suggested by @elizabethmoon82, I took your suggestions and spun them up a little bit!!
focus on Iyith and his future human female S/O, but there’s also some focus on a few other Yautja in here! one of my scientist boys, Ma-tha’yta, and an Elite female named Peyaad, and I’ve kiiinda gotten attached to this Young Blood boy A’su-ne XD
there’s some (fairly brief, no more than a couple paragraphs’ worth) references to PTSD flashbacks, tread lightly if that’s an uncomfy subject for you!
it took me a hot minute, I’ve been struggling with motivation recently, but I’m happy with how this came out! I’d love to write more between these two, maybe as Iyith/reader or just the same as I did this one
I need to explore my boy mucho more! but for now, hope you guys enjoy this one~ <3
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As a consequence of being alive for a very long time, Iyith has taken many Young Bloods through their chivas, watching equally as many stumble during their second or third as come out victorious on their first try.
There’s pride in it either way, regardless of how it ends, as long as the young ones have given it all they have; sometimes, all they have isn’t enough, and that has to still be enough. They still conducted themselves with honor. They still put their entire selves into it. It just means they must keep with their training a bit longer, and someday, their all will be enough. After all, there will always be another day.
After overseeing so many of these, he’s got it down to a science now. The current chiva has been staged for a hardworking Young Blood named A’su-ne. It’s his first try, the battle between only him and a single kainde amedha, but he’s shown promise. If he can slay the creature, he moves to the next stage of his Hunting career.
By now it’s predictable almost to the point of being dull. A’su-ne has chosen Earth as his Hunting ground, the journey there is short, and it’s only four of them on the ship. Iyith himself as the Elder whose presence is required, of course. A’su-ne, as he runs through the final preparations. Peyaad, the Elite who oversaw the majority of A’su-ne’s training, leading him through the before-Hunt rituals with her usual no-nonsense demeanor. And Ma-tha’yta, one of the scientists who works within the breeding program for kainde amedha, here to keep the beast caged and under control until the chiva begins.
None of them talk much aside from Peyaad and A’su-ne exchanging ritual words, and Ma-tha’yta’s low chittering as he tries to soothe a creature which already knows it’s being primed to be Hunted. Iyith certainly doesn’t speak, simply because his words would mean very little to A’su-ne. Peyaad’s mean more, and he knows that.
Before long, they’ve landed on Earth, and A’su-ne’s chiva has commenced.
Ma-tha’yta releases the kainde amedha first, setting its cage before remotely opening it from the ship. Less chance of being attacked that way, which means less chance of Ma-tha’yta having to fight himself and Peyaad having to reschedule for A’su-ne. After that’s done, and their cameras are set up (as well as one tuned to the frequency of the young one’s bio-helmet recorder), A’su-ne is dropped down into what will become the arena of his last exam.
Often the most difficult part for Iyith is this. The watching, the being still, while a Young Blood stares down the most dangerous thing they’ve faced so far. His thoughts wander despite his eyes being laser-focused on the video feeds.
He wasn’t much older than most of the Young Bloods he witnesses fighting against kainde amedha, maybe a hundred years older than them and twice as confident, when he barely escaped death. Sometimes a certain movement from one of the Young Bloods when they’re injured, or a roar from one of the kainde amedha, or even nothing at all, will bring him back to the fight of his life.
He tries not to lose himself in those memories. It’s been so long, he’s so much older now, that he no longer sees the frozen corpses of his brothers when he closes his eyes, and his all-over burns from almost drowning in acid blood have healed into scars as best they can. Allowing himself to be dragged back to that day and paying attention to nothing else is a disservice to the Young Bloods he’s supposed to be evaluating.
“A’su-ne is overthinking his strategies,” Peyaad speaks up. Arms crossed over her chest, she clicks her tusks slowly. “Been lucky so far. If he doesn’t start moving faster, we’ll have to end this. Maybe he would do well to fail once… the more one-on-one experience he gets, the more prepared he’ll be.”
Iyith offers a hum of contemplation. Though he’s not in regular company with Peyaad, she’s always been one of the stricter trainers, that he can recall. Young Bloods moan to each other when they’re assigned to her groups. “He’s doing fair, all things considered,” is his initial response. “You wouldn’t believe how many I’ve seen make unnecessary mistakes more fitting of a pup than a Young Blood. Even with his lack of speed, I appreciate one who fights equally with his mind as with his body.”
