Not far past Prime, a forest sat spanning for miles, a stark contrast to the desert village. A'luet had grabbed Ricky by his shirt collar a few times to keep him upright after tripping. A'seigan only laughed and kept going. A'luet knew the predator was purposefully taking the less travelled route.

"We stopping any time soon?" A'luet asked.

"Why, got something better to do?"

A'luet resisted a growl and helped Ricky along a little too roughly when he started to lag behind him and Paya.

"Do you mind?" The kid complained.

For what seemed like forever, the group finally came to a halt at a clearing. Ahead there was no vegetation, only dried, dead dirt. And in the middle where massive mounds, skinny at the top. It reminded Ricky of a termite mound.

"A sort of rope's course." A'seigan said.

Ricky saw what looked like indeed a rope's course.

"The young ones take the test here, to see if they're even honorable enough to become a warrior." A'seigan turned to Ricky. "Since this test has been passed by kids as young as eight seasons, it should be easy for you."

"A'seigan, really?" Paya wasn't impressed.

A'seigan shrugged.

"All in good fun. Unless he's too chicken shit." A'seigan nodded to A'luet. "Go ahead, explain it to him."

The earth term, chicken-shit, was surprising to Ricky. Such an awfully specific insult. The predator must have heard it from the older Yautja.

"A rope's course…" Ricky feigned ignorance.

A'luet used his translator.

"You don't have to do it." The predator shot A'seigan a glare, not that he saw with his mask on. "It's too dangerous."

"What's dangerous? Looks pretty easy."

"My, he is dumb." Paya said. To A'seigan, he added, "and you're a bigger moron. Do you really think the elders will be thrilled if he comes back maimed?"

A'seigan shrugged again.

"I can't stop him if he does it on his own accord. What are any of us going to do?"

"I'll do it. Can't be that hard. Just balancing right?"

"You could say that." A'luet said unenthusiastically.

"Where do I start?"

A'luet hated to contribute to anything, silently he pointed to a wall with knobs to climb up.

"Kay."

"He's going to die, A'luet." Paya said in his ear.A'luet couldn't have agreed more.Ricky was going to be on a funeral pyre by the day's out.

"Here's you're going to need this."

A'seigan handed over a large knife, heavy like everything else the predators had at their disposal for weapons.

"Thanks… I guess."

Ricky glanced down at himself, nowhere to store the knife. Its blade too wicked to put into his jean pockets.

"Oh here." A'seigan took the knife, stuffed it in its sheath and handed it back. Then he trailed after Ricky, snorting. "If you need assistance-"

"I don't. Thank you." Ricky waved the predator away; the young adult standing back with his friends and shot A'luet a grin.

Ricky looked up the wall, getting his bearings. Then he reached for a knob and pulled himself up. It wasn't hard. They had practiced rock climbing in gym class many times. Soon enough he was on the small platform, a good thirty feet off the ground. Ahead, was a rope bridge, designed to make you fall off if you weren't paying attention. He tested the first plank, the bridge instantly tipping to the left. He would have pitched. Ricky sized up the bridge and noticed a thin, translucent thread above. How devious. How many kids didn't look up, Ricky wondered.

He reached for the thread, it would do no good if it was a trick and the rope was flimsy. Instead it was quite taut. He glanced out again, the bridge went directly over the strange mounds. He could now see a cavernous hole in the top. Just like termites.

"It's been four minutes, ooman. I suggest you move."

"You're timing me?" Ricky grabbed the translucent thread and carefully stepped out on to rope bridge. In an instant he was relying on his upper body strength, what little he had. "Shit…."

Those mounds were enormous, the holes almost big enough for him to fall into. But he had started this and he was going to finish it. He made it across the bridge relatively unscathed, his shoulder muscles smarting. The next section was a rock face with ledges jutting out. He had to hop those?

He was planning his next move when he heard a rumbling.

….

Same time

A'luet had to admire the kid's resolve. The ropes course was designed for kids yes, but kids that born into a warrior society. They came out of the womb thinking like warriors. So far Ricky had made it. A'luet spared a glance at A'seigan. Was the predator pissed his plan wasn't going according to plan? On the contrary, A'seigan and his two buddies appeared as impressed as him. Until the rumbling.

"I mean, he made it farther than the kids before they awoke." A'seigan said. "Gives him an advantage."

A'luet was about to tell A'seigan to call off the whole thing when a massive insectoid burst from the top of the mound, quickly followed by two others.

"The scouts." A'seigan said.

A'luet growled in frustration. The ooman hadn't moved yet.

"Ricky, MOVE!"

He saw the ooman turn and his pale complexion possibly paling even more as his eyes grew big.

….

The thing that burst up through the mound reminded Ricky instantly of the alien horde on Starship Troopers. The movie was corny and rated R, two of the best combinations after you've smoked some weed in his opinion. But that had been a movie. Make-believe. This was real.

