Baldur’s Gate 3

Astarion x reader x Halsin:

Hurtful Words and Bear Hugs

Goodbyes Aren't Always For Long 

Shopping Trip

Predator Series

Yautja x Human!Reader

Home from the Hunt

The Wrong Hunters

A First Hunt (5 part)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four 

Part Five

AO3 

The Game

The Attack

The Pup

Encanto

Luisa x Reader:

Search and Rebuild

An adventure out of town

Deals of Secrecy

A Swim Day

New Territory

Strongest in the Family

The Legend of Vox Machina

The Briarwoods (Sylas x Delilah)

Halsin shifted uncomfortably as he stood in front of the mirror. No matter how these new clothes were adjusted, being in so many layers made the druid feel so constricted. While he was told multiple times that he could move freely, he felt like if he moved at all the fabric would rip apart.

"At least try to look like you're enjoying yourself, love." Astarion's voice came from behind him, the red eyes taking in every inch of the man in the mirror.

"I must be honest, this is not quite what I had in mind when our Heart said that we had things to do in the city." Halsin responded, turning to see his partner's reaction, only to find the vampire staring at how his upper arms filled out the sleeves of the nice clothes they had put him in.

"I know this isn't exactly comfortable Halsin. But we need to make sure that we have some nice clothes while we're here. We can only walk into so many parties in our armor or camp clothes." You said, walking in with a couple more options for him to try.

"If it makes you feel any better, at least you can see how good we're making you look." Astarion responded, taking the items you had brought over, automatically taking one of the options out to put away. He smirked at you slightly offended 'Hey!' as he went to put it back.

"My Heart, I'm not sure that these are really necessary. Shouldn't we be focusing on-" Halsin hesitated for a minute, glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was listening, "other things at the moment?"

You looked back at him with a sweet smile. "The world can handle us not working for an hour or so." You responded as brought one of the shirts to him, holding it up to his chest to get an idea of how it would look. "Besides, how often do you think we'll have a chance to let Astarion free in a shop like this after it's all over."

As if on cue, the high elf walked back into the room with a dark green piece of fabric, "I know were meant to be looking for some nice party clothes, but would anyone really complain about this?" He said to you with a smirk, holding up a wrap around skirt with nothing but gold arm bands to go with it.

"I think we definitely might need you to try that on." You responded quickly, tossing the shirt you had off to the side, completely forgotten.

After a few minutes, Halsin stepped out of the charging area. He didn't even make it to the dressing area before you and Astarion were swooning. You bit your lip as the pale elf let out a low whistle. The large elf couldn't help the deep chuckle that rumbled his chest at his partners' reactions. While most people would feel uncomfortable with the lack of coverage, the freedom it gave him made him feel much more at peace.

He purposely flexed his back slightly as he looked at himself in the mirror, his lip curling into a smirk at Astarion's almost purr at the sight.

"Okay, but do we really need party clothes? Where would we really wear them?" You managed to get out. Your face flushing as you met Halsin's eyes in the mirror, causing him to shift a little and flex his arms against the bands.

"Well in that case, there's a matching set for you too." Astarion said with a laugh as he rushed off to grab you an outfit to match. Your head turning to call out that you didn't bring enough gold for multiple outfits.

"This is selfish, Halsin! And that's coming from me!" Astarion hissed, pacing back and forth through the rented room, seeming to be the only one no frozen in place. There was quiet in response to his statement, as the taller elf stood in front of the door, his eyes downcast.

"It isn't though, Astarion." You popped up from your place at the end of the bed, your body too heavy from the news you were processing through.

"It is!" The pale elf yells in your direction, though you can recognize the pain heavier in his voice than the anger. "You wormed your way into our hearts, into our minds, and now that we have the chance to all be together, just us, you turn tail and run!" His words once again turned to Halsin, who just responded with a deep sigh. "We've spent so long worrying about other people, about the world. Now we have the chance to focus on ourselves. Focus on us."

"I've had too many moment of selfishness on this quest so far. I fled from the Grove, twice, when they needed me most. I left poor Thaniel and Oliver when they were at their most vulnerable. I can't turn my back to the thousands of people that need help now." Halsin said, the slight shake in his voice would probably go unnoticed by anyone who didn't know him deeper. "I would give anything to stay with here with you two, to help find some way for you to feel the sun on your skin again, but I can't ignore where I'm truly needed."

"Here! You're truly needed here!" Astarion shouted again, finally taking steps towards the other man. The quiet sound of his name coming from your lips causing him to turn on his heels. "And you! How are you so okay with this?! You brought us together. You lead the three of us headlong into this love, and now you just sit there as it falls to pieces!"

"You think I'm okay with this?!" You finally shout back, standing from the bed. "You think i want to see either of you leave? You think I want us all to be separated after everything I've done for us, for the world?" Your words causing the two pairs of elf eyes to cast down, one in guilt and the other to hide the tears glossing his eyes. "What do you recommend I do in this moment, Astarion? Chain him to the bed and keep him here as some hostage? Keep him where he is obviously unhappy? I figured that if anyone was against that, it would be you!"

The meaning of your last sentence caused him to tense, crossing his arms over his chest as if to protect himself from the memories.

"Everything I did, all the battles we fought, and the people we killed, I did it for everyone to be free to make their own choices. So if either of you want to leave, then leave! I can say over and over how much I want you both here, for you both to be at my side, but if your heart is pulling you somewhere else, then who am I to stop you?" Your eyes shifted to meet Halsin's with a sad smile, mostly inviting him to make his escape if he truly meant to leave.

Astarion stood unusually quiet, his body tensing more and more with each step that sounded behind him as the druid walked to the door. His eyes closing tight as Halsin mentioned his damned Oak Father watching over you both and returning you to him some day before the door clicked closed.

