Chapter 1

She wasn't supposed to be here. A simple, yet stupid mistake she had made whilst trying to help her little brother. Their family had given everything they had to aid the chosen ones this season, and Miria did not see it as fair. She only knew of two human survivors in the known existence of the Yautjas' despicable hunting games in this off-world 'reserve'.

Since the breakdown in technology and civilization on a deteriorating Earth, the Yautja alien race had stepped in to stop humanity from completely obliterating itself from existence. Their only payment requested, was candidates of a fitting nature, to participate in the deadly test of prowess. If the humans failed to pick suitably, the Predators themselves would take whomever they wanted, this somehow seemed the worse of the two evils.

But none of that mattered now. It didn't matter that they had come early this season. It didn't matter that she had been doing something that was deemed punishable by death. Because she was as good as dead in her current position. Sneaking into the large shipping container to pilfer back some of the food and supplies that had been prepared to send along with the chosen 'hunted' was by far the worst decision she had made in her short life.

Miria was crouched now, in the shadows of the hollowed tree she had been occupying for the last month. She was up high, and felt out of the immediate war zone. She knew that trying to blend into the shadows was pointless, these creatures saw in infrared on the electromagnetic spectrum. But it made her feel somewhat more secure. She had watched as the 'hunted ' had been delivered. Watched as the 'hunted' pilfered all the supplies they could carry. Heavily laden with armor, ammunition and various weaponry, they seemed confident in their chances of survival. In the seemingly endless day that followed, gurgling screams and cries of terror rose above the forest canopy and drifted throughout the valley. For three days hence she remained in her same position, too terrified to move, until her survival instincts would no longer allow her to give in to the dehydration that was inevitably worsening. She was glad she had grabbed a full canteen when she had first retreated to her hideaway. But she had failed to grab anything else in her initial disorientation.

She had dared not linger around the supply container, only making short trips and carrying all she could back to the high vantage point in the hollowed out section of an old tree. She had been waiting, merely existing, with no plans, no clue as to what she would do next. She had watched the alien ship depart as the first dusk hued the sky. She assumed their hunt was over. That the Predators had departed with their trophies, and their ship, and that she was stranded on this planet. Forgotten, or simply unnoticed to start with. That first night had been a chorus of many creatures, which seemed unnatural and eerie to her ears. But she had since gotten used to them and their mournful cries.

But the early hours of dawn had seen the morning of to an unusually quiet start. The silence in the jungle disturbed her, and each passing minute fuelled her anxiety. She was almost thankful when she discovered the reason. A lone Hunter stumbled into the clearing where the supplies had been dropped. She held her breath as she watched him move precariously towards the container. He stumbled once, but managed to regain his footing as he moved with an agonizing slowness. A part of her wanted to flee, for she knew the beast was injured. Fluorescent green liquid stained his torso. His armor hung off his form in a haphazard manner. He used his extended spear as a walking aide. But she was captivated. Entranced, knowing he was barely able to move gave her slight confidence in her safety around the creature.

She continued to watch as he removed something from his back. Her vision of what he had set down on the ground and was now tampering with, was obscured as the wounded Hunter fell to his knees in front of it. His back was also decorated with his own green blood. The unearthly brightness of it almost seemed pretty. For the next few minutes she studied, watching closely at this member of a species that liked to hunt her own for mere sport. Her surroundings became ever brighter as the morning progressed, enhancing her vision. After a long while, the hunter removed the last of his damaged armor, letting it fall to the ground about him. He then leaned over his instruments, seemingly gathering something, before applying it to his body. His head tilted back as a deafening roar filled the quiet jungle, and the scurrying and movement of smaller retreating creatures followed. His shoulders heaving with the effort it cost him, the hunter leaned forward once more. Again, his next movements were followed by an ungodly roar, though Miriam was prepared for it this, she jumped involuntarily.

Whatever this thing was doing, it was causing him pain. And as the hunter shuffled around, shifting its position, she saw what she guessed to be its medkit, sprawled out on the round. He was tending his wounds, she realised then, and an unnerving feeling crept through her. Would he hunt her down too, once his wounds were tended? She had thought all the creatures of his species had left the planet once she had seen the ship depart. And then it dawned on her, this one was left for dead. But her thoughts were disturbed as another roar filled the air, and she watched then as the huge bulk of this alien Predator fell to the ground in unconsciousness.

She wasn't sure what had made her so brave, or so curious, or so stupid , as she stood now at the edge of the clearing where the fallen hunter lain. She had observed for what felt like hours. But it had not moved once. Eventually it had gotten the better of her, and she cursed her inquisitive nature as she made her way carefully across forest floor, and breached the distance between herself and the Predator. She wished then that she had paid more attention through her history classes, and could recall more of what she was taught about the Yautja. Always wondering what purpose it would serve her to listen to the endless drabble about these supreme beings, she never imagined any circumstances like this.

As she drew near she could see the hunter was indeed much wounded. Green fluid still seeped from a large gash that extended along his torso. She could see that part of it had been covered by a sticky blue substance, and with further inspection, she knew that that was what the hunter was attempting before he passed out. He had been trying to treat his injuries, but failed. Would he die if she left him here? The pool of the creatures' blood in which he lay was a quite substantial one. His breathing was unsteady and shallow. Miria couched, admiring this thing before her. She had seen enough pictures of this alien species, heard enough stories, but they paled in comparison to the real thing. This creature, this being before her, would have been impressive in full form. He was solid muscle, or so it appeared. His body built for one purpose only. These creatures were indeed true predators.

She stood from her crouching position, and sighed. It would be a shame to leave this being here to die. She scolded herself immediately for thinking such a thing. Given the chance, she was sure this hunter would have torn her limb from limb without a second thought. But looking at his limp form, she knew he was in no position to accomplish such feat. She remembered back to her childhood, of the various creatures and critters that had been orphaned after her father led a hunt. She remembered the time he returned to her with a fawn, whose mother he had taken. Or there was the time she had found the nest of abandoned and hungry fox cubs, the way she used to sneak food to them until they had eventually wondered off to explore life on their own.

But this was no fawn or cub. This killing machine was dangerous and something to be feared. She knew she should have fled. What was stopping her? Was it the fact she had nowhere to flee to? Perhaps knowing on a subconscious level that this creature was the closest thing to her kind, and being near it somehow made her feel like she wasn't alone on this hunting reserve of a planet. Perhaps it was the fleeting thought that this predator may be her only means left for survival. For getting off this planet…

Miria groaned in frustration as she knelt down again beside the hunter. She lifted the spatula like utensil from his clawed hand. Scraping a big wad of the blue goop from the pan beside them, she held her breath and braced herself as she crept over to the hunter. Carefully, she began to apply the gel to his seeping wound. She tensed as his lower mandibles twitched, and remembered the howls of pain he had emitted as he applied the gel himself. She fervently hoped this application wouldn't be enough to rouse him now.

However, Miria finished tending the wounds to his torso without further dilemma. There were some wounds which she thought to be bullet holes on its left leg. But she had used all the gel on the gash on his med section, which she had deemed to be the more life threatening of his injuries. With that done, she wasn't sure what to do. She quickly made a trip into the container to scavenge some food and refill her canteen with water, and sat by the hunter. Watching over him, she monitored his breathing, and the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. He was experiencing sporadic muscle spasms and fits of sorts, which she wasn't sure if it was a sign he was improving, or worsening. Still, she had done all she could. All that was left now was to wait.