PREDATORS. [PRED.]

Species from outer space characterized by their hunting of other dangerous species for sport and honor. YAUTJA WE ARE... HUNT, TRACK AND KILL! 1. Hunting Worthy Game: When hunting, the hunter must be sure that his prey is considered game, and lawful to kill. Sometimes the hunter will equal the odds (not using a Plasma Caster or some other weapon). Worthy game must fill the following criteria: Can defend itself and/or is able to kill the hunter himself, of age (killing children is considered the height of bad manners,) not linked to other lives (so that removing the prey will not doom another, e.g. pregnant women) and unwilling to be hunted (what honor in killing one who wants to die?) 2. Failing in the Hunt: If the hunter fails in his hunt he usually takes his own life, preferring to die in honor than to live in shame. However, some cowards prefer to live in obscurity rather than die. This is considered to be dishonorable and suicide is then "assisted" by an Arbitrator. 3. Claiming the Kill of Another Hunter: To take the Trophy of another Yautja, living or dead, is considered to be a great insult. For example, two Un-Blooded go on their first Hunt. One Yautja takes on a Black Death and both are mortally wounded. While the wounded hunter is dying, the other hunter conveniently finishes off the prey and claims the kill as his own, abandoning the wounded Yautja. This is the most embarrassing crime, and the hardest to prove. 4. Murder of Another Yautja: To kill another Yautja intentionally. This excludes self-defense and killing a foe in a wrestling match to settle a dispute (see below.) This is the worst crime. 5. Killing while cloaked: It is very dishonorable for a hunter to kill prey while he is cloaked. It ignores all laws of fair and honorable hunting, and giving the prey a fighting chance. A Yautja who is discovered doing this is usually banished from the Clan, and is considered fair game for other hunters. The only exception with this is to "remove" anything standing between the hunter and his prey, or if the hunter is attacked by a creature he is not hunting. (This rule seems to not be followed by a lot of Yautja as many have been seen killing prey while cloaked. An example of this is the Jungle Hunter, who killed all of the humans in Alan "Dutch" Schaefer's team (except for Dutch who killed the Jungle Hunter) while cloaked in Val Verde during 1987. Another example is the City Hunter in who also killed the majority of his victims during his 1997 Hunt in Los Angeles while cloaked.) 6. Never harm the innocent: Those who have done no harm should have no harm done to them. (It can be inferred that this rule must pertain only to harming other Yautja in their society, since they hunt and kill members of many species one could call "innocent".) 7. Hunting for Food: When hunting for food, take only the weak. This is to purify the species' line. 8. Wounded Game: When coming upon game wounded by another hunter, and the animal is dying without sport, show honor to another's kill. If the game still shows sport, it is to be joint trophy. 9. Joining Another Hunt: Do not join another's Hunt, or Hunt in their territory, without their permission. All trophies taken by this manner are stolen trophies, and shall be dealt with by the rightful owner. 10. Mercy: Those who defeat you in a fair Hunt and show you mercy are to be considered our equals. You must either kill them and yourself, or treat them as an equal. 11. Code Violations: Those who break the code are renegades, and no longer considered to be a Yautja. They are to be destroyed when encountered. 12. Never Harm the Ill or Offspring: Yautja are known to have a very strict law on the killing of those pregnant with infants and those who are sick. Usually when they hunt and encounter both, the Yautja is to let them live. The only exception to the rule is if any ill prey pose a threat.