This story contains scenes of violence and the aftermath's thereof. If this type of thing disturbs you, PLEASE READ NO FURTHER! Click the BACK BUTTON on your browser NOW and find a story more suited to your preferences.

Aliens, the Queen Alien, Warrior Aliens, and the term Xenomorph are all property of 20th Century Fox. The Predator and any other items related to the Predator and the Aliens are also property of 20th Century Fox.

Xena, Gabrielle, Callisto, Argo, Autolycus, Hercules, Iolaus and all other characters and items related to the TV show “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” are all property of MCA/Universal Television and Renaissance Pictures.

No © COPYRIGHT infringement is intended. The story's ideas and plots, however, are mine.

I just wrote this for fun, not profit. Any and all critique of this work, which happens to be my first, is greatly appreciated. E-Mail me at JPuertoR@hotmail.com. Posting and reproduction of this story without prior permission from the author is strictly prohibited. In other words: You must ask ME!

No deer or Aliens were harmed in the production of this work. Although last I heard, the Queen Alien was undergoing serious psychotherapy and she is reported to be emotionally scarred for life.

Written entirely in New Zealand--Just Kidding!

Of Note - 01:  This story is post-Dahak but pre-India Arc.  In other words:  Dahak, Hope, and her kid are dead, but Xena and Gabby haven't gone to India yet, so Gabby still has her long, starwberry-blonde hair and Amazon Staff.

Of Note - 02:  Chapter 2 is only 80% done.

Lot of disclaimers, ain't there? Anyway, with all that settled... Enjoy!!

 
    ''Greetings, kind patron.  How can I be of service this fine day?  Oh, I see you wish to hear one of the many tales that resides in my memory.  Of what do you wish to hear?  Of romance perhaps?  Of high adventure maybe?  Wait, I know . . .you wish to hear a tale that will make your hair stand on end, one that seems so horrific and incredible as to not be true?  Ah, I knew it!  Well then, incline your ear this way and pay close attention as I tell you a tale once told to me by a dear friend long, long ago.  Our tale begins as follows . . .''
 
 

Ye Olde Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
 
 

Chapter 1

Xena, Gabrielle, and Argo were on their way to Tricca, a small town in the province of Thessalia situated along the river Peneus and northeast of the Pindus mountains.  They were going there to investigate reports of strange disturbances in the area.  They had decided that it would save them a day of travel if they went straight through the valley in the shadow of Mt. Tymphrestus than walk the perimeter.  It was a clear, sunny day and all seemed quite peaceful. As the sun began began to make its descent behind the horizon they stopped at a clearing near the main road, set up camp, tended to Argo, and proceeded to go about their usual pre-sleep business. Gabrielle sat down, with her scroll and quill, and began writing her next chapter in her ongoing “Xena Scrolls”, while Xena started to sharpen her sword. The young bard looked up from her writing with a serene smile

“It's such a beautiful day, isn't it Xena?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Xena stopped and turned her head to the wind. “Yet something doesn't quite settle...”

“What do you mean?” Gabrielle asked, frowning at her companions comment.

“Shhhh . . . Listen...”

All sounds ceased, even Argo remained silent, as Xena and Gabrielle listened.

“Notice anything?” Xena asked in an even tone.

“No, not really. It's quiet.”

“Yes, but wouldn't there be any commotion, birds singing or something, right about now?”

Gabrielle paused a moment to ponder Xena’s observation.

“Your right.” she replied in a whisper. “It's so quiet.”

“Too quiet.” Xena got up and retrieved her cloak from Argo's saddlebags.  She headed into the forest, sword in hand. “Stay with Argo, I'll be right back.”

Xena stalked through the woods with a cat-like silence, feeling the rhythm of the forest. Trekking deep into the woods, she suddenly saw something out of the corner of her eye and walked over to inspect it.

“What in Hades?”

After some time, Xena reappeared at the camp.

“Xena!” Gabrielle jumped to greet her friend but was halted by the expression on Xena’s face.

“What's wrong?”

“I’m not sure.” Xena replied. “On my sweep of the area I found 20 or 30 strange ‘things’ in a large clearing a couple of dozen lengths away.”

Xena stopped halfway into the camp and removed her cloak.

“What ‘things’?” Gabrielle asked with a hint of fright in her voice.

“Come on, I'll show you.” Xena said as she turned back towards the woods.

The duo walked through the forest, appearing at a very large clearing just as the sun had begun to color the sky with orange hues in preparation for nightfall.  Just as Xena had said, there were 26 strange “things” arranged in a spiral order throughout the clearing. All were large, leathery brown ovals standing about three feet tall.  Each was shaped roughly like an egg, except for one which was smaller and more bulb-shaped than the rest.  Their tops were open in four neat sections, revealing the hollowness within and making them take on the appearance of grotesque flowers. Near their base they were almost translucent, and each “egg” was covered with a slick, foul smelling substance. 

“What is it?” Gabrielle asked.

“You got me,” Xena replied, “Although it looks like some sort of ‘egg’.”

“Yeah.” Gabrielle agreed. “It does, doesn't it? Except what could have possibly hatched from that?”

“I don't know Gabrielle, I really don't know.”

“Ugh!” Gabrielle said as she covered her nose. “That smell!”

Xena, too, noticed the smell. As the bard and the mare continued to wince at the smell, Xena stepped up to one of the “eggs” and inspected it carefully. she gingerly touched its surface and squished the slick substance that rubbed off between her fingers. Her instincts told her that the “eggs” had been there for a while.

“These eggs, or whatever they are, are not fresh.” She moved her fingers to her nose and lightly smelled the substance. “They've been here two, maybe three days.”
 
Xena quickly rubbed her fingers in the grass. The slimy substance had begun to tingle, leaving a slight burning sensation in her fingers.  As they back towards their camp, Xena paused and looked towards the trees.  Not hearing Xena walking behind her, Gabrielle stopped and turned around.  She saw Xena searching the treetops, her hand on her sword's hilt.  She tightened her grip on her staff and silently walked up next to Xena.

"What is it?"  she whispered, her eyes also searching canopy.

Xena lowered her hand with a sigh and turned to face Gabrielle.

"It's nothing.  I had this feeling that we were being watched.  Humph . . ." a wry smile appeared on her face.  "I must be getting old."

"Or tired.  Come on, let's get back to camp."  Gabrielle wrapped an arm around Xena’s midriff as they made they way back to their campsite.

In the canopy, several lengths from the "nest", something moved . . .
 

“Gods,” Gabrielle commented, “Those things give me the creeps.”

“Right, let's get moving.  I want to reach the next village by dark.”

The Trio continued on their way. It was, as Xena had said before, too quiet. A dreadful silence that even caused Gabrielle to also remained quiet. She was scared, scared of the silence. Scared of the lingering stench that followed them, and scared of Xena’s discovery of the apparent “nest” at the clearing.

“Together. . . ” Gabrielle thought to herself, “We've fought Cyclops, Giants, Titans, Dryads, and even Bacchae. Even though all of them were different, there was always some sign, some evidence that told us who we were fighting. In every case, however, things on the outside were relatively the same: birds sang, or the wind blew, crickets chirped, or something. . . but not now. Now, there is nothing . . . ”

“We should reach the village in a few minutes.” Xena said as she looked towards the heavens. “Good thing too, it looks like a rainstorm's coming up.”

“Huh?” Gabrielle said, oblivious to the outside world. “Oh, yeah.”

“Are you sure you're all right?” Xena asked regarding her friend with concern.

“Huh, me?” Gabrielle asked, finally snapping out of her trance. “Yeah, just thinking...”

“Really?” Xena commented with mock surprise. “Something must be wrong! I'm normally the one thinking, and you're the one talking!”

“Ha, ha, very funny. I was just thinking about that ‘nest’ we, or I should say you, found.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same-” Xena didn’t finish her sentence, but instead leaped off Argo and started to run toward the village barely visible through the trees.

“Xena? XENA?!” Gabrielle yelled in alarm. “What now, come on Argo!”

Gabrielle grabbed Argo's reigns and lead her towards the village at a hurried pace. When she reached the village she stopped dead in her tracks, dropping her staff and Argo's reigns. She turned to her side and bent over, hands on her knees, her face suddenly becoming very pale.

“Oh Gods!  I think I'm going to be sick . . . ”

Xena turned to see what was happening to Gabrielle and quickly went over to her companion.

“Gabrielle?” Xena asked her downed companion. “Gabrielle, are you ok?”

