The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
Natalie followed Yeyinde down the hall to the mess hall.
The ship was quite big. Almost like a maze. And fairly quiet too. They have been walking now for three-four minutes and she still hasn't seen the other yautja here.
She knew there were more. She recalls seeing three of them leave the ship when it landed and approached Yeyinde while she was still going in and out of consciousness in his arms.
They were all masked at the time. And he doesn't recall if his friend Kv'var-de was one of the three that met up with them at the time.
"Just how many yautja are on this ship anyway?" She asked.
"In'cluding me, sev'en. There's my bro'ther Bakuub, and then there is Kv'vard-de, Guan, Larja-Thwei, Kaail, and Dachande. You'll prop'erly meet them all event'ually. Some may be in the mess hall." He informed her.
Natalie lightly bit her lip, "Are they...safe to be around?"
Yeyinde nodded, they may not all be thrilled of the aspect of having an ooman onboard. But they were all honorable hunters. They wouldn't harm a small, unarmed female.
"Yes, they may not be hap'py that you're on'board the ship. But they won't harm you. At most, give you dir'ty looks. Es'pecially Larja-Thwei. He does'nt th'ink too high'ly of oomans. And he's al'ways been a bit of a hot'head. Best not to talk to him." He told her.
"Was he one of the ones that met as at the entrance of the ship when we came aboard? It sounded like you were arguing with someone on the way in. At some point I heard you roar. You sounded pissed." She inquired.
"Yes, Larja-Thwei was just being his u'sual ass'hole self. Noth'ing to wor'ry a'bout." Yeyinde said.
"I take it you guys aren't really friends then?" Natalie deduced.
"It's not that. It's just e'ver sin'ce we've been pups, we've al'ways been ri'vals. And he's just diffi'cult to get a'long with some'times. But he's a good hun'ter. We had our Kainde Amedha Chiva to'gether. We had a sm'all bet at who can kill the most hard meats. I won that bet of cou'rse." Yeyinde stated proudly with a small smirk.
"What's a kainde ameeda cheeva?" She asked.
"Will ex'plain a lit'tle later. We're here." He said, gesturing to the double doors.
The doors slid open to allow the pair inside.
Natalie looked around the fairly large room. There were as many as three long tables inside with benches. And she spotted two yautja sitting together at the table in the center near the other end.
Both looked up from their meals as Yeyinde came in with Natalie. But the two other males didn't get up or say anything, just watched them as they entered and crossed the room.
As she eyed the two, one of them glared at her. He let out a grunt then went back to eating. While the second one just watched them out of the corner of his eye in curiosity. Before he too dove back into his meal.
Yeyinde led her to some another door. When he opened it, a cold whisp of air filtered out. He stepped inside and Natalie could make out what appeared to be a very large freezer of sorts.
He pulled a couple meat slabs off the hook. Then he pressed a couple buttons on the wall. And not a moment later, something that resembled a plate slid out.
Yeyinde pulled out the plate and put the meat slabs on the plate. He pressed the buttons again and another plate shot out from a slit in the wall and he took it. Then put a few nice size strips of meat on it.
He came out with both plates and the freezer door slid closed behind him.
Then he went over to where there was a very small counter like table jutting from the wall. It was next to a rectangular shape in the wall. Yeyinde placed the plates down and pressed some buttons next to the rectangle in the wall.
It slid open and he picked up the plates and put them inside. It slid closed behind them, and Natalie watched as a red light came on inside.
'Must be a microwave or oven of some sorts.' She thought.
It apparently worked really fast. Because not even a minute later, it beeped. It slid open and Yeyinde carefully reached inside to pull one of the dishes out. But he left the other inside and pressed the buttons again.
"How come you only took one out?" She asked.
"I just put mine in to de'frost it. Need to keep yours in lon'ger to cook it. Won't take long." He told her.
Natalie nodded in understanding. They have been kept together in that cell long enough to learn that she can't eat raw meat. She even explained to him once when he asked why her meat was served to her cooked, that humans can't ingest raw meat because it will make them sick.
Another minute went by, before it beeped again. Then it slid open not a moment later, and Yeyinde reached inside to pull it out. The meat was brown now and had steam coming off of it. It definitely seemed cook now.
Yeyinde placed the plate back on the counter and then walked a few feet down the counter and grabbed a couple metal cups off the stack. Then he placed one in a small opening in the wall, and it automatically filled with water. He did the same with the other, before walking back to her.
He gave her the cups of water to hold. And he took the plates off the counter. Then he gestured with his head to follow him.
The young hunter led her to the table in the center and he sat them down right across from the other two hunters.
"I see you finally came out of your room. Ooman got hungry, huh? I hear they do eat quite a bit." One of them said to Yeyinde.
Yeyinde snorted, "They still don't eat as much as you do, Kaail. You have a black hole that the food disappears into in your stomach, and we all know it."
