The gully had narrowed down so far, that they had to squeeze sideways. Eran didn't so much encounter any problems, except that he couldn't turn his long head anymore, and the stone walls kept hitting his dorsal tubes.

The water was up to their waists now, brownish, smelling more strongly of blood. The rain was still pelting down on them, but the walls of the gully were shielding them from the worst of it.

Aki was holding a small torch, which Weyland had given them, and it was cutting through the darkness ahead with its bright beam, reflecting off the raindrops and the water.

Eran heard the yautja grunt, and stop. He stopped as well, not to bump into Aki. "What do you see?"

"Nothing"

"We need to go on."

A moment of silence, only broken by the splash of the rain and the gurgle of the stream. Then, Aki said: "I can't. I'm stuck."

"Stuck?"

"I don't know, but I can't move forward, and somehow not even backwards."

Eran edged up to the yautja. "I can pull you backwards."

"Be careful."

The xeno took the yautja's arm, and pulled back softly. Aki winced, and Eran stopped. "This isn't working, you'll only take my arm off."

"Maybe I can work you free…" Eran suggested. Consciously, he started being aware of the water now going up to his belly. He passed his talon along Aki's shoulder, checking where he was in tight contact with the rock. There were one or two places, and he tried to work Aki free.

"Eran, hurry!" Aki's voice was unsure, and Eran, being the creature that he was detected fear in it. The yautja was afraid.

"I can't ... I don't find it… I don't know." He himself was starting to become frantic too. The slot canyon was filling up, and he was starting to panic.

Aki was worse though. The yautja had started to wriggle and was trying to go backwards, but he wasn't moving.

There was panic in his eyes, Eran saw it. If they, no, if he didn't do something, they were likely going to die.

Suddenly, an inner calm spread within him. He was a survivor. He was a Xenomorph! He would get them out of here.

"Aki, look at me!" he grabbed the yautja's flailing arm. The water was up to their chests now.

"LOOK AT ME!" Eran shouted, and caught Aki's gaze, fixing it to his forehead. The yautja's eyes were filled with an underlying panic.

"We can't go back. We have to go forward. You need to relax. The stone will free you if you relax."

He could see the enormous effort Aki mustered not to give in to the panic. "Trust me, Aki'ru" he used his full name, and took his hand in his talon, pressing it slightly. "Trust me. If you relax, you will go forward"

"Eran…"

"Trust me."

They didn't have long.

"I ... can't … it's too tight…"

"Aki, look at me." The xeno moved closer, pressing his lips on Aki's, giving him a kiss. He withdrew slightly, and whispered at the yautja. "I love you, Aki…"

And suddenly, the rock released the yautja, and with the sound of fabric tearing, he slid forward, into comparative freedom.

Eran squeezed himself through afterwards, being much thinner he didn't have any trouble.

Aki wanted to say something, but Eran stopped him. "We need to go on."

The water was rising to Aki's neck now, and they moved along the slot canyon faster.

Slowly, it was widening again. The water tugged at their bodies, and they had to push hard to continue forwards.

The Canyon had widened sufficiently now to walk two abreast, and the water level was receding again, as their bodies weren't blocking the flow anymore. Soon, it was down to their waists again.

Aki stopped. His jerkin was torn, revealing ripped muscles below, making Eran drool double.

"Eran, are you crazy?"

"I'm sorry?"

The yautja was angry. "You shouldn't talk such nonsense!" He took a step towards Eran.

The xenomorph recoiled "I'm sorry" he mumbled.

"Well you should be. Talk like that isn't any good."

"It's how I feel, Aki." Pain cracked his voice. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you."

He saw pain in the yautja's eyes, hurt, and a terrible hate. "Oh god…" Aki whispered, a sudden strain in his voice.

And with a splash, the yautja was upon him, hugging him tightly, and pressing his face into his shoulder "I love you too, Eran. I'm sorry. I didn't know what was going on. I love you too!"

Eran hugged him back, feeling the yautja sob softly into his shoulder, hugging him tightly.

"I'm impressed!" a female voice pierced the rain, and Aki let go of Eran, who unceremoniously dropped into the water, re-emerging quickly, and scanning the situation.

On a ledge half-way up the canyon side, a woman stood. She was wielding a small gun, levelled at them.

"Don't shoot!" Aki said

"It's hard to recognize you without your armour, but I think we met before!"

"We did."

"Have you been sent to catch me?"

"No" Aki replied meekly.

"Why are you here then? And what's the deal with the Xeno?"

"We were sent to track and find you, by a human named Weyland. And his name is Eran and he belongs to me!"

"Fred sent you?"

"Fred?" Eran's first words in English had a strange croak he didn't have in yautjan. Aki didn't even know he had vocal chords. He was impressed nonetheless.

"It speaks?"

"It does." Eran's answer held sarcasm.

"Impressive. Fred as in Frederic Weyland."

