#dhe-hak

Sometimes, when Dhe-hak observes the original trio of the Re-menda, he can't help but see his old friend group in them.

What they used to be and he still wonders what they would have been in the present if Se'eit never died and N'rithe didn't become a matriarch out of revenge and grief for her.

Yet it will always be an unspoken wish of Dhe-hak: he knows the past can't be changed and he focus on enjoying the present with what he has.

Vah'ta, Paya's priestess, followed the gaze of her colleague, stopping to look at a red huntress and at a green hunter in the training area.

"Which one?"

"What do you mean which one? Look at her. She is the most gorgeous of all hunters here! Her scarlet scales are the same shade of blood, and her toned physique shows her soul's strength. " Se'eit purred, never stopping looking at her new champion.

A loud crack caught the attention of Vah'ta: N'rithe smashed with her head a wooden board and was stumbling on her feet after the hit, letting out a loud laugh.

Next to both hunters, there were the remains of previous broken boards. She was trying to prove that her head was tougher than Dhe-hak.

Vah'ta looked baffled at the scene, then back at Se'eit. She was surely joking. That huntress was someone that Vah'ta didn't even think Se'eit would be interested in.

"That one???"

"Yes" Se'eit smiled. "She is unique, isn't she?"

Another cracking sound disturbed the forest's quiet, followed then by a rough thump.

N'rithe fell down, holding her head, which was bleeding after a harsher hit. Dhe-hak was next to the huntress, worryingly trying to clean the wound, letting her sit down.

Se'eit couldn't hold her laugh, rushing to climb down the tree to reach and help her dear huntress.

my trophies are all wips i keep hoarding, but i wanted to share a close up of Dhe-hak. I write scenarios and play his story in my head more than I draw it.

He is currently happy as a single dad and a teacher for the young bloods, but he remains on good terms with past mates he had a kid with. He used to have a human partner as well, in the clan territory. So far he doesn't have a forever mate.

He is just a chill dude that flirts around a lot (during mating season he is a big show off.)

While he is the father of Hu'nri'a, Rak'ne as well started to see him as part of her own family, since he spent a lot of time with N'rithe and trained both Rak'ne and Hu'nri'a.

- Her name means Dancing Death.

- Before becoming a matriarch, she was an impulsive hunter with a kind heart.

- After years of hunting, she ended up becoming an Enforcer: she saw first hand how damaging and cruel bad bloods could be...but also how some of them were being unfairly judged as bad bloods, due to not satisfying the harsh rules of their own clans or because of their mental health.

- She climbed each clan rank as fast as she could because she wanted to become a temple guard (One of the highest honors in the Naghe-tih clan). That way she would have been closer to her mate Se'eit and see her whenever she wanted.

- She lost her right arm to a Queen Kainde Amedha in a disastrous hunt that killed all her party, Se'eit included. Only survivors were a Ra-taro and the ex matriarch I-viath'i.

- The skull of that same queen is displayed in N'rithe throne room. It's the only trophy she doesn't feel honor about, only anger, yet she keeps it as a statement of her matriarch's position.

- N'rithe killed I-viath'i and banished or killed those who supported her. The action was harsh, as well as the sudden change of laws, yet N'rithe was able to clean the name of the Naghe-tih clan with time and reestablish order.

- Along the Rehabilitation Program for Bad Bloods, she started to expand the trades of food, medicine, and other items with nearby clans to ensure the well-being of the Naghe-tih. So far, the Tear Clan and the Prairie Clan are those who happily trade with Ra-taro riders.

- She has often received the title of champion during Ra-taro rodeos in her young years. N'rithe took the occasion to show off her abilities to Se'eit.

- Her main hobby was wood sculpting. Some of her pieces were put into the temple of the clan or she used her abilities to make toys for Rak'ne. It was a way to keep training her patience. N'rithe stopped sculpting after the death of Se'eit.

- Her, Dhe-hak and Se'eit used to be a close trio that shared many moments together, both good and bad. Often, the other two had to stop N'rithe from challenging every hunter that dared to look at her in the eyes in a "funny" way.

