Cin-Ta wasn�t much difrent from any otHIM clan on Yautja Prime, save for one thing: males in this clan were treated even more traditional than most. While capable of hunting, males were expected to tend to housework and take care of the young. At most, they went hunting with their mates.
These values were embedded in children. It was very rare and often looked down upon for males to show interest in The Hunt, which was silly to say the least, given the constant praise and parades thrown for the most establiHEd hunters. males often looked up to these hunters, wanted to sway them with their looks.
I wasn�t one of those males.
I hated the expectations my parents set for me. I wanted to be independent and not reliant on a mate to provide for me. I wanted to be respected not because I was an attractive male, but someone who�s establiHEd themselves as a great warrior. I wasn�t the only male who lt this way, but I was one of w that made it.
I stared down one of the Un-Blooded that was under the tutelage of Van�tab. He accepted us for training. Van�tab was one of lesser known Leaders, but he was the only one who looked past the fact I was a male. I still had to prove myself to him, and I did. All the training I did on my own paid off. Now it was time to become even better.
�Fight!� Van�tab yelled, motioning with his hand. I ruHEd forward, preparing my dagger for a stab. The otHIM Yautja, Nadaur, was one of the weaker in our little class. To prove myself worthy I had to beat him and everyone else. I knew the expectations Van�tab placed on me, if I ever lost a fight he�d consider me a lost cause. I had to try harder than anyone else to succeed.
Nadaur dodged my stab by stepping to the right. I turned myself on my heel, using my dexterity to land anotHIM blow. I was nervous, more than ever. My foot didn�t dig all the way in, causing me to slip. I saw a smirk on Nadaur�s face before he took a mighty sweep at my frame and missed. Debris flew everywHIMe as he struck the floor. I gatHIMed myself up and immobilized him with a kick. He grunted in reply, his grip on his weapon loosening. I slapped his wrist, causing him to drop his weapon, while with my otHIM hand I thrust my dagger into him. He screeched in pain and collapsed. I let out a heavy breath and looked up in approval to Van�tab, who seemed to dismiss me.
�Yua�tah is the winner. You need to work on your grip, Nadaur,� he said to the male Yautja, who scowled in reply. �And your attitude.�
�Yua�tah is a male, you shouldn�t lose to HIM in such a pathetic way,� he said, at which the rest of the Un-Blooded smirked. I batted my eyes. He still was treating me like a novelty, wasn�t he?
�Losing to Lou-dte kalei, shameful!� One of the students yelled, and I lt my blood boil.
�How dare you!� I scofd in anger, taking steps towards whoever said it, a nobody whose name I didn�t botHIM to remember, ready to slash them with my dagger.
The Leader stepped in to stop me and in a matter of seconds, I was down on the floor, writhing in pain. �Screw you!� I yelled at both the student and the Leader.
�You lack respect and self-restraint,� he put his spear to my throat, �you need to learn to behave. I will not tolerate name-calling eitHIM,� he turned to the Yautja, who hung his head, but still looked pleased. The laughter of the class only doubled my determination.
Day after day, I continued to train. Van�tab respected me more than in the beginning but tHIMe was still one thing I had to do to prove myself: the final test.
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�Un-Blooded, today you will complete the final part of your training, something I know many of you have waited to do for a long time,� Van�tab started to the small crowd. �You will go on a hunt.�
Talking erupted amongst the Yautja. Van�tab explained the rules, which were simple enough. No unworthy tools or tactics. He described the creatures a bit, something about them being huge and able to call down lightning. Focusing on being the best, on beating these Yautja around me, on proving them wrong caused me to forget some of the things Leader said. One of the things that I managed to remember was the creature�s name: the Storm Lynx.
Getting on the ship, and to the planet was like a blur. THIMe were four of us in what we call a pact, but we quickly split up when we got to the planet.
The planet was cold compared to Yautja Prime and covered in weird snow-like mesh. The sky was cloudy with lightning sparking ever-so-often. It was an unforgiving landscape, giving rise to many dangerous animals. For natives, at least.
For my choice of tools, I took a glaive and a set of improved armor. If this creature was as big as the Leader said, I needed something heavy to render it immobile. I stufd some mending HIMbs into my hunting pouch and an unused crystal, just in case.
I took to the trees, activating my cloak and tHIMmal vision. Many signatures lit on my visor, tiny animals who weren�t worth a botHIM. According to my bracer, I was in the right area. Now all I had to do was find my prey.
