Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Yautja had become widely known to humans. Those first few years between the two species were tense. Yautja refused to stop hunting humans but they had given good reasons. Humans didn’t have the means to sustain their current population and they were killing their planet. The Yautja had also said humans could be strong prey and that it was honorable.

Humans viewed this as Yautja were going to start slaughtering their people. Funnily enough, nothing really changed except for the occasional Yautja sighting or incident where the two species clashed, usually over something that could have been prevented. Eventually things settled down and people started accepting or rationalizing it in many different ways.

Selene was a human who thought the Yautja made sense. Human society was so far removed from nature it was like someone dumped a bucket of cold water on her, but it all made sense! She endeavored to understand, to learn, so she went out of her way to do just that.

When she wasn’t busy she haunted the most common places Yautja were said to be spotted, bars.

She became a regular at her local bar. The employees started recognizing her by name. Selene started recognizing other regulars. She usually sat by the door, watching and waiting. She always brought her notebook in hopes of observing the admittedly cool predators.

Yautja existing was common knowledge but knowledge on their social norms or anything in general was nonexistent or appeared to be the ramblings of those against the species. She came to the conclusion that if one wanted to learn about them she would have to take the initiative and do so.

One day it happened.

Four of them came into the bar, ducking under the doorframe. Selene hurriedly opened her notebook and started scribbling away. She noted down everything from their appearances to how they interacted. They all had a matching symbol on their helmets and she made sure to mark it down.

Once they showed up the rest of the place cleared out besides a regular at the bar so it was obvious she was observing them like a hawk but they didn’t seem to pay her any mind.

Their language was made of clicks and guttural sounds. They took off their masks to drink and she described how their faces looked, and how they drank with their mandibles. As the night wore on, she was filling the pages of her notebook quickly. Sadly she eventually had to leave before they did since she had things to do in the morning but she had gained so much from just seeing the creatures.

They showed up at the bar every few days but after a while they were gone but Selene had gained so much knowledge from them she had plenty to pour over in her seat in the bar when nothing grabbed her attention.

Something she quickly picked up on after sorting through her observations was that even though many interactions seemed aggressive, they weren’t. She compared it to languages that were harsh sounding but just because someone spoke it to you didn’t mean they were being combative. She had been intently watching one interaction where they did actually get aggressive with each other but the two had quickly taken it outside and came back later quite beat up but like nothing had happened. Overall there was a lot to learn.

Groups of Yautja would drop by every once in a while and every time she would gain loads more information but she could only learn so much from observing and making a few guesses. Her research moved on from just observing to waiting for the right Yautja to come through the door that she could talk to.

It did not happen any time soon.

Over a year after her studying had its first breakthrough, did the first true opportunity come where she could actually approach the Yautja. Most groups that came into the bar were three or four and always seemed lively. Those groups she never talked to because she wasn’t 100% percent confident in her knowledge.

The current pair of two she was watching was different. They were taller than most other Yautja she saw and they had more adornments in their dreadlocks than any previous predators she had seen. She wondered what those two things meant because they definitely meant something.

Another thing she noticed was the two were quiet except for the occasional quick conversation between them. It seemed like they were here for the alcohol and nothing else so she had to make a decision quickly before they left.

She stood with her notebook in hand and walked over to their table but stopped a few steps away. They were both looking at her the moment she took her first step in their direction. She took them in. This was the closest she had ever been to a Yautja. They were definitely intimidating. “May I ask you two some questions?” She was being extra polite in hopes they wouldn’t turn her away. That made her think politeness was probably different between species. Well, another thing she had to learn.

The two looked at each other before looking back at her. “Sei-i, yes,” the one on the right said. His colors were patches of caramel and a lighter cream color. He was the one who had also talked to the bartender and ordered their drinks. She mentally noted that her guess that sei-i was some sort of confirmation was true. She would just believe it to mean yes until proven otherwise.

She pulled over one of the bar stools they had pushed away to stand at the tall tables that didn’t look very tall compared to them. She pulled herself up into the chair and set her notebook onto the table. She looked between the two. The second one on the left was more of an earthy brown compared to his companion with green splotches, She could see him blending in very well with trees.

She figured she would start with an obvious question. She gestured to the ring like adornments on their tresses. “You two have more of these than others I’ve seen. What do they mean?”

They turned to each other and started speaking in their language. It sounded harsh and aggressive to human ears but it was just how they sounded. They turned back to her and Caramel answered her, “Show rank, social standing.”

She flipped open her notebook and as she flipped through the pages to a blank one, the two started talking to each other again as they caught a glimpse of the content of her notebook. She wrote down what she learned. “A representation of your positions in society. Good to know.” She looked back up. “Do any of them have a specific meaning?”

Caramel seemed to be the designated spokesperson. “Sei-i.” He pointed to a prominent ring near the crown of his head. “Elite.” He reached behind himself and pulled forward a specific trendril with two rings. “Clan, blooded.” Then he pointed out a ring on the Yautja across from him that she could just see peeking over the guy’s shoulder. “Hunt Brother.” Caramel had an identical ring to his companion.

She nodded and scribbled it all down. “Thank you for telling me. Can I ask more questions?”

Tree said something for the first time. “Why?” He was much less adept at her language than Caramel. He almost sounded like a pirate.

“Yautja culture is so different from ours but it makes sense to me. I want to learn, to understand, so that's what I’m trying to do.”

The pair started talking in their language again and Selene took the chance to flush out what she had written down. The rapid clicking of tusks pulled her attention back up. The sound was known as trilling and she had witnessed it being used in a variety of ways. Tree was the one who trilled but Caramel was the one who spoke, “Ask.”

She spent the next few hours talking to the two. There were a few communication issues here and there but when that happened Caramel would put on his mask. She learned it could translate or play back things people have said. She learned as much as she could from the two hunters in the short span of time and they had started asking her questions as well.

A whole new world had been opened up to her.

It started getting late and Selene had to go but she had one more question. “What are your names?”

Caramel made a fist and thumped it against his chest. “Dun’dak.”

Tree did the same motion. “Ti’nil.” Then they both looked at her expectantly.

Selene made a fist like they did and tapped it against her own chest. “Selene.”

“We will come visit,” Said Dun’dak.

Selene brightened, “Really?!”

They both nodded.

She tilted her head though after thinking about it for a second. “Why?”

The more talkative of the two pointed at her. “Desire to learn.” He indicated himself and his hunt brother. “Teach.”

She laughed, “That's amazing! I’ll look forward to your next visit!”

Chapter Text

After talking to the Yautja, Selene changed. She had learned so much from the duo and they had told her they would be back. She wondered if their teacher-student relationships were anything like human ones. She wanted to make the two Yautja proud, especially after they told her their race was extremely social but not in the traditional sense that humans were.

Physical ability was important to their culture too so Selene turned a passing interest into a passion. She loved listening to music and how it made her feel so she learned to dance. She spent less time hanging around the bar and more time improving herself. It seemed Selene’s thirst for knowledge didn’t only apply to Yautja. There were so many different forms of dance and she learned about each style that interested her. Her dance instructor said she was a natural and her dancing pulled people in because it was obvious how passionate she was. With her enthusiasm it didn’t take her long to surpass the scope of the classes she took.

She spent her time honing her physical ability, improving her dance skills, and reconnecting with herself. She didn’t realize how much of who she was got buried under the monotony of day to day human life until she started prioritizing herself over everything else.

It was eight months later when she met Dun’dak and Ti’nil for the second time. The bartender had taken to messaging her whenever Yautja showed up since she didn’t hang around much anymore. She came in to see the duo in the same place they had been all those months ago. “Dun’dak! Ti’nil!” She rushed over to them and stopped short of throwing herself at them for hugs. That probably wouldn’t have ended well but she attributed her personal growth to them and she was grateful.

Ti’nil trilled while Dun’dak dipped his head in greeting. “Selene.”

She pulled up a chair and slipped into it easily. “How have you two been? I missed you guys.” She assessed their forms and noted a few new scars and she noticed they puffed up under her gaze.

“Good,” said the lighter colored warrior. It was their turn to take her in. Dun’dak gestured at her. “Seem different.” Her posture was different and she looked healthier, stronger. She sat straight and didn’t tuck her chin anymore either.

She nodded, “I’ve been doing a lot since we last met.” They spent the next little while catching up. They told her about their hunts and she told them about her dancing. The two learned that even though Dun’dak was the social one out of them, Yautja Hounds disliked him and preferred Ti’nil. She didn’t know what Yautja Hounds were and they explained the dog-like creatures to her. When she declared she wanted to meet one Dun’dak was taken aback and she actually got a laugh out of Ti’nil.

She explained music and dancing to them and was delighted to learn that they had music of their own but not dancing. To them, dancing was adjacent to combat and she decided she would just have to show them at some point. They respected physical discipline and she knew they would recognize the skill it took to move her body the way that she did. She didn’t expect them to want to see her dance at that very moment.

“You really want me to show you guys right now?” She looked around. The bar was empty save for the bartender and the regular that was never scared off by Yautja.

“Sei-i. Unfamiliar with dancing,” said Dun’dak.

She shrugged. She hadn’t really danced in public like this before but that wasn’t going to stop her. “Ok. I’m not in the right outfit but that's fine.” She walked over to the bartender. “Can I use your sound system?”

The bartender waved her to it. “Have at it. Not like there’s much going on right now anyway.” Selene nodded and glanced at the regular. He raised his glass and gave her a nod. Well here goes nothing.

She set up her music and walked over to the Hunters to start stripping out of her clothes and piling them in her chair.

The bartender yelled at her as she was shimming out of her jeans. “Hey wait! What are you doing?”

She paused with her pants around her thighs and looked over her shoulder at the bartender. She was going to open her mouth to respond but Ti’nil growled.

She stepped in before something happened. “It’s ok,Ti’nil.” She spoke a little louder. “Cultural misunderstanding.” Then she looked over her shoulder at the bartender. “Sorry. Yautja are very comfortable with their bodies and any form of nudity is normal for them, even in public spaces. The dance I’m going to do isn’t suited to what I’m wearing so I was going to strip down to my underwear.”

She had decided to take after the Yautja and she was as comfortable with her body as they were. To them the body was a temple and meant to be treated as such. Selene had to explain to them that in human culture, nudity was often seen as an invitation, derogatory, even offensive. They had been shocked by that. After more discussion involving nudity Selene learned that Predators had very strong lines when it came to things of a sexual nature and that walking around naked wasn’t going to get a person arrested or assaulted. It was another stark difference between human and Yautja society.

The bartender stopped to think about that for a moment. “Huh, that actually explains a lot.” Then he pointed at her, "but if you get arrested it isn’t my fault!”

Selene gave them a two finger salute. “Loud and clear.” She resumed taking off her clothes until she was just standing in her underwear. Then she grabbed her hoodie and tied it tightly around her hips so it wouldn’t fall off and would accentuate her movements. She started up her music and quickly took her place in the open area in front of what had been unofficially dubbed the Yautja corner.

She faced said creatures and started belly dancing.

Belly dancing wasn’t the only kind of dancing she had learned but it was one of her favorites. It made her feel good and the skill it took to manage the micro movements had taken her breath away. It was beautiful to watch and it was easy to customize and add in movements from different styles.

Once she finished, the two humans started clapping for her and Dun’dak and Ti’nil joined in when they realized it was a sign of enjoyment and appreciation.

She slipped back into her clothes before sitting back into her seat. “That was only one style. I hope you liked it.”

“Sei-i. Did not know ooman could move like that,” said Ti’nil. His ability to speak her language had gotten considerably better since she last saw him but he was still quiet and sounded like a pirate. She distantly wondered if he had been practicing.

Dun’dak started purring briefly but it trailed off as he began speaking in his own tongue. He almost seemed enthusiastic to her.

The rest of the evening flew by and Selene felt sad that she would have to leave the two again but as she began her goodbyes, Dun’dak stopped her. He pointed at her. “Travel with us?”

Her eyes widened. “In space?”

Ti’nil answered her. “Sei-i. We mentor but can not do that if you here.”

Dun’dak joined in, “There is much to learn. We believe you enjoy it.”

Selene nodded, “I do enjoy learning. I would be leaving everything I know though.”

“H’ko. You know Yautja.” Ti’nil splayed his hand over his chest.

That made her think. The Yautja was what inspired her to begin her journey in the first place and these two were offering to help her continue that journey. She wanted to live her life and she wasn’t doing that before. How long would it be until her surge of motivation she had been riding on would get snuffed out? She didn’t want that to happen.

She gave them a closed lipped smile. “I would love to. How much time do I have to sort out my business?”

The hunt brothers both expressed their happiness at her acceptance with more purring. “We leave in three days,” said Dun’dak.

Chapter Text

She wouldn’t trade the next two years of her life for anything. She laughed, she cried, she bled, she lived! It was the most exhilarating experience she had ever had.

Dun’dak and Ti’nil taught her their language, how to fight, how to fend for herself. She learned the intricacies of their society and culture. It was everything she thought and more. Don’t even get her started on what she learned about other planets.

Her relationship with the two hunt brothers grew as well. They all had stories of one another, they lived together, they hunted together, they learned together. The warriors defended her when other Yautja looked down on her because of her race. She was that extra pair of hands to support them when they needed it. The two Yautja came to call her mei-jadhi, sister. She came to call each of them mei’hswei, brother.

Her biggest challenge she faced with the brothers was her chiva. Dun’dak had explained to her that to be considered an adult in their society she must complete a trial, for most that was killing a kiande amedha, xenomorph. She was a human so a traditional chiva was out of the question for many reasons. Her other options were either motherhood or an untraditional chiva. She did not know anyone she would like to have kids with so she chose an untraditional chiva. What that was, was an extreme challenge of her capabilities. Her entire being was going to be put to the test and her mei’hswein could not help her.

She remembered the days of her chiva well. Dun’dak and Ti’nil could not tell her what her trial would be. That in and of itself was part of her test. She had geared up under the watchful eyes of her brothers. She triple checked what little equipment she was allowed to bring. Then turned to the reptilian males. This might be the last time she ever saw them and vice versa.

Dun’dak rested a hand on her shoulder but that wasn’t enough for her. She wrapped her arms around his midsection in a hug. He patted the top of her head. “You are skilled, sister. You do not need luck to survive.”

“Thank you Dun’dak.” She released him and went to hug Ti’nil next. The quiet Yaujta lifted her off her feet to hug her.

“You will do well. We are honored to call you mei-jadhi.” He set her back on her feet.

“I will make you two proud as both my mentors and brothers.”

Dun’dak walked over to the panel to lower the ramp for the ship. “We will come back for you in seven of this planet's days. We will not be the only ones watching. Are you ready?”

At her nod, he lowered the ramp. She waved to her brothers as she stepped off the metal.

She heard the ship close and take off behind her. She was alone. Her chiva had begun.

It did not take her long to figure out she was on a planet with dinosaurs, well, they were close enough to Earth’s dinosaurs to be called such. The irony was not lost on her.

That week on the planet known as Ulmerith was absolute hell but in the best of ways. She had fought for her life every day on the planet. Nowhere was safe for her to make camp. The first night she bedded down in what she thought was a safe alcove on the ground.

It was not.

She had been woken up in the middle of night by this planet’s version of a titanoboa.

The cave she had found on her second day had almost killed her and that was just her first near death experience. She hadn’t even stepped foot into the entrance when a spider as large as her was launching itself at her from the ceiling.

That had been a down and dirty fight.

The thing had only grazed her with its teeth but it had taken her hours to work the poison out of her system. She had fought so hard to stay awake but had gone through her entire water supply flushing the toxin out of her system. She knew that if she fell unconscious she would be dead.

The third day she had hunted down a water source. The problem with water sources was that every animal in the area would stop by at some point. She had come across a river to see some sort of water beast sunbathing on the bank. It looked vaguely like an axolotl but it was the size of a sarcosuchus.

She had snuck up the river until she couldn’t see it anymore.

She refiled her water supply but she would still need to purify it. She had seen something flash through the water. She took an educated guess that it was a carnivorous fish. Her dinner that night was some tasty piranha.

She found that she was relatively safe to sleep in the trees, to an extent.

She was harshly awoken in the early morning and she was thankful she had the foresight to loosely tie herself to the tree. A giant eagle thing had tried to snatch her out of the tree but the rope had worked as intended. The beast wasn’t able to fly off with her but its talons had still left their marks on her body. She had fought like hell with it to ground it. Once on the forest floor though it didn’t last much longer.

On the fifth day was when she considered herself blooded. It was midday when something made her skin prickle. She looked around her surroundings but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary but she could feel it in her bones. Something was stalking her. She became even more cautious.

The sun was just beginning to set when she noticed it. If she didn’t have experience with seeing a cloaked Yautja she would have never even known the beast was there. It was up in the trees above her. She watched it out of the corner of her eye to try and discern its shape. All she could really tell was that it was larger than her by a lot and had a tail. The distorted air didn’t give much of its shape away.

She ran through everything her hunt brothers had taught her in her head. This thing was a predator and it was looking to kill her.

It hadn't realized she had noticed it yet.

She had a feeling the only way she would survive this encounter was if she surprised the beast before it surprised her. She checked on it again. It had moved further down the tree.

With a casualness that didn’t betray a thing she unhooked her two chakrams from her belt.

Then with all her strength and grace she threw one at the invisible creature. She started moving the moment the metal disc had left her hand. Behind her she heard a shriek.

She really hoped that meant she had hurt it.

She heard it give chase behind her but not on the ground. She heard trees shaking and the distinct sound of claws through bark and wood. She needed to get it onto the ground.

She caught sight of it above her again and her eyes widened in shock. It was like a feathered dragon! It tried to drop down on her but she immediately changed directions and threw her second chakram at it. Her eyes took it in as it whipped towards her and growled. She spotted the damage her first chakram had done to it. It wasn’t dripping blood onto the ground yet but she had wounded it in the neck and its chest was getting covered in blood. If she had aimed a bit more to the left she would have been confident that she had severed something important but since it was coming at her with a vengeance she could only say she had pissed it off.

She could hear it running after her on the ground now but it was gaining fast. She pulled out her combistick. The weapon was a very sharp metal spear that was collapsable.

She whipped around to face the beast. It didn’t slow down. Even worse it pounced at her.

She ducked and rolled under it. She twisted out of the way of its hind leg that tried to stomp on her and expanded her combistick at the same time. The point of her weapon punctured the meat of its thigh.

It swung its tail at her in retaliation and she saw an opportunity. Ti’nil had always told her to use her small size to her advantage instead of letting it be a weakness. She collapsed her combistick just in time for its strong tail to crash into her.

