Here is the final chapter to 'BRAVE'. Enjoy :)
1 Month Later...
This past month seemed to go by like a blur.
Probably because of the fact they have been busy being full time parents to their newborn daughter, Tara. Thankfully, she was born healthy and strong. Neither her nor Thea suffered any life-threatening after affects post birth.
Something Setg-in was greatly relieved about. Because they were alone on a ship without any professional healers to help them get through delivery.
Tara was quite the energetic little peanut. But also, very laidback and happy. She also hardly fussed, which made her quite the easy baby for the two parents.
The small family was happy. Even more so when Planet So'las finally came into view.
They could barely contain their excitement when the beautiful green and blue world came into view. Thea especially found it interesting, because from space, it kind of looked like Earth.
Setg-in himself had never been to this world nor heard of it. Only that Warkha told him it's the world the Exiled Clan was located on.
The ones who run this clan were obviously quite smart. They established it on a world very far from Yautja Prime and away from many prying eyes.
But even then, it wouldn't mean much. Setg-in recalls one of a handful of stories she told him about the clan when he was young. She mentions that there are many Elders who are aware of the clan but they don't tend to bother them.
As long as those from the Exiled Clan doesn't give anyone trouble, then they won't bother them. She even told him that many don't even leave Planet So'las once they get there.
They use the world for their own natural resources and hunting grounds.
And just like Warkha and his grandmother told him, this world was huge. It had to be twice the size of Jupiter. Even Thea couldn't get over the sheer size of it.
It just made Setg-in even more grateful that Warkha gave him the exact coordinates to the area the clan was located at. Otherwise, they would've had a hell of a time trying to find it upon landing.
The ship was currently bringing them down to those coordinates right now.
They sat patiently in their seats as the young hunter directed the ship down towards the planet as they travel through its atmosphere. His gaze shifted to his mate briefly and softened when he saw her sitting there with a smile on her face while holding baby Tara to her chest.
Feeling eyes on her, Thea shifted her gaze from the view in front of them to Setg-in. Her smile widened upon seeing his soft gaze directed at them.
"We're almost there." He told her.
"I know, it's getting more exciting the closer we get." She replied.
There was a little turbulence as they broke through the atmosphere, which always tends to happen when going to or leaving a planet. But after a couple more minutes, they were able to make it all the way through.
Bright blue skies surrounded the ship along with wispy white clouds.
And below the ship was a dense canopy of trees. You could barely see through them to the ground in some areas as they flew right over top.
As Thea looked around, it really didn't seem all that different from Earth so far. These woods didn't look all that much different than the woods back home.
They must've spent the next ten minutes looking for a good clearing to land the ship in as they drew closer to their destination. Obviously, you can't land a ship this big right in the middle of the village.
He would' have to land it on the outskirts somewhere so not to incite or draw too much attention to themselves. Because he was unsure how they would react to seeing an unknown vessel so close to clan grounds.
Setg-in was finally able to find a good spot for landing up ahead and slightly to the right.
The small grassy clearing would be a bit of a tight fit. But it would suffice. While he didn't want to land too close to where the clan is supposedly located, he didn't want to land too far either.
This was unknown territory to him, and he didn't want to endanger his mate and child by having them go through a long trek through these woods to get there.
He was able to land without much issue.
Many trees surrounded the craft. And before he turned the ship off completely, Setg-in downloaded the coordinates and directions into his wrist comp so they won't get lost walking the rest of the way there.
According to the coordinates they were maybe roughly a mile away from where it was located.
Setg-in and Thea got up from their seats. Then they left the control deck. They went to the kitchen area first to bag some provisions for the little trip.
Then they went down to the kehrite and Setg-in armed himself with various weapons. He wanted to be prepared if they were to hit danger on the way from other large carnivorous animals.
He knew the planet had its fair share of large predatory animals. The young hunter pulled up any documents and history of this world in the coming months to try and learn more about it.
After he finished preparing, he led Thea who still held baby Tara to the exit door.
The pair made it to the doors and stopped before them. Setg-in turned his mask gaze down to his ooman mate. Who in turn, looked back up at him.
"Are you ready?" He asks.
While Thea was excited, she was still quite nervous as well.
She always would get like this whenever they hit a new world on the way here. Because it was all unknown territory to her, and you just don't know what to expect upon entering the unknown.
Thea took a deep breath, her gaze went down to her young daughter, who fell asleep in her arms several minutes prior to landing. Before shifting her gaze back to her hunter.
"Yeah, we're ready. Let's do this." She said.
He smiled behind his mask, then he punched in the key code on the wall next to the door.
Not a couple moments later, it slid open. The pair were hit with bright sunlight and warm, humid air. Then Setg-in wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led them down the small ramp to the ground.
