Dhare blasted an approaching kainde amedha while he drove his wrist-blades into the chest of another, the serpent screeching. He ducked when Khaj threw his combi-stick at serpent coming at his left side. His friend dodged and ducked through the Hunters fending off the hordes of serpents trying to protect their Queen, her shrill screeching ringing through the caverns.

Khaj retrieved his weapon just in time to catch a serpent as it threw itself at him. He kicked it away and impaled it with his combi-stick.

All around them there was a flurry of activity while the main team worked to subdue the Queen. They were throwing the last chain around her lower body, the assigned Yautja working in teams to keep her from swiping her deadly claws at them. Her children died trying to defend her, their numbers in the thousands.

It was an infestation that Dhare hadn't seen in decades.

Upon arriving to the surface, they had found the beasts in the area dead en masse. There were obvious signs of Z'skvy-de in ever body found. There were obvious drag marks that led to a massive system of subterranean caverns where the kainde amedha had made their home. Down below they had built their hive, the rocky walls covered with the sticky mucus that smelled of something rotting.

Thankfully Dhare's bio-mask filtered out the the musty smell. He had always hated that smell. It had a way of seeking into your very essence and making one want to vomit. His scent glands were overwhelmed with just a whiff of it.

Any other Yautja felt the same. Khaj, his assigned partner, had taunted him by trying to spread it on his forearm. He had chittered in amusement when Dhare tackled him and smeared some of the thick viscous mucus on his friend as revenge.

If he was going to be covered in that, then so was Khaj.

The two broke it up when their third, Ha'stba, had alerted them to a sighting of the serpents a few noks ahead. They reluctantly pulled apart and continued on the hunt.

Khaj cast him glances every now and then that he could feel. His friend was no stranger to Dhare's body, that fact being vice versa for him with Khaj's. The two definitely knew what made the other tick from knowing each other for so long...among more carnal reasons. Dhare didn't miss the little shake of his mane Khaj did in his direction.

"Can you two take it outside? We have a hunt to complete." Ha'stba complained a few paces ahead, his irritation apparent in his voice. "You are like horny Young Bloods."

Dhare started to chuckle in amusement but had been cut short when serpents appeared in the tunnel ahead. He nodded towards Khaj and Ha'stba that it was time for business.

A few hours had passed since then. Bodies of serpents were piling up by the dozens as they fell. The number of dead was growing as Dhare and the hunting party cut through them with veritable ease, at least, until the last had been culled. All the screeching had been silenced with only the Queen left to fill the void with her own.

The hunters tasked with fending off the serpents moved to help drag the Queen through a large passage that had been discovered to lead back to the surface. It was slow but they eventually dragged her with the long chains into the light of day, her protesting screeching driving the surviving local beasts away in fear.

Time was slower on this planet so the days were longer, thus the sun still reigned Queen in the sky. The sun shone on the shiny black bio-mechanical exoskeleton of the Queen kiande amedha as she was taken onto the awaiting ship specially outfitted just for her. Slowly but surely the Queen was once again returned to relative darkness. Once she was on board, some went back to claim trophies and the hunters returned to their respective ships to await the others.

Dhare lingered outside awaiting Khaj's return, enjoying the sun on his skin. It felt nice and comforting.

Being in space for so long tended to make him miss the sun. The artificial heat on the ship only did so much. He sometimes likes to lie in the sun when he had the opportunity and relax, like he was doing now. There was a flat rock that was just the right size to lie upon and sun bake.

He lied there for some time letting the sun warm him to the core, his limbs stretched out and an arm lazily slung over his waist.

Lying there in the sun, he was able to think back to those many years ago about that human woman. Even after all this time he could still smell that scent of hers filling his scent glands. He longed to find her and find an excuse to not kill her if she were still alive; or sit by her deathbed and watch nature run it's course.

Surely she was still alive...

Without warning, the sun disappeared, prompting Dhare to open his eyes. He sighed in frustration.

"Five more minutes. I wish to sun bathe."

Khaj kicked his leg playfully, "There is no time to do that. Come. Stop being so lazy, Dhare."

Dhare snarled and came to his feet, his long locs swaying about as he shook his head with a breathy chuff.

"I wish to be lazy today. You know me better than anyone, Khaj. You should know I like to relax as much as possible..." Dhare poked his friend's chest as loped to the ship with Khaj on his heels.

