Rae woke with a startled jolt, swiveling her head back and forth to pinpoint the source of the angered snarl. Tomak had been in more than a foul mood lately. And she knew what the source of it was.

Ever since she had lost her cool with him that early morning, their friendship, if she could even call it that, just wasn't the same. There were no more silly jumpscares, more eating together. Even Chase noticed a change in his attitude when he playfully batted his calf to get attention. Instead of receiving a gentle nudge with either his hand or leg, Tomak snarled at the poor cat, scaring the daylights out of him.

Rae had tried fixing it. In fact, once she composed herself and went over what she would say a dozen times, she eventually went outside to apologize to him.

It didn't work out the way she hoped.

Looking down the sandy shoreline, she was initially stunned by the sight of him. Tomak, who was clearly peeved, was training rather vigorously.

His movements were as graceful as a leopard and as quick and deadly as a taipan. If she wasn't there to apologize, she would have been content just watching him. It was an impressive show of skill and strength. Even if it was simply his version of a daily workout routine, she would have thought he was putting on a show. It was obvious that this was something he did often to recondition his body in accordance with his spear, because they were moving as one, as if his weapon were an extension of himself. The visual had left her with quite the impression, and faintly she wondered how she even managed against such a warrior.

When he had finally decided to take a break from fluidly and almost unceasingly spinning his spear-like staff, she had carefully made her way down to speak with him, hoping with every ounce of her being that he would be receptive to listen.

His back was turned to her, but she knew he was aware of her presence.

That first moment she was nervous about how to approach it, her initial rehearsed apology dissipating as she miserably tried to recall it to mind. In the end she just went for it. "Tomak?"

The sweat glistened muscles lining his powerful shoulders flexed, catching her eye and making her swallow. He was really angry.

"Tomak, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice and yell at you. I just- I was angry and I was scared, and… I said some things that I didn't mean. I'm sorry." She hung her head, her eyes aimed in the general direction of his bare feet.

If he had turned his head to look over his shoulder to stare at her, she would have never known. Instead of getting a grunt or some sort of confirmation that he accepted her apology, he growled, snatched the weapon that was speared into the ground and stalked away.

In her initial surprise, she managed to look up in time to watch him leave.

That was pretty much how it ended. And after that he kept his distance from her, the few times he ever did speak was clipped and to the point, her name once again returning to either 'female' or 'human.' It was at that point that she realized just how bad she screwed up.

It was like he was back to being the big jerk he was before. They really had gone one step forward, two steps back.

Despite it being a week of this, Rae didn't give up, if anything it made her more determined than ever to patch up the hole she made between them. She just didn't know how yet.

In the present, it was the sound of a loud clang that brought her attention to the front window. Stretching over the couch and carefully pulling down the blinds, she peeked out in search of him. She didn't have to look very hard as he was sitting on the deck, something that was becoming more routine these early mornings, trying to repair his arm piece.

Although he hid it well with his menacing aura and his scathing glares, Rae detected something deeper in him that began to change. As time was passing away, so was his hope. And their argument only inflamed that sore spot inside of him, she could feel it.

She had observed that on those particularly difficult mornings his fighting style would reflect his emotions. Tomak's aimed swipes and lunges went from graceful and driven to choppy and aggressive. As much as he tried to conceal how he truly felt, Rae knew better. He was hurting.

Now looking out the window from her hidden perch, it pained her to see this large warrior reduced to a dejected and sullen stack of muscle slumped against her siding. It was the polar opposite of what she knew he was. For that reason she pushed aside her fluttering nerves and opened the door with a soft click.

"Hey," Rae leaned against the door frame, being careful to leave him a comfortable amount of space, unsure of his current temperament and not wanting to risk initiating his wrath.

As she followed the trail of his seething stare, her eyes found the armored technological advancement on the other side of the deck. He must have thrown it in his anger, she surmised. "I take it, repairs aren't going so well?" she looked down at him, his posture tense and unresponsive. Clearly not in any frame of mind to converse.

