The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
Natalie let out a long exhale as Yeyinde and her walked in hand into the council chamber that the five Elders resided in.
The room was quite huge, and she quickly noticed five prominent figures sitting at a long table, facing her and Yeyinde. His father was in the second seat on the left towards the middle.
With practiced respect, Yeyinde placed a fist to his chest and gave them all a deep bow of his head. Natalie followed suit and did the same.
"Welcome, Yeyinde. And thank you for receiving our request for an audience with you and the ooman female." Elder Gkyaun said.
The Elder then turned his attention to Natalie.
"Wel'come fe'male. It's ni'ce to fin'ally meet you. You have be'come qu'ite the talk a'round town." Elder Gykaun addressed her in English.
His English seemed more versed and well-practiced than Yeyinde's father. But still had a pretty thick accent.
She gave him a small polite smile.
"It is nice to finally meet you all too." She replied.
Elder Gykaun and Elder Setg-in were the more laid back ones among the Elders. Yeyinde didn't worry to much about him. He and his father go way back as hunt brothers and still remained good friends.
But the other three Elders, M'icli-de, A'ni-de, and Etah'-dte were another story. They were known to be quite rough around the edges and didn't tolerate nonsense of any kind.
"Yeyinde, what possessed you to take this creature aboard the drop ship? Better yet why chose her for a mate?" Elder A'ni-de asked, not beating around the bush.
"She was gravely injured Elder A'ni-de. And since she continually aided me through my incarceration on Earth, I felt it was the right thing to do to take her aboard so that she may receive medical attention for her grievous injury.
After all, it is part of a hunter's code to aide those who have aided us." The young hunter said, in confidence.
Elder Etah'-dte grunted, "Yes, this is true. But you do realize because of this, she may never return to her own home world. Because we would be running the risk of letting oomans be made aware of our kind and our visits to Earth as hunting grounds.
And that could potentially put our kind at risk and possibly put us at war with the oomans. This is something we strongly look to avoid. Because then we would lose an invaluable hunting ground."
"I'm well aware by the choice I made to bring her aboard that there was a chance she wouldn't be able to return. But at the time, my main concern was that her life was hanging by a thread. And I couldn't just leave her behind in the middle of the forest to die alone like that." Yeyinde replied.
"And yet, since you brought her here, she has done nothing but cause an uproar among our clan, and on top of that, attacked my daughter." Elder M'icli-de butted in.
Yeyinde narrowed his eyes at the Elder.
"I'm afraid to inform you, Elder M'icli-de, that that is not how the event happened. It is in fact, the other way around. Inu sought us out and verbally attacked us, and insulted us. She then sought to challenge and try and attack my mate right then and there. Despite the fact that Inu knew she's pregnant." Yeyinde stated.
The other three Elders, beside his father looked up in surprise by this newfound fact. Inu had never brought it to their attention the ooman female was pregnant.
Elder M'icli-de snarled and shot up from his seat.
"You calling my daughter a liar? She received many gashes to her face plus two broken mandibles. While this ooman doesn't have a scratch on her. And you dare to say Inu was the one to provoke an attack? And trying to cover up your mate's involvement will not help her. Oomans cannot bear yautja pups they are not compatible with our kind." He argued.
Yeyinde went to open his mouth to reply. But Elder Gkyaun beat him to it.
"Actually M'icli-de that's not true. Despite its rarity, yautja before in the past have taken ooman mates. And while it was difficult for them to conceive and bear pups, it has happened. I heard it had taken many attempts, but eventually they were able to carry pups to term. So, her possible pregnancy could hold some standing truth to it." Elder Gkyaun said, as a matter of fact.
The young hunter was surprised to hear this. While he heard there have been rare cases in the past of yautja taking ooman mates, he still didn't believe it possible for them to bear pups.
He just figured Natalie was an exception due to his blood being injected into her and changing her body's chemistry is what made it possible.
Elder M'icli-de gave Elder Gkyaun an incredulous look.
"Yes, I've heard of this happening before too. It was difficult due to some incompatibilities, but they were able to work around it and bear pups." Elder Etah'-dte chimed in.
Elder A'ni-de was just as surprised as M'icli-de though. He has never heard of this either. But if the other two Elders say there have been instances of this, then at some point during their history it must've been written in somewhere. Because surely, they would make record of yautja and ooman pairs being able to successfully produce young.
"Anyone here can vouch to what clans these instances took place?" Elder A'ni-de inquired.
Elder Gkyaun nodded, "There were cases in the Lost Tribe Clan, the Hish Clan, the Isolated Clan, and the Dark Blade Clan. If you wish to look through their history records for confirmation, then go right ahead. It's quite an interesting read. And the hybrids that came out of those unions turned out to be very fierce and capable warriors."
Yeyinde's father was a little surprised to hear this. He knew only of cases of yautja/ooman mating among two of the clans his friend mentioned, the Hish and Isolated Clan. He was unaware it also happened in the Lost Tribe Clan and Dark Blade Clan.
