Naru

"You think that I am not a hunter like you. That I'm not a threat. That is what makes me dangerous. You can't see that I'm killing you. And it won't, either."

―Naru to Big Beard (from Prey)

Naru (pronounced Nardu)^[1] was a female member of the Comanche tribe, situated somewhere in the Northern Great Plains.

Raised as a healer, Naru's true aspirations were in hunting, and she desired to follow in her brother Taabe's footsteps and prove herself worthy enough to partake in hunting, something that earned the scorn of her peers. She came into conflict with the Feral Predator in September 1719 and was ultimately able to defeat and kill the creature, acquiring the rank of war chief.

Biography[]

Naru was a Comanche healer and the younger sister to skilled tribesman, Taabe. She was been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters on the Great Plains.^[2] Wanting to follow in Taabe's wake, Naru desired to join the male members in hunting, something the latter frequently scoffed at, though Taabe himself was supportive of her, to a point.

One day, during a failed attempt to hunt a deer with her dog, Sarii, she witnessed a cloaked Yautja ship pass through the region's stormy clouds. Mistaking the ship as a mythical 'thunderbird', Naru believed it to be a sign that she was ready for her "Kuhtaamia" - her rite of passage into hunting.

Hunting the Lion[]

"No, it's not just the lion. Why is Puhi alive? There's something that scared the cat away from its den."

―Naru (from Prey)

Phuntingparty — Naru and Sarii, alongside Taabe's hunting party.

Upon member Puhi went missing following an attack from a mountain lion, Taabe would lead a search party to find him. Wishing to prove herself, Naru would secretly tail the group, before being noticed by Paaka. Taabe allowed Naru to join, citing her skills in healing as being useful. Tracking the lion, the group would find Puhi, gravely wounded and mauled, and Naru would treat Puhi with Orange totsiyaa to cool his blood. Come nightfall, Taabe desired to hunt the lion whilst the others carried him back to camp on a stretcher. Naru expressed concern for her brother, citing that something had scared off the lion during the attack. Regardless, Taabe would depart as the others took Puhi home. During the trek, Naru noticed a flayed viper carcass and unusual footprints. Fearing for her brother, she departed from the group to find him, with Paaka reluctantly joining her.

The two soon reunited with Taabe in an open plain, and plotted to kill the lion. Naru suggested climbing a nearby tree and lure the lion out to kill, and Paaka and Naru would climb the tree to use themselves as bait. Sitting atop the tree, Paaka taunted Naru, before suddenly being attacked and killed by the mountain lion. Cornered by the beast, Naru is distracted by a burst of red light in the distance, and despite partially wounding the lion with a spear, she fell from the tree and knocked herself unconscious.

Naru later reawakened inside her tipi beside her mother, Aruka, who disapproved of her aspirations for hunting. Having subsequently bringing Naru back to camp and killing the lion, Taabe is appointed war chief by chief Kehetu. Unbeknownst to Naru, she had gravely wounded the lion during her skirmish, and Taabe had merely finished it off. Though she attempted to attest to Taabe of the bizarre sightings she had encountered, and that she saw "lightning in the trees", Taabe dismissed her, and undermined her skills as a hunter.

First Encounter[]

"I saw it."
"Saw what?"
"I saw what left those tracks."
"The bear?"
"There was a bear, but there was something else, and it was huge."

―Naru and Wasape (from Prey)

Determined to find the mysterious creature that was stalking the forestry, Naru set off early the next day with Sarii, equipping her tomahawk with a rope to be thrown and returned to her. Traversing the Great Plains, Naru would come across a field of flayed buffalo. Paying her respects to the numerous corpses, she continued onwards, later being caught in a pit of quicksand - she narrowly escaped death with the utility of her axe. Eventually, Naru would witness a Grizzly Bear by a stream, eating the carcass of a deer. She was suddenly noticed by the beast, and chased into the confines of a beaver dam. Just as it seemed that Naru would be killed by the enraged creature, she was horrified to witness an invisible force emerge and kill the bear after a brief fight. As the creature held the carcass over its head in triumph, Naru chose to flee by swimming down the river.

Escaping with her life, Naru would meet with a Comanche search party led by Wasape, sent by Taabe to search for Naru. Naru desperately attempted to explain to the others what she saw. When Wasape and the others were unreceptive, and jeered at her claim of seeing a "mupitsl", a fight broke out between Naru and Wasape. After Wasape cheap-shotted her, she was bound by the group, and they began their trek back to camp.

