"Unless you can kill for yourself, you will never be a man" My father always lectured. He was well respected. I always felt proud near him. His dia-shui made me pray that I would be as great a hunter as him. And many years ago, I had my chance.


My father's school had taken me to the backwater planet that the oomans originally resided, before they learned how to leave their planet. I was only 18. When the ship lowered me, Oc'jy and Vesle'gan, we were greeted by oomans. They bowed before me as I do towards the statues of the gods. I nodded to let them know they could stand before me. They stood, and led me down the temple.

At the bottom, more oomans waited for us. Only the one that stood nearest me wore anthing that looked glamorouse. Everyone else seemed to wear rages around their waist, or tunics. They bowed before me as the other had. I nodded again to acknowledge them to stand. Suddenly I heard hi-pitched chatter in the crowd, and three small sucklings ran out into the street. I assumed they were playing as they seemed to be laughing. Two of them chased the first. They didn't seem to notice me or my comrades. Suddenly one of them ran into my leg and fell over. The other two ran in kwei. The first stared at me in horror. An ooman-de I assumed was its Mother ran over and knelt down, cluthing the suckling. Oc'jy stomped past me and back handed them both.

"How dare you touch us! You will pay!" He said as he lifted his hand to strike, but I grabbed him by his gauntlet.

"Oc'Jy, let it go. It had no intention to insult us." I snarled.

Oc'jy began to speak, but the babble of the ooman-de stopped him. She held her face were Oc'jy hit her. Her child stirred as it lifted itself up. The Ooman-de was begging for forgiveness. I looked at the oomans and said, "Hma' Mi De."

After we were given food to feast upon, we choose 7 oomans to enter the temple, and create the Kainde amedha. After they laid on the slabs, Myself and the other went to the floor with the weapons chest. I was the one who set the table. Once the chest opened, I choose the medium calibur Plasma caster, Oc'jy took the Largest, and Vesle'gan took the smallest. Once they were out of the chest, the temple sealed up. We decided to split up and hunt in different areas. I heard the sound of Z'skvy-de above me. The hunt would begin soon. I prepared my caster. I silently prayed for all of us.

Hours passed. I hadn't found anything. No kainde' amedha. The temple had changed 6 times already. I was starting to think I was going to pray for a fight. Before I could start, I heard a shriek! I turned and ran towards the shriek. I heard the sounds of battle. It was defanantly Vesle'gan. I came to a halt when I found a stone door blocking my way. I heard him fire his plasmacaster, the sound of Kainde' Amedha shattering, and the sizzle of acid. Suddenly I heard another one in the same chamber. I heard him cry out, and was silenced by a shriek, harder than the first.

Suddenly the temple changed. The door opened, Vesle'gan's head was broken. He layed a few meters from his previus kill. His killer was diffanantly still in this room.

Suddenly I wirled around with my disk, decapitating the kainde' amedha. Its lifless body flopped down infront of me. I grinned in saticfaction as I reached up to take my mask off.

I was interupted by the sound of Oc'jy yelling for help! And the sound of his plasma caster firing. I dashed away from my kill to assist him. He was in the sacrificial chamber! I lept inside and fired my plasma caster at the swarm near him. He had killed 2 already, the remaining 3 peaked from around the corner at him. He firedat at one, then suddenly they lept at him. He shot one in mid flight, its blood splahed on my chast, and plasma caster! after tearing them off, my ears were filled with the sound of pain as Oc'jy's thwei painted the floor. I threw my disk and killed one of them, the other hissed and ran out the door!

It was a crime to allow a Kainde amedha to escape the temple. I ran after it as fast as I could. It was much faster than me, the temple doors began to close as I approuched them, I had to slid to get through. It was raining outside. I heard the Kainde' amedha above me, scaling the temple! I had to kill it before it escaped into the forest! I leapt as high as I could and landed on the 3rd section, and I sprinted up the stairs. The Kainde' Amedha reached the top before me. I threw my second disk at it. I missed. It arced back in my direction, but was out of my reach. All I had to fight it with now was my spear, my first disk, and my dagger and wristblades. After unpacking it, I leapt up to its level, and atempted to eviserate it. It coutered by lashing its tail at me. I ducked and tripped it with the spear. I leapt up to finish it off, but rolled out of the way. It swung its tail at me. I caught it and yanked it up, backhanding it to the ground. I hopped to avoid its leg. I leapt back as it got to its feet. I lowered my spear, hoping it'd do what I wanted. It leapt striaght in the air, and I timed my strike perfectly! My spear went striaght into its head! I quickly pulled out my dagger and sliced its neck. with a quick kick, I sent its body tumbling down the pyramid. I lifted my spear high, roaring with pride. Moments after I started, my fathers ship began to hover over me. I pounded my chest, as a sign of my pride. It began to lower, and the ramp lowered with it.

As I approuched the ship, I felt something touch my back. I turned around to see the ooman suckling from before. in its hands was my lost throwing disk. It knelt before me with its hands up. I gently took my disk back. and bowed to it. I looked at my string of trophies leading from my hip to my shoulder. I look at the trophy of my first kill, from when I was a child. With a quick tug, I took it off my trophy line, and handed it to him. I thought of it as some reward for its effort.

It watched me as I turned and walked up the ramp. I turned around and watched him as the ramp closed. I turned to my father, and presented my spear, with the Alien skull still mounted on it. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and said, "I'm proud of you...my son."

There was only 1 more thing to do. I took my helmet off. I then took my dagger and dipped it into what remained of the Aliens neck. I took the edge of my dagger, and etched my mark on my helmet, then on my forhead.