Leaving the doorway, Rae went over to the piece Tomak had tossed, kneeling down to pick it up. In the past, touching his stuff would always elicit some sort of growl or irritated protest, but he was silent, obviously at a point where he didn't care.

Her eyes took in its very beat up state. Turning it over in her hands she took a moment to admire the technological advancement that it was. This had the potential to get him off Earth, his only hope of ever seeing his friends and family again. Now, however, it seemed he was giving up. This knowledge hit deep in her heart. She could recall all the time and effort he had put into this over the past few months, trying to get it to work, so she understood that giving up now was not an easy decision to make.

She ran her fingers over the dented armored plating, wishing there was something she could do to help him. Sure, she had experience with some advanced technology herself, but that was only because she watched her captors assemble it over and over again. They never knew she was watching until it was too late. Now they were paying for it, her little hidden sanctuary made possible only by the very technology they were experimenting with. But that was her only experience, certainly nothing useful in this case.

Zipping up her cardigan, as a chilling wind whipped through, she shook her head with a sigh when she approached the pathetic sight before her. Tomak was sitting criss crossed with his head bowed.

Deciding against going back inside to the warmth, Rae sat beside him, ignoring his angry gaze that slowly turned to her. She was quiet for a moment, hoping to ease the tension when she looked back down. "I wish this thing would work for you," she held the offending device in both her hands.

He merely rumbled in response.

That wasn't a bad sign, it was the most she had gotten out of him as of late. Rae looked up at him sadly. She needed to cheer him up somehow. But what on Earth would do that other than her own suffering? Not that she wasn't the sort of person to take one for the team, she much rather find an alternative.

The soothing yet powerful sound of crashing waves down below made her focus on the ocean. It was light out, but the sun had yet to show its radiance. Due to the large rock formations that shielded them from prying eyes of unwelcome guests, they would not see the beautiful display.

She lifted her head suddenly. That's it.

Emboldened Rae did the one thing she never dared do without his permission. She touched him, nudged him softly with her shoulder.

His fierce predatory eyes snapped to her in disgruntlement.

"Come with me," she urged, quickly getting to her feet. "I want to show you something but we'll have to be quick."

The expression he was now giving her was so unlike his scary appearance. His eyes were filled with a potent mixture of confusion, mild annoyance, and a smidge of curiosity. She almost thought his expression was kind of cute. But she didn't bother to answer his silent questions and instead took off running, down the wooden steps and further down the stone ones that lead directly to the beach. She looked up in time to see him upright and studying her quizzically from over the deck's banister.

Playfully, a grin creeped over her lips, "Race you to the stone arch!" Without even knowing he was going to follow, her legs immediately went into action the second she turned. Somehow she had a feeling he wouldn't disappoint.

And he certainly didn't.

It wasn't the fresh salty air that woke her up or the cup of coffee she had a few minutes ago. No, it was the sound of Tomak's feet hitting the sand directly behind her with a thud. How he got down there so fast, she didn't know and frankly didn't have time to contemplate as her awareness heightened. But it only grew worse.

She could hear him rapidly gaining on her, making her heart pump faster. Amping up her efforts, she pounded the balls of her feet into the sand, her toes springing her forward with an ever quick stride.

That's when she caught movement in the corner of her eye. She knew who it was and with a burst of competitive pride she doubled her efforts, only to realize that was almost right on top of her. When she began to laugh in her strained efforts to stay ahead, she knew she lost. Her lungs tried reverently to keep up as she ran, but it was pointless.

Right on que, his bulk smoothly and rather easily passed on her right.

It really was true! She never believed him when he had claimed that he had merely been toying with her the day they met. She figured it was his hurt male pride talking. Now seeing him demonstrate his speed though, it was a lot more believable. He was showing off now as he drastically increased the distance between them.