- When she was carrying Rak'ne, N'rithe insisted on keep hunting even during her third trimester (Dhe-hak had to drag her back to her house multiple times and Se'eit comforted her with promises of endless hunts after this birth).

- Despite her current mental health and attending her duties as matriarch, N'rithe always makes time to stay with her only daughter. Every time Rak'ne comes back from her mission, N'rithe takes a free day to spend time with her. Often, she let's her daughter talk about her travels or they both share a lazy Ra-taro ride in the forest. If N'rithe has more free time, she will join her daughter in a light hunt.

- She is indifferent to the presence of humans, although she was surprised to see Rak'ne took Valka as a mate. Her daughter didn't give her the impression to be interested in humans.

- She grew to be fond of this human, she is a proud "mother in law" and often treats Valka with fun stories regarding Rak'ne's childhood or showing pictures of her daughter.

- N'rithe has a few severed locks hidden beneath the others. They were cut while rescuing Rak'ne from some poachers that were bold enough to enter the clan's territory.

- She has a Ra-taro that, from hunting, was trained to be a therapy animal for her. The Ra-taro name is Ven'te. She is rather mischievous but loyal to the matriarch. She was the only Ra-taro surviving the Kainde Amedha disaster.

The Naghe-tih clan has strict rules regarding where the Ra-taro are allowed to go in a hunt.

A Kiande Amedha hunt is not one of these.

Ra-taro are strictly forbidden to be around a xenomorph.

To become a hunter, young ones have to learn how to cohesist and hunt with the Ra-taro.

Yet, since the Naghe-tih clan doesn't allow Kiande Amedha hunt for their blooding, the Blood Hunt consist of going to other planets to hunt other dangerous animals, where the Ra-taro can be useful companions and have higher chances of survival.

They are sacred animals and having one infected by a face hugger would lead to a catastrophic sin to the clan's eyes.

N'rithe killed Gahra, the previous matriarch, because she deceived them enough to bring a pack of Ra-taro inside a Kiande Amedha nest.

Kiande Amedha becomes a hunt reserved for when the new hunter gains more experience and is confident enough for a solo hunt without their personal Ra-taro (usually, yautja of the Naghe-tih Clan will try to kill a Kiande Amedha before mating season start, to court potential mates with).

The cooperation between the hunter and their Ra-taro is the focus of this rite of passage: the animal get assigned to the yautja since a young age, so they both get trained at the same time.

If a young hunter gets their Ra-taro killed during the Chiva, a whole trial will focus on the matter, deciding the fate of the young blood by checking the recording of the mask: if the death was caused by something out of control from the hunter, they will be granted another chance to prove themselves, however with stricter rules.

If the death of the animal was caused by the reckless and irresponsible behavior of the hunter, because driven by a big ego or greed, they will be exiled from the clan, condemned to always be Unblooded (This was unfortunately the case of one of the many sons of Dhe-hak).

If the hunter gets killed in the Blood Hunt, yet the Ra-taro survived, then the new blooded hunters have the task to take the Ra-taro back safely. The animal will be given time to process the loss (Ra-taro are highly intelligent and emotional animal, they can mourn the death of someone they were close to), then the Ra-taro will be assigned to another hunter or to other tasks.

Valka's case was peculiar. Being a human who decided to join a yautja group definitely caused many question if they wanted to turn Valka into a hunter recognized by the crew and the clan.

Valka was trained together with rehabilitating bad bloods; when Rak'ne and Kajiy thought she was ready to approach the Naghe-tih Clan way, E'ko was the one who started training her, along with the other two hunters.

E'ko gave Valka her current Ra-taro, Ar'kte, who was a Ra-taro whose hunter, from another hunting party, died.

Valka had a hard time at first since the animal was way taller for her to climb on, nor could she mimic the command sound E'ko was teaching her, yet at the end she managed to do it her own way and starting to build a good bond with Ar'kte.

She passed her Blood Hunt successfully, much to the joy of the crew (and begrudgingly Kajiy too).

This involves the Ra-taro bucking off the rider or putting the yautja through harsh riding situations.

For training sessions, young yautja are taught to use their legs' strength and balance to not get thrown off by the Ra-taro.

