It was not the time for her to turn back, not when she had come so far. Tu'asa could not return to her clan without the trophy she had promised. The elders were expecting her to bring back the skull of their species' most powerful rival. With such high expectations, she couldn't afford to fail. She would be better off activating her self destruct device.

Despite her determination, Tu'asa was not in very good shape to fulfill her mission. She had suffered a deep cut just under her left breast. She winced at the intense and burning pain as she held her hand over the wound. Despite the intense pain, she couldn't take her hand off the wound. If she did, she'd lose consciousness and bleed out.

While making preparations for the mission she didn't want her speed and agility to be hindered by bulky armor. Tu'asa had not anticipated such a botched landing when she chose to wear lighter breastplates. Her armor allowed her to move but it sacrificed superior protection for maneuverability. If she had worn more protective breastplates, she may have saved herself from suffering such a deep cut.

Now, Tu'asa had a profusely bleeding wound that was much worse than an annoyance. She had been very lucky that the debris hadn't lodged further. If the piece of metal from her ship had lodged any deeper, she would have been killed by it instantly. The wound was severe, but she had suffered worse as a Youngblood.

Tu'asa's wound was troubling, but she had other things to worry about as well. More concerning was that Paya was not smiling on her hunt. She had already seen more than her fair share of misfortunes during this high-risk mission. Somewhere along the way, she must have angered the warrior goddess.

She had prepared for many cycles to go on this expedition and had many rotations of experience that qualified her for it. But having the necessary skill was not making things any more favorable for Tu'asa.

Already, a malfunction in her ship had stranded her, and the crash had given her a severe injury. Her body was not in peak condition, and she was even lacking her plasma caster. Most long-ranged weapons were destroyed in the crash, and she was left with only her wristblades and combistick.

She was growing weaker from blood loss, but she had to keep going until she found water. Blood loss was not the only concern she had with the wound. If left uncleaned, it could potentially become infected.

Tu'asa hadn't been carrying her medikit on her person when she crashed. The small medical bay in her scout ship had been all but destroyed. Water was the only thing she had to clean her wound.

The being she sought out would be one of her most fearsome and worthy opponents. Taller, stronger and most likely in better condition than she was, the odds would be in his favor. Tu'asa's injury had set her up for a disadvantage before she'd even met her opponent.

It was unlikely that her mission would be successful. Even though everything was against Tu'asa, pride still wouldn't let her send a distress beacon. She still had to face her opponent and die fighting if she could not defeat her prey.

Tu'asa climbed a tall tree with red bark, wincing at every movement from the pain in her abdomen. She sat down on a thick branch, and she scowled upon finding the trail of fluorescent blood she had left. She didn't have the time, energy or resources to cover her trail. Luckily, the only carnivorous animals on the planet were small and unthreatening. The only being she had to fear was the Engineer that she sought.

Tu'asa settled back against the trunk of the tree and made herself as comfortable as possible. Carefully, she took off her breastplates while leaving on the guards over her legs and groin. She examined the bleeding wound on her torso. It was as she had suspected, if the debris had gone farther, the chances of a punctured lung would have been high.

Tu'asa took off her crotch guard and tore off her loincloth, hissing as she moved too sharply for the wound. She was left in her thong, an article of clothing she always wore under her clothes for occasions like this. She took the ripped cloth in her hands and winced as she wrapped it around her chest.

The black piece of leather was soaking with her blood in a matter of minutes. It was uncomfortable, but she did not have many other options. Tu'asa leaned against the tree and closed her eyes, feeling dizzy.

Her mask was feeling very heavy on her face and she felt like she couldn't stay awake. Tu'asa touched her wound again and nearly screeched from the pain, but it at least reminded her that she couldn't rest.

Author's Notes:

This story will have no more than about three chapters (if you guys want it). It's not going to be interfering with my other story. I will post the next chapters soon if enough of you guys want it =)

As always, thanks for reading, I really appreciate any comments/reviews of my stories. I love to hear from you guys, the same with all my stories/chapters feel free to rant as much as you want.

Disclaimer:

I do NOT own the Predator or Alien franchise, this is purely fanfiction.