The next chapter is here! Enjoy :)
When Ku'dlak got word to his brother Kata'nu about what had just occurred with Julie, his son Kuhjade and two of his friends, he was furious.
Not only did he teach the three wayward teens a rather painful lesson but for their punishment, they had to polish the armor of the Blooded and Elites overseeing their training as well as the weapons for an entire month.
While his two friends were mighty pissed about the new arrangement, Kuhjade understood he had made a huge mistake by leaving the training grounds yet again with them during the mating cycle and getting involved with the little skirmish they had with his father's new ooman servant.
At least his father didn't go too hard on him when he gave him a pummeling for it. And a lot of that had to do with the fact that unlike his friends, he wasn't outwardly trying to pursue Julie, but tried to stop his friends from bothering and harming her.
Kata'nu wasn't very happy with Julie about it either. Despite the fact that his brother told him she merely got lost and wandered in the wrong direction.
This much the large red male yautja understood. But he was annoyed that she left his dwellings without her wrist band and wrist comp. Something he pointed out was very careless on her part.
When he came home that evening, he headed up to her room intending to give her a thorough chewing out.
He stomped into her room and spotted her sitting in the oversized chair next to one of the large windows near the back of the room. Though he stopped halfway when he noted she was curled up in a ball with her knees hiked up to her chest and he saw that her eyes were still a little red and somewhat glassy. A clear indication that she had been crying recently.
The sight pulled at him, and as always, he found it hard to stay mad at her. Kata'nu closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, before he closed the distance, and stood before her.
Julie's bright blue eyes slowly rose up to meet his from her seated position.
Kata'nu slowly lowered down to kneel before her. Then he carefully reached out and wrapped his arms around the petite young woman, pulling her into his embrace.
She stiffened at first. Then she gradually relaxed and wrapped her arms around his thick neck and pressed the side of her face against his.
"Are you ok?" He softly asks.
The young woman slowly draws back to look at him. Concern and worry were clear as day in his bright yellow eyes.
"Yeah, though still kind of kicking myself for going so far and getting lost. Even more so forgetting my wrist band and wrist comp on the way out earlier." She replied.
He reached up and lightly brushed a few chocolate-colored locks back behind her shoulder.
"Must've been in quite a rush this morning since you did. Were you in that much of a hurry to get more food or simply trying to run away from me?" He lightly teased.
Kata'nu saw her full lips twitch, before they slowly stretched into a small smile.
"If that were the case, I probably would have left you a nice, colorful little note with a small drawn picture of a hand flipping you the bird as my insignia at the bottom of it." She teased back.
He chuckled and wouldn't be all that surprised if she left him such a note like that. Kata'nu learned a while back to expect these kinds of things from Julie. And would expect nothing less from her.
"I can only imagine every other word on that note being a curse word if I know you, Rka-de." Kata'nu joked.
Julie rolled her eyes at his remark and the lovely little nickname he gave her. But then, she was starting to get used to it and even starting to like it.
"You're not wrong there, Big Guy." She stated.
He grinned at her. There was brief silence before she spoke up again. And the statement seemed out of the blue too.
"This procedure, the one you say that will extend one's lifepan. I wish to have it done next time you're available to take me." She told him.
Kata'nu slightly tilted his head to the side. He knew originally, she was on the fence about the procedure and afraid.
But when he looks into her eyes now, he doesn't see hesitance anymore, he sees determination. It seemed quite clear that she was serious and sure of going through with it.
He'd be lying if he didn't say he was elated to hear this.
Because just thinking of her growing old and dying before his eyes sent a pang through his heart. He didn't want that for her, but this was also her choice.
For all the other slaves that come in, they don't usually have a choice or say in the matter and their caregivers take them to have the procedure done whether they want it or not.
But for Julie, he let her make her own decisions and was respectful of her wishes from the beginning.
Kata'nu was silent for a moment before responding.
"I have plenty of free time tomorrow. Or is that too soon?" He inquired.
She thought about it for a moment. But the sooner they go through with it the better. Because the longer she holds off things that make her nervous the harder it will be for her to go through with it.
Julie believes the excess anxiety was a parting gift from when she left the Marines.
Before joining, she wasn't really someone who struggled with anxiety. But it was a different story after she left. She chalks it up to the action she has seen overseas in other countries.
After all, she did see others die. Some of which were friends she became close with in her unit.
But since she has come to this world, she found something strange. It took her a while to realize it, but Kata'nu seems to keep her rather calm and grounded.
With him, it seems like her anxiety all but disappears.
She knew he would be with her during this procedure. He told her so himself and knew she could trust him. Let's face it, he hasn't given her any reasons so far not to trust him.
"Ok." Julie said.
Before he could stop himself, Kata'nu tilted his head forward and pressed his large forehead to hers.
The small smile on her face subconsciously grew a little bigger as she rests her forehead against his. After days of avoiding him, she misses this close contact with him.
Of course the moment had to be ruined by her stomach.
Her face must've turned two different shades of red when it let out a very audible grumbling sound. It didn't help that Kata'nu heard it too and started to softly trill in amusement.
"Are you hungry or just that happy to see me?" He couldn't resist teasing her.
The large male laughed a little more when he saw her cheeks darken even more.
"Shut up, and let's just go downstairs and make dinner. Because I know you don't like to deal with me when I'm hangry. You said it yourself once, I become a real 'Hell Bitch'." She joked.
"Nope, I refer to you as Hell Bitch when your PMSing. When you're hungry, you're just a regular bitch." He joked back.
"Hey!" She barked.
