Chapter 7

I wasn't familiar with the monasteries built all throughout Yautja Prime, many in use while others worn away in forgotten lands by its people who had since passed on. Father announced to me the third day of our travels that's where we'd be heading, one of the temples had graciously allowed my father and I sanctuary with them until this whole dispute blew over. What was greatly beneficial to my father was that this particular monastery had long taken a vow of silence which meant many knew some form of sign language, for once my father wouldn't feel left out in conversations or in need of an interpreter everywhere he went. I would be allowed to do as I pleased and not have to translate everything, so I was curious as to what life would be like with these people.

The Temple of the Moon, as called by locals, was nestled in the valley of the For'bain Mountain range and stretched from the west coast all the way to the Nai'jure desert. We were using a shortcut by traveling through the treacherous mountains that ,believe it or not, was still safer than crossing the desert. The trip through the mountains was dangerous with sudden drop offs that fell several hundred feet onto jagged rocks able to impale a steed. Wild packs of hounds lived in great numbers on certain parts of the mountain and to complicate matters travellers could easily become lost on the numerous paths set to purposely confuse both animal and yautja, it was how the mountains tribes protected themselves. That was why one of the monks had been assigned to meet us halfway to avoid all the confusion and possible death.

So while I pondered how life would be with a bunch of religious scholars ,it was the time taking to get there that killed my patience. The journey was long and tiresome as Father only stopped a few hours after nightfall for us to rest, then it was back on the trail before sunrise. I, in all my life, had never ridden this much or this far before and found myself getting saddle sores along with stiff aching muscles that made me wince with each step my atti took.

Father rumbled, signing about how I needed to tough it out. It became pretty clear to me now about how much Miik~ka kept my father calm and I found myself longing for the female to just show up to do anything to cheer up my father. This entire trip he'd been irritable but then again it could have also been because he was stressed about this whole situation, anyone would have been. Even still I wished the ocean colored female and her two pups were here to at least keep us company and even more I wished Oasis was here. I missed the half breed more than I cared to admit but i'd never realized how much both she and the twins had an effect on my life.I did keep my promise of staying in touch with them via video phone however it just wasn't the same as having them here with me.

I sent back tiny trinkets all throughout the journey but never received any back due to us constantly on the move but Father assured me that once at the monastery i'd have a permanent address to receive things back. Father of course was the one running to the clans to ship off my gifts as he found it better for me to stay hidden, which I supposed he was right but I slowly began to miss seeing other yautjas who weren't my father. The only time I saw others was during our trek but only for a few second as they were usually out hunting and Father would whip the steeds up into a strong gallop.

It seemed like forever before the unfamiliar sight of the For'bain range came within my view, I found myself excited to have finally have our future home not to far off before suddenly realizing that we still had a week's worth of distance to travel before we reached the foot. Even after reaching the foot we still need to ascent up and through it, only then would we come to the valley.

"Think we'll see the monastery tomorrow evening?" I signed curiously to my father as we came to our finally resting places at the foot of the For'bain mountains, dismounting I untied Mayhem from the atti steed while leading both over to a trickling stream to allow them a much deserved drink.

"Perhaps." Father replied back as he did the same with Mystique, his mind seeming lost in thought as the greens of his eyes scanned the thinning tree line that eventually gave way to the rather barren looking terrain of the mountains. Inhaling deeply he turned pivoted a bit to the west as he noted the darkening color of the evening clouds, what had once been a lightening pink had changed drastically to a threatening purple and blue, the oncoming storm clouds illuminated by the electricity that surged through them, no moon shined tonight. "Can arrive tomorrow morning."

I blinked."Tomorrow morning? How?"

"Ride through night."

Was he insane? Riding through the night on exhausted mounts in unfamiliar territory with a storm coming in, that was a suicide mission! If it began to rain the mounts could easily lose their footing, lightning on top of that would only add in to the chaos. We were both worn out by the journey but I wasn't that tired to push on in a storm, my father should have known the risks.

"That's too dangerous, we can just wait till morning."

"Can't"

"Why not?"

