Tomak was jarred awake by the female's annoyingly loud voice.

"We're here!" The tarp was half-hazardously tugged down, revealing the windshield's view.

Relying heavily on his good arm, he used what strength he had to push himself up against the window to peer outside. But what his eyes saw was nothing special. The only small difference he could see to the forest they were driving through, were the bare limbs. There was hardly a hint of snow and nothing to get excited about.

As he continued to scope out the area, his prominent brow lowered when she suddenly pulled off the road, the car lurching from the uneven shoulder. Tomak hissed in pain as his head slammed into the roof of the car. He would have reached forward and throttled her for her stupidity if his attention wasn't pinpointed on the large tree they were about to crash into!

His claws gripped the seat.

For a brief second, he wondered if the female was suicidal, but just when they should have made impact, the once giant tree phased away to being a hidden dirt road. Tomak stared ahead in disbelief, his mandibles parting slightly within his mask. He didn't know such technology was possible for the human species. Perhaps thousands more of their years he could expect such a thing, but not now. He began to question the identity of this human female and wondered if she truly was what she appeared.

In a short period of time, the trees lessened, and his eyes was brought back to the scenery ahead of them. He saw the beginnings of a large body of water and scenting through his mask's filters, he also detected a large quantity of salt in the air, which was telling of this planet's oceans. It would never be the habitat he would choose to hunt in, but on past occasions he recalled visiting areas such as these with his hunt brother to better study their prey. They hadn't learned much other than humans' odd fascination with cooking their hides to darken their complexion, while the younger ones created structures in the sand. Tomak could hardly understand how this benefitted them, since neither activity seemed to boost their intelligence or health. It seemed like a waste of time that could be better spent on honing their survival skills.

It took him a moment to realize the car had come to a stop. From his angle, it was difficult to tell, but there seemed to be a small structure on a ridge overlooking the shore, but before he went to scan it, the closing of the car door snapped his attention, once again, to the increasingly mystifying female.

He watched her vigilantly as she came to stand at the door closest to his cramped legs. She seemed hesitant, that was clear. Her mannerisms were almost fidgety as she had some sort of mental battle on whether to open the door or not. If she didn't make the right choice soon, Tomak was more than willing to force her to. But fortunately for her own sake, she took a step forward and grabbed the handle, swinging the door wide. Then she just stood there, staring.

Rae finally found her voice. "Hey there." Her eyebrows lowered in a thoughtful expression as she assessed his current state. "Um… I'm going to open the door behind you and try and get you out that way, just," she exhaled tiredly, "try and work with me."

Although he understood what she was saying, her usage of many words was hurting his head. The three words that mattered to him were open, door, and behind; everything else was completely unnecessary and shortened his already short temper. He much preferred direct communication rather than all these fillers that did nothing but waste time getting to the point. He was aware some intelligent creatures would be extra chatty when nervous, and he faintly wondered if this proved true with this one.

Tomak watched her circle the car, his eyes following her every movement until she disappeared past his peripheral vision. He resisted the instinctive urge to tense, as if waiting to be attacked. Then all at once his senses were put on high alert as he heard the door open and felt the cool air at his exposed back.

As soon as Rae pulled the door's handle, she heard his growl go from a soft trickle to a firm sound that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand erect. She wondered if he did this because he was annoyed or if he was conveying something else entirely. His massive body was crammed in the backseat and from what she could tell, the back of his head, (which was pressed uncomfortably where the roof of the car and the arch of the door met), was the only thing preventing him from falling backwards. It was hard to believe she actually got him in there. He probably felt as stuffing did on Thanksgiving Day. She almost snickered at the thought of buttering or greasing him up to haul him out. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Taking a step closer, she lifted her hand to touch his back in an effort to comfort him, only to pause. She scrunched her eyes closed. Why was she so scared all of a sudden? It's not like he would kill her, he had had the perfect opportunity to do so before. If he really wanted her dead, he would have finished it then. Steeling her resolve, Rae placed her palm firmly against his armored back; the vibrations of his growl were now moving up her forearm.

"It's okay, big guy," she spoke softly, "it's just me." Her eyes took in his size and knew the only way she could help him was if he cooperated and assisted in her endeavor. "If this is going to work, I'm going to need your help. Are you able to move forward some?"