Kaail just smirked, "Nothing wrong with liking to eat. I found that if I eat extra-large meals, I can go longer periods of time in between before needing to eat again."
Larja-Thwei snorted, "And that is why we might have to make another hunting trip to restore our provisions before we reach Yautja Prime."
Kaail just grunted at that remark.
Yeyinde just smirks, typical behavior with these two. But then they just acted like any siblings would, considering the two were brothers.
He turned his attention back to Natalie who had only begun to pick at her strips of meat.
"Nat'alie, this is Kaail and Larja-Thwei." He informed her.
Her gaze went to the two male yautja sitting right across from them. One just looked at her like he was waiting for her to say something. While the one next to him continued to glare and give her skeptical looks.
Both were a little similar in appearance they both had a ruddy reddish skin tone. Though one was a little browner while the other a little more red. The red one was the one glaring at her.
"Hey." She said.
The brown one sitting across from her, tapped a few buttons on his wrist gauntlet.
"Hello, nice to meet you, now that your conscious." The strange voice on the translator stated.
Natalie didn't really know how to reply to that one.
"Umm, thanks. And thanks for picking us up." She told him.
"Was surprised. We all thought Yeyinde might've been dead. Since we lost contact with him not a week and a half into the hunt on your world." Kaail replied.
"You have fun being their lab monkey, Yeyinde?" Larja-Thwei retorted with a smirk.
Yeyinde narrowed his eyes and growled at the red hunter.
Natalie didn't like his reply either. Seeing as Kaail's translator picked up his remark and translated it into English.
"You're one to talk, Larja. How many times did I save your sorry ass on a hunt now? Was it two or three? All the times kind of seem to be blending together." Yeyinde countered.
Larj-Thwei didn't like that remark and flared out his mandibles letting out a deep growling hiss at Yeyinde.
"Seriously? For once can we sit to a meal and act civilly with each other? Getting a little tiresome having to jump between you two when you go for each other." Kaail quipped.
"You mean to say this happens quite often?" Natalie inquired.
"A couple times. Was very fun to clean the mess they left in here afterwards." Kaail sarcastically replied.
"Don't look at me. Not my fault your brother doesn't know when to shut his fat mouth, Kaail." Yeyinde retorted.
Larja-Thwei let out a vicious snarl and jumped up to his feet. Yeyinde did the same.
Natalie just looked on with her eyes wide. She felt like she'd have to jump away before something happens between the two large warriors.
Kic'te! That's enough from both of you! If you insist on beating the shit out of each other here, fine! Go ahead and vent your frustrations! But you're cleaning up whatever mess you make in here! I'm not cleaning it again and neither are one of the others! And wait until the ooman female leaves. Because we can't have her become collateral damage because you idiots can't control yourselves!" Kaail barked in frustration.
Once Natalie was mentioned, Yeyinde paused.
Kaail was right. This isn't the place nor time for this. And not in front of her. Especially, things can get out of control pretty fast if they are fighting out of anger. Don't want her to accidentally get hit with something.
Yeyinde could tell, she was very nervous, and uncomfortable by the aggressive displays. She he calmed himself. But not before shooting another glare across the table at Larja.
"Sorry, we merely only came in here for some food. But if this is how it's going to be, then we'll leave." Yeyinde said.
"You and the female don't have to leave, Yeyinde. Just ignore the hot head sitting next to me and you'll be fine." Kaail lightly teased.
His remark made Larja growl in annoyance at his brother.
And soon, Larja-Thwei decided to leave. He was mostly done eating anyway. Now, he wanted to go vent in the kehrite. Maybe ask one of the others to spar with him.
The three watched him leave.
Kaail sat down with a sigh, he looked over at his brother's plate, and rolled his eyes.
'Got to clean up after him after him again. Don't understand why he always has to be so messy or leave a mess behind.' Kaail thought.
The brownish yautja then turned his attention back to Yeyinde than Natalie.
"Sorry about my brother. He's always been such a fucking hothead. Even when we were pups. I swear I can't rake him anywhere at times." Kaail told her.
"Brother? He's your brother?" She inquired.
"Yeah, though there was an argument about him being left on the doorstep when he was a suckling. Because he sure didn't get his temperament from either of our parents." He stated.
Yeyinde let out a little trill at that, "I don't know, Kaail. You seem to forget that your grandfather was notorious for his temper. That's probably where Larja got it from."
"True, that old male could've easily made a kainde amedha turn tail and run from his temper alone." Kaail replied.
"Again, what are these kainde ameeda things? Firt Yeyinde brought it up. Now you bring it up. Just what is that?" Natalie asked.
"They are known as hard meats when translated to your lan'guage. They are these sl'eek, dead'ly ser'pent like crea'tures with ac'id for bl'ood. And they have sh'arp barb like tails. They al'so have th'ese inn'er mouths that shoot out and can pier'ce thr'ough fl'esh and bone.