You both stood frozen for a few moments, not really sure what to do with yourselves. The sound of multiple children's calling Halsin's name and running to greet him as he walked outside to meet the wagons that he would be traveling with floating through the window. It drew you over, pushing the curtain aside as you looked down at the people your partner had set off to help. While the sun hadn't quiet crested the horizon, you were still careful not to open the cover too much, not wanting to expose Astarion to any stray rays of the light.

The pair of hands at your sides caused you to lean back into the body behind you as a head rested against your shoulder. "And what shall we do now that 'Daddy Halsin' is off on a new adventure without us?" The two of you couldn't help but giggle at the nickname your partner has been bestowed with.

Your eyes slowly shifted from the large druid as you scanned over the line of wagons full of people. While you were happy that he was off to help people and follow his dream, your heart ached at the feeling like a part of your was missing. That was until it began to race, your spine straightening as an idea struck you.

"That depends, want to make a selfish decision with me?" You asked, quickly turning your head to look at Astarion's confused face.

"Do you know me to turn down selfish decision, Love?" His playful smirk didn't really reach his eyes, which still showed with curiosity to your meaning.

Halsin shushed the children down as he tried his best to herd them back into the wagon that would carry them on their journey, most of their eyes growing heavy from how early the caravan had decided to leave, wanting to be on the road before the sun got up and warmed the path too much. As the wagons began to move forward, his eyes moved to the windows of the room you three had spent the night before, hoping to catch a last glimpse of you and Astarion, not knowing when he would see you two again. To his dismay, the curtains were shut and still.

After hearing a heavy sigh, he began to move on with the wagons. Though he didn't get more than a few steps before a commotion behind him caused him to turn. His lips split into a smile as he watched you running to keep up with Astarion, who was rushing to the shelter of the covered wagon carrying barrels and boxes of food. A deep laugh rumbled in his chest as you bee lined for him, jumping at him and forcing his arms to rush to catch you.

"You didn't really think you would get to run off on a new adventure without us, did you?" Your voice rang out with laughter once he set you down.

"I wouldn't dream of it." The two of you smiled at a moment before he lifted you into the wagon with Astarion, moving to follow behind it.

"Except for the fact that you did dream of it, and you did actually get away for a few minutes." Astarion sassed, earning his a slap to the chest, "What?! He really thought we were gonna let him leave alone for a few minutes there!"

"And they were pure torture without you both." Halsin responded, placing his hand over his heart, "The Oak Father has smiled upon me and made our separation brief."

The days following their victory over his past master, Astarion had struggled with his thoughts and feelings. He felt terrible for how distant he had become, especially as you tried your best to be supportive. Yourself struggling with how to balance giving him his space and wanting to just hold the lost man until his world seemed to piece itself together again.

The one thing stopping him from his full blow guilt was that Halsin was there to distract you at times. The larger man seemed to have a better grasp on his emotions than Astarion did, always seeming to pull you off to some task that needed your attention just at the right times or to lead you back to Astarion's tent with hands and hearts full from their adventures whenever he felt the weight of loneliness creep back in. The pale elf was even sure that at times the druid spoke to Scratch and the owlbear cub to cause small bits of chaos or demand attention from you when he could no longer keep your focus.

Astarion was especially grateful for the times the three of you could spend time together in peaceful silence, either walking around near the camp or just sitting near the fire while he read next to you as you focused on redoing the braids on the side of Halsin's head. While the days seemed to be getting better, and his heart seemed to fill in the empty spots left behind by his revenge and the past that had lead to it, some days seemed to thrust him right back into the deep of it.

He pretended not to see the sad glances you shot him as you racked your brain for some way to help. He knew you meant well and normally he would appreciate it or tease you for how wrapped around his finger you were, but today it just seemed to be to much. He hadn't meant for the groan of annoyance to leave his lips as you came by his tent for the third time today, wanting to check in on him.

"What is it you could possibly want this time?" He snapped as he slammed his book shut, shooting a glare at you from where he sat in his tent. "If you're coming to see how I'm doing, let me save you the breath. I'm the same as I was the other million times you've interrupted me today. Now do you have something to actually contribute to my time or can I read in peace?"

It took a moment for him to realize just what had been said, and by the time the guilt had built up in his chest, your eyes had gone glossy. You turned your face away, not wanting him to see your tears welling up.

"I was just coming to tell you that Halsin and I were going into the city to get a hot meal. I was gonna see if you wanted to come, but I guess I'll let you read."

He could have sworn that he could hear his cold heart crack at the shake in your voice. His lips parted to apologize, but his throat tightened around the words before they could leave. He sat in silence as he watched you turn to walk back to where Halsin was waiting nearby.

His eyes met the druid's before you got to him. The wood elf's eyes seemed to be conflicted, split between knowing Astarion hadn't truly meant to hurt your feelings and the disappointment that the interaction had gone so wrong. Once the two figures were gone from sight, the vampire let out a deep sigh and tried to go back to his book. The words just wouldn't come to him now, and every thought seemed to lead back to the hurt look on your face.

Tossing the book onto the ground next to him, he ran his hands through his hair, partially wishing that he could physically push the thought to the back of his mind or even out of his brain altogether. Deciding to take a walk around camp, the lingering eyes of the other camp inhabitants pushed him to walk further and further away until the camp faded from view.

He wasn't even sure how long he wandered, lost in the downward spiral his mind had fallen into. The tears in your eyes fading into the tears of the past victims as they realized the pain he had lead into. Visions of the lives he had ruined flooded his mind until he couldn't take it. An almost feral scream ripped from his throat as he swung his fist against the trunk of a tree he had wandered to close to, another innocent victim to the control he didn't have over himself.

The pain pulsing in his hand seemed to help ground him as he fell to lean his back against the hard bark. He would have been a sight to anyone wandering by, the pale elf with a bloody hand resting in the ground. His fangs bared in his open mouth, and his chest heaving to try to catch his breath. The now rising moon beginning to reflect off the streaks of wetness down his face.

