#also wearing my rattlesnake vertebrae necklace :)

[gravehags]

happy new years’ eve it’s day drinking time 🥂

[pyode-luar-ke]

I love your blurb on taxidermy and yautja!

I actually make jewelry out of bones. I wear a skunks jawbone all the time as a necklace. (It is just a jawbone I put a hole in and ran a chain through.... Its like my least impressive work)

I also have a bracelet make from a rattlesnakes spine. Unfortunately I did kill the snake myself but in my defense it was in my house and I couldn't release it without the fear of it coming back in and catching me unaware.

I have a few skulls I've collected from roadkill, mostly raccoons, a squirrel and a deer.

Sometimes more than the skull will be salvagable and i need figure out something to do with it. I usually just end up putting them in a jar and calling it decor, but I will occasionally pick out a nice one to wrap in wire, maybe even add gems to it and make it into a bracelet.

Anyways my point is; How do you think a yautja would respond to a preice of jewelry like this as a gift. Maybe an adornment to their armor or a band for their locks. (From their significant other or pre-relationship)

vanitas | gn!yautja x gn!reader

A/N: i'm so glad that memento mori resonated with you! 😍 and idk all of your boneworks sound really cool, i'd kill to have a jawbone necklace! my collection includes a cat's vertebrae, a bison horn, a fox tail, and rabbit pelt. tho i mostly collect bird feathers and gems 😅 i desperately want a skull tho!! like a deer or something 😭😭

also, idk if anyone's like... noticed... but i created my own blaring plot hole in my yautja lore bc in carnation i mention multiple times that reader is gifted and decorated with small bones and small skulls, but in memento mori i so clearly state the yautja only collect skulls/spines and all else is “lesser” and destroyed 💀💀 oops... anyway...

enjoy!

summary: of wolf skulls, tradition, and feeling something deeper.

word count: 1,261

content: 18+, gn!reader, gn!yautja, pre-relationship, yautja pov, gifts, cultural differences, light hearted not-so-unrequited love, misunderstandings (but in a good way lol)

—

Coming to Earth has become a regular occurrence, and they don’t really know why.

They no longer hunt oomans— Too loud, no honor— But they do not stop coming to Earth.

They find you too intriguing to leave alone. You indulge them almost as much as the kv’var. You are strange and soft like all other oomans, but you are also different and unique.

Something draws them to you. Perhaps it is because you have th’syra as well. They have not encountered many oomans— outside of the medical profession, that is— who own and display skulls. You also keep other parts: feathers, exoskeletons, lesser bones, gems of the Earth, and furs and pelts. They are not sure why you do that, so they do not dwell on it.

So they focus on your th’syra.

“Did your hunt bring you honor?” The click, and you must not have been expecting them to speak, as you jump in surprise. Your fear scent spikes. They chitter in disgruntlement— You have known them for weeks, and yet you are still afraid. Oomans. So scared all the time.

“Um... Not really? I guess?” You reply, the sickly scent of fear fading into discomfort. They whicker, shaking their head and tossing their tresses over their shoulders. The metal bands clink against their awu’asa. They are taken aback. Oomans truly are dense.

“Your hunt. Kv’var. You bear trophies.” They point to a th’syra hanging on the wall above the fireplace in front of them. A deer. Easy prey animal, not much challenge. Though they thought that maybe for you, because you are an ooman, that the kv’var would be considered a challenge. Relativity, really. They apparently thought wrong.

“Oh! I didn’t hunt the deer.” You chirp, and they whip their head around to stare at you. You admit to stealing the kill of another and brandishing a stolen trophy as yours? And you are proud of it? They have truly underestimated you— Bad Blood ooman. 

Then you have the audacity to bare your teeth at them. Fangless and blunt, sure, but it is a threat to them nonetheless. They growl, rising to their full height to intimidate you back. Before they even need to consider their ki’cti-pa, your mouth closes, weird lips hiding your teeth. Your fear scent spikes strong and ugly again. Good. Silly ooman.

“Hey! Easy! All I’m saying is that I found roadkill and took the skull!” You snap, and they tilt their head, clicking in intrigue. You take from carcasses and harvest th’syra? 