"Bad group, dislike temple people, set traps for people. Blocking routes, must arrive before bad group or no way to temple."

Bad group? He was speaking as if I had some sort of clue to his rambling, all I had managed to get from his unhelpful signs was that some bad guys were blocking our way...and that made no sense. My mind tried to think of how bad this could actually be, they were just blocking the routes right? Couldn't we just move the stuff? Or, as much as I didn't want to, we could go the long away around the mountain range, cut through the mountain on the opposite side, however that plan would add on a couple of more months if done that way.

"How do you know about these bad people?" I questioned, what if this was just a simple hallucination made up by my father from lack of rest? We'd be taking a huge risk for nothing. It was possible he was just loopy from sleep exhaustion.

"Last village, spoke about bad people, called Reapers."

"Reapers?" My mandibles twitched into a sort of smile which seemed to only confuse my father as he cocked his head to the side. "What kind of name is that?" Father didn't answer but instead kept his gaze alternating between the oncoming sky and them back to our path ahead.

I shook my hand at him. "Can't we go around? Take the long way?"

His tresses shook in reply as he folded his arms over the broadness of his chest. "No."

He'd made up his mind, I could see it in the way his tusk rubbed across one another as his eyes locked onto mine. There was no point in arguing no matter how much I wanted too, even if I had kept up the fight it was likely that all it would have gotten me was a good whack upon my head. So with a heavy sigh I nodded.

"If you think that's best." Father did and after a few more moments of allowing the mounts to rest we saddled up, glancing cautious to the darkening clouds heading our way I hoped we could withstand the storm. However if Father didn't seem at all worried then I supposed I shouldn't have been either. So with Mayhem tethered back up to my saddle I gave one last glance towards the sky before we started our way up the trail.

It was hell, that's all that could be said. It felt like that as soon as the atti mounts touched down onto the first part of the trail the storm blew in. Winds whipped around us aggressively feeling like i'd be blown from my saddle if I ever lost my grip on the horn. Rain pelted down upon us so violently it felt like tiny needle pricks against my skin and stung my eyes. The temperature dropped drastically and I found myself shaking from the cold as my eyes squinted to keep track of my father. Despite the conditions Father continued on as water and mud squished underneath the mounts clovens, more than once had my steed lost his footing and started down before catching himself in time to continue on. The attis too huddled down at the force of the storm, keeping there heads lowered while continuing forward through the storm as their masters willed them on.

At some point during this mess Father had taken the reins of my mount to attach to his own saddle to lead us through. This permitted me to lean down against my atti steed to try and warm myself , it gave me time to peer through the pouring rain to check on how Mayhem was. The ebony colt had moved himself beside the steed in hopes of being sheltered from the rain but to prevail, Mayhem like me was soaked to the bone and shivering so profusely that I was worried his health would soon drop.

Lightening clapped in the sky, the brightness startling the mounts as both reared, bellowing in protest as they turned their heads to retreat. Mayhem tugged at the rope that kept him restrained as he whinnied as well, reaching back to try and calm him I saw Father jerk Mystique's head back towards the trail while giving her a pop to the rear with his reins.

Large oval ears perked forward before she lowered her triangular head down against the rain and surged forward, taking us with her as she dragged my unwilling steed behind her. Mayhem still fought and struggled against his restraint so I maneuvered in my saddle to turn before reaching out to him, talking to him as best as I could threw the roar of the rain.

Lightning struck again, causing the ground to equake beneath the hooves of our high-strung mounts and rumbled our very saddles, the force so concentrated and heavy that for a moment I feared we'd been hit. Mayhem reared and shrieked out in fear, the high pitched shrill seeming to be the only thing able to pierce the down pour, the rope that had been used to tie him to the saddle slipped undone from his rambunctious activity and the moisture of the rain. I reached wildly out for it but was late as the rope slipped between my claws, allowing the colt to turned and galloped off. Calling out to him my voice became drowned out by the rain and a heavy thunder, turning back into the saddle I frantically tried to grab my father's attention, we couldn't leave my colt out here!

