Predator: The Invisible Prince

9

Ahzma followed Rakkah down the ship's corridor, her body felt heavy with every step. She had to force her drained muscles to respond to her commands as she obediently trailed the huge creature. Other yautja parted immediately once they spotted the top ranking hunter and stood to the side of the corridor respectfully as they passed. Despite that nearly all of the other creatures were wearing their mask, Ahzma knew their beady alien eyes beneath the helmets were silently watching her as she passed them.

Rakkah had said nothing about what she had done earlier in the ship's main bay. Once she gave the warriors her blessing for their "hunt," Rakkah had growled for her to follow. With his face being the way it was—she could not tell what emotions he was feeling, she had no clue what the terrifying creature was thinking right now. Was he going to punish her in private, was that why he was leading her to some other section of the ship? Her stomach knotted at the thought of what punishment could feel like from something so large. She was positive she would not survive it. Walking with a steady even gait, Rakkah's eight-foot form was all scaled muscle. The beige and green dappled flesh reminded her of a snapmaw back on Upra. A deadly reptilian creature that lurked underneath the waters of the Upran swamplands. His long thick legs were mostly bare except for the armored greaves he wore on his feet that reached just below the knee. Muscles flexed brazenly from his massive thighs as he took each step. The powerful flesh displayed itself shamelessly despite the braided metal piece of his skirt-like armor that hung from his belt in the front and back.

Reaching a black metal door, with a glowing blue line of light that went down the middle, Rakkah lifted his hand to the side panel sensor. The door whooshed open in response. Stepping through the opening, Rakkah walked into the dark room. Fear fought past the overpowering fatigue as she stopped in the middle of the corridor. Still holding his mask in one hand, Rakkah paused before turning around slowly to face her through the open doorway. Tears felt like pin pricks behind her eyes as she met his golden gaze. A long string of clicks echoed from his throat in response. She didn't want to be hurt, she thought desperately, she didn't want to follow him into that dark room. But what choice did she have? She was on a ship full of ginormous alien creatures and she just threatened their leader's life. Trembling, she blinked away more tears as she came to grips with the gravity of her mistake. Moving her left leg and then her right, she slowly stepped forward until she made it inside the dark room.

Barely inches beyond the door she stopped and stood deathly still, clasping her sweating hands together at her front. Ahzma never felt more emotionally drained and afraid in her life, it felt like at any moment her legs would give out from under her. A random thought crossed her mind; was this how her mother felt when she wore this same gown at her union with Ahzma's father? No, probably not. At that time no one knew what monsters hid behind the smiles of the Tanians. It wasn't until months later did the first signs of their deceit appear.

At least Ahzma knew she was married to a monster, she thought dryly.

The sound of the door whooshing shut behind her focused her thoughts again as she blinked unseeingly into the pitch-black room. Looking around she desperately tried to find Rakkah's glowing eyes in the dark but could not find them. With her heart beating faster now, she stepped forward a bit.

"Rakkah?" her voice sounded choked and small as she called out for him. There was no response. "Please...I'm sorry," she tried again, not able to stop the tears. "I didn't know...I know I shouldn't have...

The lights flicked on above her and she found Rakkah standing on the other side of the room removing his jade green cloak and storing it into a hidden panel in the all black wall. Stepping away from it, the panel closed automatically, returning back to the seamless black wall. Holding just his mask now, Rakkah walked back over to her, his fierce glowing eyes fixed on her.