When she finally did get to the arch, Tomak was waiting. It couldn't have been for more than several seconds at most, but he acted as if she had taken ages. The big dope wasn't even out of breath! He had this look on his face that made her want to walk over there and wipe it right off, but she was currently leaning over to relieve her heaving lungs. His arms crossed over his chest in an arrogant pose as he trilled in obvious amusement.

Rae scowled at him, but she couldn't stay angry. This is improvement, she reminded herself. Brushing past him, she huffed, "No need to brag." She then peered up at the rockwall. As much as she wanted to have a breather, she knew if she didn't start climbing he'd have another reason to pick on her. Besides, they really did need to get going if they wanted to see the sunrise.

Grabbing two good hand holds she pulled herself up the rockface. Her hands gripping the rough outcrops with familiarity, though she could feel a soreness in her shoulders as she continued. This was the first time she had climbed this rockface this season and the long winter months reminded her of her lack in using these specific muscles. Rae couldn't complain though, she was moving fairly well even without the practice, and she was rather pleased with herself for not stumbling or slowing given that she never usually climbed on this end of the arch, closer to the water. For traversing new rocky territory, she was doing pretty well.

As she continued scaling the wall, she began to consider racing Tomak in this endeavor. Surely with his mass, he would have a harder time climbi-

It wasn't even funny. As she was thinking these very thoughts, his dark green hide quickly surpassed her and disappeared over the top.

Her proposal died instantly in her mind. She released an annoyed breath and continued the journey up. Just as she was nearing the top, her eyes scanned for handholds, but she was finding none. How could he have gotten past this? she frowned, cursing him for having such long and muscular limbs.

His kneeled form appeared above her, his dreads hanging over his shoulders as he observing her predicament. He chuffed, "Come." His tone was amused as he lowered his hand to her.

Damn him.

"I don't need your help," Rae scrutinized the distance of a handhold that was off to the side.

Tomak followed her gaze and shook his head, his dreads swaying with the movement. "It is too far for you."

His words burned her pride and urged her to prove him wrong. Stubbornly ignoring him, she readied her legs to push off in that direction. If he could do it, so could she.

With a burst of energy, she launched herself. Her body felt weightless for all but a moment as she sprung away from her holds, her stomach filled with that jittery excitement as her arms and fingers stretched out. Then in an instant, it was gone. Her brain just barely registered that her fingers had missed their intended target, just brushing the outcropped section while her body fell, like a dead weight.

She didn't have time to scream before a solid force snagged around her arm, nearly yanking it out of its socket. She cried out, tears nearly springing to her eyes as she looked up in immense relief seeing Tomak leaning down, and holding her wrist securely with one clawed hand. Then with very little effort on his part, he pulled her up.

Her heart was pattering so fast from shock, the second he got her to safety, she didn't even think when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek firmly against his bulky shoulder. She felt his body stiffen, but she didn't care. She still felt a little dizzy from the frightful experience and he was the only thing anchoring her from wanting to tip right over again.

The climb felt a lot higher than she remembered and there was no doubt in her mind that if she had hit the ground from that height she would have either died or shattered every bone in her body.

She didn't know when she started trembling, but she honestly couldn't help it as much as she tried.

He must have noticed how shaken up she was because his hands moved to rest lightly against her back, steadying her. It was clear he was uncomfortable, but she was just thankful he didn't rip her away from him. Just the feeling alone of his large, warm hands splayed almost protectively over her back, and his masculine scent filling her senses did much to calm her. In fact, as much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed this. She remembered the last time she was held like this and it didn't even compare.

It took her another long moment before she finally let go and stepped away from the edge.

"Okay," she admitted in a shaky voice, "maybe I did need some help."

His brow rose with his silent yet sarcastic reply to that statement, but she didn't give him the chance to voice it.

"Come on," she gestured towards the lightly forested area, "we're almost there.

