Chapter 7: A Night of Farewells

In true #nanowrimo style, this was rushed again. I'm really buying into the idea of 'vomit on the page to really get to know your characters, then come back and fix it once you do.' So sorry if the result isn't very attractive at first; all the same, I could use your help to make it better. Criticism will help me get to know these people!

If you're new to the project, start here. If you wanna read this on the other site, click this one. Otherwise, she's just below us.

Chapter 7: A Night of Farewells

The dinner fire had nearly burned out when Dahlia emerged from the tent. The orange tint had receded from all but the closest of the clan’s tents, and the pale moon was barely providing enough light to see by. Most of her family was reluctant to move about at this hour, but she aspired to join the group who could still function when the sun was gone. Sleep wasn’t coming, so she’d make whatever use she could of these extra hours.

The greenish glow of lummush drew her eye to one of the hunters on watch. The matron had spaced them out along the woodside of camp, far enough apart to be efficient, but close enough that each hunter could hear any warning from his closest colleague. Dahlia doubted this duty would be very exciting, but she doubted there would be any harm in practicing it.

She tried to identify the hunter as she approached, but his painted back was all she could see of him. It wasn’t until she stooped to sit at his side that she recognized Nikhil as the cross-legged watcher she’d be keeping company.

“Oi, Dahlia.” He had been sitting with his eyes closed and his hands on his knees until she arrived. “S’matter, too scared ta sleep?”

“Take a guess.” Dahlia injected extra anger into her tone.

Nikhil laughed, but there was a sense of understanding to the sound. “Most the clan be givin’ themselves nightmares o’er this. I ‘unno if they gonna feel what we’ve lost ‘til we either move on or claim the beast that took ‘em.”

“They wouldn’t be scared if it were just another beastie.” Dahlia crossed her arms over her knees and rested her frowning chin there. “Those who’ve seen ‘im are gonna be dreamin’ o’ Stinger when they wet the bedding. Either that, or they gonna be too mad ta sleep, and watch the moon go by and think o’ revenge, just like us.”

“Oi, revenge ain’t right, Dahlia.” Nikhil scolded. “You may be righ’, it may be war, but that don’t mean we gotta fight it for revenge’s sake. We’ll kill it ta survive, or if it stops makin’ survival hard, then we’ll let it go its way.We start makin’ sacrifices fer revenge sake and we might all die fer the cause without ever winnin’ it.”

“So what, we just let ‘im have the kin ‘e’s taken and laugh?!” Dahlia’s eyelid twitched angrily. “The idea makes me sick. ‘e has ta pay.”

“Yer rilin’ yerself up with yer own fantasy, Dahlia.” Nikhil wasn’t falling for her provocation. She wanted a good, loud argument, but he didn’t seem willing to provide it. “We weren’t there ta see what happened, neither time. Fer all we know, Conan and Gelilah attacked an innocent leaf-muncher an’ lost. Maybe Kadmus jus’ ain’t done huntin’, and he never ran inta that thing at all.”

“That one’s the fantasy,” Dahlia argued. “And you know it.”

“Aye, it may be too hopeful,” Nikhil conceded. “The point stands, tho’. There be two sides ta e’ery fight. We can’t claim th’ enemy ain’t valid when we don’ know why he took ‘em. There’s too much we don’ know. We can’t convince ourselves o’ false truths jus’ so we feel right actin’ on our first instinct.”

“Ain’t a reason in the world valid enough ta take my kin.” Dahlia wasn’t feeling whatever it was Nikhil wanted her to.

“It’s true.” A hoarse voice confirmed from behind them. “We’ve lost something we can never replace today.”

Dahlia and Nikhil looked back to find Jedrek approaching. Moonlight glinted off the water in his eyes, and his lower lip trembled a bit. He looked just as sad as Dahlia was angry.

“Wha’s a matter, Jedrek?” Dahlia teased. “Too scared ta sleep?”

Jedrek scowled at her, but only for a moment. Dahlia was surprised when he moved to sit on the opposite side of Nikhil. Apparently he was in such need of company that he’d even abide hers.

“When’s the last time something this bad happened, Nikhil?” Jedrek asked.

“I ‘unno.” Nikhil shrugged. “It hasn’t ever, at least while I been old enough ta know.”

“Why aren’t you two as affected as I am, then?” There was a curious amount of spite in Jedrek’s voice.

Dahlia scoffed. “ ‘Cause we ain’t as weak.”

“Or because you didn’t love them like I do!” Jedrek snapped.

“Ya get so weak that ya gone stupid too?!” Dahlia snarled back. “I was closer to ‘em than you ever coulda been!”

“Oi, you two tryin’ to ruin’ me hearin’?” Nikhil rubbed his temples with thumb and fingers. “I kinda need that for huntin’.”

Dahlia grit her teeth and sought to suppress the urge to tell Jedrek off. Jedrek averted his eyes.