Afterwards, the ramp retracted back into the ship as the door slid close behind them.
He tapped a few buttons on his wrist comp and brought up a holographic map with the direct coordinates that's supposed to lead them to the clan grounds in the distance.
As he concluded earlier, they were roughly a mile to a mile and a half east of where their location was.
He looked back down to Thea, "Stay close to me."
She nodded, and stayed close to his side, with baby Tara clutched to her chest. She had the small infant in a pelt sling that crossed over her shoulder and front to help carry her long distances if needed.
While on her other shoulder, she carried a leather-like bag with materials in it she would need for herself and the baby. She eve shoved in a couple small weapons, just in case.
Setg-in kept and arm around Thea's shoulders, keeping her close and guarded as they started to walk through the densely wooded area.
She looked around in wonder at their surroundings. Every now and then they would hear these strange chirping sounds, probably from some of this planet's native insects and birds.
Otherwise, it was pretty quiet and peaceful as they trekked through the woods.
They were walking for about twelve minutes now. And Setg-in had just finished helping Thea over a downed tree trunk when he paused and started looking around.
Thea noticed him tense up and whip his head around.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
No sooner did the words leave her lips, she gasped when she saw a yautja suddenly decloak himself a couple yards away from them to their left. And he wasn't alone. Three others decloaked shortly after him.
The pair found themselves surrounded by the four new yautja.
Setg-in instinctively placed himself in front of Thea and little Tara for protection. He looked around at each of them, before his gaze froze on the first yautja warrior that decloaked and revealed himself to them.
The first one then started to slowly approach the pair. Setg-in's body was still tense, on guard and ready for a fight if needed to be.
Then the yautja warrior stopped a few feet in front of him. His masked gaze studied the younger warrior before him that was currently shielding an ooman female behind him.
"Are you Setg-in?" He asked.
The young warrior was a bit taken aback.
"How do you know who I am?" Setg-in asked suspiciously.
The other warrior held up his hand, and the other three stood down.
"I am Bakuub. Warkha has contacted us some time ago and informed us of your impending arrival. He said to expect you and your ooman mate." He replied.
Setg-in was surprised to hear this. The younger hunter knew that the Arbitrator knew of this world and the Exiled Clan. But didn't know he had ongoing contact with the clan.
"I was unaware that he had contact with any members of the Exiled Clan." Setg-in stated.
"On the contrary, he will often visit here at times. To see family." The one known as Bakuub said.
Setg-in's eyes widened behind his mask.
"Family!? Warkha has family here!?" He nearly blurted out.
Bakuub chuckled, "I guess, he left that part out when telling you about this world and our clan. Typical of my brother to leave out the facts."
"What?! You're Warkha's brother!?" Setg-in exclaimed.
Bakuub nodded, "Yes, we are. It was he who told me about this clan after I was exiled from our birth clan when I took an ooman mate, like yourself."
Not being able to understand what was going on any longer, Thea carefully peaked out from behind Setg-in and cautiously came to stand beside him with her daughter still clutched protectively to her chest.
That's when the stranger's gaze went from her hunter to her.
"Hello, and welcome. I am Bakuub. You are Setg-in's mate, yes?" He inquires her in English.
Thea was a little surprised at first to hear another yautja speaking rather flawless English to her besides her own mate. But after her initial shock, she finally responded.
"Yes, I am Thea." She said.
That's when Bakuub noted the very tiny pup she held in her arms. He could just about make out the suckling's tiny head poking out of the top of the sling.
"I see, you two have had a pup already." Bakuub stated, to both of them.
"Yes, and they are why I'm mainly here. I brought my family here so that we can live peacefully without dangers of running all over space from others. All I want is for my mate and child to be safe." Setg-in told him.
"I understand. I'm not sure if Warkha told you this, but there are a few yautja and ooman pairs in our clan, including myself and my mate. And while they are forbidden from all other clans back on home world, they are welcome here." Bakuub assured him.
It was still quite a bit to take in.
Warkha never really talked much about his siblings or parents. But then most yautja don't. Still, he wonders why the Arbitrator didn't let slip that he had a sibling in this clan.
Perhaps, it was Warkha's way of protecting his brother and his family. Which was understandable.
The other yautja eventually joined in behind Bakuub. He must've been one of the lead hunters in the clan. They all studied the new couple and infant in her arms.
But Thea didn't feel uncomfortable under everyone's gaze. She felt that these hunters weren't a threat to them. They were just may be very curious about them.
Then one of the other's spoke.
"Are you Kv'var-de of the Jungle Hunter Clan's youngest son?" A large reddish yautja standing to Bakuub's right inquired.
"Yes. And you are?" Setg-in asked.
