Chapter 49

In sickness and in health

Vai'dqouulth watched as Katja looked at the ancient human weapons on the wall. Not his selling point, but it was nice to see her appreciate all of his trophies, not just the skulls like Yautja females would. This was his history, and he was proud to display it.

The weapons were much older than her, but he didn't see age as an issue. Humans had the ability to live as long as Yautja did; said ability allowing them to do so naturally had just been… locked away from them. Perhaps suppressed by the Mala'kak through genetic modification, even. Yautja prey experts believed they'd breed it back into their bloodlines eventually.

And that was irrelevant anyway, because there were very simple ways to extend the life of a human, per research on cadavers. Yautja blood, for one, was an easy way to do this. A single drop was shown extremely effective at human cellular regeneration and slowing degeneration without modifying DNA. If she consumed his, they would truly become one flesh.

Katja moved onto his masks next, and he shook from his thoughts and memories.

These masks weren't trophies, per se; but they were valuable to him, each one made from a unique Yautja armorer across various clans. They were earned, not purchased. One was the mask he'd kept from his Chiva. Very basic and extremely damaged, but important to him.

He was hoping she'd have some pheromone output at this point, to at least give him a clue of what she thought. Preferably arousal, since he'd never had the pleasure, and that would also mean she was impressed. But no, she didn't smell of anything other than her natural floral scent. He tried not to get discouraged just yet, as he really couldn't recall many instances she had smelled of any emotion. Rare for a human not to constantly project their feelings via scent.

Next were his most valuable weapons. These were also earned by Yautja armorers. Seldom did they leave the wall. She stopped at the bow. That was his preferred weapon style in the field; and judging by her face, she liked it too.

Katja moved to his service weapons.

All Yautja were expected to perform some military service, and never truly left that warrior role. Some continued active duty longer than others; but he'd elected to be a standby warrior, something he could afford with his status. He did keep his military plasma pistol and burner like all Yautja did, for when the Mala'kak returned and all Yautja were called to active duty once more.

That was why he displayed them. Not because they were particularly rare or valuable, but to remind himself of his true duty.

Military weapons were considered unfair against prey, as they were the best offering Yautja had, so he seldom took them out except for training. These weapons were also joined with a speargun and his standalone net launcher. Neither of those were military weapons, but he felt that was an appropriate location to hang them.

He had the feeling that she would relate to military service, though. Perhaps a topic of conversation later.

She moved on, and he shadowed her. More human weapons, the kinetic weapons. Again, he had to appreciate how interested she was in all his prized possessions – even lingering on them longer than was polite.

Genuine interest, taking in his power and skill. It pleased him.

He stopped when a scent hit him. The sour scent of fear.

Switching vision modes, he found her heart rate had gone up, and one of the weapons was in her hand.

He was slightly unnerved now. What had triggered a fear response in his human? The weapon? It had been some time since he had looked at this trophy. It was taken from an exceptional male marksman in the region of…

Shit.

Zooming in, he saw the Russian markings on the weapon. Yes, that was right. He had been to Russia before. It had been during a battle between… warring clans, perhaps? He didn't know, nor really care at the time. It had been the perfect cover to hunt in the city they fought in, though.

Maybe she was upset that he had killed one of her people. However, that did not make much sense. He had killed other Russian warriors in the woods, and she had witnessed the evidence. Was she afraid that could be her fate?

Curse her active mind with those damn hypotheticals, sowing distrust between them. That must be it.

He heard her sigh before returning the weapon to the wall. The fear scent waned and disappeared. This was not a good sign, certainly. He had night terrors of showing females his trophy wall and getting indifference.

No, this was much worse. The female he wanted might actually be disgusted by his displays. If the situation continued to deteriorate, he would intervene sooner than planned. Whatever it took to make her his.

He calmed when she moved onto the skulls, confident she would appreciate his kills. And it seemed she did, looking at each one inquisitively.

It was hard to say what was going on in her mind. Human faces were emotional maps, if one could read them. And while his skill had certainly gotten better in that regard, he still didn't know every nuance. It was the lip position he struggled with the most.

His hope was her mind was creating the scene in which he brought down some of these creatures; and in turn, impressing her.