“Ya got nothin’ ta argue about. Nobody handles loss the same way, but we all lost taday. Jedrek’s sad, Dahlia’s mad. Ain’t put you on the wrong side of each other, ya both suff’rin’ the same tragedy. Team up on it, don’t fight oe’er who gets ta beat it.”

“I like the way you said that, Nikhil.” Lyn’s voice wasn’t the kind that could startle anybody, but none of them were expecting it. They all looked over their shoulders to find her sitting behind and to their right, hugging her knees and shivering a little.

Dahlia felt a little apprehensive; Jedrek and Lyn had both been in the same apprentice’s tent as her. Dahlia hoped she hadn’t woken everyone in there when she left.

“Thank ya, Lyn,” Nikhil chuckled and turned his eyes back towards the woods. “If ya weren’t affect, ya’d be asleep. None o’ ya stay up this late on normal nights. That’s how ya can know yer both suff’rin’.”

“You’re right, Nikhil,” Jedrek sighed. “Sorry, Dahlia.”

“Don’ sweat o’er it.” Dahlia felt Jedrek’s eyes on her, like he was expecting something more. After a moment, she decided that if he wanted what was on her mind, she’d speak it. “I jus’ felt like you was puttin’ on a show. They weren’t the type ta like drama, though, none o’ the hunters are. If it were me that died, I wouldn’t need ya ta cry fer me…”

“I would though!” Jedrek interrupted. “Why would you say I wouldn’t? Is your love broken or something, of course I’d cry for you! Would you not cry for me? Are ya jus’ completely numb?”

“Who’re you to talk about broke?!” Dahlia found herself taken off-guard. She supposed she wasn’t surprised that Jedrek had misunderstood, but she was surprised to find herself flattered that he would cry for her. It was a warm feeling, but exactly the sort she and the other hunters weren’t good at. It caused her mind to fumble. “Ya can’t even ask a sens’ble question! Ya ain’t gonna die ‘fore I do ‘cause whatever kills ya has to get through me first. Tha’s what hunters do, Jed.”

“That’s not the point!” Jedrek retorted.

“Oi!” Nikhil’s face was in his palm again, and he exaggerated his exasperation with volume. “Yer mad ‘cause ya’d cry and die fer one another? Jus’ go share a tent already, ya clearly needa take the tension out.”

“Huh?” Lyn cocked her head to one side. “They were sharing a tent, Nikhil, with me and three other apprentices.”

“Not like-” Nikhil paused, chuckled, then broke into a boisterous laugh. Dahlia, Lyn, and Jedrek shared confused glances. “Six together, eh? I’m sorry, tha’s funny. Nevermind. Yer more n’ old enough ta be outta the kiddie tents, ain’t ya? Don’t ya know… I mean, yer still growin’, but ya passed... ferget it, jus’ quit fightin’, I’m tryin’ ta watch fer monsters, ‘member?”

“Oh, so it’s a monster now?” Dahlia was teasing, but she noticed Nikhil seemed oddly relieved by it. “Ya scared, Nik? Need me ta take over?”

“Oi, that’s fresh, comin’ from a girl named after flowers,” Nikhil chuckled.

Dahlia scowled, then smirked. “Doe’n’t matter. There’s a flower named Dahlia an’ a person named Dahlia. They as diff’rent as two people named Nikhil migh’ be. Go on, lemme take yer watch. I’ll change wha’ the word reminds ya of.”

“Aye, aye.” Nikhil laughed again. “I been in’n out them woods more times’n you seen the moon, but tonight I’m scared. Save me, Dahlia.”

“Sure thing, child.” Dahlia joked. Nikhil was at least twice her age. “Git yerself to a nursin’ tent, I’ll take o’er here.”

“Don’ tempt me now,” Nikhil laughed. “A guy could find himself in worse company.”

“I do like to be around the babies,” Jedrek admitted. For some reason, Nikhil found that even funnier.

A low grunt brought everyone’s attention to the new arrival. Much of it was lost to the black, but its teeth caught the moonlight, making the inhuman smile seem as though it was floating in the darkness. Somehow, in their banter, they’d missed the lumbering figure’s approach.

Jedrek scuttled backward as Nikhil sprang to his feet. Dahlia rose and took a step back, unprepared for the intimidation she was feeling. She’d heard her peers’ descriptions, but somehow, its actual presence was even more imposing than Jaquan had claimed.

One of Nikhil’s hands found its way to his axe while the other came to rest on his cheek. Dahlia anticipated the planned alert for several seconds before realizing it would never sound. His eyes narrowed and his breathing quickened; with an inhuman bellowing, he drew his axe and charged.

To Dahlia’s bewilderment, the blade seemed to melt from its handle before it could make contact. Nikhil swung the headless axe without heed, clubbing uselessly against the creature’s bulk. Lost to his rage or fear, he didn’t make any attempt to avoid the massive hand grasping at his collar.

Its index finger pushed one way and the thumb another. There was a snapping sound in Nikhil’s neck as he went limp. Dahlia saw a tiny eruption of sparks from his eyes, and his body seemed to deflate as a rush of wind escaped his nose and mouth.

