Lilith looked into the rich golden yellow eyes of the Predator in front of her, and wondered how Scar could do something like this. 'Why would he do this? Why is he telling me to kill him just because I don't think I can trust one of…? Wait! He's telling me to kill him even if there's only one of them that I don't think I can trust!'
Lilith was so surprised that she was stunned into immobility. She couldn't have pressed the firing stud if her life depended on it, as she realized the full extent of what Scar was telling her. It took her a moment to recover from the shock, and when she did, she glanced around at each of the others.
That was when Lilith's mouth fell open. 'None of them are worried! All I have to do is twitch my finger and Scar would be dead before he hits the ground, and they aren't even worried! Why?'
Once again, Lilith was in a stunned state of shock as she gaped at the Predators who were now standing around the table looking back at her. The 'Thing Sisters' as she thought of them all had their arms crossed over their chests, and were simply watching her, while Gwen and Old Bruce had their heads tilted and were watching her curiously. Celtic was staring at Scar in total confusion, and it was pretty clear that he didn't know what to say.
"They aren't even asking me not to kill him! Wait… if I kill him, then… they'll have to kill themselves… won't they? That means I'd actually end up killing all eight of them with one shot! Why aren't they trying to stop me or something?' Lilith wondered in shock.
"Why… why aren't any of you saying anything?" Lilith asked in a soft whisper.
"What more can we say to you now, that we haven't already told you? Setg'in knows our honor, just as we know his. If he actually thought that any of us might even be willing to do such things to you, then he wouldn't be doing this." Yeyinde said calmly.
Lilith gaped at Scar for a moment in disbelief. 'She… she's right! She has to be! There's no way he would do something like this unless he knows they won't hurt me like my parents did.'
Lilith let go of the space gun and slowly sidled a few steps away before turning and literally bolting for her room. Even as she reached the door, Slobber was right there by her side. As soon as she and the big beast were inside, Lilith let the door slide closed, before going over to sit in her bed hole with Slobber lying down beside her. Lilith leaned against the neck of the huge beast and idly scratched at the Yaut Hound's ears while her mind kept running in confused circles.
"I don't know how you came up with the idea for that Setg'in, but if anything is going to make an impression on her, then that just might do it. Thank you for trying, I don't know that it will have any immediate effect, but it will make her question things, and for now, that's all we can ask." Yeyinde said as she placed a hand on the Youngblood's shoulder.
"I know she needs time to think her situation through, but I don't want her in pain while she does. We need to apply a topical coating of pain blocker on her back to see if it will work. If she wants to be left alone afterwards, then that's fine, but she does not need to continue suffering any more." Than-guan said firmly.
"I agree sister. We are not Bad Bloods who would torment a pup and whether anyone cares to admit it or not, by leaving Lilith in pain, we become no different from those who caused her to have that pain." Guan said in a near growl.
"You're right, Guan." Kwei stated heavily. "I think the four of you should go and tend to her."
Guan looked at her Lifemate curiously. "And just what use would I be in this situation? I am no renowned healer with knowledge of how to treat such injuries."
"No… you aren't." Setg'in admitted wryly as he spoke up. "You are actually something better. You are now her mother! Whether she knows it or not, whether you know it or not, right now Lilith needs her mother! She needs the type of mother that she didn't have among her own kind; the type of mother who will treat her honorably. She needs you!"
"Setg'in is right, Guan. Though she may want and probably even need time to herself to figure things out, she needs to know that you want to help her, that you are here for her whenever she is ready to accept the help you offer. I know that merely being willing to listen, or simply give her your presence, doesn't seem like all that much, but it will show her that she is not alone; that she has a family who will help her, when she is ready for that help." Yeyinde said quickly.
"Okay, maybe you're right, I don't know. But how do we even know if this is going to work out? Do you think Lilith will ever be a full participant in this family?" Guan asked uncertainly.
"All I can tell you my friend, is that I really don't know at this point. Almost everything is up to Lilith now. The question is… is she strong enough, and does she have the mental strength needed for her to overcome several years of brutal torment from those who betrayed both her trust, and her love; a betrayal committed by those she had absolutely no reason to disbelieve?" Yeyinde replied heavily.
All three males and the other three female Yautja looked at Yeyinde with various expressions of horror on their faces. Yeyinde drew in a deep breath, and exhaled sharply as she tried to gather her racing thoughts.
"You should understand one thing here, because it's very important. There has never been a case like Lilith's in our history. That is why my mask has been set to constantly record everything even though I'm not wearing it. As far as anyone knows, we've never had the kind of Bad Bloods who would even be willing to do such things to a pup. That's not to say that it hasn't been discussed, because it has… just not to the extent that Lilith has suffered… but so far, we have only theories to go on." Yeyinde said bitterly.
