The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
When Natalie awoken, she found herself to be quite comfortable.
She looked around the room, as her vision adjusted and became clearer. She was laying on a very soft surface and was also covered with something very soft.
Natalie was in a rather poorly lit room with strange metal walls. The air was quite humid and warm. Then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye.
She shifted her gaze to the left to see someone sitting in chair with their back to her.
"Yeyinde?" Natalie inquired.
They stopped with whatever they were doing got up and turned around. It was Yeyinde, he was devoided of any of the armor he was wearing when they left the facility.
He was now decked out in what he wore during their imprisonment. Which only consisted of his standard loincloth. Only difference this time was he had metal bracers on his wrists this time.
"Nat'alie, how you feel'ing?" Yeyinde asked.
"Better. Side's still tender but much better than what it was before." She replied.
He nodded, then approached his bed and sat on the end.
"Good, was worr'ied for a mo'ment you wouldn't make it. But luck'ily Guan is a good heal'er." He told her.
"He the one I somewhat saw earlier while I was going in and out of consciousness?" She asked.
"In the med room, yes. He man'aged to re'move bull'et from your side." Yeyinde informed her.
Natalie slowly pushed herself up to sit. The blanket slid down to her waist and that is when she noticed something off. She looked down at herself and let out a small, startled yelp and pulled the blanket back over her chest.
"Where the hell is my shirt!?" She blurted out with pink tinged cheeks.
Yeyinde cocked his head at her.
"He had to re'move it. To get to wound bet'ter and cl'ean it." He replied.
"Ok, I kind of get that. But you or him could've at least got me another shirt to wear." She stated.
The young hunter just shrugs.
"Don't see the f'uss. Fe'males walk a'round top'less at home all the time." He told her like it was no big deal.
"I'm not a yautja female though. Ooman females prefer to walk around with more clothing." Natalie pointed out, while still holding the blanket over her bare chest.
Yeyinde sighs, "Ok, I'll get you some'thing to wear for a top."
"Thank you." She says.
Then she saw him smile, "Are all ooman fe'males this shy? Or just you?"
"I'm not shy. As I said, oomans tend to walk around in more clothing than your kind does." Natalie countered.
Amusement flashed through his eyes.
"Still, I al'ready seen all of you, Nat'alie." He teased.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed it while it last. Because it won't be happening anymore." She quipped.
"If you say so." Yeyinde continued to tease.
"I know so. No more of you watching me shower." She said, with finality.
He huffed, "Fine."
Natalie arched a brow, "Sounds like you're really coming along in my language. You seemed to be speaking it more clearly now and it seems like your vocabulary is getting better."
"Been practic'ing while you were out. I use the trans'lator to help with trans'la'tions." Yeyinde said.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Sounds good. You're doing a great job." She told him.
"Thank you. But...there is some'thing I need to talk to you a'bout." He told her.
"What?" She asks.
Yeyinde's eyes became downcast as he looked down at the pelts on his bed.
"This...may'be hard for you to hear." He said.
"What? What's wrong?" Natalie pushed.
His gaze slowly went from the pelts back up to meet her bright blue orbs.
"When...Guan was heal'ing you, he...found some'thing diff'erent with your bl'ood. I be'lieve when they in'jected you with my bl'ood it st'arted to a'ffect your body." Yeyinde admitted.
She shifted in her spot uncomfortably, "In...in what way?"
"It...sped up heal'ing pro'cess. And...we think it's do'ing other things to your body." He added.
Her eyes widened a bit in alarm, "Sped up healing and other things!? Like what!? Is it...is it slowly killing me or something!?"
Yeyinde shakes his head.
"No, just...Guan says it's mak'ing small chan'ges to your body. No'thing ex'ternal, all in'ternal from what he's seen." He told her.
Natalie looks from him, down to her lap.
"So, what? You're saying I'm...not normal anymore?" She inquires.
"I...I don't know how to ans'wer that. We're still un'sure what the bl'ood is com'pletely doing to your body." He confessed.
"You don't know what it's doing. So, how can you be so sure it's not killing me?" Natalie replied.
"Be'cause if that were the case, it wouldn't be sp'eeding up your heal'ing. It be doing the oppo'site. But your not dy'ing." Yeyinde assured her.
She hiked up her knees, "So, what happens now then?"
He gives her a somewhat sad look, "I'm sorry, Nat'alie. But it looks like you won't be able to go home."
Her gaze snapped back to him, "What do you mean, I can't go home?"
"Be'cause of chan'ges, we don't th'ink it's safe for you to go back. You also know a lot a'bout our kind. They could see it as th'reat if you were to go back and tell others." Yeyinde confessed.
"What!? You can't be serious! Whatever it is that's happening to me can't be that bad! And who the hell would I tell about you!? I wouldn't do that! I just want to get my life back!" She fired off.
He expected this reaction and response from her. And didn't blame her one bit for being upset. But what she needs to realize is, he's doing this to keep her safe. Who knows what the oomans will do to her if they find out she's different.
They'd probably poke, prod, and experiment on her like they did him.