PItsee4 — Naru, alongside Itsee, hiding from their pursuer.

Dragging Naru, Wasape's group found a spot to rest. Suddenly, they were ambushed by Naru's 'mupitsl' - an alien hunter known as the 'Feral Predator'. After killing Wasape with its Bolt Gun, he slaughtered comrades Ania and Huupi in a brief duel. Naru managed to unbind herself and fled into an open field, the creature perusing her. Naru was suddenly tackled into the field's tall grass by member Itsee, who had split from the group earlier. Though the two attempted to coordinate an attack on the creature, the effort was ultimately futile, and the two were forced to flee - the Feral Predator caught up with ease and brutally killed Itsee, gapping the distance between Naru and the hunter.

Captured by the Voyageurs and skirmish at the camp[]

"No. It doesn't want bait. It doesn't hunt that way. Before the trappers captured me, it saw me. It came right up to me. And then left. It didn't think I was a threat."

―Naru to Taabe (from Prey)

PNaru5 — Naru locked inside the voyageurs' cage.

Naru fled back into the forestry, before being caught in a bear trap. The Predator caught up with Naru, but seeing her injury, grew disinterested and abandoned her, just as a group of French voyageurs arrived, led by the cruel Big Beard. The voyageurs having encountered the hunter themselves, knocked out Naru and bought her back to their camp, locking her inside a makeshift cage.

Naru would reawaken and conclude that Big Beard and his men were responsible for the slaughter of the buffalo. Big Beard would approach her and gleefully torment her with a stick, only for Naru to seize it and cut his hand. He would go on to have his translator, Raphael Adolini attempt to reason with Naru to see what she knew about the creature hunting them, though she was uncooperative. It was revealed that the trappers had also caught Taabe, and as punishment for her unwillingness, Big Beard had his men restrain Naru's brother, and slashed his chest with a knife.

The next day, the voyageurs tied Naru and Taabe to a tree in an ash-ridden open plain to use the two as bait to lure the creature out. However, Naru deduced that the Predator would not pay attention to them, as they did not pose a threat. The Predator would emerge and slaughter the Frenchmen, and she would eventually cut herself and Taabe free.

PRaphael4 — Naru treating a wounded Raphael.

Departing back to the voyageur's camp to retrieve Sarii, Naru would ambush and kill several voyageurs, before freeing her companion. She was then approached at gunpoint by Raphael Adolini, who had his foot bisected by the Predator during the skirmish. Pleading for medical assistance, Raphael would teach Naru how to use his flintlock if the latter treated his wound. Naru would treat Raphael's wound and feed him Orange totsiyaa to cool his blood, as he showed her how to load and use the pistol.

Hearing the Predator's presence nearby, Naru suddenly fled and hid - the creature would go on to kill Raphael, and, upon seeing Sarii, would point its Bolt Gun at him. Before Naru intervened, Taabe would emerge on horseback, and a duel ensued between the two. Witnessing her brother fight the Predator, Naru noticed how the latter's projectiles tracked where its Bio-mask's targeting lasers were pointed. Naru attempted to load the pistol and fire it at the Predator, to no luck. Yelling at it to momentarily distract it, Taabe managed to gain the upper hand against the creature, causing it to activate its cloak and distance himself from the two.

Taabe encouraged Naru to flee, before suddenly being impaled from behind by the Feral Predator. Biding her just enough time to escape, Taabe stabbed the Predator in the leg with an animal skull, before being killed.

Duel with the Feral Predator[]

"This is as far as you go. No more. This is it."

―Naru to the Feral Predator (from Prey)

PBigbeard5 — Naru preparing to shoot the Feral Predator.

Mourning her brother's death, Naru would linger by a stream. She come to notice Big Beard nearby, having survived the skirmish against the Predator. Contemplating to shoot him in revenge of wounding his brother on the other day, she changed her mind upon remembering the worse threat which must be dealt with (Feral Predator) and that she already had sufficient knowledge on how to best the latter. So, after learning the mechanics of Cut Clamp she had obtained while treating Raphael's wound prior, Naru decided to knock Big Beard unconscious and using the Yautja device to bisect his leg so he would be the Feral Predator's unwilling bait.

