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Scar was a calculated beast. While he wasn’t at the top of his classes, he knew how to survive. He was born through blood and war- and there is no such thing as a weak Yautja. 

He was not surprised when he was chosen for the Hunt. The decision process was out of his hands, and no one knew who was going to be selected until it was announced by the council leaders. The beings on Earth, they called it fate, or destiny. A Yaujta didn’t believe in such a frivolous thing- the things that happened in one’s life happened often for no reason at all. One could try to control their life, to guide it in a certain way, but there was no truth in anything. 

Scar was chosen for the Hunt because he worked hard, and fought well. He was an excellent soldier, hunter, predator. That was what the council members had said, at least. Scar knew that he would do his people proud. 

The events of the Hunt did not play out because of some fate-wielding diety. Blood was spilled because of errors that were made, calculations that were incorrect. 

It was not pure luck that he survived. It was because of Lex and Lex alone, that he survived. 

Lex. 

Taking her with him, as his people arrived to pick up the survivors, was an easy decision. A rational one, no, but he kept his hand enclosed around her wrist as his leader greeted them. Hohte had been the leader of the council for many decades, but this was her first Hunt of this type under her rule. 

Scar knew he was losing blood. It took the last of his strength to bow his head in respect to Hohte, before as carefully as he could, brushing aside her curly hair to reveal the mark he had given her. 

“Akouh,” Hohte clicked at him. “Report.” 

Lex was speaking in a high pitched tone, panicked, but she didn’t move from Scar’s grasp. They had the technology aboard the ship to translate, to allow Lex to understand them, but now was not the time. 

“Akouh,” Hohte repeated, but Scar crumpled to his feet, still holding Lex’s wrist. Lex made another panicked noise, and moved closer to him. Hohte growled at her, but still, Lex knelt beside Scar, and put pressure over his wound. Scar couldn’t help the wounded whine that came out, which only increased Lex’s agitation. She was turning between Scar and Hohte, words coming out in a rapid pace, but neither of them could understand her. 

“Vaiks, retrieve Nadja. Evacuation as soon as possible,” Hohte called behind her. “Akouh, report. Are you the lone predator?” 

Scar nodded. Hohte cursed under her breath, but nodded. Four Yautja appeared behind her, holding a stretcher. Through his increasingly blurry vision, Scar saw their lead healer, Nadja, rapidly approaching. 

He could no longer keep his body upright. Scar grunted as his back hit the snow on the ground, the cold already biting through his armor. Lex squeaked as the stretcher was lowered beside him. Scar felt his heart pound as her hand wiggled out of his grasp, but he could have sworn that his heart stopped when she intertwined their fingers together instead. 

“Is this human under your protection?” Hohte asked. Scar wheezed through his pain as he was lifted and settled on the stretcher, before the stretcher was lifted. 

“Yes,” Scar uttered. 

The last thing he saw before his vision disappeared into darkness was Lex’s face, pinched with a human emotion that he didn’t understand, and Hohte, staring cooly at her. 

He awoke to the sound of Yautja chatter. He had always preferred the sound of his native language to the squeaks of humans. It’s clicks were soothing- it never failed to remind him of being young, and listening to his den mother cluck at him for teasing his siblings. Scar was warm. He could hear the steady hum of the engine, and knew that he was home. 

Many had tried to discover the home planet of the Yautja, failing to understand that most sects of Yautja were nomadic, always searching for the next greatest Hunt. Their home was where their leader was, where the people were. 

It was the insistent prodding that forced him to open his eyes. As expected he was greeted by the white ceiling of the medical center. 

“Stop,” Scar grunted. The poking continued, and he growled when the probe got closer to his wound. It didn’t hurt as badly as it did on on the snow of Earth, but it was still was sore. 

“Can’t,” a voice clucked back at him. “Trying to make sure you won’t perish right in front of us. Would be a waste of medical supplies, hmm?” 

Scar tilted his head to glare at Nadja. Nadja bared her teeth at him. They had grown up together, in the same den. Now Nadja was the lead healer of Yautja, and Scar was the sole survivor of the Hunt. It was apparent that Nadja hadn’t lost any of her snark. 

“A waste of medical supplies,” Scar repeated. Nadja helped him sit up in his bed. The hole that was in his chest was patched up. All of his armor had been removed and was leaning against the wall, still bloodied. A small anxiety inside of Scar quieted at the sight. It was one of the last steps of the ritual, to wash your own armor in the water of the Yautja. “Lex?” 

“The human girl you brought back with you? She’s fine.” Nadja said, giving Scar’s wound one last prod before stepping back. “Was human-sick when the gates first closed, but it’s not the first time such a thing has happened. Den-father was every time we left port.” 

“Where is she.” 

Nadja pointed to the other side of them. Across from the bed, sat Lex. She was curled up in a chair, head dropped against her shoulder, chest rising and falling with her breath. She was sleeping. 

“Lex,” Nadja tried to repeat, but the human name fell flat in her voice. “Leex?” 

“Lex,” Scar rejected. Nadja tried again, but when she struggled with the human name once again, she huffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever. What is your name, den brother?”

It was another aspect of their ancient traditions. Yautja earned their true names through surviving battle, through great acts of the Hunt. The name that his den-mother gave him would be shed. 

“Scar.” At the name, Nadja’s eyes lingered on the mark on his head. 

“She has one too,” Nadja pointed out. “Scar-mates?” 

Nadja clicked in laughter as Scar swept an arm out at her, trying to bat her away. She dodged easily, before batting her hands back, forcing him back down onto the bed. 

“Hohte wants to speak with you. Be calm.” Nadja ordered. “Calm, den-brother.” 

“I am calm.” Scar retorted. “Call Vaiks.” 

