The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
Yeyinde grew more anxious by the minute.
Natalie's breathing started to become a little haggard and she started to look quite pale. She was also fighting keeping her eyes open. And he had to jostle her a little to keep her from dozing off.
He also tried talking to her to keep her awake as well.
"I didn't know you had a brother. Are you two close?" She weaky ask.
The young hunter nodded, "Yes, we are. Have been sin'ce young pups."
"He your only sibling? Or do you have more?" She asked.
"I am one of five pups. Th'ree males and two fe'males. I am young'est." Yeyinde told her.
A sad smile appeared on her face.
"You're very lucky. And it sounds nice that you're close with them." Natalie replied.
"You have sib'lings?" He asks.
He saw sadness wash over her as she looks away.
"Used to. But my brother died a long time ago." She said, as a lump formed in her throat.
Natalie may have hated her parents. But she loved her older brother. He was kind and caring and always took care of her and looked out for her. He'd also put himself in harm's way and try and take the bulk of the abuse from their parents too.
Unfortunately, as they grew older. The abuse and living environment started to become too much for him. And he got into their father's secret stash of heroin. And it wasn't long until he started buying some for himself.
Not even a year after he started using, he died of an overdose.
Natalie was the one to find him. He was strung over his bed with his head off the edge. The empty syringe was on the floor right below his hand that was hanging over the bed next to his head.
He was only seventeen years old at the time of his death, and she was only fourteen.
"I miss him, so much. He's the only one in our family that ever cared about me, and I him. He always protected me and tried his best to keep me safe." She said, as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Why did he have to pro'tect you? And from who?" Yeyinde asked.
Natalie was silent for a moment, before she answered.
"Our parents. They...weren't very good people." She said.
He can only imagine what she meant. It was extremely rare. But there were cases where yautja parents have harmed and even killed their own pups. And the parents themselves were charged for their crimes and executed.
But he can't recall the last time it has happened. Because that was how exceptionally rare it was. And the couple cases he was told about, they believe the parent had some type of a mental defect.
A mental defect in a yautja's mind was just as if not rarer than them abusing their pups.
It clearly sounds like something that sadly does happen among oomans too.
"I'm sor'ry. It sounds very un'fortu'nate." He replied.
"Yeah, but sadly it does happen. My brother and I just happen to be the few kids who wound up with shitty parents who didn't give a damn about us. But at least he and I had each other." Natalie said.
"What was his name?" Yeyinde asked.
It's been a long time since she ever said his name.
"Tyler." She said, barely above a whisper.
"Sounds like a good bro'ther. He kept you safe." He said.
"Best brother anyone could've asked for. " Natalie weakly replied.
Another tear left her eye as an image of his face entered her mind. Warm hazel eyes, sweet smile. That is what she remembered most about him.
She felt like she was about to doze off again when she thought she heard a gentle hum in the air. Followed by a gentle breeze that swept through the trees.
Yeyinde looked up and masked picked up the ship.
It may have been cloaked, but the vision setting in his mask allowed him to see it clear as day. And it stopped right above the tree line and was in the process of touching down.
He waited, as it finally touched the ground.
It was another minute before the entrance opened up and his brother came walking down the short ramp with two other yautja. He instantly recognized them to be Larja-Thwei and Kaail. Both were good friends to him and his brother.
The three warriors approached him and came to a stop.
While Bakuub was happy and relieved to see his brother was still alive. He was thoroughly confused to see him standing there holding an ooman in his arms.
"Mei-hswei, why do you have that ooman with you!?" Bakuub pointed out, clearly surprised.
"I'll explain on the ship. But we need to move now. She needs medical assistance." Yeyinde explained.
He looked from Yeyinde to the small ooman in his arms.
"Yeyinde, I don't think that's a good idea..."
"I don't care if you don't think it is! She needs medical assistance! Now!" He barked.
Then he shoved passed his brother and approached the ship.
"He can't be serious! He's really going to bring that ooman aboard the ship!?" Larja-Thwei pointed out.
Bakuub turned to his friend, "Looks like it." He replied.
Larja-Thwei growled in annoyance. Has Yeyinde completely lost it!? They can't simply allow him to bring an ooman aboard their ship!