“I think so.” She said weakly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “What happened here?”

“I don't know.” Xena said as she looked around. “Think you'll be all right?”

Gabrielle silently nodded.

“I'll be right back, I'm going to make a sweep and then inspect the bodies themselves. Maybe I can find some clue in this mess.  Please Gabrielle, try not to look.”

Xena walked off, passing several puddles of blood and internal organs. All over the streets and square were bloody corpses. Each of their chests contained a roughly fist sized hole encrusted with dried blood along its ragged edge.  Stacked in a corner of the square were the remains of what looked like large tan colored spiders. Several weapons, including swords, daggers, and spiked clubs, were scattered around the square. Most of the weapons had been melted through.

"What in Hades happened here?  This isn't the work of an army.  Not even Callisto's army was this brutal . . ." Xena thought to herself as she made her way past the cadavers, most of which were already full of white, writhing maggots.

It took Gabrielle a few minutes to calm herself and keep from throwing up some more. She propped herself against a tree, still nauseated by the stench of death and the image of the ripped open townsfolk, their eyes turned towards the skies in unanswered prayers.  After a thorough investigation of the square, Xena returned to her distressed companion.

“What did you find?” Gabrielle managed to ask.

“Not much.  There aren't any survivors, and no signs of an attack, except for the melted weapons. Everything that I've seen tells me that whatever happened here took place several days ago. And then there are the villagers...” Xena’s voice trailed off.

“What about them?” Gabrielle inquired, using all her self control to keep herself from throwing up again.

“There are only 26 bodies, including the animals. They're are also 26 of those strange ‘spiders’ on the streets. Remember how many ‘eggs’ were in the clearing?”

“You don't think...”

“I don't know, there isn't enough here for me to make any kind of guess. I also inspected the chest wounds of all the villagers, including the animals. They have...” Xena’s voice, again, trailed off.

“What? What do they have?”

"Gabrielle, you've been through a lot, I think-"

"No Xena, don't start protecting me.  Not now."

Xena sighed deeply.  “Those chest wounds are definitely puncture wounds, made by something forcefully pushed through, except...” Her voice trailed off yet again. She truly did not wish to upset Gabrielle.

“Except for what?”

“Except the ribs are cracked and bent the reverse of what they should be, as is the tearing pattern of the skin.”

“You mean whatever happened to cause those holes in their chests happened backwards, from the inside towards the outside?” Gabrielle asked as her eyes began to widen. “Like something burst out?”

Xena nodded, then said in a steady voice: “Exactly.”

The young Bard lowered her head again, nausea quickly overtaking her.

“Xena, I think I'm going to be sick again...”

“Oh Gabrielle...”

The warrior looked down at her friend, feeling sorry for the disgust Gabrielle was going through. She walked over to Argo and pulled out a rolled up scroll from one of the saddlebags.  She then walked over to Gabrielle, who was picking herself up from the ground brushing stray strands of her hair from her face.

“We are here.” Xena pointed to a point on the scroll. “The next village in this valley is about half a day's walk east. We'd better hurry up and warn the villagers . . . if it's not too late . . . ”

“Xena, what's going on?  What caused this? A warlord wouldn't do this, all their cattle are still here, slaughtered no less. Nothing was stolen.  I, I don't get it.” She balled her hands in frustration.

“Neither do I Gabrielle, neither do I. Come on, lets get moving.”
 

“Thank the gods!” exclaimed Gabrielle.

“We'd better get over to the Magistrate and tell him what we found.”

They headed over to a hut with a sign labeled “Village Magistrate”, passing several Merchants and children. They were about to enter when an ear piercing screech was heard behind them. They instinctively turned around, bringing their respective weapons to bear. Huge blackish brown forms began overtaking the village. Children's screams were heard as well as villagers and cattle.  Xena gave Argo a certain whistle, and the Mare ran off into the woods, away from the commotion.  Xena and Gabrielle ran to where the bulk of the attack seemed to be taking place.  As they reached the square, a bloody hand rolled into Gabrielle's foot.  She looked down and became very pale again. 

“Xe, Xena...”

Xena looked down to see the severed head at her friend's foot. Quickly, she wrapped her arm around Gabrielle's waist and pulled her behind a hut just as a black, six fingered claw slashed close to her face. Almost as quickly as the attack had begun, it was over. All was silent except for the sounds of scratching and snarling, followed by a young girl's screams. Xena quickly got up and checked Gabrielle for any injuries.

“Stay here.” she whispered into her friend’s ear.

She got up, and walked from behind the hut towards the square. Fruit and clothing stands laid overturned in the streets. Everything was in shambles, yet there were no villagers. Her ears closed in on the sound of struggling and screaming. She tightened her grip on her sword before stepping out into the square. The sight before her chilled her very soul.

Two huge, glossy black creatures, with crescent shaped, tubular heads and long barb tipped tails were each tugging at a young girl’s arms.  Out of each of their backs extended four long and slightly curved tubes.  Six fingered claws grasped at both of the girl’s arms.  They were continually snapping at each other with tongues that even had small sets of jaws on them.  Looking at their head, Xena could not find any semblance of functional eyes.  She could not comprehend what these alien creatures could possibly be.  Oblivious to her presence, they continued to tug at the girl’s arms as she continued to scream.

“HELP ME PLEASE!” Screamed the young girl. “SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP UGH. . . ”

Her sentence was abruptly ended as the two alien creatures ripped her in half from her right shoulder straight down her abdomen. The creatures, still not noticing Xena, tossed aside the young woman's remains and begin to snap and claw at each other.

“They weren't fighting her,” Xena thought to herself, “They were fighting over her!”

An expression of pure rage shot through Xena’s face. She picked up her chakram, aimed, and let it fly. The chakram ricocheted of one of the huts, then flew, lengthwise, straight down the middle of one of the beast's long, cylindrical head.  The monstrosity tumbled to the ground as its yellow blood sprayed into the sky. The chakram continued its path ricocheting off a tree before returning to Xena, who caught it with ease and holstered it. The remaining creature turned to Xena, snarled, then charged the warrior; Its double jaw extended, its claws reaching out towards her.

“Come on big boy,” Xena yelled with a feral grin, “Come and get it!”

The creature leaped at Xena, bringing its claws to bear. Xena, too, leaped at the creature, her war cry sounding loud and clear, as she placed a front kick into the creature's chest before flipping backwards to land nimbly on her feet. The beast, however, was not so fortunate. It crashed into one of the huts, causing debris to fly everywhere. It quickly got up to its feet and turned to face Xena.  With a hissing snarl it charged her again.  This time, Xena side-stepped as the creature ran by her. She brought her sword across vertically, slicing the creature's torso mid abdomen.  Xena put her arm over her face defensively as a shower of yellow blood erupted from the gaping abdominal cavity,  alien blood covering her gauntlet, shin guard, and chest plate. Xena stared down at her gauntlet as the yellow blood began to eat away her armor, towards her skin. She quickly began to cut the laces to her shin guard and gauntlet with her breast dagger.

“Gabrielle, I need your help!”

Gabrielle came out from behind the hut and ran over to Xena, completely disregarding the dismembered creatures. She quickly unfastened the chest plate as Xena continued to remove her gauntlet. Xena could already feel the building heat and burning sensation as the blood got closer and close to her skin. Gabrielle pulled off the armor and tossed it to the ground as Xena did the same with her gauntlet and shin guard. The chest plate, gauntlet, and shin guard, still being eaten away by the Alien's blood were reduced to boiling heaps of brass colored liquid, no longer recognizable as armor. Gabrielle looked at burn marks left by the yellow liquid on Xena’s neck and arms.

“Oh Xena, your shoulder, your arm...,” She looked lower, “YOUR SWORD!”

Xena paused a second, giving Gabrielle a look, before looking at her sword.  Quickly dropping it, she stood up and staggered back. The sword began to melt away as well, leaving only the lower third of the blade with the handle. They  looked at each other with shock in their faces.

“What was that yellow stuff?” Gabrielle asked.

“It was their blood.” Xena said as she made the connection to the previous.

“Their blood! How could it melt metal? I mean it was...” Gabrielle faltered as she looked up towards the forest. “Xena, over there . . .” her voice was barely audible.

Xena quickly looked up, only to see five more of the alien creatures appear from the forest.

“Great.” Xena commented dryly.