Maybe you are not Bad Blood after all... They do not know. Perhaps they’ll ask an Elder for clarification.

“Speaking of...” They watch as you grow sheepish, heat rising beneath the skin of your face. You meet their gaze, strange white eyes wide, but before they can read you, you hastily look away. When you pause at the doorway, you gesture at them, “Wait here.”

Usually when you address them your gaze locks with theirs. This time, however, a bashfulness has consumed you and before they can question it, you disappear into the hallway. They flex their mandibles, confused. You are acting strange— Well, stranger than usual, because you are already a strange ooman.

They perk up when they hear your footsteps grow near, and you round the corner with something in your hands. It is wrapped in fabric, 

“I made this for you.” You say, your voice quiet and face hot. They whicker and lumber over, thoroughly captivated now. An item of your making for them? This is an unexpected development. They did not realize that you desired them. They suppose they’ll have to give you a gift in turn. It is a mating tradition, after all.

Though it is still unclear whether you simply desire them for the next mating season or as a lifemate, but that’ll be a question they ask later. Oddly, the thought of a Yautja and ooman pair doesn’t bother them.

When you hand them the wrapped gift, the chitter and click as they unravel the fabric from the object. Smooth white greets them, then the hollow eye sockets, and then the th’syra unveils itself in full. They recognize it as the skull of a wolf— A good prey. Can almost overpower a Yautja if they are with their pack. 

You have also decorated it. The wolf th’syra is adorned with gems. Each tooth has gold leaf and a semi-precious jewel on its center. It is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. They realize they have been silent, and that you have been speaking.

“... And I guess it just fits your energy? I don’t know, you can also attach it to your armor, I guess—” Your ooman mouth is rambling, so they growl and you silence it. Your eyes are wide and hopeful, and they realize that they like when you look like that. Hopeful. They purr.

And keep purring. Your ooman eyes go wider and your face hotter.

They approach you, purring and clicking, and they feel so content and honored with your gift. You shyly look away again, so they use one hand to draw your eyes back to theirs. Your pulse is like fluttering wings. Your skin is hot.

“This gift pleases me.” They rumble, leaning in to brush their mandibles against the crown of your head. Your breath catches in your throat as their tusks dance along your hairline, playing with the strands. One of your hands presses itself flat against their chest, just above their awu’asa. They purr louder, marveling at the soft touch.

You are so small and nice. Your scent is no longer yellow with fear. Instead, you smell sweet like naxa from Yautja Prime. They would like to smell you more.

When they pull away, you look as though you’ve been enchanted. Your wide eyes are hazy and your pink tongue runs over your odd, fleshy lips. You meet their stare, and there is no fear. They preen.

“I’m glad you like it.” Your voice is hoarse like you haven’t used it for a hundred years. Their purrs start to slow, before fading completely. It takes everything in them to prevent themselves from going further than what would be acceptable. They must leave and return with a mating gift for you, lest they act dishonorably and become a Bad Blood.

“I will give you one in turn.” They dip their head, full of conviction. Before you can speak again, they abruptly turn and leave your home— Wolf skull in hand.

Their ship is in the clearing just past the forest line behind your house, as it always is. As they ready their ship for take off via their gauntlet, planets suitable for collecting good, challenging th’syra run through their mind.

What type would you like? They consider your collection of easy prey— Earthen, herbivorous animals. Too easy. Not enough honor. They consider your gift to them— A wolf, its skull now carefully and strongly secured to their awu’asa. It’s gold teeth and gems gleam.

The perfect planet comes to mind, a temperate one not unlike Earth that is home to a frightful beast that is akin to an Earthen wolf. They think you will like its set of two eye sockets and double rows of sharp fangs. If they are able to kill one cleanly enough, they believe you’ll also like its purple pelt. 

They decide they will visit Earth even more often. The clan ship does not call them back often, and they are expected to be hunting anyways.

Besides, they also have a gift to give.

—

yautja translations

awu’asa → armor ki’cti-pa → double-bladed wrist knives kv’var → hunt/s naxa → a sweet fruit from Yautja Prime ooman / oomani-di → human / human female th’syra → skull/s