Shezu's Ordeal
Jicko's hearts were pounding in his throat when they closed in on the flickering shine of fire between the trees. The village was close by and he wondered if these people were willing and able to help Shezu. He was walking next to his brother and the male Mantrin carrying his sick and unconscious sister in his strong arms. Little Reylyn and Fran held the hands of their bigger brothers, the anxiety a little too much for them. There was a tense silence as no one spoke a word. Even in the darkness of the forest he had seen the paintings on the faces and bodies of the hunters. The bright colors contrasted with their brown skin and were even visible in the dark. They were used to identify the members of the tribe and there were a few different ones, one for each type of clan member. A hunter for example would have different paintings then a warrior. But Jicko wasn't interested in the customs of the people at the moment. The Mantrin carrying Shezu seemed benevolent to help but he was not so sure about the other two. The one on his right was a male and didn't pay much attention to the young children. The one on his left was female and she shot him a stealthy glance just when he looked in her direction. Jicko looked away in an instant but had felt the spark when her eyes pierced in his. She was not the friendly talkative type, that was for sure.
"Don't be afraid" Kenagi said so abruptly that he startled the children.
"You won't be harmed. You have my word."
His calm low-pitched voice had a soothing effect on them. There was only truth in his words but he wondered if the tribe was willing to help this crossbreed girl. There were rules to follow but he figured that the girl, the boy walking next to him called her Shezu, wasn't part of any tribe so that meant the rules in some way didn't apply to her. There was not further reason why she didn't deserve their help. They couldn't just let her die. A few moments later, he guided the children through the village of large huts made out of branches and clay. Each family had its home decorated in their own unique way, with colorful patches of cloth, feathers, strings of teeth from various animals and many other things. Light was provided by fire torches situated near the entrance of each dwelling. The village was pretty large, the average tribe counting forty to sixty members, including children. Kenagi guided the children to the three large fires on the square in the middle of the community. At least one of those fires had to be kept alive at all times as an oath to Kirliya. All Mantrins shared the same belief and worshipped the First Warrior and so did the Trunali. Furthermore the fires were used for all kinds of stuff, like cooking and forging. It was also their source of warmth during the cooler season.
"Don't be afraid" Kenagi repeated, watching the children group closer and closer together.
Several members of the tribe decided to take a look at what all the commotion was about and their glances frightened the children.
"Oh, city children" a mother with two kids said.
"Hey there little one" one of the larger males greeted them, his friendly way of speaking having the opposite effect.
Kenagi kept walking into the direction of the three fires. It didn't take long before one of the children spotted the bigger hut with the head of a Vexathyr hanging above the opening. The light of the fire reflected in the razor-sharp teeth in the wide-open mouth, increasing the intimidating effect, yet it was only a hunting trophy. It was also the reason why his father was still their unrivaled Chieftain. Successfully killing one of the most dangerous predators of the forest was the highest honor that could be bestowed on a hunter. The excitement of the villagers had woken him up as his father was always immediately aware when something was going on in town, even when he was asleep. He stood in front of the hut, making himself look tall, the tip of the fighting staff in his right clawed hand buried into the dirt. The feathered crown on his head indicated his status as leader.
"Oh father, why do you always have to look so intimidating? They're just children" Kenagi thought, trying to evade the piercing look his father shot him.
He had already seen the girl in his arms.
"Son, what have you brought to our village this time in the middle of the night?" he grumbled.
"Who is that?" one of the children mumbled.
"He must be the Chief."
"Quiet" Ayi'kutan said slowly.
The children immediately fell silent under the heavy sound of his voice. They were nailed to the ground, standing closely together, their bodies touching each other.
"Fran, you're standing on my foot!" Reylyn whispered.
"Sorry" the Goureg boy replied.
"Well father. They were hunted by the city people with their 'light weapons'. I believe they wanted to kill them."
The people who had gathered around him to see the children let out cries of indignation. It was indeed unthinkable what they had done to them. Two of them were already dead or captured or whatever it was they did to them.
"And then they call us primitive. It seems the city people are even more barbaric then I thought" Ayi'kutan said gravely, his eyes catching the unconscious girl in his son's arms.
He flattened an ear and stepped closer, the children crouching even further. Kenagi did a step towards his father, stepping half in between him and the group of younglings.
"Who is this girl Kenagi? She a cross, a mixture of two races. She is the child of two offenders of our traditions. You know the rules. She can't stay here."
"Father please. They asked for my help. I promised them I would give it to them. She's sick and she will die if she doesn't get help from a healer."
"Hmm" Ayi'kutan muttered thoughtfully.
He was honestly giving it a thought. But the traditions stated that offenders must be banished from the tribe. They could never return under any circumstance.