As his red eyes stared up at the glowing rock, he began to push through the dark thoughts, trying his best to lock them back in the recesses of his mind they belonged in. The sound of your voice began to ring in his mind, helping to fend off the thoughts of self doubt and hatred that lingered. The countless times you had told him that he was good enough, that he was worth being loved and cherished. The times you had kissed his face until these same bad feelings were long forgotten.

As his heart and breath began to settle, the world seemed to know what he needed in that moment, and the wind shifted to blow gently against his face. His lips curled up slightly as the faintest whisp of your scent kissed his skin as if you were there with him. It dawned on him that in the hours he must have been gone that you were probably running yourself wild with worry. A short laugh forced itself from his lips as he imagined Halsin trying to quell your panic, probably saying something about some time in nature doing him good.

The walk back to camp was much quicker that he imagined, his feet pulling him home faster as your scent got stronger. It lead him straight towards Halsin's tent. The deep sound of the man's snore was almost as if he was walking into a real bear hibernating.

He froze for a moment as he saw you curled up against the bear of an elf. Your hand slowly moving back and forth over the hairy chest being the only sign that you were still awake. His feet moved him toward you before he asked them to, before he could even worry about if you would want to see him. He crawled in carefully behind you, not wanting to wake the other. His hand hovered over your side, hesitating at the thought that you may still be hurt.

Your skin against his brought him back to the moment as you pulled his arm over your waist. You thumb began to move side to side on his wrist, your wordless forgiveness warming his chest and releasing tension that he didn't know he was still holding.

"I'm sorry." The words were so quiet as they left his lips that he wasn't even sure he has really said them.

"I know." The quiet response was just as possible to be a fantasy.

"I didn't-" His throat closed again as you turned to look over your shoulder at him.

"I know." Turning your face back forward, you brought his hand to your lips before squeezing it slightly and clutching it to your chest.

You growled out curses into the night air as you stumbled through the unfamiliar forest, stopping occasionally to lean against the tree for a breather. Glancing down at your leg, the blood running down a large wound reminding you of exactly why you were cursing the ones you once called your hunting partners. The images of the two other Yautjas turning on you without warning causing you to push of the tree and continue to stumble forward. You needed to find someone to hunker down and treat your injuries, not sure if the others of your species would come back to finish the job or not.

You weren't even sure of what had lead to the betrayal or how deep into your people it ran. Was it two hunters acting of their own accord, or was it the Elders casting you out for some unspoken reason? You had no idea, and you were beginning to doubt that you would ever find out.

Your tumbling storm of thoughts were interrupted by the sight of dim lights peaking though the trees in the distance. As you got closer, you tried to scan the lit building for any threats or information of those inside, but the image inside your helmet just responded with static, having been damaged heavily in the attack.

Your attention then turned to another building a way past the lit building. It was completely dark and seemed empty from your view point. Knowing that you weren't gonna make it much farther with your injuries, you decided on hiding out there for the night. The research done on humans seems to conclude that few left their homes in the darkness of night, so as long as you left before the sky began to light, you should be able to slip away unseen.

As you approached, you began to hear some sounds of animals reacting to your presence. They seemed obviously alarmed, but you had the feeling they could tell you were injured and not as much of a threat at the moment. The sounds mostly seemed as if they were letting each other know about you and warning you that they knew you were there. You ignored them as you continued on, finally pushing the large door open just enough to slip inside.

You picked the corner most hidden from the entrance and let your body drop to the ground. The yellow, stringy mess that covered the area wasn't the most comfortable, but it was better than the hard earth below. It also seemed to insulate the heat coming off your body and helped fend off the cold night air. After spending some time sorting through the few supplies you still had on you, you were able to patch yourself up the best you could, at least able to stop the bleeding and close up the worse of the wounds. Whether it was the warmth holding around you in the corner, the peaceful quiet of Earth's night, or simply just the blood loss and pure exhaustion, but you couldn't fight off the sleep anymore.

You weren't sure of when you had actually fallen asleep, but you were woken by the scream if all your hunting instincts going off at once. As you shoved the grogginess away, you watched as the large door you had come through began to open. You quickly realized that you has slept much longer than intended and the bright light from outside stung at your eyes slightly.

Your first instinct of putting up your cloak was foiled quickly by the blue sparks that sparked sporadically around you. You muttered more curses at your ex partners, just another thing that had done to lead to your likely demise. You briefly began to consider setting off the self-distruct on your gauntlet. The other Yautja likely left that unharmed to give you your own way out, not wanting to actually dirty their hands with your blood.

A soft sound pulled your eyes back towards the door, and you watched as a small human pup finished struggling to push open the large door. They didn't seem to notice you and ran to the opposite side of the building. You heard them rummaging through some things before they made another sound, obviously happy that they had found what they had been looking for. You stayed silent and watched as they turned to head back towards to the door.

You slightly hoped that they would leave without seeing you, but of course nothing about this ordeal could be that simple. They let out a shocked sound as they spotted you, suddenly dropping what appeared to be a bucket and taking a few steps back. Honestly, they didn't react with as much fear as you had expected, mostly seeming to just be startled by the fact that they haven't seen you.

You continued to stay still and silent as you and the pup just held eye contact, neither seeming to know how to react. When they finally did move, you watched in confusion as they raised one of their hands began to sway it back and forth. The short sound they produced you assumed was some sort of greeting. You let out a quiet series of clicks, similar to something you would do to pups of your own species. You watched as your action seemed to only delight the human.

As they began to take a few steps forward, you didn't react until they stepped past the bucket that they had dropped, which you assumed meant that they were going to actually come up to you. You began to release a rolling growl at that point, causing the pup to stop in their tracks. The look they were giving you now still didn't seem like any for of fear you had seen in adult humans in the past.

