#((he lives))

I moved quickly, tapping the panel and slipping behind it as it moved from the neighboring wall. I slid the panel back manually, leaving a crack open, just big enough so I could see part of the ship's entrance and hear the brothers more clearly. With the panel still open a fraction, I could hear the final approach of our unannounced guest. I could see the wind and dust being stirred by the approaching transport. I felt it before I heard it, the rise in tension… Like my nerves were on fire.

Njohrr- He's here… This can't be good… I wonder what he looks like… does he look like either of his sons?

Ugh— focus. What are they even saying?

I tried to focus on their conversation, the translator grabbing every other word. From this alone, I could tell it wasn't good. The sound of weapons being drawn— the hum that reminded me of Kwei's sword. It made my nerves freeze. Oh shit. Their father's voice had me reaching for my weapon. The hum reverberating in my chest. I fully gripped the hilt of my dagger, sliding the panel open a little more. I knew realistically, I didn't stand a chance against their father. I would probably get in the way. Only if I have to.

Preemptively, I crept forward, trying to move silently. That's when it erupted. Dek came flying in, his grapple hurling him against the farthest wall. Instinctively, I whipped from Dek's blurring figure to the ship's doors, sliding closed. The sound of metal clashing reverberated in my ears. I charged forward, vaulting over the console in front of me and sliding through the doors with just enough clearance. Dek charged after me, trying to use his gauntlet to keep the door open. When my feet hit the ground, the sound of their swords clashing and grunting filled my chest. Neither of them paying my presence any mind. I watched as Kwei disarmed his father, who swiftly took Kwei's sword from him and then vanished behind his cloak. I took a hesitant step forward when Njohrr's wrist blades pierced Kwei's fist. Njohrr stopped, a growl echoing behind his mask as he zeroed in on me, "I was wrong. You are both weak." A guttural roar ripped from Kwei's mandibles as Njohrr used the sword to cut through the arm he had pierced, knocking him to the floor.

"Kwei!" Dek's voice echoed my own. His father stood over him. His severed forearm was just a few feet in front of him. Kwei's eyes snapped up to me. Njohrr's attention still squared on me. The sight of me standing there twisted his body language; he was disgusted.

The sound that came from my lips could only be described as animalistic as my fear gave way to my rage. I moved swiftly, bolting past Kwei, as he crawled forward, a growl emanating from his battered body as he yelled for me, “Dhi-rauta!”

When his father reacted, ready for a head-on attack, I dropped low— sliding between his wide stance. Once I was behind him, I lunged upward, jumping onto his back, dagger in hand. My legs wrapped around his upper half, and my dagger found a home in his chest. The blood pumping in my ears drowned out any sound he made. He reached up, grabbed a hold of my shoulder, and hurled me to the ground. I landed next to Kwei, swiftly followed by the clatter of my dagger and his father's voice booming, "To forgive weakness…Is to show weakness." He paused for a beat, "She, however, will make a good enough trophy."

At that moment, I heard the hum of Dek's grapple line. I lunged for my dagger, turned over my shoulder, and flung the blade at Njohrr's leg. It pierced his thigh, and I lunged again for his discarded sword, tucking it in my waistband as Kwei held his severed hand. I scrambled towards him, my hand reaching for his gauntlet. I fumbled with the sensors, the red glow pulsing rapidly, "Now!"

With the slam of the final icon, the ship's doors reset, sliding back open, and Dek's line shot out into Kwei's shoulder. As he was pulled back into the ship, his intact hand wrapped around me, pulling me with him. The take-off sequence reinitiated, and the doors began to slide closed again. We just managed to slip through before the door sealed shut. The quick take off of the ship, combined with our speedy entrance, kept us in the air long enough for Kwei to wrap himself around me. Our impact against the far wall came with a sickening crunch, followed by immediate darkness.

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My eyes snapped open, the blaring of the alarm ringing in my ears. With blurry vision, I tried to look around, but a heavy weight on top of me stopped me from lifting my head. I felt cold and damp. Shit— did we make it? What the fuck is happening? I opened my eyes all the way, red light swallowing my vision. My hand came up to my eyes to shield them from the obnoxious lighting. Why is it getting hot in here? And then it hit me. I looked beneath me, and there he was out like a light. His name slipped from my lips in a whisper.

I wiggled free from his grasp, only to realize there was something else on top of us. Just as I was able to get out from under it, I heard a groan and then a crash. I looked over and caught a glimpse of Dek in the pilot seat. Just as he triggered the ejection function on the seat. In that brief second, I felt everything shatter. He must've thought we were dead… And just like that, he was gone, and there was a hole in the ship.

The ship was shaking, rumbling like a stampede was running over the ship's exterior. The burning red light was the ship's entry into the planet's atmosphere. I looked to the other end of Kwei's ship and eyed the escape pods' offshoot. It all happened quickly, adrenaline pumping through my veins. I shoved the debris off of Kwei's body. As I tried and failed to lift his arm, I felt frustration bubbling up. A guttural scream broke free as I yanked him up in a very ungraceful manner. He must've been semi-conscious. Carrying, well, more so, dragging Kwei's body with me, I moved as fast as I could. When I reached the capsule, I shoved Kwei in first. His partially-conscious form groaning as I began trying to get him situated to one side so I could fit. I squeezed myself in next to him, partially straddling his lap, and slammed the very obvious 'eject' switch.

We were free-falling, my stomach in my throat and every muscle in my body tensing. When we hit the ground, I screamed. The capsule tumbled left, right, up, and down. I could feel my senses going haywire. Disoriented and shaken, I pushed the release when we finally stopped, and the door blew open. I tumbled out, my eyes unfocused, ears ringing, and nerves on fire. Kwei landed next to me, and that's when I remembered. His arm! I gathered the last bits of my strength and pulled the emergency kit from the capsule. I wrapped his stump up the best I could, my hands feeling numb. He thankfully wasn't bleeding as much as he was before. We were surrounded by plant life. I knew we couldn't stay here, but moving wasn't much of an option right now. As soon as he was bandaged to my best effort, I felt the weight of my head, my arms, my legs. Fuck.

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There was a crackling, a warmth, and a pulsing in my head, ribs, and legs. I rolled to my left, curling up as to soften the throbbing in my ribs— fuck that hurts. I heard a familiar, guttural clicking—he's awake. My eyes opened, struggling to adjust to the environmental lighting. I groaned as I sat up, well, tried to. A firm hand pressed to my shoulder, his claws pressing just enough, and I lay back down. There was that clicking again. Weird.

I looked over at the beaten Yautja who rested against a rock next to me. I smiled at him softly, "You're awake. How's… the arm?" He gave me a click and a growl in response, his mandibles moved, but I couldn't… Why can't I understand him?

I did a mental check, and everything was attached; nothing felt broken. I must've gotten really lucky. Scrapes, bruises, I was mostly fine. There was a makeshift bandage on the exterior of my left leg running the length of my quad. Another one, I could feel on my right side, covering my ribs. How the fuck?

I reached up and pulled the translator from my ear. Please be ok, please be ok. The translator looked mostly fine, but there was a large crack that ran the length of its exterior. I squeezed my eyes shut, resting my hand on my forehead as I showed him the translator. Kwei nodded as he looked at the damaged electronic.

I managed to sit myself in a slouched sitting position against the rock next to Kwei. He looked … worried? He scanned the perimeter. Is he looking for Dek? "He's not here. He made it out of the ship." I paused for a second, taking a slow breath, chuckling dryly, "He probably thinks we're dead." I took in the environment around us... So this is Genna.