Yep, that was going to hurt later.

She held onto it with a vengeance so she didn’t get knocked back. As the momentum of its tail slowed she raised up her arm holding her collapsed combistick and reached up as high as she could and slammed the weapon into its scales before expanding it again.

It’s shriek turned into a roar and it used its long neck to look at her over its shoulder.

Oh no.

She collapsed her spear just as the beast contorted its body to snap at her with its jaws. She threw herself off of it and into the opposite direction. She rolled to her feet but it came swinging around with a clawed front leg that raked across her bicep sending her stumbling back. Blood immediately started running down her arm but she wasn’t going to let the injury be her death.

She didn’t want to think that if she hadn’t already been moving out of the way of that attack it probably would have killed her.

It had swung with so much force that the swiped had left its neck open and she couldn’t miss that opportunity. She ran at the opening and extended her weapon while she was at it. With a mighty leap she grabbed the spear with both hands and drove it down into the space where its neck met shoulder and towards the center of its body. Its other leg came up to claw at her but she couldn’t let go of her weapon just yet. She pulled her leg up to push away from it and protect her core so it wouldn’t get a more vital spot.

Its claws turned her thigh into ribbons.

It flailed at her again but its attack was noticeably weaker then the first and she managed to swing out of the way of that one completely. Her injured arm burned with the strength it took to keep her attached to the beast and her thigh throbbed in time.

It swayed from one side to the other, then tilted dangerously towards the side she was on. Now she could let go. Using her good leg, she kicked away from the magnificent beast as it collapsed. She landed on her back as the boom of its weight crashed down into the ground with her.

She shakily pushed herself up to a sitting position to look at the creature in front of her. A breath rattled out of it and it didn’t take another.

She had done it!

She pulled her medkit from the front of her belt. She needed to take care of her injuries before she bled out. With practiced movements she got to work. Her leg was a lot worse than her arm. Quickly she disinfected the wounds which felt like she was setting herself on fire.

She pinched the largest of four slashes closed and applied a premade medical paste that would hold the wound closed. It took only thirty seconds for her to treat it but tears welled up in her eyes because it was so painful.

She had to take her one and only stimulant before she treated the last gash on her leg since she was starting to feel dizzy. Now that her worst injury was sorted, she took care of her bicep as quickly as one could with slightly shaky hands.

The stimulant would power her through for the next half hour or so but she still needed to move quickly. She packed up her medkit and unsheathed a knife from the small of her back. She looked at the majestic creature before she cut its head off. It really did look like a dragon with feathers minus dragon wings. It was probably the size of an Earth elephant.

She quickly got to work grabbing her trophy. She also plucked as many feathers as she dared from it and tied them to her waist. She would come back to see what was left of it but she needed to get to a safe place before she crashed coming off the stim. What she had designated as her tree wasn’t far.

Once she got there she could feel her impending collapse. She scaled the tree even though both her arm and leg gave her trouble but she managed to get to her spot. She tied herself to the tree branch then stared up through the net she had set up above her sleeping place after the bird incident. It was the last thing she saw before her vision went dark.

She had woken up late the next day in immense pain. She couldn’t do anything about it at the moment so she took care of her parched tongue instead. She spent the rest of the day tending to tasks such as cleaning her trophy and to returning to the dragon corpse to find it still there. Although it looked like a few scavengers had gotten to it. She was afraid something would have dragged it off.

She cut into the body to find the meat still good so she set up a small fire and ate while she got to work saving everything she could from the carcass. It’s skin was a combination of scales and hide. She wasn’t going to be able to save the meat so she grabbed a decent amount of the blueish green scales. Maybe she could do something with them.

She used the hard work to keep her distracted from the pain of injuries.

She had forgotten she had taken a hit to the torso but her ribs weren’t broken, just bruised. Next she moved to the claws that had shredded her. She collected every single one. They would make good weapons/trophies if how they cut through her so easily was any indication.

She still had a bit of time left in the day and she went hunting for her chakrams. She found both with relative ease since she had remembered where she had used them. She took all her goodies back to her tree.

She spent the seventh day moving close to where her hunt brothers had dropped her off and she had used the feathers she had collected to scare off a creature that wanted to take a bite out of her. The feathered dragon was a scary predator that scared off other predators it seemed. After that the rest was history.

She had learned from Dun’dak that what she had killed was known as a rock drake and that killing one was an incredible feat since they were ambush predators and really hard to find on a good day. The one she had killed wasn’t fully grown but that didn’t lessen her achievement.

Her chiva had also left her with some pretty awesome scars. Her right bicep had three distinct horizontal claw marks while her left outer thigh had four matching scars. Most importantly she was blooded! She couldn’t wear trendril rings like her fellow Yuatja. Instead, she wore snug bracelets to represent herself. She had one that signified she was a blooded warrior and another that matched Dun’dak’s and Ti’nil’s that said they were hunt siblings.

She didn’t have a clan bracelet because the clan Dun’dak and Ti’nil were from didn’t claim her as part of the clan and she didn’t ask.

She was a part of Yautja society and no one could say anything different. She knew their language, she knew their mannerisms and body language, she knew their culture and customs, she was blooded!

Since she was a blooded warrior by Yautja standards she was free to do whatever she wanted, especially since she didn’t have a clan but she already knew what she wanted. She continued to travel with her mei’hswein.

Chapter Text

They were landing on a Yautja hub ship.

It wasn’t owned by any one clan and was considered neutral ground. Dun’dak had told her all about it when she learned that was their next destination. It was the size of a small planet and self sustainable. When she stepped into it for the first time it did not feel like a ship, it felt like a city.

Dun’dak spent a lot of time showing her around with Ti’nil trailing after them. She was in awe and she chatted with her caramel colored brother about anything and everything she saw.

She wasn’t oblivious though. She could feel the eyes of the other predators around taking her in, assessing her. She was a human after all.

When not on the hunt she often wore a Yautja-like outfit. Ti’nil and her had spent hours together making her clothes. Firstly, her hair was in a half up half down style with a metal clip she had picked up from an artisan. Under her breasts was a thick leather strap leading up to well fitted, pretty, leather coverings that were secured around her neck with a smooth silver clasp.

Ti’nil had asked why she had wanted a breast covering. Female Yautja didn’t usually wear them. This was where human and Yautja anatomy differed. Yautja nipples were only visible during breastfeeding. Selene had explained that human nipples were always visible and that they were also an erogenous zone. Ti’nil didn’t need any more explanation after that since erogenous zones in predator culture were meant to be respected and if someone touched one without permission it was sexual assault and punishable.

Her entire stomach was bare until just over the curve of her hips where her belt sat. She wore a beautiful loin cloth that stopped just above her knees and it was a matching length in the back, leaving the sides of her legs exposed.

This kind of outfit also made it easy for others to see the scars she wore proudly, the most prominent ones being from the rock drake. She also had a feather from the beast hanging from the back of her right hip, opposite of the scars it had left on her thigh. She also wore cute sandals to finish off the look.

No one stared at her too long though since it was obvious she had adopted their culture and fought battles.

Dun’dak split off from them to take care of some business and Ti’nil started leading her somewhere specific. “Where are we going, mei’hswei?”

Ti’nil trilled, “Be patient, mei-jadhi. It is a surprise.” Wherever they were headed wasn’t a popular area. She could tell there were less and less people.

They stopped in front of a large door and she read the sign. “Kennels?” She looked up at Ti’nil in excitement. “Is this what I think it is?!”

Ti’nil’s top mandibles lifted slightly but didn’t open. It was their version of a grin. “Sei-i.”

She jumped up and down. “Yes! Do you think they’ll let me meet one?! Oh, oh, I wonder if I can pet one!” She threw her arms around his waist. “Ti’nil, thank you so much!”

He settled a hand on the top of her head. “Let go of me so we can go inside.”

“Right.” She quickly released her hunt brother and he turned to the panel to open the door. It looked like they had stepped into a dog training yard. To the right was what looked to be an admissions area which was currently empty. Behind that were what she assumed to be the kennels. The rest of the room was open, there even looked like a mini forest in the back left corner. There was a large clear area where she could see two hounds wrestling each other with a handful of others lounging around them and watching.

She heard the clicking of claws and searched for the source. A hound was coming up to them! Honestly it looked like a combination of a lizard and a dog but supersized. It sniffed at Ti’nil then came and started intently sniffing at her. Its face was level with her stomach and she felt the warm air ghost over her. She guessed it probably has never seen a human before.

“Ti’nil! Can I pet it?”

Ti’nil laughed, “Sei-i.” Not wasting a second she lifted her hands slowly to give the animal time to back away but it didn’t. Her hands landed on either side of its wide head. It just stared at her. With a grin she started rubbing and scratching at it. That broke the ice because it plopped down on its butt and its tongue lolled out of its mouth. It leaned into her touch and she was just so happy.

She got really into petting the hound to the point it had rolled onto its back asking for belly rubs and she happily obliged, not minding the wicked claws that were now in the air near her body. “Aw, so cute! I could just love on you all day!”

A faint growl came from in front of them. The hound immediately reacted and rolled back onto its stomach to look for the source. Once seeing who it was, its tongue popped out again and it trotted over to the Yautja that had come up to them and stared up at him. The Yautja growled at the dog and spoke in his own language, “Don’t look at me like that. You got enough attention as is.” She giggled and that drew his attention from the dog to her. He cocked his head to the side. “You understand me?”

She nodded, “Sei-i. I am fluent.” Dun’dak and Ti’nil had worked with her on a bastardized version of their language with her to the point she could talk to someone without making them cringe and still be understood.

She remembered all the things they had gone through to get the language to stick in her head. One time she was being pulled into a lake by a tentacle monster and neither brother had helped her until she had switched to screaming at them in the correct language. Fun times.

Ti’nil’s hand landed on her shoulder. “I have business to attend to. Don’t get mauled.” Then he promptly turned around and left.

Selene took the chance to introduce herself. She tapped her fist against her chest. “Selene.”

The Yautja did the same. “Parn. Kennel master.” He was a few inches shorter than her hunt brothers and his hide was a warm creamy color with pale yellow mottling. His eyes were a more vibrant yellow. His forearms and calves were decorated in many bitemarks she suspected came from the hounds.

“Need any help around here?”

He tilted his head again. “Clean out the kennels?”

She gave him a closed lipped smile. Yautja considers showing one’s teeth as aggressive so she broke the habit of smiling with her teeth quickly. “Only if I get to see you work with one of the hounds.”

He nodded, “Deal.” That moment was when she thought she gained a friend in Parn. He valued hard work and taking action. When she finished getting down and dirty in the kennels (after leaving her trophy feather at the front desk) he had slapped her on the back hard, sending her stumbling forward. Back slaps were friendly among the reptilian race and ways of displaying friendship and appreciation.

“Go bathe. You smell like hound cjit.” He directed her behind the desk where she had left her feather and she found the bathroom. She quickly washed her clothes in the bath water which had so many things packed into it, she would never want to take a normal bath ever again. She didn’t even need to use lotion anymore because of it.

The reason she was washing her clothes was because Yautja had an extremely good sense of smell to the point they could smell someone’s mood. She didn’t want to assault anyone’s senses with shit.

Once she was finished bathing she slipped back into her still slightly damp clothes and went to find Parn after putting her trophy feather back on. He was working with three of the hounds that all looked similar to each other. They were probably related somehow. Now they also had thick metal collars around their necks when earlier they didn’t. She settled in the nearby grass to watch him work.

One of the other dogs took that as an invitation and came up to her. It sniffed at her a bunch before laying down next to her. She started absentmindly petting it while watching Parn at work.

He was definitely a master at handling hounds. It wasn’t all the different from how one would train dogs back on Earth. He had a poach full of meat cubes he would toss to whoever was doing the right thing. She quickly noticed that Yautja Hounds were a lot smarter than the average dogs she was familiar with. Many of their commands were complex and he even sent one climbing up a tree at one point.

The hound she was petting had scooched closer and laid its head over her thigh. She started rubbing under its dreads and it started purring. That apparently drew the attention of another nearby hound that came over to investigate. Seeing what was happening, it immediately sat on her other side and stared at her with puppy eyes. She did not realize that look was universal. She patted her other thigh and the hound took the hint and laid down too. Now she had two Yautja Hound heads in her lap. They were quite heavy.

Her hand that was petting the first hound was getting tired so she stopped. It growled at her and she immediately hissed back. The dog jolted in surprise and quickly slipped off her lap to lay next to her instead of on her. She couldn’t growl like a Yautja but hissing like a cat often got her message across.

A while later Parn walked over to her and looked at the scene. “They like you,” he said. He pointed at the one laying next to her. “He is pouting. What happened?”

“He growled at me when I stopped petting him. I hissed back.”

Parn nodded approvingly. “Good. Do not let them bully you.” He held a hand out to her and she grabbed his forearm and he grabbed hers to pull her to a standing position. “It is time to get them into the kennels for the night.”

“How do you do that?”

“Easy.” He pulled a remote off his belt and hit a button. It was like a title wave. There were maybe twenty hounds out and about and they all ran back to the kennels. He hit the button again a second after the first time.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Whistle only they can hear.” Ah, so like a dog whistle. That made a lot of sense.

She looked up at Parn. “Do you mind if I come back?”

“Come back when you wish. Plenty of work to be done.”

She laughed at that. “I see how it is.” They said their goodbyes.

Once outside of the kennels Selene sent a message to her hunt brothers asking where they were. Turned out they were at a bar and Selene joined them. The place was pretty busy and there was music playing. She nodded along to the beat. The closest thing she could describe it was like tribal music. She could definitely dance to this.

She spotted them at a table and she slid in next to Ti’nil since Dun’dak was quickly on his way to getting smashed if the slur in his words were anything to go by. “Sssister! Here, have a drink!” He slid his half empty cup across to her.

She pushed it back to him with a giggle. “No, thanks Dun’dak. I think you’re enjoying enough for the both of us.” Selene had quickly learned the two mouthfuls of Yautja spirits would have her almost drunk in the span of about fifteen minutes. Never again.

He laughed, “Sure! I’ll drink for you too!” he promptly emptied the rest of the cup and she stared at him slightly alarmed.

Ti’nil nudged her with his elbow. “He’ll be fine. I’ll just have to drag him back to the ship after.”

Dun’dak frowned at his empty cup then went to go get a refill. Selene started telling Ti’nil about her day at the kennels.

Overall, the night was going pretty well until Dun’dak got an idea. He pointed at her and declared loudly, “You should dance!” That got them a few stares from the nearby bar goers.

She looked at Ti’nil. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

Ti’nil clicked his tusks together. “H’ko.”

Dun’dak piped up again. “Come on! Show off what you can do. Everyone will love it!”

She smiled at him. “Alright, alright. I will.” Both her and Dun’dak stood and the nearby Yautja moved out of their way since they wanted to see what was going to happen. She made sure to take off her sandals and leave them with Ti’nil. Dun’dak drunkenly got people to clear a space for her and then disappeared. A moment later the music stopped and then suddenly music she recognized started playing louder.

She started dancing.

Dun’dak was right and people loved it. Drink and food started flowing and she would catch the occasional person trying to copy how she moved which ended up turning into a group of rolling bodies. There was trilling whenever she did something the crowd liked. It was an immensely fun time.

At one point Ti’nil appeared at the edge of the circle people had made around her. She called out to him, “Mei’hswei, Do you want to do our dance?”

At her words, many heads turned in his direction. He looked around before stepping into the circle with a nod. She had taught both her brothers how to dance and she even noticed they incorporated some of the things she taught them into their fighting style. Yautja really were physical geniuses. She had a special dance she did with each brother. She would have called Dun’dak forward but he was riding high on the crowd and absolutely shitfaced. He wouldn’t know his right from his left.

The thing about dancing with a Yautja was that they were so much bigger than her. It actually opened up a whole new spectrum of moves she could do. Ti’nil was the one who told her to make her small size a strength and that came through in how they danced together. Her feet were hardly on the floor. She was often twirling around one of his limbs, flipping around his torso, or slithering between his legs. It was always an adventure when dancing with Ti’nil.

When they were finished and she declared she wouldn’t be dancing anymore she was promptly pulled into a group of female Yautja who were all tipsy. One had simply grabbed her by the waist and sat her on the table they had been using so they wouldn’t be talking down at her. Females were often taller than their male counterparts so it was appreciated.

One had shoved food into her hand and they had immediately started asking her questions. They were very curious about her for many reasons. They may have convinced her to belly dance on the table for them at one point.

Eventually she left the group of females when she saw Ti’nil waving at her with a slumped over Dun’dak hanging off of him. The sober Yautja passed over her sandals and they left the bar. Once they were out in the much quieter street she could hear Dun’dak happily mumbling nonsense to himself. Wait, was it a street if it was on a spaceship?

Ti’nil got fed up with dragging Dun’dak and growled while pulling the other Yautja over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. They made it to the ship in one piece and Ti’nil dropped Dun’dak onto his nest with little care. Selene giggled as the caramel colored Yautja landed in the bedding with a dull thump and didn’t even stir. He just laid there spread out like a starfish.

“Are you going to bathe?” she asked.

Ti’nil nodded, “Sei-i. We both stink of strangers.”

“I’ll join you then.” In Yautja society communal bathing was common and a time for socializing and bonding. Everyone was comfortable with their bodies and their strict cultural code when it came to sexual acts meant it was safe to bathe with others, even strangers.

They cleaned up together with Ti’nil washing her hair for her and she scrubbed his back and slipped in a shoulder message. After that they went to their own rooms and slept for the night.

Chapter Text

“Hey Parn.” He trilled to let Selene know she had his attention. “What if I wanted to stay and help with the hounds?”

“Then stay and help with the hounds.”

She hummed as she thought about it more in depth.

“Explain what you are thinking,” said Parn. When it came to action her and Parn thought alike but when it came to contemplation they were very different.

“I like it here but I don’t want to leave my mei’hswein. They are my family. I’m also afraid to be without them. They introduced me to Yautja society. Most of everything I know was taught to me by them.”

“Humans form strong familial bonds, correct?” At her nod he continued. “Just because you are away from them does not mean you are no longer family. You carry yourself like a Yautja. You wear your scars with pride, showing you have fought battles and survived. Others will see you for what you are, a warrior. You will not be alone if you stay here either.” He placed an open palm against his own chest. “I am your friend and if you have questions you can ask me.”

Parn was good at explaining things. “You’re right.”

“Besides, their clan disrespected you.”

She tilted her head at that. “How so?”