“Vaiks,” Nadja clicked back at him. “He’s been wearing a hole through the ship, waiting for you to wake up. Nearly forbid him from the medical center.” Scar chuffed. 

“Sounds like Vaiks. Send him in, mm? And send in a translator.” He had to duck his head to miss Nadja’s hand trying to hit him. “What?” 

“Den-brother goes on a Hunt, comes back and thinks that den-sister is dull now. I already have translator tablet set up, just need Scar-human to wake up.” 

“Lex.” Scar corrected, but nodded. “Thank you, Nadja.” 

Nadja’s mandibles flared at the use of her proper name. While most other Yautja called each other by their honorific name, it was strange for those who grew up in the same den to abide by that. Everyone else calls her Nadja, and technically Nadja was supposed to call Scar by his Hunt name, it was too formal for the siblings. 

“Akouh.” Nadja said, walking out of the room. “Scar.” 

When the door slid shut behind Nadja, Scar fixed his gaze on Lex. She was small- smaller than any human he had seen before. The only other Earth-human he knew was his den-mother’s mate, but Scar had not seen him in many solar turns. Was he this small? Nadja would easily tower over Lex, if they were to stand next to each other. 

He knew through lessons in his youth that Earth-humans were not only smaller than the Yautja, but the females were often smaller than the males. That wasn’t the case with most communities of the Yautja, but still, seeing Lex curled up on the chair gave Scar a strange feeling in his chest. 

There was no danger that was capable of reaching her here. But still, Scar silently swore himself to protect her. 

As if she could feel his burning gaze upon her, Lex stirred. Scar held his breath for a moment as she sighed, shifting her limbs in the chair before stretching her neck. 

Her eyes fluttered open. She stretched her arms out in front of her, before rubbing at her eyes. Scar remained as still as possible- Lex hadn’t reacted negatively to seeing him without his mask the first time, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t react negatively now. 

Lex finally turned her head enough to see Scar. He watched as her body stilled, her eyes widened, and if Scar had his helmet, he’s sure he would have seen her heart slow. 

Lex then burst into a flurry of movement. She was standing at the foot of his bed, hands flitting around, a cacophony of noise coming out of her mouth. Scar hid his wince- he had no idea what she was saying. Before, during the Hunt, he had been able to estimate her words, or guess what she was saying based upon the situation, but now, Scar had no idea what the human woman would want to say to him. 

Voices approached the door, but Lex remained where she was. Scar pushed himself further into a sitting position.

Lex did not withdraw when Hohte entered the room, though she did copy Scar when he bowed his head to his chest as their leader drew close. 

“Akouh,” Hohte said. If Scar thought that him standing next to Lex created a shocking image of size difference, seeing the female human next to the female council leader was even greater. “Please reveal to me your new name, and thus you will shed the warrior you were before.” 

“Scar,” Scar told her, head still bowed. 

“Scar.” Hohte repeated, the click heavy in her voice. “With this name, you will now be recognized no longer as a simple fighter, but a champion, the Predator that your people before were.”

“Thank you, Hohte.” Scar said softly. Lex watched the exchange with wide eyes, though Scar knew she wasn’t understanding a word. He knew she didn’t understand the galactic common language, so there was certainly no chance that she would be able to follow in the Yautja ancestral language. 

This was all a formality though, for as soon as Hohte was done, Vaiks edged by her, coming to stand at Scar’s side. 

“Scar!” Vaiks was smiling, his mandibles flaring in excitement. “Finally awake, hm? If you hadn’t risen sooner I would have had to take care of the human myself.” 

Scar knew Vaiks was teasing, his closest friend was rarely ever serious, but he couldn’t stop the low growl from coming out. He immediately regretted it, losing composure for a few slight seconds in front of his leader. Hohte thankfully didn’t comment. 

Vaiks only smiled more widely, teeth gnashing. 

“I expect a report of the Hunt by the end of the next cycle. Have you invited the human-girl to your den?” Hohte continued.

Scar had to fight to not choke. 

Bringing Lex upon the ship had been an instinctual move. It was Scar’s duty to continue to protect her- but he had never met anyone like her, human-ness aside. She was tiny, but fierce. Strong. Even now her shoulders were firm, and she was silently watching Hohte with a calculating gaze. 

Scar was drawn to her, that much was undeniable. But he hadn’t gotten as far as asking for her to join his den. 

“She can stay in my den-” Vaiks started, but was cut off by Scar punching him in the gut. Vaiks wheezed, clutching at his torso, but he still didn’t leave Scar’s side. Hohte watched the exchange, her face blank. As her role as the council leader, she was not to show any emotion, but Scar knew that the glint in her eye was one of amusement. 

“She will stay in my den. If she rejects-” which Scar hadn’t considered, but the thought made his stomach tighten, “then she shall stay with Nadja.” 

Nadja, who must have entered the room after Hohte, clucked in protest, but Scar continued on. “We need a translator, so I may explain things to her.”

“She doesn’t know common, does she?” Hohte asked. They had been speaking in the Yautjan language, but Hohte seamlessly switched to speaking common. “We checked her for injuries, but she seemed fine. Can you speak for yourself?” 

Lex gazed steadily back at Hohte, but shook her head before speaking rapidly in the human-language. Hohte frowned, and shook her head back. 

“Human-English is a language that few of us know anymore, myself only knowing a few words. Vaiks, grab the translator tablet.” Vaiks complied, picking up the piece of technology, and the bracer that was laying next to it. Lex eyed him warily as he approached her. 

“Here.” Vaiks clicked at Lex. Lex didn’t move until Vaiks did, holding out his forearm. Lex hesitantly copied him, staying still as he slipped the bracer over her wrist and cinching it down. Even from here, Scar could tell it was the smallest size that they had, a bracer made for a child, and still it took more adjustment so it didn’t slide right off. 

