Though the sun was high in the sky, heating and illuminating the earth, inside the forest was dimly lit and a calm breeze brought crisp, cool air. Sammi hid in the forest to escape the heat, as well as her master. He would have her do cardio until her lungs cracked, spar until her arms fell off, and train until she passed out. As a human hunting partner to a yautja, she was never good enough. Every day was about pushing her limits in speed, strength, and pain tolerance.

It was not the type of life she would have liked to have chosen for herself, but back on earth, it had been him or death. Naturally, she chose to stay alive no matter the cost. The cost however, seemed to include everything she had-her time and her freedom included. The small breaks she had away from him were spent in the forest within clan walls. It was the only time she had to herself to relax-though she was finding it hard to feel at ease this time.

Sammi brushed her hair behind her ear as she turned to scan the forest. She had been made into a skilled hunter just like the yautjas, and was sure she could hear someone following her. Her soft caramel-colored eyes settled on trees and brush but no aliens. Reluctantly, she turned away and continued into the forest, trying not to be paranoid. Everyone in the clan knew her master, knew her status, and would not think to mess with her-or so she thought.

She soon reached the towering stone wall that confined her. It dwarfed the trees, rising high above them, ensuring that no one could climb up and over. Sammi came to a stop, as this was the end of her freedom, and slumped in the grass with her back resting against its rough, gritty surface. She plucked up a long, thin piece of grass then and fed it through a crack in the stone. As always, the critter hiding inside woke up at the intrusion.

Pale white bristles reached out from the hole, preceded by the slender body of the worm. The bristles lined the side of the worm like legs, and its body was red with white spots. Sammi unclipped a small pouch from her clothes and opened it up to pull out a small blue fruit. The worm extended out of its hole further in anticipation. She peeled the fruit and turned to give a piece over to the critter.

The worm curled its body around it like a snake before taking bites out of the fruit. Other worms in the holes and crevices of the wall began to poke their heads out around her, wanting food too. When she had first discovered the worms, Sammi had been repulsed by them. However, she quickly found out that they were harmless and now she enjoyed feeding them. She distributed the pieces of fruit and then tried to rest her head against the wall, but a noise in the distance had her getting tense.

She wished she had brought a weapon with her, or was at least dressed for a fight. Instead of her usual armor, she wore a more casual garment. It was alien in style, being made up of one long strand of soft brown leather. It was wrapped around her tightly in areas, but dangled loosely in other places like from her arms. From far away it might look like she was wearing a matching long-sleeve shirt and shorts, but she felt like she was wrapped up like a mummy. Sammi was worried that it might just unravel if she decided to run, but she stood up anyway.

Tense and prepared to bolt, she searched the trees. Yautjas were excellent climbers, and sure enough she caught a blur of movement from one tree to the next. She could have ran away right then and there, but if a yautja was following her, there was a reason for it. Sammi wanted to know why she was being stalked. She could only hope that it was a curious visitor or a young clan member wanting to practice trailing prey.

Since she wasn't going to run off immediately, Sammi walked forward, distancing herself from the wall. She wanted plenty of room to maneuver lest she have to run or fight. Her eyes glued to the tree branches, she tried to spot the hiding yautja. There was only the slightest of sounds that indicated he was moving and she saw the swing of his dreads only once as he descended. The yautja dropped down from the tree right in front of her, landing with a loud thud.

His eyes were an eery, ice-white color rimmed in black while his skin was a blotched, dark grey and riddled with scars. He wore some sort of alligator-skin loincloth, a bracelet of woven twine and and bone, as well as a necklace made out of vertebrae segments. To her, it was his hair that distinguished him the most though. His dreads were banded, with alternating light and dark brown segments, unique for his species. And among his dreads were bright silver and gold beads.

Sammi froze in place, instantly recognizing the yautja. He was the one who had recently stalked, cornered, and killed another yautjas trained hunting hound within the walls of the clan's communal living house. It was said that even though he provoked it, the hound had attacked first. Still, this yautja was a brutal hunter with a deep lust for blood. Death surrounded him, and spread in his midst.

He was not one to be messed with, and Sammi wished now that she had simply ran when she had the chance. Faced with this monster, she tried not to let her heart race right out of her chest and firmly stood her ground. Though he looked to have come unarmed, hand to hand combat with a yautja was not easily won.