Later during the nightfall, Naru allowed Big Beard to regain consciousness and discover his handicap. Ignoring the Frenchman's insults, she let him acquiring an unloaded musket nearby in an attempt to shoot her as she consumed Orange totsiyaa to mask her presence whilst mocking him for dismissing her as harmless and luring out the Feral Predator by whistling. The plan was a success, and the hunter emerged and decapitated Big Beard. As the Yautja examined his trophy, Naru shot him point-blank in the back of the head with her flintlock and proceeded to steal his fallen Bone Mask to use against him.

At the field of battle she lured Feral Predator into, Naru wasted no time to complete remaining traps she prepared there, which included the stolen Bone Mask positioned in front of quicksand she previously stumbled upon. Once the Yautja entered the scene, the young Comanche warrior ambushed him from the trees in order to wear him down, leading to a violent battle between both combatants. During the ensuing duel, she successfully severed her opponent's right arm along with wrist blades attached on it, though the Yautja was still a formidable opponent despite such handicap and Sarii's assistance, which didn't help by the sudden activation of the failsafe in Feral Predator's Separable Combistick which prevented her from using it against him further. Despite such setback and nearly having her head severed by the Yautja's Wrist Shield at one point, Naru nonetheless successfully wore her opponent down just enough to drag him into the area's quicksand by surprise seemingly to drown him. But the Yautja, with his remaining strength, lifted himself to the surface and resorted to the use of his Bolt Gun. The Yautja fired his weapon and narrowly missed her, only to realize that his stolen Bone Mask was placed by Naru nearby with its targeting laser aimed at his face. The projectile subsequently burst through the Yautja's skull, killing him. Finally besting her foe, Naru let out a triumphant war cry.

Aftermath[]

PNaru6 — Naru returning to her tribe, victorious.

In the following morning, Naru returned to her people's camp with the severed head of the Feral Predator in her hand and Sarii accompanying her. Giving both the severed head and the flintlock given by Andolini prior, Naru advised them that they must migrate to safer grounds away from foreign presence. Impressed by her courage, Naru would be appointed the new war chief of the tribe, her Kuhtaamia finally complete.

Naru's efforts would earn the attention of several Predator ships, which, at an unknown period, would land nearby Naru's camp.

Personality and Traits[]

"My girl, you are good at so many other things. Why do you want to hunt?"
"Because you all think that I can't."

―Aruka and Naru (from Prey)

Naru was driven greatly by a need to prove herself as a worthy hunter towards her peers, a status the latter largely rejected due to her gender. As a result, she would tenaciously dedicate her spare time to refining her hunter-tracking skills and combat prowess alone. Naru was adept in combat and highly observant, and she used these qualities to narrowly defeat the Feral Predator. She also had a vast knowledge of ethnobotany, taught to her by her mother, Aruka, something she also used to her advantage.

Equipment[]

"You need a leash for your weapon?"

―Wasape to Naru regarding her tomahawk (from Prey)

Tomahawk (with rope)
Bow
Spear
Cut Clamp
Raphael Adolini 1715
Orange totsiyaa

Naru would utilize a wide array of Comanche equipment. Her main choice of weapon was a tomahawk, later attached with a rope to be thrown and pulled back. Naru's perceptiveness would also allow her to employ the use of unconventional arms; after being taught by Raphael Adolini, she would learn how to load and fire his ignition-based flintlock pistol, and she would also acquire and use a Yautja Cut Clamp.

List of Notable Victims[]

Big Beard (Indirectly)
Feral Predator

Trivia[]

Naru is the second main protagonist within the Predator franchise to be of Native American ethnicity, the first being the Navajo Corporal Enoch Nakai from Predator: Big Game.
While luring Feral Predator with the crippled Big Beard as the bait, Naru deliberately whistles in order to lead the Yautja to their location, an act which considered taboo in many Native American cultures because she does so by the time the night has fallen; whistling at night would supposedly attract evil spirits. It can be inferred that she also assumed the Yautja to be some sort of evil spirit which can be harmed upon revealing himself thanks to his cloak.^[3]
In real-life, Naru would have easier time in proving herself before her peers as women warriors being among the various Great Plains Nations were actually very common and would sometimes even lead other warriors into battle. That said, only minorities of her kin who looked down upon her and her dreams of becoming a warrior considering everyone else readily accepted her as Taabe's immediate successor by contrast. Even Taabe himself had best opinions regarding his sister despite his initial doubts, acknowledging her observational skill which allows her to notice things her fellow tribesmen overlooked and planning accordingly.