Vaiks hit a few buttons on the bracer, before selecting options on the tablet. He looked to Scar once he was done. 

“Try it. You should be linked.” 

Scar lifted his wrist, looking at his bracer. It took only a few swipes to send a message to her. Lex was staring at her bracer with a furrowed brow, though when the message appeared, her lips stretching until she was making a human-smile.

[Are you well?] Scar had asked. Lex poked at her bracer. 

[Okay,] the response said. [Are you? What is going on?] 

[Explain once we are out of medical center.] Lex scowled at that answer, but nodded when Scar looked at her. 

“We must get a teacher in common,” Hohte mused. “I’ll see if anyone on the board remembers Human-English, and begin lessons immediately-”

“I’ll do it,” Scar cut in. “I’ll teach her.” 

Lex was still typing into her bracer. Vaiks’ bracer made a soft tone as his lit up with a message, and Lex whipped her head to look at him, her eyes bright. Vaiks chuffed at whatever message Lex had sent her. Scar tried to shove down the jealousy rising in his gut. 

“Do you even know Human-English?” Nadja asked, to which Scar lifted his bracer and took the tablet out of Vaiks hands. He didn’t need to- the technology that Yautja teachers used to teach younglings would be sufficient enough. Lex wouldn’t be the first human on board in Yautjan history, either. Hohte nodded. 

“Report by end of next cycle.” Hohte repeated firmly. Scar nodded. Hohte fixed her gaze upon Vaiks, who straightened his posture. “Prepare for the disembarkment ceremony. Scar, the elders are prepared for the last ritual of your Hunt.” 

Both Scar and Vaiks bowed their head one last time. Vaiks brushed past Lex as he followed Hohte out of the room, with one last nod to Scar, and a quick tug of Nadja’s hair, snatching his hand back when she hissed and snapped his teeth at him. 

When Scar turned back to Lex, his bracer was already filled with messages. 

[Who is that? Is that your leader?]

[What are you all talking about?]

[Where are we?] 

The most recent one read, [Are you certain you are okay?]. Scar sent an affirmative to the last one, but didn’t have time to respond to anything else before Nadja was at his side, pulling down the covers of the bed. 

“The elders await, den-brother.” Nadja said. She held out an arm to help Scar to his feet, not commenting when he wobbled. He was exhausted, but thankfully was in no pain. Lex made a squeaking noise when his first footstep nearly faltered, but followed him and Nadja silently. 

“The elders have made an exception for the human in the ritual. She is welcome to cleanse your armor with you.”

“She is the only reason that I survived the Hunt,” Scar growled. Nadja rolled her eyes, clucking at him.

“You know the elders wouldn’t agree with that, but Hohte insisted.” 

Scar continued to lean heavily on his den-sister, as they walked out of the medical center. The Yautja that they passed on their way bowed their heads in respect of Scar, but openly stared at Lex. Lex held the bracer and tablet close to her chest, and stayed on Nadja’s heels. 

Scar snapped at a Yautjan man who tried to tower over Lex, and intimidate her. Lex let out another squeaking noise, but the man heard Scar’s growl and quickly backed away. After that, no one dared to approach them. 

“So quick to anger, den-brother.” Nadja chided, but she looked at Lex behind them. “She’s a pretty one, I’ll give you that. If you are into humans, that is.”

They arrived at the Hunt room before Scar could think of a response. Lex had begun to mutter to herself, the long syllables of Human-English slurring together. 

The door hissed as it slid open. Inside, the room was dark. He couldn’t see them, but he knew the elders were sitting around the pool, waiting for him. The only noise was the hum of the ship, and the scuffling of their footsteps as they approached the pool. 

Scar purred his thanks to Nadja as she helped him settle down beside the water’s edge. She replied with a few clicks, letting him know that his armor was going to be brought to him shortly. Nadja then clucked at Lex, who, though she clearly didn’t understand a word, sat obediently beside Scar. Her arm brushed against his. 

It was humid in the room, as it was in most parts of the ship, yet Scar still shivered. 

Lex’s breath caught in her throat. When Scar turned to her, she was looking at the figures across the pool of water. The elders were sitting still, faces fixed forward. 

The door behind them hissed again, and a youngling brought Scar’s armor forward. A second youngling appeared at Lex’s side, holding an earpiece. When Scar nodded at her, she took it cautiously, and fit it into her ear. It was almost comically large, but as it was made for humanoid creatures, it fit well enough. Scar reached out and tapped a few buttons on the tablet. 

“Can you understand?” Scar clicked, once he was done. Lex’s eyes turned wide and round, her mouth falling open, but she nodded. Scar shook his head when she began to respond with a flurry of Human-English.

“Only goes one way.” 

Lex frowned, but nodded. She reached up and adjusted the piece, so it would fit better. 

They only had to sit in silent for a few more moments before being addressed.

“Akouh,” one of the elders clicked. It was impossible to tell which one, in the darkness, as the sound echoed around the room. “Reveal to us your new name, as you have told our council leader.” 

“Scar.” 

The elders murmured amongst themselves, the name echoing throughout them. 

“Scar, with you, you have not only brought, but honored a human in our ancient ways.” Lex stiffened, but Scar didn’t take his eyes off of the elders. 

“It is only because of Lex’s actions that I survived. Together, we ended the Hunt. It was only proper that I honor her with the marking of a Predator.” 

Lex’s fingers found his wrist. Scar did not flinch, as she wrapped her hand around him. He wondered, if she was feeling fear in this moment. 

“If you needed the assistance of a human in the Hunt, are you truly worthy of becoming a Predator?” Another elder asked, their voice coming from somewhere else to the side. There were more murmurings, and Lex’s grip grew tighter. 

Before Scar could formulate a response, another elder cut in. 