"I hate to admit this, and I hate that she's had to endure such things, but what happened to her, and what she feels now… validates everything that I was taught. Everything she is going through and everything that she already has gone through, from the fear, and the nightmares, to the trust that she no longer has in others is something that we never really believed could or would actually exist. We have hundreds of thousands of years of experience and history in our knowledge of healing… but we have never heard of anyone who was treated as horribly as she has been. There isn't any case that I know of, where even the worst of our Bad Bloods have ever done such a thing. I will admit that there have been those that would, and have killed a pup, but never has a Bad Blood simply tortured a pup. There was always a reason behind the Bad Blood's actions; whether it was an attempt to gain a reputation so dire that no Arbitrator would try to come after them, or simply to seek revenge against one of the parents, there was still some kind of reason for them to act as they did. Lilith on the other hand…" Yeyinde said before breaking off heavily.
"Not even revenge could provide a reason for doing what they did to her! That was… that was even crazier than Hulij-bpe has ever been. They… they even took… pleasure from putting her in agony!" Setg'in snarled angrily.
"I know Setg'in. That's why I'm recording everything, because any methods or techniques that help, and even those that don't will all be examined closely." Yeyinde replied.
"I will not have Lilith turned into, or used as an experiment!" Guan hissed in mounting anger.
Yeyinde quickly threw her hands up in defense. "I know! I have no intention of doing that to her. I am simply recording this because what has been done to Lilith is far beyond our actual knowledge and experience. I know that each individual is different, and what helps Lilith, may do the exact opposite for another, but if there is anything that does help her then I need to know what it is, so that similar techniques and methods can be used as well."
"I know that Lilith is not an experiment, and that she never will be! I want to help her as much as you do. This is exactly what I have trained for, but never would I have expected to encounter something like what has been done to her!" Yeyinde said fervently before she rubbed her hands across her face while trying desperately to gather her jumbled thoughts.
"Guan… you must understand, that there is no certainty here. Never before has any healer encountered a victim who has suffered even a tenth of what Lilith has endured. Then, when you consider that she escaped on her own, instead of being rescued by Arbitrators as most victims who survive are, you will see that she is completely unique. There are no known methods to help her after such trauma, because, no victim has ever endured more than a small fraction of what she has, and survived to speak of it." Yeyinde explained in a rush.
Guan stared despondently at the female who was now the youngest of her three sisters as she realized one cold and brutal fact. "That means the trail is lost to us… isn't it?"
"Not quite." Yeyinde admitted with a small amount of relief when she realized that Guan was willing to hear her out. "Not quite. I haven't assisted Arbitrators in helping a Bad Blood's victim to recover, but I do have the training, and expertise that can help. I am simply trying to make you understand that this is fresh ground. We are now on the hunt for the Lilith that we both know resides somewhere within that pup in the other room, but this is a new and unknown trail, and we can't try to guess what turns it might take. We will just have to follow it carefully. Lilith's past experience has made her wary, and unwilling, or perhaps even unable to trust us. We do have one advantage though. She does trust Bakuub, and that is something we might have to use often. We need to do things that will cause her to spend a lot of time around, near, and with that Yaut Hound. The more time she spends with us while feeling safe from harm, the more she will begin to feel safe around us. Those Bad Bloods spent several years breaking and destroying every shred of trust she has, so we can't expect her to regain that trust in a few short days." Yeyinde said as she looked Guan in the eyes.
"I'm sorry Sister. This can not be accomplished swiftly, or easily." Yeyinde whispered as she bowed her head with her eyes closed.
"The Path of Honor is not always an easy one to walk. There are often many times when it is heavily obscured, and that is when it becomes easy to stray from the Path of Honor. Now is one of those times when it has become difficult to walk that path. A Warrior of Honor and courage does not falter when the Path of Honor is blocked. A Warrior… finds a way with Honor!" Setg'in intoned forcefully.
"Well said my son… very well said!" Kwei commended heartily. "A Warrior's Honor can always be questioned, but only those who actually walk the Path of Honor have no concern with their honor being under such scrutiny. If Lilith doubts our honor, then she will have to keep doubting it, and continue to question that honor."
Kwei broke off, and a smile graced his old features as he resumed speaking. "Because every time Lilith does question our honor, she will find that it is firm, unyielding, and solid enough to last for all time. No matter how much doubt she has within her, she can not help but see what is in front of her at all times. She will have no choice but to accept that which will never bend or break. We will continue as we have been, and we will seek to include Lilith as much as she is willing to be included in things. By doing so, we are showing her that our honor is unwavering."