She’d been told that all creatures bodies’ to the elements when they died; most of the vessel did so slowly, but parts would flare at the moment of death. Dahlia had never watched something as big as Nikhil die before, but now she was certain the stories were true.

The world was impossibly silent for a few moments. Dahlia felt rooted to the spot, and she couldn’t tell if Jedrek or Lyn were still behind her.

“Aaay-UP!”

The cry was staggered and seemed to come from everywhere. Despair began to sink in as Dahlia realized the watch had been fatally flawed; with all the hunters calling at once, only the closest watchers had any chance of finding them quickly. The confusion was made even worse by the frightened shouts coming from the tents.

The beast straightened to full height and draped Nikhil’s corpse over its shoulder as it turned away. Even while it retreated, Dahlia had to struggle with the urge to run in the opposite direction. It was as tall as two men and thick as three when it stood straight, even the bravest hunter would want to keep their distance.

The body over its shoulder had a very different effect on Dahlia, though. He was a member of the clan, a member of her family. Moments before, he’d been laughing his great heart out. As enormous as the beast was, it would have to find its way through the darkness by the same means anyone else did; their conversation had probably lead it right to them.

Meaning this was her fault.

Her mind retreated and something else came bubbling up; instinct, she expected. The bone knife at her hip was in her hand and a sound was booming from her throat, louder and lower than she would have thought she could manage. She charged.

The blade plunged into the flesh that was soft enough, sawed when she slashed muscle. She was twirling and jumping, grabbing with her free hand to get leverage and stab higher. The dance was savage and entirely new, like nothing she’d ever practiced. It was the dance of a hunter who wasn’t sparing any thought for whether she’d come back home.

The ground against her knees killed the instinct. Her mind came rushing back to the surface, and it concentrated on sucking as much air as she could. Each breath hurt, her throat was ravaged from the screaming, but it eased the cramping in her legs.

She raised her head to inspect her work. The creature had half-turned back, and the shadows of its eye sockets stared down at her. The strap of Nikhil’s pack had been wedged between his corpse and the creature, but gravity finally pulled the bag free and to the ground.

Its back was bleeding, in places, but its posture told her that the enemy wasn’t truly harmed. She felt like a badger who’d attacked a hunter. The claws and teeth would hurt, but they weren’t a real threat.

The futility fed her exhaustion. She fell forward to rest on hands and knees and curse at the ground as the creature took another step away.

“It looked at you with the matron’s eyes, Dahlia.” Lyn said.

She propped herself up and looked back. Jedrek had crawled backward, was frozen in mid-crawl as he stared at the retreating beast. Lyn was still in the same spot, and instead of fear, she seemed awestruck.

“Wha’?” Dahlia managed.

“It looked at you the same way the matron looked at Moondancer,” Lyn replied. “With that hunter kind of mercy. Like it didn’t want to hurt you if it didn’t have to. Like, if the world were better, it wouldn’t have needed Nikhil.”

Dahlia considered as she continued catching her breath. This had seemed like war; after all, the beast had the teeth of a leaf-muncher and had abandoned the meaty tuskridge. Still, maybe there was something else to people, something useful. Like the hide or the tooth or the bones of the hunters kills, maybe this thing was killing for need.

The thought didn’t make her feel merciful, but it might lead to a weakness. If she’d been a badger, then Nikhil had been a wolf. If one wolf wasn’t enough, the pack surely would be.

The other hunters would still be confused, and the growing chaos in camp would lead them away. But if this creature wouldn’t hurt her…

“Fin’ the elder,” Dahlia ordered. “One of ya find her, and the other stay ‘ere. Call ta any hunter ya see, and tell ‘em where I gone. Tell ‘em ta follow the trail.”

“How will they do that?” Jedrek was still half-panicked.

Dahlia forced herself up and grabbed Nikhil’s fallen pack. She was glad they’d prepared for this watch like they would a hunt. “Don’t be stupid. It’s what we do.”

She slung the pack over her shoulder and loped after her lumbering target.

1.) Were you entertained? Did you ever feel like the illusion was dispelled?

2.) Any trouble grasping what was going on?

3.) Any difficulty telling which character was speaking? Any trouble with the hunters' rough grammar?

4.) It wasn't excessively violent, was it?

Extra Credit: the meta-critique

A.) Were you able to connect this chapter to previous chapters? Did you remember who Jedrek, Lyn, and Nikhil all were?

B.) Does it feel like the plot is coming together? Are you interested in the clan's survival, and feel like you want to know where this will lead them?

Chapter 6: Exposed

Some weeks, I marvel at how easy this is and how good I am at it. Then the next one, it's hard as Hell, and everything I've done is crap. Would-be writers are way too moody. Maybe the other kind of writer is, too?

Like the rest of ya, I'm already bored with the doubt. This doesn't need to be totally perfect yet; since I plan to have 3-ish episodes done before I release the first one, I can get to know my characters/story better. Then I can come back and improve the earlier chapters with that understanding.