When it came to the lower caste, younger, and/or inexperienced females, he'd pick a skull he thought was appropriate to their status – yet not insulting – and directly give them it to communicate his interest. Perhaps tell them a tale of how it was acquired.

With the higher-ranking or prestigious females, however, he had to bring them to the wall directly. Then, in a similar strategy he was using with Katja, excuse himself to get drinks or such while they admired and imagined the way in which his kill was brought down. And fantasize about which one they would be offered.

Sometimes, letting them create the story was better than telling it.

The sudden jolt of the fear smell kicked him from his thoughts. It was so heavy this time, he thought perhaps hard meats had somehow made it aboard.

No. It was Katja, looking at a human skull.

Vai'dqouulth did a sort of grimace with his mandibles. She knew he had hunted humans, and that wasn't going to change, even for her.

What he had learned out here was that even if a human was worthy of hunting, it may be taking future worthy prey away from others by cutting off a bloodline. He certainly would choose his targets more carefully in the future to ensure worthy prey thrived for others.

Maybe he should've had some humility as well, and removed the human articles, even if it left unsightly empty spots in his collection.

His courting plan wasn't going well. Cultural barriers and differences were combining for a full obstacle. He shouldn't have been surprised; it had been creeping in with all the humans he had interacted with. They had just sidestepped it masterfully for the sake of the planet. But now, it was costing him what was likely the worthiest hunting partner and bearer of offspring ever created by the gods themselves.

Her scent suddenly changed from fear to something unrecognizable. The scent was prevalent when she couldn't find the weak warrior's body, but he never had figured out what emotion it signified. It couldn't be a positive one, though.

Katja abruptly turned to leave, her face suggesting regret.

Shit.

This was his night terrors incarnate. It was time to intervene directly.

Right before Katja could pass him, he deactivated his cloak, and she came to a halt. Her face was turning that red color.

She took two steps back in fear, which bothered him deeply.

"Blue…" she stated, the tone uncomfortable.

He may have just made the situation unintentionally worse by revealing himself.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I was just looking for you, and this door opened, so I went in thinking you were here and–"

She was babbling incoherently like a pup. Embarrassment, he decided; but it was hard to be certain.

Just as suddenly, Katja clamped up, before proceeding carefully. "I'll leave. I just wanted to let you know I'm ready to go after the serpents when you are," she said finally, the fear scent in the air having never been heavier.

They were life-bonded; she should never be afraid of him.

While that prospect of a hunt was in itself, alluring, the current situation deflated the enjoyment of the invitation. Katja began to leave, and for the first time in many eons, he panicked, which led to an extremely rash decision.

"You may take one," he blurted a few voice clips.

"What?" Katja stopped in her tracks.

Vai'dqouulth blinked from behind his mask. Females didn't choose their own courting gifts, males made offers. Well, it worked. Best to capitalize on it. Besides, Katja was worthy of every item in this room and the trophy room on Yautja Prime put together. However, it would just be suspicious if he told her all of these were hers.

"You may take one," Vai'dqouulth repeated, gesturing to the skulls this time.

Katja scrunched her face in uncertainty. Something was festering this distrust, and he would have to dig it out of her as soon as possible. But first, he needed her to take a skull. It might be his last chance. He could mend these sudden deep-seated problems afterward.

"Why?" she questioned.

What did the why matter? She should just take a skull. He really did not mind which one.

"You destroyed many hard meats, including an empress, and have nothing to show for it. A huntress should have something to display. Take one," Vai'dqouulth answered. It was the truth; she had worked hard out here and deserved a memento. It just wasn't the true reason he wanted her to take a skull. His impatience was growing, and the possibility that she wouldn't take his offer became more likely.

Against the rising odds, however, she turned and looked at the trophies, scanning them carefully. He silently exhaled in relief. But reminded himself that she still had to physically take one yet.

"I guess I wouldn't know what to take. It would have to be small, and maybe mistakenly thought of as an Earth animal skull by humans if they saw it. What would you recommend?" Katja asked as she turned to face him.

