The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
Kayla was struggling to stay afloat as the current rapidly continued to sweep her downstream.
Than-guan was surprisingly not too far behind her. Maybe twenty feet or so. He used his powerful arm and legs to propel him through the water. He was trying to get to her as he quickly as possible.
He could see her struggling to stay afloat.
"KAYLA! HOLD ON!" He shouted over the choppy water.
The young woman did hear her name being shouted as her body twisted and turned in the turbulent water. She thought she saw a glimps of Than-guan behind her trying to swim over to her over the currents.
"MIDNIGHT! HELP!" She yelled.
Only to start coughing as water splashed into her mouth. She was starting to tire and lose her breath as the current continued to pull her through the water.
Every now and then the choppy waves would come crashing over her head. And she would also find herself completely submerged.
The roaring water was loud beneath the surface as she continued to get pulled.
Than-guan saw her disappear beneath the choppy waves. This time, she was down longer. So, he took a deep breath and dove beneath the water and propelled himself forward with powerful strokes.
Kayla started to tire and feel lightheaded from lack of oxygen. And her movements became more sluggish as she tried to claw her way to the surface.
And just when darkness started creeping in in the corner of her eyes, she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her body.
The hunter had found her struggling a few feet down and pushed himself forward. He grabbed her around her torso and waist. Then he kicked up hard to the surface.
Once they broke the surface, she greedily sucked in air and was coughing up a storm.
Her arms went around his neck, and he continued to try and push his way through the current. Yautja may have been strong, but that didn't mean they were still a match for very strong currents.
It was just their luck they were both going in the same direction of the flow and the current actually helped pushed him along to her so he could get to her faster.
"Hang on, and whatever you do, don't let go." He told her.
Kayla didn't respond, but he did feel her small, thin arms tighten around his neck.
As they continued to be carried downstream, Than-guan spotted a downed tree up ahead off to their left. A good portion of it jutted out into the water.
He pushed them more towards the left side of the large, raging river. And now, they were being pushed down toward the tree trunk lying halfway in the water. It's large branches jutting out in every direction.
After three more minutes of being carried through the current he latched on to one of the thick branches with his free arm. Kayla noted the large branches that now surrounded them and grabbed ahold of one herself.
"Kayla, use the branches to start pulling you closer to the river's edge. I'll follow right behind you." Than-guan instructed.
She nodded and started the slow and challenging process of pulling herself to shore. It was hard because the strong current kept knocking her body forward into the jagged branches and rough bark of the tree.
Her skin started to get scratched up and bruised as she slowly pulled herself over.
Than-guan stayed right next to her and made sure her grip didn't slip. If she did loose her grip, it wouldn't take much for the current to suck her beneath the surface and under the tree trunk.
If this happened, she would be caught in the currents yet again and be carried off further down. And if that happens, he may not be lucky enough to grab her again this time.
It took some time, but eventually, her hands reached the pebbled ground right next the water's edge. Her feet could also touch the bottom here.
Kayla practically crawled out of the rough water and collapsed onto her back, huffing and puffing.
Not a few moments later, she saw Than-guan make it out and sat beside her. He could see she was a bit banged up. But it didn't look like anything serious.
For the most part she was just exhausted and winded.
She laid there for a couple minutes just inhaling and exhaling, trying to get more oxygen back into her body. Kayla's dazed leyes lazily went to the hunter.
He looked like he was breathing a little harder too. But not nearly as much as she was.
Afterwards, Kayla felt some of her strength return and she pushed herself up into a sitting position next to him.
"Thank you." She said.
Than-guan gave her a nod.
"Should start keeping a tally, for how many times I need to save you." He lightly teased between breaths.
Kayla weakly huffed out a laugh. Even now, he's still making jokes. The big jerk.
Then she looked around their new surroundings. They were still surrounded by dense foliage. But she also saw what looked like a mountain range in the distance.
"Shit, how far downstream did we go?" She inquired.
Than-guan looked around. He has been to this planet multiple times and he wanted to say he knew at least seventy-five to eighty percent of its surface.
And luckily, he did recognize this area.
"The current took us quite far. We are now roughly six miles west of where we entered the water." He told her.
Her head snapped in his direction.
"How do you know that?" She asks.
"This is a pretty popular hunting preserve planet. Have been here numerous times. I know most of its surface quite well." He replied.
"So, where do we go from here then?" Kayla asked.
"Not sure at the moment. Though I do know many places we could go. Either way, we are definitely being hunted. Now that Lar'nix'va is aware of my presence here, he will continue to track us down." Than-guan stated.
"What makes you so sure he will want to keep pursuing you though?" She asks, as she wrings out her long dark locks.
Than-guan snorted, "You don't know him as well as I do. Before he became a bad blood, we were bitter rivals. Always trying to one up each other. Whether it be in a fight or who can obtain the most impressive trophies.
We also fought over breeding rights with certain females during mating season. It seemed that no matter what the occasion was, we found ourselves challenging each other.