“Their clan did not claim you as their own even after you proved yourself and became a blooded warrior. I suspect that if they were not Elites they would not have gotten away with bringing you along with them.”

“They’ve never visited their clan since I’ve been with them. Do you think they aren’t allowed to go back as long as I am with them?”

Parn chuffed which in this case was a sign of irritation but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. “I would not be surprised if that was the case. Your brothers have not pushed for you to separate from them which shows they favor you over their clan. At first it was a slight against the clan taking you with them, but once you passed your chiva it became the clan slighting them by not claiming you.”

She scrunched up her nose at that. “Ew. politics.”

Parn laughed at her reaction. “If you left, the hounds would be devastated. You can also communicate with your brothers whenever you want. Yautja technology does not suffer the limitations that human technology does.”

“Thanks, Parn. You always know what to say.”

He puffed up in pride.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

“Dun’dak, Ti’nil, can I talk to you both?” They were on the ship preparing to leave the next day.

She almost laughed when they tilted their heads in sync. “What's wrong, mei-jadhi?” asked Dun’dak.

She played with her fingers as she looked between the two. “I would like to stay here.”

They looked at each other, then back at her. Dun’dak smiled and nudged Ti’nil next to him, “Our sister is growing up, brother.”

Ti’nil’s mandibles wiggled a bit, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Selene nodded, “Sei-i. I enjoy it here.”

Ti’nil relaxed, “Then you shall stay here.”

“I’m going to miss you guys a lot,” she said.

Dun’dak came and swept her up in a hug. “Do not be sad, mei-jadhi. This is just the next step in your life.”

Ti’nil came and pulled her in for his own hug. “We will speak as much as we can.”

Dun’dak trilled in excitement, “We can go apartment hunting!” Her caramel colored brother promptly pulled the both of them out onto the streets to find her a place to live.

It turns out the hub ship had a system to assign people rooms. All available rooms were listed in their database and all a person had to do was claim the room they wanted. Rooms were categorized by location and rank and Dun’dak dragged them all around the areas she would be visiting.

She ended up with a room somewhere in between the kennels and the artisan market area. Her brothers then helped her carry all her things from the ship to her room. They spent the night, just the three of them, enjoying each other's company with food, stories, jokes, and whatever else came to mind.

She saw them off the next morning with teary eyes because she was splitting off from her family.

Chapter Text

Selene quickly settled into a routine. She kept her mornings to herself, she would help Parn during the day, and in the evenings she would talk with her brothers, keep up on her physical ability, or browse the market stalls. Sometimes she would drop by the bar she had danced at the first night she was there. She enjoyed it.

Parn had fully taken her under his wing and started training her up to become a competent hound handler. He had even said, once she was good enough to not need him around all the time he would take a day off.

There was a female Yautja who technically worked at the kennels too but Selene hadn’t met her yet. She took the dogs out when Parn decided they were ready for the field so she was never around unless it was to drop off a hound and pick up a new one.

As Selene became more familiar with the kennels she noticed there was one hound that hardly ever came out. She was a beautiful light blue color that faded into white. The hound was obviously depressed and Selene was determined to help the poor thing.

Selene’s first step was to figure out what had happened. Turns out the hound’s name was Fhir’na. Parn said she used to be owned by a hunter that had her since she was a puppy but that owner died an honorable death that Fhir’na had witnessed and could do nothing about since she was injured. Her owner may have died but he had taken what had injured his hound so gravely to death as well.

Selene was heartbroken and now that she knew the story, she was even more determined to help Fhir’na. She started small by bringing the hound her meals and sitting with her while she ate even if it took her a while to get up. Fhir’na would growl at Selene but didn’t do anything else so Selene didn’t let it scare her away.

One day, Selene noticed a change. The light blue hound always laid with her back to Selene but today she was laying facing the hound handler in training and was watching her. Considering it a breakthrough, Selene started talking to her. Selene relayed her progress to Parn and he was hopeful she would be able to bring the skilled dog out of her shell.

It turned out Parn hadn’t trained Fhir’na. She was trained by her master since she could barely walk and Parn didn’t even know everything she could do since he couldn’t get her to come out of her kennel and didn’t have the extra time to spend with her like Selene did.

A week after her first bit of progress, Selene was feeling a bit down since she hadn’t been able to talk with Dun’dak and Ti’nil in a few days. They had said they would get ahold of her when they could but that didn’t stop Selene from feeling sad about it. She would eventually get used to not having them around as often.

She was sitting with Fhir’na and was telling the dog stories about her hunt brothers. Seemingly sensing her sadness, Fhir’na stood and took a few steps over to Selene and laid back down next to her. They weren’t touching but it was an improvement. After that, whenever Selene would visit the hound, she would come and lay next to Selene. She suspected Fhir’na was feeling loneliness on top of being depressed.

The next time there was progress with Fhir’na it was actually Parn who noticed first. Selene was working with a young Yautja Hound that Parn was using to teach her and he was watching her handling with a critical eye. He trilled to get her attention and Selene made sure her training partner wasn’t going to try to bite off her hand while she wasn’t looking, again. She eyed the mutt at her side suspiciously before looking at Parn.

He gestured across the yard, “look.”

She turned in the direction he indicated and she couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face. Fhir’na had come out of her kennel, not far but far enough to see everything that was going on. She was sitting on her haunches taking everything in.

“Let us continue with training and not scare her back inside,” said Parn. Selene nodded and just as she was turning back to look at the mutt next to her, instinct had her jerking her arm away just in time to hear the snapping of jaws. She immediately reprimanded the fucker for trying to take a bite out of her before redirecting.

“I swear if he keeps this up I’m going to end up with more matching scars with you Parn.” The first time the mutt next to her had pulled this trick he had succeeded. She had a nice bite scar taking up most of her right forearm (the same arm with her rock drake claw scars) that looked almost identical to the many marking up Parn.

He chortled, “Then you must break him of the bad habit. Come on, back to work with your stubborn hound.”

She spent the rest of the day with her mutt. Parn had paired her with the most stubborn dog he had at the moment, saying that if she could train him, she could train any hound. It was sound logic to her.

She also occasionally checked on Fhir’na who stayed outside for a while before disappearing back to her kennel. It soon became a regular sight to see her out, but Parn had said she would only come out if Selene was somewhere nearby. He had tried to get her to come out when Selene wasn’t there only to get growled and snapped at.

Selene had decided to see if she could get the pretty hound to come out herself and she had. Parn was on the other side of the yard watching them when they stepped out together. With a simple command Selene ran a lap with her not leaving the human’s side.

Parn speculated she would only listen to Selene and that might not change. Yautja Hounds were finicky at the best of times and even more so when traumatized. Parn told her he was surprised to see how much the dogs actually liked her in general.

Her trainer also suggested working Fhir’na and her mutt together when she thought the light blue hound was ready.

A few weeks later she did just that with Parn supervising since it was her first time working with both dogs at the same time. What followed, no one could have expected, well, maybe Parn did since he had suggested it in the first place. He let out a bellowing laugh and Selene just stood there slack jawed.

Fhir’na corrected her unruly and stubborn mutt for Selene every time he stepped out of line. The first time he had gone after Selene’s arm in the larger hound’s presence when Selene wasn’t looking, Fhir’na bowled him over with a snarl and had him pinned in under thirty seconds.

She looked back and forth between the laughing Parn and her hounds. “Parn, what just happened?”

He calmed down but he was still grinning. “I had a feeling and I was right. Fhir’na has claimed you as her owner and any actions taken against you by another hound she sees as her job to handle.”

Fhir’na released the other dog then trotted over to Selene and sat next to her. Fhir’na was the largest hound she had ever seen. While most other hound’s faces were level with her stomach, Fhir’na was chest level. She also had a very prominent scar over her sides. It looked like a vicious creature with two rows of teeth had the light blue hound in its mouth. Parn said that scar was caused by what had ended her previous owner.

Her other mutt she had yet to name came over to her and sat on Selene’s opposite side with a pout. He was young and his face was only level with her hips.

She gave Fhir’na a pet as a reward. “You really think she considers me her owner now?”

“She refuses to listen to me.” To prove his point he tried to touch her and she growled at him. “Congratulations, you have yourself a hound and a half.”

“A hound and a half?”

He gestured to the little guy on her other side. “I wasn’t going to tell you this until after you had him fully trained but having Fhir’na changes things. The first Yautja Hound every handler trains becomes that handler’s hound.”

“I suppose I should give him a name then.”

Parn shrugged, “If you want.”

Selene turned her attention to her unnamed hound. His coloring was actually quite different then most. His main color was a purplish gray that faded into a dark blue. His personality was stubborn and Parn said that was something they never grew out of. He was also very free spirited and mischievous.

“Jun’nik. His name is Jun’nik.”

Parn placed a hand on her shoulder, “Have fun teaching him his name. I believe he thinks he is called Pauk-de.”

Selene groaned. Jun’nik just looked up at her innocently even if he was far from it.

Chapter Text

Selene learned from Parn. She worked with both Fhir’na and Jun’nik. She danced and even taught a few others in her free time. She kept up on her combat skills. She lived life and she enjoyed it.

One day she was browsing the market areas. Parn had given her permission to take Fhir’na wherever she wanted but the hound wasn’t with her that day. She had just rounded a corner and stopped in her tracks.

Selene was used to Yautja being taller than her, especially females, but the predator she could see from where she was standing was not female and stood over everyone else. She guessed he was double her own height and he had the stature to fill it out well. Strong shoulders, muscled arms, amazing torso, and tree trunk thighs all covered in a black on black hide that faded into a dark gray on what would be considered the “softer” parts of the body.

She was used to the physiques of Yautja, she really was, but she couldn’t look away from this behemoth.

She shook herself to fully take in the situation. He was bristling. His decorated dreadlocks almost reached the small of his back but they were standing stiff, away from his body. He was off to the side of the path but people were still giving him a wide berth. They were even refusing to look in his direction. His arms were crossed and his mandibles were moving restlessly but she couldn’t see any obvious cause for his irritation.

With confident steps she neared the intimidating figure. She stopped well outside of his personal space. His eyes landed on her and she felt like they were burning through her soul. Not only was his hide mostly black but he had blazing red eyes too. If she were a lesser human she would have just turned on her heel and walked away but that wasn’t her style.

She took another step towards him since he saw her. His bristling didn’t lessen but it didn’t strengthen either. “What's wrong?” she asked.

He didn’t say a thing, just continued to look her over. She tilted her head to the side. If he was assessing her she would do the same. He was definitely a subspecies she didn’t know of. His coloring was unusual for the typical Yautja and not to mention his size. Black was relatively common but not as a base hide color and the even darker accents that reminded her of horizontal tiger stripes seemed to just absorb the light. His tendrils were longer too whereas most stopped at just past the shoulders, his went further than that.

Out of nowhere, he made a clicking noise she had never heard before and it wasn’t from his mandibles. It reminded her of a frog but deeper and slower. If she heard that noise in the dark she would think she was about to fight for her life and lose.

He hadn’t walked away from her yet so she went with her idea. She hummed back at him.

She had no idea what she had just done but it stopped his bristling, his tendrils loosened and relaxed back against his body.

Finally he said something, “Do that again.” His words were accented, sharper and rougher. It was like throwing a rock against another. It would make that cracking noise and then grind as it came to a halt.

It wasn’t any trouble for her to hum so she did while taking another step closer to him. “What had you upset?”

He waved away her question as his arms fell to his sides, “Nothing that can be helped.” He looked down at her for another moment before thumping his fist against his chest. “Sen-ru.”

She easily returned the gesture, “Selene.”

His eyes briefly glanced at the rock drake feather hanging from her hip. Now that he nonverbally mentioned it, the only adornments he had were the rings in his dreadlocks. He wore nothing else except his lighter gray loincloth and wrist computer. He did have his mask hanging from his hip too but that was it.

She supposed the scars he bore were telling enough. On the side of his neck was a nasty scar that looked like it had almost decapitated him but he was still living to tell the tale somehow. It didn’t happen on a hunt because Yautja wore neck protection to keep such injuries from happening. There seemed to be a matching scar above it, higher on his neck and three others below it, one at the base of his neck and two on his trap muscle. It must be a claw mark of some sort.

He had a plethora of puncture marks littering his right forearm broken up by a gash. On his bicep there was a crescent shaped scar that had a tearing mark at one end. His other arm was littered in smaller scars and the only major one she could see was just above his elbow that looked a bit like a star. His torso had a smattering of scars and there was one across his stomach that looked like something had tried to gut him. The last major scar she could see seemed to encircle the entirety of his left thigh with little points coming off of it. She wondered what could have caused that.

His voice broke her out of her observation. “What was that noise you made?”

She looked back up at his face, “It’s called humming.” She had never heard a Yautja hum before since they could make so many other noises. “What about you? I’ve never heard someone making a noise like that.”

He made the noise again. She wondered what it would sound like if she could put her ear to his chest. “Croaking.” She was going to ask him what it meant but his wrist computer beeped. He looked at it. “I must go. Thank you.” He dipped his head at her then breezed past her and out of sight.

She wondered what he was thanking her for.

Later that evening when she was stopping by the kennels to pick up Fhir’na she asked Parn about Sen-ru. “Parn, I ran into an interesting Yautja today. I’ve never seen anything like him.”

Parn trilled, “well, what did he look like?”

“He’s the tallest Yautja I’ve ever laid eyes on. His hide is pitch black and he had these even darker marks that looked like they absorbed the light. He made this really interesting noise he called croaking.”

Parn tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Paya, help me.”

She had never heard Parn invoke the name of Paya before so she was concerned. “Are you alright Parn?”

He looked back down at her, “Out of all the Yautja you could have taken an interest in…”

She blushed, “Why are you saying it like that?” She wasn’t going to deny it because it was true.

“He is what is known as a Cave Yautja. What one is doing here, I cannot say, but most other Yautja go their whole lives without seeing the subspecies. How long did you talk to him and did he give you his name?”

“We talked a little bit but only after I hummed at him and he called himself Sen-ru. He had a whole lot of rank rings.”

Parn restlessly moved his mandibles, “I do not know any Cave Yautja and the name is not familiar. Are you going to pursue this Sen-ru? He is the first I have seen you take interest in.”

Selene pet Fhir’na who had been sitting by her side to buy her time. “I don’t know. Would he even consider me? I’m human.”

Parn rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake, “Human comes last in the list of things that make you, Selene.”

“I think it would be physically impossible anyway.”

Parn’s mandibles raised in a grin, “Humans are very adaptable.”

“Parn!”

He let out a bellowing laugh. “If all it took was talking about your sexual prowess to embarrass you I would have done it sooner.” She buried her burning face in her hands. His voice turned fond, “Go home, think on it.”

Think on it, she did.

Chapter Text

The next day she was running a few hounds through drills. She twirled out of the way of an over enthusiastic hound who really wanted his meatcube but that in turn made it so he didn’t get it. Said hound lunged at her again and now it was turning into a game of cat and mouse. “Fhir’na,” she called to get the light blue hound’s attention who had been dozing not far away.

She rolled out of the way of the mutt who had stopped going after the treat and started going after her instead. She danced out of the dog’s way again and it growled at her but just before it could come at her again Fhir’na took him down and they began a tussling match she was sure her hound would win.

It didn’t take long for Fhir’na to get back into shape after Selene had broken through her depression. It didn’t seem like she lost much of her combat skills either. Selene had yet to see the large dog lose a match.

Once it was clear Fhir’na herself didn’t need any training, Selene started using her as a tool to train the others such as dishing out reprimands that would stick in a Yautja Hound’s thick skull. The older hound was good at it too. Jun’nik hasn’t nipped at Selene since Fhir’na corrected him the first time. Parn had agreed that having an example for the younger dogs to follow had even helped him immensely and that he was now looking for anyone who wanted to retire their hound.

Selene turned to return the collars she had taken off the two other well behaved dogs when she paused in her step for a moment before quickly resuming. The behemoth she had talked to yesterday was talking to Parn. Why was he here?

Selene dipped into storage to put away the collars and when she came back out Fhir’na was waiting for her no worse for wear. Selene made her way over to the two Yautja males with her hound by her side and Jun’nik seemingly popping up out of nowhere on her other side to join them.

She dismissed both hounds when she reached the edge of the grass. Jun’nik, not caring, bounced off. Fhir’na gave her the look that said she wasn’t happy about it and pointedly plopped down at the edge of the grass closest to the conversing Yautja.

Parn raised his upper mandibles in a grin when she got close enough and said, “He’s here for you.” He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a friendly shake before walking off.

She stepped in front of the towering wall of muscle and gave him a wave. “Hi.”

He trilled at her then squatted down which brought him to her level. His massive thighs bulged and he balanced easily on the balls of his feet. What struck her even more than that was the thoughtfulness of the action. No Yautja had ever lowered themselves to her level except her mei’hswein. Yet here was this giant doing it only on the second time meeting her.

“You are a handler,” he said.

“I’m still in training.”

He tilted his head slightly, “Training?”

“Sei-i. Jun’nik, the purple and blue hound, has been solely trained by me and hasn’t been tested yet. If he passes then I’ll be a full fledged handler but he still has a lot to learn.”

He looked over her shoulder and Selene turned slightly to see what he was looking at. Jun’nik was antagonizing the dog that had gotten disciplined earlier by Fhir’na. Parn described him as a worthy test of another’s self control.

Selene chuckled and turned back to face Sen-ru, “He’s a troublemaker but he’s my troublemaker.” She heard a distant snarl from said hound’s direction but Selene didn’t turn to look. If Jun’nik got his ass kicked he deserved it and if he won, good for him.

“I have a gift for you.” Selene’s eyes widened at the statement. Gift giving was only done between those that had a close relationship or to initiate a courting ritual. Sen-ru reached behind himself and presented a familiar feather.

“Is that a rock drake feather?!” While the one Selene wore was an orange that faded into a blue-green color, the one he was showing her was red and changed to purple. It was a stark contrast against his dark color palette. “They’re extraordinarily hard to kill.”

“Sei-i, and you’ve killed one.” He nodded his head towards her right hip where she always had her own rock drake feather.

“It was my chiva…” She trailed off as she took the feather from him to inspect it. It was just as light as she expected it to be and so soft. She hadn’t expected such a touching gift. Rock drakes would always hold a special place in her heart and to be given a feather of one was the best gift she could have asked for. She looked back up at Sen-ru. “Thank you. I accept your gift.”

She unclipped the chain holding her feather from her belt and after a bit of fiddling the second feather was attached to it as well. She put it back on then gave a little twirl. “What do you think?”

Sen-ru purred for a moment before it faded, “it suits you.”

