Ita'thalla

Answering a few questions I've gotten.

I actually didn't see the movie Enemy Mine till after chapter 6. Uncanny similarity though.

To clarify the alien terminology: A Ketral is a member of the species. Ketra is the name of their home planet/system. Ketrali means anything pertaining to them, as in the ketrali language, the ketrali empire, etc.

When she's under backlash, Kita's strength is around what was normal for her species prior to genetic splicing. That's why she's still able to run, climb, swim, etc., and is still much stronger than Eric. She just can't do things as strongly, or as quickly as is "normal" for now.

Yes, there is a reason she can speak English so well.

So, here we go. Fore warning, things do get violent in a very unpleasant way for some parts, but just keep reading. To clarify, anything in quotes and italics is in the Ketrali language. There are a few sayings that are inherent to our language, but when they use them, assume they have an equivalent. Thoughts in italics will not have quotes around them. Anyways, enjoy

++++++++

"That's still Chas'kaa to you, Ka Turvan"

Kita hissed back at the other Ketral, her aim unwavering as she silently fought to regulate her heartbeat and breathing.

Why did it have to be him. Of all the possible other survivors, why him?!

Even as she asked herself that, she realized she'd suspected it even if she didn't want to admit it. His seat had been empty in the wreck, and Eric's question about survivors did raise her worries for a moment. But she'd denied it, made herself not believe it. Why hadn't she listened to him?! And now she had a very big problem on her hands. As he stepped into the light of the clearing, she fought not to lose her lunch.

He posed a disturbing image. While he'd clearly weathered the crash, he'd come out way, way worse than she had. From the waist up, he was naked aside from the loop of claws he wore at his neck. His skin was a mass of weeping pink blisters and only a few singed tufts of his mane and fur remained. Even days after the crash, his healing ability was clearly still struggling to heal the horrific burns that he'd some how survived. One of his long fangs was badly chipped, and his left ear was a chunk of charred gristle. The rest of him wasn't much better for wear either. The tattered remains of his jumpsuit dangled around his waist alongside several blackened armor plates, and there were several bald scorched areas on his legs that were only just beginning to take on a healthy tone. Even his scent was hard to discern as it was overpowered by the reek of burnt flesh. All in all, she barely recognized him, but there was no mistaking the sardonic voice that taunted her.

"

Hmm. Just as cold as ever...Chas'kaa"

he drawled, glancing at the pistol before looking back at her face

. "Really, is that necessary? To act so hostile to one of your own, loyal, trustworthy men..."

he said, stepping towards her but stopping as he saw her finger tighten on the trigger.

"

Trustworthy? That's a load of ralk shit and you know it."

she growled at him. Ancestors knew how she wanted to pull the trigger, but for some reason she couldn't.

"I know how you pulled the strings to get transferred to my unit. And I know why."

"

Really."

he replied, feigning hurt.

"and after we've been through so much, you still feel the same way? You can't imagine how happy I was earlier today when I found out you were still alive."

Kita spat.

"Your house will never be forgiven for what it has done. Least of all by me"

"Oh come now, I had nothing to do with all of that. It was all my father's doing."

he said offhandedly.

"

Still shirking your responsibility as always I see. Besides, you think that's the only mark against you, do you?"

"

I tried to do everything I could for you, you know."

he shook his head condescendingly

"It could have been so easy for you. You wouldn't be wearing that braid, you wouldn't be stuck on this planet, and..."

he said with a taunting grin.

"Your old man might still have lived. It's not my fault that you decided to make everything difficult"

"

Save it."

she glared at him over her weapon, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her show weakness.

"The aftermath of the duel was a tantrum thrown by a spoiled brat. You just didn't count on losing."

A small part of her rejoiced as he bared his fangs at her. That was clearly still a sore spot.

"

Lawbreakers get their just rewards"

he growled back at her.

"You're lucky I was feeling generous enough to let your part in it slide."

"

Only on the foolish hope that you'd have another chance, Turvan."

"

Watch who you're calling a fool"

he replied, his voice taking on a low dangerous tone

. "This time you're alone, and none of your silly little traditions matter here."

