The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
A few days have gone by since Setg-in crash landed and came to stay with Thea.
And within that time, the young woman had actually come to enjoy his company. He still hasn't done anything to scare her or cause harm any way. The yautja's curiosity about her home and what's within it was still amusing at times too.
He was also rather curious to know more about her and oomans.
While Thea was curious to still learn more about his kind. Setg-in was still a bit hesitant to discuss much about his race to her. But the more time he started spending with her, the more he seemed to open up little by little.
"No way! Your females are actually bigger than the males!? I find that pretty hard to believe since your so fucking huge!" She blurted out one evening while she sat on a lounge chair in the backyard.
He paused during his training with his ki'cti-pa and chuckled.
"Is true. females bigger and stronger. And more temperamental." Setg-in told her.
Ever since he was well enough to start back up training a couple days ago, Thea would often come out and watch sometimes.
He didn't mind this, and also didn't mind that she would talk to him or ask him questions while he trained. The young hunter could easily juggle between conversation and training with no issue.
"So, in other words, don't piss a female off or she'll beat the shit out of you?" Thea teased.
"Pretty much. Females demand respect. Yautja is Matriarch Society. Females keep race going." Setg-in said, as he expertly twirled his combi stick.
"Very interesting." She said.
Thea was silent for a few moments. She wondered if by asking the next question that it maybe a little too personal.
"Set, do you have a mate back home?" She asks, using the nickname she decidedly gave him a few days earlier.
She still found it weird that they call their partners mates. So, saying the word out loud sounded odd. Usually, when one thinks of mates, they think of animals.
He paused for a moment, before resuming his training with the combi stick.
"No. No have mate long time. Last mate few years ago." He replied.
"Really? Do yautja not stick with one mate?" She asks.
Setg-in shook him head.
"No, yautja have many mates during life. Sire many offspring." He told her.
The young warrior held his combi stick to his side and shifted his gaze to the young woman.
"Oomans have many mates?" He inquired.
"No, many humans are monogamous. They strive to stick with one mate their entire lives if they can. And only have offspring with that one mate." She stated.
The young warrior was a bit surprised to hear this.
Monogamy was an alien concept among his kind. While it was not impossible, it was still exceptionally rare. When it did happen, they were called life mates.
A couple of the Elders in his clan had life mates. Even one of his uncles did too.
But it was more common for males and females to have multiple mates throughout their lives. And sire as many offspring as possible with multiple females.
"Odd. But not impossible. Few yautja have life mates." Setg-in said.
At first, Thea didn't understand what he meant by life mate.
But then it finally clicked. It must be equivalent to husband and wife in his race. Where one yautja sticks with one mate their entire life instead of multiple.
She knew she was acting a little nosy by asking this. But she wanted to know more about him.
"And...how many mates have you had?" She asked.
"Still young. Only had two mates. Have two offspring. One male and one female." He replied.
Now she was even more curious.
"You say young. Just how old are you then?" Thea asks.
"One-hundred and twenty-two years old. Still very young." Setg-in said.
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.
"Wait, what? One-hundred and twenty-two!? And you call that young!? Just how long do you guys live for!?" She blurted out.
He found her reaction amusing.
"Yautja live three-hundred years. Why? How long ooman live?" The warrior asks.
"Not nearly as long as you apparently. Many humans are lucky if they make it to eighty-eight five years of age. Even rarer if they make it to ninety or one hundred." She told him.
His eye ridges shot in surprise. He thought oomans lived at least a little monger than what she just told him. That really wasn't all that long at all. And it got him curious.
"How old is Thea?" He asks.
"I'm thirty-three years old. That's still quite young for humans. Not to mention most people I know; say I don't look older than twenty-three really. Probably because I'm very petite and youthful looking. My mom and grandparents were the same way. So, I accredit it to good genes." She teased.
To him, that was strange. Because thirty-three for a yautja was still very young. But then they do age quite slowly.
"Thea is baby." Setg-in teased.
The young woman rolled her eyes.
"To you maybe. But I'm a full-grown adult as far as humans go. Whereas you be considered old as dirt." She joked.
"Am young. And in prime." He puffed out.
Thea chuckled, at his words and display.
"Why you not have mate? Don't want?" He asks.
And like that, her smile slowly disappeared. She was silent for a couple of moments before answering.
