CHAPTER 1:

Bad Blood In Town

A man's scream echoed through a dark alley and afterwards, an amused trilling sound was heard in response. Ripping out the bleeding skull from the human's head, a yautja hunter trilled in his laughter over his latest conquest. Climbing up the mildewed and lightly damp stone wall, he reached the rooftop and the luminous sunlight struck his forest green hide, his black armor glinting in reflection. Placing the bloody skull over his back, he cloaked quickly and ran over the rooftop to make his escape before any authorities came onto the scene. Just another usual, unfulfilling, and useless kill. But it didn't matter to him, he was a Bad Blood so he could destroy all he wanted without a care to his change in rank. He was banished from the yautja homeworld and clan ships years ago and had been running from Arbitrators ever since.

Looking down the street, he noticed the growing crowd of humans down below. Growling behind his mask, he wished all those humans would just die before him to appease his usual morning irritation. The city had the most annoying noises that irritated his sensitive hearing endlessly. He watched the soft meats skitter back and forth through their streets unknowingly that a hunter could just come down and end their pitiful lives with a single throw of his spear. It was almost amusing. He'd landed on this backwater planet several months ago and had visited several civilizations but this one was the most crowded. With the language he had learned to understand and better equip himself to the environment, he'd come to know this as Los Angeles.

It didn't matter though as long as he could hide flawlessly, he was fine and the vast amount of prey would keep him entertained until he could hop onto the next planet. He had never been like most Bad Bloods and had not wanted to be by choice, but he was convicted. His crime was of one that happened during one of his hunts and his closest friend had died. He didn't like remembering it or describing it but he knew he wasn't to blame. But of course, the Arbitrators wouldn't believe his word on anything so he ran. But enough of the past details, he could deal with those in his sleep. Now, he lived from planet to planet trying to survive. He stuck to his old ethics but sometimes, they reminded him of his old life causing much frustration which he took out on anyone to appease it.

This is boring, he thought. There is nothing worthy here.

Leaving his watchful spot at the ledge on the roof, he jumped onto another building. With nothing to do as always, he went in search for prey or something interesting to catch his eye.

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Iliana walked leisurely through the forest to release a hawk. It had healed and was ready to fly back into its wooden environment after a fight in enemy territory. She worked in the city's zoo as one of the veterinarians for two years so far and enjoyed every minute of it. Before that, she had worked as a government agent, something she didn't like remembering at all. Her department had worked on tracking extraterrestrial life, she had never believed it existed until she saw live specimens before her eyes. She had learned they were called the yautja, humanoid hunters with tall and muscular figures that held unimaginable strength along with superior intellects far beyond her own. They came to hunt humans for sport at any time of the year worldwide and stayed undetected. The agents decided to capture and study them in experiments once reports piled in which she never agreed with. She was a seeker of peace, not violence. She had then freed a group that had been captured one night, erasing her tracks and quit the department the next morning. Ever since, she'd made a new life while keeping the knowledge she'd learned. . .along with the fact the government still tracked her to this very day for what she'd done.

Iliana was 25 years old with a 5'5 average build. Her eyes were hazel and she had long brown hair that was always kept tied up in a neat ponytail. She loved the outdoors and every time an animal needed to be released from their clinic, she signed up for it. Walking to an open clearing, she set the plastic box down and carefully opened the metal door. Grabbing the bird before it was fully out of the cage, it pecked her arms defensively but she wore thick black gloves to protect herself from harm. Taking the animal out carefully and standing up, she released it onto the ground and backed away to watch it. Closing the cage's door, she picked up the object and watched the bird flap its wings cautiously. After a bit of personal assurance, it flew away into the blue sky.

"And there goes another saved baby" Iliana smiled proudly.

She began to head back through the forest to her car but stopped walking hesitantly after a few minutes. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt the presence of someone watching her. Looking around the area quickly, she shook her head at seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

"Just my usual wariness" she said softly, shrugging it off.

