This chapter will answer some of the lingering questions from the previous one.

The high eldress had very close relations to the high priestess of the Fire Skull clan.

They had known each for as long as she could remember, and their friendship only blossomed with the passing of time.

They had learned, trained and hunted for many rotations even after their Chiva.

And even though they had followed their own paths they still remained close.

The honored Mah'ra Ros was her mei-jadhi in everything but blood.

Her schedule was busier than her own: being the primary servant of the gods was by no means an easy task; but Mah'ra had worked to the bone to please and respect the wishes of both Cetanu and Lilka.

And it seemed that the deities were very satisfied with her work, for the priestess possessed a beauty beyond her years.

At over seven centuries old Mah'ra still looked young and was very healthy, procuring herself the attention of many desirable males.

The eldress admitted that she was somewhat jealous of her friend's stunning looks, but was all in all happy for her.

When she was promoted to her current position, Twei ordered the construction of several temples in every colony of the clan, and this had garnered the favor of the superior beings.

She had recently arrived at the priestess's dwelling, having been invited to drink a few cups of aged C'ntlip.

Twei was excited to be able to converse with her fellow huntress, but had to wait as the other female had to finish ritual in one the many sacred grounds of the clan's territory.

While making herself comfortable in the spacious and cozy dwelling Twei heard the hungry cries of a newborn pup.

The sounds lead here to the nursery, past many statues in the adjacent room, finding Mah'ra's son in one of the cots.

She quickly approached the infant, her motherly instincts taking control of her thoughts.

She considered Mah'ra's offsprings as her own, and so she would sometimes take care of them and viceversa.

Removing her chest armor and unwrapping her breast covering, Twei exposed her impressive bosom to the warm temperature of the room; her large dark mottled nipples started to ache and lightly lactate at hearing the child's cries.

Purring, she gently picked up the pup, who quieted down when sensing the presence of the warrior.

Twei's mandibles formed a small smile when the pup hungrily suckled.

Yautja produced milk on a regular basis, even when not in the mating season. It was a trait that all mature females shared, should the need ever arise.

It was rare though that a female would willingly feed a suckling that wasn't her own, but to do so demonstrated a great deal of trust towards the pup's bearer or sire.

The mating season had increased the number of hormones in her body, thus increasing the generation of milk. Her already large breasts had swelled and grown even larger with the liquid, causing some mild soreness and pain.

But now she felt much needed relief, sighing at the pleasant feeling.

She continued to purr for a bit, eventually switching sides, while still encouraging the suckling to nurse.

'This one is strong, he will be a warrior'

She happily thought, softly cupping his head, reminiscing the various times when she had held her brood.

After a few minutes, the pup finished eating and promptly fell asleep.

Putting him back in the cot, she dressed herself once more before exiting the room.

In that moment the security door slid open Mah'ra walked through, her eyes immediately noticing her.

"High eldress." she simply stated.

"High priestess." replied Twei.

Chuckling, they moved forward to meet in a warm embrace exchanging a few elegant curtsies.

It was then that the priestess smelled her pup's scent on Twei. "Your offsprings shall always be my offsprings as well Mah'ra. There is no need to thank me; I just did my duty."

Again, she embraced her, before moving to one of the tables and selecting a bottle of C'ntlip and pouring the fiery beverage in two bone cups.

Together, they savored the drink, feeling it's trademark burn.

They made talk of trade deals and affairs in the clan, as well as sharing their interests for potential mates.

The tranquil moment was interrupted by the sharp noise that Twei's computer wrist generated.

Giving a small huff of annoyance, she opened the protective casing and saw that the message was sent the matriarch.

'Strange.'

She opened the file and read the content of it:

"Dear mei-jadhi,

I apologize for disturbing you, but this matter requires the skills and experience of the high priestess. Please join me at the honored elite arbitrator Kyiv ar'khan's dwelling."

Swiftly striding into the spacious home, Twei was directed by one of the matriarch's royal guards.

Her own squadron of guards followed her, providing protection from all angles at all times.

Mah'ra Ros had gathered a small entourage of priestesses to assist her in case of need.

Soon enough, they approached a door and entered the dimly light room.

The was nothing special or eye catching in this sleeping quarter: the walls were devoid of any art, the same as said for the rest of the area except for a couple pieces of furniture.

Paying closer attention to one of the benches, Twei noticed various sets of writing tablets, and holographic scrolls, along with a few short knifes and an ooman weapon.

She had predicted the identity of the person using these quarters, and now she had confirmation of her guess.

When Twei had first encountered the primate, she was surprised.

She would have found the situation amusing, even hilarious in another scenario, but it was serious.

She had studied this ooman named Mark Johnson, and while he was certainly fit for the standards of his species, she found his figure lacking.