"Oh, fuck."

The insectoid lunged for him, forcing him off the platform and on to the rock wall. His footing slipped and he slid down the face a ways before tightening his grip on some divots. Now his arm really hurt, skinned it looked like. He was reaching up to pull himself when the creature dove him like a raptor with its prey. Ricky let go and hit the ground on his back. His vision jarred, it cleared in time for him to see the insectoid still diving for him.

He rolled and saw a carved out portion of the rock he had been clinging to. He scrambled inside just as pincers the length of his legs grabbed for him. Ricky hit the wall, panting as the insectoid didn't let up. It had a meal to eat. And its meal was being irritatingly elusive. Ricky saw a hollowed out ramp and went for it as his assailant still went nuts at the bottom, trying to pry millennia old rock apart. That meant it was instinct driven, not a creature that thought out its plan.

Something poked him in the back. The knife. No wonder why A'seigan gave it to him. Prick. A combi-stick would have been better. He pulled the knife loose and could see daylight above. Two more good climbs upward and he was out with some distance between him and the creatures tearing the bridge apart. That's why it was so frayed.

Below, the five predators spotted him. Their behavior telling him they were stunned he was still alive. Then the insectoid realized he was up top. It came over the side of the rock like a ravenous beast, pinchers open wide.

Ricky jumped for the zip line, his fingers closing around the handles and zipped off the platform. He was nearly there when the rope snapped. He desperately grabbed out for anything and managed to grip the next platform. He hung there. Muscles too tired to pull himself up. Then the chitters behind him were enough motivation to haul himself, which he did with some difficulty.

The last platform was a ways away with no foreseeable route of getting there. He might be able to make the jump, he wasn't sure, as he remembered the roof fight with the predalien. A'luet had come from somewhere, jumping incredibly high and coming down on top of kiande amedha. Lithe. Athletic. And fucking Alien. Humans really were a weak species.

As he stood contemplating his next move, the insectoid skittered down to the ground. And Ricky had stood for a moment too long. He backed up, readying himself when he felt hot breath on his neck. The maw was impossibly huge. He launched forward, jumping as the insectoid followed him. Physics played a role as he twisted slightly in the air and saw the insectoid was going to land on top of him. Was this it? Was this how he was going to die? Ricky still had the knife…. And then the impact.

….

Same time

"It's not fair to make him think he has to finish this. That's a jump a human can't do." A'luet said furiously.

A'seigan only shrugged. His trademark answer to a lot of things. "He can forfeit any time."

"He's stupid, no offense to him. He's going to see it through so you get off his back."

A'seigan grinned.

"Nothing he does will impress me-"

A'seigan zeroed in behind A'luet's back. The predator turned. Ricky had pulled himself up onto the platform, clearly winded but made it. Now, he was studying the distance jump to the end. A jump no human could make. Not even an Olympic gold medalist. As the ooman stood around like a moron, the insectoid was on the ground and quickly coming up the side, unbeknownst to its prey. Ricky backed up and then paused, turning and seeing death opening its mouth for him. He sprinted across the platform, not big enough in A'luet's opinion to actually get enough ooomf behind him to make it. The insectoid followed him, the two in midair. If A'luet hadn't seen it himself he never would have believed the kid made it across. Ricky hit the platform, the wood shaking from the force, he still had the knife A'seigan gave him, point out and then the insectoid came down on top of him, crushing the platform, a human and alien crashing to the ground.

"Shit to mother-" A'seigan said. "He fucking made it."

"Ricky!"

A'luet didn't wait, running towards the stilled insectoid, across the way its two companions shrunk back into the mound. The thing was huge, almost too big to move but Paya helped, grabbing an edge of the creature's exoskeleton. They struggled until surprisingly A'seigan joined in. Rolling over the creature the knife was sticking out of its chin.

"That's one way to kill it." A'seigan said.

A'luet ignored the insectoid

"Ricky?"

The human was silent, then his eyes opened but still he lay unmoving. A'luet felt a pang of fear in his gut. Cripe, if the kid was paralyzed P'sy and the others were going to kill him.

"That was fucking intense."

A'luet clicked in relief.

"Can you stand?"

Ricky's eyes followed A'luet, still, he made no effort to move.

"I'm afraid to try."

"C'mon." A'luet reached down and took Ricky's hand, slowly pulling him up. The kid was winded, slightly off balance but seemed alright except for the nasty scratch on his arm. He stumbled out of the mess of wood and insectoid but paused for the knife, pulling it out of the body, blue goo coating it.

"There's shit on it but here."

A'seigan didn't take the knife as he considered the ooman. Then he turned, studying the ropes course.

"Keep it. You earned it."

The walk back didn't take nearly as much time as it did going into the forest. K'eira and Jessie were where the group left them. Jessie immediately noticing Ricky wasn't as 100% as he was when he left.