"I think you might be right Kwei. It's clear that Lilith doesn't want pity, and so far, I think she's seen too much of that from all of us. She needs to realize that her own honor is still intact, because until she learns that, she may not be able to recognize the honor of others." Yeyinde agreed.
"Good. Now that we have some idea of how to proceed with Lilith in the future, we can go and try to relieve some of the pain she's in." Than-guan insisted.
Lilith was reclining against Slobber's neck as she and the big beast lay in her 'bed hole' as she called it. She had her right arm draped over the beast's neck and was scratching the base of the ears when she heard a knock on the door of her room, before it slid open.
Lilith looked up as the four Predator women entered her room. She felt Slobber raise her head, and glanced at the big beast when she simply lay back down after seeing who it was. Lilith looked carefully at each of the women as they entered, so she could try to see if any of them were angry with her. She saw Gwen holding the mask that she'd polished the first night she was here, but then she saw what was in Thing-one's hands, and her eyes shot wide in horror.
'Oh shit! Oh no! Not no… but hell no! There's no way in hell she's sticking me with that thing!' Lilith thought desperately as she flung herself across Slobber's neck and head to get on the other side of the beast. Lilith knew that Slobber wasn't happy with that move at all, because of the way the big beast snapped and growled at her. Lilith couldn't have cared less, because all of her attention was focused on that gigantic needle in Thing-one's hand.
The scent of fresh fear was unmistakable to Guan as she walked further into the room. She could see Lilith watching all of them frantically, but that she was keeping a really sharp watch on Than-guan as she moved to keep Bakuub in front of her. The apprehension in the ooman was very clear, as was the focus of her attention.
"Lilith, this has to stop. You have to stop being afraid of us, because we are not going to hurt you." Guan said in exasperation.
"Yeah well… you're not sticking me with that thing either! Not no way, not no how! Not gonna happen! You'll have to catch me and hold me down first!" Lilith shot back loudly while pointing at the injector in Thing-one's hand.
After Than-guan glanced down at the injector in her hand, she saw Lilith start to push and shove desperately on Bakuub who merely looked at the ooman before laying her head back down. Then, Lilith was climbing between the large spikes on top of the Yaut Hound's back.
Than-guan huffed in an amused mix of irritation and exasperation as she watched the ooman pup wedge herself in between the spikes and wrap her legs around two of them in an attempt to gain some type of protection.
Guan tilted her head in sheer curiosity as she watched what Lilith was doing.
"I've already told you Lilith, I need you to be free of chemicals before the procedure to replace the skin on your back can happen. If I were to inject you with this, then I wouldn't be able to do that tomorrow. The serum in this injector will be rubbed on the skin of your back, and I'm hopeful that it will ease the pain enough for you to be comfortable." Than-guan said without moving.
"You're not going to stick me with that?" Lilith asked doubtfully.
"No… I'm not. And if I did plan to inject you with this serum, I could easily do so while you are wedged between Bakuub's spikes like that. I would advise against using that position as a possible shelter in the future." Than-guan quipped with a wry grin.
"Well, I couldn't get her to stand up, or I'd have crawled underneath her." Lilith muttered grumpily.
"Setg'in stated a fact then? You are able to get beneath her at will?" Guan asked in concerned surprise.
Lilith nodded her head as she began getting herself out from between the spikes on Slobber's back. "She likes it when I scratch and rub her belly."
"I'm glad to know that you have such a refuge Lilith. A crouching Yaut Hound is well known to be one of the most dangerous things native to our world. There are very, very few individuals who are skilled enough that they are willing to face a Yaut Hound without the assistance of another. Kwei and I worked very hard to teach Bakuub to defend herself against all manner of weapons, because I wanted her to accompany me on my assignments, but now it seems that she'll be able to use that training to defend you against anything or anyone who might wish you harm." Guan said in relief.
"Lilith, I'll need you to remove your upper covering so this serum can be spread on your back." Than-guan said as she changed the subject.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean 'upper covering'?" Lilith asked in confusion.
Than-guan cocked her had to the right and stared at Lilith for a moment. "Do you not realize that you are wearing a covering on your chest?" She asked in confusion.
Lilith looked down at her chest trying to figure out what the Predator woman was talking about before it dawned on her. "Oh! You mean my shirt… okay."
"Yes, your 'shirt' if that's what you call it. I need you to remove it, so this serum can be spread on your back." Than-guan replied while trying to contain her irritation over Lilith's stubbornness.