 Moving on! If you're just joining us, start here. If you want to read this chapter on an alternate website, click this one. Otherwise, click the one below.

Chapter 6: Exposed

                
                She’s not trying to humiliate me.

                It was an important mantra, because Dahlia was humiliated. While blindfolded, she was even more at the matron’s mercy than usual. Patron Soko had implied that Matron Cascata was only half of what she had been when both arms were good; afterward, Dahlia had asked her if that was true. The matron smiled while she recited her own math, reckoning she was actually only a quarter of what she once was.

                “It wouldn’ be so bad,” the matron had said. “If it were only a useless arm. But it hurts when I move anything wrong. I gotta think ‘bout where my weight is with each step, ‘cause it hurts if the stingers git rubbed. Jumpin’s hard, crouchin’s hard, and worst of all, I can’t surprise anythin’. I gotta plan mah movement, and when yer forced ta plan, there’s always th’ chance yer prey or yer enemy can predict that plan.”

                The matron was only a quarter of the old Cascata. The thought made Dahlia smile,when she heard it. It meant, in her prime, the matron was twice as good as Lyn’s patron.

Now, though, she wasn’t smiling. What did Dahlia amount to, if she was this helpless against her crippled mentor?

                “Yer gettin’ worse. We best cool for a few.”

                Dahlia felt a twitch in the corner of her lips. “No need.”

                “Yes need.” The matron insisted. “It’s hard ta listen when ya angry, and it needs ta be easy if yer ta have any chance. Anger an’ fear turn yer senses down, ‘cause it helps ya manage pain. That helps, in the light. It’s bad in the dark, though.”

                Dahlia exhaled some of her frustration and yanked her blindfold away. The matron was right. “Okay. Sorry, matron.”

                “S’alright.” The matron pulled her own blindfold off. “I hated this too, when I done it.”

                The matron was repeating herself a lot, but Dahlia knew she needed to keep hearing it. She had trouble absorbing the fact that the clan didn’t need Dahlia to reach her peak any time soon. They had plenty right now, the family didn’t need more. It was best for everyone if Dahlia bloomed as the other hunters wilted, and none were wilting.

                Still, she wasn’t satisfied with her progress. If she were better now, it meant her peak would be that much higher. This struggle made her feel like her prime would disappoint her. Luckily, even though Dahlia hadn’t shared this fear, the matron knew it was there. She had to; otherwise, how were all her words designed to assuage it?

                “Yeh only feel short now ‘cause ya ain’t growin’ as fast as ya have been. Growth ain’t constant though, it slows and speeds when ya least ‘spect it. You’ll feel disappointed now, but after that, yer gonna surprise yerself.”

                 Dahlia suspected that  Cascata was a lot like her when she was young. To be so proactive about comforting Dahlia, the matron must remember what this pining felt like. Something about that made Dahlia really sad and angry; she expected the matron must be devastated by her handicap. It didn’t show, but Dahlia was certain the mental wound was just as bad as the physical one.

                 “Aaay-UP!” The familiar cry came from the direction of camp. It was a strange crescendo, low-toned and emotionless so any clanmember who heard it would know it came from the family.

                 “Here!” Matron Cascata bellowed back. Both were silent, in case anyone else answered. “Must be us they lookin’ fer. C’mon, let’s meet ‘em ‘alfway.”

                 “Mmm,” Dahlia grunted and turned to follow. This wasn’t a welcome interruption.

                  “Yeh alright, lass?”

                  “I will be.”

                “Yeh were born with everythin’ ‘cept experience.” The matron considered. “Well, maybe patience too. But them’re both things yeh can learn afterward. In fact, I think this dancin’ be more about patience than improvin’ yer movin’. For the nex’ round, think about outlastin’ me, not outmovin’ me.”

                Strangely, this resonated with Dahlia. That genuinely hadn’t occurred to her. She’d simply been trying to be faster and stronger than Matron Cascata while they were both fresh. If she tried to avoid, rather than attack…

                “Oi, Cas,” Nikhil called as he jogged towards them. He was one of Dahlia’s favorite hunters. “We got problems.”

                “Don’t like those,” the matron grumbled. “Wha’s wrong?”

                “Le’s walk and talk,” Nikhil suggested, pointing down the gap between the camp and woods. “Yer gonna wanna see.”

                It wasn’t a long jog, but it felt that way. Nikhil had brought problems, just as he promised. Nobody had gotten a great look at the creature, but it was clearly a new kind. They came across new beasts all the time, but even though nobody was saying it, this one reminded everyone of Stinger.

                They arrived near the forest’s edge. The only object of interest was the abandoned carcass of a tuskridge lying on a litter, the one that Conan and Gelilah had been pulling. They all stared at it in silence for several long seconds.

                “They wouldn’t chase, would they?” the matron asked.

