Kayla

A metallic smack rang through the training room as a body connected with the floor. The sound, and the following growl barely made Kayla flinch from where she sat. Several feet away from the brawling pair and their spectators. One of her legs was stretched out and the other tucked in so her foot rested against her thigh. She leaned forward, grabbing her toes and pulling them back softly. A barely audible grunt fell from her lips at the ache that shot up her ankle and calf.

It was the doctor's orders to keep the limb moving. So move it she would despite the stiffness and lingering pain in her ankle. She would just have to be careful not to reinjure herself.

As she straightened her back, Kayla tilted her head toward the Yautja still brawling. A group of female's stood on the sidelines watching them with great interest. Occasionally, they would turn from the males to converse with one another before their eyes focused on them again. Various trophies lined the sidelines where they would receive minimal damage if another Yautja got tossed.

Kayla lifted her arms above her head, arching her back a little as she stretched. H'chakde sat beside her, mirroring her movements. He wasn't as flexible as her, but Kayla enjoyed watching the way his muscles flexed with his effort. It was easy to get a good view of them, since he wore only his loincloth today.

The exact opposite of most every male on the ship.

From her brief time in the cafeteria that morning she had caught glimpses of skulls, teeth, and bones each adorned themself with. What couldn't be hooked onto their armor in a way that looked pleasing to the eye, the males carried. Whether in their hands or strapped to their back in full view for everyone to see. The ones not dressed to the nines strutting about with their chest puffed out and their heads held high, were brawling like the ones behind her. Brawling in only the barest clothing or armor.

Slowly, Kayla lowered her arms as she pulled her other leg out so both were extended. She rolled her ankles in unison, wincing again she let out a soft breath.

"Pace yourself Kayla." H'chakde's gentle reminder brought Kayla's attention away from the brawl and back to their corner of the training room.

"I am," She assured him, her gaze flicking to the fighting ring once again before she moved to stand. H'chakde followed her watching as she dusted the dirt from her bottom and straightened her clothes.

"Will Skylar be joining us?" He inquired his eyes remaining on her.

"No, I think she still wants to stay in her room."

"I was shocked you were content to let her go back on her own."

"I wasn't," She admitted watching the losing Yautja leave the ring, his head hung low in shame. Another took his place in the ring, his chest puffed out and his mandibles flared. "But it's what she wanted, I'm just glad she's not there by herself anymore. The Elder is looking after her pretty well, I'm sure." If it wasn't for him, she might have been bugging Skylar every other hour or so.

The first few days it was easy to leave her be, if Skylar needed space, she'd give her space. After that, she had become more antsy. No matter how much she would do she wouldn't be able to keep herself fully distracted. Now though, with someone looking after Skylar full time, Kayla's worry was at ease.

"You seem really interested in what's going on in the ring." H'chakde's voice came out in a huff. Was that pouting in his tone? Kayla was almost certain it was. It wasn't until she heard the displeased click of his mandibles that she knew she was right.

"Yeah, it's just odd." Come to think of it, the overall energy of the ship had been the same. With the males dressing up, and the females paying more than a few moments of attention to them. She wondered if R'kadekna would have been among them if she hadn't left for a hunt with D'to. "Sad R'kadekna is missing all the theatrics."

"It is not unusual, she always takes a hunting trip around this season." H'chakde commented, his tone back to normal.

"Why's that?"

"Mating season has never interested her that much. The hunt is too exciting for her to give up for a time to raise pups, at least until she tires of it."

Everything made a lot more sense now that Kayla was thinking of things through that lens. "Why aren't you all dressed up then?"

"There are no females I wish to couple with," He stepped closer to her pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Kayla followed the movement of his hand with her eyes before her gaze flicked back to him. "Except for one, if she will have me."

"Can't think of who that might be." She knew full well, given who his attention was focused on. She wouldn't have minded accepting the silent offer, but returning to their room so soon wasn't on her agenda. They had all day afterall, and all their lives to indulge in each other.

"I thought I had made it clear, did I not?"

Kayla couldn't help her eye roll as she shook her head. "No no, H'chakde my himbo I know who you're talking about." She gave his chest a playful jab. "I was playing dumb. You know, pretending like I didn't know."

Realization crossed his face as she turned away, her arms extending above her head. Kayla sucked in a slow breath as she rolled on the balls of her feet. When she looked back, H'chakde's eyes were still on her.

"What next? I don't think I've filled my daily quota of movement." Besides this, there wasn't anything else to do, save for delivering Skylar's food. Which she didn't need to do for another couple of hours.

"Perhaps a little sparring, since their's interests you so much." The jealousy that had been in H'chakde's voice earlier, had morphed into teasing. That was a first for him, if Kayla's memory served right.

"You sure we're in the same league still big guy?" She returned, her tone equally as razzing. Another displeased click is what Kayla got from him, it was a struggle to keep from laughing. "Sparring sounds good, maybe with weapons instead of what they're doing." She gestured back to the ring where two new yautja were currently brawling. The medic wouldn't be pleased if he found she reinjured her leg, or harmed any other part of herself. Faux weapons would be the best bet.

They were usually meant for the youngest warriors in training. Not the kind of thing a blooded member of the clan would usually use. However, after her chiva, Kayla felt like using them for one training session wouldn't bring her status among the yautja down any.