That's when something seemed to cut through the deafening rain and made my blood cold.

Beep…

What was that sound? Was Father's gauntlet going off? If so why hadn't he felt it vibrate to alert him? What else could I have possible been? Even now as I struggled to place a name on what was causing the noise I found it so familiar, simple and filling my stomach with dread that knotted up inside me.

Beep…

My head whipped around to try and catch where that sound might have been from. Whatever it was the time in between the noise was getting shorter, the beeps quickening. And then through the harsh downpour I saw it, the tiny red light that throbbing with each beep that sounded off. For whatever reason Father had yet to see it, to concerned with getting out of the rain to clearly see the threat that was ahead. I panicked, searching for anything to grab my father's attention as he neared the pulsing light.

Beep..Beep..Beep..

Looking down to the atti I was riding , it was only then that it became clear that this was a male. I only noticed because I could use that to get my father's attention, lunging forward I was practically laying on the mounts long neck as I grabbed it's hair covered ossicones and yanked hard. The male gave a pain chuff while rearing up in irritation, jerking back in an attempt to stop whatever had grabbed at his horn. This reaction caused the reins that had been attached to my Father's saddle to pull Mystique back and jerk my father in his saddle.

The sound was getting faster.

.Beep.

He turned abruptly in his seat to look back towards me, stopping Mystique and pulling her besides me as I pointed. The sound by now had blurred into almost a singular beep that rang out and when Father noticed it his eyes went wide as the tiny red dot halted its blinking. Throwing himself against me as a flash pierced my eyes, blinding me before the deafening boom knocked us away, followed by the scorching heat that peeled away at my very skin. The mounts bellowed in fright for only a moment before everything fell silent, life seeming to be non-existent in that moment.

POV Unknown

The violets of my eyes flicked out towards the thundering sky as I watched the light show of electricity zap and course through the night sky, for a moment turning night into day. The harsh pounding of the rain calmed and relaxed my stressed nervous from the duties of earlier that evening. A storm like this reminded himself of home, the lush tropicals and the frequent shows that flourished there.

But this was not home, no, not for a jungle born yautja such as himself. So why had he left his much beloved home for a uncomfortable life in the mountains? To be honest when he knew the reason he'd be happy to know himself. All he knew was that he was needed here at the Temple of the Moon, the High Priestess seemed pleased enough to have an elite warrior join her ranks and was quick to put me to work. I had simple duties like training the young pups in the village that laid close to the temple and that's all I really expected to do. However of recent the Priestess had me on a task to escort a father and son up to the temple, something about sanctuary and escaping that Paya forsaken group known as the Reapers.

The group known as the Reapers hadn't been around for long, almost a complete season but they had done quite a bit of damage so far. It's leader called himself Cetanu , the nerve! Naming oneself after a god, proclaiming that he was the fallen god of death. Word had circulated that this lunatic was searching for someone...or someones, rumors about him looking for any oddities within the yautja population were to be handed over to him personality or to be shipped off to labor camps where they'd be enslaved. Oddities weren't the only ones to be sent to these camps, any who opposed him were sent there, entire clans. Why weren't the other clans doing anything? They simply didn't believe it was happening, yautjas enslaving their own race?It was unheard of and I too wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself on my journey up here. So I understood why the Father and his son were leaving , who wanted to be caught up in all that? So in here I waited, a shack not too far from where I'd be meeting the family, a short sprint away by sacred.

My mind ran over to the mount the temple had given me as a gift for helping out. I in my life had never seen or heard of sacreds before now, we were yautja and we had the technology to make battle vessels but yet these yautjas here almost all traveled by some sort of mount, few had gauntlets and lead rather simplistic lives. But perhaps their lack of technology was what made them so difficult to find, they were hard to trace.

So with my sacred mount as a gift I grew to rather enjoyed the companion of the large gelding, he was older than most with his shaggy mane and his once rustic colored ,gleaming, beaded scales were now worn and scratched. Missing his right antler as well the mount was far from perfect but still a loyal companion just the same.