Kwei looked at me, his mandibles clicking. Great, just what we need. I hated not understanding him. My hand came up to my face, "Fuck. Kwei, I can't understand everything you're saying." My hand rubbed against my now throbbing temple, "And you can't understand me…"

I pushed myself up, my legs and my ribs pleading for me to sit back down, or slow down at least. Kwei sat up a little taller, watching me with careful eyes as I grabbed the emergency kit and slowly, awkwardly made my way to him, "We have to take care of your arm." The bandage I had wrapped around his arm was a shade of murky green. Yeah, that's gross. I reached out for his stump, and he growled at me. I looked at him with challenging eyes, "Arm. Now." I gestured for his arm, then pointed at my respective arm, before reaching out again. I wasn't budging, "Who do you think bandaged it the first time." I waved the bandage roll about, hoping to get my message across.

He huffed before he let me grab his arm. I unwrapped it carefully; the dried blood had caused the bandage to adhere to his skin. As I slowly peeled it away, I could feel the muscles in his arm tighten, his mandibles flaring just a bit.

You can't die. I won't let you. "Dek is out there, trying to prove himself. If he knew you died because you refused to treat your wound, he'd go ballistic. Plus, I probably wouldn't last out here without you." And I wouldn't want to. The words came out in a whisper as I cleaned the wound.

He looked at me, his eyes scanning my face. I tried to keep my focus on tending to his wound, but his hand ghosted over my arm. His claws gently grazed my skin before his clawed thumb lingered on my chin. Looking up at him, I gave a soft smile, pointing at his arm, "Let me take care of you— of this."

He responded with a soft click as he gave, what I could only assume was his acceptance. I reached into the pack and pulled out a round metal tin. It felt heavy in my hands, and I knew it was going to hurt. I tore a piece of fabric from my tattered clothes and wrapped it around my hand like a makeshift glove. Opening the tin, I glanced up at Kwei and waited for him to give me a nod. When he did, I took a bit of the blue-ish substance from the tin and began to rub it over his severed flesh. There was a brief sizzle and then a loud growl. My hand froze briefly, halfway done with the exposed flesh. I worked quicker to finish, the sizzling effect of the gel ceased, and Kwei huffed, "Sorry about that…" I mumbled.

I scanned over him again and took note of the gashes near his shoulder and those near his face and neck. I reached up, a bit of the gel on my hand. I smeared it over the gashes on his shoulder, causing his body to tense. When I reached for his face, he grabbed my wrist, his grip tight, but not tight enough to hurt. His golden eyes were glaring at me. He released my wrist, turning his head to show me the gash on his cheek. I moved quickly, covering the gash in the gel, the soft sizzle as the skin closed up was almost relieving. I ripped the makeshift glove off my hand as an aggressive tingle started in my fingertips. I looked at my hand, rubbing the gel's contact residue off on my pants before closing the tin and letting out a heavy sigh.

Kwei sat forward as I leaned back, the soreness in my ribs quieting. I put the tin back in the kit and looked at the small clearing we had landed in. There were trees sparsely scattered around. They reminded me of the redwoods back home… home. I hadn't called it that in some time. I stood again, on wobbly legs, and moved towards the capsule. Just before I could reach it, my bandaged leg gave out, slamming me to the ground, "Fuck. Me." I grunted, my hands stopping my face from becoming acquainted with the ground again.

As I leaned to my left just slightly before my rib pain bloomed once more, a gruff chuckle left my lips as I hissed at the pain. My eyes squeezed shut, and I tilted my head back.

"Stupid…. ooman… you… interfere… your fault." Kwei's words lit something inside me. My eyes snapped open, and I glared at him as my anger rose.

"Are… Are you saying this is my fault?!" My mouth hung slack, "I—I. Nevermind. Yeah. My fault."

I pushed myself forward, teeth gritting through the pain. I reached into the capsule and dropped the kit inside. When I turned around, Kwei was on his feet, eyes just as angry as I felt. He huffed, his mandibles clicking as he turned away, the sway of his tendrils almost subtracted from how serious he seemed. I turned back to the capsule and looked for the mini repair kit hanging off one of the panels. How it stayed secure through all the tumbling I couldn't guess. I snagged it from its hold and shuffled to the rock I had leaned against. I gingerly sat atop it, unfolding the repair kit in my lap. I took my translator from my ear and cursed silently.

As I opened it up, one of the wires instantly popped free, and a quiet zap stung my palm. Almost comically, there was a small trail of smoke emanating from inside. Well, that's fun. I lifted my head to gripe about my predicament in Kwei's direction… and he wasn't there. That asshole left me here?!… He'll be back… He has to come back… He wouldn't actually leave me here.

I snapped my attention away from the empty spot. Get it together. I picked up one of the small tools from the kit and began messing with the translator. I figured if I could get it working again, he could understand me as I wrung his neck, and I could hear what he was saying while I did.

After some time, it began to get darker, the air was a bit colder, and I felt the hairs on my neck prickle. All the time spent with the brothers, I learned to listen to my gut. I gripped one of the screwdrivers in my hand. Whatever it was, it moved quietly, but I could tell it was behind me. I readied myself, and when I felt it get closer, I spun from my position on the rock and threw the tool at whatever was behind me. The tool stopped midair in Kwei's grasp as he caught it easily and just stared at me.

"Oh, it's you. Welcome back I guess." I said, trying to sound indifferent. Kwei made his way up to me, dropping the tool in my lap without a word.

He walked over to the capsule, a rounded gadget in hand. He placed it against his bicep and twisted it. It lit up, emanating a bright green light. He sat it, along with himself, on the floor. He adjusted his position next to the rock I sat on, and we sat there in silence for a moment. The sound of distant wildlife filling the void. I glanced at his profile. As frustrating a being as he was, and as angry as he made me, I was glad he was okay. I opened my mouth to say something when his mandible twitched, and again, I caught every other word, "…. sleep… pod… watch … first."

He looked over at me and then nodded his head toward the capsule in front of us. I rolled my eyes, but stood reluctantly. I folded the kit closed as I did and made my way into the capsule. I placed the kit back on its holder and measured the height I'd have to lift my leg to situate myself in the capsule. This was gonna hurt no matter how I did it.

I gripped the edge of the capsule and hesitantly lifted my bandaged leg to climb inside. Bending my leg at the knee, I winced, gritting my teeth. I leaned over to pull my leg higher, towards my chest. I felt the muscles along my ribs tighten. F-Shit.

My hand slipped from the edge of the pod, and my feet came off the ground. I flailed about, my hands grabbing a hold of the closest solid object. I was pulled into a firm embrace, my shoulder and hips leaning against an armored chest. I looked up— Kwei. He looked down at me in his arms, his wounded arm stabilizing my legs, frustrated and worried. We rarely made this much contact, between us; it was normally passive touches. Amicable and in passing, never constant nor lingering. He clicked his mandibles together and placed me into the capsule. I whispered a 'thank you' as I leaned against the panel behind me. Kwei moved back to his previous spot, his profile shaded by the light hitting his face.

All this time I've been with him, just him in the beginning. It was an uneasy 'partnership'. It wasn't exactly either of our ideas for me to join him back then. It was just the circumstances that led me to join him on his ship. When he introduced me to Dek, it was… eventful. At first, Dek had so. many. questions. I couldn't answer all of them, and Kwei didn't want to. We were able to fall into a normal rhythm, though. The days when Kwei and I were alone on the ship were weird at first. He hovered around, keeping his eyes on me. At first, it was because he didn't trust me, but over time, it changed. He no longer watched me with harsh glares; sometimes I could swear he was watching me, almost the way he watched over Dek. Thinking back on it, I can't remember when exactly I started to feel the fondness for the stone-faced Yautja. He cared for his brother, but it wasn't something he vocalized. I'd learned that's just how it was in his society. But the care he had for his brother was different.

What am I doing…

God, he's a stubborn asshole.

You're welcome for saving your life.

Not like your father wasn't about to kill you.