“The creatures are dead. If you are unsatisfied with how it happened, you are welcome to go on the next Hunt in 100 years time. Understood?”

The elders did not laugh, for that was not something that the elders did, but there was a soft tittering that echoed throughout the room. A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed a small smile on Lex’s face as well. 

"Now, if that is settled," the same voice continued. "Scar and his human friend may proceed to wash the armor in the water of their elders. To clean the blood of both the xenomorph, and of the Predator. With this final cleansing, Akouh will now and forever be known as Scar, survivor of the Hunt." 

Lex watched Scar as he picked up his armor pieces delicately, one by one, and laid them in the pool in front of them. The water was cool, a shock from the humid air in the ship, but not as cold as the xenomorph queen's final resting place. Scar gently nodded at Lex while she watched him. 

Lex furrowed her brow for a moment, before nodding back, and placing her fingers in the pool. Scar had to work to not flinch his claws away at the first touch of their fingers underwater.

Together, they worked to clean the armor. All of the rolling in the snow had worn away much of the grime, but Scar hoped that Lex understood that this ritual was about much more than cleaning of armor. 

She did, if the somber expression on her face said anything. She no longer was squinting into the darkness, trying to make out the figures of the elders. 

"Thank you elders, for this opportunity." Scar said, once they had cleaned the last piece of armor and set it out to dry. He was worried that his helmet had been left on Earth, but someone must have grabbed it for him before he was transported onto the ship. He ran his fingers over the carving on the top of it. 

The feeling of Lex's skin against his, the image of the mark on her cheek flashed in the front of his mind. 

"The honor of the Hunt, and the honor of becoming a Predator is a gift from you, and the Predators who have come before me." 

He had practiced these words his entire life, dreamed of the moment when he would get to speak them, and yet, he had the feeling that if Lex was not sitting here next to him, they would not feel as right. 

“We welcome you, Scar. It is so, that you are now a Predator.” 

Scar bowed his head, muttering his thanks. Lex followed suit, though her mouth was still slightly open- in shock, or in an attempt to hold back the dozen questions she undoubtably had. 

Scar’s room was nothing like the den he had grown up in, lacking in all of the comfort and familiarity of his upbringing, yet, as the door slid open and he saw the dusty bunk, with his sparse belongings scattered about, a small part of Scar felt peace. 

Lex followed him in, the earpiece still connected. She had been quiet on their walk from the elders to Scar’s den, something he was grateful for. His fellow Yautjans were many things, but understanding of privacy was not one of them. 

“Lex,” Scar started. Lex paused from where she was inspecting the little trinkets on the table. She started to respond in Human-English, but started typing on her bracer before he could correct her. 

[It’s funny, to hear you say my name. English doesn’t sound right, coming from you.] Scar smiled, and nodded. He gestured to the chairs that were at the table, and waited until Lex was sitting across from him to start. 

“We’ve found in the past that it is very difficult for Earth-humans to learn our language. Your vocal chords cannot create the same sound, or fluctuate the tone in the way that the ancient Yautjan language requires. So, I will be teaching you the galactic common language.” Scar clicked a few times, to clear his throat. 

“It is closer to your Human-English.” Scar said, in the common language. Lex’s eyes were bright, and she was typing into her bracer. 

[You will teach me? I would try to humbly brag that I know four Earth languages, but that doesn’t mean much here.] 

“We can start with the basics, if that’s agreeable. I would rather not have you go without understanding, and there are few on the ship currently who speak Human-English.” Scar was suddenly extremely grateful for his den-mother insisting that he kept up his studies in the common language through his maturity. 

[I’m ready.] Lex wrote. 

“First,” Scar mimed for Lex to take off her ear piece. When she complied, Scar pointed to her. 

“Human.” Lex copied him, pointing at herself. 

“Human?” When Scar nodded, she beamed. “Human!” Lex then pointed at Scar. “Suh-car.” 

It was a Human-Earth word, Scar was able to gather, but when she continued to point at him and repeat it, it’s meaning finally clicked. 

[My name?] He typed and sent to her. Lex read the message before nodding vigorously. She seemed incredibly pleased with herself, even when Scar tried to repeat the name in a garbled tongue. That would have to be a word that they returned to later. 

“Next is, Yautja.” Scar said, over enunciating. “Yautja.” He pointed to himself. Lex repeated the word easily, but had a confused expression on her face. Scar searched the room for something that could explain what he was trying to say better.

Lex watched as he picked up a small device. With a press of a button, a hologram of the ship appeared. Lex’s eyes grew wide and she stood up to lean over the table, trying to get a better look at it. 

“Yautja,” Scar repeated. He scaled up the hologram, granting them both a view of the inside. Tiny models of Yautjas were walking all around, some talking to one another, while others were training. Scar moved to the front of the ship, showing the command team, and the council, who were sitting and directing the ship. “Yautja- leader. Leader.” He zoomed in even more, and pointed to the tiny Hohte. Even in a miniature size, she still had a grimace on her face and an intimidating stature. “Leader, Hohte.”

“Leader,” Lex repeated easily. “Leader, Yautjas?” Scar nodded. Lex then fumbled over what Scar assumed was supposed to be Hohte’s name. 

“Good. Good.” Scar praised. Lex leaned in even closer to the hologram, her eyes wide with fascination. 

If he could get Lex to keep that expression on her face, he would consider himself to have been successful. There was no Hunt, or honorific, that compared to the beaming smile she sent him. 

Lex was excelling, not just in learning common. Scar couldn’t help but smile, watching her chatter with Nadja. His den-sister was trying to tell embarrassing stories about Scar, but they weren’t coming through as clearly as she would have liked. But that only led to Nadja insisting that Lex learn the hand language for common, as well. 