She turned her attention away from him as she bent at the waist, her arms still extended. Kayla counted to ten in her head, her eyes closing as she continued to take deep breaths. Her shoulders rolled as she straightened her back, her attention going back to H'chakde.

Just as a female sent him flying back onto the ground.

"Hey!" Kayla shouted, bringing the female's attention to her. She wasn't one she had seen around the ship, but she had seen her at the blooding ceremony. Her tresses were long, and her skin a color that reminded Kayla of blue spruce. Gray speckles decorated her stomach, arms, and only some of her legs.

Kayla had to grit her teeth to keep herself from limping as she stalked forward, her shoulders squared. A fight wasn't the best idea with her still harmed leg, and just like with brawling it wouldn't make Lar'ja-Thwei happy. But if one came her way, backing down wasn't an option. She hadn't before and injury be damned she wouldn't start now. Especially since H'chakde was laying flat on his back.

The yautja before her recognized the aggression. Both in her stance and the scent of it that likely hung in the air. She turned to face Kayla, her mandibles flared. "What business of this is yours?"

In the corner of her eye,Kayla could see the other females were no longer watching the brawl. Instead their eyes were trained on her, and the female. "You made it my business by attacking him." She took her eyes off the female for a moment to look at H'chakde. He was sitting up now, though he was still on the ground.

"He slighted me, he-"

"I don't care, you will never lay a hand on him again, he is mine." Kayla took a step forward, her face twitched with effort as pain flared in her leg. She couldn't show weakness, not right now.

"C'u-rin." One of the older female's voices brought their attention away from one another, momentarily breaking the tense air between them. It was N'ritja. One of the yautja that she met thanks to R'kadekna. "She's had claim of him for a while."

"Find another male, fighting over one that's been claimed is pathetic, and unbecoming of us." The second female tilted her head slightly, irritation evident in her tone. "It is their job to fight for us, not us for them."

C'u-rin seemed to calm down after that. She stepped back from Kayla, before eventually turning away and walking out of the training area. Once she was gone, the others turned their attention back to where it had been before. The males, and the arena.

It was hard for Kayla to not let the relief show on her face as her shoulders dropped. Her attention turned back to H'chakde, who had moved beside her at some point during the conversation. She gave him a once over, taking in what few scratches he had. The main one was a big cut that ran the width of his face.

Frowning, Kayla patted his arm and softly tugged him toward the door. "Maybe we should just head back, don't want you getting any more beat up, and I have to go toe to toe with someone else."

H'chakde offered no objection as she led him out.

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"Did you mean what you said?" H'chakde asked once they reached their room. It was the first time he had spoken since they left the training area. This was probably the longest she had known him to be quiet in their time together. Not a grunt of frustration, or even his usual grumble she had been used to hearing from him. Especially since they had to swing by the medical bay for a couple of things before they returned.

Kayla laid out the medical supplies on their table before she responded.

"Yeah." She nodded, it was simple really. There were no fancy words she could use to convey it, not even if she tried. She was no poet after all. The most she had up her sleeve was a bunch of references he wouldn't get. "Sit down, let's get that wound cleaned up." It was just a scratch, probably not even that deep, but Kayla didn't care.

He did as instructed, sitting on the edge of the bed. Kayla grabbed the supplies from the table before coming to stand between his spread legs. "Tilt your head a little," She slid so she was sitting halfway on his thigh. He did as asked, his tresses falling over his shoulder. She wet a portion of the cloth she held with water, making it damp but not soaked.

H'chakde didn't flinch when she pressed it against his cheek and began dabbing. Washing the vibrant green blood that dripped from the gash.

H'chakde followed her movements with his eyes as her hand moved along the length of his face. Kayla felt the soft rumble of his chest as the cloth went across his mandible. It had been awhile since she heard him purr like this.

Far too long, in her opinion.

She shifted her weight so she was leaning against his chest. Reaching over, she grabbed the disinfectant salve she had been given. She gathered a little on her finger before tossing the tin aside.

Her fingers were gentle as she applied the disinfectant to the cuts with careful swipes along his cheek. Honestly Kayla was tempted to hold her breath for a time so she could better hear the purr that rumbled in his chest again.

Once the salve had been applied, she cleaned her fingers on the dry end of the towel. Her eyes lingered on his tresses as she did so, studying them, and the silver embellishments on them.

Kayla remembered how he had reacted last time she had touched them. They had been bathing then, her sitting on his chest while she helped him wash them.

When her fingers had been cleaned, she reached out toying with one of them. She had always been fascinated by his tresses. The smooth feel of them was pleasant against her finger, like she ran her finger against cotton sheets.

His head turned and she let the tress slide through her fingers until she was no longer holding it. They met eyes, their stares holding each other for a very long moment. Hunger lay behind his stare, and Kayla was certain hers had the same.

"H'chakde." She said her voice low as she leaned closer to him. Their eyes never breaking contact as she nestled herself against his chest.

"What is it?"

"I will have you." She pressed a kiss to his mandible, her hands softly running across the width of his chest. Kayla felt his chest rumbling under her fingertips as she did so. She placed her hand on his breast, and gave a firm shove back.

There was a lot about this that Kayla wasn't certain of, but she could figure it out along the way. They had the rest of the day, and their lives to do so.