Naru and Raja trekked through the rugged canyon, eyes peeled for clues to the monster Naru glimpsed last night—red lightning and a roar that wasn't a lion's.
Her Kuthaamia hunt burned in her chest, a chance to prove she was a warrior to her village and Taabe.
They reached the spot where the eerie light had flashed, finding massive, clawed footprints etched in the dirt.
Naru's jaw dropped. "Master Demon, I've never seen tracks this big! What monster is this?"
Raja, smirking, traced the print with his battle axe. "Naru, the world's a vast sky, and this land's just a speck. This beast? A visitor from the stars."
Naru's eyes widened, skepticism battling awe, but she nodded, gripping her axe tighter. They pressed on, crossing the canyon's twists, camping at dusk to roast rabbit meat, swapping stories till dawn's light.
The next day, they ventured deeper, reaching a small peak by a rushing river.
Below, a grizzly bear, massive and scarred, tore into a deer carcass, its growls echoing.
Raja leaned close, whispering, "Naru, there's your Kuthaamia prey. Prove your worth. I'm sitting this out—act as spectator only. Succeed, and you're a warrior. Die? Well, that's on you." With a wink, he vanished into the jungle, Telekinesis cloaking his steps.
Naru, glancing back to find him gone, steeled herself, determination blazing.
She drew her bow, wind whistling down the peak. The bear, catching her scent, roared, head snapping up.
Naru fired an arrow, striking its flank. Enraged, the bear charged like a furry freight train, dirt flying.
Naru loosed another arrow, missing wide as the bear closed in.
Sarii, her loyal dog, darted in, barking wildly, drawing the bear's attention.
It chased Sarii, giving Naru a moment to scramble down to the river.
She readied her bow as Sarii looped back, the bear thundering behind.
Naru fired, the arrow grazing its shoulder, but the bear didn't flinch, barreling toward her. Spotting a beaver dam, Naru dove into the river, swimming to its wooden heart, using it as a shield.
The bear clawed at the dam, splintering sticks, when an invisible force attacked it. The bear roared, biting and slashing, green blood splattering from its unseen foe.
Naru, peeking through the dam, froze—something was fighting the bear, but it was invisible.
The unseen monster landed a brutal punch, knocking the bear out cold. It lifted the beast, slicing it open, blood raining down, revealing a shimmering, reptilian figure—a Predator.
Naru, heart pounding, leapt into the river, swimming with the current to escape, her mind screaming, What was that?! She dragged herself ashore, soaked and shivering, only to be nabbed by Comanche warriors sent by Taabe to find her.
Taabe himself scoured the canyon's other side. Naru, defiant, refused to return, squaring up against a warrior named Huupi.
They traded blows, Naru's training with Raja shining through, but Huupi's size won out, and the group decided to drag her back.
As they rested, the forest fell eerily silent. Naru, panting, tried explaining the invisible monster, but they scoffed. A rustle in the bushes—no shadows—put them on edge.
One warrior, Anoki, stepped away to pee, only to scream as the Predator struck, invisible and lethal.
The group froze, staring toward the cry.
Another warrior, Kotsi, crept forward, chuckling when he found possums—until iron bolts pierced his head and heart, dropping him instantly.
Naru and the remaining two warriors, Puhi and Totsi, gaped as the Predator's cloaked form flickered into view. The warriors tag-teamed it, axes swinging, landing blows, but the Predator overpowered them, gutting both in a spray of blood.
Naru bolted into a field, linking up with another warrior, Itsá. They hid in tall grass, but the Predator's red laser sight locked onto Itsá. Naru, horrified, yanked him down, sprinting away.
The Predator caught up, gutting Itsá with a flick of its blades. Naru, running, stumbled into an iron animal trap, her ankle snapping in its jaws.
The Predator loomed, but seeing her trapped, it hesitated—unworthy prey. Before it could decide, French colonialists ambushed Naru, dragging her to their camp, where she found Taabe, also captured, bound and bruised.
The French tied the siblings to a tree trunk as bait to lure the Predator into a trap. Naru and Taabe woke, panic rising as they realized their role. They struggled against the ropes, fear gripping them.
The Predator, wise to the trap, silently killed the French lookouts, striding through their net ambush. The French, hidden underground, sprang up, tossing a net over the Predator, cheering as it fell.