Peyaad still looks skeptical, though she merely clicks her mandibles again. “He’s a cocky Young Blood just like the rest, but I defer to your wisdom. We shall just have to see.”
Iyith grunts softly, a thought darting through his mind that Elites can sometimes act just like the young ones they train. His attention is quickly drawn back to the screens, however, when he hears an aggravated shout of, “Pauk!!” echoing through A’su-ne’s bio-helmet.
In an instant he can pinpoint the problem ― a human woman who’s on top of the Young Blood. From A’su-ne’s anger, the human’s expression, and the position the two of them are in, he can infer what happened. (Though he’ll review the recordings later for absolute certainty.) Likely, the human stumbled across the chiva, inadvertently, and thinking that A’su-ne was about to be fatally attacked, she tackled him out of the kainde amedha’s line of fire. She probably doesn’t realize this is a ritual trial, thinking she’s helping someone who’s in danger.
That in itself is curious enough… that she would put her own life at possible risk to try and defend a stranger. Add into the mix that A’su-ne is also a very alien being, and that he’s doing battle with a very alien being, and the human female’s choice becomes even odder.
“A human?” Peyaad’s mandibles tighten against her mouth in clear disgust. “‘Pauk’ is right, I should go down there and cleave her in two!”
Iyith raises a hand toward her. “No, you should not.” His voice is markedly firm, and the look he shoots her way is equal in intensity. “Do you notice that she lacks a weapon? Attacking her would be pointless and dishonorable.”
Peyaad sputters for a few heartbeats. It’s a miracle she doesn’t flare her mandibles at him, with how angry she looks. “Wha ― but it ― this is ― she interfered with my pupil’s Hunt!!”
“Humans don’t Hunt,” he retorts, hitting several buttons to open the ship’s outer doors. “She has no idea that’s what is going on. All she knows is that she saw someone who appeared to be in danger, and attempted to help. We should be grateful for such mercy from someone who could just as easily have fled in terror.”
“You… you don’t intend to go down there and speak to her, do you?!”
For the second time, he fixes her with a hard gaze before fastening his own bio-helmet on. “I outrank you, Peyaad. You dishonor my position and experience by passing judgment on my actions. You’re lucky I take context into account and don’t deny Young Bloods passage for a simple misunderstanding… or for the comments of their instructors.”
He can only imagine how much she wants to explode at him, as he walks off toward the doors. Thankfully, she knows that talking back to an Elder once their mind is made up would make one a glutton for punishment at best. (Not that he’s particularly violent or petty, but like all Elders, he doesn’t take kindly to being disrespected.)
Exiting the ship, he can hear A’su-ne arguing, in broken English and a little Yautja, with the human woman, as well as the growling of the kainde amedha they’re both still trying to avoid being hit by. He thinks A’su-ne tried to push her off, and she jumped right back to get him out of the way of another lunge from the kainde amedha.
“I was just trying to help you! That thing’s trying to take a bite out of you!”
“Don’t need help! My Hunt! My kill! Soft meat stay out!”
“Wh… hey, shit, look out!”
“Pauk!!! GET OFF!”
With one well-aimed, controlled shot from Iyith’s plasmacaster, the kainde amedha which was about to pounce on A’su-ne and the human is dispatched. He sees A’su-ne’s head snap up in shock, though the human does the same thing.
Gods… those eyes. Because she’s not wearing a helmet of any kind, it affords him a clear, unobstructed view of her face. Her eyes almost look right through him and strike him down, so wide and bright and staring right at him.
“H… hey! Hey, it’s okay! That thing’s dead, we’re fine now!” Most likely realizing that the threat has been dealt with, she hops up off of A’su-ne and reaches a hand toward him. Probably an effort to help him up… and it’s rebuffed, the Young Blood smacking her hand away as he gets to his feet.
He lets out a grunt as he turns toward the now-dead kainde amedha, then gives the human woman a low growl. “Ruined!” he hisses in English, before switching to Yautja to speak with his superior. “This interloper distracted me and dishonored my Hunt by meddling in it! Why did you take my kill instead of shooing her away?!”
“Don’t question me, pup.” Iyith ensures his voice is just as stern with A’su-ne as it was with Peyaad. The young ones have even less business to be talking back to him than Elites. “Your chiva today was brought to a stop as soon as she stepped in. There wouldn’t have been any salvaging it, so the creature had to be killed quickly lest things get out of hand.”
A’su-ne huffs. “So, this means I fail!”