Walking again, she heard the leaves rustle softly overhead. The timing threw her into nervousness since wind ruffles leaves along with it but there was no wind around her whatsoever. Taking out a tranquilizer gun she carried in her coat for emergencies, she looked around again and expected a madman in the trees. Seeing nothing but green foliage, she felt frustrated and kept walking faster to get the heck out of there. After hearing noises in the tree above her, she kneeled down to pick up a rock off the ground nearby. She stood back up and reached her arm back in the usual pitcher position. She threw the rock square in the area of the tree she heard the rustling and nodded approvingly.

She heard it hit something and it bounced off a sound of resounding metal and her eyes widened. Hearing a hiss afterwards, she backed away from the tree nervously while watching it. Crap, there was someone up there!

"I don't know what you are, but come down!" she ordered bravely in her strongest voice. "Or I will report you to the police!"

Is it human or an animal?, she thought fretfully. What a day.

Hearing another sharper hiss directed at her, she picked up another rock and flung it in its direction. It struck again and this time something came down onto the ground, leaves cascading from the shaken branches. She watched carefully at what fell but saw nothing. What was it? A ghost? Looking carefully around, she saw an irregular shimmer on the floor and gasped.

"What in the world-" she started.

A near invisible form stood up and she backed up fearfully. The being growled threateningly and came into view from out of its invisibility cloak. It was a male being since it wore no top clothing on the chest, only a metal loincloth of sort. Unless it was a hardcore vigorous bodybuilder, she'd have to go for male on this one. It wore a mesh outfit over its entire body and black armor over its torso and legs, along with an impassive mask over its face. Its skin was a green tone with forest green stripes running down his arms and legs- similar to a watermelon, and dreads that reached to his middle back. Remembering the ensemble the yautja wore when she met them years, she immediately recognized this being as one of them.

"You're a yautja" she stated breathlessly as she stared without blinking.

How does it know that?, he thought surprised. It's an inferior thing!

The hunter clicked in light curiosity to her knowledge about him. She was an inferior being on a dismal planet, how did she know? No matter. He unsheathed out his wrist blades and pointed them in her direction. He hadn't enjoyed being thrown stones like a common mongrel when he had merely been curious about her. At first he hadn't intended to harm her, but now he forgot that and decided to end her life for her feeble attack. That, and she caught him off guard with her stoning.

"Pauk-de ooman!" he cursed angrily and roared.

Iliana grew nervous when the creature stomped towards her, letting out a whimper of fear. She remembered years ago how strong the other beings had been and she didn't want to be in one of their paths, much less the end of their weapons. She placed her hands up to ward him off peacefully or to show she didn't intend to harm him but he didn't seem to care.

"I-I didn't do anything to you" she stuttered quickly and kept backing away, hoping he'd stop and reconsider.

Surprisingly, it spoke to her in clear but raspy English, "On the contrary, you threw rocks at me!"

"You were following me, I thought you were an animal" Iliana defended firmly and clenched her sweaty hands. "I never meant you any harm!"

"But see, now I am angry and I want to cause harm" he trilled deviously.

"Your race isn't supposed to do that!" Iliana blurted firmly and pointed to him as he kept walking. She backed up, almost tripping over a few rocks, and stated, "I know some of your codes, yautja."

"See, that's where you're wrong" he taunted with a deep chuckle and traced his fingertip delicately over his wrist blades. "I am not a respected, all known, powerful hunter but one who has been striped, banished, and being hunted as we speak. I will not be merciful or honorable, ooman."

"Well, I didn't know that" she stammered weakly and felt her stomach sink.

What is he? A murderer?, she thought. He's gonna kill me and eat me for sustenance!

"Hmm, I smell a hint of fear from you" he trilled under his mask and cocked his head to the side to mock, "So, do you want to die quickly or are you one of those oomans who will actually try to fight me off?"

"What do you think, Tall, Dark, & Ugly?" Iliana snapped at his arrogance. He growled and enjoyed the slight flinch she gave.

