Ch'hkt-a N'ritha (Dha-viath) - Excited Dance (Disaster)

“Thin-de le'hsaun 'aloun'myin-de s'bpi-de gka-de hou-depaya”.

That was Ka'Torag-na Dekna's simple - yet effective - warning. Ch'hkt-a, though, was more focused on the stinging pain from the wooden dah'Nagara that struck the side of her head. What bothered her far more than the continuous hits she kept receiving from her n'yaka-de, however, was how the Elite insisted on training with Ch'hkt-a, despite her having completed her chiva. Dusting off, the two tossed their pretend weapons aside in favor of mugs of refreshing c'nlip. Sitting in contemplative silence, both let their own thoughts take hold of their attention.

Ch'hkt-a's train of thought inevitably led her to her family - or what was left of it. Her mei'hswei had fallen to the kiande amedha during his first Hunt - not that it bothered her. Kiloun had died honorably, and as long as that held true, Ch'hkt-a's heart was at ease. When her mother suffered a similar fate, however - a painful u'sl-kwe at the claws of a Kac-h'ta, Ch'hkt-a felt a tinge of panic. Would the foul beasts have her next? For what seemed the longest time, Ch'hkt-a fretted about her chiva. It was, however, this frantic - almost hysterical state that led her to meet Ka'Torag-na Dekna when Ch'hkt-a oh-so-roughly  bumped into him during one of her romps through the Clan's grounds.

Ka'Torag-na was exceptionally comprehensive, and indeed offered to spar with Ch'hkt-a - a practice the both of them still carry out to this day - with his rather unique weapon: a traditional dah'kte, although a nok in length and with a single blade. Skeptic at first, Ch'hkt-a quickly had to correct herself; it certainly WAS effective. On the other hand, when she tried it for herself, well. It wasn't long until Ka'Torag-na started referring to her as “dha-viath”. In hindsight, however, it was never mocking, m-di. Quite the opposite, in fact; to Ka'Torag-na, Ch'hkt-a wasn't just another lou-dte kalei, something her peers liked to voice quite a lot, and despite the unblooded's many shortcomings, Ka'Torag-na would just coax her along with his less than wholesome ways but equally effective ways.

“Dtai'k-dte sa-de nav'g-kon dtain'aun bpide.”

Those words, that ultimatum, Ch'hkt-a treasures it to this day. As her kiande amedha chiva drew closer, the then unblooded Yautja doubled, tripled her efforts; countless were the days spent away from her Clan, practicing the way of the dah'kte, the ki'cti-pa and the al'Nagara with her n'yaka-de. Once, their training was even interrupted by a Kuq'rit, alerted by the sound of clashing weapons and drawn to their small clearing. That, Ch'hkt-a recalls fondly, was perhaps her first truly satisfying fight. As Ka'Torag-na stepped out of the way, the unblooded went to fetch her al'Nagara from its sheath, wielding the long blade with perhaps too much confidence for her own good.

“Payas leitjin-de Hma'mi'de.”
“Sei-i, n'yaka-de.”
She had won. Of course, it was no big quarrel, but to Ch'hkt-a? Forced to hunt the diminutive Peq're-ks and the occasional kiande amedha z'skvy-de as with the other unblooded, her kill's species didn't matter as much as the mesh'in'ga she experienced during the duel. An odd experience indeed, Ch'hkt-a simply gave in to the feelings of the dtai'kai-dte; her hyperactive nerves, firing up with each passing breeze, her distended muscles, and most importantly, her empty mind. There was nothing to think of, was there? Her feet, they were built for moving - thinking too hard about it would have just impeded them. With the passing of time, she grew to appreciate her namesake, the n'ritha - the dance - of the fight.