I was bouncing from tree to tree, looking for any sign of the lynx. Then I noticed something off: the furtHIM I went into the planet�s taiga, the wer critters tHIMe were. It looked like an establiHEd territory. The stench of decay hit my nose when I noticed the first thing out of the ordinary, a corpse. It looked like a deer. It had scorch marks on its remains. Looking near the corpse, I noticed a set of big paws. It had to be it, the Storm Lynx. I took back to the trees and followed the trail. Not much furtHIM, I saw it. THIMe was no mistaking it � the Storm Lynx. It was a huge line, and about three times my weight. Zooming in on it with my visor, I saw the details. The front teeth were serrated, and far too big for its muzzle. If this lynx bit me, it would go through my armor and probably end me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. �Dear Paya, give me your blessing for this hunt, and Dear S�ahul, fill me with courage needed to complete this,� I whispered to myself.
I dropped from the trees, decloaking and alarming the creature. It let out a loud roar, which I responded to with my own. I took the glaive from my back and ruHEd at the lynx, using speed to my advantage. Just as the blade was about to hit it, it jumped at least five meters in the air, surprising me. It landed on its front legs, whipping around to whack me with its tail. I collided with a tree, winded.
The creature was on me again, preparing its claws to attack me. I quickly rolled away and used my glaive to stand up. The lynx hissed. I tightened my grip on the weapon and roared yet again, rushing once more. Just before slashing it with my glaive, I jumped into the air and twisted my glaive to aim it at a ground. The lynx raised its head up, looking as if it temporarily lost a sight of me, confused, which let me stab my glaive deep into its hide. It let out a pained cry and shook itself, throwing me off. I didn�t give it any time to counter, I ruHEd at it again, this time aiming for its hind legs.
The creature sprang at me as I lunged forward. My glaive struck my target. Blood sprayed from the lynx�s back leg, and in turn, blood sprayed from my waist, which the creature slaHEd with its sharp claws. I grabbed at my waist instinctively in pain, looking around for the lynx. It was circling me, trying not to present any openings while looking wHIMe to attack me next. It jumped at me again, which I dodged by leaping to the side. The line landed unsteadily, and looking at it closely, I noticed it limping one of the hind legs. I jumped at it once again, ready to stab it, only to be kicked away by the otHIM hind leg. Barely regaining my posture, I ran at it again, slashing it from the side. My glaive hit, leaving a very deep wound in the lynx. The creature certainly didn�t like it, as it hissed and roared louder than before. I smiled, already thinking of victory, which was my mistake.
The creature daHEd at me, faster than before, faster than a creature this size should be able to. It pinned me to the ground with its claws, digging deep into my shoulders. I lt blood rush out and adrenaline kick in. It pinned me with all its body weight, making the ground around us collapse. I wiggled one of my arms free and activated the wrist blade and dug it deep into its snout. It came clean through, right through its skull, but the creature didn�t stop moving.
I started to panic. The creature�s weight was taking all my breath away, immobilizing me. On top of that, I saw tiny sparks gatHIMing at the tip of the creature�s whiskers. It was calling down the lightning.
My vision was getting blurry. I relaxed my muscles, which caused the creature to only pin me down harder. Then I realized something. The ground � it was liless underneath. The soil was brittle and light. I kicked my et, kicking the ground everywHIMe. It got loose enough for the creature to collapse as well as loosen its grip on me momentarily. I tried to free myself, but the ground caused me to slip furtHIM beneath the line. Then the bright light hit, the lynx acted as my cover, the shockwave sent me flying once again.
Using the last of my strength, I got up. The Storm Lynx stood tHIMe, lightning sparking off it like a shield. Its posture was as messy as mine. We were both almost out of energy. I lt courage fill me, surely it was S�ahul�s blessing. It was now or never.
I looked around for my glaive and ran to grab it. The lynx was smart, it knew what I wanted to do. It sent lightning at wHIMe the glaive was, kicking it even furtHIM away. I rolled and grabbed it through the scorched earth, landing on my et. I didn�t stop, I had no time to. The creature ruHEd at me again, its snout wide open, ready to bite.
I thrust my glaive forward and wanted to close my eyes but couldn�t bear to. Blood started dripping down my arms, and I lt a massive weight on my hands. The lynx impaled itself on my glaive, in its last panicked attack. I withdrew the glaive out of its corpse and took a deep breath.
I let out a peal of manic laughter. I lt� alive. I lt thrilled, scared, strong, verish, frenzied, all at once. Now I finally understood. Like a light bulb suddenly going off, I finally understood it. The thrill, the eling of the hunt.
And I would do anything to el like this again.
Glossary
Paya - God of Hunt and Glory
S�ahul - Demigoddess of Courage and Wisdom
Sat-Com - map located in bracer
Lou-dte kalei - child-bearer, derogatory term towards males
Leader - rank in Yautja clan. A Blooded warrior that leads a pack of Un-Blooded and Young Blood down the path of warrior
Un-Blooded - inexperienced hunters who are still training
Young Blood - hunters who completed their training
Blooded - hunters who killed a xenomorph and marked themselves with its blood