At first, Scar worried about overloading Lex with information, but she was picking it up just as quickly as she was the spoken language. Becoming a healer required fluency in the hands language, so Nadja was used to signing along with her words, but with Lex, she also had the patience to slow down, and repeat signs that Lex questioned. 

The days since the Hunt were passing more easily, as time went on. Every moment he spent with Lex felt like a little gift in itself. 

“Have you trained?” Nadja asked after a pause in the conversation. Lex frowned in a look that Scar had come to understand was confusion, a downward turn of her lips, and a wrinkle in the space above her eyes. 

“No.” Scar cut in. A healer had been prodding at his wound, for one last check up. He had come for Nadja to do that, but Nadja insisted that he was fine, and could handle being checked on by a younger healer, one who was still in training. Instead, Nadja wanted to gossip with Scar’s human.

Well. Not Scar’s human. Lex belonged to herself. Scar knew that. But he longed to own, or be granted just a piece of her, something to tie them together, for him to be hers, and for her to be his. 

That was besides the point, irrelevant. Scar quietly thanked the healer, who bowed their head and left the medical room. 

“Why not? You’ve been cleared to train once again.” 

“Train?” Lex questioned. Now that the trainee healer was gone, Scar couldn’t help but notice how Lex drifted back to his side. They didn’t touch, but he could reach out and brush against her skin, if he wanted to. 

“Fighting. Using weapons, or just strength.” Scar explained. Lex’s eyes lit up. 

“I would like to!” 

“No,” Scar immediately objected as Nadja cheered. Lex turned to face him, lips puckering, and her eyes growing large. “No.” Scar insisted, as Lex pouted at him. 

“You will be there the whole time, den-brother.” Nadja pointed out. “No one would dare injure her with you glaring at them over her shoulder.” 

That was true, but still- “no.” 

“I can take care of myself!” Lex tried to defend, but Scar continued to shake his head. “Come on, please?”

Scar’s resolve faltered when she made her eyes even wider- how could humans do that?- and fluttered her lids open and close. 

“Fine. But you only train with me, or Vaiks, okay?” 

Both Nadja and Lex cheered. The mix of their voices, one smooth and human, the other rough and Yautjan, was jarring to hear, though clearly they were both just as excited. Scar sighed heavily, which was ignored. He hoped that this wouldn’t be a mistake.

This was a mistake. Scar felt his jaw grind as he watched his best friends wrap himself around Lex. 

Lex was quick, and her lithe size gave her the ability to get out of certain moves, but still, her by herself was nothing compared to a warrior such as Vaiks. 

Over the past few days, various Yautjans with a talent for clothes making have been presenting Lex with various outfits, trying to figure out what could fit her on a ship made for creatures much larger than her. The clothes she had worn on the Hunt were worn through, by this point. Lex had been delighted when presented with pants that were nearly skin tight, black in color and stretchy around her limbs. Scar had to look pointedly away, for the feelings that it stirred within him.

But seeing her wear those leggings (that was what she called them), as she danced around the mat with Vaiks- he couldn’t stand it. 

Scar wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t move from his spot. He knew that he would never hear the end of it from Nadja if he ran away from this situation. 

Lex grunted, as Vaiks easily side-stepped before her hit could connect. 

“Dishonor him, Leex!” Nadja called, from beside Scar. 

“Lex,” Scar corrected automatically. 

“Knock him down, cut out his throat!” Nadja continued. Lex, flushed, but clearly happy, smiled and waved at the siblings who were standing on the sidelines. 

“Aw, Nadja, you only say that so you can stitch me up later,” Vaiks tried to croon, but grunted as one of Lex’s fists connected to his chest. “Hey!” 

Nadja made a squawking noise, but quickly followed it up with an offensive gesture that had Vaiks laughing again. 

Lex was backing away from Vaiks, having made one successful hit. She was still studying Vaiks, clearly looking for an opening while he was distracted, but she shook her hand out of it’s fist. Was she injured? 

Scar was moving before he realized it. But not away. He stepped onto the mat that Lex and Vaiks were sparring on. Vaiks began to step away, with a glimmer in his eye, but Scar stepped behind Lex before she could turn around. 

Scar felt Lex’s breath hitch, and felt her shoulders tense for a second as his body aligned with hers. 

“Here,” Scar said, his voice low against her ear. He had to slouch, to reach her level. A shiver rolled through Lex’s back, and small bumps raised along her skin. Scar gently nudged her hands into a fighting position, wrapping her fingers into a fist. He used one of his fingers- minding the extended claw- to draw her thumb out of her fist, and coax it to rest under her curled fingers. 

“Shoulders down. Hands closer to you. You are smaller than us- use that to your advantage.” Scar continued to whisper. “Strike where he is not expecting it.” He used one of his feet to widen her stance. Lex moved easily, following all of his directions without question. 

“You giving her all of my weaknesses, Scar?” Vaiks taunted. His posture was loose and easy. Scar trusted him enough to never let any harm come to Lex, but Scar personally wouldn’t mind watching as Lex took him down. 

“He favors his left side.” 

“If I fall on my ass again, I’m blaming you.” Lex whispered back. 

Before Scar could come up with a response, Lex darted out, kicking Vaiks’ left leg with impressive strength. Vaiks, who was distracted with flirting at Nadja, faltered, and then went down to the mat once Lex delivered a final strike, kicking out and hitting his hip. 

Immediately, Nadja and Scar roared with triumph. Lex spun back around to face Scar, her face alight with joy. When she ran towards him, Scar caught her in his arms without hesitation, lifting her and spinning her around the ground. Lex’s laughter was brighter than her universe’s sun, it felt like. 

Distantly, Scar could hear Nadja taunting Vaiks, who was still on the ground, lamenting his loss. But all he wanted to hear, all that he focused on, was the feeling of Lex’s arms wrapped around him, and the way that she dropped her head onto his shoulder, still shaking with laughter. 

