Predator: A Hunter's Journey (ON HOLD)

Chapter 4 - The Encounter

An: Well, here's chapter 4! If you guys enjoy the story, please vote and comment as it lets me know that you like it

Unknown POV

I watch as the group moves into the settlement. Their movements are slow, precise and deliberate. These aren't ordinary oomans, they're warriors. Elite ones, it would seem. At least, they are by ooman standards.

Beside me, I spot Dark Fang, the young blood I was instructed to train, fidgeting with his ki'cti-pa. We quietly stalk the small group of oomans, ensuring that we're a safe enough distance from them so we won't be spotted. As three of them turn a corner and continue walking, the smallest one, who was lagging behind the group, trips and falls on the ground.

Before I can say anything, Dark Fang stealthily drops from the roof where he was standing, to the ground below. He creeps up behind the smallest ooman and stabs it in the back with his ki'cti-pa. The creature lets out a shriek of pain before collapsing on the ground, dead. The Young Blood claims his trophy and gives it to me so I can protect it while he hunts down the rest of the group.

The oomans, hearing the cry for help, rush to assist, only for Dark Fang to kill two of them. His timing was off because as he drops off the roof, the third one, their leader, turns around and spots the Young Blood.

"Pauk" I whisper to myself as Dark Fang throws his ki'cti-pa at the ooman who barely manages to dodge it. This instantly piques my interest as no ooman has ever dodged a throw from such a short distance before. Dark Fang turns off his cloaking device as the pyode amedha pulls out a knife.

Dark Fang charges the creature with his dah'kte and tries to take its head off. It must've anticipated the move, however, and easily dodges the attack. It counters the attack with a kick to the stomach. The kick was not as effective as the creature had hoped as it caused Dark Fang to barely stumble.

The pyode amedha tries to stab the young blood but he catches the knife and shoves the ooman to the ground. The fight continues until the ooman is hit in the syra'yte which causes him to collapse. I drop down beside Dark Fang and stop him from claiming its th'syra as a trophy, explaining that he is the only pyode amedha I've ever seen who can hold their own against one of us and that I want to bring him before the elders.

He reluctantly agrees, still eyeing the unconscious creature, wanting nothing more than to take it as a trophy. I tie the ooman up to prevent any chance of escape and begin the short walk back to the ship, carrying it over my shoulder.

Once we reach our ship, I put the ooman in a cage, ensuring that it won't be able to escape before heading to the cockpit to contact the elder on our capital ship. I sit down in my chair and begin to pilot the ship to our capital ship after informing Elder Guan of our prisoner.

Dark Fang sits beside me polishing his awu'asa, still mumbling about not being able to take the ooman's skull as a trophy. As soon as we step foot on the larger ship, I'm instantly handing him off to his nrak'ytara. I'm unable to think with his mumbling and after a frustrating couple of minutes, I send him to his quarters.

Once we dock with the other ship, I pick up the still unconscious ooman and carry it over my shoulder, to the cells on the larger ship. As I walk through the corridors, others stop to look at me. Some appear confused but most feel insulted by its mere presence. I talk to the guards and they place him in a cell, promising me that no harm will come to it.

A while later, I sit in Elder Guan's room sipping a cup of c'ntlip. The elder stands behind a desk, looking out at the planet the oomans call Earth. He turns around and stands in front of me, picking up his cup and drinking from it. I just sit there, holding my cup and wait for him to continue.

"No, absolutely not. There is no way I am letting you and that s'yuit-de ooman have an audience with the matriarch. It should have been killed! Why did you capture the thing in the first place?"

"It managed to hold his own against Dark Fang in a fight, Elder. It's skills are like nothing I have ever seen from an ooman before. He is a warrior, a good one."

"Dark Fang is a young blood-"

"Who is ready to participate in his Chiva!" I interrupt.

"He is weak!"

"I've seen less experienced Yautja kill a pyode-amedha before."

The Elder, roars, whipping around to face me. I stand up and stare at him directly into his eyes. After a few minutes of intense back and forth glaring, he finally concedes. "Fine, I shall try to arrange a meeting but do not expect to get one, Honorable Hunter"

"Ki'sei, Elder. Farewell" 

I exit Elder Guan's room and head to the ooman's cell. I stop by the dining area to get some food for it. I select meat and vegetables that most closely resemble foods from the ooman's planet. Just as I'm about to leave with the dish, I remember that very few of them can eat meat raw so I ask the one serving the food to cook the meat so that only a slight amount of pink remains inside. I collect the now cooked dish, and resume my walk to the cell area.

As I approach, I hear cries of rage and pain. I run the rest of the distance to the cells and once I get there, I spot Dark Fang lying dead on the ground, his throat slit open. Blood pooled around his body and footprints led around the corner, where the noise was coming from. Rounding the corner, I come face-to-face with the ooman. I pull out a syringe and before it has time to react, I inject it with the substance inside it. It passes out just as a group of Arbitrators arrive.

After helping them bring it back to its cell and get medical help for the guards, I ask the Arbitrators to bring Dark Fang's body to the burial chamber for a burial ceremony. I silently whisper a prayer to Cetanu to ask him to protect the Young Blood on his hunts with him.

Heading back to my room on the ship, I polish my weapons and awu'asa in preperation for mine and the ooman's meeting with the matriarch.

What have I agreed to?