                “Nah,” Nikhil responded. “They got a kill righ’ ‘ere. Everyone knows we got extra food an’ everythin’ else righ’ now, too, so we shouldn’t get greedy.”

                “And we’ve all ‘eard the parable o’ the fatwolves,” Dahlia added. The fatwolves were a crafty breed, known for the gluttony of their alphas. This caused them be mistaken for weaker, leaf-munching prey, and the alphas would use that to lead other predators into an ambush. “There’s no way Conan and Gelilah would do somethin’ so stupid.”

                “So it came out for them, then,” Matron Casata concluded. “Into the light.”

                Dahlia bit her lower lip. This wasn’t like when Moondancer came out. Leaf-munchers wandered wherever their grazing happened to bring them. Predators wouldn’t leave their territory like that. This was worse than a predator. This was something the Stinger would do; something that wasn’t certain to have a purpose. War.

                “ ‘Ow long’s Kadmus been out, Nik?” The matron asked. Dahlia remembered she’d told the elder it was eight days, but supposed she wanted confirmation.

                Nikhil shrugged. “At least six days. Ain’t ten yet.”

                “We’ll give ‘em six ta come back, then. Nobody goes huntin’ ‘til then. If these three don’ come home by then, we move on.”

                Dahlia found herself short of breath. The clan had lost hunters before, but only one or two a year. Were they really going to leave three behind? Was Kadmus really one of those three? He was their best…

                “Will the elder agree to tha’?” Nikhil raised an eyebrow.

                “I ain’t orderin’, I’m guessin’ at what she’s gonna say,” the matron clarified. “Whatever her decision, we’ll be on constant watch ‘til we go. Get the ‘unters gathered for me?”

                “Aye.” Nikhil turned to leave, but stopped. “Don’ linger too long.”

                Matron Cascata didn’t answer for several seconds, staring stonily into the darkness. More than ever, Dahlia was certain Matron Cascata was cursing herself. Dahlia knew this because she also wanted to go looking for them.

                “Aye,” the matron finally replied, sounding defeated.

Dahlia glanced at Nikhil as he walked away. He wasn’t supposed wait for the matron’s response like he did. It was clear that he hadn’t wanted to be left behind if the matron had done something stupid.

                “No blood, Dahl,” the matron said.

                “Huh?”

                “It left no blood, not enough to matter. It means it kills without cuttin’, maybe even without pokin’. It kills by chokin’, breakin’, or maybe poison. It’s big enough ta carry two strong hunters at once, so my bet’s on breakin’...”

                “We don’t know they’re dead, matron.” Dahlia was surprised to find herself fighting back tears. “Maybe there’s somethin’ we ain’t thought of, maybe…”

                “It didn’t nab a forager, they all ‘counted fer. You ‘eard Nikhil. There was no reason ta chase if it didn’t grab nobody. They better not ‘o chased!” The matron gritted her teeth. “I might kill ‘em myself if they did.” Dahlia knew she didn’t mean that. “Probably kills by breakin’, Dahlia, and it’s pro’bly war. If it were fer food, it woulda taken th’ tuskridge.

                Dahlia glanced at the kill. The matron was right. Tuskridges were a hard kill for beasts, but they wouldn’t hesitate to drag a dead one off. Any predator would prefer the fat beasts to the clan’s hunters.

                “Breakin’,” Dahlia repeated. “Yer pro’bly right. What should that mean to me?”

                “It means ya don’t try ta kill those types by breakin’ back,” the matron said. “Cuttin’, pokin’, poison. Be fast, don’t get too close. Strike, get out, strike again. Outlast and out-move, don’t overpower.”

                “Aye,” Dahlia lowered her eyes. She got the impression this wasn’t really a lesson; just a way for the matron to comfort herself, to feel like she was helping someone. If there was something to be gained from this, the matron was desperate to get it.

                Dahlia understood the urge. She wanted to help, too, but couldn’t. The matron thought it got Kadmus. Kadmus was better than the injured matron, and the matron was still many times better than her. To this enemy, Dahlia probably seemed as weak as Jaquan.

                The comparison was mortifying, but she knew it was true. Through her dances with the matron, she was beginning to understand what futility was.

                They’d lost hunters before. Occasionally, one just wouldn’t come home. Nobody would ever find the body, but that was the nature of the hunt. If the prey won, it was righteous. But this wasn’t a hunt, and they’d lost three at once. Three of her family had been killed, murdered without need.

                The tears were streaming now, her jaw clenched and her lip trembed. She involuntarily snuffled and took an angry swipe at her nose. There was a tremendous hatred welling up, and she desperately wished she had an image of the enemy that caused it. She felt even more impotent without something to direct this feeling at.

                “Come on, lass. We needs get back. I’ve got a watch ta coord’nate.”

                Dahlia blinked her tears away and steeled her resolve. With any luck, the enemy would grow even bolder, and the clan would have its vengeance. If she could help it, she’d be around to watch it happen.

