ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Large mosquitoes and tiny blackflies appeared from the wet ground and buzzed towards the moist air. They darted left and right, back and forth, up and down, using the shaded areas where the sun and wind could not get them. A few of them collided into a spider's web, getting entangled almost immediately as the spider came out from its hiding place to further ensnare its prey. The swarm continued on through the air towards the warmest bodies. A mosquito landed on a thick neck and a blackfly flew into a large eye. Uncle Danny grunted and squeezed his eyes shut, then swatted the back of his neck, muttering a curse under his breath. He shifted in his seat and checked his watch. There had been no movement all morning – or for the past two – mornings, save for the blood sucking insects. Now that the sun was getting higher and the heat was rising it would cause more irritating insects to seek cooler places and an easy meal. Danny nudged a very bored Morgan beside him.

"Don't think we'll get luck today. How about we head back to the camp and break for lunch."

Morgan gave a huge sigh and stood up. He had not imagined the hunting trip would be like this. He now figured Nicki strategically left out the waiting part when he told him stories of his trip. He gathered up his seat and weapon and followed his uncle down the path. As soon as they stepped out of the forest, the blazing sun appeared out of a cloud and lit up the whole campsite. Morgan unloaded the .22 and put it back in its case. When he got up he saw his uncle take out crackers, cheese and salami. Morgan sat down and took a long swig of his lemonade before opening the cooler and taking out a bunch of grapes. The sun beamed down on his back, causing him to purr gently as he ate his lunch. Uncle Danny spoke through a mouthful of salami.

"Why don't we take a break from hunting? We'll get the fishing rods and see if we can get something for dinner tonight."

Morgan sighed, "I guess."

After cleaning the dishes and putting away the food, the two men pulled out their fishing rods and tied on their lures. Morgan took his rod and walked to the corner of the campsite where he stood on a rock. Danny stood on the opposite end of the campsite, where his nephew could not see. Morgan gave a mighty cast and once again, waited.

The sun creeped slowly towards the east, turning the sky into an intense blue. Each time the water rippled, the lake would sparkle like gold. The young alien slowly wound in his lure and basked in the warm sun.

"Hey Morgan," called Danny, "how about we make this more interesting. The one who catches the smallest fish cooks supper tonight!"

Morgan grinned, "You're on!"

He grunted as he threw the hook as far as he could and slowly pulled it in. He hoped there was a large pike lurking in the depths. Being extremely territorial, they would snap at anything. After the fourth cast Morgan finally felt a nibble. He nearly slipped off the rocks when the fish began to fight. He planted the butt of his rod into his gut and started to reel in his prize. After several minutes a splash of water and a silvery tail appeared on the surface. Morgan clicked his tusks with excitement and gave a mighty heave, dropping the fish onto the rocks. It was a good size lake trout, maybe five pounds, but he knew they could get much bigger. Still it would be good eating. The alien held the squirming fish up by the line, took a thick stick and gave the head a couple of whacks until the fish stopped wiggling. Morgan pulled the hook out of its mouth and set aside the trout on the rocks before casting out again.

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The Hunter slowly rubbed a polishing stone over one of his al'Nagara, listening to the way the blade sang. He tested the sharpness with his thumb before setting the stone down and picking up a cloth. He tenderly wiped the long sword clean, the light in his quarters glinting off the blade. When he was finished he placed it back on his weapons wall then took off his ki'cti-paand sat back down. With a slight press, it extended to its full length and he inspected it for damages. Earth was only twelve hours away and he needed to make sure everything was in order. From his weapons to the amount of travelling he had to do.

The Hunter was ready to finally solve this mystery. Even though a year had past, the visions he first received after the ooman hunt never went away, nor did they ever provide clear answers. He was becoming more unnerved and was having difficulty concentrating on anything else, but the Hunter kept it very well hidden from his crew mates. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his normal routine of training and hunting.

The yautja put his ki'cti-pa away and brought up his holo map again. He scanned the areas he marked on the map, deciding to retrace his steps from his last hunting trip. If he did not find any answers from where he killed his prey he would widen his search. The Hunter thought it best to thoroughly check the ooman settlements, despite the risks. The oomans would not have forgotten and would still be on high alert of any strange presence. The Hunter tapped a claw against his tusks as he continued his plans.

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Three hours later, Morgan was only able to catch another five pound northern pike. His stomach was rumbling by the time he heard his uncle call his name. Morgan gathered his fish and made his way back to camp. He saw Danny standing by the fire pit, holding something behind his back.

"Well, how did you do?"

He saw his nephew hold up the fish.

"Oh those look good," his uncle gave a grin.

Morgan knew he was about to lose when Danny showed his fish. The alien blinked in surprise when he saw the pike his uncle had was no bigger than his own fish.

"Looks like it's a tie," chuckled Uncle Danny.

Morgan smiled, "But I caught more than you."

"So? I said to catch the biggest, not the most."

Uncle Danny snatched the fish from his nephew.

"And since it was a tie, I'll clean the fish, you cook. Deal?"

Morgan was about to open his mouth.

"Deal!" said Uncle Danny as he walked past Morgan.

For a moment, the alien had no idea what happened until he realised that he still got roped into cooking. He gave a loud sigh and walked to the fire pit to start a new fire. By the time Morgan got the fire going, Danny was washing long strips of fresh cut fish in the lake. Morgan carefully balanced the grill on top of the fire, took out an empty plastic bag from the food bin and filled it with flour, salt and pepper. He brought the bag to his uncle and he dropped the filets into the bag.

"Remember how to fry the fish?" he asked.