“Oh! Let me go grab my wrist computer then we can share contact information.” She turned and ran back behind the desk area to get it. Fhir’na had popped up to follow her. She returned to Sen-ru with Fhir’na at her side while she attached her computer to her forearm. Fhir’na watched the unfamiliar Yautja wearily while they exchanged information. Selene figured she better make introductions. “This is Fhir’na. She’s adopted me as her owner and refuses to listen to anyone else.”

He took her in and when Fhir’na pointedly turned her face away from him like he didn’t deserve the time of day Selene giggled. He focused back on her, “When you are done here I will come find you.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later then.” At her words, he stood up to his full height and dipped his head at her before leaving. Selene practically floated over to Parn. “Parn, he gave me a courting gift!” She showed off the new feather.

The cream colored Yautja leaned in closer to inspect it, “He read you well when he met you the first time. An apt gift.”

“I do love rock drakes. I just wonder how he figured out I liked him.”

“Any male would be honored by your attention, Selene. He noted your interest the moment you stepped up to him. Then he decided to respond in kind by initiating courting to show his own interest in you.”

Selene hummed in thought, “How old do you think he is if he read me so easily?”

Parn chortled, “Older than your mei’hswein.”

“My brothers! How do you think they’ll react to hearing I’m being courted?!”

He shrugged nonchalantly, “Probably come back here as soon as possible to make sure he is worthy of your affections.”

She looked at Parn nervously, “At least I’ll get to see them again?” That got another laugh out of the older Handler.

As she left the kennels for the day without Fhir’na (Selene would come back to pick her up for the night) Selene checked her wrist computer and sent a message to Dun’dak asking if they were available for a quick chat. Her wrist computer dinged with an incoming transmission a few seconds later. She accepted it and Dun’dak’s face appeared on her wrist computer.

“Mei’hswei! Is Ti’nil there too?” She easily recognized the background of their ship.

Ti’nil appeared over Dun’dak’s shoulder. “Here, mei-jadhi.”

“I have some important news! I’m being courted!” She was excited and couldn’t wait for her brothers’ reactions.

It was silent for a moment. Dun’dak’s mandibles were slack in shock. “What?!” He quickly gathered himself. “We must come visit you at once! This is great news. Are you going to make us uncles, sister?”

Ti’nil growled, “Do not get ahead of yourself, brother.” He turned his attention back to Selene. “Did he give you a worthy gift?”

She nodded with a big smile, “Sei-i. He presented a rock drake feather to me and I didn’t even mention I liked rock drakes.”

Ti’nil clicked his mandibles in thought and crossed his arms. “If he does not treat you right, you will let us know immediately.”

Dun’dak elbowed Ti’nil in the side. “Don’t be so protective, brother. Trust in our sister’s judgment. She would not accept the gift of just anyone. We will finish up our current business and I will message you when we are headed your way, mei-jadhi.”

“Ok. I’ll be here. I’ll see you guys soon, right?” At their yeses they said their goodbyes and Selene continued on her way to get her dinner.

She headed to a nearby food place she visited a lot that was run by an older female Yautja. Selene became acquainted with her very quickly and she had started making human sized portions just for her.

“Ra'sha, it’s me!” She heard the sound of something banging before the milk chocolate colored Yautja appeared from a doorway. She was a seasoned warrior with many fading scars and she had birthed many children. Ra'sha loved to talk about them all the time.

“Selene! Here for your dinner?”

“Sei-i. What do you have today?” Selene pulled herself up into the Yautja sized seating in front of the counter and sat on her knees to get that extra bit of leverage she needed.

Ra'sha turned around to the big pot she had simmering on a burner. “Meat soup with spices and I have a side of extra vegetables and fruits for you since you humans need more of that nutrition.” Selene watched the familiar movements of the predator in front of her. “Anything interesting happen today?”

“Got chased around by a hound that was a little too wound up but Fhir’na took care of it. After that I received a courting gift,” Selene said excitedly.

“What?!” She whorled around but her skill with food showed as not a single drop sloshed out of the bowl she slammed on the counter in front of Selene. “You must tell me everything! I’ve been courted many times in my day so I know what to look for. What does he look like? Is he scarred? Is he strong? More importantly, what did he give you? Oh, I’m so excited for you! This is your first courting!”

Selene giggled, “Calm down, Ra'sha. I’ll tell you everything.” Selene pulled up her feather chain. “Look, he gave me a rock drake feather. You know I love those things! He gave it to me after only meeting me once. I didn’t even mention rock drakes.”

Ra'sha chortled, “Anyone who hasn’t had all the braincells beaten out of them would know you like rock drakes. Not only do you gush about them all the time but it's the only trophy you wear so it's obviously important to you.” She clicked her mandibles in thought. “He’s taken down a rock drake so he must be strong.” She pulled out a tray from below the counter and slid it over to Selene. It had fruits and vegetables along with a knife. “Tell me more.”

Selene picked up the knife and started chopping up the veggies to throw in her soup. “He wasn’t wearing any trophies himself but he has a lot of scars. He’s even got an amazing set on his neck! I’m astonished he survived whatever caused it.” Selene tossed her veggies in the soup and looked up at Ra'sha who was looking over her head but quickly looked back at Selene. People were always walking by so maybe she saw something interesting. “He's big too, like the biggest male I’ve ever seen! By Paya, Ra'sha, his thighs, his arms, his coloring, everything.” Ra'sha was grinning at her. “He makes this amazing sound called croaking.” Selene leaned back as curiosity took over. “I wonder what it means or what it does. Parn called him a Cave Yautja. Do you know much about them?”

Ra'sha looked like she was having the time of her life. “I don’t, Selene, but I think who is behind you can fill you in.”

Selene froze.

That croaking noise came from right behind her.

Slowly, she turned to come face to chest. She looked up to find Sen-ru looking down at her amused.

She stared up at him, shocked. “H-how much did you hear?”

Her head followed him as he sat in the seat next to her. “Enough.” Even his voice sounded amused.

She looked at Ra'sha accusingly, “Why didn’t you tell me he was behind me?!”

Ra'sha laughed, “Why would I ruin him showing off his skills to you?” Ra'sha turned her attention to Sen-ru and started assessing him. Sen-ru stared back. Selene looked back and forth between the silent exchange. Suddenly, Ra'sha bristled slightly, “Listen here, if you hurt Selene you’ll have at least half the hub after you.”

Sen-ru remained relaxed with his perfect posture. “If I did I would welcome my death.”

Ra'sha relaxed at that and turned to grab a much larger bowl and filled it with soup before slamming it down in front of the intimidating predator. “You really know how to pick them, Selene.” Ra'sha disappeared through the doorway leaving the two of them alone.

Selene took a sip of her soup then turned to face her courting partner. “What does that sound mean?”

“It is a form of echolocation. If you can hear it, I know where you are.” He lifted his bowl to his mandibles to pour some of his soup down his gullet. Unlike humans, Yautja don’t chew their food, they just swallow it.

“Oh wow. If you can use echolocation does that mean you are sensitive to all noises or just the ones you make?”

“All noises. When you made that humming sound, it was soothing.” He angled is body in her direction.

Selene perked up. “That's why you were upset when we first met! Everything that was going on must have been irritating.”

“Sei-i. I was not in a good mood to begin with.”

Selene sipped her soup in thought, “Does that mean you don’t like music?” That was an important question to her. She loved to dance and she had wanted to dance for him but if music annoys him then she was out of luck.

“H’ko. The opposite, my people love music. We can hear music but we can also feel it, an extra sense.”

Selene looked up at him in awe. Talk about taking the saying “feel the music” to the next level. “Oh ok. I understand. I’m a dancer so music is important to me.”

He seemed pleased, “I suspected as much. You move like a dancer.”

She was pleasantly surprised. “Most Yautja don’t even know what dancing is.”

He made a low rolling sound of amusement. Was he chuckling? Yautja usually full out laughed or grinned. There was no in between but if they were sensitive to sound, it would make sense they would have more ways to express themselves through sounds. “During festivals and celebrations, you can often find dancers in my clan along with musicians.”

“That sounds amazing! I would love to dance to live music one day!”

He lifted his mandibles in a smile, “I can take you there in the future.”

She smiled back, “we’ll make a trip of it.”

They finished off their food in silence. Sen-ru finished long before her but he was content just to stare at her unwaveringly while she ate and stared back. She lost that staring contest more than once and he would rumble in amusement every time. His fiery red gaze made her feel like she was his prey and she guessed in a way, she was. He was courting her after all.

Ra'sha came back out to take their dishes and waved Selene off with a wink. Sen-ru stood and offered her a hand before she could slide out of her own seat. She placed her hand in his and hopped to the ground easily. Once her feet were safely on the floor, he let her go.

With their brief touch she was reminded that Yautja were cold blooded so their body temperature would match the surrounding temperature. It’s why they wore the “fishnet” body suit when hunting since it regulated their temperature for them. Another interesting facet was that their temperature tolerance varied from Yautja to Yautja. Sen-ru’s hand was cool to the touch.

She looked over and up at Sen-ru. She was trying really hard to ignore the fact her face was level with his hips and a little bit of adjustment would have her face right in his crotch. “Did you have any plans or did you just want to spend time together?”

He looked down at her, “Is there something you had in mind?”

She shrugged and started walking in a specific direction. “Let’s go to the gardens. It’s quiet and a nice place to talk.”

He followed after her in companionable silence.

The gardens were a series of large rooms filled to the brim with plants most of which had a purpose of some sort. She usually visited this place when she was looking to relax. The serene atmosphere always made it one of her favorites for contemplation. They began a slow circuit through the area.

She looked up at Sen-ru. “How much do you know about humans?”

He tilted his head as he looked forward, “What do you think is important for me to know?”

She thought about that for a moment. “First and foremost, how humans bond. I grow attached very easily and if you wish to leave after our courting is over I would like to know now so I can prepare myself for it.” In Yautja culture courting and mating were actually quite complex. What was relevant at the moment was that courting was started with the intention of having a child or entering a form of a long term commitment. Someone who a Yautja has had a child with is known as a mate. Sometimes the same pair will have multiple children together but that doesn’t make them a couple necessarily. Again, very complex.

There was also the equivalent of one night stands but that wasn’t here nor there.

He clicked his mandibles in thought. “I am not opposed to forming attachments. Cave Yautja are comparatively few so we are very family oriented if given the chance.”

So he wasn’t against the idea if they ended up sticking together. “Good. If we do have a child I would like you to be involved. Then there’s my mei’hswein. They taught me almost everything I know and I can’t wait for them to get here.”

“You have mei’hswein?”

She tapped the bracelet on her wrist that matched Dun’dak’s and Ti’nil’s rings. “Sei-i. Dun’dak and Ti’nil are Elites from a clan. When they heard I was being courted they said they would start heading this way as soon as they could. They are important to me, they are my family.”

Sen-ru nodded, “I understand. I do not have anyone in particular I would like you to meet at the moment.”

Selene asked the next question on her mind. “What’s your rank?” He had a lot of rank rings so all she could tell was that he was highly decorated.

“You approached me not knowing my rank?” She started to feel slightly alarmed. He chuckled at the look on her face. “I am part of my clan’s council.”

“Y-you’re a council member?! I didn’t even bow before I started talking to you!”

He waved her off, “think nothing of it.”

She rubbed her face, “Well, I guess I can’t say ‘I’ve never seen a council member’ anymore.” She looked back up at him. “What brought you to the hub?”

“Supplies. I was surveying a nearby planet and needed a few things.”

“Surveying?”

“I am an ecologist. I study environments and visit hunting grounds to make sure we do not disturb the ecosystem or over hunt a species. If I find a problem I must make a plan to solve it. I enjoy my work.”

“Oh wow. I never really thought about that side of things. I know over hunting is bad but it never occurred to me who checked those kinds of things.” She gasped as she remembered something. “Are ecologists the ones who update the hunting lists?”

“Sei-i. There is a database all ecologists contribute to and that is part of it.”

“Do you have to go back to surveying soon?”

“H’ko. I can return when I want.”

They came across a bench and Selene hopped up onto it and turned to face Sen-ru. Even with the extra height she only reached the behemoth’s chest. “You’re so big.”

He stood in front of her. “Does it bother you?”

She shook her head. “Just makes me a bit nervous.”

He leaned in closer, “Concerned I’ll be too much for your small body?”

She blushed but at least the way he worded it preserved her dignity somewhat. She nodded and looked away shyly.

He lifted a hand and curled a finger under her chin to get her to look at him again. “Do not worry. We will just need to practice and I am patient.”

Her blush turned from pink on her cheeks to her face and chest flushing red.

He started purring at her reaction. He moved his hand down to grip her shoulder with his palm covering the entire clavicle area and then some. She reached a hand up to grab his wrist. Her fingers couldn’t wrap all the way around. She released him only to slide her fingers up along the puncture scars and rub her thumb against a darker tigermark she could barely make out from the rest of his hide. She didn’t expect the mark to light up red for a moment then disappear like it never happened in the first place. Out of the corner of her eye she saw all of his marks do it too.

She didn’t remove her hand, just sucked in a quick breath. “What was that?”

“Something best seen in the dark.”

“Will you show me?”

He gestured towards her body. “May I?”

She wasn’t sure what exactly he was going to do but she nodded nonetheless. He pushed close and wrapped his right arm around the back of her legs and lifted her off the bench. With a few quick adjustments she was practically sitting on his arm and he turned on his heel to begin the journey to an unknown location.

One of her hands gripped the bicep of the arm around her. Her fingers settled just under the crescent shaped scar he had there. Her other arm ended up loosely pressed against his chest and gripping his left trap muscle where he had his neck scars leaving her pressed slightly into him.

Since he was carrying her, his stride was much larger since he didn’t have to pace himself to match her. They covered ground quickly and she noted they were headed towards the ship hangers.

“Wow. Everything looks so different from up here.” She was on everyone else’s level. It was a minor shift in perspective but it was still jarring since she was so used to seeing things from below.

“I’m sure it would be the same for me if I was your height.” He had a point.

They stepped into an elevator and he selected a destination with his free hand. They started going up. Yautja elevators moved fast and the swooping feeling it sent her stomach through always left her feeling funny for a few moments.

They ended up at a hanger that was home to a gleaming black ship with clan markings. It wasn’t too large or too small. A perfect size for an ecologist to spend who knows how long on a planet studying the environment.

He used his wrist computer to open the ramp and she noted the interior was on the darker side of colors as well. As they stepped up onto the ramp, light strips cast everything in a low light.

“If your subspecies name implies anything, its that you live in caves so I imagine that would make you sensitive to light.”

“In a way, yes but not in the way you are thinking. The low lighting is reminiscent of home. Luminescent lighting is our main source of illumination. Otherwise we function perfectly fine in complete darkness. Most Yautja can but we have extra assets so we excel compared to those who live differently than us.”

He made his way through the ship to a specific door. He opened it and Selene caught glimpses of what she thought might be trophies before he stepped in and the door slid closed behind them, enveloping everything in blackness.

Selene couldn’t see a thing as he took a few more steps forward then moved to put her down. She held onto his arm as she gained her balance. “Are you going to show me what you were talking about earlier?” She asked as she let go of him.

“Sei-i.” He didn’t say more than that as he took a few steps away from her. With little preamble, those blacker than black tiger stripes she could make out in his hide lit up in brilliant red.

“Oh wow…” she trailed off as he rolled his shoulders and the light he gave off rippled. She closed the gap between them to brush her thumb over one of the marks on his forearm that was bisected by a scar. He still glowed there but it was murkier than where he wasn’t scarred.

His voice broke the silence. “I produce my own bioluminescence. When not actively producing light, I absorb any surrounding light.”

“That's amazing. I’ve never seen anything like you,” she said in awe as she traced the glowing lines. His marks above her head moved in a way that suggested he was puffing up in pride as he let out a purr. Selene hadn’t spent much time with Sen-ru but from what little she had, she could tell he was confident and well settled into himself. Every move was mindful and had a purpose. She looked forward to learning more about him.

“Would you like to see my trophies?” Showing one’s prized trophies was another courting step. You could tell a lot about a predator based on what trophies they kept such as their skill, what hunts they preferred, and how vain they were.

“I would be honored.” She really would be. It wasn’t every day she got the chance to see the trophy room of a clan council member who was courting her. His red coloring disappeared as the overhead lights came on to bathe the room in suitable light she could see well in.

She turned around to face the heart of the room and once again, her mouth dropped open in amazement. Unlike many hunters (cough, Dun’dak, cough), his trophy room wasn’t cluttered and overflowing with bones, hides, claws, or scales. It made each trophy he did have displayed that much more impactful.

She easily spotted a familiar skull on the wall and skipped up to it. The dragon-like skull that was bigger than her entire body was that of a rock drake. Below it was a bundle of red and purple feathers and all the claws neatly placed on a shelf to be viewed. “This is the skull of an adult! How did you take it down?”

Sen-ru came to stand behind her as he looked up at the massive trophy as well. “I was surveying Ulmerith. One of the populations I needed to get an estimate on was rock drakes. Not only are they ambush predators but they are also cave dwellers so I was well suited for the task. I explored their nesting grounds but these creatures are well versed in camouflage with their own natural invisibility. This one spotted me as I was leaving. It was a long battle of dodging her attacks and reading her movements until I started attacking back. I mounted the beast and punctured through her thick hide in the soft spot under her jaw, severing many of the vital arteries and nerves that run through that area.”

She looked at him over her shoulder, “wow. I can’t imagine going against a fully grown rock drake. The one I fought was an adolescent that was stalking me through the trees.” She looked back up at the trophy.

“The recording of your chiva was sent to me by the overseeing arbitrator. You interacted with a lot of the planet’s wildlife and handled it well. Impressive work. Although, it’s unusual for rock drakes to leave the extensive cave systems of the planet so I went to Ulmerith shortly after you left to investigate why the one you fought was in the forest.”

She turned fully around to look up at him in surprise. “Wow, it’s crazy how things are connected sometimes. More importantly, are the rock drakes ok? I learned after the fact they were cave dwellers and I thought it was just a curious teen out and about.”

He trilled and lifted his mandibles lifted slightly in the equivalent of a soft smile, “Sei-i. The rock drakes are indeed fine. Curiosity has become prevalent in the younger generations. I witnessed many young rock drakes coming and going from the caves. Their smaller size lets them do well in the trees and I suspect that a new breed of rock drake may come out of it in the future.”

She stepped over to the next trophy and they continued a slow circuit around the room of her asking about each display piece and him telling her the story behind them. By the time they made it back to the entrance it was late.