1.) Were you entertained?  Did ya get fed up with the characters' frustrations? Did any speed bumps knock you out of 'the zone?'

2.) Any trouble grasping what was going on?

3,) Any difficulty telling which character was speaking? Any trouble with the hunters' rough grammar?

4.) Any vocabulary issues? We don't want ya to feel like ya need a dictionary.

Extra credit: meta-critique.

A.) Were you able to connect this with earlier chapters? Did we recognize the apish leaf-muncher that stole Kadmus's sloth-strider in Chapter 3 and then appeared at the forest's edge in Chapter 5?

And, as always, share any concerns you have outside the survey questions. Thanks, pals!

Chapter 5: Encroachment

On the late side, but we made it again! I don't anticipate finishing a novel(la) this nanowrimo, but a chapter a week would make me quite satisfied!

If you're just joining us, start here. The alternate link for this chapter is here. And of course, feel free to give feedback through any avenue you choose!

We're getting closer to having a coherent plot. I'm still brainstorming titles for this book, so if you have any epiphanies in that regard, hit me! You'll get full credit.


Chapter 5: Encroachment

Keeping her balance on Moondancer’s back was harder than Lyn anticipated. Even though he was only grazing, she still needed to use both arms just to keep herself from falling off with any slight step. She decided this wouldn’t be practical, most of the time.

A pause in Moondancer’s munching brought the approaching clanmate to her attention. She was relieved to see it was Jedrek, and therefore, unlikely to have anything to do with Soko.

“Hey Lyn,” he called. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Not a lot,” she shrugged. Soko had decided he couldn’t tolerate Moondancer for whatever reason, so she’d brought him here. “Am I needed somewhere?”

“Nah.” Jedrek shook his head. “I’m lookin’ for Jaquan and Idris. Have you seen them?”

“Of course.” Lyn pointed. “You’ll miss them if you look for two, though. Idris is probably napping.”

“A safe bet if I’ve ever heard one,” Jedrek chuckled. “Thanks Lyn.”

“Whatcha need them for?” Lyn slid off Moondancer’s back. “Doesn’t seem like any of the leaders are eager to bring those two into their groups.”

“They’ve been learning from the foragers,” Jedrek replied. “We’ve got plenty of supplies right now, though. I think the clan just doesn’t have enough work for everyone right now.”

Lyn got the same impression. Several foragers were scattered around the field, lazily scanning the flora for anything the clan might need more of. None of them were carrying much.

“I guess whoever’s asking for them will be glad they’re not busy, then.” Lyn observed.

Jedrek shrugged. “It’s the elder. She just wants them to stay out here ‘til dinner, or until they see Kadmus.”

“Ah. She worried?”

“Yeah. Trying to pretend she isn’t, too.”

“Everything must be normal, then.” Lyn joked.

Jedrek smiled. “Seems that way.”

She clicked her tongue to get Moondancer’s attention, then projected the feeling that he should follow her. It was all a tamer needed to pique a leaf-muncher’s obedient instincts.

Lyn wasn’t sure why she was following Jedrek on his errand, but she supposed she didn’t need a reason. Jedrek didn’t seem to mind. It did seem curious that the elder would send Jedrek on an errand concerning Kadmus; she got the impression they didn’t like each other.

“Is Kadmus unkind to you?” she asked.

“No.” Jedrek’s response wasn’t what she expected. “You’re not the only one to ask me that. Does it seem like I avoid him?”

“A bit,” Lyn admitted. “Don’t feel like I’d be able to explain why, though.”

“I don’t much like the way he has to judge how good every little thing would or wouldn’t be for hunting.” Jedrek explained. “After all, most of us aren’t hunters. But it barely bothers me. Kadmus is okay. Truth told, if there’s someone I avoid, it’s Soko.”

“You too?” Lyn frowned. She wasn’t surprised, but Soko’s unpopularity made her uneasy. He was her patron, so if he was mistreating other family members, she’d need to be careful not to learn that from him. There probably wasn’t much danger of that, though; he’d always been rough, and she knew her own reputation was anything but. “He’s just used to being aggressive. It’s how he keeps the herd under control. I don’t think he’s trying to be mean.”

“Yet mean he is.” Jedrek gave her a concerned look. “Even to you, and you’ve never given anyone a reason to be mean.”

Lyn didn’t have a response for that. Jedrek wasn’t wrong, but she hoped he didn’t have bad feelings for Soko on her behalf. She could tolerate Soko’s words much more easily than he could go without using them, so she believed it was best for everyone if she was tolerant.

“All that means is that he treats me the same as everyone else. That’s just fair.”

“He could be a nicer kind of fair,” Jedrek grumbled.

They could see Jaquan’s head above the overgrown grass now. The scrawny, pale boy always seemed to be shivering, and knowing that Idris was lying beside him, Lyn thought Jaquan looked like those anxious little birds that perched on the backs of bison. That would make Idris the sleepiest bull ever. The likeness made her giggle.

