Genesis Two

Two years to the day of their hatching, at least by Destiny time, the call went out. There were no casual invitations this time, no letters handwritten on pale blue paper in Dr. Schroeder's upright cursive. This time the call went out across the Huntermind, the endless connection between all yautjadragon minds, powered by the three who had lived on the ship all their lives.

::You who are true of Dtande,:: Samurnde, Chetande, and Osende called in unison, the combination of their minds assuring all their kin would hear them, ::the time for your Hunter-Trial is almost upon you. Tomorrow you will be called back to the Abstract Destiny. Come immediately, or not at all.::

::And happy birthday!:: a furtive, mischievous whisper added alone. Osende had always been a sillier fellow.

When the second call came, only one of the ten Mei'Dtande siblings did not arrive at the ship in response. Enough had been heard from Tusien to know he was well, but whatever circumstances had conspired against him kept him from answering the call. Since he was in the care of Chevonde Mei'Rhakarndi, those circumstances had to be dire indeed for a Blooded Venator to not ensure her charge reaching his trial, though it was unclear what they were.

Three of those to be tested called the ship their home, so their attendance had never been in question. When the other six arrived in Alpha Bay, accompanied by whoever came with them, their greeting was as formal as their summoning--or more so, since Osende could not sneak in any friendliness this time. Schroeder's "Welcome home! Good luck!" banner was not in attendance this time, though the doctor still greeted each arrival personally, shaking hands with their bonds and friends, and offering each Venator a hug around their muscular neck if they would submit to such affection from their grandfather.

Schroeder's quiet kindnesses, however, were the only ones to be had. However she could be in day-to-day goings, Rhakarndi was a very grim creature when it came to the honor and culture of her species being passed on to their draconic heirs. As for Dtande, though he had been lively and proud at the hatching, he was now similarly solemn. It was his bloodline being put to the test, after all. The heavy, scowling features of their species only hardened the critical, appraising gazes each yautja turned on the juvenile Venators.

When all had been gathered and Schroeder had been allowed his little shows of familial affection, the stout man withdrew to the sidelines and the two true yautja commanded the scene.

"Dutain!" Rhakarndi bellowed without prefix. "You will go first."

The speckled black lifted his head in brief surprise, but Dtande beckoned him, and the dark yautjadragon obediently followed his father and Rhakarndi out of the Bay, while Schroeder brought up the rear. Everyone else was made to stay behind and wait, with nothing but each other for company. The heavy doors and walls of Alpha Bay blocked out any sound that might otherwise been heard from over in Bravo.

When Dutain was brought back some time later, bleeding and winded, he was made to kneel in the middle of the Bay. In a change from the ritual of the first Hunter-Trial, Rhakarndi Blooded him in full sight of the others. The Venator bowed his head to her and Rhakarndi carved the two sweeps of her clan-mark on his brow with one of her claws, which she had sharpened for this express purpose.

"Foran!" she barked then, picking out the grey male from the crowd. She pointed at his black brother with the claw that was still tipped with his glowing blood. "Heal Dutainde," she commanded the other.

Thus did the second Hunter-Trial proceed. Once Foran had healed his sibling to the best of his ability, he was taken into the next Bay to be tested. In the meanwhile, Samurnde finished dealing with Dutainde's wounds with a cloth and bottle of a quick-healing solution, Osende took measurements of the newly-Blooded for his armaments, and Chetande wove his hair into dreadlocks that she fixed with an assortment of silver rings.

Upon returning, he knelt to be Blooded, and the next sibling was brought forward to heal him before their own test. Forande was followed by Hakin, then Hysain, Nevun, Raesun, Sarin, Thonyn, and finally Vezun, whom Dutainde had to heal. Samurnde, Osende, and Chetande dealt with each newly Blooded before the next one arrived--and it was always a newly Blooded, for none failed.

The lack of failures were not for a lack of challenge! Any who had learned about the first Hunter-Trial's android xenodragon queen and expected to face it as well, however, were surprised when their turn in Bravo Bay came. It was still a xenodragon queen that awaited them, but it was one of flesh and blood. The metallic grin on her face was distinctly eager with each new Venator to look on her blood-red carapace in shock and surprise.

"A greater challenge in preparation for a greater foe," Schroeder said each time, as the queen seemed to bounce on her toes, waiting while each Venator picked a bladed weapon from an available rack--real weapons, not blunted ones for training. "Aki has stepped in to give us this aid."

"And I can do this because it's unexpected!" the queen would cackle, speaking aloud in Aki's voice. "Don't hold back, either, cuz I'm tougher than any fake-god 'Balespawn' you'll ever meet and you can't hurt me. But I'll sure hurt you!"

And then she would lunge and the battle would begin. There were no targets, no guidelines, no goals to achieve. Each yautjadragon simply fought, leaving wounds on the god-queen that did not bleed, taking wounds of their own that glowed green with the blood that they did shed, exerting every trick they had learned and sometimes even inventing a new one on the spot.

Then, when she had seen what she needed to see, Rhakarndi would bellow, "ENOUGH!"

"No telling anyone about me, now," Aki would snicker before each wounded Venator was escorted out to be healed and formally Blooded. "I can't say I'm still being chaotic if people are expecting me when they shouldn't!"

Aki would then withdraw, the "wounds" on her carapaced body vanishing in a blink, and retake her place at the end of the bay to await the next Venator. Tireless and invincible against a mere mortal, she could not be beaten, but defeating her was not the point. Thus, though all the yautjadragons "lost" the spar, the displays they made during the fight itself were enough to earn their Blood Marks.

When all had been put through their paces, the Blooded and their companions were dismissed. The next day, they were all called back. After being dressed in the armor and outfitted with the weapons that had been individually crafted to each of them, according to the measurements of their adult size which had been taken, they were released again and for good. Another generation of warriors, ready for the world.