Xai'an had been very confused about her 'movies' until she had described the boxes to him. He still didn't understand how she could get 'bored' but ooman minds ran faster than he ever imagined. They thought about things he'd never entertained. Personal lives of others seemed to amuse them and they even going as far to make up stories of obscene universes with beings far stronger than was even possible. Yautja was the 2nd strongest beings in the universe and by far the most intelligent. The only other species that had rivaled them had been wiped out due to their own foolish genetic tampering which eventually muted and spawned the Kiande Amedha.

After he converted her devices to accept his ships power, she happily picked out a 'movie' and climbed into their bed. He found it cute when she burrowed herself into a cocoon of warmth with her blankets so just her head poked out and occasionally her hands as she ate her fruit. He couldn't wait until she did the task while round with his offspring.

He had been cautious to mate her again though after the last time. She had fallen so ill that she couldn't even walk due to severe pain. It had sent him into a major panic, though she had tried to tell him it wasn't abnormal due to his size, he wasn't risking it. This time when he placed her in a recovery pod, he sent her charts to the labs. Within minutes he had gotten a response.

According to the scientists, she had internal tearing from the rigorous mating session, but the pod easily sped up her healing. Had she not had his blood in her veins she might have taken several days to heal. He felt immense guilt because he should have been more careful with her. She deserved better from him. It didn't help that she didn't seem at all angered by her pain either. In fact, she looked at him longingly and it brought out his intense desire to take her just as hard as before. No. He needed to distance himself just a bit for her sake.

He also learned from the scientists that the reason her fertile time had been so painful for her was because she had benign cysts on her ovaries. Though it was incredibly painful for her when they burst, they were not harmful to her health otherwise. With his Yautja blood now in her veins, it would clear that problem up. She would no longer be held back by ooman diseases. So while she slept, he also made sure to remove that annoying device. He still didn't understand how a simple fiber rod implanted in her arm could produce enough chemicals to stop her from conceiving. Sometimes oomans could amaze him with their inventions. But at least she wouldn't have a scar unlike when her ooman doctors removed it.

When he left her in their room, he made a quick stop to his armory to grab his armor, modified plasma cannon, metal whip, spear, knives and kunai. His mask was last.

Baaul was waiting for him after he exited. "You honor me by trusting me with your female. Though my blood craves the hunt, I will ensure that she stays safe aboard your ship."

Xai'an nodded. "Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. I would not trust an UnBlooded pup with her. Should I fall on this hunt, I trust you to honor me by protecting her as her ward."

Baaul slammed his fist over his chest and bowed his head slightly. "Though I doubt anything so trivial would claim your life, your wish will be honored. Hunt well, brother."

"Die well, brother."

Xai'an left him then. He knew the group would be waiting for him on Yerin'an's ship. He had made it very clear the vessel Z was on would not touch Earth's atmosphere again for her safety. Though it had caused a great irritation toward him, he won that argument because not even Yerin'an wanted to challenge his authority and that had been more than enough for the pups.

Yerin'an's ship was not much bigger than Baaul's. Though he was considered an Elite, he was not as skilled as Xai'an, which is why he hadn't earned a better ship. In fact, after fighting alongside Baaul, he didn't even think Yerin'an was better than Baaul. It left him even more confident that he made the right choice by keeping the smaller Yautja with his mate.

Xai'an clicked his mandibles as he passed the docking unit onto Yerin'an's ship and passed one of the smaller UnBlooded's. He may have been on the taller side, close to 8ft, but he was very narrowly built. He would be fast, but not very durable in a battle. The Yautja bowed his head in respect as Xai’an passed him and began to shut the docking unit so they could begin detachment from Xai'an's ship.

He found the others in the control room. Yerin'an was sitting in his captain's chair while the other two watched the navigation window with crossed arms. The leader of the group ran his claws over the control panel to gently control the ship's direction. Going at sound speed, which was customary for quick travel around a singular planet, was dangerous between ships. They had to gently move away from Xai'an's ship to avoid damaging it.

"Your female proved useful if her information is correct." Yerin'an said to him suddenly.

"My mate is not a dumb female. She is a fighter despite her size and willing to battle ooman males twice her size. She would be at my side if her ooman brethren had not turned against her." He stood next to the male in his chair, unsure of why Yerin'an was speaking up. They usually completed every job with very little words said between them.

"I did not mean to imply she was lacking intelligence or courage. Apologies, Xai'an, my brother. Where did you encounter your female?" Yerin'an quizzed. His question made the other two stiffen slightly. Xai'an wasn't fooled. They were eagerly listening for his answers.

Ah. So that was it. He was interested in ooman females. Anak said that there was a growing interest in ooman females on Yautja Prime, but this was the first clear case he had seen. Or maybe he only saw it now because of Z?