This was where female Yautja who were young and inexperienced often made errors. Katja had the humility to admit ignorance and ask him what his opinion was rather than arrogantly take something she didn't have the background knowledge on.

Taking in her criteria as well as her worth to him, he considered the wall. The perfect skull jumped out at him.

Grabbing it, he showed it to her first. "Bronsker. Is similar to a cross of an Earth wolf and monitor lizard. Very ferocious, especially for its canine-like size. Many Yautja have foolishly fallen to them, underestimating their abilities," Vai'dqouulth boosted, but it was all true.

These animals were some of his personal favorites. They didn't back down or hide from a challenge and their size didn't determine their lethality. The skull would also be mistaken for an Earth wolf rather easily, in his opinion. Humans generally weren't experts in that regard anyway.

"I like it. Like a wolf. And I think it's small enough to fit in my pack," Katja praised.

Approval of the gift. The moment had come. Vai'dqouulth got down on one knee as casually as possible so he could be more level with her. He rolled his hand out and extended his arm to present the skull to her.

She clasped her hands in front of her and began to approach him. Watching her seemed to take a lifetime, but she finally arrived. He could smell the nervousness on her as her tiny human hands reached out ever so slowly. It was like she somehow knew.

"Take the damn skull!" he wanted to roar at her. Not out of anger, but anxiousness. Very unlikely that would prompt her along.

She hesitated just before the tips of her blunt claws could touch the bone. Doubt. Vai'dqouulth didn't dare so much as even twitch or breathe, lest he scare his prey away.

Whatever had gone through her little human mind must've been resolved as she gingerly lifted the skull from his palm into her own, turning it over in curiosity.

Inwardly, he just about let his coiled tension explode, only barely controlling it, including suppressing purrs. Instinct was telling him to sedate and subdue her before she fought back for what came next. Were it not for the various differences in the situation, and the very real possibility of killing her, Katja would've been back in their sleep pallet already. Hard meat hunt be damned.

Maybe not. He might've settled for the floor. The sleep pallet was a distance away, after all. And in the trophy room no less. Alluring to say the least.

"Thanks. I'll go put this away. Come get me when you are ready to go after serpents," Katja stated with a smile before leaving.

Her face suggested she had no idea what she had just done or what he wanted to do to her at that very moment.

When she left, he rolled back to his haunches, his breathing now audible and heavy. Saliva was dripping from his mouth, and his heart rate was elevated. He had done it. Maybe not everything he wanted, but it was at least a legally binding start. She was now a sort of concubine or mate to him, at least until she made good on the copulation agreement, which he had no intention of holding her to until such an appropriate time as she felt comfortable. And he knew she would want a more permanent arrangement before that point.

His tension was still so high, he could let out a long, continuous roar of triumph until his vocals were raw with pain. But he didn't, trying instead to calm himself.

He took a breath and reminded himself of the original thought; it was a start.

With his adrenaline gradually coming down, feelings of aggression left and were replaced with… a foreign feeling. It was akin to affection, but affection seemed such a mild description by comparison. Maybe it was the longer time spent with Katja compared to any other female of his kind that fostered this. He never had this odd sensation before.

Right now, he just wanted to be near Katja, not even for copulation. Really, he wasn't sure why he was denying himself that pleasure either. They were bonded somewhat now. She even wanted to go on a hunt–

That made him pause. What was moments ago a thrilling proposition now did not seem like a wise idea. Subconsciously, he began to rub her special metal necklace between his claws.

He suddenly understood now why Petrov had not wanted Katja along on the nest hunt. What if the hard meats got her? No, he needed to talk her out of going; there was no dishonor in staying on the ship where it was safe. Especially with her injury. He himself would hunt the hard meats alone, and she could stay in their room. Locked. With every layer of the ship's security turned on. In synchronous orbit. Yes, that would be safe.

Amusing. That may be the only good idea the weak warrior had ever contributed.

Standing, he strode through the ship with purpose until he entered his quarters. Katja was positioning the skull to face her side of the sleeping pallet instead of packing it away as she had previously said. He could not have had more pride at the sight. Proudly displaying his gift.