"I know you're an'gry. But I'm doing this to keep you safe. If I re'turn you to Ear'th and oomans find out a'bout you, you could be kid'napped a'gain and they would do to you what they did to me. Also, my kind may kill you if you were to go back. I trust you, but they don't trust you not to tell other oomans a'bout our kind." Yeyinde told her.
She ran a hand down her face, "This is like a never-ending nightmare."
"I'm sorry, Nat'alie..."
"Stop! Just please...stop." She said, cutting him off.
And when she removed her hand, he could see fresh tears in her eyes.
"I feel, nothing you can say will make anything better at this point." Natalie said, barely above a whisper.
Yeyinde didn't really know what to say to that. So, he tried doing the next best thing.
He scooted closer to her and slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lightly pulled her to him. Yeyinde then started to purr. It always seemed to work for her before. Hopefully, it will still work for her now.
Natalie stiffened up at first. Then she gradually relaxed and leaned against his torso.
Funny, no matter how shitty she was feeling, his purring always seems to have a way of relaxing her and giving her comfort. Her hands slowly slid off from around her knees and she slowly wrapped them around his abdomen.
When Natalie did this, his purring revved up a notch.
And she couldn't help the small smile that slowly appeared on her face through her tears. At least it was nice to know, she wasn't completely alone while going through this whole ordeal.
Yeyinde just proved to her that he was still here for her. He brought her aboard and got her medical attention. He stayed with her while she was out. And he was here for her now.
Speaking of, where were they at the moment?
"Umm, Yeyinde? Where are we right now? This doesn't look like a medical room." Natalie said.
His mandibles stretch into a small smile.
"My room. Figured a bed would be more com'fort'able than a med table to sleep on." He informed her.
Her smile widened, "Pretty bold of you to bring a female to your room." She teased.
Yeyinde chuckled, "Bold no, luck'y, yes. On'ly fe'male on ship and she hap'pens to be in my room."
Natalie rolls her eyes but couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"Don't let it go to your head. I still expect you to keep your hands to yourself and not stray into areas they're not supposed to be." She joked.
He smirks, "Don't have to touch. Have seen e'nough with eyes."
Her cheeks turn pink when he mentions that. Good thing he didn't notice, because the side of her face is still pressed against his torso.
"You really can be such a pervert, you know that?" She retorted.
Yeyinde trills with laughter at her remark. He wouldn't say that, but he is still a young, curious male, who has yet to mate a female. So, it was only obvious he looked at her a few times in their cell while she was unclothed.
"No, just curi'ous. Don't act inno'cent either. I saw you gla'nce at me during sho'wer when you th'ought I wasn't look'ing." He teased.
Natalie's eyes widened and she pulled back to look at him.
"I did not! Stop making shit up!" She blurted out.
The young hunter started laughing.
"But it's true! I saw you! You look'ed over your sh'oulder once and looked at me." He said, between his trilling laughter.
Her cheeks turned quite red, which only made him laugh more.
She so badly wanted to continue to deny it. But she really couldn't because he was right. There were a couple times her curiosity did get the better of her and while she had her back to him while sitting on the cot while he showered, there were a couple times she took a sideways glance over her shoulder.
The young woman got the start of her life, when she noted his size. It was quite big just like the rest of him.
"I really don't like you right now." She deadpanned.
His laughter gradually died down, but his grin never left his face.
"What? If you want'ed to see, all you had to do was ask." He joked.
"Forget it! No more shows from you! Like I said, I don't need any more nightmares!" Natalie blurted out.
"I doubt they would be night'mares. Prob'ably the oppo'site." Yeyinde continued to tease her.
"I'm thinking I liked you better when you knew less English." She quipped.
"You wound me with your words, Nat'alie." He countered.
The way he said it with a hand over his heart, that's what got her laughing.
Yeyinde couldn't help but smile, at least this little distraction worked, and she was no longer upset. Now, he had to show her that her new life really wasn't as bad as it seems.
Sure, it won't be an easy adjustment. But she's not going in this alone. He will help her as much as he can. He feels he at least owes her that after the hell she went through back on Earth.
As Bakuub walked down the hall, he noted he heard laughter coming from his brother's room as he was walking past.
It was still strange to him that Yeyinde went out of his way to save this ooman. But perhaps his incarceration with the female made him grow a soft spot for her.
Bakuub was not entirely sure how to feel about that. He chalks it up to the fact that his younger brother has yet to experience being with a female.
Mating season on their world has only started a week ago. And it will last for the next couple months or so. So, Yeyinde still had plenty of time to go back to Yautja Prime and experience it.
Surely, the five ooman skulls that he obtained on Earth combined with his other collection of skulls is bound to gain him a female's interest. He even knew there were a couple that have expressed interest in Yeyinde, before he even set out to go to Earth for his hunt.
But here's the problem, what were they going to do with this ooman female in the meantime?
He doesn't believe the few warriors on this ship will harm her. But is unsure how she will be received on Yautja Prime. It's true, their code doesn't allow them to harm females of a lesser species, especially if they were unarmed.
But that didn't mean they couldn't find other ways to make her life hell there.
And he sadly doubts his brother will always be there to protect her.
Bakuub sighs, the only thing he could think of right now, is contacting their father. He was one of the Elders. Hopefully, he can give him and Yeyinde some sound advice about this current situation.
Until Next Time ;)