Dreaded Waters [A Predator Story]

I. The Sentry

The Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich-  Belize, Central America.

In the heart of the jungle landscape around one of the marvels of the ancient world, several clouds began to close in around the panorama. The Mayan Ruins in Belize were a tourist attraction for many all over the world. But, in one particular case, the only one present in the vicinity, wasn't part of this world.
Hunkered down among the thick shrubbery was a figure too big to be any normal person and had many abnormal features that wouldn't pass for a human. It had dark tentacle-like dreadlocks as "hair", clawed feet and hands, tribal armor, and gray-black scaly skin. All traits are found on one such alien being. It was, in fact, a male Yautja. Hidden with his advanced cloaking, this bestial creature sat among the trees and vegetation. His name was Hu'Kuo, a sentry and an expert tracker. Hu'Kuo had just finished stripping the flesh off a Python he had just consumed and made a new trophy necklace from its skull. A fine trophy indeed.
Looking up with a grunt, Hu'Kuo could see the sky darkening to the west. Getting up, he begins to jog across the jungle dirt and leaves. Hu'Kuo's footsteps were loud and the twigs and leaves crunched beneath the strength of his weight and body mass. He had a toned build like the rest of the males of his species but wasn't a gargantuan type of Predator. Hu'Kuo's more or less had the frame of a full-grown jaguar; a creature built for running and agile enough to move in the trees. Hu'Kuo demonstrated this as he summoned all his strength to his muscular legs in a running start and effortlessly launched himself 30 feet in the air. With that powerful jump, Hu'Kuo flew through the leaves, branches, and vibrant local parrots in flight as his body came plummeting towards a tree.
Using his thick black claws on his hands and feet, Hu'Kuo grappled firmly against the surface of the tree trunk he landed against.
Once he climbed up the trunk and perched himself on the thickest branch to sustain himself, Hu'Kuo scanned the area. Using the built-in map and readout in his Bio-Mask, Hu'Kuo surveyed the landscape surrounding the Mayan pyramid from the canopy above. Everything looked so quiet even though a rain shower was approaching. Water in his tech's circuitry was the last thing Hu'Kuo needed. Just a couple of drops to his cloaking layer and his position would be given away. Accessing the commlink on his Bio-Mask, Hu'Kuo contacted his comrade from their base camp within the pyramid.
"*<Hu'Kuo reporting.>" He announced, speaking in his native Yautja dialect.
From the other end of the commlink, his response came with a cantankerous roar.
"<What is it, sentry boy!?>"
"<Ugh, catch you at a bad time, princess?>"
"<That's 'Flint' to you, wise-ass!>"
Hu'Kuo and Flint weren't exactly buddy-buddy in this mission. Drawn to the tropical heat and drug war,  Flint's unit came to Belize for an annual hunt per the culture of the Yautja. Hu'Kuo, on the other hand, was commissioned by his superiors to join along as an extra security measure. It's not to say Hu'Kuo wasn't a proud warrior Elite like the majority of his Clan. He's gone through the rite of passage many moons ago on a Xenomorph hunt and came out of it Blooded. Since then, Hu'Kuo has been involved in many hunts and incursions across the known universe. But why be a soldier when one can be more? Hu'Kuo also happened to be a skilled engineer and weaponsmith. Providing cutting-edge weaponry, tools, and Equipment, Hu'Kuo is commended the best and brightest in his whole Clan for his contributions, perhaps in all of Yautja Prime. 
Sighing deeply from Flint's outburst, Hu'kuo continued to give his status report for everything surrounding the pyramid.
"<Look, everything's quiet out here. No hostiles in sight so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it together.>"
"<Are you giving ME a direct order?>" Flint snarled on the other line. "<Who died and made you in charge?!>"
"<Why do I even--You know what I mean!!>" Hu'Kuo asserted. "<Ever since those humans have begun to cause more and more mayhem here, your unit's been less than discrete! This world isn't fully ready to know about us....yet.>"
This made Flint cackle his worst.
"<Apologies, your highness!>" Flint coolly remarked. "<I was unaware we were making too much noise while you were doing your 'recon' inside the pyramid. Count your stars that no human welp saw you.>"
Nothing could grind Hu'Kuo's gears than to have his work snubbed by his comrade in arms. Especially when it's someone as haughty as Flint. Hu'Kuo also specialized in intelligence gathering. And where else can he seek it than in the Mayan temple?
"<My reconnaissance is none of your business, shit-for-brains!!>" warned Hu'Kuo.  "<It was for only ten minutes. And no one human saw me in sight. Speaking of which,  can you believe they still have these structures up after our ancestors taught them how to put--?>"
This earns Hu'Kuo a bored, guttural yawn from Flint. It was made apparent that these two were as opposite as they came with their methods and areas of expertise. Flint never much cared for Hu'Kuo's thirst for knowledge during their hunts and Hu'Kuo saw Flint as nothing more than a possible loose cannon. And like a lot of Yautjas that went down that road, í.e. Bad Bloods,  Hu'Kuo snuffed them out whenever he got a chance to test out a new Plasmacaster upgrade.