She smiled at his approach. Better than the fear. "Thought I'd leave it out to admire until…" She trailed off, a frown appearing on her soft-meat face, the fear smell returning. "…Until whatever happens, happens," she finished. Her tone sounded unsure.

Right; his next objective was to dig out her sudden distrust. But first, he needed to contain the hard meat spread. And he needed to know she'd be safe.

"I lost my dogtags. Will you keep a look out for them?" she requested. He nodded. She didn't specify what to do if he found them, so no dishonor was committed by keeping them.

Technically anyway.

"Thanks. Time to go?" she asked, her content face returning and the smell dissipating. He wondered if the enclosed quarters were making these scents more prominent, as he rarely had smelled anything from her before besides her soft floral scent.

He personally didn't believe that. It seemed Katja was less in control of her emotions after their victory. It should be the opposite. They had won. Yes, an interrogation was in order; but he'd have to be delicate.

After his solo hunt.

"I hunt. You stay," Vai'dqouulth announced.

Katja; calm, levelheaded Katja, got immediately angry. He could smell it before her face changed.

"No! Siberia is my area of operation, my job! I told you already, I am not getting benched," she argued.

He had expected this.

"It is safer. You are injured. I will hunt the hard meats. Adrien would be upset if harm befell you under my watch," Vai'dqouulth explained with a softer volume on his computer's audio projection. Louder tones would surely escalate this conflict.

"It's safer for who? Me? I am one person. A nobody. There is a planet of billions below us. Where is their safety, Blue? It's my job to protect them. And I promise, the injury won't slow me down," Katja snapped.

"I will take your duty upon myself. Humanity will have its protection. You have nothing to prove," Vai'dqouulth attempted to soothe.

"It's not about proving that I'm better than you, or Adrien, or anybody! It's about protecting that little chunk of rock and those on it!" Katja was shouting now. Water droplets were building at the corners of her eyes.

He hated it. He hated being the cause of it. And it was evident that stress and lingering guilt were the main factors in this situation which he was exacerbating.

Despite her anger, he did not feel challenged in the least. As a matter of fact, he only felt pity. Her protectiveness of her species was admirable. No doubt she would die for them, even though it seemed she'd be a slave warrior. He couldn't say that about many other sentients. Even their warriors.

"I'm aware of my limitations. Both as a human and a woman. I've never had an issue with that. But you are denying me my rightful duty," Katja said more calmly without making eye contact. Almost a mumble.

That was true. As a warrior, she had a duty and a right to a warrior's death. But if something happened, he wasn't sure he could live with his mistake. Likely, he'd follow her to the endless hunt with the black hunter.

Now Vai'dqouulth had to make a decision. Deny Katja, which would be easy enough. He was larger, stronger, and their current environment was in his favor, including her lack of weapons. He even had the ability to sedate her without a fight.

But this would undoubtedly fester resentment, which he didn't want with an already ever-straining relationship.

That left catering to her demands at the risk of losing her in death. He stood there silently for a time. "We both hunt. I lead," Vai'dqouulth bargained.

Katja seemed to mull it over. He knew it wasn't because she would be bothered by his charge. It was because she feared he'd lead them away from the quarry for her safety.

"Ok," she finally yielded, the exhaustion very prominent. He wondered if the lingering symptoms of blood poisoning were also playing a part in her cognitive abilities. She had slept plenty, after all. Or her weak human immune system was so compromised, a secondary infection was starting, which was concerning too. No doubt hard excursions would encourage it along.

If it did, then he had every excuse to confine her.

"I will land us. Then you will be equipped," Vai'dqouulth stated.

Katja just nodded in response. "I'm… going to visit Adrien… Come get me when it's time," she said. Her speech was riddled with heavy breathing. The angry outburst had taken its toll.

Adrien walked. He could do nothing but walk. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? He couldn't see the sun in this grey monochrome fog.

Add to that, these shadowy creatures that were stalking him. He thought it was that… alien hunter, but these things were different. The tails and oblong heads, unique. Much more animalistic. And yet, they had a sort of familiarity to them.

Every so often, they'd dart at him from the trees, and he'd gun them down. But they'd just… break apart into the fog. Merging with it, like ash. Dead for sure, but not one of the gory messes he was so accustomed to.