To her relief she watched as he managed to barely shift his massive frame in the right direction, but not without some pain. Now he was forced to look at his lap; the back of his head was pressed uncomfortably to the roof. This was going to be much harder than she thought. "Can you lean sideways and then lie on your back?"

With a tired and irritate growl he somehow did just that.

Rae watched the muscles exposed in his shoulders and back flex and ripple as he struggled to move in the overly cramped space. His wounds likely suffered as he barely got himself in proper position, using the poor headrests to ease his muscular build down slowly until he was lying flat on his back with his dreadlock-like hair spilling out. He groaned, his upturned mask now staring at her, demanding: Now what?

Crouching, she steadily eased herself towards him, speaking softly as she did so. "I'm just going to hook my arms right here," she slipped her hands under his bulky shoulder and under his arms. "And now..." she grunted and pulled with what strength remained, dragging him out until the foot on his good leg hit the gravel. Using his foot as leverage they worked together, getting him to weakly stand, with Rae as his crutch.

It was Rae's hope that the hard part was over, but she was proven wrong.

The one and only way to get up to her place of refuge, which was located high up on the rocky hillside overlooking the ocean. When Rae had first come here, she thought it was perfect in case a storm swept through, protecting the house from the ocean's unforgiving waters. And it wasn't like she had no access to the beach. Whoever had constructed it had crafted wooden steps that gradually lead to the sandy shoreline. But looking at it with new eyes, and a growling mountain of muscle leaning on her, the hill looked more like a cliff. Her mind flashed back to the rubble she had stumbled up with him over her back. At least this had stairs.

It would be a struggle, but she was confident they could manage. She supposed if it really came to it, she could always carry him up there like she had before, but her immensely sore and battered body might not be ready to take that on more than once. Then again, she had a feeling his pride wouldn't allow her to help him beyond what she had already done. "Alright," she breathed a sigh, "let's get this over with, shall we?"

Tomak hissed as he hobbled toward the flimsy wooden steps. As they neared, he wondered if it would even hold his weight. The female didn't seem disturbed by that thought as she helped him take his first step. Feeling her tiny hands try and hold him steady, made him burn with anger. It hurt his pride that he appeared to need assistance in this way. Seeing how small she was, her body, her limbs, everything screamed inferior, and prey-like. He was yautja, predator, warrior, a superior being. He did not need to rely on prey! As they reached the second step, his arm pushed her back, making her stumble and release him. Now without her for support, Tomak let out a pained breath as he leaned heavily on the handrail, increasing the pressure in his wounded shoulder.

"Careful!" she cried from behind as he raised his quivering leg to the next platform.

As soon as he placed his full weight on his bad leg, a burst of pain flooded through his thigh causing him to stagger, his hands just catching himself on the steps in time.

Rae hurried up to him only to be swatted away like a fly. "Wait! Let me help you!" But he soldiered on, ignoring the intense pain he was most likely experiencing.

It was after the sixth step that Tomak realized he couldn't ignore the searing white-hot pain anymore and when he went to lean on it, it shook in warning before giving out.

Horrified at witnessing his collapse, Rae quickly took decisive action and grabbed his arm in an attempt to lift him back to his feet. As she tried, however, the alien whipped his head around, pinned her against the handrail, and proceeded to snarl directly in her face. Normally his dominant reaction would spur on her fear, making her back down, but it didn't matter how angry he was, because now he had awoken her own temper. Gritting her teeth, she stood her ground and hissed, "Stop growling and drop the tough guy act! Now I'm getting you up these stairs! And if I have to haul your sorry hide up the rest of the way then so be it."

Tomak was beginning to learn that this female was a bold one. Had she not saved his life, and had he not been burdened with grievous wounds, he would have re-instigated a challenge to fight. Her eyes sparked with such fire. He only wished to test it, see how extensive her abilities really were. But that was not the case. For now, he was at her mercy. A small, almost defeated sound came from his throat.

Seeming to have quelled his prideful nature, at least for the moment, she took his arm across her shoulders and braced herself to his side once more. "Thank you," she spoke in a lighter tone. His grumble forced a smile from her lips. He really was so stubborn!