Selene checked her wrist computer with a yawn. “I need to get going. I still need to pick up Fhir’na before heading home.”

“Allow me to escort you.”

She smiled up at him, “I wouldn’t say no.”

Sen-ru trilled and led the way out of the ship and back to the elevator. The trip to the kennels was quiet between them and all Selene had to do was stick her head through the door and call for the older hound. Fhir’na came trotting out to join her and they continued the journey towards her apartment.

It didn’t take them long to end up outside of her door. She faced the giant predator with a shy smile. “This is me.”

He squatted to be somewhat eye level with her. “I enjoyed our time together,” he said.

“Me too. Will I see you again tomorrow?”

He reached forward and grasped the entirety of her shoulder. “Sei-i. I would not go without seeing you.”

She reached up and held his wrist. This time not to explore, but to hold. “Good. Have a good night Sen-ru.”

“Sleep well, Selene.”

She opened her apartment door and Fhir’na entered immediately and Selene followed and gave a wave to Sen-ru as the door closed between them.

She looked forward to what the future held for them.

Chapter Text

Everyday after Selene was done at the Kennels Sen-ru would track her down and they would spend the evening getting to know each other. Selene became more comfortable with his small touches to the point she sought them out on her own or initiated her own touch. She would grasp his hand (even if she couldn’t hold the entirety of it) or trace one of his tiger stripes she could reach. The ones on his massive outer thighs were often her target as they were the easiest to reach and she liked feeling the muscle there. Whenever she did seek out his touch it made him happy and he would purr or trill at her for a moment.

It was a week of seeing Sen-ru every day when Selene decided she was feeling a little daring. They were just leaving Ra'sha’s place when Selene put forth her suggestion. “Would you like to spar with me?”

He answered immediately, “of course.” He pulled up his wrist computer. “Which kehrite do you wish to use?”

“A private one.”

Sen-ru nodded in agreement. “I suggest the one on my ship then.”

Selene faced him and lifted her arms in the universal ‘pick me up’ gesture. “Carry me? We’ll get to the hangers a lot faster.” She hadn’t been to his ship since she saw his trophies.

He grinned down at her as he scooped her up with one arm. He gave her a quiet purr as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Once they made it into his ship he didn’t put her down until they were inside the training room. It was pitch black in the room until he adjusted the lights so she could see.

This kehrite was a lot different from the ones she had seen before. The large mat taking up the entire center of the room was black with a white ring instead of the typical sandy color and red ring.

He clicked his tusks to get her attention, “do you wish to use a weapon?”

“Are you going to use one?”

“H’ko but that does not mean you can not use one.”

Selene hummed, “I don’t think you’ll have anything suitable for my size and all my gear is back in my apartment so h’ko as well.” They stepped up to the center of the mat together. “Standard sparring rules?”

“Sei-i. Defeat signaled by two taps or stepping out of the ring. No breaking bones or dishonorable moves.”

She nodded and they put the appropriate amount of distance between each other and turned to face off. Selene never forgot how large Sen-ru was but going against him like this made her feel like the first time she saw him. She was about to spar with this behemoth of a predator who was at least ten feet tall.

They started circling each other. He was crouched low with arms spread in the fighting stance every predator knew by heart. Her stance was different. She wasn’t as sturdy as a Yautja. She kept her feet spread apart with knees slightly bent and her arms raised, ready to grab.

He didn’t make any move to come at her. This stage of a spar with a new person was usually to test the capabilities of each other so Selene decided to make the first move. With a sudden burst of movement she was going right for him. She ducked the arm he swiped at her easily. She took her chance to test his stability and grabbed at his shin with all her might to throw him off balance.

He didn’t budge a single bit.

She swore in her head as she sprung out from under him as he tried to get ahold of her again. She rolled and pivoted to face him to find he had already eaten up the distance she had put between them. That's right, his legs were the same length as her entire body.

His hand landed square on her chest and with strength she could tell he was holding back (She was thankful for that) he shoved her backwards. She relaxed and went with the momentum instead of resisting it, which saved her from landing outside of the ring. The backbend she landed in though had the palms of her hands only inches away from the white ring.

She put all of her weight on her right hand and foot and sent her left foot towards his abdomen as she flipped around to be on all fours instead of a backbend. He grabbed at her calf but she managed to slip out of his grip before he could secure his grip and she kicked backwards to land more towards the center of the ring instead of the edge.

She could suddenly her Ti’nil’s pirate-like voice in her head chiding her for not going for his exposed side and giving him time to fully face her once more.

Sen-ru took a page out of her book and launched himself at her with his powerful legs. She ducked under his arm that was aimed for her stomach. This time, as he pivoted to face her, she went for his side instead of missing the opportunity again. She jumped and planted her foot on his thigh to launch herself up towards his shoulder.

She planted both hands on his shoulder and he grabbed one of her wrists with his opposite hand. Luckily her arms weren’t the important part of this move. As he tried to pull her off of himself without hurting her she flung one leg over his shoulder near her free hand and swung the other under his arm from the back which sent her body weight slipping to the back of his shoulder.

Her size was nothing to him though and with another pull on her arm he had her coming back over his shoulder but she stubbornly clung to his bicep with her legs and free arm. She moved her right leg to hook under his jaw but he released her arm to grab her leg before it could even come close to his neck. He pushed her leg up and over his head with enough force to destabilize her and send her towards the mat below.

She landed on her feet but that was all she really had time for as Sen-ru was on her now. He swept her legs out from under her and sent her tumbling onto her back. He followed her down and pinned her with his shin across hers and a hand planted firmly on her chest once more.

She pouted up at him.

He trilled.

She tapped his forearm twice.

He released her but remained kneeling next to her.

“I have no chance against you do I?”

He chuckled, “There is always a chance.”

“You were going easy on me. If you had shoved me harder earlier you would have sent me out of the ring.” She sat up. “It wouldn’t have been the first time. My mei’hswein were not gentle when it came to my training. The med bay was as familiar to me as my room.” She looked him up and down. “I can’t move you with my own power and you can break out of any hold I manage to put you in. My best shot with getting the upper hand against you is pressure points or redirecting your own momentum.”

He tilted his head. “You know pressure points?”

She nodded, “Sei-i but they are very hard to hit on Yautja because of your thick hide. I don’t use them very often in hand to hand combat for that reason.” She stood with a stretch. “Let’s go again but let’s see how long I can evade you.”

He stood as well and they took their starting positions once more.

A couple hours later, Selene was sweaty and panting as she struggled to get out of a headlock. She tapped Sen-ru’s arm twice and he quickly released her. She didn’t bother moving away from him as she put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“I-I think I’m done for now.”

One of Sen-ru’s huge hands that he wasn’t afraid to take advantage of (she learned that the hard way) landed on the middle of her back. “You did well. I am impressed with your level of skill.”

She stood straight and faced him while puffing up her own chest a little. “Thanks. I learned a lot from this.” She rubbed her sweaty neck. “I need to bathe.”

“You can bathe here if you wish.”

She hummed in thought, “Do you have a clothing cleanser?” In Yautja society all clothing was handmade and while hand washing one’s clothes was one way to do it, they also had these compact machines where you hung up your clothes inside of it and they would get cleaned and dried without ruining the hides and leathers like a human washer and dryer would.

“Of course. They can wash while we bathe.”

She nodded. “Sounds good to me. Lead the way.” They stepped out of the kehrite and went to the door across the hall that opened up into a Yautja styled wash room. The color palette for the room were blacks, grays, and silvers. There was a huge cubical shower in the corner that if she stepped into it she would feel like a child because of how small she was compared to the space allotted. The centerpiece of the washroom was a massive tub set into the floor filled with a milky white concoction that she was well acquainted with by now. Again, she would never take a normal bath ever again if she could help it.

Sen-ru walked up to a panel on the right wall and with a press a compartment opened. A rack came out and he disrobed starting with his wrist computer. Selene stepped up next to him and passed him her own smaller gauntlet to place on a shelf. His mask joined the collection along with her rock drake feathers and hair clip.

After that, clothes started coming off. Sen-ru only had his loin cloth to remove and hang up while Selene started with her chest coving. She tossed the clothing up onto the rack along with her long loin cloth and Sen-ru hit the button once more to retract the rack and start the cycle.

Nudity was perceived a lot differently among Yautja than it was among humans. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss the chance to take in the dark colored predator in all of his glory. She gave him an obvious once over and he did the same.

Yautja were more reptilian than anything else and similarly to reptiles they had retractable penises, sorta. The head of the penis was inset into the groin but still exposed for easy urination. They had no scrotum either as their testicles were internal as well. Overall, it made for a simple and smooth looking groin.

She didn’t stare at his nether region but she did look at him in her once over. He was the same dark gray there that he was on his stomach and the insides of his limbs. What she could see of his penis made her remember what he had said a week ago. Patience and practice indeed. Another thing about Yautja was that they never truly stopped growing either. Sen-ru was huge because of his subspecies and combined with his age, he towered over other Yautja, even females.

As for her own body, Selene wasn’t out right muscular like a Yautja. Instead she was more lean and her muscles weren’t obvious unless she was actively using them. She liked her soft appearance and was happy with herself. As for her body hair, she kept her armpits and her legs below the knee shaved. She liked the fine hairs on her thighs and not having to deal with the pricklyness when it grew back. She also kept her pubic hair trimmed and well maintained. Overall she was happy with her appearance.

Sen-ru stepped into the large pool and the water went to his shins. He said, “Careful. The first step might be deeper than you expect.”

Selene nodded and sat on her butt at the edge to slide in. The white liquid was at her knees before her feet came into contact with the step. “I’m not surprised. I’m used to being out of proportion to everything around me.” She took another tentative step in and the water went up to her hips. She sat on the previous step she just stepped off of and the water came up to her chest.

Sen-ru stepped past her and further into the pool until the water was just over his hips. “Do you find it difficult?” He asked as he sat on a bench she couldn’t see bringing the water up to his just under his massive pecs.

“No,” she answered, then she pinched her nose and dunked herself under the water. When she came back up, she started working her fingers through her hair and elaborated on her answer. “I’ve grown to like it actually. Things aren’t so much larger that I need accommodations to help me and people who are familiar with my presence aren’t surprised if I happen to walk across their table at the bar. They might ask me to belly dance for them, which isn’t any trouble.”

Sen-ru scooped up a scrubber from a shelf that was within easy reach of him and submerged himself up to his neck. “Belly dance? I am unfamiliar with that style.”

Selene laughed, “I haven’t come across a Yautja who is until I’ve met them. I’ve taught a few people here but you guys are such physical geniuses, for most it only took a handful of instructions.”

He rose back above the water and started scrubbing. “I would like to see you dance.”

Well, she was feeling a bit bold today to begin with. “Here. I’ll show you a little sample.” She gathered her wet hair up in a fist at the back of her head and stood up. “These are called belly rolls.” She focused on his gleaming red eyes as she contracted her ab muscles for a few belly rolls with a bit of sensual hip movement.

His gaze focused on her stomach first then dipped down to her hips before tracing slowly back up and over her frame. She gave him a smile as she sat back down once he got an eye full.

“Now imagine some good music and it's a party,” she said.

He trilled, “I see.”

Yautja didn’t use soap as natural scent was preferred over artificial scents. The milky white bath water was excellent for getting rid of grime and cleaning the body. It also did wonders for moisturizing hide and skin so there wasn’t really a need for any bathing products.

They finished cleaning themselves and were now just relaxing in the warm water. Selene swam over to where Sen-ru was seated. She was going to settle next to him but his hand encompassed her side before she could and pulled her into his lap but she was too small to sit on his legs and be above the water. He adjusted her position by turning her to face him fully and guiding her to straddle his epigastric region below his pecs and to his left. She had to spread her legs wide to accommodate his width but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Next he pulled up his left knee behind her so she was sandwiched in between his chest and his thigh, giving her a comfortable seat. She leaned her head on his shoulder and traced the claw scars on the side of his neck which were in front of her face. “These are some amazing scars. What's the story if you don’t mind me asking?”

His arm she was closest to lifted, curled around her, and rested on his knee as he started playing with the wet strands of her hair. He growled lowly, “a story for another time. It is not a good tale.” She had heard Yautja growl before but his was a lower pitch and seemed to reverberate around the room a lot more. If she didn't know him it probably would have scared her.

“Ok.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in said scars as she pressed flush to him. He started purring and she felt his throat take up the steady vibrations. “When you croak, where does it come from?”

He didn’t answer verbally. Instead he cupped the back of her head and guided her to press her ear to the space just under the center of his collarbone.

His purring tapered off, then he croaked.

It felt like listening to heavy bass of a song to the point where she couldn’t hear it anymore but she could feel it shaking her body. She closed her eyes as she listened to the frog-like noise until it faded from her senses. His purring started up again a few seconds later.

“I love that sound.” Selene didn’t bother moving from her position and Sen-ru continued to cradle the back of her head. They stayed like that long enough for Selene to fall into a doze.

She came somewhat back to consciousness when Sen-ru stood with her. She hummed as she nuzzled against his collarbone. He carried her out of the tub. “Are you awake enough for me to put you down, little one?”

She sighed, “You’re so comfy.”

He chuckled as he squatted to put her down. Once her feet were solidly on the floor, he retrieved their clothes and they both got dressed.

They started the journey to the Kennels to pick up Fhir’na. On the way there, Selene checked her wrist computer to find she had messages from Dun’dak and Ti’nil.

Dun’dak: We’re on the way, mei-jadhi! See you soon and looking forward to meeting your courting partner!

Ti’nil: ETA is three days from now. We have missed you mei-jadhi. Your courting partner better be treating you well.

Selene: See you soon mei’hswein! Give me the details when you get them so I can meet you when you get here. He is treating me amazingly, Ti’nil. I’m excited for you guys to meet him.

Selene looked up from her wrist computer. “My mei’hswein will be here in three days! I’m excited for you to meet them.”

Sen-ru was walking steadily beside her. “We will greet them when they arrive.”

Chapter Text

It was the day her hunt brothers would be arriving and Selene was standing outside of their hanger with Sen-ru next to her. She couldn’t stand still as she waited for them to land.

Sen-ru chuckled at her visible excitement. “How long has it been since you last saw them?”

“Its been seven months.” She grabbed Sen-ru’s hand and hopped in place. “How much longer do you think we will have to wait?”

He gestured to the door panel. “You can go in now if you like.”

Selene whipped around to look at the panel which said the hanger was safe to enter. “Let’s go!”

She entered the hangar with her courting partner easily keeping up with her fast pace. She couldn’t help the smile at seeing the familiar spaceship of her mei’hswein. She stared intently at the ramp waiting for it to lower.

“Are they engineers?” Sen-ru asked.

“Dun’dak is. He made my wrist computer and mask. Ti’nil is his assistant. How did you know?”

He tilted his head towards the ship. “It is heavily modded.”

“Ah, yeah. Dun’dak likes to do that. Without Ti’nil though, he probably would have blown himself up ages ago.” Just then she spotted the ramp opening. She clasped her hands together and bounced in place. “Here they come!”

She didn’t even wait for them to step off the ramp before she was running to them. “Dun’dak! Ti’nil! I missed you guys!” Dun’dak meet her halfway and she jumped into his arms.

He spun her around with a laugh. “Selene! We’ve missed you too!” She held onto him as they spun in circles and laughed together. Suddenly he stopped spinning and said, “Ti’nil! Incoming!”

Selene took her queue to release Dun’dak as he threw her at Ti’nil who caught her princess style in his arms. He nuzzled the top of her head. “Mei-jadhi.”

“Mei’hswei,” she responded.

He set her gently down on her feet. His hands found her shoulders. “Are you healthy? Have you been going to your doctor’s appointments? You’ve been eating correctly, right?”

She put her hands on his wrists. “Yes, Ti’nil. I’m fine.” She smiled and pulled his hands off her shoulders. “Come meet my courting partner!” She turned away from him to skip over to Sen-ru who was watching the entire interaction standing tall with his arms crossed which wasn’t an unusual stance with him.

Both Dun’dak and Ti’nil stepped up to him, then they bowed their heads. Selene had never actually seen them bow to anyone before and tilted her head.

Sen-ru waved them off. “No need to bow to me since you are her hunt brothers.”

They both straightened and Dun’dak took the initiative and introduced himself first with Ti’nil following. Sen-ru did the same.

Dun’dak looked down at her with amusement. “You didn’t tell us he was a clan council member.”

She giggled, “sorry. I actually didn’t know he was either when I first met him.”

Ti’nil raised his brow at her. “He is highly decorated sister. How could you miss such a thing?”

She shrunk in on herself a bit, “uh, I was distracted?”

Ti’nil bristled slightly, “Do you need remedial training? I am not afraid to take you back to the tentacle monster as you called it.” Her earthy colored hunt brother was always the more strict of the two when it came to her education.

Sen-ru looked down at her as she half hid behind him. “Tentacle monster?”

Dun’dak laughed, “Sei-i. It was our most effective tool in teaching her our language. It was a…” He said the actual name of the creature which was a combination of noises and sounds she could never hope to understand or make herself.

Sen-ru nodded his head in understanding. “I see where that could be a good training tool.”

Selene took a good look at her brothers and she noticed a plethora of new scars and something that made her gasp. “Mei’hswein! W-where are your clan rings?”

She watched as both her brothers tensed.

Dun’dak was the one who addressed her question. “We are no longer affiliated with a clan. Thanks to the same arbitrator who oversaw your chiva, we were able to separate honorably.”

Sen-ru trilled, “Arbitrator Soon-ron?”

Ti’nil nodded, “Sei-i. You know him?”

Sen-ru raised his mandibles in the equivalent of a smile. “I do. He is very…unconventional.”

“That is one world for it,” said Dun’dak. He looked back to Selene. “He wishes to meet you one day since you have been the source of much of his recent trouble over the last couple years.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

Ti’nil growled, “since he declared you blooded he has been under intense doubt and scrutiny. He refuses to go back on his judgment and declares you have his full support as a blooded warrior of our kind.”

“I’ve never met him yet he’s gone out of his way to help me without me even knowing about it. I would like to meet him when I can.”

Sen-ru lifted his arm and started doing something on his wrist computer. “Arbitrator Soon-ron is a strong figure to have at your back. He is highly accomplished and respected.”

Dun’dak stretched, “Enough of this political talk, let’s go to the bar! It’s been so long since I got to dance with my mei-jadhi.”

Selene grabbed Sen-ru’s hand as she led the way out of the hanger and to the bar they went to the first time they came here. She looked up at her courting partner. “You’ll get to see me dance.”

Sen-ru clicked his tusks, “I look forward to it.”