As the new troupe of monstrous beasts nudged their fallen kin as they carefully made their way across the square towards Xena and Gabrielle, a realization came to Xena’s thoughts.

“These creatures are moving far too cautiously,” she thought, “They seem to be inspecting more than prepping to attack. The first attack must've been a first wave of sorts. These seem to be here to insure their attempts were successful . . . to make sure there were no survivors. Back up . . .”

“Xena, what's the plan?  Your sword’s gone, your armor’s melted away, all I have is my staff . . . ”

Another of the creatures appeared to Xena and Gabrielle's right from between the huts.  It whipped its tail forward, wrapping it around the staff.  With a strong pull it sent the staff flying into the houses behind it.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Gabrielle commented under her breath.

Xena and Gabrielle could only back away slowly into a hut as the beasts slowly advanced. There was nowhere to run, they were up against a hut, two creatures to their left, two to their right, and two directly in front of them. No chance of escape. Xena tightened her grip on her breast dagger and chakram. She protectively stood between Gabrielle and the creatures as Gabrielle grabbed a hammer from a bodiless arm. They turned to face each other and mouthed the same exact three words to each other:  I Love You.  Both stood battle ready as Xena began to growl at the oncoming beasts.

“Come on!” she yelled at the creatures. “It isn’t going to be that easy! I won’t let it be!”

Without a warning, the leader of the troupe leaped towards the duo. It was within a few feet of them when it suddenly seemed to be engulfed by a bright light.  Its intensity forced Xena and Gabrielle to shut their eyes. When they opened their eyes they saw the creature lying on the ground, a huge hole oozing yellow blood in its side. The other black beasts turned and rushed towards the woods. The same light was seen again, twice more, and two more creatures fell, in pieces, to the floor. A roar was heard as the leaves and branches of the forest parted for something, the shimmering air and spontaneously appearing footprints being their only indication of a new presence.  Xena heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn, as another of the creatures leaped at its unseen enemy, only to fall in pieces, squirming on the ground. The two remaining monsters stood their ground, hissing at the space in front of them. Lighting filled the square as the unseen hunter became visible.

He stood in the middle of the square, scanning the area. The Hunter stood at least 6 feet tall.  He wore a brown colored mask that covered the top and front of his head.  On his forearms were gauntlets, each brown in color as well.  Mounted on his shoulder was a strange tubular object.  A net covered the length of his body, and on both shins and sides of his hips he also had holsters strapped on.  With his sword in his right hand, and his body in a obvious battle position, Xena clearly saw that this creature was a predator and hunter, and those alien creatures:  his intended prey.

The Hunter let out another roar as it raised its right fist at the snarling beasts.  Two very long, serrated blades extended from his right gauntlet. Three small dots reflected off one of the creature's head before the same white-hot light flew from the Hunter's shoulder mounted weapon straight towards the creature, completely blowing off the snarling beast's head in a cascade of yellow blood. The body slumped to the ground as the Hunter and the remaining monster squared off. Xena and Gabrielle could only stare in amazement. The Hunter spoke.  Its voice, although distorted, was clear recognizable as Xena’s.

“Come on big boy, come and get it!”

The creature lunged at the Hunter, double jaw extended.  It brought back its right claw, preparing to slash at its enemy.  The Hunter saw the move and immediately reversed his grip on his sword.  His blade slashed upward as the creature attempted to slash downward.  A hiss of fury was heard as the Hunter cleanly sliced his opponent's hand off at the wrist.  Holding its bleeding stump to its body, the creature ducked low and spun around, lashing at the hunter with its tail.  Dodging the barbed end, the Hunter caught the tail as it passed over his head.  He slammed the tail down and nailed it to the ground with his sword.  With nowhere to go and quickly running out of options, the beast attempted to strike at the hunter with its remaining claw.  He easily blocked the attack, and in a blur of motion grabbed the fallen creature by its neck and lifted up into the sky.  In a brutal gesture of sheer strength, the Hunter ripped one of the creature's arms off.

With the creature still howling in pain, he brought back his right arm and decapitated the creature with a single, swift motion. It dropped the body and held the head up, letting loose a roar of victory that resounded throughout the village. As he lowered his trophy, he turned towards Xena and Gabrielle. He slowly made his way towards the pair, stopping a few lengths away from them. His three dotted, triangular targeting laser centered on Xena’s forehead as the shoulder mounted weapon whirled to life. The targeting laser scanned over both of the women's bodies and upon finding no sign of a threat he disengaged targeting and powered down the cannon.  With a final look he turned towards the woods.

“Xe...”

Xena put her hand over Gabrielle's mouth and put her finger to her lips, signaling her to remain quiet.

Both Xena and the Hunter turned their heads towards the forest. Gabrielle remained quiet, wondering what could possibly occur now. Before either had time to react, two more of the otherwordly monstrosities charged from the forest towards the Hunter. He began to prime his weapon for the attack, when another creature appeared behind him and ripped off the weapon before savagely clawing and biting the Hunter's arm, his intended trophy also flying from his grasp. It was obvious that the Hunter was in serious trouble as the other two creatures began to claw and bite at his chest and leg. The Hunter reached for his “Smart Weapon”, and edged disc that was locked in its holster on his right hip. He was about to let if fly when one of the beasts clawed at his hand, knocking the weapon from his grip. It tumbled until it came to rest near Xena. She got up and helped Gabrielle up before she grabbed the weapon.

“Stay here Gabrielle!” Xena voiced in a low tone.

Xena took note that the weapon happened to look a lot like her chakram as she started to move around the battling behemoths, settling into position several lengths away from the struggling creatures.  She held the “Smart Weapon” in her left hand and her chakram in her right, aimed, and sent both weapons flying. The weapons easily took out the two creatures in front of the Hunter, their corpses hitting the floor with loud thumps, their blood splattering onto the Hunter's left arm and gauntlet. The weapons ricocheted off the trees and flew back to Xena, who caught both weapons with little effort. She couldn’t hit the remaining beast for there was too much struggling and feared she might hit the Hunter instead. She quickly made a decision.

“HEY!” Xena yelled and whistled. “OVER HERE!”

The Hunter looked up at Xena as she tossed him his weapon. He caught it midair and with an uppercut movement, jammed the disc into the creature's chest.  With a roar of pure rage, he lifted the creature over his head and slammed it into the ground with such a force that it caused a dust cloud to form.  He slowly turned around as the dust began to settle. Dozens of scratches and burns, and a few particularly nasty gashes, were visible all over his chest, arms and legs, and all of which were oozing a green luminous liquid.  Xena quickly concluded that the green fluid was his blood. He holstered the “Smart Weapon” and slowly started to limp towards Xena.  She slowly started to inch backwards.

“Steady...” Xena told herself.

The Hunter pulled several tubes from his face helmet and pulled off the helmet.  Dark brown speckles adorned his light greenish tan face, which seemed a mix of insect, reptilian, and crab like features.  His tusks and jaw moved slowly, his sharp, off-white teeth glinting in the sunlight as he breathed heavily.  With an unreadable expression in his yellow eyes, he tossed his helmet aside and stumbled down, hitting the ground hard.

"Gabrielle,"  Xena called as she approached the fallen hunter. “We have to help him.” 

“Yeah,” Gabrielle agreed, “Where's Argo?”

With a whistle from Xena, Argo came charging through to trees and stopped inches from Gabrielle's face.

“That answer your question?” She asked quietly.

“Um,” Gabrielle stuttered with a shocked expression, “Yeah...”

“Help me hoist him up on Argo so we can get out of here.”

“Ok, but what about his stuff?” Gabrielle asked as she pointed to the weapons. “His weapons, that mask he had on, what's left of that ‘thing’ he had on his shoulder. We can't just leave them here, can we?”

“No,” Xena answered as she produced a large sack from Argo's saddlebags, “We can't.  Help me . . .”

Between the both of them, they hefted the heavy being onto Argo's saddle.  Xena handed Gabrielle Argo's reigns as she made her way through the square.

“Try to keep Argo steady while I collect his equipment.”

“Not a problem!”  Gabrielle called back as she turned to the mare.  “Easy, girl.  Just relax.  Xena'll be back in no time.”

Xena went about collecting the hunters various tools and weapons, most of which were obviously beyond repair.  With all his equipment, except for his sword, stored securely in the sack, Xena turned back towards her waiting friends.  En route she noticed the alien creature's head.  Although not severely damaged, she remembered how the hunter had reacted to its acquisition.  She placed the sack over her shoulder and carefully picked up the damaged head, ensuring that the little blood that remained in it drained into the ground clear of her leg.  When she reached Argo, she tied the sack to her saddle horn and pondered what to do with the head.