They learn to stay on top of the animal no matter the hunting conditions. They are also taught to prioritize the safety of the Ra-taro over their well-being, when possible.

Especially wannabe trainers have the duty to practice regularly this training, they will be the one riding and handling the Ra-taro more than other hunters.

As for the games adult yautja (even elders) attend to, it is seen as a way to prove their skills and hunter worth.

They are also used to impress other male or female hunters, especially when mating season is closer.

One of the main events is bareback riding.

Unlike young yautja, who train with a small saddle, the adults will ride the Ra-taro with no support at all during the bucking game.

The Ra-taro is not forced to do this. They actually perceive it as a game: they get many treats and praises if they manage to buck off the rider. Their pups also learn how to play without harming their yautja owner by watching them.

The Ra-taro have rough ways to play, which involves lots of biting and ramming against the other, so this is actually a tame activity for them.

The assigned handler will make a specific sound to give the animal the cue to start bucking.

The Ra-taro that manages to throw off as many yautja as possible is celebrated in an honorary way at the end of the games.

The Ra-taro are super spoiled before and after the games, with handlers making sure the animal is well.

The slightest sign of fatigue or distress and the Ra-taro is taken back to their resting spot.

Yautja from other clans are welcome to take part in these games. The Naghe-tih are proud of their Ra-taro and don't mind involving wandering traders or hunters in their social and cultural life.

It's often used as a way to establish trades or alliances between clans.

These games always end up crossing the celebrations that the Naghe-tih clan makes for the goddess Paya.

Once the riders that won the contests are rewarded and congratulated by the other participants, a long feast starts: food and music fill the jungle for four days and four nights.

Even the Ra-taro are dressed up for the occasions, with harnesses and saddles full of intricate decorations and drawings. They get all the delicious meals, and their skin is painted by the priests and acolytes of the temple.

Dhe-hak and Lancia often participate in these games with good results: Dhe-hak manages to court plenty of potential mates during these events, while Lancia is more focused on having fun and improving his skills.

N'rithe used to be a champion during these games, yet now she doesn't take part in it anymore.

Demonic Lair here: this is a one-shot regarding N'rithe and Dhe-hak, both having a conversation about Se'eit and Rak'ne. It's set decades back before the creation of the Re-menda group, when Rak'ne and Hu'nri'a still have to become blooded hunters.

Warnings: the story has mentions of ptsd, panic attack, death and grief.

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Erylia: a type of reptilian bird domesticated by the Naghe-tih clan.

Ra-taro: a predator used as ride and hunting animal by the Naghe-tih clan.

Na'rato: word to indicate Ra-taro handlers.

(These species and terms were created for my story, revolving around this clan.)

English is not my first language.

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N'rithe was petting absently her Ra-taro Ven'te, looking at the yautja training. Her den, situated at the top of the giant tree that grew in her territory, allowed the matriarch to observe every detail of the clan life.

Among the young ones there was her daughter Rak'ne. She looked so happy and carefree, with not a worry heaving on her shoulders. N'rithe thought of Se'eit every time she looked at her daughter.

The sounds of steps coming from behind her made the matriarch tense as she snapped out of her thoughts. Ven'te rested her chin on the yautja's laps, paying attention on her heartbeat and breathing.

Dhe-hak was standing at the door, holding two glasses and a green glass bottle. N'rithe relaxed, resuming petting her animal.

"It's you" She stated, relieved. The scent of the hunter put her at ease.

Anyway, I got sorted out now also the age of my characters, or at least the main ones that will be involved in this story, who more and who less.

It's all in human year standards because I'm not sure how to convert it into yautja years, and I'm also very bad at math.

The age of my characters change of a couple of years depending on when the story is set, but overall, I stuck with these numbers when drawing them or writing one shots.

Valka, 32

Rak'ne, 34

Hu'nri'a, 34

Kajiy, 33

Lancia, 27

Tha-garn, 30

Veduri, 36

Eliana, 30

Ha'rcar, 38

N'rithe, 56

Dhe-hak, 59

Se'eit, died at 27, she would have been 57