A/N: My newest Predator fiction! Whoop! Sorry in advance if the chapters sound kind of choppy, it wasn't my fault! Writer's block is really eating at me these days! Anyway, this particular story is told completely from a Yautja POV. I have no idea yet how long it will be, but I plan on telling the story from his years at hunting school through his missions and such. This is just a preemptive post, so expect multiple changes and updates to the various chapters. Once again, this is just a test run, so there will be errors in plot and spelling. Again, I apologize in advance. Do not consider this an official post. Once I have the complete plotline finished and edited, then I will add an official summary and date on my Author Page. So, without further ado, I present to you, the Beta run of PREDATOR: Blood Lust! Enjoy, review, and leave Feedback on what you think should be edited or added!

PREDATOR

Blood Lust

(BETA RUN ONLY)

CHAPTER I

The steamy jungle hid the silent hunter as he darted from tree to tree, in search of his prey. He made not a sound as he stalked the unwary quarry. The killer lighted upon a tall branch and studied his surroundings closely. The dense foliage prevented him from being seen, though he need not worry. His camouflage made him practically invisible. The hunter clicked quietly to his comrades, which also landed beside him.

"Look. Do nothing more, brothers."

The creature they were hunting had no idea of their presence. It stood, unaware of its coming plight. Thel'tana Vel-rei, the youngest of the hunting party, watched in excitement as his leader leapt silently from the tree. How he wanted to join him! He itched to take the kill, to wade in the glory of a successful take-down. Thel'tana watched with eagerness as the hidden shape of his mentor stalked over to the large beast. Out of the corner of his vision, the young Yautja sensed movement behind his mentor. He moved his head slightly to get a better view of the shape. It was huge, and it was stalking Yan'tekkai. He nudged Than'kel Kael'la, his closest friend and peer.

"Look, brother! Over there, behind our mentor, Yan'tekkai! Something stalks him with silence!" he hissed.

Than'kel peered in the direction Thel'tana pointed out, and drew in a sharp breath.

"You are right, my friend! But, let's wait, for things may turn around."

Thel'tana did not reply, for he had already bounded to another tree. Than'kel huffed in annoyance and chased after him. The fool! He was only endangering the whole group with his actions! Yan'tekkai took no notice of the events that had corresponded in the trees. Thel'tana lighted upon a branch and gazed at the large creature. The animal's heat signature flared bright red and yellow in his vision. The thing was massive, and Thel'tana had no doubt that it would be a tough fight. He also had no doubt that if he managed to kill the thing, it would bring him great honor in his clan. He practically shook in excitement. Than'kel landed beside him on the same branch and hissed in annoyance.

"Brother, have you lost your pauking mind?! You don't stand a chance against this beast!"

"You are right, brother. But, together…" Thel'tana trailed off. He purred in delight at the thought.

Than'kel sighed. Stupid Young Blood. The beast was closer to Yan'tekkai now, who was about to take the kill. Than'kel tensed. He grabbed Thel'tana's shoulder to keep him from jumping. Thel'tana complied, albeit grudgingly.

"Do nothing, my friend. Only watch. We have yet to see how things will turn out," he said. Thel'tana hissed, but remained on the tree branch.

Yan'tekkai took the kill, ripping the head and spine out of the beast he had been stalking. He roared his superiority to the jungle, causing a flock of birds to take flight. The mentor cleaned his blades, and placed the decapitated head of the creature in his pouch. Finally, Thel'tana could take it no more; he bounded off the branch, unsheathing his wrist-blades.

"Get back here, you fool! You have no chance of survival!" shouted Than'kel. Thel'tana ignored him, and dashed to the creature. He powered up his plasma caster, laser sight aimed at the beast.

"Turn and face me, creature!" he challenged, and deactivated his camouflage.

The creature spun, and faced Thel'tana. It roared, and stood up to its full height. It was then that Yan'tekkai noticed the commotion, and spun.

"Paya help me!" he whispered.

The beast was a full 23 feet tall, with a tail almost as long. It was a fiery orange color, with flesh mottled by black spots. The head was massive, and the jaw was at least 6 feet long. The spines on its back extended a good 5 or 6 feet, and its fangs were almost a foot long, as was its claws. The eyes flared with anger. Yan'tekkai knew this would be a kill to outdo all kills, but that wasn't what ran through his mind as he rushed over to his pupils. He feared for their safety, and he was furious. Than'kel felt his gut tighten in fear and awe when the monster stood up. The beast roared again, and dashed towards Thel'tana. His friend fired a round, but it did no good; it merely enraged the creature even more. He rolled to the left, barely escaping death by a few centimeters. Paya only knew how long his luck would last. Than'kel could no longer sit back and watch his friend make a fool of himself. He deactivated his camouflage and leapt down to aid Thel'tana. Yan'tekkai finally reached the two Young Bloods.