"Just make sure you don't stick me with that telephone pole you call a needle. That thing looks like it'll hurt a lot more than my back does!" Lilith said sourly as she pulled her shirt off.
All four of the females looked at each other in surprise. Then, they were all looking at the injector curiously.
"I hadn't thought about it before, but given how thin ooman skin is, and how fragile their bodies are, an injector just might be painful to them." Than-guan-thwei muttered after thinking about it.
"That would explain her struggles when she was being examined at your home." Guan mused aloud.
"That's something I'll keep in mind if Lilith is ever injured in the future, but for now… it's time to find out if a topical coating will relieve her pain." Than-guan finished firmly as she moved behind Lilith. "Hold still, Little One, because this might be cold at first."
Lilith felt it when Thing-one began spreading the serum on her back. The reduction of pain was almost instantaneous, and the fact that the stuff was only a little cooler than the surrounding air made it feel nice, because it wasn't actually cold like Thing-one had told her it would be. Lilith could tell that Thing-one wasn't being bashful, or stingy with the stuff, because she could feel a lot of it being spread around really fast. Then, even before Thing-one was finished, Lilith sucked in a deep breath, and let it out in relief. For the first time that she could really remember, she wasn't feeling any pain in her back. It actually felt good to be without pain and in a way that left her able to think!
"Lilith…I will not object if you want to wear those coverings, because they are yours, but I would greatly prefer that you wear things which fit you properly." Guan said before the pup could replace her top covering.
Lilith looked down at the shirt that she'd taken from her mother's closet. The back of it had over a dozen rips in it, and the front was still covered in green stains from the blood of the space rats. The once black T-shirt was now a mostly sickly looking green, and because of where she'd gotten it, she really didn't want to ever put it back on.
"I only put these on because I thought you would… that you wouldn't want me here anymore." Lilith whispered hesitantly. "Now that you know the truth about me… I thought you'd be mad if I wore the stuff you paid for."
"Now you know otherwise. If the choice were up to me, I would destroy those coverings that you were wearing simply because of how you had to obtain them, and who they belonged to. If you wish to keep those coverings… I will not object to it, although I don't like the idea of you having them. They are nothing more than evidence of the dishonor that your ooman parents forced upon you. I know that you don't have much that you can wear right now, but Dachande is making more coverings for you. They will all be exactly the same as the first set of coverings that I obtained from him, and they look much better than what you have on." Guan said firmly. "They will fit you better as well." She added wryly.
"At the very least, I want those foot coverings you're wearing to be disposed of immediately. They are not the proper size for your feet, and I don't want you to wear them ever again! I will not have my niece crippled because of improperly sized footwear." Than-guan insisted firmly.
Lilith nodded her head, and sat down to take the boots off. 'The hell with it. If Gwen wants me to wear some of the clothes that she bought me, then I might as well dress in nothing else.' She thought wryly.
Lilith stood up and took the jeans off, before digging through one of the pockets to retrieve her cigarettes, and lighter. As soon as she had them in her hand, both items were immediately snatched away by Gwen who was growling very loudly.
"I don't know what these are supposed to be used for, but I know very well how your ooman parents forced you to use them!" Guan growled in a barely contained rage.
"You are never to harm yourself in such a way again… do you understand me? Never!" Guan continued in a near bellow as she crushed the package of now hated objects in a hand that shook with unbridled rage.
Lilith flinched as she darted over by the Yaut Hound who had raised her head to look at the source of the dangerous growl.
"You are my daughter now! Not theirs! They may have given birth to you and brought you into existence, but I will be the one to raise you now! They are dead, and they can never harm you again. I will not see you endure such suffering again. Do you understand that… never! You will remain here with me and the rest of our family… where you will be raised and taught with honor." Guan said in a near snarl while literally shaking with rage.
Lilith backed further away, while watching Gwen warily. She knew that Gwen was really pissed, and she really didn't want any part of it. She knew that she hadn't used those cigarettes the way her parents had told her to since she'd left the basement, so why was Gwen so mad?
Guan looked at the ooman female who was slowly easing away from her. She had no idea how the small sticks in that container were meant to be used, but it no longer mattered because she'd destroyed them. The other object was different. She knew, from the memories she'd seen of Lilith's, that the thing could create fire, and that was something useful. It was something that could be put to many honorable and respectable uses.
"I will give this back to you. It is yours because it was given to you by your ooman parents… but I do not want you using it to harm yourself or cause any kind of injury to yourself ever again. Is that understood?" Guan demanded while breathing heavily as she fought for self control and held the object out to Lilith.
