11

The next week, Makane had me kitted out with all sorts of fancy yautja technology. I had custom-fitted armour, my own set of basic weapons and he'd given me brief lessons on most of the culture. My time on Earth felt like a dream now, and this really was starting to feel like home.

That morning I had yet to get up, half asleep in bed, when I heard Makane's heavy footsteps coming in.

"Dee, you must get up. Your training starts today." he announced, tugging the sheets off me. I groaned and lazily lifted my head to look at him. He clicked softly, staring back at me.

"Come, you need breakfast." he said, leaving the room. I sighed and slowly got up, and changed out my pjs before going to the kitchen with Makane. He had a plate of some sort of meat, fruits and nuts waiting for me.

"After you eat, I will take you to the training grounds with the other Unblooded. You'll have mandatory training, and I will also train you." he explained as I ate. I nodded.

"How long is the training?" I asked.

"In your time, three hours."

Jesus, that didn't sound very fun. After I finished eating, we headed out towards the training grounds; a huge arena in the centre of the clan's settlement. As we walked into the structure, I noticed a lot of yautja, most quite young, though there were older ones obviously about to do their Chivas. Many of the younger ones stared at me, before being swatted on the back of the head by adults.

"Come, you will be in a separate room with your own trainer." Makane said, guiding me through the crowds and down a quieter hall. The hall was lined with doors leading into rooms that looked like they were for smaller training sessions.

"This will be your kehrite. I will go find your trainer, wait there." Makane said. I nodded and went inside. The floors were soft padding and the walls had different weapons and things on them. I stood by the door for a few minutes before Makane returned with a female yautja, who stood taller than him as most the females I'd seen do. Her skin was a lighter grey and she looked at me with dark eyes, her mandibles clicking softly.

"Greetings Dee. I am Saneri." she said, nodding her head respectfully.

"Makane has told me much about you." she added and Makane grunted and nudged her. She clicked again louder, chuckling.

"Saneri and I are from the same birth-giver." Makane said, crossing his arms.

"She's your sister?" I asked, not really seeing a resemblance. They both nodded.

"Different fathers." Saneri said, patting his shoulder before approaching me. She seemed to examine me, circling me a few times and lifting my arms, humming in contemplation.

"You are weak. You will need to train hard to complete your Chiva." she said, walking further into the training room. I glanced at Makane but he only nodded and gestured for me to go on.

"I will return later." he said, nodding at Saneri before marching off. I felt a little anxious without him there, but knew this Chiva was an important thing here, so I needed to do it.

The next few hours were spent Saneri teaching me different fighting techniques, how to use the various weapons, and hand-to-hand combat. By the time Makane returned from whatever he'd been doing, I was sweating and exhausted. Saneri patted my shoulder, taking the sword from me.

"She did good. She is a natural fighter, even if she is weak." she said and Makane nodded in approval.

"Come, Dee. We will return to the dwelling and you can rest." he said to me, guiding me out of the room. We walked home, although I was dragging my sore feet and my body ached from the activity.

When we got in, Makane grunted and took my armour off me.

"Bathing will soothe your body." he said, gesturing down the hall to the bathroom. I nodded and shuffled down there. He followed and pressed a few buttons on the screen on the wall, and a tub appeared out the floor, filling with steaming water. The sight looked so inviting, but I paused as I grabbed the hem of my shirt, remembering Makane was still in the room. I turned to look at him and it took him a moment to remember I had different views on nudity than him.

"I will be in the main area..." he said, and walked out, the door sliding shut after him. I undressed and sunk into the hot water, my muscles soothed immediately. This felt so good. I closed my eyes and drifted off into a nap without realising.

I woke up to my shoulder being shaken gently.

"Dee, you should not sleep in water alone." Makane said. Thankfully the bathwater was murky with some sort of bath soak, so he couldn't see below my shoulders.

"Sorry.. I didn't realise." I yawned and he grumbled, not particularly impressed still.

"Come, you need food and rest." he said, softer. He offered me a towel and I got out, making sure not to flash him.

"I got you the clothing items you like to sleep in." he added, gesturing to some pjs folded on the side. That was nice of him.

"Oh.. thank you." I replied. He turned and I put them on, feeling cosy in the fresh pjs. We went to the kitchen and ate quietly, with Makane asking a few questions about my training.

"Saneri told me you did good today. You still have much to learn, but she reported that you show promise." he said, finishing the meat on his plate. I smiled a little, glad I hadn't failed straight away.

"How long until I do my Chiva?" I asked.

"It will be obvious when you are ready. It is different because you are ooman, yautja train for years." Makane replied, taking my plate.

"Years? Damn... will I have to train that long?"

"I do not know. It will depend how long it takes you to be ready, which is something only you can know. Come, you need rest now, and it will rain soon."

"How do you know? I don't see clouds."

"It is the last day of the wet season, it always rains heavily on the last day." Makane said, as he walked down the hall. I followed him into the bedroom, and like magic, it started tipping it down with rain outside, the sound muffled by the windows. I watched the water running down the windows for a moment before Makane grunted to get my attention.

"Go to bed. You are training again tomorrow, you need rest."

I walked round the bed and got in, settling down.

"Come closer, the rain will make it cold in the night." Makane grunted, tugging me closer under the sheets. I'd almost grown used to cuddling now, even though we'd never spoken about it, it just happened. I yawned and settled down again to fall asleep.