Aki'ru had caught two small, furry creatures, and was now loping back towards the cliff face, the dead animals dangling from his talons. Not far now. His belly was already grumbling at the idea of devouring the juicy meat.

Eran sat propped up against a rock, his chin resting on his chest, looking utterly spent. It must have been more of a strain than he had noticed to scale the wall. The xenomorph did look close to deaths door, it hadn't eaten for a long time. Much longer than him, as they hadn't fed the creatures in the holding pens on the ship. He put one of the creatures in front of Eran.

"Eat" he said gruffly, expertly starting to skin his meal, using his wrist blade. You shouldn't share a kill, he thought. Dishonourable it was, forbidden by the code. You keep what you kill, and not hand it out to the weak.

But Eran would die without food and he was in no state to hunt for himself. Angrily, he sliced off the fur, and began carving up strips of muscle.

Eran took the creature with a limp talon, and, using his inner maw, he tore it to shreds, wolfing down fur, bone, muscle, anything really. In a few seconds, there was nothing left, but his blood-smeared maw. Aki slowly started to eat his animal, watching the xenomorph rest his back against the wall again. It looked better by the second.

"When was your last meal?" Aki asked between mouthfuls.

Eran hissed "I can't remember."

Aki nodded, having thought so. He was feeling more cheerful with each mouthful as well. Food is important for survival, and they would need more of it soon. The escape from the ship and their journey through the river had been more exhausting than he had calculated.

Slowly, the reality of his situation dawned on him, like the sun rising on a terrible battlefield. They were alone

There was no safety net, no procedures, and no rituals to follow. No leader to tell them where to go, no elder to guide them. He wasn't trained for this. He was trained for the hunts of his society, armed with weapons and on his home ground, where he knew the tricks.

This was totally different. Here they were, on a planet he did not know about, without supplies, without support, injured, unaware.

And the Blood Moon was stronger than their combined strength.

But to back down now, to turn tail and run, to flee from the confrontation that was rightfully his was cowardice, and he was no coward. He might not be the perfect yautja but he was no coward. He would face the blood moon, or die trying.

"I ...am with you" the Xeno clicked.

Had he said those last few thought out aloud? He must have.

"How are you feeling?" He was getting soft, Aki thought.

"Better." The Xeno had moved to a more upright position, its large head swivelling around and taking in the landscape.

"Will you be okay?" Aki's voice slightly scraped and he didn't like it.

"I've been ... through worse… I'll make it." Shaky, supporting himself by his spear, he got up. "And you?"

"Me? I'm sorry?"

"How do you feel?"

Aki got up as well, shaking dust off his clothes and fiddling with a piece of fur stuck under one of his talons. "S'pose I'm okay." Eran wanted to say more, but Aki cut the conversation with a slice of his hand. "We need to leave. There is much distance to be made."

"Where are we going?"

"Back where we came from"

Eran scratched his head "That is unwise"

"It might be, but the hover train that was docked there is the only reliable way out of here."

Eran nodded.

The Xenomorph's capacity for learning surprised him, but then again these creatures were known to be adaptable and resilient. He just didn't know for them to be sentient, but Eran definitely was sentient. He had to remind himself repeatedly that the Xenomorph was still that, a killer alien, and not another Yautja like himself. His curiosity was awakened, but he didn't want to ask Eran questions.

The sun was riding high in the sky, and its rays were burning down mercilessly, making the air shimmer in the distance. Aki was sure he was still following the Tunnel's path, but had it been this long? He was sure they would have to reach the Cave-in soon. The heat was not affecting them as much, given the fact that their biology allowed them to tolerate higher temperatures with ease.

Eran was moving with a lighter step than before, only using the spear ever so often to help him on his way. His resilience was amazing, as were his powers of recovery.

Aki scanned the horizon, and, much to his relief, he made out the depression that should lead them to the cave in.

The last kilometre or so was quickly covered, and soon the two clambered down the rock-strewn slope leading down to the churning river below.

"Aki!"

The call stopped the yautja in his tracks, and made him turn towards the xenomorph.

"I need a rest" the ever so flowing saliva had dried on the alien's chin, and he was panting.

"All right, five minutes"

Eran sat down, slightly wincing, in the shadow of the rock face. "Thank you" he clicked.

"How's the hip?"

"Getting better"

Aki shut up again, not having anything more meaningful to say, instead he observed the xenomorph. Eran was a mess. He hadn't noticed so far, but the Xenomorph had a host of old, healed wounds along his body, two painful-looking laceration at the neck, and two at his ankles and wrists. They almost looked like the damage left by manacles. There were scratch marks on his shoulders, and a big, ugly scar on his chest.
Eran turned away, conscious of the attention the yautja was paying his body.

His back wasn't really much better. Small cuts, and a dorsal tube with a wound that looked like it had been cut down.

"We should get going again. Perhaps get some water to drink from the river…" The xenomorph clicked, his discomfort at being stared at by Aki quite audible.