The two of you began to stare at each other again, you beginning to growl again any time they made a move to come closer. You were sure the pup was about to start ignoring your warning and just come over to you, but the sound of another human, obviously an adult, rang through the air from outside. The pup turned towards the door and returned the call.

You watched as they hurried back to grab the forgotten bucket and head towards the door. They stopped just short of it and turned to look at you. They spoke a string of words you didn't understand before they struggled to close the door again behind them.

You let out a tense breath and let your body sink back against the wall behind you. Letting your eyes raise to the ceiling above you as your mind began to race. You weren't sure what your next move would be. You took the chance to give a few test moves of your limbs, you wounded leg giving you the most trouble. You were once again questioning how far you would be able to get. Your mind began to drift back to the gauntlet on your arm. You were in your own internal battle with yourself. Part of you knew it would be the smarter option to set the timer, as you had always been taught to never give anyone the chance to take your gear, especially the humans. But the other part of you wanted to push on. You couldn't let those traitors win, and you wanted to vow that you would get your revenge. You would get to the bottom of what had happened.

You weren't sure how long you had been lost in your own musing, but you soon sensed the approach of a human. A slightly painful, high pitched squeak sounding every few moments. You watched the door open again, and your body tensed up again until you saw the same pup from before enter again. The squeak started again as you watched them pull in a little red, metal contraption.

This time though, they began to walk straight towards you. Your warning growls were completely ignored as they seemed to ramble on with words that you still had no idea the meaning of. You watched in slightly irritated silence as they walked their metal contraption right up to you and dropped to the ground next to you. You began to really question if this pup was human as they continued to spew out unknown words.

You watched as they began to reach over to pull things out of the metal thing. The first thing being a soft, white thing, which you recognized as a prey animal that bounced around the forest, and you inspected it from a distance as it was dropped directly onto your lap. The next thing being a series of hard, square shaped things covered in bright colors and scribbled lines that you assumed as one of the humans written languages.

Any worry about your previous issues or the uncertainty of your future were overrun by the confusion and wonder of this human pup. You were a Yautja, an infamous species of hunters know throughout the galaxy. And here was this small child, probably somewhere between your knee and hip height, who showed not and ounce of fear or aggression towards you.

The final straw came as you pulled your head back, just avoiding the sickly sweet smelling, what you assumed was food, square the pup had shoved into your face. You looked between the strange item and the pup in confusion, not sure that this human food was even edible for you. The human seemed to notice your confusion and brought the food back to them, taking a few bites out of the corner to show you it was something to be eaten. You continued to watch as the pup ate, sending crumbs tumbling everywhere. You winced slightly as they set the food down on your leg closest to them, luckily not being the injured one, but the feeling of the sticky, brown and red mixture (Peanut Butter and Jelly) touching your skin was a new and disgusting feeling, causing you to pick it up with the tips if your claws and drop it back into their metal contraption, using the stringy, yellow stuff from the ground to wipe it off as much as you could. Once you were cleaned the best as you could be, you leaned back against the wall. Your eyes drifting back to the pup, who was still trying to clean the crumbs off their clothes.

Waking up at odd hours to a chorus of loud Yautjas had become normal to you, between hunters returning with trophies and small fights over dominance, a ruckus was a fairly normal occurrence on this planet. It had taken you awhile to get used to, especially considering that this strange alien race had a completely different sleep schedule than you. But with the help of your mate, you had been able to adjust to the new environment.

As you wiped the sleep out of your eyes, trying to shake the drowsiness from your head, the noise outside continued on, and soon you began to realize that this wasn't the normal joyous and teasing sounds the clan members passed back and forth. These sounds were much more panicked and angry, something was obviously wrong.

You reached over to grab the knife your mate had left with you in case of an emergency. Having just gone to the next planet over to watch over some young bloods practicing a hunt, they should have been back by now. You struggled to push down the dark thoughts that began to invade your tired brain, trying your best to convince yourself that they were safe and on their way to you at that very moment.

Finally getting your emotions to calm some, you carefully pulled yourself from your bed, taking quiet steps towards a nearby window. You didn't have to get there to see the dancing lights of fire outside, and a quick glance outside confirmed your fears as you saw multiple buildings around the area broken into and ablaze.

An approaching shadow caused you to gasp and drop down to press against the wall, doing your best to hide and hope that whoever was attacking wouldn't have the ability to see your heat signature as your mate and their tribemates could. The footsteps were quiet but just loud enough for you to follow. The path towards your window was inevitable. That is until the air was split by a loud roar.

You had heard the sounds the Yautja could produce in anger, but this was unlike anything you had heard before. The tone was familiar enough for you to know it was an ally, but aside from that, you had no idea who or what had made it.

The footsteps quickly turned and began to head towards it, allowing you to peak out again, trying to find the source. Unfortunately the area you could see from your window was limited, and you weren't able to see anything of use. Your fingers tightened around your knife as you took the chance to climb out the window, making sure to head the opposite direction of the roar you had heard.

It may have sounded like an ally, but you knew that you wouldn't be able to take on whoever was invading the village, if anything, you would probably just get in the way and cause more trouble. You were quick to fall into some of the lessons your mate had taught you, checking around corners to make sure the coast was clear and trying to move as quiet as you could.

You didn't know what sort of tech or skills these intruders had, so you tried to keep as close to the fires as safely possible, using the smoke and heat to try to mask your scent and position. Not far from your home, you began to hear a sad cry, and after hesitating for a moment, you were able to pinpoint the source, the pup of a local Yautja female was wandering between the buildings, obviously terrified as they looked around.