My thoughts were going a mile a minute. I wanted to be mad at him. I wanted to hold his words against him. My eyes wandered down his profile, taking in his still appearance. His armor was damaged, with pieces fractured and cracked. I gave in to the heaviness my body was feeling. Sleep was all I could really do right now. I knew Kwei wouldn't just sit here; this planet was dangerous, and we couldn't stay here. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.

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God, I hate being right. We had been walking for what felt like hours. The ache in my muscles, which rippled through my extremities, was less intense today. Not sure what he did when he bandaged me up... But it surely helped.

Damn... I'm gonna have to ask him when this is all over.

My attitude, however, was still as sour. Kwei woke me up at first light, with the sun just peaking out over the horizon. I grabbed some essentials from the capsule, namely the med and repair kits. I also slipped in a few of the weapons that were stored in the capsule. It wasn't until we were packing to leave that I realized the sword was missing from my waistband. I looked around for it and found it on Kwei's waist. He must've grabbed it when he bandaged my wounds. Kwei armed himself as best he could, considering his limited reach. We readied ourselves in silence. I was still miffed at him and Kwei… well, he was normally quiet.

I walked behind him, taking in the landscape around us and eyeing some of the plant life. And him. I may not be an expert on his people or their technology, but what I lack in expertise I make up for with being a quick study. Over the years, I learned enough to usually help with repairs. So as Kwei walked in front of me, I studied his armor once more, the weaponry he used, and thought back to the gauntlet that once sat on his arm. If I could get a hold of it… I could probably find a way to integrate it into his armor somewhere else.

With my mind focusing on him and his armor, I wasn't really paying attention to where I stepped. My foot landed blindly on a patch of loose rocks, and I lurched forward, my left side falling into a tree. The pain in my leg reminded me that I indeed was still injured. Kwei whipped around, his eyes scanning all around us before settling on me and my new tree friend. I chuckled dryly, waving a hand at him, "Don't mind me, just… making friends."

He chuffed at my words, saying something I couldn't catch, "Look, obviously we have an objective here, but I'm… not like you." The sigh left my lips, my eyes not scrutinizing my leg.

Before I could say anything else, Kwei's mandibles twitched, "Break… here.. rest."

I sat atop a fallen tree trying to adjust the bandage around my leg. It wasn't easy. I huffed and winced as both my ribs and my leg protested in pain at the movement. There was a tap on my shoulder. I looked up, and there stood Kwei. We just looked at each other for a brief second, his eyes softer than before. He moved in front of me, gesturing for my leg, "Oh— oh. Thanks."

He crouched down in front of me, his hand warm against my tattered pant leg. His claws grazed my skin as he pushed it up, holding my leg with ease. Just the sight of him below me, leg in hand, and his clawed fingers working carefully and efficiently. My face went flush, and I tried to look everywhere but at him. What the hell is wrong with me?? Stop it, please.

He covered my leg and gently lowered it down. His eyes, just as soft as before, bore into mine. It felt intimate— to look into his eyes and he into mine. I looked away, my face feeling hot. He grabbed my attention, again tapping my shoulder, "Covering… off." My brain stuttered. I'm sorry… what?

Firstly, trying to understand his words and then understand what he meant, as he motioned to my dirty shirt, his hand snagging the hem. I leaned back, my hand swatting his away and pulling it closer to my skin as my eyes bugged, "You want me to do what?" My face got hotter, he can't possibly mean… no… I'm not understanding him…

Man, I miss my translator.

His mandibles clicked rhythmically as he pulled my attention back. Is he laughing… at me?? He tried once more. The same words, same motion. My face fell flat. That didn't help. He reached out and pulled my hand away, just enough force to do so. I looked at him, his eyes scanning my shirt, like he could pull it off without moving. He released my hand and reached for the hem of my shirt again. My heart hammered in my chest, eyes focusing as I followed his hand. He… started purring… His hand came up, tilting my face to look at him. His eyes were almost pleading, like he was begging me to relax— to trust him. I already did.

I relaxed into him, easing the tension in my back. He'd only done this once before. When I woke from a night terror, and I thought I was back at my outpost— I was disoriented as all hell, vision foggy, skin on fire— wishing I was dead. It had the same effect now as it did then.

I gave him a tentative nod, "O-okay."

He let go of my chin and carefully lifted my shirt from the bottom hem. He tucked the edge of my shirt into the band of my bra. Son of a— My face burned again, feeling stupid and embarrassed. He's checking on my bandaged ribs. I looked everywhere but him as his hand ghosted over my ribs one last time, like the sky was the most interesting thing on the planet. He gave me a short nod, lowering my shirt back down, and I muttered a soft, "Thanks."

He turned halfway from me when I grabbed his hand, "W-wait. Where are we even going?"

He slipped his hand from mine and pointed ahead of us, the words he spoke lost on my ears. Ok, so that way…

I stood from my impromptu seat, dusted off my hands, and gestured for him to lead the way. We barely made it a few feet before Kwei stopped, midstep, his hand swung out to stop me. A soft growl came from his mandibles as he scanned the area, a warning. Someone— something was close. He stepped square in front of me, his body tense. His shoulders looked wider as he postured. Normally, he'd just tell me to be on guard; this must be serious.

In a split second, Kwei whipped around and gave a hard shove to my chest, the force of which slammed me into a tree some feet away. Tree bark cracked behind my weight, ripped the air from my lungs as my head whipped against it. I fell to the floor, gasping, hands grasping at my chest and throat. I rolled onto my chest, fists slamming against the forest floor as my lungs burned. I tried to push myself up, ears ringing again, vision blurring. When my vision cleared enough, I looked where I once stood, and there was Kwei, embattled with what I could only describe as a monstrous squid—minus its mantle. He roared, mandibles flared, as it tried to snag him with one of its tentacles. I was up on my hands and knees, coughs ripped my chest apart as my rib pain flared, and my lungs screamed for a breath.

I'd just about caught my breath when one of the tentacles made a beeline for me. Move, move, move!

I rolled forward, pushed to my feet, and staggered forward. Fumbling around with my pack, I reached in and wrapped my fingers around the cold, solid object. "Kwei!" I screamed as I wound my arm back and chucked the cryo grenade at him. He caught it seamlessly while dodging another attempt by the creature to grab him. I pushed myself forward, ignoring the pain in my leg. Kwei was reeling his arm back when one of the tentacles finally wrapped around his leg. In an instant, he was ripped from his steady rhythm of dodging and ripped into the air. He was lifted higher to the creature's mouth. Kwei's eyes found me, and with no warning, he flung the cryo grenade back at me. What the fuck!?

I sprang forward, catching the grenade midstride as Kwei got closer and closer to its mouth. I ran forward, snagging a branch and pulling out my medical tape. I let loose a scream, grabbing the creature's attention and turning its focus towards me for a moment. Kwei snapped his mandible into the tentacles, and it instantly let him go. I took a ready step and threw my makeshift spear. When it landed, piercing the skin just at the edge of its jaws, ice erupted and spread all over the creature, consuming it. I took a deep breath, my hands on my knees as I rounded forward, trying to calm my pounding heart. The creature collapsed to the floor, cracking in half upon impact. My head whipped up as Kwei approached, "What the hell was that!?" My eyes hardened, the miffed feeling rising once more, "You could've killed me!"

Kwei huffed, looking me over, "Safe… not hurt… Ooman fine." His hand wrapped around my shoulder, scanning my back.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, my heart still hammering, "Just- forget about it." In return, Kwei took a hesitant step towards me, his eyes soft.

God, I miss my translator.

We carried on our way, Kwei walking directly in front of me, glancing back every so often. His pace was slower, and for that I was thankful; our previous skirmish left me all the more sore. I'll definitely need to look at that later.

