder. That is what I want Lilith… it's what we all want." Setg'in told her.

"Those who made you suffer as you did are dead, and they can never harm you again. Your almost constant fear bothers us. We don't want to see you so afraid all the time…" Setg'in stated.

Suddenly Lilith felt herself being jerked out of her chair from behind. She tried desperately to fight against whoever had grabbed her, but it was no use. Her arms were pinned against her body as her captor sat down in the chair next to the one she'd been snatched from.

"I'm sorry Lilith. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you. I should have been there to stop them." Hulij-bpe exclaimed in a choked voice.

"You weren't even Blooded! None of us even knew what was happening to her, so there is no way that we could stop or even prevent something we knew nothing about." Setg'in argued quickly.

"Well someone should have been there!" Hulij-bpe bellowed in a near deafening roar as he glared angrily at his brother.

"Lilith is my sister now, and I will make sure that I am there to protect her. I don't know why someone didn't stop what they did to her, but I know that I will never let it happen again! They… they even hurt her so much and so many times that they made it so she won't even talk to us now!" Hulij-bpe roared at his brother angrily.

Hulij-bpe turned his attention to the struggling female that he was holding firmly against him in a powerful embrace. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed them to stop hurting you. I won't let that happen to you ever again, Lilith. You don't have to worry anymore, because I'm here to protect you now." Hulij-bpe choked out in a near sob.

Lilith hadn't stopped struggling since Celtic had grabbed her, and she finally had just enough room to shove her left elbow back a couple of inches to jab the large Predator in the solar plexus. It wasn't much, and the move didn't have any real power behind it, but it did cause Celtic to loosen his grip just a touch. As soon as she felt a bit more slack, she repeated her jab, and this time she was able to put more force behind it. It still didn't knock the wind out of him, but it did give her room to breathe.

"You're squishing me! I can't breathe. I'll sit here as long as you want… just stop squishing me!" Lilith protested breathlessly.

"Sorry." Hulij-bpe said plaintively as he loosened his hold on his little sister.

"Yeah, you said that already. How bout trying to say something different now." Lilith snapped irritably.

"Oh…" Hulij-bpe muttered as his mind raced for something else to say. Then he snapped his right hand out and pulled the partial bowl of food over so that the ooman pup in his arms could reach it, and then did the same with the cup of broth. "Um… eat your morning meal?" He finished hesitantly.

"Ha! Now that is proof that you belong in this family! I was certain that Hulij-bpe would have needed to be sedated to stop his ranting and calm down." Than-guan-thwei said with a laugh. "But you just achieved the same result with only a few words. Well done, Lilith. Very well done! I know how single minded Hulij-bpe is, and once he's set his mind on something it's very hard to get him to think about anything else."

"It's a good thing she did, Sister, because Hulij-bpe already dosed himself with a sedative a short while ago. Administering another dose would be dangerous to him, so I'm glad Lilith was able to distract him so quickly." Than-guan chimed in.

"Listen to me Lilith, because this is important for you to know. Your brother is very different. He's very large, and very strong for a male; in fact his size and strength are nearly equal to that of a female. The problem he has, lies in his mind. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but Hulij-bpe has the single mindedness of a young pup. Once he's focused on something that makes him angry, there is almost no way of calming him down. The best method of dealing with his anger is to distract him with something else. You did that very effectively just now, and I thank you for it." Than-guan said sincerely.

"There are many who would say that Hulij-bpe is a primitive throw back, who thinks more by instinct than he does by intellect. I'm sorry to say that there is more fact to that claim than I would like. My son isn't a slow thinker, because at times he thinks surprisingly fast, but he does have a somewhat limited intelligence that hinders him in what he can learn. Since you will be sharing a home with him, this is something you need to know, so you'll understand how to deal with him. Hulij-bpe will admit that he isn't one of the smartest warriors in existence, but he is one of the most loyal companions that you'll ever meet. Given what's been done to you, I think it might be very difficult to keep him away from your side without a very good reason if you venture out." Guan told her gently.

"Hulij-bpe, there is something that you need to understand and keep firmly in mind when dealing with your sister. Lilith and Bakuub have a very unusual and very strange relationship." Guan began seriously as she looked up at her son.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Hulij-bpe asked quickly as he looked up at his mother.

"What I mean, is that Bakuub has a trust in Lilith that I've never seen or even heard of before." Guan explained slowly as she thought about how she should say it.

"What mother means, is that Bakuub trusts Lilith enough to allow Lilith to get beneath her stomach at will. Lilith will readily use that position as a form of cover and protection, and believe me, Bakuub doesn't care who it is; when Lilith is beneath her, do not try to approach them! Just a short while ago, Bakuub knocked mother down in order to protect Lilith who was terrified at the time." Setg'in interrupted firmly.

"Why would Bakuub attack mother; and why was Lilith scared? Why don't you tell me that part?" Hulij-bpe demanded as he began getting angry all over again.

"Lilith was frightened, because she believes that we might be dishonorable enough to do some of the things her ooman parents did to her." Setg'in began before banging his fist on the table to gain his brother's attention who was now shooting a very dark look at the pup in his lap.