A thing she did note was the fact that he was respectful and mindful of not overstepping his bounds. It was a rare trait to find in an unblooded male.

And later, much to her own disbelief, she had witnessed him hold up against her offspring Mhei r'ka-Guan.

After their duel, her interest was piqued.

Her daughter was no fool, and so she trusted her willingness to mate with him, tough still an ever protective mother, she had her doubts: she knew that some other Yautja would have immediately rejected the idea of bearing offsprings with an ooman, fortunately the Fire Skull clan was more open minded than other clans, and had abandoned the fanatical beliefs of maintaining pure bloodlines.

The Yautja had the technology so that the two species could breed, and there were documented records of it in recent history.

The evening meal that the primate has shared with them only convinced her approval towards her pup's choice.

The heavy scent of stress and fear then hit her senses, causing her to look at the small bed.

Trembling in a fetal position under the pelts covering his shaking frame, there lied the unblood.

The sight in front of her generated a pang of sympathy in her strong heart, reminding her of the time in which her own blood was in the same situation.

The dark circle-like mark on his right shoulder blade was the culprit of his discomfort.

Twei knew that that was the mark of Cetanu.

The mark was bestowed upon those that he deemed worthy to express his will: if the subject was a female, chances were that said female would become a priestess of Cetanu, or an arbitrator as a male would have.

Or it could indicate his destiny to become a primal hunter, much like her daughter had; but the chances of that happening were abysmally low.

His temperature was very high, and Twei realized that he possessed the ooman sickness know as fever.

Mah'ra pressed forward, exchanging a nod of respect with the matriarch, before crouching next to Mark and tending to him.

When the large hand touched him, Mark let out a strangled yell and trashed.

Slightly disturbed by the reaction, she stood next to her mei-jadhi: "He is having a nightmare." the word puzzled her, "Nightmare?"

Guan-Kwei turned to her "Yes, it is a condition that may befall on oomans while they sleep. Apparently, they are trapped in their cycle of rest, and it is said that they experience numerous horrors." she explained, shuddering at thought of having to endure such an experience, while being essentially defenseless and disoriented to an external attack.

They watched as the numerous priestesses around him tried calming his movements to poor results.

His buckling and tossing started to worsen whenever he was touched, preventing Mah'ra from properly analyzing the symbol.

The high priestess, at the end of her patience, let loose an ear shattering roar, waking Mark up.

He breathed heavily, as he tried to make out the imposing figures in front of him and lowering his gaze once he did.

"High matriarch- he started to sign trying to kneel to show proper respect but was interrupted when the matron held up her taloned hand, ordering him to remain quiet.

Instead, she ordered everyone to leave the room safe for the high priestess and herself.

Pinning Mark with a hard glare, she turned on her heels, confidently walking away.

Twei could not permit to show favoritism, and he was still an unblood, still not experienced enough to be viewed as an adult. So she indulged to keep her cold demeanor.

Once outside, she came face to face with the elite arbitrator, clearly in a hurry to return to his home. He stopped and bowed to her.

"Rise." she dismissed, but gave a warning growl when he tried to enter through the door.

The male wisely adverted his eyes and kept silent, taking a couple steps back.

"Your apprentice is unwell; see that a healer checks on him." she ordered, not bothering to answer the look of confusion he wore.

The other females and guards soon exited as well, before the three dominant huntresses left the arbitrator's spacious grounds.

Walking on the black colored stone of the road, the trio held an aura of power and supremacy, forcing other hunters to step aside to make room.

Warriors of all ranks, whether they male or female, kneeled at their passing; feeling honored to be in their mere presence.

They continued to traverse through the bustling metropolis, heading towards Guan-Kwei's dwelling.

Once they were comfortably seated in one of the dining areas of the pyramid did they properly talk.

"Could one of you please explain why I was not permitted to witness the examination of the mark?"

Guan and Mah'ra exchanged a silent message, before the latter spoke: "It is well known of your fierce protectiveness over your brood, especially with Mhei."

Twei merely raised a ridged eyebrow, "And?" she inquired, while taking a bite out of the finely cooked slab of meat on her plate.

"When Mah'ra examined the mark, she noticed that it held a similar amount of energy as Mhei' one."

That was certainly a most curious case: it could very well mean that Mark might have a shot in becoming a primal hunter, considering this intriguing characteristic of his symbol.

"Interesting." she simply stated, taking a sip of naxa juice.

The other two were surprised: "You are not angry?" "And why in the name of Lilka would I be? I am actually glad that the ooman received Cetanu's mark, for it gives me reason to believe that he is worthy siring a pup with my offspring." she said, chuckling in delight.

"Does the unblood know of this fact?" Mah'ra merely shook her head causing the trinkets adorning her dreadlocks to create a jiggling noise.

Soon a new course was served, allowing their meal to continue.

And done.

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Until next time.