We stopped once more, and Kwei turned to glance at me. He motioned to where we stopped, "Camp here… rest." I huffed, silently thanking him, physical exhaustion settling in my bones.

I sat down, my back resting against a rocky base. I pulled out my repair kit and got to work salvaging my translator. Kwei left, telling me he would be back with food. I waved him off, focus glued to my device. I double-checked every wire, chip, driver, and module. When I was satisfied with how everything looked, I put it back together and clipped it behind my ear again. I removed the corresponding neck piece and double-checked the wiring, which was fine. Now I just have to wait for him to- Wait a minute… that smell.

I slowly got up and carefully followed the scent. Smells like… wet earth. I broke through the tree line, and there it was, a stream that fed into a clear, green-tinted lake. "Oh hell yeah," I whispered giddily.

I immediately pulled out a small metal tube from my pack, got down onto the rocky edge, my knees folded to the side. I dipped one end of the tube into the water and collected a sample, and after a minute, it flashed green, safe. I quickly filled the empty canteen in my bag for later. I grinned stupidly and looked around at the tree line and across the surface of the water. A dip won't kill me?

I slipped my pack from my shoulder and found a patch of rocks to place it on. Mindful of my injuries, I carefully pulled off my jacket, followed by my top and bottoms. I folded everything up and placed the stack of clothes next to my pack. Do I … remove my undergarments? Mmm- no, I do have a spare set, I also don't feel like dying or fighting naked.

Loosening my hair from the braid I had it in, I took a cautious step into the water. It felt amazing as the cool, crisp water lapped against my skin. It was cool, but not freezing, and the deeper I got, the more relaxed I felt. When the water hit my navel, I sank down, submerging the rest of my body. I let my hair soak in the water, the weight of myself no longer pulling against my muscles. I swam around for a bit, enjoying the caress of the water. It felt soft, light, gentle. Like waking up in his arms—

Whoa, what— I instantly stopped moving— What is wrong with me? We crash on this- this murder planet and— even through my racing thoughts and the muffled silence created by the water against my ears, I heard it. I felt it. Something is watching me. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck would've stood on end if I weren't in the water. I planted my feet against the lake bed beneath me and slowly stood. The water settled against my ribcage, the exposed fabric of my wet bra nipped at my skin. I brushed my hair to one side and, in a feigned sense of modesty, crossed an arm over my chest. 'Cuz that did anything.

Glancing over my shoulder, I slowly turned around, my eyes landing on Kwei. He stood just past the tree line, staring down at my discarded pile of clothes. He looked up, his golden eyes meeting mine as I stood like a statue in the water. His eyes burned with something I couldn't identify as he broke eye contact and raked his eyes over me— what he could see of me. He called, “Dhi-rauta”, like a frustrated whisper as his features twisted into that of a stern elder, but his eyes still wandered.

"What are you doing?" He clicked, his voice coming through commanding and curt. A smile erupted on my face, which didn't help, but I didn't care. It worked! I fixed it! I can understand him!

… I can understand him.

“Dhi’rauta...” His name for me slipped from his mandibles again as he repeated his question, his eyes seemingly more relaxed, slowly tracing my body still. His shoulders were shifting, and his chest was heaving. When his eyes met mine again, it felt like the air got thicker. Like all of a sudden, it was harder to breathe. Yeah… totally… just… stare at him… half-naked.

Not like he hasn't seen this much of me before? He did bandage me up.

Reflexively, I stepped forward. Carefully stepping upon the rocky embankment. I stopped in front of him, my head angled upward, our eyes still locked. My mouth felt dry, and the air felt heavy. I opened my mouth to say something, but my voice died in my throat. Kwei clicked his mandibles, his voice guttural yet soft, "Get dressed."

It wasn't a demand, it didn't sound like one, but I obliged nonetheless. I moved past him, my eyes landing now on my pack. I pulled out my spare set of undergarments and glanced over my shoulder again, "Can you turn around…" It came from my lips softly.

With my back still turned to him and trusting he too would oblige, I wrung my hair out and tried to dry myself the best I could before I began stripping off my soaked undergarments one at a time. I pulled on my dry set quickly, followed by the rest of my clothes. I wrung out my hair once more and then my undergarments. I wrapped them in a separate pouch in my pack and turned to see Kwei still looking at me.

My face felt warm at the thought of him watching me strip and dress myself. Nudity isn't as big a deal for them as it is for humans, right? Of course, that's wh—

"Don’t worry. I did as you asked, I didn’t see anything." There was a sprinkle of amusement in his voice, hidden behind his agitation as he spoke. He turned, making his way back to camp ahead of me.

The atmosphere changed again. On the floor of what was designated as 'camp' lay part of a carcass, discarded. Like it was left there hastily. A chuckle broke free of my lips. Did I scare him? "Were you… worried about me?" I asked, a smirk plastered on my face, not at all thinking about his previous tone.

Kwei glanced back at me as he returned to tending the carcass, his tone once again annoyed. "I got back, and you were gone."

"I didn't think I had to tell you. I thought you'd take a minute to get back- and I could smell the wet dirt…"

"You. Were. Gone."

"Wait— are you really upset with me? Just like that?" The indignant tone of my voice briefly stopped him.

"You were supposed to stay here." The carcass once again on the floor, his entire body tense again.

"I'm sorry? Am I psychic? Are you?" My hands motioning to my temple, then to him, "You never said that! I'm not a baby. I'm not helpless— I can handle myself. I thought, me stepping away for a few minutes would be fine-"

"I didn’t think I had to tell you. You are not equipped for this world. You are injured. Here, you are helpless." There was a pause in his words, the frustration rising in his voice before he growled, "Neither of us should be here. I thought you understood that."

"What- Are- You-," Each word that wanted to pile onto him caught in my throat. Was he really pissed about that? This is all about what happened back on his planet!? The anger mounted inside of me as I stepped closer to him, "You are such a- I saved your life!"

"You should not have intervened."

"What? You expected me to let you die!? You wanted me to just sit back and watch as your father killed you!?" My voice rose as each question left my lips.

"You could have died!" He roared in my direction, his mandibles flaring as he turned and glared at me.

"You were about to!" My hands flew up in the air as my eyes began to feel that horrid stinging sensation build up. Swallowed by my anger, I stepped forward, and my hands shoved at his chest. My touch did nothing but trigger his instinct. His arm flew forward and gripped my wrist, holding it above me. His normally neutral face quirked in anger, and for a second, I was scared I'd gone too far.

The words slipped out again, softer this time, "You were about to die…"

He yanked me by my wrist, closer to him, closing the already meager distance between us. His claws pressed into the skin around my wrist as his hand squeezed tighter, "You could have died. You charged Njohrr and I thought he was going to kill you." He inched closer again, to my face, "and then I came back to camp, were I left you, and you were not here. This planet is dangerous and I thought…"

His voice faltered, something I'd never heard before. In fact, his whole demeanor was off from his normally stoicism—and it hit me, he did care… in his own stupid, prideful Yautja way. "You thought you'd lost me." The words came out lower than a whisper.

It hit me like a stack of bricks. He was worried that something had taken me away from him while he was gone. "I'm sorry." I didn't think you … cared that much.

I glanced down away from his burning eyes, down to his wounded arm. I paused for a moment, my breath sitting in my chest, before looking up at him, "But that's why I intervened-," I paused in between the words catching in my throat, the lack of space apparent to me now— I care about you, about your stupid, prideful self, "I couldn't just stand there and watch your father kill you and possibly Dek— it's not in me to stand by and do nothing. You know that."

He stood there just looking at me before he gave a slow nod, pulling back. The silence ate away at me, "I was ready to die for you. Give my life so you and Dek could get away." His words translated seamlessly, like a nail in a coffin.

He released my wrist, leaving small indents from his claws, and a dull throb building in my wrist. I was in denial. There was no way I was hearing him right, and I will not be the one to assume anything from his words. It just kept growing.