As soon as you saw them, you began to run towards them, completely forgetting about keeping yourself safe or hidden. You were luckily able to reach them without incident and were quick to pick them up to try to comfort and hush them. The scared child seemed relieved to see a familiar face, but continued to cry. You couldn't blame them, currently fighting the urge to break down yourself.

The sound of voices caused you to tense and duck into one of the charred homes. You knew it wasn't safe to be in the building, not sure how stable it was, but you were willing to risk that over the unknown of whoever these strangers were. You were lucky for the natural hunting instincts of the Yautja as the pup went silent, wether it was your own demeanor or the threat of these invaders you weren't sure, but either way, you weren't going to complain.

As you listened to the approaching footsteps and voices, another roar rang out, much closer this time. Every muscle in your body began to scream as you heard the pup in your arms release a call back. You realized then who the roar was coming from, and you cursed under your breath as the voices became louder and headed straight towards you.

You tried your best to slip out and run before they got to close, but the invaders were way ahead of you. The two beings having split to cut you off in either direction. You heard the pup release a growl, and normally you would have swooned and cooed at the child, but your body could only mimic the sound and try to take the best defensive position you could.

As the invaders came close, you tried your best to keep an eye on both, swiping your knife at their hands when they reached towards you. Luckily the pup was strong enough to hold onto you on their own, helping to swipe their claws at the attackers as well. As one made an attempt to grab your knife, the other jumped forward and was able to wrap an arm over your shoulder. The pup quickly moved and bit down on the arm.

The invader let out a screech in pain, the pressure of the arm releasing as quickly as it had appeared. You took the chance to spin and make a run past the injured attacker, now changing your tactic to head straight towards the roar from before. Now knowing that the safest place for you and the pup was going to be with their mother. If there was one thing you had learned from your time on this planet, it was just how protective these giant Yautja mothers could be over their offspring, and you could only hope that this protection included you in the current situation.

Your feet stumbled to a halt as you approached the scene, and you were quickly flooded with the magnitude of this attack. As you saw multiple of the elders and young tribe members tied down, most injured or to exhausted to fight against their captors. The one still struggling against their binds being the mother of the pup in your arms. In your frozen state, it took to long for you to notice the multiple sets of hands grabbing your arms, and you were quickly pushed to the ground.

As your face was pushed into the hard dirt and your hands tied behind you, you began to piece together everything going on. Just how much these invaders had planned, waiting until a large number of the high ranking hunters and the young bloods were off the planet before making their move. The tribe now just mostly consisting of those too weak to defend themselves against the strong enemies.

You were ripped out of your thoughts as you were literally tossed into the group of your captured tribe members, a shock of pain jolting through your body as you hit the ground. As you struggled to sit up, your mind began to race. What were they going to do with you? Could you all manage to get out of this? And as you listened to the roar of the mother, watching as the invaders picked up the struggling pup and speaking to each other in an unfamiliar language, you assumed trying to figure out what to do the the fiesty child, you couldn't help but hope to anything listening that your mate and the others would come back in time.

Everyone in the area froze and turned towards the boom of a blaster and the quick response of a giant explosion, the ground under you shaking from the force. You couldn't stop the tears welling up in your eyes as you saw the familiar ship of the hunters coming down through the atmosphere. Seeing the invaders begin to panic, you pieced together that the hunters had blown the enemy ship, giving them no way to escape from their deadly mistake. Nobody messed with their tribe, and the hunters were going to make sure of it.

As the ship came down nearby, you watched as many of the invaders began to flee back in the direction of the explosion, many of them probably having a false hope that the damage wouldn't be to bad. The sound of familiar footsteps caused you to whip your head around, letting out a gasping cry as you saw your mate and other hunters approaching. Most seemed to go after the invaders, but your mate and some others came towards you all.

The others began to cut their tribemates free and started dealing with their injuries. Your mate headed straight to you, kneeling down to cut you free and began quickly checking you over for injuries. "I'm okay." You choked out before you threw yourself into their arms, not able to control the freely falling tears. As they held you tightly for a moment, you began to hear a slight sniffing. Once you realized they were scenting you, you released your hold on them to sit back and explain quickly what had happened. Even motioning towards where the now free mother was holding her pup close, the two seeming to purr to each other, explaining to your mate how the little pup had helped you the best they could.

For a Yautja, stepping carefully to not produce noise wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Being a species that was conditioned to be apex predators almost from birth definitely gave them an advantage in situations like this. The only part of having to be so cautious and alert at this moment was that they were currently in the ship, traveling between planets.

Usually the time on the ship being a time to relax and prepare for the next hunt, but now they found themselves on high alert, checking around corners and listening to their environment as they walked though the halls. This definitely would have been made a lot easier with the help of their helmet, but going back to grab the equipment would have wasted time that they didn't have and left them open to attack.

As they made their way into the main control room, they carefully checked around the area before walking all the way inside. Their more agreeable hunting partner luckily being the only one around. The Yatuja already occupying the room payed the new occupant no mind, focusing fully on something they were working on for the ship.

After checking around the edges of the room, also keeping an eye on the entrance, the Yautja began to check in smaller places around the room, multiple times have to crouch down to check in spots that a Yautja their own size had no chance of fitting into. This extensive search seemed to finally catch the attention of their hunting partner, who now watched them in confusion. Before the partner was able to ask what was going on, the first hunter signaled for them to stay quiet, clearly having caught the sound of something and trying to focus in on it.

The quiet sound happened once again, drawing both Yautja's attention to an air vent near the ceiling of the room. To human ears, the sound may not have even been noticeable, but the two trained hunters were able to pick it up easily. The original adult turned on their heels to stalk out of the room, now following along the walls of the hallway that linked the air system together. The sounds began to get louder as they walked. Whatever was hiding within seemed to be doing a horrible job at keeping themselves quiet and hidden.