Lilith nodded her head and cautiously eased forward to take the lighter from Gwen's outstretched hand. She had never wanted to feel pain to begin with. Never had she wanted to harm herself, but after spending so long in the basement, pain, and suffering was almost all she knew. It had gotten to the point that she had needed the pain in order to feel something, because the incredibly bitter, aching loneliness constantly tore at her, and at least when the pain was fresh, she was able to feel something besides that horrible empty heartache. Now things were different. Now she was starting to remember what it was like to not hurt all the time; to actually have fun, and to even have periods of time when she knew she wasn't going to be beaten for reasons she didn't know. She had begun to remember what it was like to feel wanted by someone. Okay, so maybe Slobber counted more as a 'something', instead of a someone, but that was still far better than nothing.
Once she had her lighter back, Lilith moved hesitantly towards the shorts and T-shirt that she'd slept in. The whole time she kept a sharp wary eye on the Predators. When she finally reached the clothes, she started getting dressed, but made sure to watch them closely.
Guan watched in silence as Lilith dressed herself. She was incredibly angry to learn that Lilith still had the objects that she had been forced to use to burn her legs, but she considered that to be no excuse for what she'd just done. Once the ooman pup was dressed, she stepped closer before she got on the floor into a kneeling position, and lowered her head in submission.
Guan knew that her sisters were surprised by her actions, because she could smell it on them, just as she could smell the distinct tang of Lilith's fear. It was a struggle to master her anger right then, but she managed it. She waited until she knew that Lilith was watching her with undivided attention, before she spoke.
"I apologize to you Lilith. On that very first day that you were here, and I brought you back to my home after you were treated by three very skilled healers; I said something to you. I told you that if you were ever afraid of one of us, for any reason, that you could come to this room. I told you then that this room would be yours, and that it would be a place where you could feel safe from harm. I told you that no harm would come to you here, no anger would be directed towards you, and that no voice would be raised against you in here." Guan began seriously.
Guan took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as she thought carefully about what she wanted to say, and how to say it.
"I have broken those rules. I became angry when I saw those things your ooman parents made you use to cause yourself one painful injury after another. My anger caused me to act without properly considering my actions, and I apologize to you for that. My anger has caused you to be afraid, and in my anger, I raised my voice to yell at you. My reasons for doing so are irrelevant. What does matter is what I said to you on that first day." Guan said remorsefully while she stared at the floor.
"It is now for you to decide what the punishment is to be." Guan finished firmly.
"Huh?" Lilith asked in bewilderment. "What are you… what do you mean?"
"What I mean Lilith, is that I have violated a specific set of rules regarding your room. Because this is your room, a place where you are to feel safe at all times… you will need to decide what my punishment is to be." Guan stated firmly without moving from her position on the floor.
Lilith stared at Gwen with a stupid expression on her face. 'I'm supposed to punish her? ... How the hell am I supposed to do that? What does she expect me to do… spank her or something? Like I'd really be able to bend her over my knee!'
"What… what if I don't want to punish you?" Lilith asked hesitantly.
"Then you will need to provide justification for not punishing her." Than-guan informed her bluntly.
"Well she didn't punish me when I deserved it… so…"
"That is not sufficient justification! Anything that occurred in the past is irrelevant. You need to decide on a punishment for her based only on what has occurred now!" Than-guan said somewhat forcefully as she interrupted Lilith.
"But… that's not fair! She's been nice to me, and now I have to do something mean to her? Why?" Lilith protested angrily.
"Because rules have been broken, and a punishment is now deserved. If you can not decide on a proper punishment… then I will!" Yeyinde said in a pleased tone.
Yeyinde saw that everyone in the room was now looking at her curiously, but even so, she did nothing to hide the pleased set to her mandibles. She knew very well that her sisters could smell the tension, along with the stress she felt at that moment, but she knew that Lilith couldn't, and that was who needed to be convinced. She wasn't sure why Guan had decided to make such a demonstration regarding Lilith's room, but she was certainly glad she had! Instead of wondering whether or not she would be hurt or punished, Lilith was now being made to come up with a reason not to punish Guan. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was one that might force Lilith to realize that she was truly safe with them.
Lilith looked back and forth between Gwen and Thingy several times while her mind raced. She didn't want to do anything to Gwen, because she was really starting to like the Predator. Gwen had done a lot for her in the few days that she'd been living here; new clothes, a room, plenty of food to eat, along with things to do and stuff to play with. She looked down at her arms, and was once again filled with near disbelief at how the scars were completely gone. It was just one more thing that Gwen had done for her. Abruptly, Lilith's eyes shot wide as she realized that she had a way to avoid doing anything to Gwen!