I shook my head clear, shoving any thoughts and questions to the back of my mind.

Kwei returned to the carcass, using his knee to steady it as he began gutting it. At first, I just stood there, watching his back as he worked. I glanced at the ground, then at the sky. It was getting late. I guess we'll... continue this.. later. I went around grabbing pieces of bark and dried foliage, trying to distract myself. Venturing just around the camp, the words he said earlier were replaying in my head. I turned, glanced over at Kwei, and caught him watching me. His gaze, those golden embers. I didn't know what to do, so I glued my gaze towards the ground and went back to my collection. I circled back to where Kwei was and started working on a fire.

Kwei had finished carving up the dead creature and sat to my left, the pieces of meat skewered and roasting. I sat there, combing my fingers through my damp hair, my thoughts all over the place. What do I say to him?

Maybe getting my hair wet wasn't such a good idea.

I should leave it alone.

The sun had set, and the quiet that settled between us had morphed into a peaceful, natural sway, but I could feel words piling up in my throat wanting to come out.

"I was ready too..." The words slipped past any verbal filter I had. My eyes drifted from the crackling fire to his bandaged arm.

Kwei glanced at me in his peripheral vision, "You saved me. when we first met." The memory of the massacre that happened at my old outpost flashed in my mind, "You saved me then... and I was ready to save you. I may not be able to win against a Yautja, but I'd die trying..."

Kwei looked at me, his eyes burning, and I couldn't tell if it was him or the fire in front of us.

I huffed, my cheeks puffed out as I looked up at the sky, and the stars were visible. I played with the ends of my hair, trying to piece together the right words. I don't want to sound like an idiot- Kwei chuffed, his huff of air pulled me from my thoughts and brought my attention back to him.

I sighed, my hand pausing in my hair, suddenly hyperaware of the cooling atmosphere, "Earlier, when you— we were both upset… I need you to tell me why. I'm not a mind reader, what's going on up there." I motioned to his head as I sat up straighter, the words tasting sour as I spoke flatly. He had no obligation to actually answer me, but I was hoping he would.

He was silent for a beat, and I was starting to think I had definitely made it weird now. I was ready to wave it off with a cheap smile and tell him to forget about it, just ignore my silly questions, when his mandibles twitched. His eyes held something akin to sincerity.

He called to me —a new name he’s never once said before— like silk as he finally spoke, "Ma’thwei… You asked me why I threw you the cryo-grenade. To hunt with you– fight with you is a pleasure. But the thought of you-" He looked from the fire to me, moving from his seated position, a little closer, "I was enraged at you challenging my father in my stead- at you disappearing from camp-... To see you clinging to Njohrr, weapon in hand, was dreadful. I had never felt that before. When he struck you to the ground and called you a 'trophy' while I lay wounded—" He crouched in front of me, his eyes glued to mine, "The thought of you dying by his hand or that some beast had taken your life and body. I was incensed then. We ended up here because I couldn’t withstand my father, and it put you both in danger."

I felt like an idiot— bigger than an idiot.

"Yautja do not tell, we do. I would not let you join me in a hunt if I… did not value your place in my life- but I never want you in danger or hurt..." His eyes glanced down to my leg, "As a ooman warrior, you are formidable and glorious. I know this." His hand reached out, and his clawed thumb traced my cheek, "I wish for you to stay a part of my hunt… I wish to… court you as Yautja do but I do not know how oomans do this."

Gobsmacked. That was all I could feel, with thick air and soft eyes, all I could get out was, "And… how do you— how do yautja… court again?" Thinking back to all the time I spent with them, with him— Man. I'm dense. Though with all he had told me about the habits and culture of the Yautja, he hadn't mentioned much about courting. I knew that when mating cycles rolled around, it was rather violent. But I had no idea the custom of 'courting' was a part of their culture. I mean, how could I know? The brothers were my only real exposure to their species.

His hand caressed my face with a gentleness that I hadn't seen before. At least not the way, he was gentle with Dek now and then, "I would present you with my intent to court you, a trophy for your approval." His hand moved to the edge of his chest plate, slipping his clawed tips inside before he pulled out a jagged tooth, "Should you accept, I will prove that I am worthy to court you. That I am a worthy mate." Mate. He said it so easily, but I know that word carried immense weight. If there was ever any thought of him redeeming himself in his father's eyes, I would douse it immediately. He's willing to choose me over his place within his clan…

"You… would have… me as your… mate?" The words burned a fire in my chest, "But your clan… Your father."

"I would choose you if you would choose me. I would choose you just as I chose Dek over tradition." The word sounded like acid in his maw the way he said it.

I reached forward slowly, my finger grazing the tooth he held out to me. I glanced at it before locking my eyes onto his and gently pulling the bone from his grasp, "I'd be honored."

A soft rumbling purr came from his chest as he looked at the tooth I held in between my fingers, "When did you—"

"The creature that attacked us before."

I looked down at the tooth, rubbing my thumb against it, "Sit with me, please?" I asked as I glanced up at him, motioning to the dirt right next to me. As he sat, the heat he radiated warmed me immediately.

Slowly, I swayed into him, "...You get why I stepped in then?"

He grunted, "This does not change how I feel about it," His hand reached over, a claw tapping my chin to look up at him as he leaned in, "Do not ever do that again."

I hummed a smile growing on my face, "I make no promises."

We sat there for a minute, letting the silence wrap around us. My fingers mindlessly played with the tooth that lay in my palm. I could feel his eyes on me, on my fingers still rubbing the tooth.

The silence didn't last too long before Kwei spoke, "How do oomans court?"

His question stumped me. I wasn't really a prime candidate in the dating pool. My dad was intense and invasive. I was tied up with my father's ambition for me to thrive in his preferred career field. Training, workouts, conditioning, sparring, studying— I didn't have a life outside of it. I was always a number, a rank. Never just me. Anyone I may have gotten close to quickly distanced themselves from me.

"Oh— uh… ya know… it depended on who you were trying to court. Some people respond well with gifts, some really like words- do things for the person they were interested in, or try to be more physical with them, some people just like spending time with their… suitors." I listed what I knew of the different love languages on my fingers, trying to recall what I read in an intro psych class years before, "They would go on... outings, have meals together, they could go to … events, games, have fun with each other."

"Were you courted on earth?" His question felt loaded, but the answer was simple.

Dry laughter bubbled up from my chest, "Me? No." I stifled the laugh with the back of my hand, "I didn't have time for dating— erm, courting. I was under my dad's influence. Suitors don't exactly find that appealing."

His head tilted, a few of my words probably not translating well, "Good."Never mind, they translated just fine. He didn't ask any follow-up questions. There was a new silence, peaceful as it was, and I was now hyperaware of how hungry I was. My stomach rumbled, and even as I hoped that Kwei hadn't heard it, I knew better. He heard just about everything. Damn, Yautja hearing.

He looked down at me and then at the roasting meats. He reached forward and pulled one from its perch. He gave it a once-over before handing me a piece. I took the cooked meat. I didn't care if it was just roasted meat. I blew on it a little before sinking my teeth into it. I tried to take my time eating it, but had completely underestimated how hungry I was. The meat was finished before Kwei had even gotten a second bite in.

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We were walking, again. He told me we were getting closer, but he wouldn't clue me in on where. Part of me was dying to know. My leg wasn't in as much pain, but that didn't mean walking across this terrain was any easier. I wasn't paying much attention— my thoughts were busy with how my morning started.

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Waking up, I felt warmer than usual. I felt encased in warmth, and stuck. My eyes opened slowly, and I could see just a tinge of sunlight beginning to color the foliage around us. I could feel the rest of my body rising and falling- what the heck? I craned my neck to look up and around me… Am I? Did he?

