Chapter 155: One Hundred and One Questions
Da’kea watched the giant Njeriuujk disappear into the snowy landscape. A feat that should not have been able to be done by a creature of his size and bulk, and yet, he was gone.
Shaking his head, he walked back the path between the female’s fighter and his own smaller ship. He didn’t know what his next move was going to be, but there were things that had to be dealt with first before worrying about the Alliance and a mate he never knew he had.
He might have never known he had, but it was a prayer he had whispered to the Dark Lord on more than one occasion. And if anyone thought that they could threaten her or try and get between them, well, there was a reason why most of the other Elders were afraid of him.
"Elder," grunted the hunter on duty as he approached the back hatch. Da’kea nodded his head in acknowledgment but continued on his way. He didn’t know how he was going to explain his new armor and wasn’t going to invite conversation about it until he was good and ready.
"Elder," yelled out another male as Da’kea continued to stroll down the hallways to his quarters.
"Elder! If you have a moment," said a third male, trying to catch up with him. "Elder, you don’t have your cloak."
"Lost it in the wilderness," Da’kea said with a grunt. It would not be the first time that ever happened, and it wouldn’t be the last time either. The other male paused for a moment before turning around and looking at the other hunters, also trying to get the Elder’s attention.
Feeling the tension in the air, Da’kea came to a stop with a sigh and turned around to look at every one. "If you have not forgotten, I need to call the council of Elders to let them know about the results of the dominance challenge, as well as let Pahn’thill’s mother know what happened to her offspring."
"Of course, Elder. I understand you are busy," said the same male coming forward, who was the first one inside Mei Xing’s chip. Da’kea looked at him for a moment and smiled behind his mask. He was close to the female for such a long time, and yet was not called. Clearly, he was not a worthy male for the human.
"Then please let me know what you need, so I can get on with the rest of my responsibilities," replied Da’kea, standing perfectly still.
"With the young male be punished for killing a female? And if not, I demand the right to kill him myself," snarled the first male, and Da’kea simply stared at the young hunter. This was only his second breeding season, and he was already so angry.
Some female would have to beat that out of him quickly, or he would become a rogue hunter, an outlaw. Luckily for Da’kea, the male might belong to his tribe, but he was no longer his responsibility.
"Our sacred laws were not broken," Da’kea informed everyone in the corridor. He raised his voice just loud enough that there was no question as to what he was saying. "It was a dominance fight between two females, and unfortunately, Pahn’thill lost. Let me repeat this so that there are no misunderstandings. It was a valid challenge between females as per our laws."
"But the other had armor. Are you sure that they are female?" asked another male toward the back of the crowd. Several hunters grunted and nodded their heads, agreeing with his question.
"She removed her armor and proved without a doubt that she is a female," stated Da’kea, not backing down. Mei Xing did nothing contrary to their laws, and he would not see her punished or hunted for some made-up slight.
"But I thought that the Nanos would only respond to male chromosomes," called out a new voice, and once again, like a sea, the others nodded their heads.
"And that is something I need to address with the Council," retorted Da’kea, refusing to budge on the matter.
"Then, if she is, in fact, a female and is Saalistaja, then that means she is available to consider courtships from other males," shouted out a sixth male. "The law stated that during the mating hunt, all males can present themselves to all available females to be chosen."
Da’kea paused when he heard the hunter’s term. "Do you think you would be chosen?" he asked, gesturing for the male to come forward. Little to nothing was known about how Ethawainians chose their mates or if they even had control over the matter. He needed to see if the other male was, in fact, chosen.
The hunter shouldered his way through the crowd and stood before the Elder, his shoulders back and his back straight. However, his locks were still exposed, and his armor didn’t show the slightest indication of change. There was no way he was chosen by his female.
"The female already has three mates competing for her favor," started Da’kea, dismissing the hunter in front of him as not being a threat. He never mentioned that he was part of the three. "I do not think she would be interested in adding to that number. As you can see, she is significantly smaller than our other females, and she is stressed since this is her first heat."
Da’kea was making things up as he went along, but one thing he understood from all of his diplomatic missions was that as long as you portrayed confidence, no one would question you.
"I have spent two years in courtship with Pahn’thill, and now that she has been killed, I demand that I be able to present to the new female," sneered the male standing in front of Da’kea. "It is my right."
Da’kea sighed, his tusks clicking in frustration, a habit he never had before but one that he could see himself doing a lot in the future. He tried to think about how he could rip the other male apart for trying to coerce his mate into a courtship, but he honestly couldn’t think of a way to do it.
However, what surprised him the most was that none of the males in front of him called him out for his change in armor. Could he have reverted to his normal size and armor when away from his female? Was that even possible?