"<Thanks for the history lesson. Yautja Prime has enough records of our past rituals with breeding Xenomorphs, but let's focus on the task at hand, Hu'Kuo. >" Flint began, relaying the mission details. "<Since human activity has increased in the area, I'm ordering you to eliminate whatever hostiles that approach this pyramid. Is that understood?>"
"<And if they're not?>" Hu'Kuo asked, sounding uneasy with that last part.
"<Are you disobeying me? Perhaps the Elders would like to know you're going soft?>" Flint mocked aloud.
Growling and tearing the bark off the tree trunk he was perched on with his claws, Hu'Kuo asserted himself.
"<Does that sound like I'm going soft!?>"
"<Simmer down, don't get your fishnets in a bunch!>" Flint then eased. "<Just keep a lookout for any humans in the area that may pose a threat. Remember our Code and stay on my good side.>"
"<Don't talk to me like I'm an amateur Young Blood. I know what to do.>" Hu'Kuo reminded Flint.
Moments later, the heads-up display in Hu'Kuo's Bio-Mask starts beeping. Earlier that day, he had installed a few motion detectors around the perimeter of the ruins. These devices were designed to sound off whenever there's seismic movement - and programmed to detect if what was making it was human beings. That means the Yautjas have possible intruders making their way towards their base camp. But for what purpose?
"<Intruders detected. Shall I pursue?>" asked Hu'Kuo.
"<Music to my ears.>" Flint replied. "<Tail first, then annihilate them once they reveal their weapons. And make sure you don't get seen.>"
"<Acknowledged. I'm...on my way.>" Hu'Kuo nods, reluctant. "<Switching to radio silence.>"
This is where Hu'Kuo's conviction to the Yautja Honor Code gives him doubts. Since the moment he achieved his Blooded status, Hu'Kuo has always followed his people's mandate to the letter: kill worthy prey- especially when they're armed and pose a threat, never interfere in another Yautja's hunt, kill only weaker species when ration hunting, and for the most part, never harm the innocent. But the orders Flint gave Hu'Kuo sound like he wanted this sentry to senselessly attack whatever person approaches.
In any case, Hu'Kuo had a job to do and no time to waste. Leaping off the branch he was perched on and touching the ground whilst activating his cloaking device, Hu'Kuo proceeds to investigate the source of the sensor activation. Moving through the jungle vegetation and avoiding any contact with puddles or stray wildlife, Hu'Kuo prowled through the trees at a rapid yet steady pace. Moving lightly was gonna be an issue so he then took to leaping and swinging across the branches in a style akin to human Parkour. Hu'Kuo was a master at stealth-like many Yautja hunters in his culture. This means that he could freely practice numerous camouflage techniques in his hunts which is where he learned to be patient rather than blindly attacking his prey and giving away his position.
Closing in on his target, Hu'Kuo slowed down and lands a greater distance from where he implanted the sensor. Creeping to the ground and blending in the thick shrubbery, Hu'Kuo scans the area. It was near a trail that leads directly to the Mayan pyramid. The sky above continued to show signs that a rain shower would be imminent. Seeing as he could still be hidden, Hu'Kuo deactivated his cloaking device so the rain won't short-circuit its wiring. The big leaves and dirt will suffice for the time being. Once again crouched in the plants, Hu'Kuo waited.
Before long, a figure appeared. This was a human, yes, but to Hu'Kuo's surprise, not an apparent hostile. This human appeared to be a young adult woman due to her figure showing up on Hu'Kuo's thermal radar.  At her left was placed a large knapsack with what looked like diving flippers along with a medium-sized yellow oxygen tank.
What was she gonna do with those?
Furthermore, this female didn't appear to be doing anything that Hu'Kuo would consider threatening. She looked to be breathing quick intakes of air while doing ten sets of side splits and deficit lunges on each leg. A very fit specimen. But it seems like this female was doing her little exercise while she was waiting for someone in this area. As Hu'Kuo loomed in closer, his motion detectors picked up two more life signs. Turning to his left, he spots another female and male approaching in the distance. They too were bringing along the same equipment.
"<Hmm. What could these three humans be doing here?>" pondered Hu'Kuo. Just then the female stops doing her exercise and stands still. The air becomes still and not a sound is heard, save for a few birds in the distance followed by faint rolling thunder. She stays motionless for a few minutes before slowly turning her head, almost in the direction of where Hu'Kuo is hiding! "<What the...? Can she see me?>"
How was this possible? No human could somehow detect another Yautja's presence! Is this woman gifted with some sort of sixth sense that might put Hu'Kuo's mission in jeopardy? Impossible.
So far these three humans don't look like they could be posing any type of threat. Perhaps they're looking to see the ruins up close? Sticking to the orders beset by Flint, Hu'Kuo opts to observe these three first. But, if trouble begins....then so will the Yautja carnage.

*[translated from the Yautja dialect
~AguilaMolina]