"I'm terribly sorry Kenagi, but I can't offer this child my help. The others can stay if they like but the crossbreed can't."
"Please father" Kenagi implored, with a look at the children, whose eyes were begging him to save the girl in his arms.
"She's not part of any tribe. Her parents aren't either. We can't let her die."
"I've made my decision Kenagi!" Ayi'kutan grumbled.
"I can't have you telling me what I can and can't do! Take the girl away. She can't stay."
With those last harsh words he turned his back on him and the children. Kenagi noticed his mother standing in the opening of their hut with a worried look on her face. He knew she didn't want the girl to die either but her mate was a man of tradition without exceptions. It was done the way he told them to. Despite the fact that the children didn't speak their language, they had very well understood that his father had just condemned their sister to death. The Orketh girl began to cry, her brother flinging an arm around her shoulder. Another one, the brown Talocaan boy left the group and fell on his first set of knees in front of Ayi'kutan and begged. He begged, despite the fact that Ayi'kutan couldn't understand his words if he could please save his sister. Jicko's emotions reached the boiling point at that moment. His desire to save his sister no matter the cost was so strong that he was unaware that he mentally reached out to the Chieftain and everyone else. His words didn't matter anymore, not in comparison to the overwhelming burst of emotion that hit Ayi'kutan's mind.
Kenagi had never felt anything like this before. It was not just his father but everyone around him who was affected. He noticed it too. Just looking at the crying boy made his whole inside turn cold. Cold with an intense feeling of grief. His breath caught, his throat blocked by a lump that came out of nowhere. It was as if the girl in his arms was his own sister, who was about to die. The persistence to save his sister was so strong that he hit everyone with it. Ayi'kutan's breath came with short bursts when he recovered from the overwhelming wave of emotion and turned around.
"Please, I'm begging you" Jicko brought out, the tears flowing down his cheeks.
"What… What's he doing?"
"I think, he's begging for your help father" Kenagi replied slowly, amazed by the boy's will to save his sister.
She was still lying in his muscular arms, unconscious. Her condition was worsening. If his father decided to save her he needed to do it quickly. Ayi'kutan swallowed. He had never felt anything like that.
"I can't do this" he realized.
It's not her fault that she's a cross.
"All right" he said reluctantly.
"Kenagi, take her to the Shaman. She will decide if her life can be saved."
"Thank you father" Kenagi replied, making a slight respectful bow.
He turned around with a whip of his tail and brought Shezu to the hut of their healer. In the mean time Jicko bowed deeply, not knowing how to thank the Chief. Pynch bowed through his knees beside his brother, softly patting him on the back.
"You did it brother. They're going to help her."
Jicko looked up, his whole face wet from the tears.
"I hope it's not too late" he sobbed, wiping them away with the back of his hand.
When he stood up Reylyn wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. He softly caressed her head and spotted Kenagi. He was taking Shezu to a large beautifully decorated hut. It was the house of the healer and Shaman of the Trunali tribe, an older Sogowan female. The children followed quickly under the watchful gaze of Ayi'kutan and the villagers. The Chieftain shook his head and headed back inside his home. The next couple of days were proving to get interesting. There was something about these children and he couldn't quite figure out what. But he would find out soon enough.
"Quick, take her inside" Fri'kaja said.
Kenagi was always a little anxious when being inside the hut were the old Shaman performed her healing techniques and made contact with the spirit realm. He didn't know what to think of it but he secretly thought of her as being out of her mind. It was just her way of doing things.
"Put her down on the bed" she said a little curt, searching through her collection of herbs and elixirs on the shelves along the right wall.
Kenagi flattened an ear when she grabbed a couple of them and began inspecting them. She opened a small clay jar, sniffed and took a sip, only to spit it out in a rain of fluid and spittle. Then she inconsiderately tossed the bottle containing the unknown substance over her shoulder.
"Useless" she hissed.
Another little pot with a powder-like substance made her sneeze loudly when she sniffed. It didn't take long before it joined the broken jar in the corner of the room. In the mean time Shezu, who was lying in the middle of the room under the hole in the roof on the heightened bed was starting to regain consciousness. She took a shrieking breath and coughed violently. Not knowing what was happening to her, she began to panic and ramble because of the fever.
"Hold her or she will injure herself!" Fri'kaja snarled.
"Okay, okay" Kenagi replied walking over to the panicking girl.
Her eyes were bulging out of the sockets and she was lashing with her arms and kicking with her legs. Her golden hair and shirt were soaked with sweat and she screamed in panic. Her brothers and sisters watched in horror from the opening of the hut. The three older boys comforted Fran and Reylyn as they couldn't look at it.
"No Shezu!" Syndar yelled.