Scar woke up, not knowing why. It was still late in the night cycle, and the room was silent. But something had woken him up. 

He took a moment to regulate his breath, to calm the racing in his chest. His wound had been sealed, but still, it twinged. The memory of the wound heals the last. 

Just as he closed his eyes again, he heard a sniffle. A huff of air, that did not come from him. Moving as silently as he could, he turned to his side. The den bed was large enough so that Lex and Scar didn’t have to touch, if they didn’t want to. Scar had chosen the far side of the bed. Just Lex being in the same room in him was a beautiful, tenuous gift that he didn’t want to press. 

The darkness of the room was not an issue for Scar, as it might have been for Lex. He could see her body curled up like a youngling, her knees drawn to her chest. 

Scar watched her for a moment longer. She was shivering, though not from cold. Her breath hitched, and there was the sound of a muffled cry. Was she hurt? Injured? Or was she grieving, mourning the unexpected fall of her fellow humans in the Hunt?

The purr in his chest started before he could think about it. 

It had been a long time since he had last purred. It was done to provide comfort, to give support to the ones that you cared for. For younglings, a purr from their den-mother would quickly put them right to sleep.

Scar hadn’t purred since leaving the den of his youth. Nadja did on occasion, she had even purred for Scar before, but he had long been unable to create the rumbling in his chest. 

But now, it happened, almost naturally. Without thought, or practice. 

Scar purred louder. Lex’s body froze, before slowly uncurling. When she shifted, turning her body so she was facing Scar. She must have seen the light reflecting off of his eyes, for she sat up, before crawling towards him, across the bed. 

There was wetness streaming down her cheeks, and Scar wanted to wipe it away. Instead, he remained still until she sat on her knees next to him, squinting in the dark. 

Scar’s chest began to rumble louder, without his own control. He felt the need to wrap her into his arms, but held back. He didn’t want to harm her more, or frighten her. Scar knew he was lucky enough that she didn’t already shy away from his presence without his mask, as many humans did. 

“Suhcar?” Lex said. Scar knew that was her own way of addressing him, so he sat up as well, his posture mirroring Lex, though he still towered over her. His purring did not cease.

Scar could see the moment when she realized the purring came from Scar, and wasn’t some rumbling of the machinery of the ship. Rapidly, she began speaking in Human-English. She had the habit of speaking to herself in her native language, which was something that Scar found amusing. Many other species that he’s met over his life time had done the same thing, but there was something about English that was appealing- or perhaps it was just the way that Lex spoke, that made it sound so intriguing. 

He wished he could understand what she was saying, but was only understanding bits and pieces, an occasional word caught up in the blur of Lex’s speech. Eventually, she seemed to slow down, and looked at Scar with a different look in her eye. It was playful, almost, like how a youngling looks before tackling their den-sibling into a wrestling match. 

Lex pointed at Scar, before rubbing on her chest with a circular motion. 

“It’s gone now,” Scar said in the common language, assuming Lex meant the gaping wound from the Hunt. Lex shook her head. 

“No,” she said. “Not that. It’s-” Lex’s mouth opened and closed silently, as she searched for the word. “Like a cat?” 

Cat was a Earth creature, Scar knew that. But the comparison was only confused him more. 

“Noise,” Lex finally landed on. She reached out, and pressed a hand to Scar’s chest. His rumbling stopped for a minute, but returned when Lex frowned. “Noise in chest.” 

Her common was making great progress. 

“Purring,” Scar said. Moving slowly, to not startle her any further, he pressed his hand over hers, keeping her palm against his chest. “Purring.” 

“Purring.” Lex repeated. Already, the tension in her shoulders released. 

“Done to comfort.” When Lex shook her head, not understanding, Scar amended with, “healing. Purring heals.” 

“You are hurt?” Scar shook his head, still keeping his hand over Lex’s. 

“No. You are.” Scar had never moved more carefully in his life. He brushed a finger over her Predator mark, wiping away the wetness that was there. 

Lex’s eyes were wide, but she didn’t move away. If anything, she pressed forward, so that their bodies were closer together, skin touching skin. Their knees were touching, Scar’s warm flesh against her coolness. 

“You are hurt?” Scar repeated Lex’s question. 

Lex shook her head. Scar narrowed his eyes at her, and gently, but insistently, wiped away more of the wetness from her cheeks. Lex made a huffing noise, but didn’t pull away. 

“Scared. Do Yautja…” Lex searched for a word. She said it in Human English, before following up with, “sleep-think?”

“Dream?” Scar offered. Lex nodded. “Not often. Sleep is not as deep as human sleep. Only if sick, do we sleep deeply, and perhaps dream.” 

“Humans dream.”

“Okay.” Scar readjusted his position, so he was propped up on his side. Without question, Lex followed him. In the transition, her hand left his chest, but she still remained close, as she laid down, facing him. It would take only a slight tilt of his head to press their foreheads together. “Humans dream. What do you dream about?” 

Lex bit her lip, but didn’t look away. Scar made a concentrated effort to continue to purr. Just as he had hoped, the noise seemed to relax her. 

“The Hunt. My friends. We nearly didn’t make it, but so many others…” 

“You are mourning,” Scar said. Lex nodded. “Do you miss home?” 

A tension he hadn’t realized was there released when Lex quickly shook her head. 

“There was nothing there for me. More problems, more questions that I couldn’t answer. I knew I could get answers with you.” 

“No… Family?” A pained expression crossed over Lex’s face, but before Scar could figure out a way to fix it, she reached out again, this time using a single finger to trace shapes into Scar’s chest. 

“Not anymore. Died, a long time ago. Alone, most of the time now.” She was purposely avoiding his gaze, Scar realized. The thought only made his purring intensify, but he still reached out, and used a single finger to lift her chin to meet his gaze. 