Having no choice but to follow, Tomak let his thoughts drift as he curiously wondered what it could possibly be that she wanted him to witness. He could not deny he enjoyed this odd activity together, it fueled his male pride to show her his superiority in these physical games.

The small race between them had been especially enjoyable. It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that this female was fast. He could not be certain before when he hunted her, since her attire obviously restricted her movements to a great extent. Here though he got the chance to see it first hand. When he pursued her however, he couldn't help but exploit his prowess to her, giving her a very good idea of how easy it was for him to beat her. Her response to losing was more than amusing. In fact, it immediately brought to mind a certain yautja female. Her irritated expression, hurt pride, stubborn attitude, and inability to accept anything but the best in herself, it was all very similar. Fisting his hands, he growled inwardly, his eyes casting to the small human female. She is nothing like A'dah.

His heart ceased as she suddenly turned as if hearing his thoughts, but he was stopped by her uniquely beautiful smile.

"Looks like we made it in time," she flashed those teeth again. Something he would have considered to be a threat in the past.

Examining the area around him, he found nothing special about this place. Why did she take him here? Was this a trick?

He was about to growl when she suddenly sat down in front of him, urging him to do the same. Grumbling, he lowered himself, looking at the back of her head in question. Now she was staring at the horizon almost expectantly. He would never understand humans and their odd fixations on things.

Giving in, he watched the horizon with her. As the comfortable silence between them ensued, Tomak admitted that it was very calming. The sounds of crashing waves were more pronounced here and so was the smell of salt, but it oddly seemed to add to the experience.

Ever slowly he let his eyes wander down to the female sitting before him. She was relaxed too, from what he could tell. Her legs were crossed in front of her, and she had laced her fingers together, resting her hands in her lap. She was taking deep breaths, similar to his own meditations.

This was probably the most relaxed he had ever seen her, other than those first few nights when he watched her sleep. At the time he told himself it was because he didn't trust her, but he knew otherwise. There was and still is something about her that draws him, he found his curiosities were peaked in her presence and faintly somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this was a lack of self control.

She shifted the position of her head then, her long dark hair cascading down her shoulder and drawing his eyes. Her hair was one of the many mysteries he wished to understand about her. It mimicked his own to an extent, though his not being nearly as curly as hers, but it behaved similarly. Oddly enough, he wanted to know if it felt as soft as it looked or produced any sensation for her as his did for him. As that dangerous thought passed through his mind, he resisted it with a soft growl and quick shake of his head. The urge to touch one of the strands, though as powerful as it was, would be a lapse of his control and he knew it.

Saving him from his troubling thoughts, Rae's soft voice had him refocusing on the clear horizon sky. He hadn't noticed it before but above the surface of the water in the far distance appeared to be a band of red, streaking horizontally across the sky. Its rosy hue was such a contrast to the clear blue skies this planet was known for. Then came the real spectacle, as the first signs of the sun's appearance came next. So this was what she wanted to show him. Her planet's sunrise. Watching carefully as the small glowing ball of light seemed to breach from the water, as if it was hidden beneath its cold depths.

Tomak had seen countless sunrises and sunsets on his hunts. Each one unique in its own way. While this medium sized star put on a show of bright crisp oranges, yellows, and reds, Tomak was reminded of the blue giant he had witnessed years ago when he was hunting in the rainforest of the planet Megid'do, its bright blue rays displaying the opposite side of the color spectrum.

This was an unexpected experience that he was grateful for.

The most memorable memory he had with his bearer was when on his own home planet she had taken him to a similar high point, near one of their waterfalls and had him witness Yaut's sunset. She did this often, making sure to incorporate a lesson or two into those bonding moments, especially when he least expected it. She did well to inculcate that desire to hone his survival and hunting instincts and he was grateful for it.