With the patience only an elephant possessed, they eventually reached the porch. It was probably the most uncomfortable and intense few moments she had ever experienced trying to fiddle with the keys and find the right one, but when they got through the front door, the hostile air between them seemed to placate some.

At first glance, it appeared the house was on the small side. The living room area was simply a single plush couch with a coffee table, an electric fireplace and a tv. But Rae wasn't going to give him the tour just yet. Thankfully, for both their sakes, adjacent to the living area was the one and only bedroom.

Tomak growled, feeling his leg begin to give again. The little female seemed to understand.

"Almost there," she urged, getting him to stumble a few more steps before he crumbled onto her bed.

The instant he hit the soft pallet he relaxed, releasing an almost relieved huff. Although the sheets were not the luxurious pelts he had made for himself, they were soft enough for him to lazily blink his eyes closed. At the moment, he didn't care if the female was near, he wanted to forget the last few days and rest. Slowly he managed to bring his breathing down. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so tired. There was this constant burning desire to sleep and it disturbed him. Yautja did not need extensive sleep like humans did. This need he had was weakness, yet the more he tried to fight it, the harder it was to resist. Ever softly, a small hand landed on his bicep. Tomak's half-lidded eyes snapped open and he growled dangerously.

"Come on, big guy," she helped adjust him on the bed so he was positioned properly, or as properly as he could. She frowned, biting her lip as she noticed his feet hung uselessly off the end of the mattress. Her queen-sized bed was spacious for herself, but like the car it was not suitable for someone of his size. A California King probably wouldn't do it either. She sighed, I guess this will have to do.

When she went to take off his mask, she was quickly reminded that even in a weakened state his predatory reflexes were unmatched. She couldn't help flinching as his large hand swiftly snatched up her arm. Her mind flashed back to the pain and immense strength she felt from him the last time he held her wrist in his large, clawed hand. She expected sharp pain and the sound of her bones cracking. His firm and immovable grip gave her little hope of escaping her fate. With him, it was inevitable. But unlike last time, Rae was taken aback that he didn't hurt her. She held still, feeling the intense heat of his rougher flesh against her soft skin. Another thought occurred to her. His hide deceivingly appeared very rough, and although it was in comparison to her own skin, it was much smoother than that of the reptiles she was familiar with.

As Tomak held her wrist, he could feel her pulse flicking impossibly faster in the tiny limb. And what a tiny limb it was. The length of his hand itself was as long as her forearm, giving him a good idea of just how easy it would be to snap it. How could something so small be so resilient, so full of power? How could something be strong and weak at the same time? Her very existence baffled him.

"I just thought you would feel more comfortable with the mask off," she tried to explain.

Tomak registered her response, now remembering why he was holding her arm. He chuffed, discarding the puny limb from his possession and brought his own hand up to do the task himself. Detaching the hoses on the side, he pulled the faceplate away with a de-pressurized hiss.

Rae watched curiously as he brought the mask down, allowing her to look at his unique face once more. She observed as his tusked mandibles flexed outward, likely stretching from being confined in that tight space. Then his inhuman eyes flicked to hers. Her gaze instantly dropped. "I'll be back," she managed to recover, quickly leaving for the bathroom that was only accessible through her bedroom.

The last she saw was the alien's watching eyes before she quietly closed the door with a click. She wanted a shower. No, she needed one. Two days of sweat and blood was two days too long. She felt gross. And there was no better way to rectify that than to shed her unnatural layer of grime. After whipping off her jacket, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and swiftly lifted it over her head. She hissed as she did so. Turning slowly to better view herself in the mirror she caught sight of the deep black and blue bruises that fanned over her shoulders and back. They matched her neck. At least it wouldn't scar, she reminded herself, tossing the dirty shirt to the floor. She did the same with her snow pants and leggings.

Pausing to look at the door a moment, she thought about her visitor. Her eyes lingered on the doorknob. She had the ability to lock the door, but never really found a reason to use it until now. This was actually the first time someone other than herself was in her home. Had he not been a raging crab-faced alien she would have dropped him off at the nearest hospital and been done with it. But being that he wanted to remain under the radar as much as she did, she saw no problem with him staying. At least for now. It wasn't like he could report her or anything, but she had a feeling he wasn't going to be a polite house guest either.