"She doesn't need to be punished." Lilith said softly.
"If she doesn't need to receive any form of punishment, then you will have to tell us why that's the case." Yeyinde said firmly.
"She only yelled at me to make sure that I wouldn't burn my legs like my parents always made me do." Lilith began in a near whisper.
"She didn't want me hurt." Lilith proclaimed louder as she thought about what had happened.
"So you are saying that Guan doesn't deserve punishment because she was trying to protect you. Is that what you're saying?" Yeyinde demanded as she pressed the ooman with a now genuine smile.
Lilith nodded her head hesitantly while she watched Thingy.
"Does that mean you accept her apology as well?" Than-guan asked sternly.
Again, Lilith merely nodded her head, while wondering what was going to happen now.
"Your apology has been accepted, and you are forgiven Guan. There will be no retribution for this action." Than-guan said formally.
Guan nodded her head and stood up. Once she was on her feet, she fixed Lilith with a curious glance while several thoughts raced through her mind. Suddenly, she knew that Lilith really hadn't wanted to administer any kind of punishment at all, and it wasn't hard to understand why when the pup's past was considered. Once she realized that Lilith might try to find a way to avoid giving punishment to everyone who violated what was now her sanctuary, she realized that something would have to be done to prevent that from happening. She looked over at her sisters while deep in thought.
"From now on, anyone who violates the rules of this room, will be subjected to ten strokes of a training staff across their back. That punishment will be administered by the eldest Warrior not being punished." Guan announced firmly.
"Good! That should prevent further violations quite well, since Lilith will no longer have a say as to whether or not someone is punished for breaking the rules regarding her room." Than-guan agreed.
"But… but that's not fair!" Lilith protested in a mere whisper.
"Of course it is!" Guan countered instantly. "I want to ensure that you have somewhere to go that you will feel safe, and be safe from both any type of threat or actual harm. Having a specific consequence stated will mean that those rules will most likely never be violated again. You may argue, and disagree all you like, but the rule has been made, and I will inform the rest of our family about it. There are always consequences for breaking rules or laws. Many times there are laws or rules that one doesn't care to obey, but having a punishment already prescribed usually forces obedience to those rules and laws regardless of whether or not they are agreed with."
"This will simply be another example." Than-guan-thwei stated with a curious tilt to her head.
"It is much like the prohibition against wearing any kind of weapon in to a Temple of The Black Warrior. He is not only a God, but he also the greatest of all Warriors and is more skilled in battle than any mortal could ever hope to be. Yet no weapons are allowed in his Temples. The reason for that is because compared to him; no one deserves the right to bear a weapon of any kind!" Than-guan said carefully. "When you first consider the injunction, it seems to be a foolish one, but once you know the reasoning behind that rule, it makes sense. The same can be said for this room. Guan wants you to feel safe here… we all do. Therefore, in order to make certain of that, the rule regarding a specific punishment has been made."
"Speaking of rules…" Yeyinde said with a smile. "You still haven't finished eating your morning meal, and that means we should all be at the table until you are finished eating."
"I will make an exception to that rule for now if you wish to finish eating in here." Guan offered softly.
Lilith thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll finish eating at the table, but I want to get some regular clothes on first."
"What do you mean by 'regular clothes'?" Guan asked in confusion.
"Well… I want to save these to sleep in, and just use them for pajamas. That way I can wear those first clothes you got me the rest of the time, and for when I want to look good." Lilith explained as she went over to her closet.
Guan was a little confused by Lilith's statement. She knew that there was a big difference in the way Lilith appeared while wearing the three types of coverings that she had. She felt that the coverings Dachande had made were acceptable because they fit properly, and she could understand why Lilith thought she looked good while wearing them. The coverings Lilith had been wearing when she'd arrived were far too large for her. Then there were the coverings that she'd slept in. Guan couldn't understand why someone would have coverings strictly for sleeping, but Lilith had just made it clear that she wanted it that way.
As Lilith retrieved a set of coverings from her closet, Guan became curious as to what differences the ooman saw in the coverings. That was when she remembered the modification she'd had performed on her training mask. She'd been told that the ooman visual spectrum was essentially worthless because of the amount of memory and sensor resources that it used, which meant that her training mask now had only two modes of vision available. There was the standard enhanced thermal vision which was natural to Yautja eyes, and the ooman spectrum. Guan didn't see this limitation as a problem since it was her training mask, but she hoped that it would let her have a slightly better understanding of the way Lilith saw things.