"Less than 72 ooman hours ago I found her in the closest ooman city after the Bad Blood's ship crashed to Earth." Xai'an glanced down at Yerin'an who was making a valiant effort to keep his face forward on navigating the ship.

"What could she have done to possibly ensnare your attention?"

Xai'an growled slightly. He didn't like all this interest in his female. Z was his. "I caution your interest in my mate, Yerin'an."

"Apologies. I do not wish to challenge you for her. I'm just genuinely curious. Oomans are soft, weak creatures. You are the strongest and most brutal of us with the highest kill count. For an ooman female to turn your head, she must be something." Yerin'an said casually as he engaged the ships thrusters.

Xai'an clicked his mandibles again, suppressing the urge to growl again. Yerin'an's words were perfectly logical, but the mated male in him didn't care. The only reason he answered was because he knew that none of these male on this ship, even combined, were a match for him. "She nearly killed an ooman male by only using her palm and made it look effortless. She was also headed for the ooman city that housed the rogue Kiande Amedha Queen."

"Ooman females are said to be subservient to their males. Mindlessly so." One of the UnBlooded's said. The disgust in his voice was something he understood, because before Z, he had thought very little of ooman females. Xai'an looked at him and noted he was completely opposite of the other male guarding the dock door. He was short, maybe just 7ft, but had a very wide build. His coloring was unique in the way that he was genuinely green. Like a fresh leaf of earth.

"That may be the case for some females, but I assure you, not mine. She often likes to attempt to tell me no and her fire is compatible with our females. I watched her resolve when she killed the ooman male that tortured her." Xai'an's chest puffed proudly. Sure, a female Yautja could hunt as well as any male, if not better, but ooman female's were thought to be weak. He liked boasting that his female was far more worthy than the rest.

"You really would take her with you to hunt? She's so small…" The other UnBlooded shook his head in disbelief. It wasn't a disapproval, but a sound of awe. It's why Xai'an let it go.

"Yes. I plan to train her and take her with me until she gives me offspring. Then she will reside on Yautja Prime."

"High praise indeed." Yerin'an chuckled and ran a claw over the keypad and Xai’an could see the massive ooman city through the navigation window. They were here.

He had to admit that ooman advancements still amazed him. They were indeed an intelligent lot. Possibly in the next hundred years or so, they would eventually learn how to control the light pollution so they could see the stars. That is if they didn't destroy themselves with their own pollution first.

Yerin'an slowed the ship to hover over a tall structure. Skyscraper. That's what the ooman's called it. It would remain here until they came back.

"Let's go." Xai'an turned to make his way to the exit ramp. The UnBlooded's followed his lead but waited a few steps behind for their teacher. Most other Yautja would be pissed that Xai’an could gain a silent command from their pupils, but Yerin'an had been one of his. He knew that Xai'an just had that air about him. It wasn't personal or a boast of power. Xai'an didn't need to boast about anything.

The air was much colder here than it had been in his mates city. Small white flakes of frozen water fluttered down from the sky as he jumped onto the ooman tower. He ran his claws over his wrist device to activate his body nettings heating unit before walking to the edge. They were up high. Higher than any other buildings for quite some distance. There was a body of water that faintly smelled of salt which was starting to freeze over just below them.

"The facility is a distance away." Yerin'an said behind him.

Xai'an nodded. He knew what his former pupils thoughts were. Let the UnBlooded's get their first taste of the hunt. Bringing back ooman skulls may not be the great hunt of Kiande Amedha, but they were still honorable kills nonetheless. If these UnBlooded's proved themselves over time with their hunts, Anak would allow them to join the ultimate hunt. The one that would forever brand them an honorable male. Blooded. For only those who hunt and kill Kiande Amedha won that title.

Yerin'an growled his command for them to move forward and Xai'an watched them leap off the tower. He had a moment of wondering what his own sons would eventually accomplish before he lept off the edge as well.

The descent before a hunt was something that used to get his blood pumping, but now he felt that excitement for other things. His mind wandered to his female and wondered if she had finished her fruit. He would have to make sure that she ate more because she would need to be healthy when carried his young. His young. He had given up on all of that hundreds of years ago. Then all in one crazy meeting, she changed everything.

The ground was coming fast so he engaged his cloaking device and thrust out dual blades. He rammed them into one of the smaller, more solid structures next to the massive glass one he jumped from, which successfully slowed him down.

Once flat on hard surface, Xai'an looked around carefully. His mask automatically shifting to the ultraviolet setting so he could see where the others were. Yerin'an had landed on top of a structure not far from him while the three UnBlooded's were already in motion, going deeper into the city. "Yerin'an. I'm going ahead to scout the ooman facility. Don't let them take their time. This isn't that kind of hunt."

"I understand. We will be with you shortly." Was the response he got. It was all he needed.