For that matter, she padded across the marble floor and pushed in the small round button on the doorknob, locking the door. Feeling more of a sense of security, she removed the last of her undergarments and pulled open the glass door to the shower.

Under the warm water, she began undoing her messy braid. While she did this her mind drifted to thoughts of the past. Normally she would try to resist the urge to go back there, where the nightmares were, but these past couple days kept digging up those remains that took place all those years ago.

She was in middle school at the time. She had just gotten her results back on a math test she had studied vigorously for. Her 12-year old smile couldn't have gotten any bigger. She was skipping down the halls with the test paper in hand, ignoring the weird looks the other students would give. Nothing was going to ruin this moment. Math had been the last class of the day so she was bursting with joy thinking about seeing her father's proud face. She knew what the reward would be: chocolate ice cream with extra rainbow sprinkles.

But it didn't happen that way.

The second she stepped outside, she spotted their black Altima sitting directly under the shade of a blossom tree. Gripping her backpack, she ran to the car waving her paper wildly, but when she could finally see into the car, all she saw was her father's tired eyes looking about cautiously. That was not a good sign. Suddenly feeling unsure of herself, she tucked the piece of paper in her coat pocket.

When she reached the side door, she pulled the handle capturing his attention. "Dad?"

He put on a fake smile, "Hey! There's my princess! Come on, get in." He held out his hand for her bag.

Slipping it off her right shoulder she gave it to him, letting him gently place it in the backseat. As much as he tried to hide it, Rae knew him too well to know when something was wrong. With a soft smile she listened, nestling into the front seat and strapping the seatbelt in place.

Once the door shut, he pulled away from the school.

"So how was it today?" he indicated to the right, waiting for the opportune moment to pull out.

"Good," she nodded, slowly revealing her toothy grin, "I got an A+ on the math test."

His eyebrows shot up, brightening his whole face. "Let me see it!"

Her initial excitement returning, she tugged the paper out, flattening the creases before waving it in front of him.

Taking his eyes off the road for a couple of seconds he looked down seeing the red letter in bold next to a 'Way to go!' comment. For just a moment his worried expression faded. "This is fantastic Rae!" he looked over her work before leaning over to plant a quick kiss on her forehead. "I'm going to hold onto this," he continued, folding the piece of paper and placing it in a hidden pocket inside his jacket. Returning his attention to the passing cars he saw an opening. He pulled out, smoothly spinning the wheel to the right and back again. He shook his head with a smile, "I'm so proud of you."

Rae's younger self beamed, remembering the teacher's happy expression when she placed the test face down on her desk, giving her a knowing wink. It took every bit of her control to not freak out in front of the others. They already didn't like her. She didn't quite know why. She had always tried her best to be kind to everyone, even the bullies, but it didn't seem to do her any better. In fact, their mean remarks were more persistent after her attempts to make friends. She faintly wondered if it was because of her love to learn.

"Listen," her father's voice pulled her from the discouraging thoughts. "Honey…" his voice faltered, trying to think of the right way to phrase it, "we need to talk."

She waited patiently for more to be said, but there wasn't. After a minute of her sitting silently, she noticed his fingers thrum rhythmically against the steering wheel, something he only did when he was anxious. It must have been really bad. She bit her bottom lip. "Daddy? Is everything okay?"

He looked at her briefly and sighed, his eyes drifting to the rear view mirror every few seconds. The last thing he had ever wanted was to scare her. To scare his little princess. But he couldn't lie to her. "Something happened at work. So, you're going to have to skip school for a couple of weeks. Maybe longer."

Rae's eyes widened, fear and doubt twisting restlessly in her gut as the news dawned on her. "It's happening isn't it?" she asked in a small voice.

Her father nodded sadly, "It is."

The sudden change from warm to frigid cold water woke her from the memory. She turned the shower off, bracing herself against the wall as her salty tears mixed with the shower water dripping from her hair. She hadn't realized how hard she was biting her lip until she tasted blood.

For as long as she lived she would never forget that day. Not in a million years.

After wringing out her hair, she reached out and grabbed a towel, drying herself off. She then donned fresh underwear and a bra, wrapping a clean white robe around her and tying it. It would do for now until she grabbed her pajamas. Looking down at her phone that she had placed beside the sink, she exhaled realizing that she had spent over thirty minutes in the shower. She massaged the sides of her head. She needed to sleep, but first, the alien.

