Unblooded

Chapter 16

The youngling kicked my leg harshly and I winced, emitting a small whimper of pain. He laughed and looked up, "She fell from the tree! Hybrids sure are clumsy, aren't they Durak?"
I heard a small thump and looked to my left to see Durak. My heart pounded when I came to a sudden realization. A Yautja's sense of smell was much more acute than that of a human's according to Tsrasuna. 'Then how come they can not detect that the stains on my body is not blood?' I thought.
Durak looked into the trees limbs and made an odd circling motion with his hand. The rest of the younglings hunters landed to the forest floor softly and looked to their leader. "What do you think we should do with this abomination?" He asked them, staring intently at them. "Why don't we skin her? She looks soft," the one who found me suggested gleefully.
"We can't kill her, she is under an elder's protection. But getting hurt has never been unheard of. We could break her a bit more," Durak muttered and examined my body again with his eyes. He nodded slightly and a couple of them began making their way toward me.
'It is now or never,' I thought and launched to my feet branch in hand. I struck out at them, wielding the branch like an awkward staff. I hit one hard in the face, he fell and did not move. Another one took a blow to the stomach and took up residence beside the first youngling on the ground. I spun and found the rest of them gathered around me. It was Durak and the last two remaining younglings. Durak was the only one who was not shaking. He looked at the younglings and nodded. They attacked from both sides as he attackes from the front. I struck the younglings down with multiple blows to their stomachs and chests. Durak managed to dodge every strike I aimed at him.
"You are smart for a hybrid, I will give you that much but you are still slow," he growled, his mandible upturning into a slight smirk. He lunged at me suddenly. I managed to block most of his relentless strikes with my makeshift staff but it was bulky and difficult to maneuver which gave him opportunity to land a few hits to my torso and face. He kicked upward and made contact with my shoulder before I could even react. The force flew me sideways sending me to the ground and I almost lost my grip on the staff. I quickly got to my feet and flew at him. My instincts took over and my movements blurred. My first blow hit his face and he looked at me in shock. I moved to strike again and Durak raised his arms to block but I was much quicker. Half way through the strike, I changed direction and aimed the blow to his stomach. Durak doubled over and looked at me with a tinge of fear in his eyes. "How did you......," he did not even get to finish before I landed another blow to his face. "I am a weak hybrid remember?" I growled and more fear filled his eyes but also was accompanied by anger. I snarled and launched myself at him the moment he got to his feet. I landed blow after blow until he was panting on the ground.
"What are you?" He gasped, fear and rage flaming in his eyes.
"A hybrid, an abomination. I will be everything you fear if you continue to harass my hunting caste, my friends. Just because you are a predator does not mean that your prey fears you," I told him as I lifted the staff to land one final blow when I heard the instructor.
"Enough!" She yelled. She looked at me in disgust, "drop that pathetic excuse for a weapon. Durak, get to your feet. You know better than to wallow in the dirt."
Durak got to his feet and glared at me. "This is not over, abomination." I lunged at him and he startled, falling on to his rear. I smiled in satisfaction of his humiliation until the instructor stood in front of me.
Her hand struck roughly across my jaw before she harshly grabbed my chin to force me to look her in the eye. Both of her orbs were a conflagration of rage and hatred.
"You were to be the prey," she spat quietly, her grip tightening.
" And I was. They hunted me, I did not hunt them."
"Prey is not supposed to fight."
"You and I both know that is incorrect. Prey is supposed to run out of fear but sometimes the prey will realize that is is pointless to run so it will then turn and fight. They needed to learn that sometimes the prey will think and fight back. The quicker they learn that, the better they will hunt."
"I am the instructor, not you! It is not your place to decide whether or not what is important for theses younglings to know and not know. You also will have to answer for the excessive force used on Durak and the younglings accompanying him," she growled and looked at the ground. She looked at me but accompanying the rage was reluctant admiration. In a low voice she spoke, " The trap, twisting the hunt into your favor, it was unexpected."
Speaking louder, "You are dismissed until I have a punishment befitting of your disobedience, abomination," she ordered.
"Then we are going with her!"
The instructor spun around to find Tsrasuna and Gul charging from the underbrush. "If you are punishing her, you are punishing us as well," Tsrasuna shrieked in defiance. Gul nodded in agreement placing his arm around my shoulders, "Elise is apart of our caste, her punishment is ours to share."
"What are you two doing?" I asked them.
Tsrasuna linked her arm with mine, "supporting our friend."
The instructor glared down at them, "Fine, you are all dismissed." As she marched away, I punched Tsrasuna. Hard.
She shrieked and I felt Gul tug on my shoulder and I jammed my heel into his foot.
"Are you two crazy?! You shouldn't share my punishment!" I yelled at them.
Gul growled, "we are apart of this, same as you! A caste does everything together! What happens to one member, happens to all of them. We share everything now whether you like it or not. A caste shares victories, burdens, punishments, secrets, and lives. And so do friends, Elise. We are not going to let you go through this alone no matter how much you claw and fight us. This was mine and Tsrasuna's decision."
I sighed and looked at the ground. "I just don't want you guys to suffer with me."
"That isn't your decision to make, Elise," Tsrasuna gasped. I hit her a bit too hard.
I nodded defeated, "Let's just go home."
They both nodded and each linked one of their arms with mine.
We travelled the entire way like that both of them laughing as I described what I did to Durak.
"I wished I could have been there to see his face," Tsrasuna cackled.
"He is going to have a major target on your back," Gul muttered concerned.
"It is better than him attacking you two."
Gul just bowed his head saying nothing. As we got closer to home, we heard a sad wailing noise. Sprinting, we quickly made it to our home and ascended the vines. The moment we reached the platform the wailing continued and became even louder.
"What is that?" I asked looking to Tsrasuna and Gul for answers. They both simply shrugged, baffled. Gul looked to my room, "It sounds like it is coming from there."
We ran to my sleeping quarters and found Fluffy at one of the wall openings. He had found some of my blood stained leather clothing, gathered it into a small pile and bedded down inside of it. He stared out into the emerald landscape and wailed sadly. It was heart breaking.
"Fluffy, what are you doing you crazy hound?"
At the sound of my voice, he spun around and perked up instantly. He launched himself into my arms and licked my face covering it in thick sticky saliva that smelled of raw meat.
"He missed you. I have only heard them wail if their mothers abandoned them and would continue to wail until they see their mother. Fluffy must have accepted you as its new mother," Gul said thoughtfully.
"Well if he continues this we are going to have to get him a toothbrush because his breath stinks," I said walking out of my quarters with Fluffy panting happily in my arms. Tsrasuna and Gul looked at each other.
"Toothbrush?" Gul asked, confused. Tsrasuna shrugged, "Must be a human thing."