“Oh, do you really have to bring that along?”  Gabrielle inquired, easily voicing her disgust.  “Where exactly do you plan to put it?”

“Not quite sure . . .”  Xena remained in quiet thought for a few seconds. “Wait, hand me the rope . . .”

Xena quickly tied one end to the saddle horn, then tied a tight noose around the cylindrical head.  She gave the rope enough slack so that the head hung roughly a palm's width from the ground.

“That should do it!”  A look of satisfaction momentarily crossed her face before it returned to its ever serious state.  “Let's move out.  I want to be  as far away from this village as possible before dusk.”

The trio continued on their way, now in the company of their new “companion”. They happened upon a lake as the sun threatened to hide completely hide behind the horizon.  They stopped at a clearing near a lake and quickly went about setting up camp propping their new-found companion up against a shady tree.  Xena unfastened Argo's saddle and  harness, propping the saddle against a nearby tree.

"Now listen to me, girl."  Xena whispered, addressing Argo.  "I got a feeling things are going to get ugly.  I need you to make yourself scarce."  The mare whinnied a response.  "No, I don't what any arguments this time, okay?  You know where to go.  Now go on . . . get going."  She accented the order with an affectionate slap on Argo's rump.

Gabrielle looked up as Xena walked by.

"Where'd Argo go off to?"

"Someplace safe, Gabrielle.  I'm going to go fill the water skins."

Gabrielle continued to set up a small grill as Xena grabbed the water skins and made her way down to the lake.  The Hunter began to stir as she returned with the now swollen water skins.  With a groggy sounding groan he leaned into the tree, attempting to stretch his back.  With a badly swollen eye, the Hunter looked at Xena, and then at Gabrielle.

“What now?”

“Its all right Gabrielle, give me the sack and his trophy.”

Gabrielle handed Xena the large sack and the head that were still tied to the saddle horn.  She cautiously extended it to him.  With a groan he reached out and took the offered items. With what Xena thought was a smile from his dark green-tan face and long tusks and teeth, he began to rummage through the sack. First, he pulled out his face mask and put it down to his right. He then pulled out his now demolished shoulder weapon, looked at it with dismay, then put it beside the mask. After the rest of the gear was taken out and set aside, he reached for the creature's head he had intended for a trophy. Unfortunately, the entire front and most of the side was crushed.  Pieces of the exoskeleton skull hung loosely for a few seconds before falling to the ground and shattering. The Hunter tossed the would-be trophy aside in apparent disgust.

“Gabrielle, I think this would be a good time to catch dinner,” Xena said as she nodded towards the lake, “Wouldn't you say?”

“Wha...? Oh! Oh, ok.”

Gabrielle picked up a small woven basket and headed towards the lake. Xena then turned her attentions towards their wounded visitor.

“All right, buddy.” Xena said as she approached the Hunter. “Lets see about you.”

Seeing Xena walk over, the Hunter made a grab for his sword. Xena saw this and quickly stopped, raising her hands and began to talk in soothing tones to attempt to calm him.

“It's ok, no one is going to hurt you, I just want to check your wounds, that's all. No one is going to hurt you...”

The Hunter, seeming to understand, lowered the sword and put it aside. He began to remove his body armor which, Xena noticed, had some dried and crusted blood on it. Not his blood, and not hers, but the Aliens' blood.

“Looks like your armor is pretty tough,” she thought, “But apparently your flesh is as easy to damage as ours.”

The Hunter reached for his back and pulled out a small rectangular box which he set aside. With a press of his finger, the box opened to reveal a vast array of specialized surgical equipment. He removed both his gauntlets and put the box between himself and Xena.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Xena thought.

He reached into the box and pulled out a small dish. He took out a small tube, broke the top off, and poured the thick glowing liquid into the dish. He he ripped a piece of cloth from the sack and dipped it into the liquid.  He began to clean one of the wounds, his dried green blood coming off with ease and showing the horrendously ripped flesh.  Setting the cloth aside, he pulled out something that looked like a small crossbow and put it on his skin, on the edge of the large laceration in his skin. He squeezed the lever and let out a roar of pain. He pulled back the instrument to reveal a small metal stitch in place. He handed the instrument to Xena with a questioning look in his deep, yellow eyes.

“Ah...I think I understand.”

Xena took the instrument, placed it on the same gash, a little ways up from the first stitch, and pulled the lever. The Hunter let out another horrific scream. He reached into the medical box, and pulled out a large thick tube with a glass bulb on the end that was filled with some clear fluid. A needle, as long as Xena’s finger, extended out from the metal cylinder. He turned it in his hand and plunged the needle into his abdomen, letting out another roar.  He laid back against the tree and pointed to the area Xena was working on, signaling for her to continue. Xena put another stitch into his skin, bracing herself for another roar. All that was heard was the Hunter's heavy breathing, his face looking calm and relaxed. Xena understood that whatever he took was blocking the pain.

“Good thing you used that,” Xena commented to no one in particular, “Because this is going to take a while...”
 

“What's this for?” Xena asked.

Almost as if in response to Xena’s question, the Hunter began to wipe the substance on his burns. The burns lost their redness, and in mere seconds were no longer distinguishable. Of course with the pain blocker losing its effect, he let out another roar of pain. He completed this task by himself, visibly straining to keep himself from roaring in pain.  When he was done he offered Xena the rag with some of the blue liquid freshly put in it.

“Ah, no.” Xena told him shaking her head. “No thanks...”

The Hunter saw Xena shake her head “no”, and began to put all of the surgical equipment he used back into his medical kit. Coming from the lake, Gabrielle made her way back to camp. Xena looked up to see Gabrielle approach with the basket in her arm.  At the thought of dinner, her empty stomach growled in anticipation. The Hunter, startled by this sound, grabbed his sword and look around carefully. Xena saw this and pointed to her stomach.

“Sorry about that.” She said with a small sheepish grin. “I'm kinda hungry.”

The Hunter nodded, seemingly understanding as he, too, pointed to his stomach.

“Food.” Was his response.

Xena looked surprised for a moment, then decided to answer him.

“Yeah, that's right...food.” She said.  “I hope he doesn't mean us . . . ” the statement coming out as a mere whisper.

Gabrielle reached the camp and silently placed the basket on a rock. Xena hungrily looked into the basket, her smile quickly disappearing . . .

“That's it?!”

“Hey, its not my fault.” Gabrielle said defensively. “There are no fish in that lake whatsoever. Go look for yourself!”

“Fine.” Xena breathed deeply to try to calm herself. “I'll be back. I'm going to catch a rabbit or three.”

She turned around only to see the Hunter up and on his feet with his helmet and gauntlets donned.

“Now what . . . ” Xena commented under her breath.

The Hunter walked towards the edge of the clearing. He clawed a nearby tree and began to climb effortlessly. Xena and Gabrielle moved closer to see what he was doing.  Halfway up the tree he activated his camouflage and vanished into the tree.

“Where is he?” Gabrielle asked in a whisper as she strained to locate the hunter.

“There,” Xena said, pointing to the apparently empty tree. “Look carefully.”

Gabrielle continued to search the tree. She then saw what Xena was referring to. On a large branch, crouched, was a nearly transparent, shimmering outline of a human like figure. His red targeting laser began to scan the woods. The figure moved farther out on the limb and continued to scan. The Hunter suddenly froze. Xena and Gabrielle followed the laser down to ground. He was apparently targeting a deer that was feeding busily away on some shrubs. A hissing sound and a slight *click* was heard. The Hunter began to silently leap from tree to tree until he was a few lengths away, and above, the deer.

“What's going on?” Gabrielle asked, thoroughly confused.

A sizzling sound was heard as a small silvery object shot towards the deer. It passed through the back of the deer’s head and out its jaw with a quick spray of blood, imbedding itself in a nearby tree. The deer fell to the ground, instantly killed.

“I take it that's dinner...” Xena said with a wry grin.  She was clearly impressed by the skill and stealth that the hunter used to dispatch his prey.