Aki shook his gaze away from the body of the xenomorph, and looked at the floor, embarrassed, his face slightly colouring. He had stared, properly stared at the xeno's butt, and it ashamed him.

"You're right."

They both got up, Aki'ru's face still burning, and Eran studiously avoiding his gaze, and cleaning his talons with the edge of the spear.

Aki drew himself up. "Listen, Eran, I wasn't..." oh god this was making it worse.

"You were wondering about this." Eran pointed towards his damaged neck.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't..."

Eran closed the space between the two, Aki suddenly being aware that the xenomorph was a large creature, bigger than even himself. He grabbed the Yautja's hand in his talon, and slowly moved it to the neck. Aki'ru felt the ridges in the skin, the scars, and suddenly, he felt a flash of pain around his neck. He wanted to withdraw his hand, but Eran's talon gripped it tightly. The searing pain around his neck got unbearable, he roared, and, at last, Eran loosened his grip. He stumbled back, rubbing his tinging neck with his good hand. Emotions flooded his brain, feelings of terrible pain.

"What happened..?"

Eran swivelled his head, looking up at the sun, slowly passing overhead. "Do you care about me, Aki'ru?"

"What's that about?"

"Or is it you're just taking me with you because you want this?"

Eran stepped up to Aki again, grabbing his hand, and leading the Yautja's talon to the base of his tail. Aki felt the smoothness of Eran's skin as the Xenomorph pressed the Yautja's hand against his butt. Momentarily, Aki's head got light.

"If this is all you want, you'd better take it now, whilst I'm still alive. Then you can cast me off and I won't hinder you" Eran's voice was filled with so much anger and hurt, it surprised the yautja.

"You've been doing nothing but staring at my butt since you met me! You know what, I'm tired of being the object!"

Aki pulled his hand away, as if the touch of the xenomorph had scalded him. "What is wrong with you?" he exclaimed "I haven't been doing nothing of the sort!" it was a lie and it was going to make things worse, he knew it the moment it had left his mouth.

"That's a lie!" Eran hissed. His tail whipped across the rocks, striking them hard and making shards of dirt fly. "A dirty lie you tell yourself!"

"You have no idea what it is like!" Aki shot back, starting to get angry now at Eran. "You're a xenomorph!"

"You think just because I am who I am, I cannot feel?"

"Well you are making a bloody fool of yourself!"

Eran growled "I'm just an insect for you! You don't respect me!"

"That's not true." Aki'ru felt his anger well up even more, but he didn't want to fly at Eran again. With an enormous effort he brought himself under control again. "I respect you very much for what you did."

Eran picked angrily at the scab the spear wound had left "Why couldn't you leave me to die?"

"Leave you to die?"

"You think this" he pointed towards the wound "was an accident?"

Blood drained from Aki's face "You did this? Oh god… Why?"

"Because I can't live like this" Eran shouted, his voice mingled with sorrow. "I can't go on with you so close but I cannot go away and leave you"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"The fuck I know." The Xeno howled, collapsing into a heap, his talons tearing at the scab, exposing flesh, scraping at it, acidic blood spilling out and flowing over the floor.

"STOP!" Aki grabbed Eran's talon, forcing it away from the wound. "Don't hurt yourself!"

"If hurt is the only thing I know, who gives you the right to take it away from me?"

"You shouldn't know hurt! I don't want you to be hurt!" Aki's voice cracked "I don't want you to get hurt again!"

"DON'T" Eran screeched

"Eran! Look at me! We're going to get out of here! We are going to-"

"I'M A COWARD, AKI'RU!"

"SO AM I" The words were out before he had thought about them. "It's not what we are that matters. It's what we can accomplish. Together with you, I can stop being a coward. And I believe so can you."

"Do you believe that?"

His voice filled with clarity, Aki said: "Yes, I do."

"Aki…" The xenomorph whimpered, and put his arms around Aki's shoulders, and embraced him, whining like a dog that had been kicked.

The yautja was disgusted by his behaviour, yet he felt drawn towards that creature. "Shh, it's fine…"

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry…"

"There's no need to apologize, Eran."

"I don't know the path, I don't know my path. There is just nothing before me."

Aki whispered, finally giving in and hugging the Xenomorph back. The creature shivered, but then relaxed under his touch. It felt warm and smooth, only disturbed by the ridges of the old scars. Aki cleared his voice "Neither do I. I just don't know. It doesn't make sense to me."

"What do we do?" Eran's voice was stifled by sobs

"We just go on. We go where our hearts tell us to."

"Will you leave me, Aki?"

"Hey, remember?" he raised his head, showing Eran the small burn on the palm "We are bound by blood, bound together, to hunt and die together!"

"I'm sorry for … "

"Shh. Don't think about it."

"What should I think about? I need someone to tell me where to go... "

"What does your heart tell you?"

Suddenly, Eran pushed Aki on the back, and their lips met, the yautja's mandibles spread wide, embracing the hard smooth, moist lips of the xenomorph.