Predator: Survivor

Chapter 22

Izara paused by the pod door and frowned. Reaching up, she pulled a twig from her hair with her free hand while cradling the small pile of eggs with her other hand. She tried not to think of the birds' reactions to their missing eggs when they came back to their nest.

Feeling a little like a villain, she opened the pod door and slipped inside.

Late morning light streamed in from one window near the kitchen partially cutting through the shadows of the dark pod. Izara paused by the door and let her eyes adjust to the low light. Still across the room where she left him a few hours ago was Bor.

Last night, it took some back and forth between them, but she finally convinced the surly youngblood to sleep on his stomach. She still couldn't help but smile at his outraged look as she slipped a pillow under his head just before he laid down. She thought he was going to immediately get up and reject the whole idea, maybe even turn over his bed in a rage before deciding to instead sleep in that weird meditative position he usually sat in. Thankfully, the big stubborn bastard was too tired to fight her. Even if he didn't voice his pain, Izara could easily see the strain of pain glinting back in his dim eyes.

Setting the eggs down silently on a plate, she tiptoed across the room and stopped a few feet from his bed.

Wearing only his loincloth, Bor was sprawled out across the bed, one arm hugging the pillow beneath his face and the other cast out across the wide mattress. Stepping a little closer, Izara scanned his back. The eight puncture wounds were still swollen and sore looking. Izara could still recall smell the lasering searing the white meat-like flesh under his scales. It was an awful task, but it had to be done.

Moving her eyes back up his broad back she stopped back on his face. It was rare to see him with his eyes closed. Tilting her head, she took the opportunity to stare at him openly knowing this would no doubt be her only chance. Sweeping her gaze over his closed eyes and strong brow ridge and sloping head she noted that even in sleep his face had a fierce quality to it. Unlike humanoid faces their was no relaxation in the muscles of his face that allowed it to go slack. There was no tender countenance of being caught of guard in the vulnerable state of sleep. Even in this mode of relaxation Bor's face was the same stern visage it always was. The only difference being his eyes were merely closed.

Izara glanced up at the holographic screen floating above his head and noted its readings. His body was still fighting off the last of the venom from the creature. With a few more hours of rest, his body should have the last of it flushed out. Luckily, Bor hadn't ripped off the sensor sticker.

With one last look at the sleeping yautja, Izara turned and slipped back out of the pod. She headed down to the beach where her blanket was spread out over the sand just under a shady tree.

Izara stretched her arms over her head. "Now to do some coursework!" She tried and failed to inject some enthusiasm into that statement.

With a groan she sat down on the blanket and pulled out the tablet and got to work.

An hour later, Izara squinted at the shadow looming above her and nearly let out a cry of relief. She tossed the tablet onto the blanket without a second thought.

"Thank all the gods," she sighed, looking up to Bor with pure gratitude. "If I had to read another minute about policy infractions I was going to jump into the sea."

Bor sat stiffly on the ground a few feet away. He looked so regal, she thought. With his stiff posture and the natural crown-like spikes of his frill bordering the top of his bulbous head he reminded her of some sort of beastly dignitary.

As if feeling her stare, Bor pulled his gaze from the lapping blue ocean and turned his head slightly to look at her.

Izara smiled broadly. "How you feeling?"