“Not alone. Not anymore.” 

There was no such thing as a god, or someone determining the way that things happened. Though, in Yautjan history, there have been claims of those who could predict the future, they were always explained away by pointing out their skill of simple guesswork. There was no such thing as knowing what would happen before it happened.

Scar knew this, and still-

The night before the Hunt, Scar could not rest comfortably. He had thought it was just nerves, and perhaps it was. 

But the night before things went poorly again, he couldn’t sleep. This was easily remedied by watching Lex sleep, feeling the bed shift as she turned, hearing the quiet sounds of her breath. He couldn’t sleep, but his nerves were soothed easily by her presence, even if she didn’t notice. 

Since that night with her bad dream, it was as if some sort of wall had been broken. The thing between them was becoming rapidly more real, more concrete, something tangible. It thrilled Scar nearly as much as it frightened him. 

When things went wrong, the first thing he thought of was his anxious feeling from the night before. 

He and Vaiks had been training. Lex had just finished sparring with Scar, and was stretching her limbs only a few steps away, taking the time to recover from the physical exertion. 

Vaiks and Scar were only moving at half speed, the both of them pulling their punches in the name of friendly practice. 

He had just dodged one of Vaiks punches when he felt something shift in his chest. It was the movement, not the near miss that knocked the breath out of his lungs. Vaiks had only chuffed, and made a joke about Scar’s age, and they had continued. 

Except, when Scar reached next to grapple Vaiks’ arms, something in his chest shifted again, something was uncurling where it shouldn’t have been, and it hurt. Vaiks caught Scar as he faltered, and lost his ability to stand on his feet. 

Immediately, Vaiks was holding him up, and calling for help. Scar tried to take in a breath, but couldn’t. His lungs were failing him, and there was something inside of him. 

Lex was suddenly at his side, her cool hands pressing against his arms, holding his face, trying to make eye contact. Scar let out a groan, trying to reassure her, but he couldn’t. 

There was darkness creeping at the corners of his vision. He blinked, and things were different. He was now prone, against a stretcher, and Nadja was hovering over him.

Where was Lex? He tried to shove himself up, only to catch a glimpse of her near the other end of the gurney. Vaiks was restraining her, but she was wiggling, trying to squirm past him.

Lex’s lips were moving, rapidly, but Scar couldn’t hear her over the roar of his blood. She pressed forward, trying to fight her way through Vaiks arms. 

Scar opened his mouth to say something, though the translating tablet had been left in her room, and their bracers had been taken off for training. He didn’t think he could summon the words in common if he tried. The click in his mouth was cut off when the creature inside of him shifted. Nadja reached out and pressed his shoulder against the gurney, keeping him down. 

By the time Scar had managed to drag his eyes from the human to Nadja, Lex had stopped screaming in English, and was now shouting broken words in common. 

“Stop!” She yelled word that she called him- “Suh-carr!” It was his name, Scar thought distantly. “Stop, help!” Her words were coming out rough, the common language sounding dense in her mouth. Vaiks stopped trying to block her, instead picking her up around the waist to prevent her from following Scar down the hallway. 

Scar wanted to say something, anything, something to make her face stop that crinkle, to stop the wetness in her eyes, but the creature in his chest shifted again, making him let out a choked cry. 

“Scar.” Nadja clicked at him, worry tainting his name. 

Scar shook his head, one hand resting over his chest. He could feel the monster curling around through the skin. He raised his head just enough so he could see Lex, who was still struggling to get out of Vaiks’s grasp. He touched the marking on his forehead, feeling the raised scarring, and then tilted his hand to her. 

Lex understood. She always did. She let out another anguished cry, before slumping in Vaiks’s arms. The wetness was now streaming down her face, just as it had before she had shot her companion, back in the Hunt. 

The last thing that Scar saw before the pain blinded him was Lex pressing her hand to the symbol on her cheek. 

“He’s going to be fine.” Nadja clucked at Lex. Lex didn’t take her eyes off of Scar’s prone form, nor did she pull away. “You-” Nadja said a word that Lex didn’t understand, but she presumed it was the galactic common version of hovering, “will not help matters.” 

“Will it make him worse?” Lex shot back. Being short with Nadja, not only Scar’s sister, but also the person who was holding Scar’s life in his hands only a few short hours ago. Nadja sighed, and said something to herself in Yautjan. Probably muttering to herself about how impossible Lex was. 

“No. At least sit down.” Nadja finally said. She stopped poking at the machines that Scar was hooked up to, and came to stand next to the human. “He’s resting. He will be for a while.” 

“I know.” Lex replied with, and let Nadja take ahold of her shoulder and gently push her back into a chair. Nadja then placed her giant hand atop of Lex’s head, and slowly began to pet her hair. “He will be okay?” 

“Yes.” Nadja clicked. “Xenomorphs reproduce by forcing their young to hatch from one’s chest area. Scar must have been hit during the hunt, but due to his previous injury, it wasn’t able to hatch, or attempt to hatch until now.” 

Lex shivered, unpleasant memories of the Hunt coming to the front of her mind. 

“Because of the medication and healing that Scar underwent, it damaged the xenomorph badly. We were able to extract and kill it successfully as it started to hatch.” Nadja continued. “See here-” 

Whatever expression Nadja saw on Lex’s face caused her to stop and slowly withdraw the tablet she was holding out. 

“Or not. But he will be okay.” 

He will be okay, Lex tried to reassure herself. Scar will be okay. 

Nadja’s bracer beeped in rapid succession. She pulled away from Lex slightly, clicking to herself at whatever she was reading.

“What is it?” Lex couldn’t help but ask. 

“Vaiks. He’s worried, but even that wouldn’t stop him from romancing.” Nadja said. “I told him he cannot come into the medical center, and he is trying to convince me otherwise.” 