Iyith grabs A’su-ne by the shoulder, physically pulling him in the direction of the ship. “What it means is we try again tomorrow. We consider this neither a success nor a failure. Circumstances beyond your control led to a forfeit, so tomorrow’s chiva will be counted as your first.”
The Young Blood clicks his tusks in irritation, turning back to face Iyith. “But, sir―!”
“Unless you prefer this to count as a failure? Peyaad would consider that a fair ruling, I’m sure.” Iyith tilts his head and arches his back, daring the young one to challenge him further.
He won’t, if he’s smart. Anyone standing up to an Elder better have a damn good reason, particularly a Young Blood, and having to reschedule a chiva because of local inhabitants isn’t a damn good reason. It’s barely a reason.
A’su-ne growls lowly, and he slumps down in sort-of agreement. Though he’s obviously not happy, he’s also apparently not dumb or brave enough to continue arguing. “We’ll try again tomorrow, same time, same area?”
“Yes. Now, return to the ship, and inform Peyaad and Ma-tha’yta that I’ll be back in a few moments. I have to speak to the human and collect the body of the kainde amedha.”
“… Very well.” The young one turns to head back to the ship, but not before flaring his mandibles and offering another hiss to the human.
As soon as he’s gone, Iyith’s attention is drawn back to the human. She’s been watching the two of them talk with clear wonder, instead of fleeing the first chance she got while they were distracted. Her clothes and skin and even hair are stained with dirt and grass from her rolling around trying to protect A’su-ne. Though she’s missing wounds and a weapon, she almost looks as if she’s been through a chiva herself.
He can’t stop himself from thinking that… she’s intriguing. The curious glimmer in her eyes is attractive, and the accompanying reminder that she just tried to defend a complete stranger piques his interest. With few exceptions, no Yautja would get in the way of another’s Hunt, even (and perhaps especially) if it looked like they were struggling. Outside a Hunt is a different matter, in that almost every one of them would assist if they were able.
This human, though. Would she have been able to fight a kainde amedha? Even if she worked with A’su-ne as she seemed to be assuming would happen? Did she have any kind of plan? It wouldn’t appear she did. And yet, she jumped right in to help him because she thought he was going to be hurt.
He doesn’t think most humans would risk their own life for that of someone they didn’t know.
She’s… still staring at him, too. No moves have been made to go anywhere; in fact, once she processes that A’su-ne has left, she actually takes a step forward. “I, um… I… interrupted something, didn’t I? I-I mean… I couldn’t understand what you were saying, but… he, uh, seemed upset.”
Iyith lifts a hand to flip the translator on his bio-helmet, so his words come out in English. (Although he can speak it fairly fluently, or at least better than any of his current companions, he needs to lower the chances of being misunderstood in any way he can right now.) “He will be fine.”
He trudges toward the kainde amedha’s body, and puts a wristblade through its head to ensure it’s truly been killed. He didn’t doubt his own capabilities… however, past experience has taught him to be careful. “Slaughtering this creature was his final test to become a full warrior. He is acting like a child because we must now try again tomorrow.”
“Oh… oh! Oh, my God, I’m so sorry. He was supposed to kill that thing?” She frowns as she watches him, though her stance suggests she’s more embarrassed by the fact that she interfered. “So… me bursting in here to help him… was kind of like cheating. Shit, I didn’t mean to do that… I just… I thought…”
“He was in a fight for his life? Do not worry. The boy’s teacher and I were watching, and I assumed that was where your thoughts were.” The body is hefted up onto his shoulder, then he turns to face her again. Looking at her through the bio-helmet filters isn’t a completely accurate picture, but it’s enough. He can see those eyes of hers, and… heat rising in her face? Shame, he thinks.
His heart goes out to her, feeling humiliated over a simple misunderstanding. She didn’t mean to meddle in someone’s last rite of passage. “Please do not be upset,” he assures her as he straightens up. “One more lesson in patience will not kill the pup.”
“Oh, I’m not… I mean, well, I just…” Hm. Maybe she’s not really feeling shame… flustered, perhaps? Just feeling awkward about the whole situation? He doesn’t really blame her. Anyone would feel a bit out of place after learning they’d interfered in someone else’s ritual. “Aaaaah, I’m just, sorry, you know? I really was just trying to help him.”
Iyith nods, turning to head back to the ship. “All is forgiven. And despite your efforts resulting in this trial being null and void, I appreciate the fact that you were willing to defend someone you thought was in danger. It was a very honorable thing to do.”