Guan put the mask on, and switched to the ooman vision mode. Almost instantly, her mouth dropped open as she stared straight ahead at the wall and hanging in front of her. The wall of the room had a color that indicated a moderate amount of warmth, but the hanging was a different story altogether. Filled with every color she'd ever seen, along with many that she hadn't, the hanging appeared to have an impossible temperature variance! She stepped closer, and knowing that it was very fragile and delicate, she brushed the back of her knuckles against it. To her surprise, it was as soft as the most sought after furs available, but completely uniform in warmth.
Guan turned to face her sisters intending to comment on what she saw, when she quickly took a step back from what she saw in front of her. On the one hand, she knew that she was looking at her Blood-bonded sisters, but on the other, she saw three large and very dangerous looking individuals. Never before had she seen a Yautja in such detail! Every spine, every tusk, and every muscle stood out in clear definition. Even though none of them were wearing any armor; all three of them appeared to be incredibly dangerous when viewed as she was now seeing them. Guan looked over at Lilith in a state of shock, and what she saw stunned her into immobility.
Lilith had stripped down so that she was only wearing the under cloth that covered her groin, and was still facing the closet while getting ready to don the rest of her coverings. The result was that Guan could clearly see that horrible mass of twisted scar tissue on Lilith's back. The coating of pain blocking serum was transparent and did absolutely nothing to hide or conceal the countless scars. For the first time, Guan could see each and every one of those dishonorable marks on the pup's back. She had been able to see many of them on previous occasions by using other vision modes of her battle mask, but with the ooman vision mode, she now saw all of them.
In a state of sheer disbelief, Guan stepped over to Lilith and gently grasped the pup's arms to get a better look at what she saw. The unblemished skin of Lilith's arms and legs gave way to a gruesome crisscrossed pattern of scars that appeared to have a different level of heat because of the color. What she now saw on Lilith's back was far more than what she had known or even guessed about. Now she understood exactly why Lilith's back would cause her pain!
Almost as soon as she felt the hands on her arms, Lilith shrugged out of the grip which wasn't very firm, to turn around. She came face to face with Gwen who was leaning over her.
"Lilith… I want you to put this on, and tell me if this is how you see things around you." Guan instructed in a mere whisper as she removed the mask.
Lilith looked at the mask that was being held out to her with serious trepidation. She clearly remembered the last time one of those things had been put on her, and she didn't want to get sick like that again.
"I don't wanna get sick again." Lilith protested as she shook her head. "When Old Bruce put one of those things on me, it made feel like I was gonna puke and pass out."
"This mask isn't able to imprint any knowledge into your mind, so it won't make you feel any different than you do now. I only want to know if this is actually how you see what is around you." Guan said reassuringly.
Lilith was nervous as she placed the mask on her head. She had to hold onto it, because of the size, but there really wasn't much difference in anything that she could see. The only thing that was out of the ordinary, was the weird symbols near the top of her vision, and the strange graph that had a lot of squiggly lines on it at the bottom.
"Everything looks the same… except for all those weird symbols and stuff." Lilith said with a shrug as she handed the mask back.
Guan immediately thrust the mask out to Than-guan. "Look at Lilith's back and tell me what you see."
Than-guan looked at Guan skeptically even as she took the proffered mask. Once she put the mask on and looked at Lilith's back, she understood exactly what Guan was so upset about.
"By the Gods!" Than-guan exclaimed in a horrified whisper. "I… I had no idea that there would be so much damage."
"What? What do you mean?" Yeyinde demanded before her elder sister could ask as well.
"I had my training mask modified so that it's now equipped with the same type of visual settings that Lilith sees. In the 'ooman mode', you can see every last one of those dishonorable scars. Apparently, Lilith sees things differently, and in much greater detail than we do, and with her vision, those scars on her back stand out even more clearly than a set of armor on a Warrior." Guan explained.
"What do you mean; 'I see differently'? What are you talking about?" Lilith demanded curiously.
Than-guan held out the mask to Lilith who promptly took it and held it in place on her head. "I don't see anything different except those weird looking symbols and stuff." Lilith exclaimed grumpily.
"You need to think 'Standard Mode' so that you will see things the way we do, Lilith." Guan explained.
As soon as the thought was in her mind, everything changed. The walls became blue with very faint outlines of her hangings. Slobber was mostly yellow with white eyes, and orange spikes that slowly faded to red at the tips. She looked over at Gwen, and saw that the Predator had turned yellow with orange dreadlocks that faded to red near the tips for hair.