His kind's females were not known for coddling their pups for fear of making them soft, but when it was just the two of them and they would watch the remainder of the sun dip beneath the dark shadows of the distant mountains, Tomak could recall her long arms curling around him protectively, and her mandibles playfully fluttering over his crown as she expressed her adoration for him. His response to her affection was always one of angered protest, which amused her greatly and always prompted her to tickle him into submission. "I will express my affections as I please," she growled blithely at him, her mandibles flared in mock aggression.

Tomak blinked out of the memory when Rae began talking again. He took his chance to stretch then, shaking his dreads out to push his drifting thoughts away from the past and retrain his focus on the present. They were nothing but weakness anyway.

Realizing he hadn't heard what she said, she moved so her body was turned slightly towards him. "What do you think?" she asked again, smiling softly as she did.

He looked at her gently, taking much too long to discern what she was referring to. He watched as that smile widened before she looked back towards the fully risen sun, hanging there like a beacon. Dumbly he followed her gaze and realized what was being referred.

"I think it's gorgeous," she sighed, raising her knees to rest her chin on. "I used to come up here all the time to clear my head, get away from everything."

Tomak's eyes gravitated back to her as he listened.

"I had a lot of nightmares after escaping the facility," she paused with a small shrug of her shoulders, "still do," she confessed softly, wringing her hands as she went, something he realized she did when she was nervous.

"Look, I know you've been working very hard to try and contact your people. I can't imagine what that feels like to be trapped on an alien world." She delayed for a moment longer, her eyes darting back to his. Just say it. "But I am thankful that you're here with me, Tomak."

He stared at her, in unbearable silence, unable to produce words.

"That morning," she continued with a vulnerability she wasn't comfortable with, "when I was looking at those drives," she hesitated, as his eyes practically bore into hers. She dropped her gaze to her fiddling hands. "I watched my father die," she bit her tongue when she felt her throat constrict.

She didn't dare look at his face, but she saw a subtle tension in his body that hadn't been there before, at least, she didn't think it had. "I never knew how he died. In those labs, they just showed me an explosion and I wouldn't believe it, couldn't believe it," she swallowed painfully. It was true, some part of her young mind had believed that there was a chance they lied and that her father was still alive and searching for her, but what could you expect from a thirteen year old? She had endured months behind their cell walls suffering and praying to God that she would be freed and reunited with her father. He was the only family she had. Her only hope.

When Rae looked back up into Tomak's eyes, what she saw there stunned her. Those bright amber orbs of his were filled with sympathy, and it almost made her cry. It told her everything she needed to know, but she knew she couldn't stop with that, she needed to say this.

"What I said," she sighed heavily in regret, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth as she carefully thought over her next few words. "I didn't mean any of it. I was angry and upset and I wrongfully took it out on you." She tried to read his body language, but he was unmoving, possibly contemplating. He had to know the truth.

"It's taken a few years for me to realize that I'm not so good on my own," her lips curved into a sad smile, "but you being here has done me a lot of good. More than you know." She swallowed the lump that was steadily growing in her throat. She shifted her body, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry and… I like having you here."

"You like having me," he repeated, his tone questioning, uncertain.

Rae's smile brightened a little more, "I do. Besides, life around here would be pretty boring without you."

He chuffed, "Do you find me amusing, little one?"

She laughed softly, "Amongst other things, yes." He seemed to enjoy this little tidbit, and she was being completely genuine when she said it. He was a lot of things, but she couldn't deny that he was starting to grow on her. All the fears she had of the future seemed miniscule when she was around him. Maybe that was how it normally felt like when around someone as masculine as he was. All she knew was that she felt safe and protected when around him, a security she had not felt in almost a decade. She knew this wouldn't last forever, though. He was looking to get home after all.

"I know Earth could never replace where you came from, but I do hope that you will consider this to be your home for now, at least until you do return. What do you think?" She watched him carefully.

Tomak wasn't quite sure what he expected from her. An apology was surprising enough, especially after learning why she had acted out. The death of anyone close was one of the few wounds you received that would never truly heal, Tomak knew this well. It was the only scar he carried on his heart, through every hunt and every battle. Enduring was a sign of strength and should be worn as a necklace to this testament, that one would continue on despite their trials.