Kita pulled the trigger. She'd seen the tensing of his legs as he prepared to lunge. A loud booming sound rolled through the forest as the superheated white bolt streaked from the muzzle of her weapon. He'd apparently anticipated this however, and it only succeeded in searing the tip off of his other ear as he ducked the shot, quickly covering the distance between them and kicking the weapon out of her hand. Kita didn't bother keeping track of where it landed as she now blocked and countered a flurry of blows that came at her. Using the momentum of a blocked kick, she sprung backwards to put some distance between the two of them. Landing on her feet, she assumed a guard stance, claws unsheathed as she controlled her breathing, watching him carefully as he rounded on her.

"

On the defensive so soon, Chas'kaa? Or maybe it is Keetah, as that little worm seems so fond of calling you"

he taunted.

"Hardly a warriors name. I didn't think you'd be making it this easy for me"

"

I've beaten you easily once before Turvan"

she replied, bearing her fangs at him.

"I can do it again. You'll address me correctly if you know what's good for you. And leave the human out of this, he deserves more respect than you know."

Silently she berated herself. Why hadn't she pulled the trigger earlier? In her current state, fighting with him hand to hand was just about the worst thing she could have gotten into. She knew she was a better fighter than him, but he had much more of a strength advantage now. If she could defeat him before he noticed though...yes, she could do this.

"Keetah...Chas'kaa...It doesn't matter."

he gave a low laugh.

"Either way, I still get what I want this time."

Turvan lunged at her again, throwing a series of hooking kicks and claw strikes. She dodged and parried every single one, raking her claws across his ruined chest, drawing a howl from him. Ducking under a kick, she swiped at his throat with crescent kick, nearly opening his neck with the claws on her feet as he leaped backwards to avoid the deadly strike. Landing in a low stance, she evaluated the damage that she'd done to him. In a regular duel this would have been the end, but he didn't show any signs of backing down. In fact, there was a very dangerous look in his eyes that made her heart rate jump a little.

"No"

He growled at her, brushing the nicks on his throat with one hand.

"Not this time. Those old codgers called it the end, but they're not here now. I'll show you, I will take what is rightfully mine!!"

Kita hissed at him.

"You will never be worthy of being my mate! It matters not whether we are on Ketra or alone here, I will not be taken!"

Something visually snapped in his mind.

"Worthy? WORTHY?!"

he snarled, flying into a rage as he hurled himself at her. She barely had time to roll out of the way as he landed before delivering a withering volley of punches, kicks, and slashes that she was barely able to avoid.

"I am the first son of house of House Kental, the prime house of the Ral cadre union!"

he screamed at her, punctuating each tirade with a wild swing as Kita frantically tried to parry each blow.

"My father is the prime elder of the war council! How am I not worthy!? HOW IS A HUMAN WORTHIER THAN I AM!!!"

He yelled, delivering one final slash that she was unable to avoid, catching her across the center of her chest, between her breasts and down her ribcage, tearing open her top. Reeling backwards from the blow, Kita caught herself against a tree, barely staying on her feet as she clutched her chest with one hand. She stared at Turvan as he breathed heavily, a look of crazed fury on his face.

"

And don't even bother denying it..."

he said, suddenly very quiet.

"Even if I didn't understand half of what you were saying, I could hear it, the way you were talking to him up there on the ridge. I could see it the way you were looking at him."

He looked straight at her.

"I could smell it."

Suddenly his eyes shifted downwards, towards her torn top. And then he started to laugh.

"Oh this is too perfect....lucky, lucky me..."

he sneered at her.

Kita looked down at herself. Her top was ripped almost completely open, showing the curves of her breasts as well as the slash marks from the blow that had gotten through. Blood seeped between her fingers from the four parallel cuts...that were slowly but visibly healing.

Shit

Kita slowly brought her eyes back up to him as he threw back his head and laughed even harder, her heart rate skyrocketing as she realized what he'd seen.

"The little worm did half of the work for me!"

he cackled, a savage grin crossing his face as he flexed his claws.

"You're suffering the backlash! Weak little female! And here I was being careful, worried that you might actually have a chance"

He suddenly lunged, recklessly throwing his entire body weight at her. She attempted to roll away, but he grabbed her by the arm, taking her neck in his other fist and slamming her back against the tree. Even as points of light danced across her vision, she frantically brought her knee up into his groin, eliciting a grunt from him as his grip momentarily loosened, but not enough for her to break free. With a low chuckle, he brought his face up just inches from hers, increasing the pressure on her neck.