He was also unsure that yautja and oomans were capable of having young together. Setg-in knew it was only a possibility for Natalie because he was notified that she was given Yeyinde's blood, and it had unique effects on her body chemistry and DNA.
But the other ooman mates surely didn't have yautja blood in them. So, he didn't think it possible. It had him itching now to look at those historic records.
Elder M'icli-de had a slight disgusted look on his face. Obviously, the yautja that took ooman mates must've had some kind of mental defect in their brains to do so.
Because who in their right mind would mate with a small, weak, and ugly species and ones who were not as technologically advanced and a bit primitive at that.
"Still, I think it is something that should be confirmed. Elder Gkyaun, tell the ooman female to approach. We must confirm this ourselves by scenting her." Elder Etah'-dte requested.
He nodded, then turned his attention to Natalie.
"Pl'ease app'roach us you'ng one." Elder Gkyaun, motioned for her to come over.
Natalie shifted her gaze to Yeyinde. He gave her a nod of encouragement.
She let out a small sigh and walked over to the long table. And came to stand in front of it. Then she observed with a weird look as the Elders slightly leaned in and took a few inhales of her scent.
When they picked up the certain pheromone that was only unique to a pregnant female, their eyes widened in astonishment. Except for Yeyinde's father, who was already well aware of her condition.
Then all of them shifted their gaze to Elder M'icli-de, who still had a somewhat surprised look on his face.
"I'm sorry to say, Elder M'icli-de, that your daughter Inu has a lot to answer for. Whether she provoked a fight or not, she knew as well an any yautja in this clan that it is illegal to incite a challenge with a pregnant female." Elder A'ni-de said.
Elder M'icli-de grunted. He knew this didn't look good for his daughter. And a part of him was beginning to question her honesty. As much as he hated to admit it, this wouldn't be the first time his daughter was caught in a lie.
He then tapped a few buttons on his wrist gauntlet, to activate his translator.
"Can you pleaseexplain to me in your own words what occurred yesterday between you and my daughter?" Elder M'icli-de asked.
Natalie was taken aback a bit.
'Daughter!? Oh shit! This was Inu's father!' Her mind screamed.
She took a couple breaths before starting.
Natalie explained everything from beginning to end. How she confirmed Yeyinde's story that Inu sought them out and engaged them in a verbal confrontation that started to quickly turn into a physical one.
By the end, she was unsure if the Elders still believed a word of her story. But they asked her, and she told them.
"For what it is worth, I am sorry that it happened. But at the time, I was angry and a part of me was fearful for my unborn baby." Natalie said with sincerity.
If there was one thing all the Elders there could agree on, is that you can never mess or tangle with a female yautja with young. They have killed to keep both their young and unborn safe at all costs.
Natalie's case was looking to be no different. She took Inu for a threat and her protective instincts over her unborn goaded her to attack to protect herself and her baby from harm.
Elder Etah'-dte activated his own translator.
"We thank you for providing us with details on the matter on your end. And we're sorry it happened. It is something that will be looked into, because it is a rather serious offense.
Our code prohibits us from harming pregnant females of any species. Whether it be during a hunt or within a clan." Elder Etah'-dte stated.
While they may not fully approve of Yeyinde's choice of taking an ooman mate and having pups with her, it was not against the law. But what one of their own females did, was against the law.
And unfortunately, this meant Inu had to be dealt with. Being an Elder's daughter will not keep her safe from any consequences. If she were to receive any, then so be it.
Sadly, Elder M'icli-de knew this to be the case too. He didn't hate oomans per 'say. He's an honorable warrior that worked his way through the ranks to get where he was at today. And just like everyone else here, he highly valued the hunter's code and laws.
Anyone who broke them, deserved punishment in doing so. His own daughter was no exception.
"It's ok. I'm sorry it happened too. And I'm also sorry for causing a stir among the local population here. I'm not looking to cause any problems or trouble. I merely just wish to live here with Yeyinde and our family." She stated in honesty.
"That is fine, just as long as your prepared for the challenges that may come with living here among us. Your pairing for the most part is viewed as highly unusual. Others may continue to look down on you and Yeyinde for it. I hope you know this and keep it in mind." Elder Etah'-dte cautioned.
Natalie nodded, "I'm aware it will never be easy for us. And accept any challenges that may come our way."
There was some amusement in Elder Etah'-dte's eyes.
'So tiny, yet so bold and confident. She reminds me of my youngest daughter.' Etah'-dte thought with amusement.
"Then th'is is wh'ere we say, Wel'come to our Cl'an." Elder Gkyaun said.
He then bowed his head; the other four elders followed the notion and did the same.
Natalie bowed her head back to them in respect and gratitude.
"Thank you, Elders." She said.
Yeyinde couldn't help but smile in relief. It looked like the hardest part was behind them. With the Elders acceptance, it meant that Natalie now was an official member of this clan.
And they can move on with their lives and prepare for the birth of their pup within the next several months.
Until Next Time ;)