Chapter Text

They made it to the bar and got drinks and a table. Selene’s drink wasn’t alcoholic just how she liked it. They had barely gotten settled before Dun’dak was pulling her away to dance. She waved to Sen-ru over her shoulder.

They got the music set up and the people here knew her well enough to clear a space for her.

Dancing with Dun’dak was so different than it was dancing with Ti’nil but just as fun. With Dun’dak there was a lot of foot and arm work and a whole lot of twirling. She trusted Dun’dak to catch her whenever he threw her into a spin or hold on to her when she landed in his arms for a dip. She was laughing the entire time.

By the time they were done they stumbled back to their table slightly dizzy and breathing heavily not from exertion but from having so much fun. She climbed up into her seat to sit on her knees and lean against Sen-ru.

She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. “What did you think?”

He angled his body towards her showing she had most of his attention. “Quite different from previous dances I have seen.”

Dun’dak threw back his drink with little care. “Selene is an expert on body movement! She’s come up with sequences I never considered. It contributed to our victory in separating from our clan!”

Before she could ask a question he went to the bar for a refill so she turned to Ti’nil who was sipping steadily. “What did he mean?”

Ti’nil growled into his cup, “We had to fight many battles, fights to the death, challenges to our rank, punishing disrespect from lower ranks. The clan was not happy with our perceived reason for leaving.” He tilted his head in her direction.

Sen-ru grumbled. It wasn’t quite a growl but almost. “What is the name of this clan?”

“The Cogtriniz Clan.”

Sen-ru Started typing on his wrist computer and Dun’dak came back to the table with a fresh cup.

Selene frowned at this new information. “Parn said when you took me to travel with you two it was a slight against the clan but when I passed my chiva it became a slight against you from the clan.”

Her caramel colored brother took a gulp from his cup. “When we first met you, you wanted to learn and you had the courage to approach us. Our clan prizes the will to learn and gaining new knowledge but when we approached them on your behalf to be taken in and taught, they shunned the very idea of educating an ooman.Their refusal went directly against their own values.”

Ti’nil picked up the story. “The clan hadn’t even met you, yet they insulted your intelligence for even thinking you could be worthy of learning the way of the Yautja.”

Sen-ru nursed his alcohol and his tone was angry. “Supremacists.”

Dun’dak lifted his mug. “Agreed.” He subsequently drowned the rest of the glass.

Ti’nil changed the subject and nudged her right arm. “That’s a new scar.”

Selene lifted said arm and turned it this way and that. “You’ll have to meet the little pauk-de that gave it to me. It’s from my hound I’m training.”

Dun’dak perked up. “How has that been going for you?”

She nodded. “Really well! Jun’nik is still learning but he gets better everyday and he makes me laugh no matter the trouble he causes.”

Ti’nil elbowed Dun’dak. “Perhaps she can teach them not to hate you.”

He shoved the larger Yautja back. “They do not hate me and that was only one time.”

Ti’nil snorted, “And you have avoided hounds since.”

“I’ll introduce you to Fhir’na. I’ve told you about her. She won’t go after you,” Selene said.

Dun’dak looked at her skeptically, “How did you end up with a fully trained hound again?”

Selene snuggled into Sen-ru’s side as his arm settled around her and she told the story and all the shenanigans the dogs got up to. They ended up sharing stories all around and Selene caught up with her mei’hswein and they got to know Sen-ru and vice versa.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Dun’dak was steadily making his way towards being completely drunk by the time a group of females who knew her got her up on their table to belly dance. Every time she looked at Sen-ru his eyes were on her and it made her feel desired. Every time she drifted away from her courting partner she made it a point to go back to him throughout the night. She ended up dancing with Ti’nil and after, they learned someone had brought s’pke, which was a Yautja fruit stew which was really good.

After reuniting with her mei’hswein, dancing a lot, and eating she was feeling pretty satisfied and content. She ended up crawling into Sen-ru’s lap, sitting side saddle, and pressing her face into his hide as she relaxed. His hand rested on her knees and his thumb occasionally stroked over her skin.

She watched as Ti’nil got up to wrangle a wasted Dun’dak. She chuckled as she watched the engineer attempt to push off the much more sober assistant.

Sen-ru was looking at the same thing she was. “You chose your mei’hswein well. They care for you and you, them.”

Selene smiled softly. “They are my family, my brothers. We stand by each other.”

“It is a beautiful thing to witness.” Ti’nil finally got Dun’dak to listen and was herding him in their direction. Sen-ru scooped her up and stood.

“You don’t have to carry me,” she said.

Sen-ru looked down at her with warmth in his eyes. “I want to.” He looked up as Dun’dak stumbled up to them. “Besides, I know you like it.”

Selene blushed.

Dun’dak pointed at her, “sssssisterrrr! Why did you have to get one of the biggest males around?” He crossed his arms and looked up at Sen-ru sternly. The look would have been far more effective if his mandibles weren’t drooping and he wasn’t swaying to one side. “Don’t r-r-rip my sister in half in the, in the, nest!”

“Dun’dak!” She shouted as she flushed even more in embarrassment.

Sen-ru laughed and Ti’nil growled as he grabbed his brother but the moment his hand landed on Dun’dak’s shoulder he turned to look at the slightly taller Yautja. This was the first time she had ever heard Sen-ru truly laugh. She added it onto her list of favorite sounds.

“Ti’nil! Do you tttink our sister will die in mating?!” He started to hang off of him desperately. “Sh-she can’t right? She’s soo… soo… flla, uhh, fle…” He struggled to find the word. “Stretchy! So stretchy.” He started whispering but they could all still hear him while Ti-nil was trying to wrestle their plastered brother off of him. “I-I bet he’s got a huge cock. Do you, do you-”

Sen-ru shifted her to one arm and used his newly freed appendage to pull Dun’dak around to face them once more before he could finish what he was saying. He leaned down to speak directly to Dun’dak. “Your mei-jadhi is safe with me. She will not die in my care.”

Dun’dak squinted at him. “But how big is your-”

This time it was Ti’nil who interrupted him. “Time to go, mei’hswei.” Before Dun’dak could react in his drunken state, Ti’nil pulled his arm over his shoulder and dragged him towards the door. Sen-ru followed behind them with Selene.

Once they stepped out of the bar she could hear Dun’dak muttering to himself about how well endowed he thought Sen-ru was.

Selene looked up at her suitor with red cheeks. “I’m sorry about that.”

Sun-ru chuckled, “no need to apologize. It is refreshing to be treated so.” Selene tilted her head and he elaborated. “Being a council member, others are stiff more often than not. No one would dream of asking a council member about their genitals, besides Dun’dak it seems. It is nice to be treated with such casualness among trustworthy fellows.”

“You trust Dun’dak and Ti’nil?”

“Sei-i. They are your mei’hswein. You have trusted them with your life many times over, you trust them now, and I trust you.”

He made her feel fuzzy inside. “I’m glad you enjoyed tonight.”

They eventually had to split ways so Selene and Sen-ru said their goodbyes to Ti’nil as he dragged drunk Dun’dak away. They continued on their way and stopped by the Kennels to pick up Fhir’na before ending up in front of her apartment where Sen-ru reluctantly put her down.

Sen-ru crouched to be on her level.

Fhir’na huffed and deliberately turned her back to them. The frost-colored hound had gotten used to Sen-ru but that didn’t mean she was happy about the delay in getting her nightly cuddles from her master.

Selene cupped Sen-ru’s face in her hands and her thumbs stroked his concave cheeks. He grabbed one of her hands and nuzzled into her palm.

She felt it was time. “I would like to start practicing.” She flushed. “Practicing to take you.”

Sen-ru’s voice took on a lower register. “Is that so?”

She nodded as her gaze darted to look at the floor.

He hooked a finger under her chin so she was looking at him again. “I have been making preparations but there is no need to rush.”

“I want to. I’ve been thinking about it since we bathed together for the first time.” Selene tilted her head slightly. “What kind of preparations?”

“Research on ooman courting rituals, sex practices, and the ooman female body. I have also acquired sex toys to assist us.”

“You got sex toys?” Selene was in awe at this revelation. She could feel her attachment to this man increasing by the second. The self confidence it would take for a man to go out and get sex toys, not for himself, but for his partner, was insane.

“Of course. They will make our time much more pleasurable than without.”

Selene smiled, “That's amazing!” She moved in between his spread thighs to give him a hug. “Thank you.”

He hugged her back. “It is late.”

She gave him one final squeeze and she stretched up to give him a kiss on a mandible before backing away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, little one.”

Chapter Text

Selene was in the large public kehrite sitting on the edge of a mat with Ti’nil standing next to her. Within the circle Dun’dak and Sen-ru were facing off. They had all done a few warm up rounds and this was the first actual spar. Dun’dak had been eager to take on the larger Yautja and this was his chance.

With little preamble, Dun’dak made the first move. Watching two skilled Yautja fight was like watching colossal beings go at it. The few human professional fights she had seen had nothing on what was happening before her now.

When sparring with her, her opponent often had to be conscious of their strength and how they executed moves. Selene knew she had no chance of beating a Yautja in hand to hand combat. She wasn’t built for it. Her skin wasn’t as protective as their hide, she didn’t have claws or their insane muscle and bone density. Her mei’hswein, and now Sen-ru, made it a point that if she couldn’t be caught, she couldn’t get hurt. She was small and with consistent training she would remain more agile then most Yautja so her fighting style focused mostly on avoidance and slipping away.

Everything that applied to her when sparring, did not apply to anyone else. They did not hold back their strength or watch their claws. They did not have to be conscious of how breakable their opponent was.

Watching the fight, Dun’dak had much more success then she did in getting Sen-ru to move. Blows were exchanged, grapples were escaped, and counters were executed. The two ended up with their arms locked together and Sen-ru used his superior strength to knock down Dun’dak but he refused to let go and pulled Sen-ru down with him. They ended up ground fighting.

Dun’dak tried to do the Yautja version of an arm bar but Sen-ru used his free hand to keep Dun’dak’s ankles from locking on his chest. With most of his mobility still intact, Sen-ru kneed the caramel Yautja in the side hard enough for him to loosen his grip enough to escape.

Sen-ru didn’t give him time to recover and rolled over on top of him. After a bit more of a struggle Sen-ru got Dun’dak pinned. Two taps later, both males were standing back up.

Her brother shook out his tresses and slapped Sen-ru on the shoulder. “Good fight!”

Her courting partner returned the shoulder slap. “Sei-i. I can tell you and Selene have trained together. You two use similar moves.”

Dun’dak puffed up. “You hear that, mei-jadhi? Our styles are similar!”

Selene laughed, “Of course!” She nudged Ti’nil’s calf next to her with an elbow. “You two taught me combat from scratch. I would hope we have similar styles.”

Ti’nil stepped forward, “Come then mei-jadhi. Let us spar in our ‘similar styles.’”

Selene groaned as she stood, “this is going to be the furthest thing from a spar.”

The two hunt siblings took their positions across from each other in the circle. Ti’nil grinned at her.

Selene shrunk in on herself, “Ti’nil, don’t do it!”

“Then don’t let me do it.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Selene didn’t even try to counter his charge and opted to avoid it completely.

He ended up chasing her around the ring with her shouting, “Ti’nil no!” Talk about good evasion practice.

Eventually he got her cornered against the boundary of the ring and his body.

“I could step out of bounds!”

Ti’nil shook his head. “You won’t.”

She scowled at him because he was right. She faked going to his left before attempting to dive between his legs but he knew her too well and caught her. He grabbed both her ankles before she could get up and gripped both of them in one hand. With a flex of his arm she was suddenly hanging upside down.

She pouted up at him.

Ti’nil shrugged, “You lasted longer this time.”

“Can you put me down now?”

He answered by lowering her to the floor and she popped back up to her feet. She ran up to Sen-ru and wrapped her arms around his thigh while looking up at him with a sad look on her face.

“Will you avenge me?” She gave him her best puppy eyes.

He chuckled, “I shall do my best.” He carded his claws through her hair before stepping up to the mat to spar Ti’nil. Her hunt brother ended up winning by making Sen-ru step out of bounds. Another round of her mei’hswein going against each other saw Dun’dak as the victor. She also ended up going against Dun’dak and managed to win by sending him out of bounds when he lunged at her and she used his momentum and her entire body to send him stumbling across the red line. Overall, it ended up being a fun time all around and a good bonding experience.

As they were headed to the public baths to clean up she got a message from Parn.

Parn: I need your help with the hounds. There was an incident.

Selene: Of course, I’ll be there right away. Is everything ok?

Parn: Sei-i, the mutts are fine but I can’t say the same for the facilities.

“Sorry guys. I need to go. Parn needs help at the Kennels,” Selene said as she was already turning to separate from the group. She said her goodbyes and got a promise from Sen-ru that he would find her later.

When Selene made it to the Kennels she was frozen in shock for a moment before jumping in action. Half the training yard had been turned to mud as water sprayed out from the wall where the watering trough was. Hounds were going nuts in the chaos, running around, barking, and wrestling each other in the mud which was making the whole situation even worse. There were even a few attacking the water or playing in the quickly growing puddle.

Parn was guarding a maintenance worker who was trying to stop the flow of water. The maintenance worker needed guarding because some of the younger hounds were trying to get to her. They weren’t going after the female Yautja to attack, but to play.

“Fhir’na,” she shouted. After a second thought she made another call, “Jun’nik!” This would be a good test of the gray-purple and navy colored mutt. Fhir’na responded almost immediately, coming out of the mess only slightly muddy. The light blue hound took up her position at Selene’s side. Jun’nik was slower at responding but she saw him prancing towards her absolutely covered in muck with his mouth hanging open and tongue lolling out. She should have known he would have been right in the middle of it all. “With me,” She commanded.

She ran through the battlefield towards Parn and both her hounds kept up and stayed at her sides like they were supposed to. Not needing to be told what to do, she put herself between Parn and the four pups trying to get the source of the water. Fhir’na and Jun’nik turned with her and she issued another command, “Shepard!”

Fhir’na jumped into action with Jun’nik not far behind. The two hounds worked in unison to push the playful brats towards the kennels on the other side of the room. There was a lot of pacing back and forth, nipping and growling and they finally got them into a kennel that Selene pulled shut. They may have been puppies but they still had vicious claws and teeth that they didn’t know how to use yet which made them dangerous.

Jun'nik, seemingly thinking his job was done, went to take off back towards the mud pit but Selene called him back and they ran back to Parn who was still standing in between the rest of the dogs and the maintenance worker. By now the flow of water was lessening with every crank until it petered out to a stop.

The female stood tall and faced them. She was bristling. “By Paya! What happened here?”

Before Parn could respond to the angry woman, A heavy weight crashed into the back of Selene’s legs, sending her tumbling into the mud. Selene scrambled to regain her footing while there was a threatening snarl from Fhir’na then simultaneous yelps. Selene looked up in time to see two other hounds absolutely covered in mud to the point she couldn’t tell who they were running away with Jun’nik chasing them away and towards the kennels.

Selene stood and held her arms out from herself as she looked down at herself. She too was now taking a mud bath.

Parn clicked his tusks, “One of the mutts crashed into the trough, discovering it could move. The valve was exposed and another in the midst of teething decided it looked like a good place to chew and broke it.”

The maintenance worker snarled, “This is a mess! Do you know how much water you wasted? Ridiculous!”

Selene shrugged, “It’s alright. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Besides the hounds are having a blast,” She gestured over her shoulder where she could hear the splat splat of playing in the mud.

The maintenance worker flared her mandibles at Selene before turning her back to them and getting to work on the valve.

Selene and Parn walked to the center of the yard together to take in the craziness.

“We have a lot of work to do,” said Selene.

“Let’s get it done,” replied Parn.

Chapter Text

Hours later, Selene found herself laying on her back, in the mud, worn out. Jun’nik decided he liked seeing Selene take a tumble through the mud and did his best to knock her over whenever she stepped foot on the slippery ground. Eh, he got points for persistence.

Her and Parn had finished cleaning up and taking care of the hounds such as doing a bit of training in the mud and washing all the muddy mutts off. This final time Jun’nik got her to trip over her own feet, she decided she was just going to stay there for a while. Her troublemaker was laying in the mud with her licking her cheek every few seconds.

She turned to look at the mutt who had the most innocent look on his face, “at least you didn’t leave me here.”

She heard the clicking of tusks and craned her neck to see Parn standing at the edge of the pit. “It’s time to close up.”

Selene sat up only to be pushed down by Jun’nik crawling closer and plopping his head on her chest. Selene put a hand on his head and shoved him off. She fought her way out of the mud and to dry ground.

Selene sighed, “I’ll get him washed off and put up.”

“Good.” Parn turned on his heel and walked away.

Selene gestured for Jun’nik to follow her. “Come on, pauk-de.”

She sprayed off her hound and put him in his kennel. She was in the middle of spraying herself off when Parn got her attention once more. “Your suitor is here.”

“I’ll be there in a moment!” She called back.

A few minutes later she went to the entrance with Fhir’na at her side to find Parn and Sen-ru standing together, waiting for her.

Sen-ru looked her up and down, “You’ve had quite the day.”

She was soaked with mud still sticking to her in places. Her loincloth clung to one of her thighs and she pinched it to pull it off. She carried her sandals in her other hand along with her trophy feathers. Selene sighed, “Yeah. Now I’m just hungry, tired and in need of a bath.”

“As am I,” said Parn. “So get out so I can lock up.”

Selene flapped her hand at him. “We’re going, we’re going.” Parn always got grumpy after a series of unfortunate events.

Their little group walked off and Selene looked up at Sen’ru with her best pleading expression. “Can I use your washroom? I really want the luxury of a private bath right now.”

Sen-ru nodded, “Of course. Is there anything you wish to pick up from your apartment?”

“No. Besides, I don't want to take the detour.”

He chuckled, “Very well.”

The promise of a good bath kept Selene headed towards the hangers at a decent clip. Once she saw the black spaceship she nearly sagged in relief. Fhir’na was at her side and cocked her head at the large machine.

“Oh, is it ok for Fhir’na to be on your ship?” Selene asked.

“Sei-i. She is welcome. Does she need to be fed?” He stepped up onto the lowered ramp with them trailing behind him.

“If you don’t mind. She gets fed once in the morning and once in the evening.” As they stepped fully onto the ship, Fhir’na looked around curiously and stuck just a tad bit closer to Selene’s side. Selene petted her companion on the head in hopes that she wasn’t too nervous about being on a spaceship again.

“Understood. You go get cleaned up and I will take care of everything else.” With that, Selene and Fhir’na broke off to head to the washroom while Sen’ru disappeared into another room further down the hall.