The Yautja wasn't sure what to state they expected their prey would be in when they finally found it, but the increasing noises were beginning to sound more panicked by the second. That fact causing the hunter to move more quickly, not wanting the commotion to raise any alarms from their hunting partners. This was something that they could easily handle themselves.

They didn't have to wonder about what was causing all this noise for every long, as the sight they were met with upon turning a corner make all the fuss make much more sense. It was hard not to let out a sound of amusement as they watched their human mate standing up on top of some storage racks with one of their hands still in the vent they had probably just climbed out of.

You were so focused on trying to free your bracelet from a stray piece of metal on the vent cover that you didn't even notice the apex hunter approaching behind you. That was until they appeared next to tltou up on top of the rack. A startled gasp escaping your lungs, you raised your free hand to your chest as you tried to level out your heart rate.

"No fair. I got stuck!" You said with a pout, watching your mate as they inspected where you were caught. You quickly stopped them as they reached for a blade on their hip. "No! Don't cut it! You got me this on first planet I got to visit. It's sentimental." You explained, only being met with a confused look. "Sentimental means it's something that's important to me. It reminds me of a new experience I had. It reminds me of you. So I want to make sure it's safe."

The hunter seemed to nod in understanding at that, reaching over to gently detach the bracelet from its captor. They hopped off the shelves easily before reaching up to grab you and set you down in front of them. You said a quick thank you as you looked over the bracelet, wanting to make sure that it didn't get scratched or damaged.

"You'll have to show me how to clean the skull and everything." You said excitedly, walking alongside your mate deeper into the ship as they continued to carry the skull of your Xenomorph kill. You hesitated for a moment as you entered the trophy room, your eyes lingering on your mate's wall. Having an accomplished hunter as mate had it's perks, but as you looked over all the skulls with a new view point, you started to feel like your one skull wasn't anything compared to some of the things they had hanging. "I know you have much more interesting skulls on your wall. I get it if you don't want it up there with your things. Maybe we can just find a safe place to put it, so it's out of the way." You spoke quietly, not able to hide the slight disappointment in your voice. Your eyes reluctantly shifted to look at your mate when you were answered with only silence.

You were slightly off put by the way they started at you. It was like you had opened their chest and punched them directly in the heart. They continued to say nothing as their eyes shifted from you to the wall of skulls behind you. The walked past you and began to rearrange the various trophies mounted around the room. Only stepping back and letting out a satisfied grunt when there was a large space directly next to their own Xenomorph skull. You blinked a couple of times in shock as they looked back at you, seemingly to check to see if you were pleased with the position.

You couldn't help but smile and blush at the realization that they wanted to show off your own accomplishments alongside theirs. "Well then. Since it has a beautiful spot, it's all yours." You were once again confused at the strange response they gave to that. You hadn't ever heard the vibrating sound they released before now, and they quickly grabbed their helmet and left.

You tried your best to follow, but they moved much faster than you and were off the ship before you were able to move half that distance. Thinking you did something wrong, you let out a defeated sigh, moving to head back to the trophy room. You ran into the, no longer injured, partner on your way back, happy to see that the medical supplies on the ship had fixed much more than the ones on hand out in the wild. You explained what happened, wanting to try to get any sort of explanation of what you had done wrong and how to fix it when your mate returned.

Those Yautja were full of surprises that day, as they began to laugh in your face. Apperantly the situation was hilarious to them, because they laughed for a minute before they began to explain to you that you had done nothing wrong, and your mate was probably completely shaken by the fact that you had wanted to not only have your first trophy up on their wall but had offered to gift it to them. While the new information had helped, it still hadn't explained your mate's quick retreat from you or what they were doing.

Much to their hunting partners' dismay, it was a couple of hours before your mate returned to the ship, soaking wet and carrying the head of the giant crocodilian creature from before. Your first instinct had been your normal worry and want to check them to injuries, but you were stopped in your tracks as they held the skull out in front of them and towards you.

"I cannot gift you something as important as you have given me, Mate, but I have found the highest predator of this planet and slayed it. I bring you its head." They said simply, seeming to be waiting for your reaction to their gift.

You couldn't help but laugh, pushing their hands aside to get closer to them. They didn't fight as you removed their helmet and began to shower their face with kisses. "I love it, Darling. Thank you." You managed to get out between kisses. Your assualt on their face continued until you heard of the other hunters call out, assuming letting you both know that you would be taking off soon, now that your mate had returned.

Your helmet seemed to calm down, letting you know that the threat had passed and allowing you to sink down to the branch beneath you. You allowed yourself a few shaky breaths as you looked between the three again, once again checking over their injuries. It was then you realized that the three were all staring directly at you, the intensity of their looks enough to send your heart racing again. You feared that you caused more trouble than you had originally thought by coming closer to the fight.

You began to spew out apologies as your mate started to approach you, explaining that you had only wanted to come make sure that they were all okay and you hadn't meant to cause any issues. You stood again, backing away from them on the branch once they got up to you, not sure what their reaction would be.

The soft purr as they managed to get their hands on your waist hadn't been any of the possibilities on your list though. Your brain seemed to shut down, focusing only on the comforting vibration coming through them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interfere." You said softly when they pulled you close enough to press the foreheads of your helmets together.

"Do not apologize. You protect me from an unseen threat. I could have been wounded by that beast." You heard the helmet over the various sounds of the Yautja language. You pulled back, staring up at them in confusion. The laugh that came from your mate showed they understood your reaction. They made a motion that brought your attention to your missing combistick at your waist. Your eyes darted between the three hunters again, this time realizing that they either had the weapon at their waist or in their hand. Your eyes then dragging over to the xenomorph you had supposed hit.

"No. There's no way. I didn't throw that." You stumbled out the words quickly, shaking your head as you began to go through what had happened in your mind. You eyes came back to your mate as you watched them remove their helmet, then as they reached out to take yours off.