The Hunter disengaged his camouflage and jumped down from the tree. He walked over to the tree and ripped from the bark a small, silvery, two pronged projectile. He picked up the deer, hefted it onto his shoulder and made his way back to the camp. Upon reaching camp, he set the deer down and pulled a thin wire from a compartment on his hip.  He wrapped it around the deer’s neck and hoisted it up and tied it to a tree, its feet dangling half a length off the ground. The Hunter reached for his sword, unsheathed it, and stood before the body of the deer. Gabrielle's face took on an interesting shade of white as she began to comprehend his next course of action.

“Xena...” Gabrielle said weakly. “Um, Xena...”

The Hunter made a quick downward swipe with his sword, disemboweling the deer. Xena heard a thump behind her, and turned to find Gabrielle lying on the ground having fainted from the shock.

“Poor Gabrielle.” Xena said with a slight giggle although she was deeply concerned for the well-being of her partner. “Just too much for her.”

She bent down to pick up her friend and propped her up against a tree. As she turned around she saw the Hunter, already at work cutting the deer into sections.

“Here,” she said as she walked towards him, “Let me give you a hand.”

She walked over to the Hunter. He looked up momentarily as Xena walked past him, and over to the edge of the clearing. She reached the trees and began to collect wood for a fire. The Hunter returned to his work and finished dividing the deer up. He took roughly a third of the meat and walked over to a tree, leaving the rest for Xena and Gabrielle. Xena made a small fire, then walked over and took the rest of the meat to set it on the grill to cook. After a while, the sweet smell of cooked venison warmed the night air. The smell did not go unnoticed by Gabrielle, who began to wake up. She slowly got up and looked around. Seeing Xena sitting on a log a few feet away, she shakily walked over to her friend.

“Oh Xena,” she said, visibly shaken, “I had the strangest dream-” She faltered as she saw the Hunter next to Xena, chewing away at a large chunk of meat. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and placed her hand to her forehead.

“Never mind.”

“Come on,” Xena said, grinning. “Dig in.”

She handed Gabrielle a plate with cooked venison, bread, and a water skin.

Chapter 2

The meal was eaten without much conversation.  After dinner, the gear was packed and preparations were made for the nightfall.  The sun, having long set behind the horizon, was replaced by an equally bright three quarter full moon.  The Hunter stowed his gear as well and sat down to clean and preserve the deer’s skull.  From across the campfire, Gabrielle watched mesmerized as the Hunter skillfully and rhythmically cleaned the skull.  She intently studied the specially designed tool he used to peel the skin from the skull.  It's design was multi-functional:  it served to both lift the skin up and away as well as slice through the tissues holding flesh to bone.

Having checked the perimeter and spread out the bed rolls, Xena walked up to the campfire and set down next to Gabrielle.  She was about to say something when she saw that Gabrielle's eyes were transfixed on something.  Xena followed her friend's gaze, straight towards the Hunter.  With the tool, he made five incisions running from the back of the deer's head to just before the nose:  one above each eye along the brow, one below each eye along the cheek, and one along the gullet.  He put the tool down and gripped the spinal column with one hand while holding on to the snout with the other.  He easily slid the ribboned skin off the skull with a single smooth pull.

Xena was snapped out of her trance when she felt Gabrielle hold her hand and lean her head on her shoulder.

"What's he doing, Xena?"  The question was barely audible.

Xena steadied herself as the events of the day were beginning to take their toll.  She thought about the question for a few moments.

"My best guess is that he's cleaning the skull to keep it as a trophy."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to last an eternity.

"What about those other creatures?"

Xena knew that question was inevitable, and she'd been fearing its arrival.  She carefully chose her words.

"They're not Ares's doing, otherwise he would have been here along time ago to gloat over his latest accomplishment.  We're leagues from the ocean, so it couldn't be Poseidon.  Callisto's dead-"

"Could Dahak have, perhaps, been . . . resurrected?" Gabrielle interrupted, her voice laden with fear.

"No," Xena said as she wrapped a reassuring arm around Gabrielle. "This isn't Dahak's work.  It's not his style:  no followers or great spectacles for all to see.  What I do know for sure is that our friend over there is the key to understanding what's going on."

They both turned to look at the Hunter, who silently and methodically continued his work of cleaning the skull.
 

Just as Xena relaxed and began to close her eyes, she felt Gabrielle roll over and snuggle up next to her, all the while mumbling incoherently.  A small smile played across Xena’s lips, but was quickly replaced by a look of concern when Gabrielle started to whimper in her sleep.  The sound caught the Hunter's attention.  He partially unsheathed his sword and turned towards Xena and Gabrielle.  Xena raised her hand, signaling that everything was all right.  The Hunter, understanding, sheathed his sword and turned back towards the woods.  Xena wrapped her arm around Gabrielle and softly stroked her hair.  As Gabrielle unconsciously wrapped an arm around Xena’s midriff and snuggled up closer, Xena thought to herself, "This is going to be a long night. . . for all of us."
 

"Nothing."  he thought as he slowly panned his sights across the woods.  Having detected nothing out of the ordinary, he began to evaluate the events of the day. "A specialized hunting party attacked that village. . . and in less than ten risings of this planet's sun.  My little Queen has been quite busy.  And then there's you . . . "  He zoomed in on Xena’s sleeping face.  "Today you proved yourself quite the warrior, Zee-Nah.  You saved my life and now I am in your debt.  Had the circumstances been different, I might have ended up hunting you.  And a grand hunt it would have been."  In a very human gesture, the Hunter brought his hand up to his mask and began to rub his chin.  "I would've perhaps used your young friend as bait, or as a message.  And yet . . .I wonder . . ." He centered his sights on the smaller woman sleeping soundly in the warrior's embrace.  "How do you play into all of this, Gah-Bree-Elle?  Her offspring?  No . . .much too old.  You should've already left to form your own family, if that were so.  Her mate, perhaps?" 

A single stray scent molecule caused him to abandon his pondering and turned his sights east.  Finding nothing on enhanced night vision, he cycled through his various vision settings:  ultraviolet emissions, enhanced infra-red, body heat , enhanced motion tracking . . .all came up negative.  After a few more minutes of fruitless tracking, he turned towards the horizon.  "Must have been another one of this world's small forest animals.  Oh well, not long until sunrise.  Another day, another hunt . . ."
 

Xena awoke as the first of the sun's rays broke through the canopy.  Gently, so as to not wake Gabrielle up, Xena disentangled herself from the bard's arms.  She made her way through the camp towards the hunter still on watch.  Taking a moment from his duties, the Hunter turned and acknowledge Xena with a curt nod.

"I'm going to go wash up at the lake."  Xena pointed towards the lake. "I'll be right back."

The Hunter turned towards the lake and regarded it for a few seconds.  He quickly scanned the forest one more time before turning back to Xena and nodding a second time.

"All's quiet on the western front, sir."  He told her in a deep baritone man's voice.

Grabbing her chakram and her pouch of soapstone, Xena started towards the lake.  She kept turning over in her mind the different voices the hunter used when communicating.  He obviously understood her language, yet he was apparently unable to directly communicate in his natural language.  How then, she pondered, was he using other people's voices and words to speak?  Something to reflect upon after breakfast, she decided as she reached the lake.  A low rumbling signaled that her stomach wholeheartedly agreed.
 

Stretching out lazily, Gabrielle stirred from her slumber.  With a long yawn, she finally opened her eyes and looked about her.  The hunter sat opposite her at the other end of the camp circle, tinkering with his damaged shoulder mounted weapon.  The tools he used on the device would put a Grandmaster Tinkerer to shame.  He methodically poked and prodded the device assessing the total amount of damage it had received.  Noticing Gabrielle awaken in his peripheral vision, he ceased his repair work and rested his arms on his knees.  Not exactly sure what to do, Gabrielle gave him a gentle smile.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."  he answered back in her own voice, studying the look of astonishment on her face.

"All right, great bard,"  Gabrielle thought to herself.  "Let's see if we can hold a conversation with a . . . foreigner."

With a deep breath, she slowly began:  "My name is Gabrielle . . ."
 

"Gods that's cold!"  Xena muttered as she slid into the crystal clear water of the lake, the waves splashing against her tanned skin.

Xena grabbed a handful of soapstone from her pouch before tossing it on the bank near her shift.  She scrubbed savagely at her skin to remove the mud and sweat that had dried on.  She especially scrubbed at her forearm, shin, and chest to ensure that any and all residual traces of the alien creature's corrosive blood would get washed away.  That task completed, Xena attended to the her flowing raven hair.  As she combed out the tangles in her hair, Xena began to assess their situation.