"Yes, it was Frederic Weyland" Aki replied, remembering the man's full name.

"So he's come to fetch me?" The woman laughed. "I suppose I should be thankful."

"So you are Jeanne?"

"Jeanne D'arc, at your service. You'll excuse me as I won't come down."
Eran saw Aki reach for the beacon, and curse

"What is it" Eran clicked

"I lost it."

"The sender?"

Aki nodded.

"What's going on?"

"We had a beacon, but it is gone." Aki said.

"A beacon means Fred has a ship, how far is it?"

"Not too far. A day and a night."

Jeanne cursed under her breath.

Eran looked up to her, on that ledge. Her clothes were frayed and dirty, wet hair hung in her face. She looked sick, and Eran could smell her blood.

"Can you walk the distance?"
"I think so." She replied without conviction.

Aki took a quick glance at Eran, the unsaid wish of not wanting to pass through the slot canyon again in his eyes.

Eran nodded, and checked the walls. Quickly, he found hand and footholds, and clambered up the canyon wall.

He peaked his head over the top, the rain running over his smooth dome. They were somewhere within the rubble field, and he took a few sniffs to get his bearings. They shouldn't be far away from their original entry point, but the rain was making things difficult.

He turned around and made his way down again, splashing back into the water, and showering Aki

"Stop it!"

Eran grinned at aki, and, despite himself, Aki smiled back.

"I can lift Jeanne up, and I can help you climb up too." Eran said.

The yautja nodded. "Jeanne first." He called up to her in English: "Eran will carry you up to the top, out of the canyon."

Jeanne nodded her consent, and Eran headed up the wall to her ledge, clambering up onto it. Quickly, he checked her for visible injuries and found none, yet, he still smelled her blood. It was warm, and reminded Eran of the slight hunger he felt. But he would not feed on this human, not now.

The grabbed her around her waist, and, ignoring her shouts of protest, made his way up towards the top. It wasn't too far, and he was surprised the human couldn't have done it, but he had seen them stupefied by walls that were scaled easily, at least to him. They were a helpless race, at least out here, in the wild, without their devices.

Hissing angrily he tossed Jeanne up on the mud, eliciting a scream from her, and some colourful metaphors.

He scuttled back down, to provide a help for Aki, and, together, they quickly made it. Aki was not as helpless as the humans, he thought proudly. The Yautja was strong, he had felt it. This was good.

After a few seconds they were on top of the canyon, out of the water, but back in the rain. Aki had shaken his dreadlocks to clean them of the dirt and the water. Eran couldn't resist but to stare at him. His jerkin was hanging in shreds from his body, and it revealed a muscular torso Eran found very attractive. He would love to pass his talons along his impressive abs…

But he hardly could do so now. And it was still raining, dark, and Aki had switched his torch off to conserve energy.

The human complained about her legs and her back giving her pains and Eran ignored her, moving closer to aki, and putting his talons on the yautja's chest, feeling the powerful muscles flex beneath them.

"Now is not the time, Eran!" Aki clicked gruffly, and Eran withdrew his hands, whining unhappily. Aki grabbed the xeno by the shoulders and whispered "Later, you'll see" and smiled.

Eran grinned.

"Oi, you two, where do we go?"

Aki looked expectantly at the xenomorph. "I think it's that way…" he pointed into a direction.

The yautja shrugged, and they started off by the light of his torch.

Their progress was painfully slow. The rain had let up, and was now only a light drizzle, but the dark was still absolute, at least for Aki and Jeanne.

Eran of course wasn't hindered by the lack of light. He was up ahead, checking their path, and guiding them back towards Weyland's ship.

The elation of the chase was vaporizing fast and Aki started to feel tiredness setting in. Eran's movement seemed slower too. They had been up for at least two days non-stop, and Jeanne was slowing them down. She had lost one of her shoes and was pretty weak. She said she hadn't properly eaten in the last few days, and had to rest every few miles. Aki supported her, helping her on the way.

The last time they rested, Eran had asked him if he should carry her, but Aki had flatly refused. He'd carry her himself if need be.

He just didn't want to see Eran close to any other creature, even a human female for which he felt a certain contempt. But he also had offered to carry her even though he didn't approve of humans.

Eran was developing a certain strength, Aki happily though. Not physical, that he already possessed, but in his mind. It was good.

But at this pace, they would take at least three if not four days to cover the distance back to the ship. This was not good. Whilst he was sure that he and Eran would survive fine, he was pretty sure that without food, rest, and water, Jeanne would expire.

She had complained about the cold more than once. He wasn't really feeling it, as his skin shielded him from such minor environmental influences, and Eran seemed happier in the rain than in the sun, but the human was not as well suited to constant rain.

They'd have to think of something to keep her warm. Maybe the sun would burn away the clouds, when it finally rose within a few hours' time.

Till then they would just continue walking.

They'd find a way.