Tah'kath was told as a pup that the eyes were a doorway leading to the soul. While responding to a kiande-amedha (xenomorph) attack on a human farming settlement, Tah'kath finds a surviving child whose eyes seem to hold the stars themselves. Against...
Five years had passed since Dahdtoudi had been taken in by Tah'kath and his family, and she was now joining the youngling training academy (thanks to a great deal of arguing and convincing on her father's part). The only stipulation being that she must wear her face mask the entire time. She had adjusted well to the protective wear, but keeping it on for an entire ten hours had proven difficult. The only time she would remove it would be when she slipped away to the cleansing rooms to drink some water before quickly reattaching the item. The masters in charge of science and combat alike did not want an uproar from the younglings nor their families about having a pyode-amedha participate in their traditions and practices. At one point they'd summoned the second of the two clan elders to settle the dispute, and he'd given rise to the question of "if you raise her to respect and follow our ways, what then is the issue?"
Zaiyu had done well at teaching her basic self-defense skills which had nearly come in handy the first few days when she came home with numerous injuries from a "sparring match" with some of the males in her group. Since she had been outnumbered, her tactics proved useless in the end.
Many days she was indifferent when she mentioned that the daughter of Tah'kath's blacksmithing companion had spoken to her or offered to be her sparring partner during combat practices, but she never seemed particularly happy about it. "I feel like she offers because she thinks she has to...because her father knows mine...I don't think she really wants to, though." Zaiyu mentioned this to their mother who was quick to speak to the youngling. "I'm not angry, I just don't understand. If she doesn't want to, then why won't she just leave me alone?" ————————————————————————
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It was nearing time for Zaiyu to join in his kiande-amedha chiva, and he would be participating with seven others: five males and two females. They had all passed their initial trial competition and would be hunting the mighty prey as a reward.
The young blood and a handful of his companions had been selected to take select hovercraft to the youngling training academy and get the future warriors familiar with the different variations of flight tech. The first cruiser they brought the younglings to was a new addition; it was still in its trial phase, but it was more advanced than the other five craft on display. "Can anyone take a guess at what this one is called? Anyone..?" The master looked around the group of younglings, waiting for a response. Several giggles erupted from the back of the group as a small, clawless hand eased into the air. "Yes, Dahdtoudi, what is wrong?" Zaiyu had narrowed his eyes from behind his face mask at the disgruntled tone in the science master's voice.
"Nothing is wrong, Master G'kih'ka." The large male clicked his mandibles in frustration as he folded his hands behind his back in a stern manner.
"Then pray tell, why did you raise your hand?"
"I request to answer the question, Master G'kih'ka." The Master gave an impatient growl as he gestured toward the masked youngling.
"Well then, go on..! Tell us everything you know about this ship."
Dahdtoudi straightened her posture and stood tall just as Zaiyu had shown her. "This ship is a T-4781, Model #12. It is a recent development by the interstellar branch of the scientific division, and it is currently in trials until it can be determined whether or not it is able to withstand excessive battle damage to a higher degree than its predecessors. The T-4781, Model #12 has a QuickFlash Hyperdrive, and it is equipped with the lightest but most powerful engine known to the fleet. It can initiate interstellar jumps at a 17% faster rate than any cruiser previously developed, and it has the most firepower of all the lightweight craft thus far. The T-4781, Model #12 is fully powered by solar and lunar rays alike, and in the event the main power conductors are damaged, the backup survival systems are able to keep a team of twelve alive for up to three solar rotations." The Master said nothing, and the giggling had long since faded away. After a long, awkward silence, Dahdtoudi cleared her throat and bowed respectfully to the large male. "That is everything I know currently, Master G'kih'ka. I thank you for allowing me to answer." G'kih'ka turned his focus to the young bloods, and Zaiyu stepped forward.
"Come here, youngling." Dahdtoudi politely excused her way through the small crowd until she was mere steps away from her older brother. "How old are you, youngling?" Dahdtoudi hesitated for a moment before finally bowing as a display of submissive respect.
"Five decacycles, young blood." Zaiyu thought for a moment, his head tilting to the side in curiosity.
"Cathuih, I was under the impression that the survival systems would only keep a team of three alive for two solar rotations."
The female in question activated her pilot information codex on her gauntlet and shook her head. "No, they made some adjustments to the oxygen regulators and thermo-systems. The codex was updated last night."
Zaiyu trilled excitedly before bowing his chest out at the tiny female in front of him. "I expect to have you on my crew when you come of age, Dahdtoudi." The other younglings gasped in surprise and she bowed respectfully once more. It was highly outrageous, though not prohibited, for a higher ranking Yautja to refer to an inferior clan member by name in a formal setting. "Many thanks, young blood." He could hear the smile in her voice, and Zaiyu ushered her back to her group.
"Well now, since I've had my soap box kicked out from under my feet, I'm going to let Cathuih continue from here." The younglings moved to the next craft, but Zaiyu flagged down his adoptive sister and gave her their secret handshake when no one was looking. "You put that s'yuit-de in his place..!" The youngling punched his arm playfully. She didn't like when he called anyone an idiot, but Zaiyu felt that she would get over this one sooner rather than later.