"Well...perhaps we can arrange for you to relax some more...in my quarters?" Khaj smirked as they took their seats next to bickering Young Bloods.

The ship smelled of serpent mucous and victory. As they rocketed up back to the ship following the main drop shuttle, Khaj continued to be a pest to any near him.

For once in a long time, Dhare decided that he should let loose before transitioning into his new position. Too many cycles had passed since he felt the fevered touch of another. He wanted to feel the rush once more.

Immediately upon the return to the clan ship, Dhare followed Khaj to his quarters. When the door shut behind Dhare, they stood there waiting for the other to make the first move.

Dhare removed his armor piece by piece, letting it fall to the floor until he stood nude before Khaj. He purred suggestively at his former lover. Khaj chuckled, removing his own armor and threw out his arms in an open invitation for a challenge. A low rumbling growl echoed from his chest while he retreated towards the nest room.

"Cum for me...Dhare." Khaj purred.

• • •

Artemis hurried along the hall on her way to her and Rhage's quarters. She kept glancing over her shoulder, her anxiety rising.

She was sure someone was following her. There had been the brief glimpse of someone in her wake when she had turned a corner after a long day of hanging out with her fellow humans. They had to be using their cloaking technology since she couldn't see them at all. It was an instinct that told her to escape as quickly as she could.

There was a twisting nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away.

Internal alarm bells screamed of danger that she couldn't see.

Faster her legs moved as she made a run for the elevator. The hall was empty and free of anyone to push out of the way in her, the home run stretch just a few yards. She guessed it was twenty yards at most.

Artemis never made it to the elevator. Something hit her like a truck from behind and sent her flying down the hall where she fell in a heap against one of the walls. There was a sharp pain in her ribs when she struggled to sit up. When she tried to draw a breath, it hurt something awful.

She couldn't even lift her hand to press her emergency beacon on her gauntlet.

Heavy footsteps thudded at a slow pace behind her as she forced her arm to stretch out and press the button with a shaky finger. A low pained moan escaped her mouth.

Everything ached or throbbed.

Dragging herself along the floor was a nigh impossible task. A heavy foot on her back stopped what little progress she had made. What breath was in her lungs was shoved out, leaving her wheezing on the floor, trying to draw in painful gulps of air. Every breath her ribs screamed in protest.

"Pitiful prey..." Growled the voice of her attacker, "your struggle will soon be over. I will ensure you are in as much pain as possible before I let you die, however."

The foot lifted from her back allowing her to catch her breath. She lied limply waiting for the help that she wanted to come.

Surely Rhage and his entourage were on the way.

Artemis wasn't going to—

She cried out when that same foot came down on one of her legs, the sound of breaking bone loud amid her pained whimpers. Tears flowed down her cheeks and blurred her vision as her attacker revealed himself; he knelt before her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. His tusks were drawn tightly over his mouth, his body radiating menace.

"Y-you. Why you? Wh-what did I ever...do to you?!" Artemis sobbed, eyeing him with shock and the realization that the traitor hadn't been just a dream.

He shrugged, "You distract Rhage. I am doing what is best for the clan."

Even in all the pain, Artemis snorted, "Bad Blood...piece of shit. I hope...he kills you and drags...drags it out."

"I may die. Sei'i. In death I will have died having followed my principles. The clan is above all else, especially you, a filthy Soft Meat." The Yautja hissed. He reached out his arm and pressed a button on his wrist gauntlet. A small aerosol device popped out of the end and he aimed it at her face. "It is time for you to slumber. I can not have you making noise on our way out of here."

White cloudy smoke came out of the end and clouded her face. She accidentally breathed some in and immediately felt sleepy. The world blinked to darkness faster than she could fight it.

• • •

Rhage clapped the shoulder of one of the males at the helm, "That was a successful hunt. Now, we celebrate!"

There was much merriment on the bridge as the Yautja celebrated yet another successful Queen hunt. They were now readying to make the journey to the planet where the Unblooded would be tested in their chiva. Such was the tradition, handed down to every younger generation by the elders of society and the fore-bearers before them.

All the way back to the First Hunter, Kaail, when he led the uprising against Amengi, the former rulers of Yautja Prime; the Amengi also being the enslavers of the Hish-qu-Ten. The Hish were the ancestors of Yautja and had been enslaved by the Amengi when they invaded Yautja Prime. It was the First Hunter, Kaail, who set forth the future of the modern day Yautja.