Fhir’na laid down not far away while Selene stripped and eagerly got into the warm water. She practically melted into her seat. Selene knew that if she didn’t get the rest of the mud off of herself now, that she wouldn't do it at all. With a quick dunk she got to work loosing up the clumps of dirt in her hair which was the hardest part. After she got that taken care of, the rest would be easy.

Once she was clean and feeling refreshed she sat back and relaxed. Feeling the warmth seep into her was more rejuvenating then she thought it would be. She was still tired but she didn’t feel like if she were to get knocked over that she wouldn’t get up again (Jun’nik, you little rascal).

She heard the door open so she tilted her head back to see Sen-ru coming in. He was carrying a large bowl in one hand and a tray in the other. He placed the bowl in front of Fhir’na who curled her lip at him but stopped once she realized he was giving her food. Sen-ru chuffed in amusement at her as she started eating.

Next, he came over to Selene and crouched to present the tray to her. “I brought food for you as well.” On the tray was a cup of chilled tea and a plate of sauteed vegetables and meats with some fruits off to the side.

“Awe, Sen-ru, thank you so much.”

He started purring. A cool thing about Yautja was that they could purr and talk at the same time. “I would like to feed you while you soak.”

Selene smiled, “I would like that.”

Sen’ru settled behind her criss-cross. He was close enough that Selene leaned her head to rest against his crossed legs. He settled the tray high on his thigh and picked up a piece of meat with the tips of his claws.

She held eye contact with him as she took the piece from him.

His purring intensified as he picked up another piece.

As he continued to feed her, she realized how nice this was. He just wanted to take care of her.

By the time she was finished eating she noticed she had cleared the tray but was completely satisfied. She stood from the water and faced him. She placed her hands on his knees and leaned into him with a mischievous smile. “You’ve been stalking me, great hunter.” She gestured to the tray with her chin. They ate together frequently and he must have been paying attention to how much she ate to give her perfect portions.

He leaned down towards her slightly, “Not so great if my prey has caught me.”

She sidestepped him so she could get out without getting him wet. As she dried off with a super soft, super absorbent towel that was commonplace in bathing areas she looked at Sen-ru over her shoulder. “Perhaps this prey wants to be caught.”

He stood while keeping his gaze on her. He took the towel from her hands and crouched in front of her to continue drying her off. “ I should warn you, little prey,” He used a hand to turn her around to dry her back. He spoke in a lower register directly into her ear. “Once we start, there will be little reprieve,” His large hands drifted down to cup her glutes through the towel. “Unless you wish to start from the beginning once more.” He moved further down to towel her legs. “Human bodies are elastic but.” She spread her legs so he could get the inside of her thighs. “They will return to their original state rather quickly if not maintained.” He ended with cupping her sex through the towel.

By Paya, the sensuality of his touch combined with his voice and what he was talking about had a need building in her.

Selene leaned back into him and rested her head on his shoulder. Her breath ghosted over his hide as she looked at him, “You are a challenge, hunter. One I would gladly conquer many times if need be.” She grinded down into his palm with a roll of her hips that had him growling.

His growl turned to a purr as he tossed the towel to the side and scooped her up with one arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and peppered his skin with kisses and licks. He exited the wash room with Fhir’na on his tail who quickly made herself scarce by disappearing into the darkness of the ship.

As he walked down the hall, his stride wasn’t rushed which increased the anticipation even more. They reached a door she had never been through before. With a press of the panel, the door opened to reveal pitch blackness. Sen-ru stepped in and adjusted the lights until the room was cast in a warm glow.

They were in Sen-ru’s nest room. He was a big Yautja and his nest reflected that looking like it could fit three of him. It was a large dip recessed into the floor absolutely full of furs. Selene could tell from just looking at it, it would be the most comfortable place in space.

He stepped into the flat center of the nest and put her down. “Wait here.” Selene stayed on her feet as she watched him.

He crossed out of the other side and retrieved what looked like the Yautja version of a suitcase. He brought it back and laid it on the edge of the nest then returned to her.

“What’s that?” she asked as he kneeled before her.

“You’ll see.“ His hands gripped her hips and gave her a gentle squeeze. “It is one thing to look at diagrams, it is another to have you before me. Much better, I must say.”

She giggled as she rested her hands on his arms, “Agreed. Diagrams leave a lot to be desired.” She pressed closer as she slid her arms up his biceps then down his chest. “Is it true Yautja don’t have any erogenous zones besides the obvious?”

“Sei-i. Hide is more protective than your skin but I still enjoy your touch.” He put a hand over hers on his chest and pressed it into himself. “Your touch is always soft, always gentle, words many Yautja do not know how to put into action.”

Selene never expected to hear such a heartwarming sentiment. “I love touching you. Your texture, your muscle, and most of all, you always respond to me whether it be with a sound, a look, or a touch of your own.”

As if to demonstrate both their points, he took her hand and guided it up to his tendrils. She glided her fingers through them, making sure she didn’t catch on one of his many rings. He shivered then started purring. “The tresses of a Cave Yautja are part of our echolocation. When they stand stiff we may not necessarily be agitated. We could be listening for something.”

She hummed as she singled out a dreadlock somewhere in the middle. “Is that why they are so much longer than the typical Yautja?”

He nodded as he carded his claws through her hair. “May I try something?”

She didn’t know what he wanted to try but she was game for almost anything at the moment. “Sure.”

He gestured to the furs, “Sit on your knees.”

As she did what he said, he stood and removed his loincloth, leaving him bare, like her. She hadn’t noticed before but his tech was nowhere to be seen.

His purring tapered off as he stood in all his glory and looked down at her with his fiery gaze. By Paya, he was scary to look at but in her brain that translated to attractiveness. “Do you trust me?” He asked.

She nodded.

“Give me your words, little one.”

“Sei-i, yes. I trust you Sen-ru.”

Emboldened by her words, he laid on his back next to her with his head next to her legs. He reached over and grabbed her knee furthest away to lift it and pull it over his face causing her to pivot on her other knee. Suddenly, her core was hovering over his mandibles. His hands gripped her hips, fingers curling to dent the meat of her ass.

Her heart sped up in her chest as her face heated up. “Sen-ru, are you…”

“I wish to taste you, so I will.” He used his hold on her to adjust the position of her hips and she shivered. Yautja had a forked, contoured tongue like a lizard and this was the first time she was experiencing one.

His first few licks were exploratory but firm. She relaxed into his hold as she got more comfortable with the feel of him between her legs like this. That must have been what he was waiting for because with an ease that she wasn’t expecting, he found her clit and caught it in the dip along the center of his tongue.

His purring started up again as she sucked in a sharp breath and her entire lower body tensed at the pleasurable but foreign sensation. His tongue was long and he was constantly brushing against her clit as the forked part of his tongue dipped into her entrance. He groaned like he tasted ambrosia for the time.

His movements turned more eager but still controlled, consistently dipping into her entrance and rubbing against one of her most sensitive areas. It didn’t take much longer for the build up in her core to become obvious. Selene curled forward and her hands landed on either side of Sen-ru’s head. Just like that, she was making solid eye contact with his red gaze.

“S-Sen-ru, I’m going to-”

He didn’t need her to finish her sentence. He buried his tongue as far as he could inside of her without letting up on her clit. She collapsed to her elbows as she gasped in pleasure. She was lost on the waves for a few moments.

When she settled down, one of Sen-ru’s hands shifted to her waist and he rolled over. She landed on her back and he ended up hovering over her as he separated from her core. She caught a glimpse of his tongue licking over his mandibles before it disappeared.

He doesn’t say anything but the hungry look in his eyes said it all as he crept up her body and between her legs to bring his face level with hers.

She reaches both hands out to him and he leans down more so she can card her fingers through his tendrils. His purring never stopped but it dropped an octave as he fell to his elbows and buried his face in her neck.

Selene easily tilted her head back and to the side to give him unfettered access to one of her most vulnerable spots. She shivered as she felt his mandibles spread around her neck and his warm breath wash over her skin. The feeling of his sharp tusks ghosting over her neck reminded her of how dangerous he was.

How easily he could kill her.

But he won’t and that made it all the more sensational.

She whimpered as his tusks settled securely around her neck and the press of sharp teeth against the delicate skin of her neck. Her hands tightened their grip on whatever dreadlocks she was holding and she could feel the cool press of a ring just above one of her hands.

He shifted all his weight to one side so he could bring up a hand to fondle her breast with surprising gentleness.

She let go with one hand to bring it on top of his to show him how hard to squeeze.

Sen-ru easily copied the pressure and she moved her hand to his shoulder and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she rocked against him. Her knees were pulled up around his ribcage and the controlled pressure of his body against hers had her thinking about how big he was.

He was the biggest Yautja she had ever seen and here he was, between her legs, turning her into mush with the sheer difference in their sizes.

He rolled her nipple between the pads of his fingers and she arched into his touch with a sharp inhale. He had gotten the pressure right on the first try. He rolled the sensitive flesh between his fingers until he had turned it into a hard bud.

Seemingly, satisfied with that, he trailed a hand slowly down her body until his palm resisted heavily on her mound. She whined as she tried to roll her hips to get him to touch her where she needed him.

His mandibles flexed around her neck as he chuckled over his mind melting purring. She couldn’t think. All that existed was him and her neediness.

Finally, he twisted his wrist to get her dripping core cradled in his hand.

Thoughts did not exist as he stroked her. The light glide of his claws through her folds had her remaining still under his touch but she knew he was too aware to let anything happen that he didn’t want to happen.

All at once, his mandibles loosened, he removed his hand, and he pulled away to hover over her.

Her hands slipped down to press against his chest.

He shifted his weight to his other arm and brought a hand up to frame her jaw. “Are you with me, little one?” His purr quieted but was still present as he looked down at her with a knowing look in his eye.

Why was he asking her that? She just wanted him to keep touching her.

The lack of contact and stimulation had her feeling desperate and distantly she realized something.

Oh. Oooohhhh.

She took a deep breath through her nose, and released it.

The air smelled good, spicy. There was something extra to it that had her head spinning even more than it already was.

She took another deep breath. She felt like she could speak now. “Y-yeah. I’m here.” Her voice was a little shaky and she belatedly realized she had spoken in her native tongue and not bastardized Yautja. She tried again. “Sei-i. I’m with you.”

He gave her a soft smile, “Do you wish to continue?”

She pondered his question. She had only heard of what just happened. She had never experienced it herself until now. She only reached that state of mind because of how safe and secure she felt with Sen-ru. The fact he had pulled back when he noticed only cemented the notion. He was attentive in ways she didn’t even know she needed.

She had her answer.

She glided her hands up to hold his face. “Sei-i, I would like to continue.”

He gave her a nod then sat back on his heels. He twisted to reach out for the mysterious case she had completely forgotten about.

She used her hands to push herself up so she could see what he was doing. She couldn’t help noticing the physical embodiment of his desire though.

His cock was deliciously girthy. He was thickest a few inches below the head then he barely tapered off in size closer to his body. Her mouth watered at the sight even if she knew he wouldn’t fit past her lips. Her nether regions clenched around nothing at the thought of him forcing her body to make space for him. She might not be able to take his full length but his thickness would be doable in the future. By Paya, she wanted it so bad.

She was brought out of her lust by the sound of clinking metal. He had flicked open the clasps on the case and angled it so she could see what was in it.

Selene blinked then her face lit up scarlet as she realized what she was looking at.

It was a dildo collection of Yautja shaped phalluses spread over two shelves that had unfolded when he opened the case. Each one had its own place and they went up in size until just below the size of Sen-ru himself. They were color coded with the darker colors being smaller and transitioning to brighter colors as they got bigger.

She knew Sen-ru had gotten toys but this was something else. She wasn’t expecting an entire kit.

He reached for her face and she leaned into his touch as his thumb stroked her cheek. “Do not be embarrassed.”

It’s hard not to be but she supposed that would be something that came with time. She smiled, “You’re so thoughtful.”

He huffed in amusement as he turned back to the case. “I would not be worthy if I wasn’t.” He gestured to the array of silicone-like dildos. “Which one would be best to start with? I can’t use my hands directly due to my claws.” He was asking for her input and it reminded her how great Sen-ru was even if she never forgot in the first place.

Selene scooted closer and leaned against his side to get a better look at the different sizes. She pointed at the first three. “These would be good for prep.” She indicated the third one. “Start here. I’m really wound up so you won’t need the first two and this one lets us both get a feel for it.” She tapped the fourth one which was a blue color. “This one I would consider the perfect size for me.” She moved on to the next one. “This one would be a small stretch but not undoable.” She pointed at number six. “We’ll have to work for that one in the beginning.”

He picked up the third one and it looked so small in his hands.

“Have they been cleaned already?” Cleanliness was important for things like this. Luckily Yautja had extremely hygienic habits.

“Sei-i.” He pulled a jar from the bottom of the case and opened it to reveal a clear liquid. He scooped a bit out and coated the toy in it so Selene figured it was lube. Once finished with his preparations he turned fully to face her. “Lay down.”

She laid back and she couldn’t help the sudden shyness that overtook her. Yes, he had been face to face with her most intimate areas but this was still their first time together. He gave her the time she needed to gain the courage to spread her legs for him.

He came to kneel between her thighs and she rested her legs over his. He spread his legs a little further apart which had her’s opening further as well. Like this, he had full access to her.

He rubbed his free hand up her thigh and over her stomach and she quickly got reacquainted with his touch. When she relaxed and settled more into position, he moved his hand between her legs and found her clit easily.

She shuddered at the return of such stimulating touch. He rubbed her slowly until she canted her hips to search for more. He brought the dildo down to her entrance. With steady pressure on her clit, he pushed it in. Combined with her slick and the lube it slid in easily.

She sighed in honest relief at having something inside her. It felt so good and she pushed into the pressure. Sen-ru’s low octave purring increased in volume again as he pulled the toy out slowly and pushed it back in.

He was watching his own movements intently. She clenched at the look in his eyes and he growled. His thumb that was rubbing at her clit drifted lower to stoke along her entrance before returning to her sensitive bundle of nerves.

“S-Sen-ru,” she stuttered.

His heated gaze moved to her face. Without breaking eye contact he gave her a few hard thrusts then completely pulled away.

She whined at the loss.

He patted her thigh as he put the toy down outside the nest. As he pulled out the next dildo she glanced down at his erection. He was leaking clear fluid from the tip and it dribbled down his textured hide.

She sat up slightly. Maybe she could touch it.

Sen-ru trilled at her and she looked up at him with wide eyes. He raised his brow at her and he looked distinctly amused.

He had just caught her blatantly staring at his cock.

“You can touch me after if you want but right now is about you.” He turned to fully face her with the dildo that was equivalent to a human penis already lubed up. “You did have a tiring day after all.”

It felt like a lifetime ago that she was getting chased around a kehrite and getting knocked into the mud by Jun’nik. Now that he had pointed it out, she felt the tiredness return to her that had been banished by the bath.

Selene showed her compliance by settling back down.

He rewarded her by paying attention to her clit again with faster movements as he rested the head of the toy against her entrance.

She waited expectantly but he didn’t do anything more. She looked at him incredulously. “Are you, are you teasing me?”

His mandibles lifted in a grin. “Perhaps.” He didn’t say anything more as he pushed the imitation into her.

She couldn’t help the quiver that washed through her as she moved her hips back and forth as he held it still inside her. “Sen-ru, please.”

Her pleading seemingly did the trick and he started thrusting. Selene wasn’t lying when she said she considered this one to be the perfect size. Her breath sped up even as he kept an even pace and her hands fisted in the furs below her. It was grazing that one spot inside of her that had her wishing he would go faster, harder.

It felt so good. Her muscles started to tense in preparation of an orgasm but just then he pulled away. She tried to follow his retreat but a firm hand had her staying in place.

She tilted her head back as she stifled a groan.

Sen-ru was much quicker this time at switching dildos as she jolted at the feeling of the next one nestling between her folds.

She wiggled her hips instantly and he started pushing it in. He met slight resistance this time but nothing a few pulses back and forth couldn’t get through.

The stretch had her turning into a pile of goo as he got the dildo seated fully inside of her. He pulled it out slowly and she moaned at the drag against her walls. “It feels so good!” Her hands snapped from the pelts to grip onto his knees bracketing either side of her hips from under her thighs.

She could feel herself spreading around the thickest point of the toy with every movement. While the last size grazed the pleasure points inside of her, this one pressed firmly against them.

She arched her back as he resumed playing with her clit and increasing the speed of his thrusts. Her hips pulsed along with Sen-ru’s movements and she slowly lowered herself down so her back was flush with the nest once more.

She focused on Sen-ru and the black on black behemoth looked like he wanted to devour her. Her eyes dropped down to his cock once more to see his own lubricant had completely coated the underside of him.

She wanted it, she wanted it so bad.

As the dildo inside of her turned more into a glid then a drag, Sen-ru's deep, strained voice broke her out of her lustful haze. “Do you want to finish here or try the next one?”

Selene could barely think about his question since he didn’t let up on pleasuring her. She was going to orgasm soon if she didn’t give him an answer. “T-the next one. I-I can take it. Please, I want it,” she begged.

Sen-ru didn’t respond but the sudden emptiness of her needy cunt was answer enough. He grabbed her hand and pulled her grip off his knees. He pressed her fingers against her own clit. “Touch yourself for me.”

Her fingers immediately took up the action that kept her pleasure from sizzling out. A few seconds later he had the larger dildo ready. This one looked more substantial in his hand but not near the size she would eventually want to take.

He spread her folds and notched the girthy head against her entrance. “Ready?”

She nodded frantically. “Sei-i, yes, please!”

He started pushing it in. He needed to use a bit more force than before but that was expected. The previous toy had loosened her up enough that the stretch was beautifully breath stealing with the faintest hint of pain that hurt so good.

She felt herself spread wider then she ever had before around its widest point and she mewled as he fucked her entrance with the thickest part of the toy. He leaned over her and used his free arm to support himself as he settled against her as much as he could without restricting either of their rhythms.

Selene’s hand that wasn’t currently between her legs wrapped up under his arm and clung to his shoulder. He finally pushed the toy further into her and he buried his face in her neck.

She could hear his deep heavy breaths as he spread his mandibles to settle around her neck once more. A wave of being desired washed over her as he huffed her scent that was thick with her arousal and her impending climax.

Her legs wrapped around him as much as she could as noises of pleasure escaped her.

It was so much. She felt so good.

With a high pitched moan she was drowning. Everything zero’d in on the waves that pulled her under and all she knew in those moments was how amazing she felt.