"Duh," answered his nephew as he closed the bag and gave it a hard shake. Morgan walked back to the fire, set the flour covered fish to the side and placed the pan on the grill. He could feel sun on his back as it started to set. Mosquitoes stared to buzz around the camp, Danny had to move closer to the smoke to keep them away. Through his heat vision, Morgan saw the pan was hot enough and proceeded to put a large dollop of butter in the centre, watching it steam, melt and bubble. Right away he placed the strips of fish in the pan, the meat immediately sizzling and crackling. The scent of buttery, fried fish filled the air and Uncle Danny's mouth watered.

"I should get you to cook more often."

Morgan barked a laugh, "You may not think so if we get food poisoning."

"Right, because fish is so hard to cook."

"Sure is."

Morgan watched the fish, using his keen sense of smell to make sure the meat did not burn over the flames. He used a fork to flip each strip over, revealing golden brown. While the rest of the meat cooked, Morgan broke out the plates and cutlery. The wind began to pick up and blew away the clouds of mosquitoes, much to Uncle Danny's relief. His nephew handed him a plate and gave him two big pieces of fish. Morgan gave himself three and took the pan of the fire so the rest of the meat would not burn. Danny took a big bite of trout and chewed with delight.

"Morgan I do believe you have the gift. Probably got it from me."

"It's just fried fish, no big deal."

"Yeah but it tastes better when you catch it."

Morgan at his fish, savouring each flaky bite. He poked at the fire to bring it up again and turned when he heard a loon cry from near the campsite. The alien scanned the water and caught the heat signature of a loon bobbing fifteen feet in front of him, before it dove silently into the water. Morgan sighed and reached for more fish.

"Do you think we'll find anything Uncle Danny? It's already been three days and we haven't seen any animals."

The large man shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. Not every hunt is successful. We can try at another perch tomorrow. But if we don't catch anything by the end of the week, we have enough food for a couple extra days. We just have to use the satellite phone and tell your father."

Morgan did not look too hopeful as he finished his plate and took a long drink of lemonade. He removed the grill from the fire and put more wood on it, causing sparks to fly into the air and disappear instantly. Taking the dirty dishes he washed dried and put them away, then opened his pack and pulled out a tube of biodegradable soap and a towel. Morgan stripped down to his boxers and put his used clothes into a separate bag. He heard a whistle from Danny and Morgan gave a look.

"Yeah, that's not creepy at all uncle."

"What are you talking about? That was a bird."

"Sure it was," said Morgan as he went to the edge of the water and put the soap and towel on the rocks.

He cringed when he stepped in and willed himself to go in further until he was waist deep. Morgan held his breath and dove under the water, the coolness rushing over his head. He came up for a quick breath and shook his head, carefully balancing on the algae covered rocks.

"You're braver than I am Morgan, getting in that cold water," said Uncle Danny as he set his soap and a pot closer to the edge.

"No, I just know how to have fun," he chuckled.

His uncle shook his head as he removed his shirt and hiking boots. He dipped his feet in, filled the pot and used it to pour water over his head and shoulders, letting out squeals. Danny used soap to lather up his hair and face while Morgan stepped out and lathered his entire body. The young hunter jumped back into the water and swam under the surface, while his uncle used the pot to rinse. Morgan came up for air and floated on his back, using his fingers to get the rest of the soap out of his hair.

The sun was hovering over the horizon and slowly started to sink behind the trees as Morgan walked up the bank and used his towel to dry himself off. Danny had already dried himself and changed into new clothing. Morgan draped his towel over the top of his tent and crawled inside to change in to fresh clothes. The night came quickly and the stars began to twinkle and cover the entire sky. As Morgan stepped out, he notice his uncle was looking up at the blanket of diamonds.

"I wish you could see the sky like I do Red," he sighed, "it's spectacular."

Morgan looked up and could only see what he always saw, black, "I'll bet it is."

After shaking out the wetness from his hair, Morgan sat near the fire and watched its vibrant glow. He suddenly had the urge to play his guitar, he did not realise how much he would miss his instruments. Without knowing it, Morgan's right fingers moved like it was plucking strings. His uncle noticed and chuckled.

"You too, huh?"

Morgan blinked, "What?"

"Sometimes I wish I brought my violin. Though I haven't played it for so long I probably sound like a dying owl."

Morgan smiled, "I was just thinking how perfect it would be to play The Gambler."

"Now that's a classic. 'You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money, when you're sitting at the table. There'll be time enough for countin'…when the dealin's done."

Morgan tapped out the beat as his uncle sang, his deep baritone voice echoing over the lake. Uncle Danny stretched and yawned.

"Well I'm heading to bed, see you in the morning."

"Night Uncle Danny."

Morgan broke apart the fire and used lake water to drown it. The logs hissed and cracked as clouds of smoke billowed into the air. He drenched it several more times until the coals were floating and made his way to his tent. Before he got in, he caught something out the corner of his eye and turned to see the loon had returned. He watched it for a while at it lazily swam by towards the other side of the bay. Morgan smiled, thinking it was a good omen and went into his tent.

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The Hunter grasped the controls tightly as he directed the small ship towards the northern continent. He activated the cloak as he flew closer to the earth, silently making his way towards the forests. The glow of the predawn was peeking out from the east when the ship touched down at its first stop. Ravens cawed with annoyance as the new traveler emerged from the back of the machine, dressed in full armour. He used his wrist computer to lock the ship down as he took to the trees to survey his surroundings. Once his path was plotted he wasted no time and began his journey.

The Hunter has returned, things are going to get very interesting!