"All right, there were twenty six eggs in that clearing, twenty six dead bodies, and twenty six of those strange 'spiders' at the village.  Not exactly sure about the correlation between the villagers, eggs, and 'spiders.'  But I do know that eleven of those twenty six creatures are dead.  That leaves us with fifteen to go."  She roughly wrung out her hair.

"Perfect.  Absolutely perfect,"  She said to no one in particular, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

It was then that she noticed the utter silence around the lake.  All her instincts were shouting out 'Danger!'.  Although she could not discern from where, she knew it was another one of the creatures.  Xena suppressed a shudder as she realized it was in the lake with her.  The main thought in her mind was, "Gabrielle . . ."
 

"Gabrielle,"  he repeated in her own voice.

"Yes, that's right.  What's your name?"  Gabrielle asked, motioning for him to speak.

He tilted his head slightly to the right in what was seemingly a questioning expression.  Had he removed his mask, Gabrielle was sure he'd be giving her a raised eyebrow look.  Sensing that he wasn't quite understanding her, Gabrielle tried again.

"Well . . .what are your people called?"

"What are my people called?"  The Hunter pondered the question for a few seconds. "My people are called many things by many species, child.  How best to name my people?  How best, indeed.  Ah . . . I think I have the answer."

"We are hunters," he said in a strong, yet definitely female voice.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Gabrielle thought as she smiled inwardly.  She decided to continue along this line of thought.  "Where do you come from?"

Once again, he paused to consider the question.  He tilted his armored head up and motioned towards the heavens with his hand.

"Home," he he said as he pointed to a particular star still visible in the early morning sky.

Gabrielle's curiosity was peaked.  "How did you get here?"

"Ship," he answered in a masculine voice.

As Gabrielle paused to analyze what exactly the hunter meant, she noticed him stand and look in all directions.  Keeping his eyes on the woods, he bent down and grabbed his sword.  A split second later, Gabrielle was in a defensive posture, staff in hand, and back-to-back with the hunter.  She tightened her grip on her staff as she scanned the woods for whatever had alerted the hunter.

"Another scout party," the Hunter thought as he continued to search the treetops for some sign of the approaching alien hunting party. "They shouldn't be searching this quickly after a raid, unless . . ."  Had he his helm off, Gabrielle would've been witness one of the toothiest grins ever seen.  "A second Queen!"

In preparation for the forthcoming onslaught, he unsheathed his sword and armed his gauntlet-mounted weapon.  All the while, one thought kept passing through Gabrielle's mind, "Xena . . ."
 

Xena stood inhumanly still chest-deep in the lake, the wind beginning to dry her exposed shoulders.  From the corner of her field of vision she saw the shadow and wake of something swimming beneath the surface several lengths away.  Her planned course of action against the alien creature was quickly halted as she caught another shadow appear parallel to the first.  Xena’s jaw tightened in frustration and growing rage.

"Okay, Warrior Princess, think . . ."  Turning her eyes, she gauged the distance between herself, the shore, her chakram, and the two incoming forms.

As quickly as the water would permit her, Xena turned to face the shore and crouched down in preparation for a leap.  At her movement, the two forms locked on to their target and surged forward with incredible speed, one banking to Xena’s left, the other to her right.  Xena began her jump as the creatures closed in for the attack.  Even as her feet cleared the water, a glossy black claw burst from lake, barely missing its intended target.

Xena executed a midair flip, twisting herself to land facing the lake.  She blindly reached out for her chakram and shift.  Holding her chakram at the ready with her right hand, she quickly donned her shift with her left hand.  The two beasts had retreated to the bottom of the lake, the rippling left after Xena’s jump being the only thing that marred the serene calmness of the lake.  Thinking back to the village, she knew she couldn't outrun the creatures, and heading to the camp would only lead them to Gabrielle and the hunter.  As Xena opened her senses to the world around her, she kept thinking about Gabrielle.  She attempted to clear her mind for the forthcoming battle.  Tightening her grip on her chakram, Xena began to silently pray, to any deity that might be listening, for Gabrielle's safety. . .
 

From the shadows of the forests, the glossy black beasts observed their prey.  They knew of the small meat and it's kind, but the larger meat was a mystery to them.  The analytical part of their mostly instinctual minds analyzed the long, shiny implement the large meat held in his hand.  From past experiences, they knew well to associate the object with pain.  It would be a simple task to capture the small meat.  The large meat, however, would pose some problems.

The leader of the pack bent low to the ground.  It swung its massive, spiked head to its left and emitted a low hiss.  The three Aliens to its left disappeared into the forest, moving silently through the shadows afforded to them by the canopy.  With another hiss, it signaled the remaining three Aliens to its right to do the same.  Causing barely a sound, the leader of the troupe began to move forward, straight towards its prizes.
 

Gabrielle's knuckles were white from the death grip she had on her staff.  Eyes never focusing on one particular part of the woods before her, she kept glancing in all directions for any sign of the alien creatures.  This was the complete opposite of the Hunter, who stood completely still, save the rhythmic expanding and contracting of his chest in accordance with his breathing.  he continued to cycle through his different sights, seeking the one vision type that would grant him the advantage he needed to ensure Gabrielle's safety.  Gabrielle could have sworn she saw something pass between the trees off to her right.  After a few seconds she uneasily allowed it to pass as simple forest shadows.

The clearing stood in absolute silence as the wind abruptly stopped.  There was no sound.  Not from the Hunter.  Not from Gabrielle.  The forest itself seemed to have ceased all of its sounds.  The quiet before the storm.  A rustling in the bush drew both Gabrielle and the Hunter's attention to the edge of the clearing.  The leader of the concealed hunting party slowly stalked into view.  The rays of the sun reflected off its black form, glossy from the thick, clear fluid its body was secreting.  Its scaly lips pulled back to reveal long, silvery fangs.  The massive, spiked head lowered down with a reverberating growl, its right claw pawing at the ground.

Gabrielle stared in utter terror as the demon beast emerged from the foliage.  She turned towards the hunter only to see him flex and relax his hands in eager anticipation.  Gabrielle returned her gaze to the monstrosity that stood at the edge of the clearing.  A thought kept nagging her, some simple fact that she had observed about the alien creatures stuck at the back of her mind.  Her eyes involuntarily widened as she finally realized what that fact was:  "Where there is one, there are more . . ."
 

The beasts glided smoothly through the cool water.  The tall meat had been quick, but she would be theirs.  As two patrolled the lake, four more made their way around Xena, moving stealthily through the dense undergrowth of the forest.  Xena suppressed an involuntary shudder as she felt the presence of the alien creatures flanking her.  She scanned the woods looking for any sign of the stalking monstrosities.

"Two in the water, three . . . no, four in the woods.  Six more uglies to deal with."  She thought as she reached out with her warrior senses to target each of the hidden creatures as they moved through the foliage.  Xena made a quick evaluation of the forest around her, forming a mental map of the immediate area.

She began to mentally calculate the various lengths from herself to the trees, the different trajectories possible with the dense vegetation, and the time it would take to execute each maneuver.  Taking a deep breath, Xena readied herself.

"Now or never . . ."

In a blur of motion, She launched her chakram to her right and charged forward, her war cry echoing throughout the shadows of the canopy.  The alien creatures, caught completely off guard by the sudden boldness of the tall meat, hesitated for a fraction of a second.  That split second was all that Xena hoped for, and all that she expected, and all that she needed for her plan to unfurl.  Recovering from their momentary hesitation, the alien beasts launched themselves towards Xena with a renewed fury.
 
As Xena charged to towards the creature directly in front of her, the monsters to her left and right closed in for the capture.  The beast to her right pulled back its right arm in preparation for an incapacitating blow.  The strike never landed as the chakram effortlessly passed through the air and the creature's neck, severing its crescent head from the rest of its twisted, glossy body.  As the decapitated monster fell bonelessly to the forest floor, the chakram ricocheted off the tree that stood behind it.  Leaving a deep scar in the tree, Xena’s chakram shot towards the alien creature charging up behind her.

Perceiving the chakram coming, the beast ducked below it's flight path.  The creature roared, a horrendous metallic screech, as the chakram passed harmlessly above its head.  The creature arose from its crouching position and snarled in Xena’s direction.  A sound, not unlike steel striking against steel, resounded as the chakram, merely a silver blur due to its incredible speed, ricocheted off the outcrop of trees behind the monster in a precise trajectory.  Upon striking and slicing in half a very thin and fragile sapling, the chakram sped towards the alien creature intent on clawing Xena from behind.