Hearing the door click, Tomak slowly blinked his tired eyes open. He expected the female to come out, but he didn't expect her to be dripping wet in a single piece of clothing with long wet hair that smelled of citrus fruit. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, but it was enough for him to see her apprehension. She was afraid of him. As she rightfully should be.

His eyes tracked her movement until she reached a large compartment with drawers. She pulled open one. Tomak stared at her back, eyeing her carefully as her hands sifted through the unknown contents until it seemed she found what she was looking for. She pulled it out. His hands clenched into fists. She turned around and the tension in his rigid frame instantly deflated. It was just more clothes. He exhaled.

She disappeared back into the other room.

He needed to remain calm. If it ever came to him needing to defend himself, a clear head was required. Something he learned from both his master and his sire was that a successful hunter never lost control of himself. Being overly cautious was doing nothing but drain him of precious energy. That in itself could be a matter of life or death. This was a reminder he readily took to heart, and it slowly relaxed him.

Just as he was letting his guard down, she reappeared wearing the loose fitted garments she had pulled out earlier. This time however, she walked with a bit more confidence. He growled observing a small bowl in her hands. She brought it over to the small table next to him, along with a towel and bandages.

"I'm going to need you to remove your armor," she didn't look at him as she dipped the cloth into the warm water. He was a mess. The neon color of his blood had dried to a matte green, but she was unsure about whether putting him in the bath was a good idea. She figured a couple more days of healing would do the trick, but until then, it would have to be the rag. When Rae faced him, she was met with his fierce gaze. He didn't move. She tilted her head with a heavy sigh, "Do I have to beg?"

His eyes seemed to brighten at this, if only a little. The jerk.

At the exact moment when she thought she might actually have to, his good arm moved to undo the clasps of his chest piece. However, still not completely healed, he struggled to get the far sided one. Seeing his arm visibly shake, she stepped forward to help. Leaning over him she gently placed her hand on top of his. She could feel him stiffen at the contact, but to her surprise there was no growl. The pads of her fingers gently brushed over him, until she felt the cold metal clasp he was reaching for. She traced it carefully before grasping it firmly and giving it a small tug. To her relief it came undone.

His hot breath against her throat made her skin prickle with goosebumps, and she froze, turning her head to the side, just enough so that she could see her proximity to his face. She watched those dangerously tusked mandibles click together. She faintly wondered what the movements of those four appendages really meant. Did that mean was he angry? Confused? Indifferent? It was so hard to tell.

Finding the edges of his armor plating, her fingers prodded between the cool metal and the warmth of his body, getting a good enough grip to pull it away. Lifting the surprisingly lightweight armor she gently rested it against the wall. Next came the other pieces. She slowly approached him and lightly tapped the armored device on his forearm.

His eyes lowered to watch her.

"Off," she said simply. His annoyed expression didn't go unnoticed, but thankfully he listened, even if it was grudgingly. Before she could even tell him to do the other one as well, he weakly typed something into the gauntlet. Whatever he did, it loosened the strange netting covering his body. Then with expertise, he undid the device, slipping it off his forearm and onto the floor with a loud clunk.

A small smile slipped past her lips. Initially, she had no clue as to how the netting would come off, but she was thankful that he was a step ahead of her. As she lightly hooked a finger around it, she marveled at how warm it was. Was this why he required very little clothing in the harsh winter environment?

Meeting his eyes, Rae carefully fisted some of the material at the base of his neck and pulled it down. To her relief, it slid off him rather easily, only stopping at his waist. She looked down the length of his legs and decided she could clean the wound from where the netting was torn.

Dipping the towel into the bowl of water, she let it soak there for a moment before ringing it out and bringing it over to his closest shoulder. Carefully, she dabbed at his healing wound, clearing away all the remains of his dried green blood and revealing his natural coloring. Like a lizard from a jungle setting, her guest was a collection of greens, giving him a natural camouflage. On the tops of his shoulders and the back of his arms were a dark green, but as it crossed over to the underside of his arms or even over his chest and belly it turned a lighter coloration. She had a feeling his legs and feet were much the same. It was surprisingly beautiful.