"Now that..."

he drawled, his voice dripping with cruelty,

"did not hurt one little bit. But I promise you. This will."

+++++

Eric looked up just as he was finishing his work. Had that been thunder? No, the sky was perfectly clear, the trees still had their foliage, and it sounded slightly different. He'd heard that sound before. That was a shot from a plasma weapon.

Kita.

He stood, holstering the pistol as he walked toward the entrance of their shelter. Well, she said she was checking out possible prey for when they ran out of food, that's why she'd gone alone. Maybe she'd found something? He didn't want to spoil her hunting. But...wait. He turned, looking at his backpack. They still had over a weeks worth of rations left. So there was no reason for her to hunt. A sick feeling slowly made its way into his stomach. What if she'd run into something, another tree beast maybe? Checking that both his pistol and knife were secure, he bolted out into the forest, pausing as he tried to discern where the shot had come from. He'd only heard one, that wasn't a good sign. Wait, she had been heading towards the river, maybe if he headed that direction he'd find her! Running as fast as he could without tripping, Eric tore through the forest, still trying to keep an ear out for any sign of her. She hadn't been gone long, so she couldn't have gotten far, right?

Wait, no, I'm doing this wrong,

he realized, remembering what Kita had said earlier and slowing down. He was running so fast he couldn't hear anything other than his own footsteps. Trying to ignore the heartbeat pounding in his ears, he stopped and listened. Suddenly a very familiar roar echoed, not too far off. She was still alive! Turning in the direction he'd heard the noise from, he forced himself to move slowly and carefully. If he was quiet, maybe he'd be able to have the element of surprise. As he approached, he frowned. Did he hear another voice? And the words, he couldn't understand what was being said. Creeping around a tree, he finally caught sight of the combat going on, and his heart skipped a beat.

Kita was fighting another ketral. A male, horribly burnt, almost twice her size. And she was clearly losing. What little she'd been wearing was in tatters, and even as he could see her wounds healing, more appeared each time her opponent descended on her. Her efforts to fight him off seemed to do nothing as he just swatted everything aside, cackling maniacally as he pummeled her.

He cringed as she took a knee to the stomach, sending her reeling. The male laughed, and although Eric couldn't understand the harsh snarling language, he could tell that the male was taunting her. Somehow she managed to yell something back at him, eliciting another laugh, and then he was on her again, yelling something over and over again as he assaulted her. Chaska, or something like that? Something pinged in the back of Eric's mind. He'd heard that somewhere before. No, that wasn't possible...was it?

Well, no time to think about it now. Eric drew his pistol, hands trembling. It was painful to watch, and even as he tried to draw a bead on the male, he was afraid to fire. With his hands shaking like this...he paled as the possibility of accidentally hitting Kita sat in his mind. But...was he supposed to just stand here and do nothing? He gritted his teeth as the beat down continued, trying to drown out the sounds of Kita gasping in pain as she tried to fight off the brute. He felt helpless sitting like this. Suddenly she screamed. His grip on his weapon tightened. Dammit, if he didn't do something soon the male was going to kill her!

++++++

"What's the matter, Keetah?! I thought you could do this again! Easily you said!"

he taunted, kneeing her in the stomach and sending her stumbling away.

Ignoring the taste of blood in her mouth, Kita assumed a weary fighting stance.

"You will still address me correctly Turvan!"

she snarled at him. She could still do this, she told herself. And even if she couldn't, curse it if she wasn't going to go out with dignity.

He simply laughed. "

Chas'kaa..."

he said, shaking his head before lunging once more, unrelenting.

"Always such a stickler for tradition, Chas'kaa! As if the past matters!"

he yelled, twisting the title around into a mockery of it's proper pronunciation.

"Does it hurt less when I call you Chas'kaa?"

he taunted, raking her shoulder as she failed to stop the swing.

"Does the Chas'kaa have any other wishes? Maybe the Chas'kaa would like me to let her take a breather? Eh, Chas'kaa? It doesn't matter!"

he continued, finally eliciting a scream from her as a right hook snapped her head around, knocking her to the ground as she blacked out momentarily. Crouching, he jerked her head back via the long braided mane in one hand, drawing another gasp as she came to.

