The First Hunter

THE YOUNGLING

Leanne jumped when the pod's door slid open and Bet-khar walked in. She breathed a sigh of relief seeing the familiar face. "I thought you had forgotten me. Is everyth..." She paused mid-sentence when she noticed the large Yautja standing behind him. His commanding presence forced her to meet his gaze. If she had thought Bet-khar was young, this was definitely an adult male. He was even bigger than Bet-khar.

His body straitened as he stared at her for a moment before blinking his glowing eyes.

Leanne's breath froze while he studied her with laser-intense eyes. Her heartbeat quickened and her hands trembled with anxiety.

A storm of emotions crossed Zahraun's face and his eyes turned dark. He sniffed the air and growled. He looked angry, his eyes getting dark by the second. His face turned cruel. Bet-khar was quick to react, placing himself between the human and his brother.

Zahraun growled low. His words lashed at Bet-khar like a whip. "THAT. IS. NOT. A. YOUNGLING!"

Bet-khar looked back and forth between the human and his brother for a clue.

The rest of the brothers walked in, their attention captured by the unfolding scene.

Leanne looked at the newcomers, and turned back her attention to the furious male  standing a feet away from her.

Bal-khan shook his head and massaged the back of his neck: "Bet-khar, that's a female of childbearing age."

Bet-khar's eyes went wide open  in shock. She'd never seen him wearing that expression before. He always seemed unflappable.

Leanne curled up into a ball on her seat, wishing the ground would swallow her up. Tears glistened at the corner of her eye.

Zahraun watched her like a hawk. Was she scared? She should be, a part of him wanted to strangle her.

Bet-khar stared down at Leanne as though seeing her for the first time. How did he miss that? An adult female? He turned to his brothers, "Are you certain she is an adult? She doesn't look like one. She is too thin. And her mammary glands are very small."

She shot him a glare, but he ignored it.

Bal-khan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know her mammary glands are 'very small'"?

Bet-khar replied nonchalant: "I saw her unclothed."

Leanne's face turned bright red. She said between gritted teeth, "You are embarrassing me."

Zahraun frowned: "Why does she smells like you?"

"I bathed her this morning." He said with a shrug.

"Is she incapable of washing herself? "Cet-khar asked with a concerned expression on his face.

"She injured herself the first time she tried to bathe alone."

"You didn't get the water pressure fixed?" Celtic asked.

"I didn't think it was necessary." Bet-khar replied in irritation.

Zahraun snapped at the human: "Why did you lie to my brother?"

"I did not lie."

"You pretended to be a youngling."

"I'm 35 years old, he is 100. I thought he'd called me 'youngling' because he is much older than me. Life expectancies back on earth are below 100 years. By earth standards, your brother is considered very old."

"I don't care about your primitive planet. My brother is a teenager. He shouldn't have brought you here."

Ah yes, it all makes sense now. Bet-khar's behavior around the human was somewhat unusual, but typical for someone of his age.

Leanne's eyes filled with tears at his cruel words. Teenager or not, she'd be dead if Bet-khar hadn't taken her.

She began to cry like the youngling that Bet-khar thought she was.

Bet-khar crossed the room and pressed Leanne against his abdomen, like he did many times before to comfort her.

Zahraun let out a vicious growl. "Enough! You will come with me human!"

Leanne's heart jumped into her throat. She dug in her heels and prepared to run.

Zahraun narrowed his eyes. "DO. NOT. MAKE. ME. REPEAT. MYSELF."

"Where are you taking me?" Leanne asked.

Zahraun dropped his voice. "To my quarters."

Leanne glanced at his barely-there loincloth, remembering the holographic image she'd seen not so long ago. The image had hardly done him justice. Up close, his appearance was both sinister and striking. His skin was a couple of shades darker than Bet-khars. And his light-colored golden eyes were framed by mean-looking brows.

Zahraun leaned closer to her and she stiffened with fear. His voice was low and somehow intimate. "What's the matter human?"

Zahraun looked at her too-big tunic up and down, a hint of something mildly disturbing in the look he gave her. She crossed her arms over chest protectively. "Hush, now. There's no need for that human." His voice a dark purr. "Besides, why would you be wearing my nightshirt if you weren't meant to share my bed?"