Xai'an left them to their hunt. He chittered as he pulled up the navigation unit in his mask and ran. Z wouldn't have been able to cover the distance like he did. What would have taken her an hour, took him twenty minutes.

He managed to scale the building across from the bright flashing building. There was a line of ooman's standing outside the doors, some wearing the pelt of animals, though Xai'an knew they hadn't earned them. Purchasing such fine pelts just didn't have the same honor as killing and maintaining the fine furs yourself. He wondered if Z would appreciate such a gift from him. He'd ask her later.

Xai'an took a few steps back before he rushed forward and leapt over the street onto the Broadway building. When he landed with a loud thud, the oomans merely thought it was a large truck that growled by them.

He glanced around until he saw a door. As he suspected. His hand dwarfed the small handle and he found it unlocked. The stairs leading up to it were narrow and he had to awkwardly hunch down to move. Luckily, no oomans came up because he would have had to kill them since there would be no way for him to avoid them.

When he reached the bottom, he switched his mask to infrared. Ooman's were everywhere on the lower level below him. From where he stood, he could simply look over the ledge and peer down. Many of the females stuck to their male's sides with small painted smiles. He could tell by the blue coloring to their lips in infrared. Their fur pelts had been taken from them and they wore, thin, shimmering gowns. Some more revealing than others. He realized that though Z said this place was meant for entertainment, it was also a place to flaunt worth. Some other day he would like to watch more closely.

The inside was a wide maze of halls, but he managed to walk the entire thing without notifying any oomans to his presence. He even found the door that Z had spoke of and he knew that with the layout that if there was any place to put an elevator underground, it would be here. It was directly centered and would have the best stability to hold such a device.

He sent the information to Yerin'an who informed him they were on their way. By then, the mass of oomans had shuffled into another room, leaving only a few to pick up after them. Workers, he assumed. Similar to slaves, but they got compensation.

Had Xai'an been younger, he might have been foolish enough to attempt proceeding without the back up. But he was no Unblooded and he had someone counting on him to come back. Though to say he waited patiently was an entirely different matter.

By the time Yerin'an announced they were there, he was most foul. The music that drifted from the area the oomans sat didn't help it at all. The high pitch love songs nearly split his head in half. He much preferred Z's taste. "Hurry up."

He stood from his perch and hopped down to the first floor right in front of their objective. He had found the workers were less inclined to come to the higher floors. He was betting it had something to do with the fact hardly any of the oomans who had come to watch whatever it was sat in these areas.

The door had a simple handle to it but it remained locked. Even under his strength it gave resistance. A good sign they were in the right area. He growled and twisted hard. There was a sizzling pop followed by a small beep and the door opened.

His party walked up behind him then. They were silent as he looked inside to see there was a bright hallway, which made him turn off his infrared. Definitely not a closet.

"Looks like your mate was quite handy indeed." Yerin'an said softly and quietly followed Xai'an down. All of them had to bow their heads a bit since the ceiling was short.

They all saw the elevator at the end of the hallway. There was nothing else in there so it wasn't hard to miss. The stainless steel doors looked to be of a better quality than the last ooman facility that had Z.

There was a simple two pad button system on the wall next to the doors. An arrow up and an arrow down. He found it odd that they'd even need the option to go up considering he already knew there was nothing there. Perhaps the ooman's were going to renovate a spot for another purpose? He pressed the down arrow and heard the whir of gears before the doors opened.

Inside was large enough to comfortably fit the five of them. Even Xai'an. Oomans clearly brought a mass of things through here if they needed this much room.

The doors shut behind them as they all entered and Xai’an heard a massive 'thunk' of a lock. He roared as a row of vents opened, pushing out a white fog. The three UnBlooded's immediately began to sway from the smell of it and Xai’an realized that it was a drug. A drug the ooman's made specifically for his kind because nothing should have been able to make it past their filtration system.

The UnBlooded's fell, unmoving as Xai’an swayed a bit. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts, but he felt heavy.

"We must self destruct!" Yerin'an reached for her wrist but the drug had taken a hold on him as well and he fell to his knees instead. "Xai'an!"

He knew he should. He knew it was the right thing to do, but as the drug took a hold of his mind and driving him to his own knees, he couldn't get her face out of his head. His Z. His mate.

Yerin'an had fallen unconscious by the time the elevator doors opened. Xai'an had lost his ability to move but he saw the small army of oomans pointing their black weapons at them. He growled pathetically in an attempt to warn them away.

"The big one. We want the big one." A voice said. Male. He thought. "That's the one we think has the woman."

"You heard the doc. Get in there!" This from another male that Xai'an couldn't see. When the first three ooman males lowered their weapons and cautiously approached him, he knew he was in trouble. In a last rush of adrenaline, he reached for his wrist device to press the distress call to his ship. It was the last thing he remembered before the ooman's shot a round that spewed out more of the fog into his face.