"You fools! Have you no sense! Surely you knew you could not handle a beast of this size! Where has your mind fled to?!" he raged.

"Yan'tekkai! Behind you!" shouted Than'kel.

His mentor just barely missed being impaled by the spined tail of the brute of a monster. He leapt back and brought out his combi-spear. His students did the same.

"Because of your actions we're all going to die if this doesn't go well!" he screamed. The beast roared and lunged at Thel'tana, who crouched and slashed his blades across the beast's hide. The monster screamed in pain and rage.

"Don't worry, Master! I'm sure if we all work together that we can bring down this beast!" he shouted in ecstasy. He fired several rounds from his shoulder cannon, finally scoring a hit. The beast's yellow blood splattered a tree, and it let loose a scream that shook the ground. More birds took flight. The monster fell to all fours and dashed towards the three Yautja.

"You insolent fool! You've just enraged it further!" Than'kel screamed as they ran.

It was at this point that Thel'tana began to think that he had gone in deeper than he should have. If they survived this ordeal, then he would surely be expelled from the school, or worse, imprisoned. Paya, help them all if they lost Yan'tekkai! Suddenly, the ground disappeared. They all screamed as they fell off the edge of a gorge. Thel'tana saw the ground rushing up to meet him, and then he saw no more.

It was dark when Thel'tana finally awoke. He sat up with a groan, aching all over. His mask's lens had cracked pretty badly, but that was the least of his worries. He scanned the area, trying to make sense of his surroundings in the dense mist. He got to his feet, grateful that his armor protected him.

"Than'kel? Yan'tekkai?" he called out. His voice echoed back, but he got no response. He huffed and began to walk, not sure of his destination. Suddenly, a thought grappled at him. His combi-spear! He frantically checked his backpack, and felt it there. He breathed a sigh of relief, and resumed walking. He called out his friend's and mentor's names, but it was silent in the gorge. Pebbles crunched underfoot as he traveled, and he began to grow uneasy. He stopped, sure he had heard something. He strained to listen, the silence maddening. It came again; a skittering sound, like a small rodent, or pebbles falling down a rockslide.

"Than'kel? Brother, is that you? Answer me! Yan'tekkai?!"

Suddenly, he was on the ground, being strangled. Than'kel had him by the throat, and was straddling his friend's body. He slammed his fist into Thel'tana's mask, sending more cracks across the visor.

"YOU?! YOU'VE KILLED US ALL WITH YOUR INSOLENCE!" he screamed in rage.

"Than'kel! Brother! Why are you doing this?!" Thel'tana shouted, kicking him off. Than'kel roared and charged his friend. They flew back and smashed into the ground, kicking up mud and rock as they wrestled. Thel'tana rolled, and slammed his fist into Than'kel's gut, sending him spiraling back. He charged, knocking his friend off his feet. Than'kel spun and grabbed Thel'tana by the pack on his back, and threw him into the canyon wall.

"You nearly got us all killed! You have no self-control! What would we do if Yan'tekkai had been killed by that beast?! Answer me that!" he shouted, tossing his combi-spear away.

"I thought I could save him! He had no idea what was behind him!"

"You pauking fool! Your insolence has cost us dearly! It is night, and we have no shelter! No way to get back to the ship! We have no idea where Yan'tekkai is, or if he is even alive! We have no way to get back home!" Than'kel said. He charged Thel'tana again, but this time, he was ready. He slammed his hand into Than'kel's fist, and pivoted, flipping Than'kel over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground.

"Stop this! This isn't going to save our hides! We must work together if we are to survive the night and find Yan'tekkai!" he said.

Than'kel got to his feet, and growled deeply. Thel'tana was right, though he hated to admit it.

"Fine! Let us go then, you hopeless fool, and hope we survive to see the day."

Thel'tana nodded grimly, and tossed his friend's combi-spear back to him. They had a long night ahead of them, and it was best not to spend it arguing.

Okay, that was the test run for Chapter I. Please leave your reviews and Feedback on it! I hope you enjoyed this preliminary post of PREDATOR: Blood Lust, and I would greatly appreciate your comments on it.