Most other Yautja aren’t so wordy even when showing respect or gratitude for a human, he’s fairly sure. He’s not often verbose himself… there’s just something about this woman that draws him in. It makes him just want to talk to her.
When he looks at her, her face is flushed with heat again. She’s looking at him with those eyes, tilting her head, hands clasped and fidgeting in front of her chest. The image of her through his bio-helmet merges with how he imagines the details of her appearance to look. She’s beautiful, much different than a female Yautja, and just so… exotic.
“So, um!” When he moves to head back to the ship, she hurries to keep pace with him. She nearly trips over some rocks or patches of grass in the process, but that doesn’t stop her. “You… said you’ll be back tomorrow? I won’t barge in on his test again or anything, buuut…”
It’s Iyith’s turn to tilt his head. Does she want to watch the chiva? Allowing her to see the entire thing on purpose isn’t something he can reasonably agree to. It’s a breach of their honor code. A small one… still, he wouldn’t be a Yautja Elder if he didn’t have honor even for the smallest things.
She stumbles again, though the smile she’s adopted doesn’t waver. “I, uh, I mean… God, I’m so bad at introductions. My name is (Name). What’s yours?”
He can feel his tusks clicking in amusement and curiosity. She’s something else, that’s for certain. “You may call me Iyith. I apologize, but this trial is a ritual for our young ones. This was an accident, so I cannot fault you… however, you cannot be allowed to simply witness it.”
“Oh… oh, no, no! I don’t want to… I mean, sure, it’s interesting, but I don’t wanna… you know, I don’t wanna get in your guys’ business or anything.” She pauses near the ship doors now that they’re both close enough. As soon as she looks up, even though her eyes widen in shock, she steps back as if to give space to him and the ship. “I’m… just kind of interested in you, more than anything.”
… Ah. Interested in… him. Personally. Not the ritual, not his species’ secrets or technology, him as an individual. Or, at least that seems to be what she’s saying.
Plenty of people have been interested in him. Typically for nothing more than breeding or his Hunting stories. The attention is nice, up to a point. He’s never let anyone very close.
But this human, this (Name), she’s so genuine and blunt about the fact that she’s fascinated by him. How far does that fascination go? Would she be satisfied with a night of sex and to hear about his Hunts? Would she dig for something deeper than that? … Romance? Is that what she means?
He doesn’t know. It’s been so long since he let anyone in with those intentions, he… actually may never have let someone in that way.
He’s so old and has been through so much by this point, he doesn’t know if he could let anyone in that way. He doesn’t know if he could do so much as try.
This woman, though… he can’t deny that her bravery and kindness have him as interested in her as she is in him.
What if? something in the back of his mind whispers.
“We will conduct his do-over at the same time and in the same area,” he murmurs, stepping up into the ship. “If you are here one… hour, is the way you humans measure time?”
“Oh… oh, yeah, hour! That’s sixty minutes, and minutes are sixty seconds… and a second is, like, you know, boop, just the time it takes you to say… ‘one’! Haha, um, yeah.”
Oh, she is definitely not like anyone he’s ever met before. “A second is that long… so, it is like a heartbeat. One second, one heartbeat. One minute is sixty heartbeats, and one hour is sixty minutes.”
“Yep, that’s it. So… I should be here, um, an hour after the time it is now?”
“Roughly.” Briefly he considers if this might be a bad idea. Even if it is, he can handle it. “You cannot see the Hunt from start to finish, but if you happen to see the end of it, that… is a grey area. I ask you to avoid coming too close if it seems to still be in progress. If he passes earlier than that… I will return here to meet you.”
Her face lights up. Not in the same heat from before, but the way her eyes sparkle so much he can see it even with his current settings, the way her shoulders shoot up to her ears, the way her whole body seems to be unable to contain her excitement.
“That sounds great! Oh, wow… well.” She takes a breath, apparently to try and calm herself down. Presumably the last thing she wants is to overwhelm him with her feelings. “I, um, I guess you probably have to go now, but… but I’m really looking forward to seeing you again. Um. Iyith, am I saying that right?”
He lets his tusks click again, among a hum of thought. “Very close. Goodbye, then.”
She raises a hand, and although he might take that as something violent if he were any more aggressive a person, he recognizes it as a human gesture. Something to greet with and part with. A… wave?? “See you later! Uh, have a good day!”
As he trudges back onto the ship, he can’t help himself from thinking about what tomorrow might bring.