He came at her with his blades but she dodged quickly to the side. He grabbed her by the foot but she kicked him in the neck with the other and added in a kick to his mask. The hunter released her instantly and growled angrily. Getting up, she shot him in the arm but it didn't stop his momentum and she ducked. She shot him again before dodging his blades and hoped his system would react to the doses. He cut her on the left shoulder while she dodged making her wince in pain as it bled. Well, at least he hadn't cut her arm completely off. She raised her leg and kicked him in the groin making him roar in pain and fury. He went down slightly making her grin despite fear ran through her.

Well, at least they're sensitive in that area, she thought satisfied. And that he has one to use as a punching bag.

She shot him in the abdomen quickly making him get back up despite the pain. He really wanted her head in his ship now! He charged at her which made her run down the rocky path of the forest, stumbling over the twigs and rocks but never stopping. Running through the trees, she looked back and didn't spot him.

Oh! He must've cloaked!, she groaned mentally and hide behind a tree for cover.

Opening up her hearing, she focused on it to see if she heard anything suspicious. Hearing something to her right, she shot off her gun in that direction once a shimmer joined it. Seeing a flick of green blood, the being roared at her and uncloaked. She saw him extend a metal spear from behind and throw it in her direction. She threw herself onto the ground instantly without thinking and saw the spear impale the tree next to her.

Lucky me, she thought as she spit out wood splinters.

Hearing heavy footsteps, she saw him coming at her again. Scrambling up and behind the tree, she shot another tranquilizer into his arm. She came out of hiding and ran down the path to try to get away as quickly as possible to her car. She heard him following her but after a bit, she didn't hear anything. Keeping her ears open, she ran through the green forest and didn't stop. She didn't care to find out.

The yautja, on the other hand, had finally started feeling woozy. He wondered at why his body felt so heavy and realized she'd tranquilized him. A human had tranquilized a yautja! A female for that matter! He stopped following her in case he might get spotted by other humans and headed back to his shelter. But he'd track her down somehow.

A female ooman does not defeat a male hunter, he planted into his mind.

Seconds later, he fell asleep onto the forest floor. He would be snoozing for hours.

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It was night and Iliana had grown weary from all the excitement. She'd been so relieved she had escaped that psycho alien and lived. Getting bruises and a cut didn't matter as long as she lived. She thought about reporting him to the authorities but then she remembered the experiments the government had done to know more of them. No, she wouldn't do that unless it was completely necessary. Besides, what were the chances she'd meet that creature again? It's not like he could track her down in the huge city.

She turned off the lights in her room and welcomed the night. Changing into her night gown, she slipped into her blue comfortable bed. Grabbing a book that she hadn't finished reading yet, she turned on her reading lamp and smiled. She always read a book each day and had her own bookcase that she kept building up with books into what hopefully would turn into her own private library. Relaxing from her nerve-racking day, she read a comedy book. Usually she liked reading horror but after what happened today, no. Comedy needed to fill her mind, not horrendous gore.

From the next building, a cloaked figure watched Iliana read. It had taken most of the day but he had cloaked himself and gone to steal a phone book to look up her name. He'd read off her name from her uniform top so it was an easy find. Guess learning their language had a good payoff. He had tapped into the number and used his ship's computer to track her dwelling's location. Now, all he had to do was wait for another day when she'd be in the open. He could attack now, but he wanted a fair fight and attacking women in their nightgowns wasn't his thing. Despite he was disgrace, he wasn't that far off from the person he used to be. The human was still female so it would stay fair.

"Relax ooman, tomorrow you will find death at my feet" he grinned under his mask and watched her turn the pages of her book. "It shouldn't last long, so enjoy your last moments."

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End of Chapter 1. Thanks for anyone who reads and review if you have time! For those who read my other story 'Ancient Kingdom: Desert Winds' (which is still in progress), one of these two is a descendant of Kiara and Kaen'Dre. Can you guess which?