Your heart gave a flutter as you saw directly the proud look at that was spread across their face. You had never seen them look at you like this, and the absence of the helmets seemed to make the emotion all the more raw.

Your view was interrupted as they placed their own helmet on your head, your hands coming up to hold the much larger piece in place with them. You found the confusion swirling again until the screen inside seemed to rewind. You watched as their view of you up in the tree flicked on in front of you. You heard the rumbles of their angry growls and watched yourself realize that that they had seen you. You hadn't realized how pathetic you had looked, your knuckles white as they had pulled the combistick from it's holder. The sight had done nothing to stop the irritated sounds that reverberated in the helmet, until the familiar beep of a threat rang out louder. Your breath caught as you watched the helmet focus in on you, scanning you as a threat as you deployed the spear and seemed to raise it against them.

You flinched as you watched the past you seemed to throw the spear directly at your mate's head, letting out a small gasp as they managed to step to the side, quickly followed by the sound of a crunch and the screech of the xenomorph that had been about to attack them. The silence was almost deafening at they looked from the twitching beast up to you again.

You didn't get to see your own reaction, as they pulled the helmet off your head immediately after that. The incredibly proud look still spread across their face as they looked down at you. You smiled and leaned against the warmth as they raised their hand to rest against your cheek. "My little hunter." They spoke to you in your language, once again causing your heart to flutter.

The two of you were pulled out of your moment by the sound of a celebratory cheer from the wounded Yautja below. You both looked down, seeing as the two hunting partners seemed to work on getting the various injuries patched up. You let out a laugh at least on of them also looked at you with pride.

After that, the two of you had replaced your helmets and climbed down to the ground. "Does this even count for my first officia hunt? Don't I have to go through a whole ritual and hunt a xenomorph with a two others? This doesn't count as me stealing a kill from any of you, right?" You asked as you watched your mate kneel down over "your kill". It was still hard to process that you had managed to do something like that in the first place.

"This does not make you blooded." You heard the partner that didn't like you growl out, the helmet being quick to translate.

"It is your kill. We had not seen or fought that one for it to belong to anyone else." The injured Yautja jumped in quickly, obviously not wanting the other's comment to bring down what should have been an exciting moment for you.

"Yes. This kill belongs to you, Mate. Though we must check with the Elders on some other things. Now come." Your mate said, your eyes coming back to see them pulling the head off the Xenomorph. They had already removed the sharp end of the tail from the body, and you watched in slight confusion as they used it almost like a pen and dipped it into the blood pooling from the head, the sizzling of the ground under it making you slightly nervous.

You stayed in place as they stood and moved to drag the tail against your helmet. The sound of the sizzling was a little startling, and once they pulled away, you removed the piece to look at the fresh new, familiar mark. You had seen it on all the other adult Yautjas that you had met, but you never thought much about it. You couldn't help but smile up at your mate as you realized what this meant. "Did I bring you honor with this kill, Mate?" You asked softly.

A happy purr and gentle headbutt was a quick response, causing you to laugh again. "Be still. This will sting." They said after a moment. Sting was an understatement, and you couldn't help but wince at the burning sensation as they made an identical mark to your helmet directly into your skin.

Once that was done and followed by another cheer from the same hunting partner as before, the two of you stood there for a moment, you lost in the happy purrs and chatters oozing from your mate. You knew a hunt and kill would be an exciting thing for them, but you hadn't realized just how much of an effect it would have on them.

The grumpier of the three allowed the two of you a moment before they helped the injured Yautja stand, the two taking a moment to make sure they were stable to stand. "We need to get back to the ship." They said simply as they helped the hurt partner to hobble back towards the ship.

You went to step away but let out a gasp as you were lifted up onto your mate's shoulder. They kept one hand on your leg to keep you stable while reaching down with the other to grab your trophy head. The happy sounds from them continued, occasionally interrupted by teasing from the limping partner ahead of you, which they took in prideful stride.

"Xenomorphs are here?! How would they get here?! Am I supposed to be hunting those things?! I thought they're a challenge for Yautja! I can't take on one of those things on my own!" The growl to quiet you down didn't answer any of your questions, but the reminder that you weren't in a safe environment caused you to listen to the order. You couldn't help it as your nails dug into the hard skin you were already holding onto. All the horror stories that you had heard about the Xenomorph hunts began to ring in your head.

Your own mate had even told you about the struggles they went through in their hunt. You had seen the scars and damage the Xenomorphs could inflict on a Yautja, so who knew what they could do against the much softer body of a human. You hadn't even realized that you began to shake until you felt the dig of your mate's claws on your waist. You also began to register the dig of tree bark against your back as your mate pressed you into the trunk, still standing on a branch high above the ground. You stared up at their masked face, listening as they quietly chattered, probably trying to calm you down slightly.

Your eyes stayed locked on their mask, silently pleading them not to do what you felt was coming. You felt the press of your combistick against your chest, one of your hands subconsciously moving to wrap around it. "Please. Let's just go back to the ship. Regroup with the others. You shouldn't fight those things alone. We don't know how many there are or how they even got here." You kept your voice low, though you knew it would do nothing to keep you hidden if the monsters came looking for you.

You didn't get a reply, and it felt as if your heart was sinking with them as you watched your mate jump down to the ground. You had at least a little comfort as you saw their hunting partner from earlier on the ship materialize at their side, obviously coming out to join in the hunt. The two didn't have to wait long before another shrill call came from nearby, loud enough to almost drop your weapon. The call was answered by a familiar roar, that of your mate's missing party member. The two below you wasted no time to take off towards the sounds, wether they wanted to help their friend or just wanted a piece of the action you weren't sure. But either way, you began to silently hope that they all came out okay.

