Today's the day, and my attention drawn to my brother, he's been beaten, and is suffering from starvation and thirst.

Facing my adversary, his taunting smirk at my anger, causes me to lash out at his offense.

His smile drops, and it's replaced by disgust. Blocking my hit, he shoves me away. He's strong, and his counterattack causes me to lose my balance.

Not allowing me to regain my footing, he attacks, and coming back up, I turn away from his strike, drawing blood, with a well placed stab.

The wound doesn't sway him from his goal, and going for my throat, his blade slices the air, missing it's mark. Trying to disarm him fails, and I receive a blow that cuts deep.

The blade rips through muscle, and using the last of my strength, in my wounded arm, I shove my spear deep into his stomach.

It has the desired effect, a bellow following in it's wake, as I drag the spear upwards, opening his chest. The fight's not over, and withdrawing my spear, we circle each other.

He attacks first going for my wounded arm again, and avoiding his assault, my blade makes contact with his chest. Pausing his breathing's shallow, he goes to his knees.

My blade's raised, as he waits for my death strike. A piercing pain in my back, and a sword comes out the front of my chest. The witnesses are in an uproar, as I turn to face my assaulter.

Naidka... A powerful hit to the face, sends me a few feet away from her.

The pain in my arm is no more, and my chest no longer hurts. Amara's sleeping in a nearby chair, and going to her, she wakes.

"Vata..."

Gathering her into my arms, she holds to me, as I take her to the ooman clan.

"I want to stay here, with you."

"You cannot." Giving me a quizzical look, she lays her head back onto my shoulder, as she doesn't understand our language. She's going to have to learn, as I learn her's.

Navigating the halls of the home, I place her in her bed, a huge sleeping mat, that sits up off of the floor. The yautjanoids love this type of sleeping dwelling.

Holding tightly to me, I try to pry her arms from my neck, and she holds tighter still. "Stay with me." She whispers.

Removing her arms, while being delicate about not breaking them, I drop her onto the mat. "Please?"

I have to deal with Naidka and her mate, the last thing that I remember is her, escaping with Bahn. She left a few bodies in her wake.

My needs can wait, and so will hers. Leaving without another word, she calls to me, and not responding, something small hits the door on my way out.

"Naidka and Bahn, are no longer our brother and sister."

"ic'jit!"

"ic'jit!"

The word's thrown around liberally, in response to the elder's statement.

"Any news?" I inquire.

"Not yet, they haven't left prime, our hunters are searching for them.

"Bring them back alive, if possible."

"Amara and Giselle will have to be kept safe, until we find them." Aduih says, quietly.

"A word, Vata." Says Astba, as the elders take their leave.

Walking with me to the ceremonial burial chamber, Aduih follows behinds us.

"Seven generations of your family have led the clan, and you make the eighth. I must say, that I'm eager to see where you'll lead us."

"So am I... this wasn't what I wanted."

"Your father said as much, but I have faith in you."

Drawing nearer to his burial tomb, a sadness overtakes me. Our clan leaders are kept in an underground crypt, everyone else is subjected to purification via the flame.

"We still have our reservations about a clan leader, who takes an ooman to mate, but some indiscretions can be overlooked."

"Amara will live with the others of her kind, and I'll not take another to mate."

"A shame... your family always did favor the humans."

"Is there something else that you needed to discuss, Astba?" I state, growing tired of the ooman conversation.

A hand on my father's tomb, electronic images of his life, the hunts, our family playback. A digital copy of his legacy, suspended in mid-air, we watch in silence.

"Indeed there is..." Says Astba, from behind us.

He's watching a silent history of our elder father. "He loved the oomans, so much so, that he sired a child with one."