The gelding sacred stood just outside the small shack near a tiny shed meant to house him from the rain but instead of using it the male simply stood out within the storm and within moments was asleep. Like me he enjoyed the rain and could have cared less if he got soaked.

I too was on my way to bed when a flash sent me jumping to my feet, wrist blades drawn. The boom came a few seconds behind the flash, shaking the ground and sending my gelding into a panicked frenzy as he paced around his small enclosure.A gush of wind rushed towards us so quickly it made the small wooden shack groan in protest, dust flooded into my eyes as a snarl escaped me, a sharp shrill sounded from the gelding as he too was blinded.

A bomb had been set off, I knew of the kind. Haccets ,as they were called, were small bombs used to kill enemies or prey in smaller numbers. Not large enough to do any really damage outside of it's twenty nik radius. What worried him was how that bomb had even managed to get there? The temple yautja were peaceful, looking down upon violence.

Grunting lightly my mandibles flared in thought as I headed into the rain, going to the enclosure and allowing the gelding to walk out. A small wagon was station at the shack for just-in-case emergencies like whatever this may have been. So being as swift as I could I tied and snapped down the appropriate buckles into place on my mount before grunting at him to follow. The steed took up a steady pace behind me as we went to investigate.

Stopping in my tracks upon seeing the mess the haccet bomb had caused I jogged over to the dead mounts, the sides that had been exposed to the blast were burnt, charred to a from the looks of it, i'd seen that striped pattern several times before back in my homeland. The poor mounts hadn't stood a chance, now as for their riders?...

I searched the wreckage, small tufts of fire burned here and there as I searched for the riders body. The searching didn't take long because only a few niks away laid the charred body of one of the riders. By the gods was this the father and son I had been sent to escort? If so then where was the son?

Reaching out towards the body I immediately checked for a pulse, with a low sorrow filled trill I stepped back from the lifeless body, tresses falling from my shoulders as I dipped my head in a silent prayer. Determined to find the body of the pup as well I stilled as something came trotting up , my brows narrowing in question as a night colored colt approached, a blue halter and lead rope attached. Had this colt been with them and managed to get away before the explosion?

"Come here little one." I rumbled softly, squatting down to not appear too large. Holding out a clawed hand for the foal to sniff I watched as he nervously paced, his small frame shaking and damp from the rain.

Instead of coming to me as expected the colt moved towards the large male's limp body, nudging its head against his ex-masters arm. However the longer I watched I soon realized that the colt was actually trying to get at something that was under the deceased male. Rolling the body over I gasped, there laid the male's son. Leaning down to check its pulse my violet eyes widened in surprise as I hoisted the pup into my arms. He was alive, barely.

The pup's father had shielded him from the main force of the blast but even then that hadn't been enough to leave him completely unharmed, just alive. The alabaster colored pup had burns along the left side of his body, two degree burns on the verge of becoming third degree ones. The delicate skin that connected the maxilla mandible and the power mandible had been burned off on the left side, in fact his entire left proportion of his body was covered in blisters, many having already busted and soaking the wound in the fluorescent blood. His eye was matted shut with the same blood and the tresses were burned off and bleeding as well. The pup definaltly in rough shape.

Setting the injured pup into the back of the wagon the gelding gave a curious nicker before turning back, ready to leave. But before we departed I took the body of the boy's father and hoisted him up into the wagon as well, he needed to be buried, he deserved that much for saving his pup. The deceased mounts as well needed to be moved, but I could come back for them in the morning.

Slapping the side of the wagon the sacred took off in a light trot, heading back for the Temple to get the pup some help. Whatever god or goddess that was watching over him really seemed to favor the boy…or had a sick sense of humor.

Yautja Notes and Vocabulary:

For'bain Mountain Range- A mountain range that starts at the west coast and ends just at the Nai'jure desert, the Temple of the Moon is located within one of its many valleys

Nai'jure Desert- A large desert area (more will come on this)

Paya- one of the yautja goddess

Nik- measurement for feet

Haccets- small bombs used for killing enemies or prey in small groups

Cetanu- one of the yautja gods