Kata'nu really started laughing then.
Her punching him in the shoulder didn't stop it either, he just kept on laughing.
"Better watch it. Or this bitch will put that spicy vegetable in your meat stew again. The look on your face then was very comical to say the least." She playfully threatened.
He flinched at hearing that.
Kata'nu really never could stomach very spicy things. He hated the feeling of his mouth and throat feeling like they were on fire after incidentally consuming something very spicey.
His friends and a couple of his brothers would slip something spicey in his meal or drink when they would eat in the mess hall when they were all Young Bloods just to get a good laugh when his eyes would bug out of his head, and he'd be guzzling down drink after drink to ease the overpowering spice.
"Don't even think about it. Or I may feel inclined to walk about the place naked. I know you've been wanting to see that again." He said, with a wink.
"Hell no! Don't even think about it!" She blurted out with bright red cheeks.
Kata'nu snickered at her remark and the look on her face.
"Ok fine. No walking about naked...Just maybe flash you a little." He teased.
She gave him a look.
"No? You mean to say you prefer me without anything on? Ok, that can be arranged. I don't mind in the least." He continued.
"You're really cruising for a bruising. Aren't you?" She quips.
"I see, you're really starting to get hangry now. Let's go down and make something to eat then. Since I know the only thing that will keep you from stabbing me in my sleep is keeping you fed." Kata'nu said as he stood up.
Julie rolled her eyes, yet again. But the smile still has yet to leave her face.
It's amazing how human his personality can be. He may look like a full-blown yautja. But his personality must definitely be something he gets from his human mother.
"You really are a pain in the ass. You know that?" She stated.
"Always." Was his response.
They went down to the kitchen.
He pulled out some rjet meat from the freezer and started prepping it. Julie did her part to help out. She went and grabbed some herbs from one of the shelves.
Kata'nu separated the meat into portions and gave her the smaller portion to put in the oven compartment in the wall.
One thing she has grown to like, is the appliances here work a hell of a lot faster than they did back home on Earth. Cooking the meat in this version of an oven was a lot faster.
She added some of the herbs she likes first onto the meat before shoving it on to cook.
Kata'nu then went and grabbed a couple of thin, metal cups from a higher shelf and brought them down. He filled his with c'ntlip and hers with water. He wasn't quite ready to let her try the very strong alcoholic beverage yet.
His father told him on a couple of occasions that oomans can get intoxicated off of it pretty easily.
'It may seem entertaining at first. When I gave some to your mother the first time, I thought I wouldn't be able to stop laughing. Until to my horror, she accidentally took the blue dissolvent bottle tried to open it and down it, thinking it was more alcohol. Nor was it funny when she called Elder 'A'ni-de an old pompous windbag in her intoxicated state.' His father told him once.
While Kata'nu in a way thought it was hilarious his mom had called the former Elder that, his father thought he was going to have a heart attack at the time when she did call him that.
From what he remembered of old Elder 'A'ni-de, the old timer really was a crusty old bastard anyway.
"Think you could spare me some of that liquid courage tomorrow before you take me in for the procedure?" She asks, while gesturing to his cup of c'ntlip.
The large male shook his head, "Sorry, but no. Just like your medical procedures on Earth, you can't consume alcohol beforehand."
"Fair enough." Julie replied.
The oven made that strange beeping sound, indicating her meal was ready.
The young woman got up, grabbed a small but thick cloth, and approached the wall oven. She pressed the buttons to open it, and it slid open and the metal slab holding her plate of meat slid out.
She used the thick cloth to grab the hot plate and brought it back to the table.
Julie then used her eating utensils and started to dig in.
They conversed about various topics while they ate. She still liked that they never seem to run out of things to talk about. And of course, he never seems to run out of things to say to make her smile and laugh.
It was just like before they had that serious conversation outside in his ring in the back a few nights ago. And it was nice having that bit of normalcy back again.
While she still didn't like his lifestyle when it came to females, she still missed being able to converse with him.
Julie still admits she is struggling trying not to grow attached or attracted to the large yautja male. It was quite the internal battle she was having. Her feelings were growing the more time she spent living with him though.
After dinner, they went up to his study, and grabbed a couple books to read. They both took up the very comfortable couch in there and started reading their books. She still found it amazing yet amusing that he preferably liked reading books from Earth.
While she was reading this book on the paranormal and after life, Kata'nu was reading 'Salem's Lot' by Stephen King.
They must've been in there for the next several hours until it started getting late. Ever now and then, they would talk to each other. Sometimes about something they were reading in their books and sometimes completely different topics.
When Julie finally did retire to bed after she started having a hard time keeping her eyes open she still had some things on her mind. One thing she was thinking about was the procedure she will endure tomorrow.
Another thought that suddenly hit her, was talking to Kata'nu's mom, Joyce, and possibly his sister Rose. Or maybe even Carrie.
She hopes these women can give her a little more insight on yautja males. Though she is a little hesitant to bring up the notion about her growing attraction of Kata'nu to them.
Still, she feels the need to confide in his mom and sister about how she feels about him.
Perhaps, after the procedure when she is well enough, she could go and see them or maybe they can come and visit her and they can talk about it. She feels awkward in doing so. Because in the past, she never really needed to confide in female friends about guys.
But this case was different.
Because Julie still feels like there is still so much more to learn when it comes to yautja males. And if she were to go through with this procedure that will extend her lifespan so that she may live longer and with him, then she wanted to at least see if in the end, he is someone worthwhile being with.
After all, she knew it wasn't impossible for yautja to have life mates. It was just rare.
Until Next Time ;)