Cat & Mouse

To Hit on a Yautja

That night the group slept as soundly as possible. Nadia was still restless though. She was worried about Roxy and she constantly kept checking on her. Although she didn't need to. Archer was staying by her side as well, and Nadia was sure he knew more than she did about how to help her. She continued to ask for updates though. Archer eventually got annoyed and just growled. "Go to sleep already. I'm watching your friend, and I'm telling you so far she's fine. I've no reason to lie or give you false hopes, female. It accomplishes nothing." he said. Nadia nodded. She glanced from the group and then to Blaze, then Roxy, then the group and back to Blaze. She walked over to him and sat next to him. "Will she really be fine?" She spoke softly. Blaze was quiet. She started to sniffle. "My brother is smart. His specialties are long range combat and emergency field medicine. Your friend is fortunate, and therefore fine." Blaze spoke quickly but calmly. "Are you all familiar with... Field medicine?" she inquired. "We are all taught basics. True medics are those that strive for it. Like my brother." Blaze replied. This was a the most she had heard him say since they met, and she loved every second. He even let her sit this close to him and didn't growl at her. So was he warming up to her, or did he feel sympathy or something else? To test, she leaned against him. Holding onto his arm, her head resting just below the armor on his chest. He didn't react to even that. Any other time he'd be growling or roaring at her by now. "Are you alright?" she asked. Blaze tilted his head. "All the other times, by now you'd have already growled or roared at me for doing this to you." She said honestly. Blaze once again was quiet before he spoke, "You are distressed. This seems to soothe you." he replied, and she smiled. "It is abnormal. But not unpleasant." he added and Nadia felt her face heating up. She cleared her throat to distract herself. "You don't do this with each other? Not even your females?" Nadia asked. "I don't know what 'this' is." Blaze said bluntly and Nadia's jaw dropped as she pulled away to look up at him. "This is called cuddling. We use it for comfort, but also it shows affection. Parents do it to their children, couples do it with each other, even friends do it. Your kind doesn't?" she asked and Blaze shook his head no.

She couldn't believe it, it seemed like a normal thing everyone did. Clearly she was wrong. Well like it or not you're getting them now, Big Guy. she said internally. She held onto him again, but this time she wrapped her arms around his waist, and made him drape his arm over her. He tensed at first, but relaxed in a few seconds. "Since we are going to stay here a while, take the mask off will you? Marissa will never stop screaming or passing out when she sees you two if you only take them off to roar at something." Nadia said with a small giggle. "What happened to the mask off or speak choices, female?" He said, Nadia just shook her head. "My name is Nadia. If I call you Blaze instead of Yautja or male or alien or hunter, you can call me Nadia. And that was only the options for before. Now I want more." She answered. When he made no movements she added, "It would 'soothe' me even more if you took that thing off." and she grinned when she heard the pressurized air release. She looked up watching as he removed the mask. She'd seen his eyes a few times now, and each time they were just as uniquely beautiful. She smiled and snuggled closer resting her head against his torso once more. "So you are letting me do this because you're comforting me?" Blaze nodded, "But also we feel responsible. Our mission was to protect you all, and we failed." Nadia turned her eyes toward Roxy. The Yautja were a fiercely proud, honor-bound race. This Nadia knew. So she also knew they felt shame and dishonor more than any humans could comprehend now. She tightened the grip of her arms around him. "There's no blame here, Big Guy. Shit happens from time to time, we do the best we can." She said. Blaze kept quiet, but she had a feeling he was thinking something along the lines of their best not being good enough. Unfortunately she didn't know what to say or what to do to help how the pair of hunters felt.

The next day was spent in much of the same way. The only difference was that Archer and Blaze had their masks off when they were in the cave and not guarding. Archer was periodically checking Roxy's wound. The black had started to recede and heal. It gave everyone including the hunters hope that she'd be okay. Everyone would visit with her and talk to her, just in case it helped her wake up sooner. While Archer spent the majority of the time seeing to Roxy's medical needs, Blaze spent the majority of the time taking care of everyone else. He was bringing food back for them all, but also teaching them basic survival skills. The group was beginning to realize why the civilization before worshipped them. They wouldn't go that far, but they respected, appreciated and understood them more. They were becoming less fearful as well. At the same time, Blaze and Archer had begun to want to murder them a little less. A few days had passed now, Roxy was still unconscious but the group had got into a routine. The humans helped Blaze and Archer with dinner that night. The next day they were having a decent conversation too, but then Roxy started screaming.