Unblooded

Chapter 18

The second I fell off the ledge, I felt my stomach drop as gravity took over. I tumbled through the air, the world blurred into a mash of greens and browns. I reached out for any vines or branches, many were ripped roughly from my grasp due to my momentum and I grew increasingly frantic.  Suddenly my arm was gripped and pulled upward harshly. I felt the joint pop and dislocate but I couldn't feel it. Somehow, my left arm hit a series of layered vines and became ensnared.
The disc was still in my hand but I watched as the spear fell to the mossy floor. I looked up to see the faint glow of the platform and and shadows moving quickly in the light. Gritting my teeth, I hooked the disc on to my leather skirt and used my right hand to pull myself up the tangled vines. Once I got high enough, I detangled my arm and looked up. My left arm was useless and was limp and painful by my side but if I let go, I would fall to my death. I carefully wrapped the vine around one of my legs to help support my weight briefly so I could let go of the vine in my right hand to grab higher and pull myself upwards. I felt like I looked like an inch worm but I was quickly going up the vine. I heard screaming and yelling from the platform which made me climb even faster despite the burning pain radiating throughout my body.  By the time I got to the platform, it was quiet. I collapsed onto the floor, the exhaustion traying to overtake me.
Splattered on the floor was the bright fluorescent fluid that ran through the viens of every yautja. 'Please don't let it be from one of them,' I begged in my thoughts, 'please.'
I heard a small whimper and found Fluffy cowering in a corner. I whistled quietly to catch his attention and leapt onto me the instant he saw me. He was shaking from head to paws with cuts covering his small body but no of his injuries were to serious. "Find Gul and Tsrasuna," I whispered to him and he took of to the training area. With the disc in my right hand, I followed him. Gul and Tsrasuna were both unconscious on the floor. The Yautja that attacked us stood above them. He was covered in scars but one stood out above the rest. The others were obviously from combat but this one was deliberate. It took me a second but I realised it was the marking of a rival clan that had hunting grounds bordering ours. We are no where near the border though so what was he doing trespassing? I shook of the thought and watched him. His back was turned to me and I could see fresh wounds on his arms and neck. The wind favored me, carrying my scent away from him instead of directly to him. I crouched low and made my way towards him. I was almost close enough to attack when he spun around. He kicked me in the stomach that sent me flying. I hit the ground hard and laid there. I heard his footsteps coming closer and felt his hand wrap around my throat. He lifted me up and looked at my face muttering something that I didn't catch. He pulled a knife from his belt and that was when I moved. I took the disc and sliced it through the arm he was holding me with completely detaching his hand. He roared and dropped me and that is when I used the disc on his leg. It sliced easily into the flesh and bone as if it were water. He fell to the ground and pulled a coiled whip from his belt. He sat up and with his remaining hand attempted to lash out with the barbed weapon. I barely managed to dodge. The whip struck the place I was moments before and left a massive gouge in the floor. There was no way to get close enough to him to use the disc the way I had been using it. The whip was lightening fast and each time I dodged trying to get close, I got slower and slower due to exhaustion. As a last attempt I threw the disc aiming for his center of mass. I closed my eyes and prayed that it would hit. I heard a sickening thunk and gurgling. When I looked up, I found that the disc hit but my aiming was a bit off.
It was lodged in its throat, it's scale covered hands clawed and grabbed frantically at the disc. In its panic, it dislodged the disc sending it skittering across the floor leaving a fluorescent trail. Green spurted freely and chaoticly from the gaping wound. All the sounds and growls of panic the yautja made were distorted by awful gurgles. It fell to its knees before collapsing face down with a pool of its blood quickly forming beneath its motionless form. Keeping my eyes on the yautja, I ran to Tsrasuna and Gul. Gently, I shook them both. Gul moaned a bit and Tsrasuna let out a high pitch whine. Tsrasuna's leg was swollen and both of them seemed to have small wounds on their heads. Gul's was oozing a small amount of blood but Tsrasuna seemed to be just a bruise. "I have to get Gwan-thwei," I muttered. I stared at Tsrasuna's leg.  I ran to the table surrounding the fire pit and brought up the hologram. With my good hand, I frantically looked for anything that could send a message or something. I could barely think of the words to use because my brain was too occupied with panic to focus on translating. Eventually I gave up and ran back to Gul's and Tsrasuna's sides. I cleaned Gul's wound and put cool wet strips of cloths on their foreheads. I sat there and waited, praying for them to be okay and for Gwan-thwei to suddenly decide to drop by.  The pain in my arm grew worse and worse. I was so tired that I did not realize I had drifted off to sleep until I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder jerking me awake. I looked up to find Gwan-thwei's face looking down at me without expression. I saw Azhla-dki behind him tending to Tsrasuna and Gul standing beside her grinning like a mad man. Gwan-thwei helped me to my feet as Gul walked over. "The entire counsel has been growing crazy with word about you," he said lowly. "What do you ......AHH!" I screamed as Gwan-thwei quickly righted my injured shoulder. I whimpered a small thank you as he nodded and clicked before moving to assist Azhla-dki. "The counsel has already heard about you taking down this hunter," he said as he gestured to the now rigid corpse.  "How did you hear of this?"
He grinned," I have my ways."
I laughed, "Of course you do. What are they saying?"
A loud snap resonated followed by a sharp scream. Gul and I both looked to find Tsrasuna with tears running down her pain filled face with Azhla-dki cooing and petting her hair softly. "Getting bones reset is painful," I muttered sympathetically. Gul nodded in agreement, "that bastard stomped on her leg after throwing her to the ground. She was so close to clawing off his helmet."
"So what of the counsel?"
"Oh, they are wanting to test your skills as a hunter. Since they want to test you, they have to test us as well since we are apart of your hunting caste."
"What happens if we pass?"
Gul shrugged, "I left before I could get caught."
"Will you find out more for us?"
Gul laughed, "Of course, never expect anything less from me." I stared at the body and a cold chill ran down my spine. It was the second time Gul and Tsrasuna's lives were put in danger. How many more times is their lives and mine going to be threatened?