“Oh.” Lex shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Should I leave, so he could come in? He must be really worried, him and Scar are so close-” 

“Nonsense.” Nadja clucked. “Scar wants you here, and I want you here, so you stay. Only reason Vaiks cannot come is so he does not flirt with the elders who are on bedrest.” 

“He seems to only be interested in you,” Lex said. Nadja gnashed her teeth, but Lex had spent enough time around the healer to know that it was lighthearted. 

“Idiot.” 

Lex found her eyes drifting from Nadja to Scar, who was still sleeping. He looked peaceful, even with the bright green Yautja blood staining the cloth bandages that wrapped around his chest. Lex wanted to reach out, press a hand against his skin, to feel his warmth, but held back. 

When she brought her attention back to Nadja, the healer was still muttering in Yautjan, but Lex was able to pick up on Vaiks’ name more than once. 

“Why don’t you let him in?” Lex tried again. Nadja turned around, now frowning at Lex.

“Do you want to see Vaiks?” Nadja asked, tone suddenly unreadable. Lex frowned back, not understanding the shift in conversation. 

“I suppose? I just thought he would like to see Scar-”

“He will be fine. Scar would just wake up unpleasantly.” Nadja replied easily. Now Lex was truly lost. “Scar feels… Weak, compared to Vaiks, next to you.”

“Weak?!” Lex couldn’t help but sputter. Yes, Vaiks was strong, but nowhere near as powerful as Scar. 

“Weak with… Others,” Nadja explained. She seemed to be searching for a word in common, so Lex leaned forward in order to focus. “Weak with speaking, with relationships.”

Lex’s eyes widened as Nadja’s meaning clicked. 

“Is he jealous of Vaiks?” Lex couldn’t help but ask. Yautjas were not capable of smiling, in the same way humans were, but she could read the amusement on Nadja’s face. At times, it was as if Yautjans shifted through a variety of emotions faster than humans, it could be hard to keep up. “Why?” 

“Vaiks is known to be more of a… Pleasant person.” Nadja replied. “Charming.” 

“Scar is pleasant,” Lex tried to argue, but Nadja was already shaking her head. 

“Not like Vaiks. Scar does not like to spend time with others, unless it’s me, Vaiks, or you.” Lex’s cheeks warmed at the pointed way that Nadja looked at her. “Vaiks could spend all day romancing others. Scar does not give away feelings easily. He worries about that, sometimes. Worries that others will not like him, in the way that they like Vaiks.”

“But they are completely different, you can’t even compare Scar and Vaiks!” Lex started to protest. 

“I know that. We know that. Scar does not, sometimes.” Nadja said. “So you do? Like Scar better than Vaiks?”

“Yes.” Lex said confidently, before the weight of the question dawned on her. But her answer remained the same, even as her cheeks began to burn. “I do. I mean, I like Vaiks just as well, but in a different way. I like Scar more than… Anyone.” 

“Good.” Nadja nearly purred. “Maybe tell him that, when he wakes.” Lex squeaked as Nadja leaned over, getting close to her face. “Your body temperature has risen. Why?” 

“It’s a human thing!” Lex said as quickly as she could, trying to mentally willing her skin to stop burning. “When. Embarrassed.” 

“Embarrassed.” Nadja repeated, expression thoughtful. “Ashamed? Of Scar?” 

“No!” That response came as quickly as her previous answer did. “No, never. Embarrassed of… Feelings. Of like.” 

Nadja sighed heavily, finally leaning away. She strolled back across the room, poking at her own bracer. 

“Earth-humans are always so worried about emotions. Feelings. So strange. You feel, so it is so, is it not?” 

Lex grabbed one of the cups of water that had been set out on Scar’s bedside table and took a few drinks of it. 

“Whatever. Scar will wake up soon. Call me when he does, mmm?” Nadja continued. 

“Wait, you aren’t staying?” Lex asked, alarmed. Nadja waved a hand at them, already walking through the door. 

“He will be fine.  I’m going to meet with Vaiks, good? Scar will be better, if he wakes up and sees you instead of me. Don’t move him around too much in your fun.” It took a moment for the meaning of Nadja’s words to sink in, but when they did, Lex squeaked again, clutching the water cup even tighter. 

“I- We won’t- I wouldn’t-”

Nadja clicked her laughter at Lex, waving one last time before disappearing through the doorway. 

Lex waited for a few minutes after Nadja left, trying to regulate her breath. Once the quiet of the room settled in around her, she took the chair she was sitting in and moved it forward, so she could reach Scar easily, while still sitting. 

She wasn’t going to drift off, or fall asleep, but it would be alright if she just closed her eyes for a moment, wouldn’t it be? 

Doing it quickly, so she wouldn’t have to think about it, Lex reached out, and placed her hand in Scar’s open palm. She curled her fingers around his. 

Lex didn’t have the time to drift off- almost the moment that her skin touched his, Scar stirred, facial features flexing, as his hand reflexively curled around Lex’s. 

“Hey,” Lex whispered. With her chair this close, she could lean forward, and brush her free hand against Scar’s forehead, and lightly graze the hair at the top of his head. 

Scar made a small grunting noise, eyes squeezing tight before opening. 

“You’re okay,” Lex whispered in common. “You are okay,” she repeated in English. Scar turned his head, his hand squeezing hers. He squinted at her for a moment, before his face relaxed. 

“Lex,” he purred. 

“You are okay,” Lex said, once again. To her mortification, tears were beginning to fill her eyes. “You are safe.” 

Scar squeezed her hand for the third time. 

“Of course I am.” Scar replied. “I’m with you.” 

“Not alone,” Lex said softly, remembering the words he had said to her, that dark night. “Not anymore.”