“Hey Lyn, Jedrek,” Jaquan called. It was difficult to sneak up on him, and nobody ever tried that prank twice; he panicked too much when startled. “Is that thing tame?”

Lyn knew he could only be referring to Moondancer. She wished Jaquan would acknowledge him as a member of the clan, but few people ever gave the herd that sort of respect. “Yes, he’s safe.”

Jaquan nodded, but watched Moondancer intently. He blindly grasped for the pot of berries, seeds, and nuts at his side, missed it twice before his hand found it. Jaquan was constantly munching, yet he was still the clan’s scrawniest member.

“Are we needed for somethin’?” He asked. “Or you just wanna share the day?”

“Both, kinda,” Jedrek answered. “The elder wants us to watch for Kadmus returning. Will you help me?”

“Sure!” Jaquan was oddly enthusiastic about the idea. “Why Kadmus? He isn’t the only one out there.”

“He went earliest though.” Jedrek took his place on their hide blanket. Lyn suspected he’d know that Jaquan would be most comfortable sitting between him and Idris, who was curled up and snoring to his left. It would make him feel safe. “I doubt it does anybody any good to worry about him. Still, she knows things nobody else does. If she asks, I’ll help.”

“Me too.” Jaquan nodded. Lyn made some soft, incoherent noises to Moondancer; the feeling came through, and he went back to grazing. “I don’t think she’s wrong to worry. I don’t understand how anyone can go out there.”

Lyn took a spot to Jedrek’s right, slightly behind. Everyone knew Kadmus liked to talk about why Jedrek and many other apprentices wouldn’t make good hunters, but he never spoke of Jaquan’s potential. Maybe it was just too obvious that he wasn’t right for it.

“The elder says it’s like going out to pee at night,” Jedrek explained. “It’s just something you get bored of fearing.”

Jaquan hugged his knees nervously. “I still don’t even like going alone at night.”

Jedrek smiled patiently. If Jedrek was older than Jaquan, it wasn’t by much, but you wouldn’t guess it by looking at them. “Sooner or later, that fear will get boring. No need to rush it.”

Lyn smiled guiltily. She was sure Jaquan got his share of teasing for that.

“Do I see someone coming out?” Jedrek shielded his eyes and squinted into the woods. Following his gaze, Lyn thought she could see the swirling Lummush patterns of a hunter bobbing in the dark.

“I see two,” Jaquan confirmed. “Conan came back earlier to get help hauling a kill. I think that’s going to be him and Gelilah.”

“Oh.” Jedrek lowered his hand as they came into the light, straining against the weight on a litter behind them. “Well, glad they’re back safe.”

Idris snorted and shifted his weight around. Jedrek glanced at him, amused. “What is he, a bear?”

“Bears wake up when spring comes,” Jaquan argued with a chuckle. “Idris just keeps hibernating. If he’s trying to be a bear, he’s doing it wrong; he clearly forgot the part about fattening up before the long sleep.”

The three shared a chuckle. While not nearly as thin as Jaquan, Idris was still lanky. If he wanted to live like a bear, he still had a lot of learning to do.

“Lucky for him, he’s got you around.” Jedrek  observed.

Jaquan fought his grin and averted his eyes. “How ya figure, Jed?”

“I dunno, Jaquan.” Jedrek gave a sly smile and sifted through Jaquan’s snack pot until he found a hard-shelled nut. He handed it to Jaquan. “I just have this random suspicion.”

Jaquan giggled as he took aim. With a sideways flick of his wrist, the nut flew into Idris’s  open mouth and smacked against the back of his throat. Idris hacked and coughed uncomfortably, but by some miracle, he didn’t wake up. As though it were all part of his dream, he crunched his way through the shell and swallowed between snores.

“We may never know how the noble Idris manages to survive the wilds when it spends its whole life sleeping.” Jaquan pitched a berry in next. Lyn was impressed; he’d obviously had a lot of practice. “Perhaps the beast is only made nobler by that mystery.”

They laughed again. Lyn thought Jaquan did a pretty good impression of the older clanmates when they were trying to mystify the younger members with tales around the dinner fire.

There was a pause in the rhythm of Moondancer’s chewing. Lyn looked to find it staring towards Conan and Gelilah as they hauled their prize away from the forest. She soon decided the hunters weren’t the ones holding his attention, but once Moondancer’s chomping resumed, she concluded that whatever it detected wasn’t a threat.

“How’s your new friend adapting to the herd, Lyn?” Jedrek asked.

“Quickly.” Lyn didn’t have to think about the answer. “He’s very docile, especially for something that came from the woods. The tamers get through to him easy, and because the tamers act as parts of the herd, he decided he’s adopted the other animals, too. We could use more like him.”

“Why isn’t he with the others now?” Jaquan was still uneasy around Moondancer. Lyn didn’t like that, but she knew he couldn’t help it.

“He wanted to see where I was going,” Lyn began. “Just like how I came with Jedrek. We’re curious types. Should I take him somewhere else?”