I was sat in his lap, his one arm strewn across my lap. Panicking, I scrambled out of his lap, on my ass in front of him. When I looked up at his face, his eyes were already on me, an amused look etched on his features.

⥈⥈

I shook my head as we ducked through some trees, the ground around us becoming more and more disturbed. All I knew at this point was that whatever we were approaching, he was actively tracking it. He was scanning the ground and the trees. Even with all my training, I couldn't see what he was seeing. It wasn't until we stepped into a valley constructed out of debris that I realized any problems we had were about to get bigger.

Destroyed chunks of machinery were strewn about, kicked up earth, and slow-rising smoke- there was a fight here. Kwei stood in the center of the carnage, as if he could see the fight that took place here just by looking at the destruction. I stepped away and hovered my hand over the machinery. One of the hunks of metal still had a name etched on it, partially covered in soot, while the other half was faded.

"Shit…", even with the faded, soot-covered print, I could read the name "Weyland-Yutani".

If they were on this planet, they were here for a reason. They never did anything for shits and giggles. They had to be here for something.

"Kwei. Why was your father so afraid of the Kalisk?" I tried to temper the edge in my voice as I looked at the carnage that lay around us. The way the earth rose and fell looked manipulated.

"Njohrr never said, just that it was a formidable beast, unkillable. Many tried… and fell against it."

"Perfect…" Vague as hell, just what I wanted. There had to be a reason.

"What is the matter? You are worried." Kwei turned fully, his stance rigid but his eyes soft.

I stared at the printed name on the machinery behind him. His eyes followed mine, landing on the tarnished machinery. His head tilted a bit, the tubular locs that sprouted from his head swayed with him.

"…Your people." He spun around and looked at me, an accusation forming in his eyes.

I shook my head slowly, "Not my people… Remember how you found me?" I smiled incredulously, "I don't even know why they'd be here... Plus, I'm pretty sure they stopped looking for me. I made my intentions pretty clear when I left."

"This is true…" He nodded, "My apologies." He turned back around, taking in the debris around us.

"If Dek was here, and they are on this planet… It's only a matter of time till we run into them, or he does." I closed the distance between us, my hand reaching for him, "We should move."

I looked around at the debris… wait a minute… I walked over to the mostly destroyed mobile command center. Please be here, please.

I climbed through the smashed wall and into the trashed vehicle. These almost always came with a repair station for the synths. I walked around the space, broken pieces of electronics and machinery, with wiring hanging from the ceiling. God, what a mess…

Against the far wall was a cracked screen. It flickered, a portion of the screen littered with vertical lines of dead pixels. I walked up to it and tapped the screen. It flickered a bit more before landing on a powder blue screen. I tapped through the functions on the screen, looking for the particular task initiation. When I found it, I looked around at the debris on the floor and picked up a few pieces.

Kwei leaned in through the broken wall, watching my quick movements about the room. I could hear the question forming in his head as I moved about, muttering under my breath as I looked at metal bits and dead wires.

I laid out my gathered pieces and turned to the overturned, dented fabricator tray. "Uhh, could you help me with that?" I pointed at the overturned table and looked over my shoulder at the curious Yautja. He squeezed through the torn wall and made his way over toward me. He reached out and pulled the table upright. I laid the pieces on the fractured—now upright—tray of the fabricator.

I turned back to him, a cheeky smile pulling on my features. I picked up the fabricator arm and began pulling pieces together. It took me a few minutes to get everything lined up before I turned back to Kwei, my hand outstretched. He looked at my hand and the chunk of metal and leather in it.

"Gimme your arm." I motioned for his wounded arm, leaving my hand open.

He stepped towards me slowly, hesitantly giving me his bandaged arm. I pulled the leather bits together, laying the reinforced blunt metal piece against the severed stump. I fastened it down, gave it a once-over, then looked back at Kwei for his reaction. Crap… does he hate it? God, this was probably a horrible idea.

He moved his arm about, taking in the impromptu prosthetic. I couldn't tell if he liked it or hated it.

He nodded his head, a soft trill coming from him. He looked from his arm to me before nodding. "You like it? I mean, I thought this would be more helpful than just the bandage, plus now you could-"

"This will be very useful." He paused, lowering his arm and looking right at me, "Thank you."

I found a usable file on the fabricator's system, which led me to the system's mainframe. I poked around trying to see if they had anything useful. One of the last recorded logs mentioned a Yautja. Well crap.

That led me to the ship's location. I oriented myself, looking back at the screen before pointing in the general direction of my left. I could feel Kwei watching my movements as I turned back to the terminal and resumed digging. A report log populated. Dated earlier in the day. They had reported a Yautja on the planet... if he was mentioned here... They were after him now. I read more and felt a weight in my stomach.

I turned back from the console, Kwei's eyes still glued to me, "There's a problem." Not a question. He knew.

"We have to head to the Weyland base." As much as I hated saying it, I knew we had to go. As much as I never wanted to see that stupid name again, that wish was tarnished. What's one more.

I was able to locate a rough estimate of where the base was. It didn't seem too far from us, but with my injuries, it'd be a rough walk. The terrain wouldn't make it easy.

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We walked the entire time. No breaks, no breathers. I could feel a tremble in my leg muscles, and I knew Kwei could hear my ragged breaths. More than once, he had turned and glanced at me. I waved him off each time and told him I'd rest when we found Dek.

The sun was long gone. There was only starlight and the occasional glow from some of the native flora. Ahead of us, breaking through the trees was glowing, yellow light. There it is. I gave a light tug on my belt, feeling the added weight of the two smart discs I had secured to it, along with a collapsible knife tucked snuggly into my back pocket.

As we reached the edge of the tree line, Kwei stopped, grabbing my arm to face me, "Mi'esui, I won’t ask you to stay your hand." He paused, kneeled down, glanced at the fencing ahead of us, and then back to me, "I will ask you to stay with me once we’re inside. Stay by my side-"

"I will." My hand grabbed his while the other reached up and touched just behind his mandible, "But don't ask me to leave. If things go bad I won't leave you."

He grumbled under his breath, "Nracha'dte...", he pressed his forehead to mine, "I ask so little of you... "

The sound of an alarm pulled our attention away from each other and towards the compound. Well, that's not good. We moved forward, the fence enclosing the compound— our first hurdle. I looked around us, and we couldn't go through it. But we could go over it. I spotted a tree with a thick enough branch growing close to the fence that we could use to get over.

I tugged Kwei's armor, leading him towards the tree, "We climb this and get over the fence." I pointed as I looked for a good enough foothold.

"And how do you propose we get over it?"

"You're gonna throw me." I smiled as I found a good enough notch. I didn't even wait for his response before I started climbing.

When I reached the branch, I sat myself on it, allowing my legs a rest while Kwei caught up. When he reached me, I scooted over, allowing him space to settle on the branch. I move to the far end, looking out and over the fence. He had to throw just right. There was a portable just close enough for me to use as my landing. I could see the main ship settled at the far end of the compound. There were—what I'm assuming were—synth making their way around the compound, heading to one area.

There was a breath behind me, and Kwei's hand settled on my hip. Focus... Focus. I exhaled and turned to him, our faces closer than I thought they would be.

"You see that portable over there?" I pointed with my thumb, "That's were you're gonna throw me. I can use that to land and you can- well you can land wherever you want."

He didn't even argue with my plan; he just huffed and motioned for me to plant my feet on the branch. I steadied myself on his shoulder before orienting myself correctly.

"I will be right behind you. Do not go anywhere." I nodded, and he lowered his hand for me to step into. I gave one last look before he lifted me up and launched me over the fence. I tucked myself forward and rolled into a landing. The muscle under the bandage on my leg pulled tight, and I winced as I slid a little too close to the edge of the roof.