To hunt was a great honor and was almost religious it had become so reverent. To hunt was to honor their ancestors and gain the attention of Cetanu so that they could one day take their place with him in the Hunting Grounds of Beyond. To bring fame to one's name so that they would never truly die.

They would live forever on in the tales of future generations.

Rhage was chatting with Kokum when a ping alerted him with its shrill beeping, a staccato high pitched sound killing the conversation entirely. The two Yautja looked at each other in alarm. It wasn't something Rhage ever wanted to hear. Right as he went to pinpoint the location, another alarm got the attention of everyone on board.

"Leader, there has been an unauthorized detachment from the docking bay." One of the pilots said, his fingers flying over the floating keyboard, plucking letters and clumping them together in the air.

A cold wave crashed through Rhage's system. Immediately he began hailing Artemis through her own gauntlet, something he was happy that she never left their private quarters without.

The ringing continued on and on with no answer from the other end. Some of the pieces began to fall in place and Rhage snapped into action. He had one of the helmsman search through the camera systems of every corridor where Artemis would've been and then directed some of the now-alert celebrators to go looking for her. Outside the massive front window he and everyone else watched as the ship that had left its hanger appeared, the dark triangular craft floating in the emptiness of space before them.

"Leader, the ship is hailing us. Permission to accept?" Asked the pilot from moments ago.

"Sei'i."

He wanted to find out who this person was and fast. His mate was in a potentially life threatening position and every moment mattered. In this moment he held in the anger and the fear, the empathy for what could potentially befall Artemis. It was in moments like this that he excelled.

The view-screen brought up a graph of sound waves as the person on the line came over the line. Rhage fumed even more when they began to speak.

"I have something of yours, Rhage. Something valuable."

Snarls filled the utter silence of the room at the treachery. Everyone was familiar with that voice. One they had spent centuries beside, whether it was in a hunt or in a meeting. He had been there.

Rhage clenched his fists when the scans came through on one of the view screens that the ship housed a human by Artemis's bio-signature.

"Return and explain your actions."

There was a grunt, "How about no. I am dealing with this pest of a ooman." He chuckled lowly through the com link. "You see...as we all know...they are fragile creatures. Small. Breakable. Yours is especially easy to break, Rhage."

Valam spoke as the engage sequence was initiated on his ship, Rhage's pilot able to see everything that was put into Valam's onboard computer. Rhage snarled loudly enough that even the most hard of hunters in the bridge shivered. He sounded like a great Lion ready to charge into battle.

One of his most trusted allies betrayed him and he wanted revenge.

"Do not speak of her like that! Return to the docking bay with my mate or you will be hunted down and eliminated with no mercy! Valam, I call to your honor!" Rhage clenched his fists so hard that his claws dug into his palms drawing blood.

"You are clouded with your emotions. You are weakened by this prey. My honor remains intact because I am doing you and the clan a service."

Rhage's thwei boiled for a fight and Valam would be his opponent. No one dared to mess with his mate nor with an Elder most of all. Valam was no Elder nor was he near the fighter Rhage was.

Valam's ship shot out a bright ball of light from his ship, ripping a hole in space, and flew his ship through with the final words of, "Ell'osde pauk."

The portal disappeared and Rhage had the pilot set a course for the coordinates that Valam's ship had traveled to. He coordinated an on-planet search for when they arrived to the planet and left the bridge, his blue cape fluttering behind him. Everyone in the hallway parted way for him as he stormed his way through the ship on a warpath to his quarters.

Eyes were all upon him as he made his way through the ship. He turned his emotions into something productive and retrieved his armor. Once he was suited up in full battle gear, his bio-mask on his belt, he met with the rest of his councilman.

"We reach the planet then we find Valam and eliminate him. This is personal. I will deal the final blow." Rhage extended his wrist-blades and held his arm up, "He will die by my hand for betraying me."

Khaj, Kokum, Kato, and Sterak roared. Their roars prompted Rhage to join in, spreading his mandibles wide as he readied himself for the hunt of his life.

He craved Valam's blood.

No one messed with Artemis and lived to tell about it.

Valam was now a Bad Blood who would be eliminated as such.

Death was coming for him.