Kidnapped (Predator Fanfiction) -Major Editing-

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Skylar

Skylar shivered with nerves, her throat uncomfortably dry to the point where she almost wanted water if not for the fact that she'd likely throw it up before the afternoon was through. She glanced down at her watch, twelve thirty in the afternoon back on earth. "I wonder what dad is doing..." she mumbled, fingers clicking the lock to release the watch. He probably wasn't doing what she was about to do.

"Are you ready?" N'kai asked calmly from his side of the sandy training pit. She knew that calm was fake though. The slight occasional flick of his tusk and the way his body seemed to almost be shaking from energy were enough to tell her that he was itching to train with her. Itching to test her.

"Almost," Skylar smiled, climbing the edge of the pit to place her watch out of harms way. If it broke she'd lose the ability to keep track of her last shred of normalcy. "N'kai... do we have a way of ending the fight with words?" She hopped back down trying to force herself to ignore the nervous waves broiling in her stomach. N'kai was a young warrior, fiercer than even some of the older members of the clan and although he lacked their experience he still had more than she did.

"You can submit anytime you feel bested, just say it out loud." N'kai nodded to her. The Unblooded watching their every move turned his normally brighter nature around her to something more mellowed and serious. He wasn't going to go easy on her. "Are you prepared now?"

She breathed deeply, "yeah." But was she really?

N'kai raised his wrapped hands and charged for her head on, cat running down the canary it knew couldn't fly. He was covering ground faster than she was able to process until the wheels in her head started spinning and she finally bolted in the opposite direction by instinct. N'kai's sudden halt was enough to stop her when she turned back to look at him.

"Are you taking this as a game?" He asked, there was a hint of wounded pride to his tone. The Unblooded snickering on the sideline only made the situation worse.

"No! I just..." Skylar tried to think of something as she came back over to him, "I thought we were warming up first by doing laps! I didn't know we were starting to fight right away." Although she tried to placate him he still kept staring at her. "You know I wouldn't tease you like that," she added.

After a moment he nodded, "of course. I shall be more clear next time then."  The Unblooded had fallen silent with fascination. If they had been in Skylar's shoes she knew N'kai wouldn't have just returned to where he was across from her. They would end up going to Lar'ja-thwei instead. 

Skylar shook her head, braids slapping her face like a unspoken reality check. She had to focus back on her training and think of any fighting she actually knew how to do. If she was honest it wasn't much. The most she had gotten was watching her father cage fight recreationally while she studied her books or knitted horrible scarves for the other boxers. Not exactly the most helpful now. Skylar began bouncing slightly as she tried to mimic some semblance of a stance, the confusion in N'kai's eyes made her breathe easier. That confusion was useful.

He charged for her again and this time she used her momentum to dive out of his way. Rolling to the dirt and pushing herself quickly to her feet. She wasn't able to grab for his back like she had wanted to do but at least she got a measure of how fast he was.

She bit her tongue lightly as she watched him, letting him charge her again and mimicking her first tactic. He still wasn't able to grab her and Skylar had to hope he was falling for the idea that she might be a one trick pony. When he charged the third time she charged back and his stumble of surprise gave her enough time to slide beneath him and hitch herself onto his back. Swinging higher up she wrapped her arm around his neck in a chokehold while she tried to avoid his sharp claws reaching back for her. He was persistent in trying to grab her, unaware that he was reacting just the way she needed.