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...
"Daih'kea does not hate you, Dhadtoudi. She is upset that you were taken from your home and forced into a new family."
"So was Zaiyu." T'ahrou clicked softly at the child's response.
"Yes, but that was different. He would have been executed otherwise."
"I would have died in a fire." Tah'kath trilled again as he turned to face the child, moving his attention from the skeleton trophy he was cleaning.
"What brings these thoughts to your mind, Dhadtoudi?" The girl said nothing, and Tah'kath flexed his mandibles as he fought to restrain his irritation. "Did Zaiyu mention it?"
"No." The human pup shook her head which caused her soft tresses to wave gently. "The Young Bloods at the markets."
"And what said Daih'kea?"
"She said nothing. I know she feels this way...I just want to know why." ———————————————————————
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Dhadtoudi was training with her ki its-pa in her quarters while Zaiyu was helping train a group of new pilots and Daih'kea remained in her confines as always. T'ahrou had been requested to help with the blacksmith for what felt like the hundredth time that week, and he would not return until late that evening.
"Dhadtoudi?" She ran to her mother's door at the sound of her name and was discouraged to see the locking mechanism still in place. "Did you say you will be going to the markets soon?"
"When Zaiyu returns we will go." Her pulse was racing. This was the most the matriarch had spoken to her in months.
"Why not go now? You would be able to have some time to yourself and you will not have to wait for Zaiyu."
"You know how he gets when-"
"Dhadtoudi it is a short distance. The chances of something happening are infinitesimal. I am in need of naxa and there is no sense in waiting until it is too late." Dhadtoudi frowned but her mother had a point. Granted, she was sure Zaiyu would be upset if he found out she left unsupervised just for a few pieces of fruit, but if their mother needed it, by Paya she would have it.
Dhadtoudi let loose a soft trill of defeated clicks before turning on her heel to leave. "Very well...I will return soon, mother."
"Hurry back, young one." Dhadtoudi crossed the space from her mother's quarters to the exit and jogged down the flights of stairs as they often did and stepped out onto the semi-crowded sidewalk. Given the time of day, it was more populated than Dhadtoudi cared for to begin with, but her mother had been correct when she said it was a short trip. She turned to the right and moved swiftly through the swarm of bustling Yautja bodies until she arrived at the markets. She was just about to step inside one of the fruit vender's larger stores when an uncomfortable chill shot up her spine and throughout her body.
The sensation had been so intense that it constricted her chest and forced a small exhale from her soft lips. She froze in place as she scanned the area with her grey eyes; she hadn't felt a sensation like this since the chiva...since they had been stalked by the pyode-amedha.
She could find nothing out of place, no one seeming to be a threat, and suddenly regretted leaving her bio-mask at the dwelling. She stood motionless for several more seconds as she surveyed her surroundings before mentally scolding herself for being so paranoid. Zaiyu's delusions are beginning to wear off on me, she thought. Despite another powerful surge throughout her tiny human body, she pushed on. She was just about to cross the threshold when she was yanked harshly to the side.
Before she could cry out in surprise a small, sharp pain radiated through the pressure point in her neck and the muscles in her face, throat, and shoulders began to feel numb. A large hand draped around her waist just as her arms and torso felt limp as well. Within seconds the sensation spread throughout her body and the large, foreign limb was the only thing keeping her from falling uselessly to the ground. A soft purring sound littered with clicks was all she heard before her vision went black and the weight of unconscious overtook her. ——————————————————————— The sun was setting, littering the Yautja colony with extravagant shades of red, orange, and pink when Zaiyu returned to find his mother preparing s'pke in the cooking area. "Welcome back, young one." The sweet aroma of fruit stew swirled through the air and his mandibles flicked slowly as he tasted the scent. It had always been his favorite meal.
"You seem to be feeling better, mother."
"Of course, young one. Why would I not?" He said nothing as he watched the matriarch repeat the process that she had completed hundreds of times throughout his lifetime, taking in the details.
Her motions we smooth and relaxed, not rigid and rushed as they had been since his father's passing and her sudden onset of paranoia regarding his sister. "Where is mei-jadhi?"
Without looking up from her task of dicing bits of fruit, Daih'kea shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly; an action that she had unknowingly adopted from the human child so many years ago. "She mentioned going to the markets. Something about needing some sort of hygiene material. She should return soon." A sudden burst of anger surged through the young warrior's body at the sound of her words.
"Will you return to your quarters when she arrives?"
"Of course, why would I not?" Another surge of anger. He turned on his heel and crossed the gathering area as he swiped through several settings on his gauntlet. "Zaiyu, where are you going?"
"To retrieve my sister. I cannot comprehend why you would allow her to leave on her own."
"Do not go looking for her by yourself, Zaiyu. That pyode-amedha is not safe."
"That's my point..!" As he exited the dwelling and ran full-speed down to the ground floor, he sent a communication to T'ahrou. "She's gone. She left, and mother let her go unsupervised."
"Alright, I am on my way. Any idea where she would have gone?"
"Mother said the markets."
"Okay. I will meet you there. Let me know when you arrive. If she is not there I will have T'sha're meet us with the hounds." Zaiyu agreed and ended the transmission before sprinting the rest of the way to the markets only to find Yautja bustling about the markets and neighboring merchant shops, but no human. Zaiyu typed out a quick message to T'ahrou and began trying to send communications through to his adoptive sibling.