"Really, Chas'kaa..."

he said, pulling so that her ear was closer.

"I did expect more."

When she didn't respond, he yanked even harder, ignoring her cries of agony as he nearly lifted her torso from the ground.

"So this is what's become of the mighty Chas'kaa Kita'thalla, is it? Maybe spending time with the little pink skin made you weaker. If that's the case, I guess maybe I was a fool to think you'd be a fitting mate to give me strong sons."

"Then you should just kill me..."

she managed to gasp, every inch of her being in a world of pain. If this was how it was going to end, she wasn't going to let him see her beg for her life.

Turvan gave a scoffing laugh, finally releasing her mane.

"You know, when I first saw you talking to the human, it crossed my mind.. It is after all, high treason to be consorting with enemy soldiers. And I'm sure I'd be rewarded handsomely for removing this annoying thorn from the side of the War Council. Maybe I will kill you in the end. But first..."

he suddenly reached down, raking the claws on one hand across her rear, tearing away what little remained of the shorts she wore.

"I'm going to enjoy the spoils of war."

Kita's eyes went wide as she realized what he was doing. "

NO!

" Ignoring the protests of her injured body, she suddenly lashed out with her feet, catching him in the stomach and causing him to step back with a grunt. Scrambling to her feet, she kicked him again in the face, howling with fury as she descended on him in a flurry of slashes with her claws. For a few moments, she was actually pushing him back, blood streaming from the countless wounds she inflicted as she pressed her attack.

Turvan snarled, catching one wrist in a death grip, slamming his other fist into her stomach and knocking the wind out of her before hurling her into a tree where she landed in a heap. As she struggled to recover, he strode over, kicking her onto her stomach before grabbing her tail, making her cry out as he lifted her rear into the air and roughly depositing her onto her knees.

"Nice try...Chas'kaa."

he said, keeping the tension on her tail while he pulled away the remains of his jumpsuit with the other hand, ignoring her gasping sobs as she tried to escape his grasp.

"So there is some fight in you still. Good. I've decided not to kill you, at least not just yet. You will produce fine offspring for me. Oh, it won't last for long, just a few years I imagine. As soon as you give me a son or two, I'll relieve you of your service, permanently. But until then, I'm going to enjoy this every single day until you give me what I want."

Looking down at her exposed sex beneath her tail, he gave a savage grin, extending his own member from its protective sheath.

"You should feel honored, Chas'kaa"

he said, admiring the spiny pink organ as he positioned himself behind her. "

I have not mated since leaving Ketra, I have saved this for you."

He frowned as she struggled even more, making it impossible for him to enter her. With a growl, he yanked her tail hard. Kita gave a strangled gasp as she felt something pop.

"Don't even think of pulling that little stunt again. Hold still or I'll rip it right off. Now prepare yourself. I am told the first time is very painful for you little females, although...

" he said, malice glinting in his eyes as he listened to her sobbing,

"I am also told that pain is necessary for your fertility. I wonder if there are ways to prolong this effect?"

he mused, running a claw between her nether lips before aiming his engorged shaft at the opening. "

For now though, this is all I need!."

He laughed, brushing the tip across the orifice as he prepared to thrust into her.

"You have no idea how long I have looked forward to this, Chas'kaa!"

A gunshot echoed through the forest.

+++++++

He missed.

Eric's stomach dropped as the male dropped Kita, rounding on him as the bark on the tree next to him exploded. He tried again, the shot going wide as the Ketral roared, charging straight at him. He rolled to the side as the enraged alien swatted the pistol out of his hand, sending it flying across the clearing. He barely had time to stand before he found himself flying through the air as the ketral delivered a heavy kick to his chest. Landing hard across a fallen log, he cried out as he felt something crack in his right side. As the alien advanced on him, he gritted his teeth, clutching his side as he struggled to his feet. Ducking a wild swipe by alien, he stumbled behind another tree for cover, gingerly probing his side as he gasped for air. Definitely a cracked rib or two. Suddenly hearing movement, he jumped out of the way, adrenaline saving his life as a clawed hand hooked around the trunk and embedded itself in the wood, gouging four parallel lines into the bark where his head had been just moments ago.