“Oh, no, it’s alright,” Jaquan gaze sank with guilt. “I was just curious too.”

“Is the herd accepting him like he accepts them?” If Jedrek noticed any tension, he was good at pretending he didn’t.

“Aye.” Lyn was glad they weren’t dwelling on Jaquan’s discomfort. “Leaf-munchers know other leaf-munchers. Soko says predators have different posture. Plus, he’s big, and we think he must smell big too.”

“Smell big?” Jedrek repeated with a smile. “I didn’t realize you could smell size.”

“If your nose is good enough.” Lyn felt a little embarrassed; it must have sounded ridiculous to somebody who didn’t tame or hunt. “It might be better to say they can smell who deserves their respect. The other animals treat him like a tamer, even though he’s never asserted dominance on them.”

The topic made her think. Who would smell biggest of the four of them? It definitely wasn’t Jaquan; she supposed it must be Idris. If Dahlia were here, though, she’d be the clear favorite.

One of the foragers near the forest shrieked.

Jaquan was the first to stand. His weight was on the back foot as his eyes darted to find the source of the scream. Jedrek and Lyn stood more slowly, and in their relative calm, were quicker to find the one who screamed.

He had dropped the tiny bundle he’d been carrying and was running towards them. Because he was trying to shout to Conan and Gelilah, he stumbled frequently. His voice was shrill from panic.

The hunters didn’t seem to be heeding him; they’d released the litter they’d been pulling and were calmly discussing something that stood in the dusky threshold between the woods and the field.

Lyn couldn’t see anything for several seconds. The first thing to come into focus was the teeth, a white smile floating in the black. They were wide and flat, hallmark signs of a leaf-muncher.

It had two arms and legs, like an ape; even hunched to lean on its knuckles, it was a man-and-a-half tall. It might have looked goofy, if it weren’t for the lack of light. The scant beams that penetrated the clouds on the edge of the woods cast menacing shadows in the valleys between muscles. Its lack of cheeks and the protruding snout gave it a perpetual grin, like it was always laughing. At that moment, Lyn couldn’t help feeling that laugh was the sadistic kind.

“Children! Children, come along.” The forager had reached them. He was short of breath and quite terrified. “We should make ourselves scarce.”

Children? Lyn didn’t think that was true anymore. It wasn’t worth arguing, though. Something else bothered her more.

She glanced at Moondancer. How was this different from when he emerged from the woods? The hunter matron hadn’t made them run, then; she’d actually sent for her students. Was this the proper reaction?

Then Lyn remembered a word the matron had used, the one that always made Dahlia curious: war. Maybe they should leave.

Jedrek and Jaquan were certainly eager enough. Jaquan was already several back-steps towards camp, and Jedrek was trying to be both gentle and hasty in waking Idris.

“That’s not how you do it.” Jaquan’s impatience overcame his fear. He sprinted back to Idris and gave him a vicious kick to the stomach, almost a stomp. Lyn was actually worried about injury, even considering Jaquan’s size. “Wake up, idiot! Get up, right now!”

Idris yawned and rubbed his midsection casually, to Lyn’s relief. It seemed he was more durable than he looked. “Wha’s goin’ on? We needed for somefin?”

“Come on!” The panicked forager grabbed Idris’s arm and pulled. “We must get back to camp!”

“That’s a serious chomp over there,” Idris observed, looking towards the beast. “Betcha he could get through a trunk in one bite.”

Lyn thought that was an exaggeration, but it gave her the shivers to think what might happen if an arm got caught between those jaws. She was sure it could dust the bone.

“Move!” The forager wasn’t interested in Idris’s curiosity.

Lyn turned to follow them, but stopped upon seeing Moondancer. He was still chewing lazily and giving the beast a blank stare. This must have been what attracted his attention earlier. Still, despite everyone’s agitation, Moondancer wasn’t intimidated.

Lyn clicked her tongue and projected her desire to leave. Moondancer obeyed with ambivalence. She took one final look at the scene, at the staredown between the hunters and the creature that had followed them out of the forest. Lyn couldn’t decide whether they were about to fight or break into conversation.

Maybe it was only her family’s agitation being infectious, but she decided it was best to oblige the forager as he herded them back towards camp.

1. Were you entertained? Any 'Get on with it!' moments?

 2. Any characters or names you just can't stand? Any 'we get it already, they have a character quirk!' moments? The name choices aren't near and dear to me, I'm just trying to be diverse in terms of origin, so I can randomly assign a new one =P.

 3. Any problems with the dialogue? Any times you weren't sure which character was speaking?

 4. Any issues with a particular word? Feel like ya needed to look it up?

Extra credit: meta-critique

A. Were you able to connect everything to earlier chapters? Lummush patterns, the monster that Kadmus encountered, Lyn, and Moondancer? Further, did you remember who Soko was (Lyn and Jedrek talked about him)

This was rushed because I barely made it this week. Don't go easy on me because of that, just be extra vocal about what needs fixing! Thanks again, ya'll.