Lilith took the mask away from her face and blinked a couple of times at the way everything had changed back to normal. Then she looked up at Gwen apologetically. "You don't look anywhere near as scary like that."
"Okay, now I am really curious to know how she sees things!" Yeyinde blurted out.
"As am I." Than-guan-thwei agreed.
Lilith handed the mask over to Thingy who quickly put it on before looking over at one of her sisters. She quickly took a step backwards, and all of the other three Yautja could detect a sudden scent of fear from her. Yeyinde quickly removed the mask and held it out to Than-guan-thwei who she'd been looking at.
"It… it's almost like you became a female version of the Dark Hunter." Yeyinde said a little breathlessly.
Than-guan-thwei slapped the mask on her head without hesitation, and immediately stepped back from her younger and smaller sister.
"Pauk!" Than-guan-thwei exclaimed in a near shout before recovering her composure. "Yeyinde is right! To Lilith's eyes we all look like some version of the Dark Hunter."
"Lilith… would you turn around for a moment. I want to see what my sisters are concerned about." Than-guan-thwei asked carefully.
Lilith looked at Thing-two nervously. She wasn't too sure about things right then, but decided to go ahead and do as she was asked.
As soon as Lilith turned and presented her back, Than-guan-thwei felt her blood run cold with rage. In angry silence, she handed the mask back to Yeyinde.
Once more, Yeyinde placed the mask on her head and froze when she saw Lilith's back. Even though she had thought that she was prepared for the sight by her training and by the recorded memories that she'd seen, she realized that she was not. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the scar tissue that adorned Lilith's back.
Yeyinde tore the mask away from her face because she couldn't bear to look at such an atrocity any longer. She wasn't even thinking about her actions as she thrust the mask rather forcefully at Guan, and hit her in the stomach with it. Instead, the instant the mask hit Guan; Yeyinde was covering the few steps to Lilith and got on the floor to pull the ooman pup into her grasp.
Yeyinde turned Lilith firmly around while she tried to keep from shaking because of how she felt. She understood where her emotions were coming from. The mix of dismay and anger that tore at her heart was incredible in its intensity, but she refused to allow her anger at the extremely dishonorable actions that Lilith had somehow survived, or even the dismay that Lilith had been made to endure such behavior in the first place, influence what she needed to say.
"Lilith… I want you to understand something. This is very important. Even though I know that you don't trust us right now, and given what I just saw upon your back, I realize that you might never fully trust us, but this is your home now, and we are now your family. Never again will you be made to face such dishonor. Anyone who tries to do so, will have to kill me first." Yeyinde said clearly as she looked into Lilith's eyes.
Lilith looked at Thingy and studied the Predator's face. Although she didn't know why, or understand how it worked, the ability to understand their facial expressions and body language had been implanted into her mind as part of the Yautja language. She could see that Thingy had a serious look on her face, but Lilith still couldn't be sure if the Predator was lying to her or not. That was when Lilith realized something.
'It doesn't matter if she's lying or not… there's nowhere I can go if she is, and there's nothing I can do about it either.' Lilith thought irritably.
Finally, Lilith simply nodded her head. When Thingy let go of her, she turned back to her closet and got dressed. She put on the strangely made socks, and then the pants. After that, she put on the solid black shirt that Gwen had bought her. She grabbed the heavy silver belt that went with the clothes and took it over to where she had her small grooming kit. Lilith laid the belt on the floor and grabbed her brush to do something with her bed-head hair. It wasn't until she was nearly done brushing her hair that Lilith saw Gwen's reflection in the mirror. The Predator was standing behind her with that weird mask thing on again.
When Lilith started running something through her hair while facing an object hanging on the wall, Guan got curious, and put her training mask on to see what Lilith was doing. As she looked at the object that Lilith was facing, she could see part of Lilith's body in that object. The object that the ooman pup was looking at was the strangest thing she'd ever seen. As she moved closer and leaned down to get a better look at it, Lilith's face came into view. Never had Guan seen anything like this! It was as if Lilith was inside the wall, and yet standing right in front of her at the same time. Just then, Lilith noticed her presence, and moved aside. That was when Guan saw herself.
Guan reached towards the object in sheer curiosity and saw her reflection do the same. It was the strangest object she'd ever seen. Never would she have guessed that something like this could exist, and she certainly wouldn't have thought that she'd obtained one for Lilith. It wasn't until she was actually touching the strange object that she realized it was only showing what she herself was doing. She shook her head and stepped back away from the strange thing wanting nothing more to do with such a device that she could swear was not meant for mortal use. Removing her mask, she placed it on her belt and turned her attention to her ooman daughter.