As the chakram flew towards the inhuman beast behind her, Xena lunged at the monster directly in front of her.  With a feral growl she ducked below the creature's claw slash before landing a kick to the side of its head with an audible crack.  Her sharp ears picked up the steel clanging sound that denoted the chakram had reached the outcrop of small trees directly behind her.  Gauging her time perfectly, Xena jumped into a handstand, encircling her legs about the still dazed creature's neck.  Fueled and strengthened by the adrenaline coursing through her system, she pulled her torso up and landed two quick punches to the alien beast's crescent head, now barely half a length before her.

With an inhuman roar she threw herself back, digging her nails deep into the earth and pulling her legs forward.  The creature screeched pitifully as it was thrown into the air, straight towards its companion behind Xena.  With a loud crack the airborne beast collided with its earthbound comrade as both beasts were sent flying back.  Neither of the creatures landed alive.  The chakram had sliced through both of the creatures in mid fall, leaving each of the beasts with their legs severed from their upper bodies, their viscera and acidic blood forming a bubbling pool where it touched upon the forest floor.  Not even bothering to look back, Xena effortlessly caught her chakram as it flew mere finger widths by her right ear.

Xena stood tall, her raven hair swept across her shoulders and a fire in her eyes that could set the snow-covered  peak of Mt. Olympus aflame with merely a glance.  Standing perfectly still she slowly, deliberately turned her head towards the remaining alien beast.  The monstrosity flinched as if it had been struck with a bludgeoning weapon.  It continued looking past Xena and to her left at its three downed companions.  The alien creature's instinct for survival warred with it's instinct to capture the tall meat for the hive.  Ultimately, survival won the internal tug of war as the creature hissed once more in anger and disappeared back into the forest.

Xena did not bother to look towards the lake for the other creatures, for she did not need to.  She could feel all three beasts as they retreated back to wherever it was they had come from.  Even though she had sensed them leave, Xena continued to stand rigidly still, the rhythmic splashing caused by the morning's dew dripping from the trees' broad leaves being the only sound to permeate the tension felt in the air.  As she began to relax, a new presence caught her attention.

"More of those damnable beasts!  But wait . . ."  She turned her head into the wind.  "Not here . . ."  Her hand tightened around her chakram.  "Gabrielle!"  The pouch of soapstone forgotten, Xena turned and broke into a full run back towards the camp.
 

All the while fascinated by the creature, Gabrielle still had trouble keeping her fear in check.  The Hunter, on the other hand, was trying to keep his joy and anticipation under control.  The grin he had behind his helm faded as he remembered the safety of the young human beside him.  Setting aside his hunger for the hunt he concentrated not on the visible creature, but on the half dozen or so hidden beasts he knew had already surrounded them.  Had the circumstances been different, he would have been reveling in the anticipation of the upcoming battle.  The odds of this battle and the ultimate glory of this hunt were the stuff his dreams were made of.  Now, however, he feared.  Not for his well-being, but for Gabrielle's.  A slight movement to the far right of his field of vision caught his attention.

"So . . ." the Hunter thought as he began to understand the unmoving beast's hesitation. "You wait for us to make the first move."  He turned his head ever slightly, just far enough to catch a glimpse of Gabrielle's terrified face at the corner of his field of vision.  "Under different circumstances, I would've gladly obliged you and yours.  Now, however, I'll make no such move.  A standoff it is . . ."

His line of thought was interrupted by the sounds of impacts and struggling, mixed with screeching and a very distinctive, undulating war cry coming from the woods to his left.  Both he and the quadruped alien beast turned towards the source of the disturbance.  An large black form exploded from the dense growth and landed hard on the clearing's floor.  The alien creature's left arm was gone at the elbow, the stump bleeding profusely, the blood burning the earth were it pooled.  It's entire body was riddled with cracks and scratches, including a large gash that ran the length of it's crescent head.  With a pitiful moan it attempted to raise it's beaten body up from the ground.  The creature staggered forward and with a harsh metallic screech of pain collapsed onto the ground, it's final breath escaping in a slow hiss.

There was more movement in the foliage as whatever had just killed the alien creature made to come into the clearing.  Although Gabrielle could not discern what was moving through the shadows of the woods, the Hunter knew exactly who it was.  He grinned behind his helm as he beheld Xena making her way through the foliage, her tall and defined heat signature unique and unmistakably hers.  A sigh of relief escaped Gabrielle's lips as she finally saw Xena emerge from the thick vegetation.  The Hunter turned back towards the quadruped monstrosity still a the edge of the clearing and growled a challenge.

Clawing at the ground in defiance, the quadruped alien creature roared it's acceptance of the challenge.  It made to move in for the attack but froze mid step when it realized that none of its hunting party had emerged from the forest.  With what passed for disbelief on its snarling face it turned towards Xena.  The grin she wore on her visage was wholly predatory and backed by a controlled rage.  The inhuman calmness that Xena was radiating into the clearing as she slowly walked towards the alien beast made Gabrielle shudder subconsciously.  The forest seemed to hold its breath as the only sound being heard was the slow, rhythmic stepping of Xena continuing to walk towards the alien creature.  She stopped several lengths from the creature and regarded it as one might regard a child that did something wrong and was about to be disciplined.

"Look around you."  Xena made a broad sweep of her arm encompassing the surrounding area.  "They're all dead.  Why don't you go before you end up like them?"

The creature hesitated.  It turned to look past Xena, Gabrielle, and the Hunter.  It moved its massive head from one direction to the other, scanning the woods for its hunting party.  Taking an involuntary step back, it turned its spiked head back towards Xena.  She held her breath as she waited for the beast to retreat as the others had back at the lake.  Time seemed to slow down as the quadruped creature suddenly lunged forward, the distance between it and Xena quickly disappearing.  Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Xena moved to leap out of the way.  Before she could react, however, she felt a powerful arm wrap around her waist and pull her backwards.  She found herself crashing into Gabrielle as her mind raced to understand what was happening around her.

The Hunter attacked the quadruped beast head on.  With a loud crack, the Hunter's armored forehead connected with the alien creature's face.  Both stepped back, each trying shake the sudden dizziness off.  The alien creature was the first to recover as it reared up on its hind legs and lunged at the Hunter with its powerful claws.  Shaking of the dizziness, the Hunter tightened his grip on his sword and swung upwards just as the claw made its descent.  A loud screech and flash of sparks caused both Xena and Gabrielle to flinch.  The sight before them was enough to elicit a gasp from Gabrielle.  The sword had imbedded itself in the alien creature's midnight black carapace, just below the ribs.

Before the Hunter could withdraw his sword to finish it off, the creature struck the blade with its claw.  The sharp snap reverberated trough the woods as the sword broke in two, approximately a palms width of metal still sticking out of the creature's midriff.  The Hunter was caught off guard by the turn of events and sudden searing pain in his chest was the price he paid.  As he fell back he looked down at his body.  Three long lacerations ran the length of his chest, from just below his left shoulder to just before his right hip.  Each slash began to bleed, the luminescent blood mixing with the perspiration on his body.

The quadruped creature moved in for the final, decisive strike.  It paused mid step and turned its head towards the east.  Without any preliminaries it turned and ran in the direction it had been looking, almost as if answering to an unheard call.
 
The Hunter struggled to get up.  The strain he was putting on his body only served to open his wounds more.  He collapsed onto his back, his breathing becoming ragged and irregular.  Her aiding instincts kicking in, Gabrielle rushed to the Hunter's side to administer aid.  She quickly looked over the lacerations and turned to Xena.

"Xena, bring me my blanket, the water skin, and the medicinal salve."  She turned back to the Hunter.  "How do I get your helm off?"

He brought a shaking hand up to the side of his head and pointed to a grouping of tubes.  Not exactly sure what to do, she grabbed the tubes and simply ripped them out.  The hiss of escaping gas accompanied the tubes' pulling from the intakes on the helm.  Hand still shaking, he pointed to a single tube on the other side of his helm.  Another hiss of escaping gas was heard as the tube was ripped from its intake, and not without some effort.  Gabrielle lifted the helm off and tossed it aside.  A small trickle of luminescent blood on the Hunter's chin leading back to the corner of his mouth led Gabrielle to believe that major internal injury had accompanied the claw swipe.

"Here you go, Gabrielle." Xena rushed to her companion's side and handed her the requested items.