It wasn't much more than a minute later that you began to hear the sounds of the battle nearby. While your brain screamed at you to try either stay put or try to find your way back to the ship, the sounds of your mate fighting drew you in. You had never been allowed off the ship during hunts, and your curiosity was getting the best of you. Placing your combistick back in its holder, your began to slowly make your way forward, trying your best to stay up in the trees as much as you could.

As you got closer, the sounds of combat did nothing for your panic. You knew that getting close was little more than a death wish, and your mate would probably be furious with you if you all got out of this. When the scene came into view and you began to see bodies of a few Xenomorphs littering the ground, you began to have a little bit of hope that the three hunters would be fine. You took the time to look them each over quickly, the third hunter that you hadn't seen so far during your hunt had obviously been struggling to take on the pack before the other two Yautja had arrived and had bright green staining down one of their legs and on their chest.

The fact that they were up and still fighting gave you some small comfort while you checked the other two. The three of them together seemed to be able to deal with the pack effectively, the other two having only minor scratches and marks.

You turned your attention then to trying to keep a look out to not only try to get a headcount of the remaining Xenomorphs, but you also had remembered that you were in danger here and did your best to watch your surroundings. You wouldn't hear the end of it if you had come this close and needed to be rescued on a day that was supposed to be your ability to hunt and survive. You honestly weren't even sure if that was still happening. You weren't sure how the rules would deal with a surprise Xenomorph attack.

Lost in your thoughts again, you found your eyes locked on your mate. Your gaze following the flow of their body as they fought. The movement of their muscles under their skin was always fascinating to you, but you hadn't realized just how mesmerizing it was until you got to see it in true action. That was until your show was interrupted by the realization that the two of you were staring dead at each other. You felt a chill run through you again, and you were sure if you were able to read their mind, you wouldn't be able to understand a string of the angry growls.

You did your best to smile at them, but remembering that they couldn't see your face, you grabbed your weapon from your hip, trying to signify that you were being safe and careful. You didn't get a chance to see their reaction as your helmet began to beep aggressively. You had to blink as your vision flashed between a few different view types until it revealed a hidden danger behind your mate.

The air was tense as you exited the ship. It was different from Earth, but you couldn't describe exactly how. The knowledge of what was gonna happen once you left the safe area sent chills down your spine. You eyes looked up at your mate next to you, their now masked eyes looking back. With a simple nod, their invisibility cloak enabled, and you watched as their body disappeared from view. You could still feel their presence, and that was a small enough comfort for you.

Your eyes turned back to the thick trees before you. Taking a deep breath, you took a step forward and made your way into the forest. You couldn't see your mate, but enough training and time together let you hear the faint signs as they followed behind you. As much as you wanted to focus on them, you knew that you needed to pay attention to the world around you instead.

You tuned into your surroundings, listening to the strange calls of what you would assume to be native birds. You could hear a water source nearby, and you decided on checking it out to see if you could get an idea on the type of wildlife in the area. You honestly weren't even sure what was out here that the Yautja had decideed was good enough for you to hunt. They couldn't have thought you would be able to take to on the same things as Yautja hunters your age, right? You gave your head a quick shake, trying to get rid of the idea. You trusted that your mate wouldn't put you in that sort of danger, especially without giving you some sort of warning. They seemed so sure that you would succeed that it couldn't be something that hard.

You were able to position yourself on a small ledge above the river you found, sitting silently as you watched the water flow. Like the air pressure, the movement of the water just seemed off from what you were used to. You assumed that they were linked, but that's wasn't important at the moment. Along with the movement of the surface, the murkiness if the water made it impossible to see if anything was waiting just under the surface, which is why you had chosen to keep your distance. Your attention went back to the task at hand as you watched something, that your brain logically linked to a deer, step out of the trees. It was fairly small, much smaller than the things your mate and their fellow hunters would bring home. It wouldn't be the most magnificent trophy, but if it got you back to the safety of the ship, you would take the chance.

Of all the planets you had been able to visit at your mate's side, this one was the most off-putting by far. If you had taken a photo from an Earth jungle and compared it, the two would look incredibly similar. It was those slight differences though that were currently putting your brain on edge, leading you to just want to get off this planet. So, you reached to your waist to grab the combistick from it's holder, deciding that to just get the hunt over would probably be the best. As you went to pull the weapon way from your hip, the feeling of pressure prevented your movement, your eyes darting down to see lines like heatwaves holding your hand down.

You looked up, confused, at where you knew your mate's head would be, wondering why they would stop you from taking the shot. It was then that a loud commotion from the river drew your attention back. Your eyes made it back in time to watch a large, crocodilian creature dragging the deer into the water by it's head, the poor thing probably having gotten to close to take a drink. You panicked and pain filled sounds squeezed your heart, but you couldn't look away from the gorey scene. At least not until the surface of the water had returned back to its previous state, with the addition of a large red cloud that was currently running its way down with the stream.

"Good to know that we don't go into the water around here." You muttered to yourself, quiet clicks of agreement coming from your side. "Okay. So is there something specific I'm supposed to hunting for this? Am I supposed to be going after that... thing?" You asked, glancing back over in their direction after you didn't get a reply. "Oh right. The whole, you can't help or interfere, or else."

You were about to lean against them and groan until a shrill scream echoed through the trees, making your skin tingle. The growl next to you didn't help bring your heartbeat down, since it meant whatever made that sound wasn't something that had planned to run into during this. You instinctively moved to follow your mate as they began to move towards the sound, seeming to have forgotten about the current situation. You felt slight panic when you realized that the two of you would need to cross the river you were just observing, but your mate was quick to grab you by the waist, holding you close as they climbed into the nearest tree and used the branches to get across.

It wasn't until you were across the river that you began to notice the sounds that was passively vibrating for your mate's chest. You had never hear this mixture of excited and panicked sounds coming from them. That coupled with the fact that they were still carrying you though the trees made you worry even more.