"Bakuub, we cannot allow this! He can't bring it aboard the ship!" Larja-Thwei argued.
Then he turned on his heal and quickly followed after Yeyinde. While Bakuub and Kaail followed close behind.
"Just what is your brother thinking?" Kaail inquired.
"I don't know, but there must be a good reason for it. He knows better." Bakuub replied.
Yeyinde was just about to step inside the ship when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. His gaze quickly snapped back to none other than Larja-Thwei.
"Have you lost it!? You can't bring that thing aboard the ship!" Larja-Thwei barked at him.
Yeyinde growled and roughly shook his hand off. Then proceeded into the ship.
But Larja-Thwei still wouldn't let up.
"Yeyinde! Listen to me! This is a very bad idea! Oomans are prey! You can't just simply bring one aboard the ship!" The other hunter continued.
But Yeyinde continued to ignore him. Natalie was continuing to grow weaker. And he had to get her to the med room. He hopes Guan was on the ship.
He was a friend of theirs and a healer. Surely, he can fix her up.
Yeyinde walked past a couple other yautja that he knew. But paid them no mind as he continued to the med room. He was dead set on getting her there.
He reached the med room after three minutes of walking. The door slid open and to his relief, Guan was here. He was fiddlling with something on one of the tables.
But looked up when he saw one of his friends walk in with something in his arms. That something, he quickly realized was an ooman.
"Yeyinde! What's going on!?" Guan asked.
"No time! She has been shot! You need to help her, now!" Yeyinde ordered.
Guan reared back slightly from his friend's tone. But Yeyinde looked dead serious.
The other yautja nodded and told him to put her over there on the table. Then Guan looked over at Larja-Thwei who seemed to have followed Yeyinde in.
Yeyinde wasted no time in placing Natalie on the table. Guan came over shortly after and inspected her wound.
"It looks like she was shot by another ooman." Guan said, as he went to work.
"She was, I tried to help. But the wound is more serious than I thought. Can you help her?" Yeyinde asked.
Guan looked back and forth between the ooman and his friend.
"I'll try my best. Though I'm not entirely versed in their anatomy enough to treat them." Guan informed him.
'This is ridiculous. It's clearly dying. Just let it die." Larja-Thwei said.
Next thing the warrior knew, he was roughly shoved into the wall, and Yeyinde roared in his face.
Larja-Thwei knew Yeyinde was quite the formidable fighter. He bested him in quite a few Jehdin Jehdin fights. He also knew that his friend's anger was not one to be trifled with.
Larja-Thwei reluctantly looked away in submission.
Yeyinde growled and pulled away, but not before giving Larja-Thwei a rough shove. He had just about enough of the other hunter's banter. Yes, he broke protocol and brought an ooman aboard the ship.
But he wasn't just going to leave Natalie behind in those woods and let her slowly die.
"Get out, Larja." Yeyinde growled.
Larja-Thwei hissed at him. But eventually left the room.
Bakuub entered the room shortly after. His gaze shot from Yeyinde to the ooman than back to him.
"What is going on? You have a lot of explaining to do, Yeyinde. Especially, since we all thought you were dead, seeing as you never answered any of our latest calls." Bakuub explained.
Bakuub was happy to see his brother was still alive. But was utterly confused when he found him with a gravely wounded ooman in his arms.
And he wanted answers.
Yeyinde's gaze shifted from Natalie to his brother.
At the moment, she was still struggling to stay awake as Guan worked quickly on her wound.
"Yeyinde, what's happening?" She weakly said, in a daze.
Bakuub's gaze shifted to the ooman than back to his brother.
"You told her your name? Just what in the hell have you gotten yourself in to?!" Bakuub inquired.
Yeyinde had a hard time tearing his gaze from Natalie. But Guan was a good healer, and she was in good hands.
"Guan, please keep me updated on her condition." He said.
The other yautja looked over his shoulder briefly and nodded.
"Sure, and hopefully later you will explain to me why I had to treat this ooman." Guan replied
"I will, but for now, do everything you can to help her. I need to talk with my brother." Yeyinde said, looking at Bakuub.
Then the two brothers left the med room to talk.
Until Next time ;)