But the Predator sliced the net, rising to massacre them—limbs flying, screams cut short. The siblings, watching the carnage, yanked at their binds, spines chilled.
The Predator, bloodied but unbowed, approached, blades raised to end them. Naru, staring death down, screamed, "Master Demon, I lost my Kuthaamia—save us!" Taabe gaped, and the Predator froze, confused.
A voice boomed from above, "Yare yare! Training kids is such a hassle."
Raja stood atop the trunk, smirking, his presence silent as a ghost. The siblings and Predator thought, How'd he get there?!
Raja pointed at the Predator, "Oye, fuckface, step away from my disciple!" He leapt, delivering a midair roundhouse kick that sent the Predator crashing through trees, dust billowing.
Raja ripped their ropes with Telekinesis, grinning at Naru. "Watch and learn how your master makes this monster beg for death." He tore off his upper cloth, revealing a body carved like a war god, cracking his knuckles.
Taabe, awestruck, whispered, "Naru, who's this guy? I've never seen anyone like him. Can he take that thing?"
Naru, beaming, said, "That's my master, Raja, from Bharath across the sea. I call him Master Demon—you'll see why."
Raja planted his battle axe in the ground, facing the Predator as it rose, snarling, hunger for battle in its eyes.
Channeling Hanma Yujiro, Raja flexed, his back muscles morphing into a demonic face, chilling the siblings.
The Predator charged, aiming to tackle. Raja caught it mid-stride, skidding back, then gripped its arms, power-slamming it into the dirt with a WWE-style Bodyslam.
The Predator roared, springing up, but Raja was ready, hoisting it for a Suplex, flipping it over his shoulder, the ground quaking. The siblings' jaws hit the floor, gasping, "Nani?!"
Raja didn't let up, grabbing the Predator's arm for an Arm Drag, hurling it into a tree, bark splintering. The Predator lunged, claws slashing, but Raja countered with a Clothesline, his arm smashing its chest, sending it sprawling.
Raja leapt, landing a Moonsault, his body crashing onto the Predator, dirt exploding. The Predator staggered, dazed, as Raja locked its arms in a Full Nelson, wrenching back, then spun it into a DDT, planting its head in the ground, dust clouding.
Raja finished with a People's Elbow, dropping his elbow on the Predator's skull, the impact echoing like thunder.
The Predator, battered, switched tactics, activating gauntlet blades and slashing with a war shield.
Raja backflipped, dodging the blades, parrying shield bashes with his palms, Telekinesis guiding his moves.
Done playing, Raja flipped back to his axe, yanking it free.
The Predator charged, blades flashing. Raja swung his axe, metal clanging against gauntlet blades in a shower of sparks.
The Predator slashed high; Raja ducked, his axe grazing its arm, green blood spraying. It bashed with the shield, but Raja spun, axe slicing its thigh, staggering it. Raja pressed, axe and blades locking, each strike shaking the ground.
He feinted left, then swung low, catching the Predator's knee, toppling it. With a final roar,
Raja drove his axe into the Predator's chest, pinning it, the clash ending in a spray of ichor.
Raja, panting, went full Mortal Kombat. He gripped the Predator's head, using his amplifying with strength, and ripped it off, spine dangling, clean and brutal.
The siblings gaped, fear mixing with awe at his ferocity.
Raja turned, axe dripping, "Let's get back to the village. More of these things will come. We need to move your people to safety."
They hauled the Predator's corpse, Raja crafting a cross to display it. Using his Chaos Watch, he hacked the Predator's gauntlet, uploading a video of the corpse with a message scrawled in its blood: "Never step on this land again."
Raja led the villagers, meeting other tribes to warn of the sky monsters. He sought a cave from the Resident Evil world, finding it nestled in mountain valleys and waterfalls.
He relocated the Comanche there, organizing their new home.
Raja trained Naru and Taabe in his battle arts, teaching Predator weaknesses and a herb that cooled their bodies, rendering them invisible to Yautja heat vision.
He gifted them NZT-Wyllt (15% boost) and Chromosome 24 Lite for peak strength and immunity.
A year later, the siblings hunted a Predator solo, displaying its corpse with a warning in Yautja script, earning Raja's proud grin. Satisfied, he left the universe, his Chaos Watch humming and Maya sarcastic remark, ready for the next adventure.
To Be Continued…