I heard the deep thud as Kwei landed near my position. He appeared quickly, motioning for me to drop down from the roof. I slid myself fully to the edge before pushing off into Kwei's grasp. He lowered me to the ground, my hands resting on his chest as my feet planted against the dirt. Focus... Focus. There was a rapid sequence of explosions quickly followed by a screeching groan of metal.

Kwei released me, scanning around us for any sign of activity. I scanned the area as well and noticed a reflective wave of light, as if someone were moving it left and right. A synth rounded the corner, gun in hand. Kwei stepped in front of me, pulled his plasma sword forward, and charged. I pulled one of the smart discs from my belt and spun on my heels, launching it behind me and into a duo of synths. Kwei had cut clean through his synth when the smart disc circled back to him. With his sword embedded in the synth, he reached out and grabbed the disc.

He, in turn, took the disc and threw it towards a squad of synths headed for us. Kwei caught the disc as it circled back. I met back up with him, the ground shaking as he handed the disc back to me, and retrieved his sword. He nodded before taking off in the direction of the chaos.

We ran between the pods—the crashing and groaning getting louder. We slowed as the ground began to rumble, and a high-pitched roar sang through the air. As we rounded the corner of a pod, a chunk of shrapnel came flying through the air, barely missing me as Kwei yanked me back into him.

"Thanks..." I chuckled dryly. I took a breath, peering around the corner, and saw a giant beast with protruding quills. That has to be the Kalisk. It was clawing at a Power Loader with a saw-blade embedded in its chest and still turning.

Kwei grabbed me by my shoulder again and pulled me back behind the pod, "This is Dek's fight. We do not intervene."

"What? I'm sorry did you not see that thing take a moving saw-blade to its chest?"

"He is not fighting that beast. It fights with him."

I leaned back a little, catching a glimpse of Dek throwing a spear and embedding a cryo grenade into the arm of the Power Loader— giving the Kalisk the opportunity to charge once again. Dek lay on the floor as the beast pulled the cabin from the base of the loader.

I looked back at Kwei, nodding my head, "Ok, I'm with you. But we just wait?"

He nodded again, pulling back around to the other side of our cover. There they were, the beast towering over someone seated in the loader's cabin. A red light beamed up at the beast, but it only opened its mouth and consumed the driver.

"Oh... yeah... That's rough." The Kalisk let out a screech as it flipped the loader once more. And just like that, it was over. Dek stood next to a blonde-haired woman—a synth no doubt—, and a creature that resembled a monkey... Huh ok... I have questions.

The Kalisk made its way over to the trio. The small creature met it halfway, touching its forehead to the other. Then, almost cautiously, Dek did the same. First his hand, followed by his forehead. Kwei took a few steps forward, leaving the pod's cover. I followed suit, watching the interaction carefully.

The blonde-haired synth glanced in our direction, "Dek."

He pulled back from the Kalisk and followed the synth's direction. His eyes were wide as he looked at Kwei. His mandibles fell slack, "Kwei..."

I slowly raised my hand, partially behind Kwei, and waved. Kwei stood there, an aura of pride radiating off him. The Kalisk looked in our direction, but before anyone could move, a gurgling sound echoed from the beast. It stumbled backwards, a screech leaving its mouth. All of our attentions snapped to the Kalisk as a cloud of frost blew from its mouth and nose. It looked like the haze from a cryo grenade.

"Oh shit..." I mumbled as frost encased the Kalisk. Both Dek and the small creature had taken a step back when the Kalisk erupted. My hands flew up to cover my face as Kwei spun around, wrapping himself around me, as the shockwave and carnage of the blast hit us. We twisted in the air, Kwei landing on his side with his arm around my head. I looked up at him, my chest heavy, "Thanks."

"Are you ok?" He asked as we helped each other to our knees.

I nodded, dusting myself off, "Are you?"

There was a shifting in the dirt where he Kalisk once stood. In the center of the blast radius stood a nearly defaced synth, "Betrayed by my own... sister." There was a menacing glitch in her voice.

The two synths stood facing each other as Dek lay on the ground, and the small creature stood against one of the larger pieces left of the Kalisk. There was a brief whirring before the red beams appeared again. She has a shoulder cannon.

The targeted synth stood firm against the other, "We are not sisters."

From behind, Dek stabbed the opposing synth through the throat, neutralizing the threat and bringing the synth to its knees. He ripped the mount from its shoulder, making his way towards the other synth. He chuffed as she approached him, but stopped as his eyes landed on Kwei and me once more.

"You're alive..."

"As are you... And your hunt?" The small creature reached out and yanked the head and spine from the neutralized synth, waving them victoriously in the air. I stifled a chuckle as Dek stepped forward, taking a brief moment with it.

Dek glanced between the synth and us. Before he could speak, the synth smiled, "Hi there! I'm Thia, and this is Bud, the Kalisk—that was her mother. You must be his brother, and you?"

Well, that answered any questions I had, "Hi, I'm-"

"You're the human!"

"Uhh- yes. Yes, I am." I chuckled.

"Wow, I didn't think a human could survive on Genna for this long." Thia chirped, taking in my appearance.

"You're both alive." Dek spoke, his eyes still on Kwei, "I thought you died when the ship crashed." There was a softness. Like an unspoken sentiment between the two.

"She got us to the pod; it landed not too far from the Kalisk's den." Kwei nodded, placing his hand on my shoulder. Dek noticed the movement right away. His eyes were darting from me to Kwei's hand on my shoulder, and then to Kwei.

"Than it is you I thank," Dek chuffed, "... for saving my brother and getting him here."

"Ha. You hear that," I smirked at Kwei, "I brought you here."

Kwei rolled his eyes as Dek spoke again, "I am glad you're alive Kwei."

"As am I." The two brothers took a moment, their hands meeting the back of their necks and bringing their foreheads together.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, glancing at everyone, "We can't exactly just go back to Yautja Prime... Your hunt is concluded, sure. But your father won't just let you back ... Not with us in toe." I gestured to Thia and myself.

Dek and Kwei exchanged a look before Dek gave a vague answer, "I have a solution for that."

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It took us some time, but we were able to get the ship repaired thanks to the spare parts left at the Weyland base. Before we left, I asked Thia for help creating a more versatile prosthetic for Kwei. We worked together and came up with a more functional, integrated design. Through our combined efforts, we were able to give him a battle-worthy artificial hand.

In repairing the ship, we also made new spaces to accommodate Thia and the growing Bud. Kwei moved me into his room, his logic being, 'I will not have you occupy unneeded space when you could reside in mine, Mi'esui.' Honestly, who was I to complain? Traveling in space was cool, but also cold. Doing so with your own personal space heater—amazing.

Watching the new way Dek carried himself, like he no longer had to prove himself, I was happy for him. Now all he had to do was show his father.

When we reached Yautja Prime, Thia, Bud, and I were told to wait back on the ship. There was no telling how Njohrr would react. We landed smoothly near their father's encampment. As Dek stepped out into the kicked-up dirt, Kwei stood at the entrance of the ship. He stood, unmoving, watching as his brother and Njohrr approached each other. Several armored Yautja stepped forward from different openings in the ship.

"This is interesting. I've never seen a ship like this up close before." Thia buzzed beside me, staring up at the larger ship in front of us.

"Yeah... and they house the clan members in there." I muttered then chuckled dryly, "Never been inside- I like living."

"So Njohrr didn't know you were on Kwei's ship?"

"Up until he showed up demanding Dek's life, I didn't exist to him."

"Njohrr... Called her a 'trophy'." Kwei growled from the entrance, glancing back at us, his knuckles taut as his sides.

Thia gasped from beside me, her hands coming up and grabbing my bicep, "Is it true? Did you really attack Njohrr?"

I opened my mouth to defend myself when Kwei chuffed. He turned, and his heated eyes landed on me, "She did. She defended me from Njohrr when he severed my arm—landed two blows against him."