"Haven't found the right one yet. It's different for us. We look for a mate that will care for us. One we can depend on and share affections with. One we can have feelings for. It's not all about coming together just to create offspring. It's more than that.
They are also a companion we can share the rest of our lives with. Someone who will be there for us. Someone who will be influential in both our lives and our children. Someone we can love, who will love us in return." She said.
Setg-in understood what she was talking about.
It was again, just something uncommon with his race. Yautja were not the sentimental nor affectionate type. The only time they saw affection was between a female and her offspring.
But it was exceptionally rare for there to be affection between males and females. Even with mating, there wasn't much affection involved. Mating was often quite rough and at times violent. Where both came out sporting scratches and bite marks.
He had his fair share when he mated the two females he was with.
And while it may have been rough, it was still quite pleasurable. And he had sired two beautiful and strong pups. Before he was labeled a bad blood, he had gone to visit his daughter and son a couple times.
Like many young males, he was proud to further his bloodline. He had done so successfully twice. And would've gone on to have done so even more with multiple offspring. Until he was labeled a bad blood.
He has learned he was not like most males. Most males didn't always have contact with their offspring until they were old enough to be trained. But Setg-in at times found himself wondering how his children were fairing.
The young warrior hoped they weren't getting ridiculed for having a bad blood father.
They were the only two children he had. And he wanted the best for them. The females he had mated were a little older than him. And already had a couple or a few pups sired by other males before him.
As far as he knew, they were good mothers to their young. And were most likely taking care of his two children.
"You say your kind has multiple mates. But do you ever see your kids?" She asks.
While the question stung, he still felt inclined to answer and he did.
"No, have not seen long time." He said.
"Sorry to hear that." Thea replied.
He cocked his head and gave her a look.
"Why?" Setg-in asks.
Thea was a little surprised by his question but answered any way.
"Because it can't be easy, being so far away from them." She said.
When he thought about it, it really wasn't.
While on the run, there were times his mind had drifted to his young daughter and son. His only peace of mind was, they were safe with their mothers back on Yautja Prime.
"No easy. But safe with mothers. Be strong warriors someday." He said.
Thea found that perhaps that bringing them up, may have not been the best thing.
She still has yet to have any kids. But that never stopped her from forming a bond with her young students. In a way, they were like her kids. And she always went above and beyond for them.
"You're lucky to have them. They do sound like great kids." She told him.
He didn't miss the flash of sadness in her eyes as she told him this.
But then, he already knew that this ooman female was alone without any mate or pups. Perhaps, it's something she did really want but hasn't had yet.
In a way, it made him feel bad for her. It didn't pass his notice that the female he was staying with, seemed lonely in a sense.
"Thea want pups?" He inquired.
She was a bit thrown off by the question.
"What?" She asks.
"Thea want pups?" He repeated.
She knew his kind referred to their children as pups. So, she knew what he was asking.
It just threw her off because it was pretty random and out of the blue.
"Umm, yes, one day, I really would like to have them." Thea replied.
Setg-in heard rumors about some yautja warriors taking ooman females for mates. Even siring pups with them. So, it was possible. Unfortunately, it was illegal. And those that have done so, were banished for it.
'Am already banished. So, what difference does it make?' He sarcastically thought.
"Can give pups if want." He said.
Thea furrowed her brows in slight confusion.
"What?" She asked.
I give Thea pups. If want." He told her.
It finally clicked what he meant.
And it left her feeling speechless. It was not something she expected to hear from the likes of him. And it threw her off guard. She almost didn't know how to respond to it.
"Uhh, thank you. But not looking to do so at this time." She somewhat blurted out.
Setg-in looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.
Then he went back to training, like he just hadn't proposed to having kids with her not a moment beforehand. But then Thea noticed, that he just seems rather fickle like that.
She's unsure if it's him or just is race that's like that in general. Though she thinks it could be the former.
After all, he did just imply that he hadn't had a mate in a long time. And while she thinks he's fascinating, and a pretty good friend, she was not looking for any kind of intimate contact with any alien being.
Thea already had enough trouble, trying to get rid of one major issue. Someone she needed to get a restraining order from because he wouldn't leave her alone.
An old co-worker of hers, actually.
At first, he seemed like a nice guy. Then he got possessive and jealous. And when he shoved her, that's when she drew the line and told him to stay the hell away from her.
So far, he's been keeping his distance.
