Lex opens her eyes to a world of pain and darkness.  Every bone seems to ache and her wet clothes cause small tremors to course through her body. She frantically sits up, surveying the area around her. It appears to be some sort of cave. Lex breathes a sigh of relief when she catches sight of Scorvo.


    “Oh…Thank god! I was sure I was a goner! Thank you for—”


    The words freeze on Lex’s tongue as she spies the bright-green blood spilling down Scorvo’s right shoulder. The injured yautja is seated on the ground a few yards away. He struggles futilely to reach his shoulder blade with his skin mending tool. Lex uses a rock to steady herself and climbs to her feet. She makes her way over to Scorvo and kneels beside him.


    “Here. Let me. Just tell me what I’m supposed to do.”


    Scorvo instructs Lex on how to use the mending tool and she clamps it onto his injured shoulder. She shivers slightly, as Scorvo’s hand grips the inner part of her knee.


    “I’m guessing…This is going to hurt?” Lex queries. “Sorry.”


    Lex snaps the mending tool shut and Scorvo releases a long deep growl. Lex instinctually shrinks back, but is unable to move when Scorvo’s arm slips around her waist. They lock eyes and Lex blinks rapidly to avoid staring too long.


    “Thank you,” Scorvo says, eyes narrowing.


    “Don’t mention it,” Lex replies.


    For what seems like an eternity, Scorvo maintains his hold on Lex’s waist. Only when she averts her gaze does he release her. Lex drops down onto a nearby rock, eyeing Scorvo incredulously.


    “We cannot remain here,” Scorvo says. “I brought you here until such time that you regained consciousness. I also needed time to mend my wounds. There is still another ooman hunter out there. I do not wish to leave a trail of death. To do so would be costly and draw suspicion. We should go.”


    “No!” Lex nearly shouts. “No! I think we should stay here. From what you’ve told me…Your ship is still some distance away. It will be daylight soon. There will be people roaming all over the place. We should wait.”


    “I did not have a chance to dissolve the bodies of the ooman hunters. I was preoccupied with saving you. When their bodies are found…Along with that of the ooman you call a ranger…Many oomans will swarm to this area. We should go.”


    “Okay. We’ll go. But I need to rest for a little while. I don’t feel so hot.”


    “You are right. It is quite cold. Yautja do not thrive in cold environments. It will be warmer on my ship.”


    Lex rolls her eyes and places her steepled hands in front of her nose and mouth.  Laughter threatens to bubble out of Lex''s throat.  She pushes it down by breathing slowly into both hands and counting to ten.


    “No, Scorvo. No.”


    Scorvo tilts his head in confusion.  His amber eyes scrutinize Lex''s face, noting the subtle rise of her cheeks.  She is not angry.  Something else.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    “You no longer wish to go to the ship?”


    “No, Scorvo! I mean…No, I was not referring to the temperature in this cave. I was talking about me. I don’t feel well. As in, I’m not feeling too hot!”


    Finally understanding Lex’s point, Scorvo climbs heavily to his feet. He plops down on a rock directly next to Lex. He places an arm around her shoulder, drawing her in close.


    “With your soft skin, and those wet clothes, you will certainly be cold. We will be warmer if we stay close together.”


    “Uh…Sure,” Lex says, settling into the crook of Scorvo’s arm. “I kind of lost track of my backpack when I was running for dear life. My spare clothes and my pistol were in there. Just don’t try anything. I’m a black belt.”


    “I do not under—,”


    “Don’t say it, Scorvo! Everything isn’t a pop quiz. Wake me when you think I’ve slept long enough.”


    Before long, Lex is fast asleep. Scorvo’s eyes soften as he gazes down at Lex’s slumbering face. He traces the mark of his clan etched into her cheek by the burning blood of the keinde amedha.


    Wrapping his other arm around her, Scorvo draws Lex against his chest. She settles into her new spot, not even bothering to open her eyes. The pain in Scorvo’s shoulder increases, due to the angle in which he must hold his arm. Yet, he makes no effort to readjust. He listens to the soft sounds of Lex’s breathing, a calm settling over his spirit. He will protect the chosen one of his f’tyhu. He will restore honor to his cha’l brother’s name, and he will free him from the ooman prison. These things, he will do.


    Scorvo rests his cheek against the crown of Lex’s head. She stirs ever so slightly.


    -


    -


    “I’m so sorry, Lex!” a tall women with long black dreadlocks says, nodding her head solemnly. “Your father was a good man!”


    “Thank you,” Lex mutters softly, numbness in her heart and in her mind.


    The tall woman nods a second time and strolls away. A man waits for the dreadlock woman at the bottom of the hill and they head towards a limo parked along the path. Lex angrily wipes a tear from her eye and gazes upward. Gray clouds threaten rain, as they race each other across the afternoon sky. Pressing a hand to her mouth, Lex loses the battle to rein in her tears. At nearly the same instant, a giant raindrop falls onto her left cheek. Lex wipes at it with her hand, believing it to be a tear.


    All around her, mourners rush to their vehicles, in order to avoid the impending storm. Lex is the last person to leave. The rain pelts her body, falling in buckets from the heavens. Lex pays the rain no heed. Her hair and clothes are plastered to her body, and she shivers uncontrollably. Still, she remains in her position on the hill. She stares down at her father’s freshly dug grave. Seeing, but not believing.


    -


    -


    Cosmo backs through the trees, his weapon trained on the spot where he witnessed the strange silvery blur. Whatever had killed Trent and Johnny…It wasn’t human. And it was big. The sounds the creature had made were truly terrifying. But was it really a creature? Creatures don’t carry weapons? Do they?


    The murderer, and bank robber, searches his mind for the best means of escape. The ranger’s ATV is out, having run out of gas hours ago. Whatever was in that damn gas can probably wouldn''t get him far.  And besides, that would mean going back to face that thing.


    Cosmo licks his lips, his nerves frayed from constantly whirling to check his six. He switches his pistol from one hand to the other and reaches into his back pocket for the pack of cigarettes he stashed there. He withdraws the pack and uses his teeth to pull one of the cigarettes loose. Throwing the pack on the ground, Cosmo retrieves a lighter from his pocket with the same hand. He lights the cigarette, replaces the lighter in his pocket, and takes a deep drag on his cancer stick. He releases a puff of smoke at the same instant that Scorvo explodes from the trees.


    “No…No No…No!” are the last words Cosmo ever utters.


    Impaling Cosmo with his enormous wrist blade, Scorvo lifts the man high into the air. Cosmo’s lifeblood gurgles from his mouth—as well as from the massive hole in his chest. Scorvo waits unto the ooman stops moving before lowering him to the ground. Gripping the dead bank robber’s mass of brown hair, Scorvo yanks Cosmo’s head forward. He retracts his wrist blade from within Cosmo’s chest cavity, and severs the robber''s head with one slice.