The radio had also been oddly silent. He'd try every twenty minutes or so to raise the woman that spoke to him. Guesstimation on the timing, because his watch no longer worked. Neither did GPS, or any of his gear, really. The physical map was even just a blank page now.

"…an you hear me?"

The woman from the radio. Her voice was bouncing all around the forest now. She was close.

"I hear you! Keep talking!" Adrien shouted. He began to run in the direction he thought she was waiting.

"We'll… be gone for a little bit. I'll check in with you when I return," the woman said.

"No! Stay put! Don't move, I'm coming!" Adrien shouted. He changed direction. The voice was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Then the voice was gone. He couldn't find her if she kept moving in this damn fog! It didn't sound like she was alone either.

The sound of sticks breaking had Adrien spinning around, weapon ready. "Identify!" he ordered aloud. What a dumb thing to do. The only living beings he'd seen out here were the fog monsters. But maybe, just maybe, it was her.

He had to take the chance.

More rustling occurred, prompting Adrien to approach and flush out whatever was messing with him.

He was much quieter with his approach. Years of training and practice had given him a feather foot.

It was behind this tree trunk. Taking his weapon off safety, Adrien set it to full auto.

Darting around the trunk, prepared to fire, he was greeted with something… child-sized.

The kid, for lack of a better term, was startled and jumped; stumbling back and falling to its butt. It wore the same mask as the creature that had killed his men. Given the color palette and skin texture, along with the odd-looking feet, Adrien had no doubt this was a juvenile alien hunter.

This was not his first time dealing with kids in a war zone. But what was it doing here? Setting that aside for the moment, Adrien immediately lowered the weapon and adopted a less aggressive posture. Very possible they were lethal at this stage of life, but given the reaction, he guessed there wouldn't be violence needed.

"Hey," Adrien offered.

What was he doing? These things were killing machines. Monsters. Demons. They certainly wouldn't afford a human child the same courtesy.

But maybe that just meant Adrien needed to do what made him human. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to help a child.

The kid climbed to his feet and backed away. Adrien was fairly certain, anyway, that it was male. Big kid, too; came up to his waist.

Carefully, trying not to startle the boy again, Adrien got down as low to the ground as possible and set his M4 off to the side. He also took his helmet off. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He spoke very quietly. The kid seemed fidgety and nervous.

"Are you lost?" Adrien asked.

The kid nodded, but it seemed reluctant.

"Yeah? Is your mother around?" he continued his line of questioning, glancing around the woods for her. Again, the kid nodded, but this time added a shrug.

He knew what the men looked like full grown. No doubt mom was still bigger than a human male, at the very least. Helping this child might end the same as helping a baby brown bear. He'd have his throat ripped out.

But these things weren't animals. They were sentient, that much was clear. As a marine, he felt obligated to at least try.

Going into a pouch on his plate carrier, Adrien produced a chocolate bar. The ultimate kid lure. "You hungry? These are pretty tasty," Adrien coaxed, and even took a bite to show it was safe. 'Course, he wasn't an alien biologist. Maybe chocolate would kill these things like it killed dogs.

Still, the little guy certainly seemed interested in the treat. His masked head tilted forward, and Adrien thought he could hear snuffling, sniffing sounds coming from it.

After some further hesitation, the child cautiously approached and took the bar from him. A moment later, the child removed the mask. His face didn't look all that different from the adults. Just much shorter mandibles and 'hair', as well as blunter teeth. Cuter even.

Adrien watched as the hunter child curiously tapped a claw at the chocolate, then spread its mandibles and nibbled the candy.

"I'm lost, too," Adrien explained to the boy. "How about we stay together? I can help you find your mom."

Lowering the bar, the kid nodded yet another time, but with a new eagerness to it. There were smears of chocolate all over his mouth and mandibles. After standing, the kid immediately glued himself to Adrien's side, candy bar in one hand and reaching up expectantly with his other.

Ah, hand holding. A child's ultimate security in big scary places. Adrien put on his helmet and grabbed the kid's hand, the blunt little claws digging into his knuckles.

He really liked the beige/grey with black stripes coloring the kid sported…