They are rev'ered as one of our most chal'lenging prey. To pr'ove our wor'th, we must take the Kainde Amedha Chiva or Hard Meat Tri'al as what you would call it.
Our kinds' teen'agers take it to pr'ove they are wor'thy of the hunt. It's qui'te danger'ous though. Many have died during this hunt.
But must take it to mark our worth and rite of pass'age in'to adult'hood." Yeyinde explained.
"Damn, and I'm guessing you both had to take it then?" She inquired.
Both hunters nodded.
"Everyone on this ship has and passed. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here." Kaail replied.
"What do you mean? You wouldn't be here?" Natalie asked.
"Well, if you die, that obviously means you lost." He stated, as a matter of fact.
She seemed surprised and alarmed by this. This hunt truly was a hunt for survival. And it was all for a youngster to prove his worth as a hunter.
Their culture certainly was a brutal one from what she's been told so far.
"And how long ago did you guys take it?" She asks.
"A'bout four years a'go. Well, for Kaail, my'self, and Larja-Thwei at least. The th'ree of us are the young'est on this ship. The other four are a lit'tle older. So, they had their tr'ial a good cou'ple to a few years be'fore us." Yeyinde stated.
"Yes, though technically, you're still 'the' youngest here, Yeyinde." Kaail said.
"You and Larja are only a year old'er. Not that much of a differ'ence." He countered.
"So, Yeyinde is the baby on the ship then?" Natalie joked.
Kaail trilled at her remark.
"Yep, he's our little Yeyinde." Kaail teased.
Yeyinde clicked in annoyance then smirked.
"Act'ually Kaail, Na'alie is the bab'y here. She's only thirty-three years old. And as you know, oomans don't age like we do." Yeyinde quipped.
Amusement flittered through the brown yautja's eyes.
"That's like ten in yautja years. Still, it's quite obvious she's an adult. Otherwise, she wouldn't have mammary glands." He joked.
Natalie's face grew red at that.
"Seriously? Has everyone here just randomly looked at my chest?" She blurted out.
This made both the males laugh.
"They may'be sm'all, Nat'alie. But still a lit'te hard to miss." Yeyinde said between chuckles.
Kaail just continued to laugh at that comment. But it was true. Just about everyone onboard the ship had saw the ooman female when they noticed Yeyinde carrying her back to his room after Guan cleared her in the med room.
At the time, she was topless as he carried her down the halls to his room.
"You guys really are a perverted lot, you know that?" Natalie stated.
"Only because Mating Season is upon us and will be here soon. We are enroute back to home world at the moment. None of us wish to miss that." Kaail said, with a hint of excitement in his voice.
Unlike Yeyinde, this wasn't Kaail's first time though. He along with his brother and the other males on this ship have at least participated once, twice, or even three times during Mating Season.
It was a very exciting, exhilarating, and pleasurable experience. Something they always looked forward to.
"That eager to go back home and have a good time, huh?" Natalie sarcastically replied.
Kaail just smirked, "Don't worry, maybe Yeyinde can help you out there. That way you can experience it too."
Both Natalie and Yeyinde were blushing now at that remark.
"Kaail, seriously!?" Yeyinde blurted out in his native tongue.
Kaail just chuckled at his friend's stunned reply and the funny look on both his and the ooman's face.
Though he is unsure if something like that were to occur. But still, it was baffling as to why Yeyinde would come back with the ooman female. It's obvious she intrigued him in some manner or another.
Natalie was too speechless to say anything about that. Hell, what could she say?
"It was a joke you two. Don't take it so hard...Unless you want to." Kaail joked.
He laughed again as both their faces grew even darker. But at the same time, he felt like if he were to say more, Yeyinde might pummel him.
"Anyways, I got to go. I told Dachande earlier after eating, I'd meet him in the kehrite for sparring. It was nice to meet you...sorry, didn't catch your name." He inquired.
She blinked a couple times, "Natalie." She somewhat squeaked out.
Obviously, she was still a little embarrassed by his remarks.
"Natalie, nice talking with you. I'll see you around the ship." Kaail said.
Then he got up and slightly bowed his head to Yeyinde. He then grabbed his plate along with his brother's, put them in a bin that led into a wash machine. Before he finally left the mess hall.
'His friends certainly knew how to make me quite speechless, that's for sure.' She thought.
Yeyinde awkwardly cleared his throat, to get her attention.
"Let's fin'ish up here. Then we can go back. Or bet'ter yet, I'll take you to tour the rest of the ship." He said.
Then the young hunter, resumed eating his meal. Natalie did the same. But they didn't seem to talk much while they ate.
But Natalie still at least looked forward to the idea of seeing the rest of the ship now that she was awake and on the mend. She'll most likely meet the rest of the crew here.
Hopefully, they weren't as forward as the first couple she met.
Until Next Time ;)