"I am Kaail, your father was one of my mentors, he trained me at one time. I'm sorry to hear of his passing. He was a great hunter." He told him.
Setg-in was surprised to hear this. He knew his father had trained various younger warriors throughout his life before he died. Setg-in of course was one of them. But he never thought he'd encounter one of his father's former students here.
"Thank you. And it is nice meeting you. My father always spoke of many of his students and was very proud of them. He always used to say, next to gaining trophies, teaching future generations to hunt was a huge honor for him." Setg-in replied.
Kaail gave him a small bow of his head.
"Well, I know you traveled a very long way to get here. So, without further delay, let us show you to the clan grounds." Bakuub told them.
"Thank you." Setg-in said.
"Yes, thank you." Thea mimicked.
The four other yautja then escorted the newest members to their clan village.
"Your English, it's very good. It was surprising hearing another besides Setg-in speak it so well." Thea said to Bakuub as he walked a couple paces ahead of her and Setg-in.
"My mate taught me. As I mentioned before, she too is ooman. The language is actually not all that difficult once you get the hang of it. Quite a few members in our clan can speak it quite well." Bakuub told her.
"Are there really that many yautja and ooman mated pairs in the clan?" Setg-in asks.
"I wouldn't say they make up the bulk of the clan. But there are quite a few. There are even a couple of yautja and tharian mated pairs here." Bakuub stated.
"What is Tharian?" Thea asked.
"A race of traders, hunters, and entrepreneurs from Planet Tharia. They are tall blue skinned humanoid beings. My mate is Tharian." Said the yellowish orange hunter to their left.
"Wow, so this clan really is a blended and peaceful community." Thea said, with wonder in her voice.
The yellowish orange yautja nodded.
"Like other clans, we have our own structured community. With laws in place to protect us from dangerous outsiders and bad bloods. We even have Elders that have been here the longest that run the clan." He added.
"My grandmother told me stories of this clan. She too mentioned how it's really not all that different from other clans in regard to way of life." Setg-in said.
They chatted a little more before Thea felt her daughter stir and start to squirm in her arms.
The young woman looked down and smiled when she was met with a pair of bright blue eyes looking back up at her. She cupped her baby girl's cheek and brushed her fingers over her head of soft hair.
The infant let out a couple faint cooing sounds and smiled up at her mother.
"Was your pup just born?" Bakuub asked, when he noticed the infant was awake and interacting with her mother.
"Yes, she was born only a month ago." Setg-in replied.
Bakuub nodded, "Congratulations."
The pair thanked him simultaneously.
"Do you have kids as well?" Thea asked.
"I have four. A daughter and three sons. My youngest is only a couple years older than your infant. My mate is home with them at the moment." Bakuub said.
The more they talked with these hunters, the more at ease Setg-in and Thea became.
It certainly helped when at least two of them had relations to him in a way. One being Warkha's brother, the other being a former student of his father. It made him wonder what the odds of were coming in contact from others from his own birth clan that knew of him, his family, or friends.
After another fifteen minutes of walking, the group came to a clearing.
When Thea and Setg-in came through the trees into the clearing, they were quite amazed at what lay before them about a football field away and a little below them.
It was even more built up than they could've ever imagined and quite large. There were some actual buildings and what appeared to be homes all built together that lined some large paths that intersected between them all.
There were also many yautja bustling about down there going about their own business.
Thea became even more excited when she thought she saw a few humans here and there interacting with some of the yautja. And it looked like some of them had kids in tow with them.
She felt a large hand lightly grasp her free one.
Her gaze went from the beautiful town below to Setg-in. Happiness radiated from the pair as they gazed at one another.
Words didn't have to be exchanged between them. They both were thinking the same thing. And that's they finally made it. This was home now. And the group of yautja led them down to the clan grounds.
As a way of welcoming them to their new life. A life where the three of them could thrive together as a family. A place where they can raise their little girl in safety and happiness.
It's all they ever wanted for Tara and for themselves. They have yearned for this for so long. And they finally were able to get to live the life they deserved. One where they will not be judged and will be seen as equals.
Setg-in had went back to wrapping his arm around Thea's shoulders as they entered the gates. His gaze drifted from her to his daughter's little face. Who was currently looking around at her new surroundings.
He felt warmth spread through his chest as his little one formed a bug toothless smile on her face.
It assured him that she will be happy and thrive here. And so shall he and his beautiful mate. Setg-in promised to give them a good life. And he felt like he had succeeded by bringing them here to start the next chapter in their lives.
I hope everyone enjoyed this story. As always, I have a blast typing them up. Please feel free to leave reviews and comments. And hopefully, I'll see everyone again soon for whatever future installments I can dish out. Thanks for following the the story everyone!
LunaWolf Out! :)