Xena stood by and watched silently and Gabrielle worked quickly and efficiently to staunch the flow of blood.  She rinsed off the excess blood and gently cleaned each wound.  Gabrielle covered the whole of the Hunter's chest with her blanket and pushed down as best she could, trying to use pressure to slow the bleeding.  Xena watched mesmerized as Gabrielle continued her work, becoming only slightly aware that someone was talking to her.

" . . . hear me?  Xena?  Do you hear me?"  Gabrielle pleaded, her concern growing with each moment.

Xena tried to shake off her momentary daze as turned to her partner.  "Huh?  Yeah . . . What do you need, Gabrielle?"

"I need you to hold the blanket down, keeping up the pressure."  She motioned for Xena to take her place.

"Huh?  Right . . . pressure."  She said, her voice distant.

"Xena!"  Xena immediately snapped out of her contemplation and turned towards the source of the voice.  She met with the most intense, pleading pair of emerald eyes she'd ever seen.  "I  need you here, Xena . . . please."

"I'm here, Gabrielle. . . I'm here."  She took Gabrielle's place beside the Hunter and continued to apply pressure to the wounds.  Her gaze followed Gabrielle as she made her way to the saddlebags.  A small smirk played on Xena’s lips.  "Oh Gabrielle . . ." she mused, "How you've changed . . ."  Xena paused and sighed, mentally correcting herself.  "How I've changed you . . . sweet innocent Gabrielle . . . even filled with fear, and given our circumstances, you still feel the need to help everybody.  Even after dealing with the likes of Callisto, Ares, Hope and Dahak, you are still caring and loving of all things.  But now I'm afraid, Gabrielle. . . the proud warrior is afraid of the situation she's brought you into now.  Gods grant me the strength to see this through and deliver Gabrielle safely from this nightmare . . . if anyone's listening out there . . ."  Xena bowed her head in a silent prayer.

Gabrielle retrieved a small bundle carefully tied with leather straps and a corked pouch from the saddlebags and rushed back over to the downed Hunter and her companion.  She slid an arm behind his neck and strained as she attempted to lift him up.

"Xena, help me sit him up. . . gently."  Together they lifted the Hunter to a semi-upright position, taking great care not to open the wounds anymore than they were.  "How did you stitch him up last night?"

Xena thought back to the previous night.  "He has a medical pack.  Not sure where he keeps it, though."

Gabrielle positioned herself so that she was face-to-face with the Hunter.  "Hey, hey. . . come on, stay with us.  Can you hear me?"  His nod of assent was barely perceptible.  "Where are your medical supplies?"

The Hunter took a deep breath, coughing up luminescent blood as he attempted to speak.  "Ba. . . back. . . up. . . upper. . . back."

Gabrielle moved to be able to get a better look at the Hunter's back.  She was both intrigued and disturbed by the sheer number of scars that dotted his muscular back.  Focusing on the armor that ran across his shoulders, she noticed a rectangular formation that blended in with the armor, between his shoulder blades and slightly off-center.  She grabbed the box and with a click it came free of its harness.  She moved back around so that the Hunter could see what she was doing.  Placing the rectangular medical pack between herself and the Hunter, Gabrielle looked up to Xena and then to him.  With a little effort, the Hunter reached down and touched the oval indentation that rested in the center of the box.  The box opened into several symmetrical sections, each compartment with its complement of otherworldly medical equipment.

"Do you have anything to lessen the pain?"  Gabrielle quickly asked, her eyes taking in the diversity and complexity of the Hunter's surgical tools.

"Upper. . . le. . . left. . . silver. . . tube."

Gabrielle grabbed the aforementioned tube.  Sighing with annoyance as she examined the tube, she turned to look at both Xena and the Hunter.  "Empty."

"What about the stitching tool?"  Xena inquired.

"What does it look like?"

Xena described the metallic, crossbow-like device as Gabrielle searched the various compartments.  As she pulled out the surgical tool, the Hunter raised a shaking hand, palm up, in an unspoken request.  Gabrielle wordlessly handed over the instrument and withdrew slightly to see what it was the Hunter intended to do.   He cradled the tool in the palm of his left hand and with his right pulled on its back, a thin silver section coming apart from the rest of the device.  He held it up for both Xena and Gabrielle to see.

"Emp. . . ty."  he informed them in Gabrielle's own voice.

In an instant Gabrielle knew exactly what needed to be done.

She reached for the small bundle and began to undo its leather straps.  Contained therein were the Terran counterparts to the Hunter's otherworldly tools.  Neatly lined up and tied down were several suturing needles, thin lengths of thread, a small knife, a roll of clean cloth, and several small corked vials of alcohol.  She popped open the corked pouch and raised it to the Hunter's sharp-toothed mouth.  With great effort on his part, the Hunter moved back his tusks and dropped open his jaw.  With the utmost care, Gabrielle poured a good portion of the pouch's contents down the Hunter's gullet.

"This is to help lessen the pain," she informed him in soothing tones.  Corking the pouch, she turned to face Xena.  "Xena, I need some fire."

As Xena went to ignite the embers of the campfire, Gabrielle began to prepare the suturing needles.  She uncorked an alcohol vial and expelled its contents onto her awaiting palm.  She furiously scrubbed her hands together, doing her best to sterilize her hands.  She gingerly removed one of the fine needles from its holster and began to swirl its piercing end in another of the alcohol filled vials.  With deft skill, she threaded the needle, which was a miracle considering the fact that her hands had not stop shaking since the attack of the quadruped demon.

"Fire!" Xena declared as she appeared at Gabrielle's side with a lighted twig.

Mustering up levels of control she didn't even know she had, Gabrielle steadied  her hand as she raised the threaded needle to the flame.  As she pulled the needle away from the flaming branch, Gabrielle enclosed Xena's hand with her own free hand and looked into Xena's crystal blue eyes.  Xena nodded a mute acceptance at the unspoken request and moved towards the Hunter.

Xena gingerly lifted the blanket, which had become heavy and sticky with the Hunter's blood.  Grabbing a clean cloth and another alcohol vial, Xena went about disinfecting the Hunter's wounds.  He grimaced slightly as the alcohol left a slight burning sensation on his chest.

"This feeble concoction is the strongest disinfectant they have?" he thought with dismay. "I need to get to my ship.  Your needles and thread are a noble idea, young one.  Even if they do represent only a temporary solution.  I need to get to my tools, my equipment.

With Xena's hands on her shoulders supporting her physically and emotionally, Gabrielle willed herself to calm down.  She placed the needle along the edge of the uppermost laceration.  Taking a deep breath, Gabrielle pushed the sharpened sliver of metal into the Hunter's skin.
 

With an indifferent snort, it resumed rummaging through the undergrowth.  Again, something amiss caught the boar's attention as it dropped a particularly juicy grub to face the forest head-on, its breaths misting in the cool afternoon air, the hairs on its back bristling with fear, anger, and the instinct for self-preservation.  The sun dropped another palm's width behind the horizon before the boar moved.  Cautiously it turned back to its feeding.  A squeal of surprise and angst ripped itself from the boar's throat as a sudden, searing pain shot itself through the boar's chest like a glowing, white-hot poker.  Caught unawares by the sudden jolt of pain through its chest caused the boar to fall to its side.

Uncontrollable spasms wracked the boar's frame.  Losing control of its body, the boar vomited its earlier meal until the regurgitated substance lay in a stinking pool below its head.  Blood was soon mixed into that slowly expanding pool as another spasm caused the boar to vomit up its life fluid.  A river of blood and viscera erupted from the boar's chest as something forced its way into the world, landing a mere palm's width from the boar's body with a wet thud.  With all its life spent, the boar's head came splashing down into the steaming pool of its own blood, bile, and remnants of its partially digested morning meal.

Amidst the still warm blood and jumble of visceral organs, something stirred.

The underdeveloped burstling struggled to free itself from its moist and spongy prison.  It threw back its pale head, blotched red in life fluid, and drew in its first independent breath.  It screeched pitifully as the air burned its virgin lungs.  The burstling slithered a few lengths before collapsing on a thick pile of rotted vegetation.  Its body, covered in the boar's blood, glistened in the waning light of the evening sun.  The moon had reached its apex before the infant creature moved again.  Guided by time-honed instincts, the creature turned its eye-less head towards the east.  As if in answer to an unheard call, the burstling screeched, a shrill metallic sound, and took off through the dense undergrowth as fast as its still underdeveloped body could take it.