Whenever we fought and I won, he always took it personal. And was always one to fight dirty in a losing fight. When I began rising swiftly with my status, he became resentful. Even jealous.
I believe he was aware that the Elders were looking to elevate my status to Elite. It's something he strived for but could never get close enough to obtain it.
No, he will not call of this hunt. It's too personal now. His main goal right now will be to find me, engage me in combat, and kill me."
None of this information he was giving her was making her feel better.
Not only was this guy insane. But apparently had a personal grudge against Than-guan. And now it seems he will be relentlessly pursuing them until either Than-guan is dead or Lar'nix'va is.
She hated the fact that she was even involved in this seeming feud between them. But that bastard Lar'nix'va had her involved from day one when he kidnapped her from Earth and brought her all the way out here.
"Does he know this world as well as you do?" Kayla asked.
"Pretty much. I'm sure each hunter that has been here enough times had found their own personal little caves or hideouts. After all, this planet is full of good places to hide.
So, even though he knows the planet quite well, it's a lot of places for him to look. Either way, I don't plan on running or playing his games.
While he's tracking us, I will track him in return. It's better this way and will keep us on high alert." Than-guan told her.
To Kayla, it still sounded like Than-guan was hell bent on revenge. For what? She's still unsure because Than-guan refuses to tell her the reason why.
A part of her believes it goes further than the two hunters being bitter rivals and Lar'nix'va turning to crime.
"Midnight, I know you don't want to talk about it. But you need to fill me in here. What else happened between you and him? Because I can't help but feel this goes beyond rivalry and resentment.
Just...please. Help me understand here. If we are going to continue traveling together, I don't want there to be any secrets between us. I need answers." She pushed.
He sighed and looked away from her. She heard a few clicks leave him. Before he slowly turned his gaze back to her.
"Alright, I'll tell you. But not here. We're out in the open. And we need to find cover. You may not have noticed, but I have. There is a severe storm rolling in. And judging by how fast its moving, it will be over us in as little as a half hour." Than-guan said.
The hunter then stood up and reached down with an offered hand.
Kayla reached up and grabbed it, and he helped her off the wet, gravelly ground. She looked up and around and did see what appeared to be very dark storm clouds rolling in from the north.
They left the outer banks of the raging river and he led her into the foliage.
At least Than-guan was thankful he didn't lose any of his weapons while in the water. He made note that all the ones connected to the armor on his back were still there. The couple connected to his belt were still present.
And surprisingly, the rough currents didn't knock his shoulder cannon loose and off.
If he were to fight Lar'nix'va and his brother, Mar'cte, he wanted to make sure he still had all his weapons at his disposal. Especially, because he knew of their bad habit on fighting dirty.
He recalls there being another small cave nearby. It was the closest place at the moment to seek shelter from the incoming storm.
The storms here where quite violent and dangerous at times. No hunter in his right mind would be caught dead hunting in that kind of weather. Hell, even the all the animals would be seeking shelter. So, there would be none to hunt regardless.
"Is there somewhere close by to our position we can go before the storm gets here? And if so, how far is it?" Kayla asked, as she walked beside him.
"There is a small cave not far from here. I'd say at this pace, we should be there in twenty minutes. We may want to move faster though. These storms can pick up speed and blow in faster than originally thought.
Just when you think you have enough time, suddenly, your caught in a downpour. It has happened to me a couple times before when I was younger.
One time, it made me quite miserable. Because as I ran through it, I got pelted by large balls of hale the size of those spheres you call marbles. Was fun picking those out of my tresses and from in between my armor." He grunted.
Than-guan remembered that trip like yesterday. He was a Youngblood then and had just completed his Kainde Amedha Chiva not a couple months prior.
He was here on a small hunting expedition with one of his brothers and his best friend, Vor'mekta. They saw the storm approaching and warned him about it. But he was being a dumb teen and figured it wouldn't be that bad.
After they spent several minutes arguing with him and telling him to stop being a dumbass, they threw up their hands in frustration and left to find shelter.
While the stubborn young Than-guan stayed behind to continue hunting. Which only lasted for another twelve minutes. Because suddenly, he was caught in a torrential downpour of rain and hale.
It pelted down onto him as he cursed and sprinted through the woods as thunder roared above him.
He spotted a crevice in a nearby mountain side ahead and made a break for it. Ironically, it's where hie brother and friend took shelter from the storm too. Then he had to sit there wet and miserable as the two other young hunters said, 'I told you so'.
Than-guan internally chuckled at the distant memory from so many years passed.
Yeah, he was a very good hunter, even then. But not the brightest at the time. And that got him into more scuffles than he cared to admit. Still, he was at least able to get out of them when they did happen.
And as he grew older, he became wiser and started using his head more. He left his teenage recklessness behind and grew into a mature, smart, and seasoned warrior.
The pair sped up their pace as they saw the dark clouds coming closer and the wind started to kick up. It blew Kayla's long brown locks in her face and she constantly had to shove them out of her view.
When she asked him again how much further, he pointed to a rocky wall of a cliff several meters ahead.
Until Next Time ;)