Finally, the time arrived; her kiande amedha chiva. There was a second of trepidation when she picked up her dah'kte, but not of fear, no. What Ch'hkt-a felt was excitement. The trill of the upcoming kv'var, finally facing the Serpents she had prepared for so long to hunt. Would she be worthy?
“Thar'n-da sy' yin'tekai, Dha-viath.” were the last words Ch'hkt-a heard from her her n'yaka-de before her assigned Ner'uda took off for the rendezvous with the Man'daca which would take her - and her fellow unblooded - hunting. Barely a word was spoken as the young hunters waited impatiently. The air was charged with excitement.

Ah, the kiande amedha chiva. How could Ch'hkt-a possibly forget it? How could she even think of forgetting the loud 'CLUNK' of the pod which had carried her all the way to the surface of Izo Huen, a forgettable, arid planet used principally as a hunting reserve. Stepping on the dry, cracked ground, the four unblooded wasted no time in hurrying to the pyramid which hosted their deserved quarry. The walk was short and quiet - there was nothing to be said, after all - before the group was greeted by the colossal structure in its glory. There was no meditation, however, no contemplation; simply, the four of them ran inside, prowling the labyrinthine halls beneath the earth. Collectively, the unblooded decided to split up at the sacrificial chamber, each going in a different direction. Thought Ch'hkt-a would never know, she was the first to actually meet the Serpents, accidentally stumbling into a sizable group gathered in a small room. Stepping into view with perhaps dramatic flourish, the metallic sound of her dah'kte echoing across the empty halls.

Had she bitten off more than she could chew? Clumsily stumbling across the ruined room, Ch'hkt-a failed time and time again to match the tempo of the r'ka's fury. Several times she tried to picture the halls of her kehrite, or the tranquil silence of her Clan's dto. But no; parrying one attack would leave her open to the next and, gash after gash, the unblooded found herself cornered. Was that what her n'yaka-de meant? Clearly, there was only one sane thing she could do; pick up the tempo.
And so she did, turning and twisting in an improbable display of agility. As one r'ka connected with its scythe-like appendage, it was quickly seized and yanked forward - along with the kiande amedha's entire body - into Ch'hkt-a's waiting ki'cti-pa.

She had fought like a kha'bj-ten, her persistence rewarded as the last of the r'ka fell crumpled to the ground with a disgusting, wet gurgle. The huntress found herself still twitching, yearning for action, despite the room being empty. Extracting her ritual dah'Nagara, Ch'hkt-a set upon separating the thick layers of skin from the bones of the kiande amedha, intent on reclaiming her hard-earned trophies once and for all. Before that, however, there was another pressing matter which needed to be taken care of; with a sharp snap, Dha-viath tore the arm off of the cadaver of - she recognized it - her first kill, removing her bio-mask and bringing the bleeding end of the severed limb to her forehead. Applying far more pressure than necessary, she started drawing, first on her skin and then on her mask. A good few minutes later, she took the results of her work in her hand, looking intently at the Clan symbol imprinted on her mask.

The K'var-de clan.

...

Shaking her head, Ch'hkt-a realized she had allowed her mind to wander again. Many, may years had passed since her chiva, since she had become a proper K'var-de, and yet she still liked to reminisce on it. Perhaps, what Vara'ule liked to say was true; Ch'hkt-a really spent too much time thinking, and not enough acting. It wasn't her fault, though, was it? There was something... simply good about taking her time to observe her prey, learning its habits before striking where it hurt the most. Instead, she thought about her friend: how many times had they gone on a  kv'var together? Far too many to count. In fact, it was with Vara'ule that Ch'hkt-a first met the Oomans. Curious creatures at first, downright interesting when they engaged a group of Serpents without hesitation. They made worthy trophies, indeed. Simply enough, Ch'hkt-a and Vara'ule were a pretty good match, ever since they met as children; Ch'hkt-a always learned something new with each Hunt, and most importantly, both were patient enough to withstand each other.

Enough of the idling, though. The ship was speaking to both Ch'hkt-a and Ka'Torag-na; while the latter would continue with the Ner'uda, Ch'hkt-a would get off soon enough, heading for yet another Hunt.
Heading for LV-624.