"Are you okay?" She noticed his arm. "Oh my god! What happened?"

She didn't wait for an answer from him, turning her attention to A'luet who shot A'seigan a glare.

"Just some outdoor fun." Ricky answered.

"Outdoor fun?" Jessie repeated. She looked back at A'luet. "Did he hit his head?"

"Sort-"

A'luet elbowed Paya.

"Nothing he can't walk off."

Ricky gave a shaky laugh. "Good one."

One thing that secretly pleased A'luet was the fact Jessie no longer needed directions from him on where to go, and how to get back to Noni's home. She turned in that direction, refusing to let go of Ricky and marched him along with her.

"What did you do out there?" K'eira asked. "He smells like a Rachnoid."

Because he went up against one and lived."

K'eira thought he was kidding, but only for half a moment.

"Are you serious?"

A'luet hummed.

K'eira looked to Jessie and Ricky's retreating backs. "Kid has balls."

"The kid does have balls."

….

"What the hell happened to you?"

Kelly was first to see the kids come through the door. Ricky glanced down at himself. He was covered in blood, and dirt and mud. As for A'luet , he was never good at hiding his guilt so he was glad he kept his mask on but knew it was no use as the predators in the room would smell his musk. Noni was only quiet for a minute.

"Where's A'seigan?"

She raised a brow when A'luet took too long to answer.

"I tripped." Ricky lied.

"You tripped." Noni repeated. "Did you fall off a summit?"

"Sort of."

Across the room, P'sy was giving A'luet the third degree as the young predator tried to ignore the stare. Noni's own stare was piercing.

"He knows where the shower is." She said to A'luet who took that as his cue to make himself scarce. Jessie was quick to follow them.

Noni turned to Paya.

"I want A'seigan here in five minutes."

"Ricky did consent to doing it."

Behind the elder, Dallas and Kelly sat, still mystified.

"I don't care if he consented to doing it, he's an ooman. Fragile, Paya. And I can tell you it wasn't worth him not getting past the first part."

"He did." A'luet was back.

"Did what?"

Kelly took advantage of the only translator in the room, A'luet's biomask, and she wouldn't be forgotten so easily.

Noni went still.

"He finished the course?" P'sy asked.

"Yeah." A'luet tried to hide his admiration in the face of an unimpressed Noni. "Did it in under ten minutes too."

"Did a scout come after him?" Noni asked.

"Yes."

Noni's golden eyes flickered to the two adult oomans, then she jerked a nod at A'luet. Why him?

"There's a rope course in the woods," he explained reluctantly. "Used for pre-teens before they start training for the real world. One of the other predators dared him to complete it."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Dallas nodded in the direction of the shower. "He walked back in here on his own."

"It's set over a Rachnoid mound." P'sy said, pulling his mask closer to translate.

"What's that?"

"Something massive and hungry for bipedal creatures?" Kelly asked.

"You could say that." P'sy said dryly.

A shadow appeared, Ricky was back, clean. Noni grabbed his arm, inspecting the rock rash.

"That looks…painful." Kelly said.

"Come with me." Noni wheeled the teenager around and back the way he came. She made him sit on the receptacle while she mixed a blue paste, not unlike what was used on P'sy when he was injured in Colorado.

"This might hurt." Then Noni remembered her mask in the other room. Well, sometimes element of surprise helped. She wiped the goo onto the wound and wasn't startled when Ricky levitated off his seat. Her firm grip kept him from jumping too much.

"Ow."

The female predator glanced at the door and then shut it with a quick pound of the keypad.

"You can understand us without the translator, can't you?"

Ricky's stomach flipped painfully. A'luet had said he'd give him a day before telling the elders. Had he reneged on his promise? Ricky couldn't be mad, he knew it was only fair A'luet let the predators know a human was walking around understanding every word.

"Jagannath told me the bugworm might alter some things."

Ricky relaxed slightly. So, it wasn't A'luet who told her. But at the moment this was all speculation, he hadn't confirmed anything yet. But even he found it insulting to insult the female's intelligence. She was very smart, all of them were. And it would be offensive if he tried fake her out.

"Yeah, I can understand you."

Then he remembered how lopsided this new found ability was. He could understand them with no translator but they still couldn't understand him without one. So, he nodded.

The female predator returned her attention to wrapping his arm.

"What's going to happen?"

Stupid. She had no clue what he was saying. But he hoped for a split second maybe she would. Maybe she was great at reading body language. Or some psychic mind reader because she answered him perfectly.

"T'sey-s will have to be told. It's his discretion as to what to do after."

Something must have passed in Ricky's face because Noni added, "I'll vouch for you. After all you've been in my house for nearly a week. If you were a threat I think I'd know."

Ricky nodded once.

"Thanks."