"We've had to explain some things to her, and I think she understands what will happen to anyone who even tries to do such things. But knowing isn't the same as believing, now is it? We will most likely have to show Lilith the depth of our honor before she'll be convinced that she's safe here. Don't ask me how we're supposed to do that, because I have no idea. What I do know, is that Bakuub will defend and protect Lilith from anyone who presents themselves as a threat. That even includes mother, so you can bet anything you like, that Bakuub won't hesitate to attack you if she thinks Lilith is being threatened…" Setg'in continued.

"But Bakuub has always been fond of me. Are you saying she likes Lilith even more?" Hulij-bpe asked in a confused tone.

"I think it's very possible that she does. I saw for myself, that Bakuub knocked your mother away from Lilith, and pinned the pup to the floor by crouching on top of Lilith while growling at all of us. Lilith had no problems getting out from under the Yaut Hound either, so that should tell you just how strongly Bakuub feels about her." Kwei answered softly, but sternly at the same time.

"Good! That means that between me and Bakuub, one of us can always be with her to make sure she's safe!" Hulij-bpe exclaimed fiercely.

"Tell me Hulij-bpe… what will you do if Lilith doesn't want to be constantly guarded?" Guan asked noting the stiffness of Lilith's posture in her son's lap.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't she want someone around who makes sure she's safe? If we visit another world, she'll need me and Bakuub around." Hulij-bpe asked in confusion.

"It's not that simple, brother. The problem is; I don't think Lilith believes that she can trust us. Proving that we are worthy of her trust, or that we deserve it is going to be difficult." Setg'in explained.

"Why wouldn't she trust us? We aren't the ones who were killing her, and there's no way that any of us would ever let such things happen to her again!" Hulij-bpe declared in a hurt tone.

"I know that son. The reason she may never trust us, is because it was her own ooman parents who treated her with such horrible dishonor. They committed those atrocities against her for a very long time, and if her own parents would treat her in such a way, and put her through such miserable suffering, then she has no reason to believe that others wouldn't do the same." Guan stated bitterly.

"I will be in my room for a while. There's something I need to do." Nihkou'te said quietly as he left the table.

Suddenly Setg'in's mandibles spread in a grin as he recalled how he had proven that he trusted the pup sitting in his brother's lap. 'That just might work with a little modification.' He thought with a smile as he stood up to head for his room. "I'll return in a moment. I need to get something."

Guan glanced at both her oldest and youngest sons as the left the table. While her eldest appeared to be deep in troubled thought, Setg'in was actually smiling about something. She looked over to her Lifemate as he continued.

"Because of what was done to her, it's very possible that Lilith will never trust anyone again." Kwei finished heavily.

"But… but that wasn't us… we never did anything like that to her… we wouldn't! Not even the Hard Meat are treated in such a way!" Hulij-bpe protested brokenly.

"You'll get no argument on that, but proving that to Lilith is something that I just don't know how to do." Yeyinde agreed.

"I think I know of a way." Setg'in said as he re-entered the room quickly, and walked over to his brother's side.

Setg'in reached out and lifted Lilith from his brother's lap, and stepped over to a wall before placing her on her feet. Then he squatted down next to the wall in front of her and pulled his plasma caster from behind his back where he'd shoved it into his belt. Pointing the butt end towards Lilith, he reached out and placed her right hand on the firing stud. Then he put the muzzle of the plasma caster against his own throat and held it there.

"Now Lilith. You and I both know that I've shown you how to fire this weapon. A single press of your finger, not even very much pressure, and a plasma bolt will cleave through my neck. I'll be dead before my headless body even begins to fall to the floor. I've shown that I know you can be trusted, but that isn't the question right now is it?" Setg'in asked with a grin.

"No… it isn't. The question in your mind right now is whether or not you can trust us! I am telling you that you can… in fact… I will stake my life… and my honor on it." Setg'in said seriously as he stared straight into Lilith's eyes.

There were several exclamations and demands to know what Setg'in thought he was doing, but he ignored them all as he focused his attention on the small ooman in front of him.

"Lilith, I am positive that no one here would ever cause you the kind of pain that your ooman parents gave you. You are now in a position to kill me with my own weapon. For a Yautja Warrior, there is no greater disgrace or dishonor than to be killed by one's own weapon. For that death to occur at the hands of a mere pup would be even more disgraceful, and dishonorable. My name would be cursed for all time, and I would be held in such a state of dishonorable disgrace that no one would ever be given the name of Setg'in ever again. So not only am I putting my life in your hands, but I am placing my honor in your hands as well… but it's not just my honor that would be affected; my family… our family… would also suffer the disgrace of having raised such a complete failure of a Warrior. It would completely ruin them! They would be left with no choice but to end their own lives, because no one would have anything to do with them. No one would ever sell them food or anything else they need." Setg'in said seriously as he looked Lilith in the eyes.

Setg'in took a deep breath as he braced himself for what he was about to say, because while he knew that Lilith could be trusted, everything would now depend on whether or not she could learn to trust them! "I want you to think about this very carefully Lilith; because this is not something many would think of. I am so sure of their honor, that I am staking my life on that honor. So, if you believe that anyone here, and I do mean any one, would even think of doing something to hurt you, then I want you to kill me. If you think that any member of this family can not be trusted, then I want you to press that firing stud, and kill me."