The first thing that she truly recognized was her own heavy breathing. The second thing was Sen-ru. His mandiables were still wrapped around her neck and his weight on her was like a safety blanket. He did short gentle thrusts with the toy that left her shivering as he brought her down from her high. Her own hand had long since fallen away from her clit but she was still unconsciously clenching around the dildo.

Slowly, he let her go. He pushed himself up enough to see her face and she looked at him with glassy eyes. He nuzzled her face then pulled away.

His purring soothed her at the decrease in contact but she still reached for him with a needy whine.

He gathered both her wrists up in one hand as he sat back on his heels. “Easy,” he rumbled. He used his hold to keep her from sitting up. Gently he pulled the soaked dildo out and she gasped as she went limp at the feeling of it leaving her.

He set it off to the side without taking his gaze off of her. Seeming coming to a decision, he moved to lay down next to her. Selene immediately cuddled up to him and he wrapped his arms securely around her.

They laid like that for a few minutes until Selene felt like she wasn’t going to fall to pieces if he left her.

She sighed as she pushed herself up enough to rest her chin on his chest. “Thanks for not leaving me right away.”

He ran his claws through her hair. “I would not leave you when you’re like that.”

He was always so sweet. “What about you?”

He shook his head which sent his tendrils spreading further over the bedding. “Pleasure is not always about the destination. I enjoyed my time with you and that is enough.”

“Alright.” She sat up all the way. “Let’s clean up.”

Chapter Text

Selene ended up staying with Sen-ru that night. She didn’t even think it was a question really. They slept in his massive nest together along with Fhir’na who had plenty of room to avoid them but still insisted on sleeping with her master. Selene might have spoiled the older hound by letting her sleep with her every night.

The morning ended up being quite eventful with the couple having another session. Selene was left sweaty and panting but she wanted his cock. She stared at his slick member as he watched her. “Sen-ru, please, can I touch you?” She wanted to give him release just like he had given her.

He sat back, “touch all you want.”

Eagerly, she crawled up between his legs. Just like last night he produced a lot of slick. She reached for his cock with both hands. He started purring as she touched the sticky substance coating him. It was more viscous than what a human could make but just as slippery. She spread it over the entirety of his length and that transitioned into stroking him firmly with both hands.

His purring intensified as his fiery gaze watched her work.

She couldn’t resist it anymore. She had to taste him.

She leaned forward slowly. This close to him, she realized that spicy smell in the air was coming from him. She didn’t have the presence of mind to realize it before.

She thought back to what she had been taught about this. The only smell that would be strong enough for her to pick up with her less sensitive nose would be his mating musk, his arousal.

By Paya, he smelled so good. She wanted to cover herself in the scent of him. Actually that might not be a bad idea. Well, she would think about that later, right now she had his leaking cock to pay attention to.

She stuck her tongue out and gave him a long, sensual lick over the head. He growled at the same time as she moaned. He tasted just like he smelled, all peppery and warm. She let this go to waste last night and she would just have to make up for it now.

She worked her hands and mouth over him like a woman starved.

She was rewarded with his purr dropping an octave which zapped all thought from her brain. His fingers weaved through her hair and cradled the back of her head. Then he was guiding her mouth along him and she paid special attention to each spot he directed her to. She made sure to remember each spot he wanted her to pay extra attention to.

Oh, how she wished she could fit more than just the tip in her mouth. She would never be able to give him the pleasure of having his cock down her throat. He had most likely never even experienced it before due to Yautja anatomy but at least she could give him her very human tongue which he seemed quite enthralled with.

Whenever her tongue was spread flat over him, he would grind slightly into the pressure like he couldn’t get enough. He had her paying extra attention to the thickest part of him along with the area where the head transitioned into the shaft.

He held her against the underside of his crown for longer than he had her at any of the other sensitive locations. She sealed her lips over the area and sucked.

His purr stuttered and turned into a deep rumbling growl as his hand fisted her hair, pulling at her scalp.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head at the feeling but she didn’t let up on her sucking and pumping of him.

A few seconds later she felt his cock pulse and she pulled away to witness his stripes lighting up red. He pulsed again and suddenly her chest was getting covered in thick, white cum.

Her eyes widened in amazement at the sheer amount. Sen-ru was enormous and the amount of spend he was producing reflected that. She was secretly thankful she didn’t try to swallow it from the source.

By the time he finished, it was dripping down around her breasts and down towards her stomach and waist.

Wow.

She smiled up at Sen-ru with a large, giddy grin. “How do I look?”

Sen-ru snorted as his mandibles raised up in a smile and his crimson glow faded away. “Beautiful.” He got to his feet with surprising ease. He scooped her up princess style, completely unbothered as his cum smeared off of her and onto him. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Selene walked into the Kennels with Fhir’na at her side and got to work right away. The yard was still a mess from the whole water incident.

Jun’nik eventually found her and trotted up to her with his usual innocent look that told her he was definitely not innocent. When he got to her, he tilted his head and started sniffing instantly at her and her face warmed as she knew exactly what had the young hound so interested.

He plopped on his rump and stared up at her like he just discovered the greatest thing in the world and deserved a treat.

She giggled as she patted him on the head. “You’re not wrangling anything extra out of me, rascal.”

Half an hour later she found Parn to talk to him and he looked her up and down with a raised brow and crossed arms. “He must mate well.”

“Parn!”

He dropped his arms with a shrug. “What? You’re covered in his n’dui’se. You obviously enjoyed yourself.”

“You-you can’t just say that though!” She waved her hands around like that would help her get her point across.

Parn rolled his eyes. “I can and I will. You and your delicate human sensibilities,” he said it like he had to deal with her ‘delicate human sensibilities’ all the time, which he didn’t. “It is a compliment. Wear his scent with pride.”

Selene deflated, “I am!” Her shoulders slumped. “But I took a bath,” she mumbled more to herself than Parn. She couldn’t help the bit of embarrassment that trickled in that everyone could tell she had sex just by being close enough to smell her even though it was commonplace in their society. She was proud of her coupling with Sen-ru so she would get used to it eventually.

“It’ll take more than a bath to get rid of his scent.” He set his hands on his hips. “Now, back to work!”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

After Parn’s reaction Selene was more prepared for any reactions but Ra’sha was an entirely different story.

Selene crept into the food stall cautiously with Fhir’na walking alongside her. She didn’t see the milk chocolate Yautja anywhere. Selene pulled herself up into a seat and took a good look around. Still nothing.

Welp, no time like the present. “Ra’sha, are you here?!”

“I’ll be out in a moment, dear!” Selene settled in to wait while she wondered what the chef was doing. A few seconds later she heard a thunk that sounded like a freezer closing then Ra’sha came out of the back room and she paused. Here it comes. Selene watched as her chest expanded as she took a deep breath. “Selene!” Ra’sha was across from her in an instant, clawed hands splayed across the counter as she leaned in with slightly open mandibles as she huffed Selene’s scent. “Oh this is so exciting! Congratulations! How was it? Is he as big as you thought? Where’s your mating bite? Tell me everything!”

Selene held her hands up and made a placating motion. “Ok, ok!” Selene laughed, “I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“We need food for this!” Ra’sha pivoted around and started plating food for them both. Today’s selection was a seasoned meat roast with a side of bone broth with veggies. She placed the food on the table and she pulled out Selene’s fruits and extra veggies from under the counter. She even got a slab of raw meat and tossed it to Fhir’na who caught it in the air and laid down to start gnawing away. Ra’sha rubbed her hands together as she settled across from Selene, “Spill, dear. How was your first mating?”

Selene pushed her hair back over her shoulders as she looked at the food before her. “It was good. Really good. I had a tiring day and I think things really started to get intimate when he insisted on feeding me while I bathed. We were flirting and he dried me off.”

Ra’sha nodded along. “He sounds like an attentive lover. Go on.”

“Things led to the nest and he ate me out. He was really good at it. I knew Yautja had long tongues but to experience one was something else!”

She tilted her head. “Ate you out? I am unfamiliar with that.”

Selene was taken aback. She didn’t know what she meant by that? “Well, his head was between my legs?”

Ra’sha’s mandibles went slack. “You let him put his tusks down there?!” She leaned away. “I never…” She leaned back closer like she was sharing a secret. “You said it was good? How does it work?”

“It’s called oral sex or giving/getting head.” In hindsight, it made sense that Yautja didn’t do oral. She remembered Sen-ru saying he did research into human sex practices. “He spread his mandibles enough for his tongue to slip by them. Then he just used his tongue to play with my clit and thrust inside me. I did finish like that.”

Ra’sha clicked her tusks in thought. “I will have to try it. Who would I be willing to let them get their teeth that close to my vagina?” She shook her head and sent her dreadlocks shaking around her head. She gestured at Selene. “Anyway, continue.”

“Next, was some heavy petting. He wrapped his mandibles around my neck and combined with his purring and I, uh, I entered a new headspace I’ve never experienced before.”

“How did you feel?” Ra’sha asked. She sounded absolutely enthralled.

“I felt safe. All I wanted was him to keep touching me. I couldn’t even speak. When he noticed, he pulled back and checked in.”

Ra’sha was looking at her in a new light. “Oh, darling. You’re such a precious thing, you know that?”

Selene blushed at the fondness in the other woman’s voice. “What do you mean?”

“You submitted to him, fully. That’s not something many Yautja can do, if any. It’s something we’ve only ever read about. Yes, we will submit to one another but never entirely like you did.”

“Oh ok.” So that's what they called it.

Ra’sha reached across the counter and gave her a friendly shoulder shake. “It’s amazing you can do something like that and that Sen-ru is the one that helped you reach such a state. You must be really comfortable with him.”

Selene nodded, “Yeah and what happened after only proves that.”

Ra’sha went back to pulling her food apart. “I’m invested, dear. Don’t leave me in suspense.”

Selene giggled, “I won’t. So he is quite big.” Selene demonstrated with her hands.

Ra’sha looked taken aback. “That large?! I suspected he was well endowed but to have it confirmed is something else.”

“Yeah, so I’m sure you can guess that isn’t going to fit in me.” It was Selene’s turn to stand in her seat and reach across the table and place both her hands on Ra’sha’s shoulders. “Ra’sha, he had a size kit at the ready!” Selene jostled her (well tried). “A size kit! From the size of human fingers all the way up to just below his own size! He wasn’t shy in using them on me either!”

Her friend laughed, “Selene, you really do have a good one on your hands!” She wiggled her brow at the human. “Is it safe to say you won’t be without his n’dui’se for quite some time?”

Selene sat back in her seat. “Sei-i. If ever again. He said he wasn’t against forming attachments. I’d be really sad if he decided to leave.”

Ra’sha smirked at her. “From my view, he seems to be in it for the long haul. Although, everything you’ve told me so far doesn’t explain why his scent is so strong on you.”

Selene's face reddened as she shifted in her chair. “Ahem, well, this morning, I gave him head and uh.” Selene made a flinging motion with her hand towards her own chest and then wiggled her fingers as she moved her hand down her front.

Ra’sha bellowed her amusement and slapped the counter. “That would definitely do it!” She settled back down quickly. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Selene. He is good to you and you him. I can only hope my own sons and daughters will find such relationships.”

“How are they doing by the way?” The conversation shifted from her love life to Ra’sha’s family.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

It was time for her daily spars with her brothers. Sen-ru had taken to joining them as well so they usually met up at a public kehrite so no one had to make a significant journey.

Dun’dak and Ti’nil had taken to working with the other engineers of the hub ship so they could literally be anywhere doing who knows what. Sen-ru could usually be found in the scientific section doing things related to his work as an ecologist. Every once in a while he had to go to the administrative offices for clan council stuff.

Selene was actually the first to arrive so she claimed a sparing circle by warming up in the middle of it while Fhir’na laid down near the edge.

She had started practicing moves when instinct had her muscles tensing and she flung herself forward before her brain could even process why.

She swung around with a hiss and arms spread wide, ready to fight whatever had just taken a swipe at where her head just was.

Ti’nil stood in the typical Yautja stance ready for a fight.

“Ti’nil!” She was angry. “What was that for?!” The unexpected adrenaline rush had her on edge.

Fhir’na was growling and crouched low but Selene made a hand gesture that had her settling back down.

He clicked his tusks together, “good. You still know how to get out of the way of a surprise attack.”

She was transporting back to when her mei’hswein were also her teachers. Ti’nil had quickly become the more strict one between him and Dun’dak. Ti’nil wouldn’t let any of her mistakes slide. Any injuries she somehow gained, Ti’nil would work her to the bone after she was healed to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Ti’nil had made her cry many times when she was learning but she loved him all the more for it.

Ti’nil gave her such tough love because he loved so deeply. She saw it in the way he was always looking out for Dun’dak, why he never got more than buzzed when they went out drinking. When he would patiently sit by her side when she was learning to make her own clothes. He was a mother hen at heart and she was human. Compared to a Yautja she was painfully breakable and he made sure she knew that because he didn’t want her to get hurt by something she couldn’t handle.

She was still mad at what he just tried to do though.

“Of course I still know how to dodge a sneak attack! Do you really think I’ve been slacking on my training?!” She raised her voice at him.

Dun’dak stood at the edge of the ring. His legs were spread wider than usual and his arms hung by his sides but he held them tense. He was ready to intervene if necessary.

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Her caramel colored brother was easy going compared to Ti’nil but that didn’t mean he was the easier teacher of the two. While Ti’nil would leave her battered and bruised she could still walk, usually. Dun’dak, on the other hand, had to carry her after most of their training sessions together. He was slow and methodical when he imparted his knowledge onto her. He would make her do the same moves over and over again until she either got them right or couldn’t hold herself up anymore. Sometimes she was stuck doing the same micro movements for hours before Dun’dak let her move on to something else.

Ti’nil loved deeply but Dun’dak loved freely. He would laugh with her over the stupidest things and they could often be found goofing off. If he found something interesting he would talk their ears off for hours over it. He made it a point to stay up to date on what her and Ti’nil liked. Dun’dak was the one who knew all the minor details about them like their favorite colors and the foods they liked and disliked.

Her mei’hswein were two very different people but she loved them both. They were family after all.

Back in the present, Ti’nil started bristling. His corded tendrils stiffened around his shoulders. “I don’t know mei-jadhi. Why don’t you show me?”

Selene paused. She knew Ti’nil well by now. This wasn’t irritation, it was worry. She relaxed her stance as she combed her brain for what had him so prickly. It had to be Sen-ru’s n’dui’se on her if he was gunning this hard for her to test her skills against him.

She crossed her arms as she looked at Ti’nil with raised eyebrows. “Are you mad that Sen-ru and I mated?”

The reaction was instant. His dreadlocks went lax and he stood straight. “No, why would I be upset over such a thing?” He placed a hand on his hip as he looked away from her.

Dun’dak relaxed out of the corner of her eye. She had hit the nail on the head.

Selene smiled as she skipped up to her more protective brother and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. “Awe, it’s ok Ti’nil.” It warmed her heart that he was this worried for her but he didn’t need to be stressing himself out over it. “What can I do to make you feel better?”

His hand came to rest between her shoulder blades as she propped her chin against his abdomen to look up at him. “Did he… Did he treat you well? He didn’t hurt you?”

“He was very good to me and he didn’t hurt me. He’s extremely thoughtful and I enjoyed my time with him, immensely.” She couldn’t help getting warm at the thought.

He sighed and all the tension seemed to melt from his body. He gave her a pat on the back. “Good. You can let go of me now.”

She squeezed him a little tighter. “No, I don’t think I will.”

Dun’dak walked up to them and gave Ti’nil a firm shoulder shake. “We taught her well, mei’hswei. She knows how to make him bleed if something were to happen.” He looked down at her and she recognized the mischievous look in his eye. “You know, I never did find out how big his cock was.”

She groaned and buried her face into Ti’nil’s hide. “You remember that?” she mumbled.

He laughed, “Of course I remember! I also remember how pink your face was when we came over. What did he say to get you looking like that?”

Ti’nil reached over and gave him a hard shove and sent him stumbling away. “Shut up. You don’t need to know everything, brother.”

Dun’dak brushed off imaginary dirt from where Ti’nil had shoved him, “Says the one who just asked how he treated her during mating.”

Selene finally released Ti’nil as she turned her back to both of them. “Why don’t you both be quiet. It’s none of your business anyway.”

“Whatever you say, sister but I think this calls for a celebration. Let’s go drinking tonight!”

Selene twirled around to shake her head at Dun’dak. “How about the end of the week, instead?”

Ti’nil seconded her. “Agreed. The end of the week.”

“End of the week for what?”

Selene whipped around with a big smile on her face. “Sen-ru!” She ran up to the black on black male who crouched and scooped her up so he could return her hug while standing at full height. “For drinks but that also means dancing!”

Sen-ru nodded once. “The same place as last time?”

“Yep.”

Dun’dak groaned behind her. “What’s wrong with tonight?”

Ti’nil shoved Dun’dak again. “We can’t go drinking when we’re all so busy. Selene has the mess in the Kennels, we’re still trying to fix the artificial gravity in section 3C, and Sen-ru is drowning in environmental surveys.”

Dun’dak squared up to his brother and shoved him back. “Fine. I’ll just have to celebrate by tossing you out of the ring then.”

They backed up from one another and Ti’nil huffed. “You can try.”

Selene looked at the two from Sen-ru’s arms as the two muscle machines collided in the first spar of the evening. “Who do you think is gonna win?”

Sen-ru clicked his mandibles. “Dun’dak.”

Selene watched the spar for a moment longer, “Possibly but Ti’nil is good at changing things around.” She looked up at her courting partner. Or would it be mate now? Culturally speaking Sen-ru was her mate now. That sounded nice in her head. “How was your day?”

He put her back on her feet as he answered her. “Informative. One of the popular reserve planets is going through its annual stormy season and it’s flooding twice as much as last year so it’s under heavy observation.”

“Is that bad?”

“Not necessarily. The planet is popular because it’s surprisingly sturdy and well known for bouncing back after natural disasters. It got hit by a meteor once and we thought that was the end of it but it went through a tremulous weather cycle and was perfectly fine. It got a new moon and proved its resilience.”

“That’s cool. I didn’t realize planets could do that.”

“Not all planets can. There was another planet a long time ago that got hit by a meteor shower and shattered like a glass ball. Its remains joined the local asteroid belt.”

A thunk followed by a snarl had Selene looking back at the kehrite. Dun’dak had succeeded in getting Ti’nil to go out of bounds. Dun’dak laughed and offered his hunt brother a hand to pull him back to his feet.