She didn't just apologize though, she even went as far to admit that she enjoyed his company when he knew he had been less than agreeable in the past few cycles. For this he simply stared at her. "You are full of mysteries, female."

Rae grinned, a small spark of challenge twinkling in her eyes. "Rae," she corrected humorously.

He grunted, flicking his mandibles in pretend annoyance.

Shaking her head she looked back to the stunning sky that was glowing in what was probably her favorite shade of reddish-pink. Struck with a sudden curiosity she asked without taking her eyes off of the scenery, "Are your sunrises just as beautiful where you're from?"

Tomak took his time answering, taking in the view. "No."

Rae tentatively turned in confusion, when she saw him looking at her. Obviously it was not the answer she was expecting.

"It is very special here."

Oddly she felt her heart pound a little harder. Why on Earth she was feeling the uncomfortable flapping sensation in her stomach, she did not know. Perhaps it was hunger, that was her only excuse. The coffee she had this morning was also not her normal first drink of the day, which could explain her fluttering heart as well.

Swallowing, she nodded quickly and faced forward once more.

Why was her face now heating at the thought of him seated so closely behind her? What is wrong with me? she asked herself outrageously. She was being absolutely ridiculous. Tightening her jaw and holding her tongue none too gently between her teeth, she attempted to resist and overcome this strange feeling. She should have never sat herself here in the first place.

As she continued to silently scold herself, a cool ocean breeze passed over them getting her hair to wave as it carried her curly strands willingly under its gentle touch. It was just the distraction she needed to regain her composure.

Rae was not so naive to know exactly why she was feeling this way. It had always been a weakness of hers since middle school. She always somehow managed to find herself attracted to the big, tall, muscular guys, the ones that were way out of her league and practically untouchable. In those younger years she was too much of a know-it-all for them to take notice of her, or want to for that matter. After the labs, however, she had gone into highschool as a completely different person.

She got into sports, not playing of course, she tried that once, all the coaches vying for her to join their teams. As amazing as that would have been, deep inside she knew that if her face so much as made it in the papers, Price would be all over it. Besides, it felt like cheating. She knew no one could match her, not even the boys, which made gym a real pleasure. Other than that, watching and understanding the plays made in football had really caught her attention and apparently it seemed to attract the attention of some of those guys too.

Ultimately that led her to Jake, who was easy on the eyes and he knew it, what made it worse was that he was also Naomi's brother, which meant she was around him a lot more.

She exhaled forcefully, her nostrils flaring at just the thought of him. Envisioning his attractive face made her so angry, she shunned the inkling of sadness that stealthily crept into her heart. She wasn't going to waste another breath thinking about him. Not another breath.

"Something bothers you," the deep voice spoke from somewhere behind her, inadvertently making her shiver.

She didn't look at him immediately. It took her by surprise actually. He almost never started the conversation unless he was looking for something. It was always her throwing the ball, and hoping he would throw it back, which also was a rarity these past few weeks.

"I'm fine," she lied, she would rather not make conversation on the subject of her dating life. "Thinking about the videos." A partial truth, they had been occupying her mind as of late. There were too many unknown factors and that really bothered her. Too many questions left unanswered. She voiced this when she faced him once more.

"You were sick." His bright eyes pinned her with the non-question.

"It was a degenerative congenital disease that almost killed me when I was an infant," she explained. "Somehow I survived, and although I grew, my body remained crippled." There was no better way of describing it. "Being a doctor and scientist, my father knew it was only a matter of time until the disease took my life. So he worked long nights and stayed with me during the day, trying to make a cure."

Tomak continued to stare at her, with the appearance that he was seeing a different side of her. It was so strange to think that she was in a weakened state in her youth. In his culture, such weakness was scorned and it was considered a mercy to take their life. And yet here, her sire had clearly put everything he had into trying to save her, it was strange yet it allured him. It was very honorable.