"It was a rash decision. I'll admit. But I'd do it again." I smirked. Kwei rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Dek and his father.

My translator could barely pick up the words they spoke to each other, but they came through, faint like a whisper, "You've returned... and you've brought my trophy back. It's a shame Genna didn't finish you. Now you're here... for revenge?"

"I've come for my cloak," Dek growled. I stepped closer to Kwei, Thia, and Bud right behind me as Dek threw down Tessa's stripped skull, which Njohrr barely acknowledged. My chest tightened. Njohrr was looking past Dek—even with his mask on—I could feel his eyes on me. Kwei moved his arm in front of me, a low growl building in his chest.

"I will not let harm come to you Mi'esui." Kwei huffed.

Njohrr's attention finally landed on Tessa's skull, "What is this?"

"I've completed my hunt." Technically, he wasn’t wrong. Tessa killed the Kalisk, and Dek killed Tessa. We knew, we were there... But Njohrr would never see it that way, "That is my trophy."

"You disgrace our clan... And so does Kwei." Njohrr tilted his mask in our direction, "He chooses to lie with such a weak creature. Yautja do not breed with outsiders."Ok... that was ...very presumptuous. Kwei's growl deepened, stepping farther in front of me as two more armored Yautja stepped out behind Njohrr. A snarl echoed from Dek at his father's words.

"Well that was rude..." Thia mumbled from beside me, earning an agreeing hum from Bud.

Dismissively, Njohrr turned away, speaking to the two guards, "Get rid of him."

Dek flexed his arm, triggering the grass blades he picked up from Genna. The two guards stepped forward, wielding a plasma sword and a combi-stick. Dek was able to dodge each other, landing strikes at each opening. He used their momentum against them. Using their strikes to attack the other. He grabbed the combi-stick from the others' backs and extended it. Landing each side into one of the guard's skulls. They dropped like stones.

Njohrr charged Dek, plasma sword in hand. The clashing of their weapons sang in the air. Njohrr used his size and power against Dek, with each swing of his plasma sword gaining ground on him. Dek took each swing, green splatter sailing through the wind. Njohrr slashed again, cutting the combi-stick Dek wielded in half. In turn, he used half the stick to stab through Njohrr's thigh, where my dagger had hit him during escape. Njohrr stopped, dead in his assault, cutting away the combi-stick that protruded from his skin. Dek stood, ready to finish his fight. He was proving himself with each blow and each block.

Njohrr tapped his gauntlet, charged forward, and disappeared under his cloak. Dek tried to fight back, but Njohrr's advantage knocked him to the ground. He rolled towards the ship, staring at it for a beat before pushing himself to his feet. He tapped his gauntlet, powering up the ship's thrusters and kicking up the surrounding dirt. With the dirt whirling in the air, I lost visual of their fight, but Kwei looked on unbothered. I glanced over at Thia and Bud, who also looked as though they were unbothered by the haze.

"... This feels just slightly unfair..." I grumbled. Tilting my head a bit to the side, I squinted my eyes, trying to catch any glimpse of them.

"He fights well." Kwei clicked, "He uses his environment to aid in his attack."

"Careful, I think you sound proud of him." I teased.

"I am." Kwei nodded.

I could barely hear the groaning coming from the dust cloud, but I couldn't tell who it was coming from. I looked back at Kwei, who gave away nothing. I turned to Thia, who featured the same affect. "He is doing well." Kwei chuffed.

There was a deep groan and then silence. Through the disturbed dirt, I heard a whirring. I knew that sound... The thrusters powered down. When the dust settled, I could see Dek standing in front of Njohrr, on his knees, trapped by an energy snare. Some feet behind him lay his right arm. I glanced at Kwei; his features read a little harsher as the scene before him played like the one I witnessed.

Dek used the combistick he wielded and thrusted it forward, pulling Njohrr's mask off. Njohrr spoke, as if he still had the upper hand, "Perhaps you are worthy. Yield now... and take your place in our clan."

He didn't stop there; his words echoed in my ear, "Stand with me, and leave the unworthy behind." He was talking about us, about Kwei.

Dek, unmoved by his words, straightened his shoulders as he stared Njohrr in his eyes, "I have my own clan."

Bud moved silently forward, her feet light against the ground. Her steps carried her right behind Njohrr. She snapped forward, her mouth closing on his head. There was a crunch, and then his body slumped forward, neon green blood pooling out of his severed neck and mixing with the dirt. Thia followed suit, standing with Bud and Dek.

Kwei turned and looked at me, his artificial hand grabbing my chin and pulling my attention upward, away from the dead body, "I see what you saw... I understand why you intervened." His voice was low, like he didn't want anyone else to hear, "But how I feel remains the same. Don't put yourself in danger like that again."

A soft smile sprouted on my face as my hand slipped around his, pulling it from my chin to my cheek, "I make no promises, but I will do my best to remain safe, and by your side."

With his hand still in mine, I pulled him forward towards the trio. Dek bent down, retrieving Njohrr's gauntlet and grabbing his cloak from the band. He slipped it into his, and the effects of the cloak washed over him in waves. He picked up his plasma sword, standing in front of Thia and Bud, "Finally earned the cloak," Thia grinned, "Dek of the Yautja."

Dek chuffed, nodding his head as he looked from Thia to Kwei, who nodded as well. Dek glanced over at me. My eyes widened a fraction, and I nodded. I was part of his clan—this long as hell journey—and he was reaffirming what had gone unspoken. Kwei purred softly, his arm pulling me closer. My nerves prickled, and I heard that distinct whirring noise again. I looked up as Dek turned around. The Yautja that stood in the multiple alcoves of the ship now had their swords drawn. An echoing thrum rose in the air, and everyone's attention shifted to the horizon. The ship was heading right towards us. Shit.

Bud snarled, her eyes pinned on the ship. Thia turned to Dek, who was now staring at the ship, "Friends of yours?"

I looked on at the ship. It looked big, and it was speeding toward us.

Dek whipped open his plasma sword, "No... It's my mother."

Mother!? My eyes snapped to Dek and then back to Kwei. He stared straight ahead at the oncoming ship. They never mentioned their mother. Of course, I knew they had one; their father didn't just spit them out one day. But from what I heard about female Yautja—Kwei already stood more than 2 feet taller than me—and female Yautja were said to dwarf males.

"Don't intervene... Whatever happens." Kwei growled, taking a step in front of me, whipping open his plasma sword.

In turn, my hand gripped the hilt of my knife, the words slipping out under my breath, “I make no promises.”

******Bonus Scene******

*Pre-Yautja Prime return*

Kwei raised his arm above his head, flexing the fingers into a fist, "And this will function on a hunt."

"Yes." Thia and I said in unison—we were proud of our finished product. Kwei took his plasma sword in his right hand and gave it a few good swings.

"Careful brother, don't want to wear it out before you actually get to use it." Dek chirped from behind us.

I gave him a pointed glare as Thia crossed her arms in his direction, "Dek."

"Worry not— I have full confidence in what you and our new companion have created." Kwei brought his artificial hand down to grab mine, pulling me closer, "Mi'esui, I will honor your efforts on my next hunt." He leaned down, touching his forehead to mine.

"Must you do that in front of me?" Dek huffed, next a mildly amused Thia.

"I could do worse brother." Kwei challenged, only to receive a deep groan from his brother.

My face got hot as I yanked my hand away from him, "No you could not." I huffed. Kwei trilled softly behind me as I turned away from him, "I'm heading back to the ship." I grumbled as I walked away, fully embarrassed.

Translations:   Dhi’rauta - cunning // Ma’thwei - my blood // Mi’esui - mate // Nracha'dte - relentless

Thank you for reading. (I might continue with this in little novellas).

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