As she moved on to his impressive chest, seeing it evenly rise and fall after each gentle stroke. She briefly lifted her eyes to his face, wishing to see his reaction. Her heart skipped a beat seeing his golden gaze remain on her. It was at this point that she wished she could understand his facial expressions better. His mandibles seemed relaxed, though it seemed his dreadlocks were crowning the longer she stared at him. She lowered her eyes to focus on the small circular motions she was making with the towel. The dirt and blood seemed to be coming off pretty well.

She submerged the discolored towel in the water, wringing it out once more before returning to his chest, slowly working her way down to his abdominals. Her mind drifted as she worked. There was so much she wanted to know about her alien guest, and at the forefront of her curiosities was his name. She was getting quite tired of all the nicknames, and she felt bad as it was rather demeaning of his character. But then it occurred to her, she hadn't even given him her own name! A smile crossed her lips at the thought of giving the guy at the ski lift a hard time about it, but this big guy had earned it, she decided. He did blow up his ship after all.

Not daring to look him in the eyes again, she breathed deeply, carefully breaking the silence between them. "I never did tell you my name," she ran the towel over the first of his abs. "It's Rae." She wasn't sure how he would respond, but he didn't seem to react in the slightest. His overall lack of response made it difficult for her to figure him out, but maybe he was one of those stoic, quiet ones. God, she hoped not. She could imagine his silent presence constantly hovering over her shoulder as she worked around the house. He would drive her insane.

Before moving down to the next set of abs, she tucked a curl behind her ear and doused the cloth again. "What's your name?"

Tomak remained silent. It did not matter that she shared her name with him. It was an honor for a warrior such as himself to give such an integral part of his identity. As he well knew, humans freely gave away their names, even to strangers, people they didn't even know. He often wondered how they would even know if those ones were honorable and worthy enough to show respect to their name? It made no sense. There was so much that confused him about the human race, but unlike some in his clan, he was far too busy doing more important things than researching a prey species' culture.

The female made a soft sound, pulling him from his thoughts. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me right now if you don't want to."

He wished her voice would have been shrill and annoying to his sensitive hearing, but oddly, Tomak was coming to realize that he did not mind the sound of her voice. It matched her perfectly. Just as she was small and soft, so was the delicate tune of her vocal chords, but also, when she needed to be, her strength was evident as well. He recalled her fiery spirit as she chastised him despite his ominous countenance and irritable mood. Very few of his own kind would dare use such a tone with him and he wasn't quite sure how to respond to it.

Against his better judgement, an unwarranted yawn broke out over him. His mandibles flexed and stretched to their limit as his chest rose, intaking a substantial quantity of air, before releasing it forcefully and as quickly as it came. This left him even more fatigued than before. And to his dismay, he was not impressed by the female's reaction.

Rae couldn't suppress the soft laugh at seeing this mighty creature yawn. It was doubtful that she would see him anymore relaxed than this. It honestly reminded her of a young child growing increasingly tired after a long session of playing and exploring. Setting the cloth aside, she laughed to herself with a shake of her head. It was funny to describe this intimidating creature as if he was nothing more than a four-year-old. It wasn't the worst comparison either, she supposed. At times he sure acted like one. She did hope though that he never threw a tantrum. The house would not survive such an event.

Seeing him blink multiple times, she knew it was only a matter of time until he was out. Collecting the bowl and the cloth towels, she nodded in understanding. "This can wait until tomorrow," she decided. Despite his lethargic condition, he tracked her every movement to and from the bathroom. Finally, having put everything away, she turned to exit the bedroom, but paused momentarily to look back at him. "If you need anything, I'll be out here."

Then with a flick of the wrist, she turned the lights out and closed the door. With him taken care of, it was as if her body only now realized its own needs. It didn't matter if it was just late afternoon, her legs guided her to the old, used couch. It was no queen-sized mattress, but it would suffice and at this state of exhaustion, it was like sleeping on a fluffy cloud.

Author's Note

It took me a lot longer than I expected to finish this and get it out, but I get very nitpicky about certain scenes. Hopefully it was worth the effort though. But I do have a question for you. So far, what's been your favorite scene/scenes? I've been cruising ahead to future chapters and creating snippets of a puzzle that will eventually piece together the full story, but I'm up for hearing what you might like to see more of!

Until the next chapter ;)