Lost in her own thoughts, Rae frowned, trying to reason it out. "Dad had given me that serum everyday for months, and yet my powers didn't come until after we got separated. Why? Why not sooner?" she whispered more for herself than him.

Tomak remained impassive. He could not answer this. The serum she spoke of, on the other hand, captured his attention. If it made her what she was, then could other humans have similar responses to it? This was something his people would need to monitor closely if that was the case. "Are there more like you?"

His rumbling question caught her off-guard and she went silent for a moment. "I don't think so," her tone was low and uncertain. As far as she was aware, she was their primary focus. On occasion she would hear them talking about other projects, mostly tech, but she had overheard there being clinical trials at one point. Whether they were successful in replicating the results that transpired in herself, she did not know. Just the implication of it made her nervous. "I think if my dad even knew what the serum ended up doing to me, and the trouble it would cause, he would have realized what a mistake it was and not given it."

Tomak shook his head once. He could not believe what was streaming out of her mouth. His brow lowering in displeasure, he sat taller, effectively capturing her attention. "You dishonor him with such words. Not a mistake."

His claim stung. Like salt in the wound, she practically flinched. "You wanna say that again?!" she demanded tersely.

Resisting his own temper from spiking, and the urge to answer her subtle threat, he breathed deeply, his exhale practically rattling with a growl. With more control, he lowered his tone, "It was not a mistake. He sacrificed himself for you. An honorable death."

Rae could feel her anger deflate at that. He was right. She didn't mean to come off sounding ungrateful for everything her father did. A lot of good did come out of it, but at times she just didn't feel she was worth it all. Not worth his sacrifice, or worth risking putting others in danger.

Seeing her grave expression, Tomak decided to goad her a bit. "Not so helpless anymore," his eyes glittered as she absorbed his meaning.

It took her a second before she rolled her eyes allowing a grin of her own. "I guess there really is no excuse for you to be afraid of me then, Tomak," she fired right back.

He blinked, his eyes widening just before they narrowed into a simmering irritated expression.

Before he could have some form of physical retribution, she managed to contain the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest, and ease him. "You know I'm just kidding. I couldn't resist ruffling up your feathers a little bit."

His response to that was several more confused blinks, his annoyance only growing as he tried to understand what she meant by feathers. Clearly she saw he had none, so how could she ruffle them up? And what was the meaning behind such actions?

Enjoying his quiet oblivion, she snickered, deciding to show some empathy, "It's just an expression, and you're right, but, the glowing hands for sure were a mistake," she grinned.

He chuffed softly. "Perhaps."

"Alright," she hunched forward enough to prop her chin on the tops of her knuckles, while at the same time, leaning her elbow against her thigh, "I spilled. Now it's your turn."

"Spilled?" he trilled, amused.

"Yeah, spilled," she nodded emphatically. "You know pretty much everything there is to know about me, and I hardly know anything about you other than you are yautja, a hunter, extremely competitive and arrogantly proud," she went down her list, counting them off her fingers. The corner of her mouth hitched up a little higher. "There's got to be more than that," she insisted.

He looked at her from his seated position, examining her.

Taking her opportunity, she went on, "What about your family?" she laid back, getting more comfortable. "Are you close with them?"

Tracking her slow descent, he watched her sprawl herself out, the action speaking volumes. Satisfied, he rumbled softly in reply. "I speak often with my sire."

Her eyes looked up in his direction. "Sire- you mean your father."

He nodded.

"What about your mom?" she questioned.

"She met the Dark Warrior when I was still a pup."

The Dark Warrior. It sounded so menacing, she could only assume this was their cultural reference of death. That must have been so hard for him to overcome, and as a child too. Rae could sense something in his low gravelly voice. Almost a sadness lurked there, regret even, but with his unreadable expression, she couldn't be sure. "I'm sorry."