But there were a couple times she got a couple random texts from different numbers. Ones that were quite threatening and concerned her. It was enough to keep her on guard for a while. And why she regretted not getting a pistol or rifle for protection when she had the chance.
'Can't help but feel I have all the protection I need at this point.' She sarcastically thought.
Her train of thought was broken when she saw the young warrior execute a series of movies with his weapon that had her drawn in.
His moves were so quick and fluid. Almost like it was second nature to him. But then when she asked him once when he started training, he told her he started at a very young age. Like most his kind tend to do.
Watching him, she had no reason to disbelieve his word.
Setg-in kept going, until it started to get dark. Only when the sun started to dip lower than the trees did he finally call it a day. He attached the latest weapon he had been practicing with to the back of his armor.
He looked over and noticed, that Thea was still pretty engrossed in the book she was reading.
It made him wonder what she was reading about. He may have asked her a few questions about herself. But never asked what it was she likes to read.
The young warrior walked over and sat on the chaise lounge opposite of her.
Thea could feel his eyes on her when he sat down across from her. And that is when her eyes shifted from her book to her alien guest. He slightly tilted his head while letting out a couple clicks.
"What you read?" He asks.
She smiles slightly, "It's called Silver Bullet. It's a suspenseful horror story about a werewolf. I have a bunch of these horror stories by this writer, and I really enjoy his books. This is just one in my various collection."
"What is werewolf?" He asks.
The young places the bookmark in her book, before setting it aside. Then she turns to face him.
"It's a fictional creature. One that is half man, half wolf. It tells of men and women who have been bitten and cursed. And at the light of the full moon each month, they change into this ginormous wolf.
Actually, there is one featured on the show you have been watching. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that girl Willow, her boyfriend Oz is actually a werewolf. He's featured in seasons two through four. You just haven't seen him yet, because we literally just finished season one last night." She stated.
Some of these fictional creatures she talks of sound interesting. Yautja too have fabled beasts among stories and myths. But it was just as interesting hearing about different mythological creatures in ooman culture.
Though it's also a shame they are a myth. Some of the creatures Thea explained to him that were on this show, he wouldn't have mind hunting if they were real.
Of course, one wouldn't be able to keep the skull of a vampire, since they apparently turn to ashes once you kill them.
Or at least in the show's variation they did. Thea told him that all cultures have their take and versions on vampires. And apparently, them turning to ash was something that just happened on said show.
But again, they were all nothing but fabled creatures.
Though Setg-in will admit, the way she described werewolves don't sound all that different from one creature he hunted on Planet Fey'sih called a dy'stei.
"Sound like you like myths a lot." He stated.
"Perhaps, but then I like to think a lot of people do. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many books and other types of literature out there for people to read or look up. Humans have always been curious about the unknown and paranormal. Including myself. It's just a very interesting aspect a part of our culture." She told him.
Setg-in never really had the time to dwell on certain aspects like that.
Sure, he along with many other pups have been told ghost stories or stories about mythological creatures. But that's all they were, children's stories.
Once he grew up, all he could think about was the hunt and becoming a powerful warrior.
And yautja tend to put away childish things once they come of age. Because as an adult, came new responsibilities. And there was just no more time for silly stories and games at that point.
But he wouldn't say that to Thea. Not when stories still seem to be a big part of her life, despite the fact she was an adult and no longer a child.
'Perhaps it also just happens to do with her profession as a teacher. She said her job requires her to relate to pups on a certain level. It was an effective way to interact and work with them, she once said.' He surmised.
And he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy some of these shows that she introduced him too. That and the music she tends to listen too. Which was so different from the kind of music his kind produces.
From what he learned of human culture so far, was so strange and different from his own. Yet, it was fascinating at the same time.
He probably has been learning way more about oomans now in the last few days, then when he came here in the past to hunt. And he got the hands-on experience by getting it straight from the source.
But it wasn't just that. Setg-in also couldn't deny he was starting to see a friendship building between him and the small ooman female that opened her home to him.
Something he was still very grateful for.
"So, you done for the day then?" She asks.
He nodded, "Yes. Am going back in. You coming?"
Thea sat up and stretched, "Sure, if you're not too tired we can start season two of Buffy. Or if you want, we can continue onto the next episode in the Swamp Thing Series."
"Don't matter." He replied.
She got up with book in hand and motioned for him to come with.
Then the two walked into the house and settled in the living room.
Until Next Time ;)