Prey

Chapter 9 - Mo H'dlak (No Fear)

Her eyes held no fear.

I'm used to oomans being horrified by my inhuman features. Many scream in terror, some cannot speak out of shock, and others do not live long enough to react. Very few live through an encounter with my kind, her species being a worthy prey to hunt.

Leoni was a curious creature. Curiosity gets you killed.

From afar she watched me warily, as she should, but mere inches from me she's curious. It seems I was the first alien she had met. Her yellow eyes moved up and down my face as I met her gaze. A shy smile spread across her soft features.

Bringing up her right hand (from her view) she spreaded her fingers to where the first three were together and the ring and pinky were together but separated from the first three to form the shape of a V. It's a gesture I am unfamiliar with, my confusion hopefully evident in my eyes. Her yellow eyes glittered with amusement as she formally introduced herself like we hadn't met before.

"Leoni Prentiss. Hailing from the Bush of Alaska. Citizen of Earth in the Milky Way galaxy. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." She held her hand out in a human gesture that I was familiar with, a gesture of greeting among her kind.

Taking her hand delicately in mine, being careful to not crush her delicate bones in my hold, I returned the greeting. "Drogaxe of the Black Blade clan. Son of Rakar the Elder. Citizen of Yautja Prime in the Alpha Quadrant."

When she tried to pull her hand away I gently took hold of it and rotated it so her palm faced upward. She stiffened when I ran the pad of a finger across the soft scaleless skin. I felt a slight shiver her body released as I examined her tiny hand. I had yet to take the time to appreciate such a creature as her so close. The softness was so much different than a Yautja female's.

She cleared her throat to catch my attention. I relinquished my hold and resumed cleaning my combi-stick.

Leoni stiffly returned to her pile of coverings where she nested beneath one letting down her waist-length fiery hair. Turning her back to me she curled in a small ball. I listened and heard as her breathing and heart lulled to the gentle rhythm of her sleep cycle. Her soft breaths joined the noises of the camp.

I finished cleaning the last of my weapons and add more fuel to the fire.

The longer I was here on this planet the more I found myself admiring its beauty. Earth is colder than my home world and the atmosphere just different enough to need my bio-mask to breathe comfortably; it is nonetheless beautiful. It's a shame that I never stayed long enough to fully take it all in. This particular visit was different thanks to a hybrid, one in particular.

I noticed movement and looked up to find the muse of my thoughts turning over in her slumber, a small noise escaping from her mouth. She's prone and vulnerable. So small. Easy prey. Leoni knows what danger she is in in leaving herself so open before me...yet...does she not care?

In the span of four days I moved from wanting to kill her for being a stain upon the Yautja race to looking at her as someone I would want to mate with. The feelings she aroused within me were strange, a weakness among my people. I despised these feelings but welcomed them at the same time. She's not Yautja, nor ever will be, in the eyes of the clan. I, however, see Yautja in her.

She didn't realize it but she has a thrill for fighting and the hunt. I could tell when she decimated the group of humans. The mating cycle even affected her and was possibly still doing so. It was obvious it was, now that I thought about it.

Not that I minded her casual flirtations. I liked how she constantly challenged me.

I was used to being feared by others.