Tomak straightened his gaze. "I wish to have an honorable end as she did."

And that was another thing she couldn't fathom. She was aware that he was born of a "superior warrior race" as he had put it before, but she struggled to fully understand that view of death. To want a warrior's death, to not die of old age or with fear, but to stand firm in the face of it, accepting of death's blade. It was everything she was taught not to be. She was taught how precious life was and to put yourself in harm's way or to risk the lives of others was foolish. She could never be like that, not fearing the end of her life. Death had come knocking on her door already, and it had mercilessly claimed the precious lives around her, she did not want to imagine coming face to face with it again.

"Do you still remember her?" she suddenly asked, surprising herself.

Tomak turned to observe her carefully. "Yes."

Rae smiled softly at this, closing her eyes to the sun's shining rays. "I never knew my mom. I think she died giving birth to me, but my dad would never tell," she answered his unasked inquiry, "I don't even know her name. Everytime I brought her up it seemed to hurt him, so I stopped asking." Keeping her eyes shut tight, she squinted in the darkness behind her eyelids. "Sometimes," she started quietly, "I'll close my eyes and try to picture what she looked like."

Turning his head slightly, his dreads spilled over his shoulder, ever more curious about this human female.

"Who do you look like more, your mom or your dad?"

Her question was interesting. What did it matter who he carried more genes from? Both his sire and bearer were honorable and skilled in the hunt. But if he was to make a comparison of his markings, he knew he looked more like his father. "Sire," he answered in a low growl, interested to know her response.

She smiled brightly with her eyes still closed to him. "Are you happy you look like him?"

Tomak chuffed irritably. "It does not matter who I look most like, I am myself." When her eyes were opening, he watched her sit up, those emotion-filled irises carried a concern deep within them that made him feel uncomfortable.

She held her hands out, hoping to calm him, "I meant no offense, Tomak. I was just trying to understand. I'm sorry."

Breathing deeply, his harsh eyes skittered away from her face. He did not like this. It was odd, her sympathy and humility, it was everything he was not accustomed to with females of his race. She was truly a mystery. One worth taking time to solve, he agreed, but not right now. Rising, he went to go clear his head, only to pause in his actions.

Rae looked over to him with raised eyebrows. Immediately she wondered if she had gone too far with her questions, but to her surprise he stopped moving altogether, turning rather awkwardly to her, his shoulders shifting back and forth trying to decide whether to just straight up leave or say something. She giggled softly seeing his inner struggle. Was he trying to say 'thank you?' Saving him from his own turmoil she smiled, "Are you leaving to go train?" she gestured with a soft nod towards the sandy shoreline.

"Yes," he replied rather stiffly, on the move again.

Biting her bottom lip, she threw out something that she hoped came across as casual. "Maybe you could show me some time." She wasn't sure if she had made that in question form or not, but it made her nervous all the same and she had no idea why. It sure stopped him in his tracks though.

He pivoted, his long dreads swinging with the movement. "You wish to learn?" he cocked his head to the side.

Her eyes widened, not at all expecting the proposition. "I mean- yeah, i-if you want to."

The thought of him teaching a human how to spar with a staff was humorous, but as he continued to look in those dark eyes of hers, he saw a fire in them. He knew she had spirit, and he had been itching to see her power in action again. Suddenly, the idea of having a sparring partner was not so absurd anymore. He might even come to enjoy this.

"You may regret your words, Rae," he rumbled in promise.

His blood seemed to pump faster as she smiled at him, boldly meeting his gaze. "I'm not afraid."

"We will see."

Author's Note

I am so happy with how this chapter turned out! It was about time I revealed a bit more about Tomak, wouldn't you agree? But a lot of questions still have yet to be answered though, especially about Rae. I've been thinking about the different avenues I could take going forward, and I'm pretty excited. What are you looking most forward to?

You know the drill! If you haven't already, please favorite, follow, and review! It's a good motivator. ;)