"What are those children doing here? Kenagi take them away!"
"I only have two arms!" he bit back.
Crazy old woman. He knew it was wrong to question a Shaman. It could cause bad luck but she annoyed him immensely. Finally Fri'kaja was done and seemed to have the stuff she needed to begin. She walked over to entrance, the children jumping aside for her massive legs.
"You two! Get me more of these!" she shouted to a pair of hunters standing guard near the fires.
She was holding a green star-shaped leaf between the remarkably long claws of her right hand.
"And not the small ones! I need big ones! As big as possible!"
"But ma'am. It's dark" one of them complained.
"Then bring a torch! By Kirliya, do I have to think for everyone around here?"
"Yes Shaman" the hunter replied, grabbing a torch and trudging into the direction of the forest.
"Better let us do the thinking" Kenagi muttered a little too loud.
"Did you say something Kenagi?" Fri'kaja sneered.
"No ma'am."
"You may be the Chief's son but that doesn't mean you are almighty. Now step aside and take those children to a place safe. This girl might be possessed by dark spirits and I may have to exorcise them."
Kenagi bit his teeth when he stepped away from the bed and let her perform her healing techniques. He grew tired of her commanding him and was one more word away from putting his fists at work. But instead, he turned his back on her and walked back to the children who feared for the life of their sister. Shezu was going wild in the mean time. She lost control and as the older woman was about to discover, that was a dangerous thing in her case. Her hands sparked with unleashed and uncontrolled psycho-kinetic energy. A couple of jars filled with water near the entrance exploded spilling their contents over the ground. Fri'kaja flattened an ear.
"She is possessed" she whispered.
She brought her hand up and slapped the girl right in her face.
"No! What are you doing? You have to help her!" Jicko yelled, trying to free himself from Kenagi's arm.
But the blow and the stinging pain instantly calmed her down. Coughing and panting she let her arms fall down on the bed. Her hands stopped sparking and it seemed like she got the control back. Fri'kaja snorted derisively.
"That's what you get with these crossbreeds" she hissed.
"They're weak. Easy prey for evil spirits. Kenagi take them away!" she ordered.
Kenagi did as she said, against his will.
"Come" he said, wanting to lead them to an empty hut to spend the rest of the night.
But the children didn't move. They wanted to stay with their injured sister, who was according to Fri'kaja also possessed by a dark spirit.
"Please come. Your sister is possessed by an evil spirit. She probably doesn't recognize you now. It is better if you come with me."
Jicko looked at the Mantrin hunter who had kept his promise to help them. He was obviously trying to tell them something. He still didn't know his name but the old woman and the Chief had called him Kenagi. He knew he could trust him and maybe it was better to listen to what he had to say and follow him. Shezu's life was now in the hands of the Shaman and Kirliya would decide if she would live or not. Taking small steps he began to walk away from the hut of the Shaman, the others following him, except for Fran and Syndar.
"C'mon Fran" his brother urged him.
"But, but…" the Goureg boy protested, his bright blue eyes gleaming with tears.
"It's better not to look" Syndar said, grabbing his little brother's hand.
Fran nodded briefly and let himself been taken away by his brother. They followed Kenagi to an empty hut which was used for guests and as a private place if someone of the tribe wanted to spend some time alone. Relationship problems were rare and divorces non-existent since a bonding was made for life and could not be broken. If a mated pair had a problem with each other, they had to work it out. But this time the hut would serve as a guest house for five and later maybe six children. Inside there where beds on the ground and enough blankets to keep the children warm during cooler nights. The children each picked a bed and sat down on the primitive mattress of animal skin filled with soft material. But before Kenagi could leave he was held back by the voice of the brown Talocaan boy. The boy patted his chest.
"Me Jicko" he said.
He pointed at him.
"What's your name?"
Kenagi turned around and patted his chest too.
"Kenagi" he said.
"Interesting" he thought.
They want to get to know me. He was drawn back into the hut by the enthusiastic looks on the youngsters' faces and his own curiosity. He couldn't blame them. He was their savior, sort of. He removed the hunting bow from his back and put it against the wall near the entrance. Then he sat down cross-legged in the center of the half circle of beds in the back of the hut, thumping his tail on the ground. One by one they introduced themselves to him. The first thing he noticed was that their names were so different from what he was used to. Much simpler but without a deeper meaning, derived from ancient names that were lost long ago. At least he wouldn't forget them.
"Where are you from?" he asked.
"Who are your parents?"
Five little ears flattened and he realized that he needed to find a solution for the language problem. But one of them moved closer to him, trying to make eye contact. It was the brown Talocaan boy again.
Jicko wondered if he should do this. Establishing a mental connection would make everything clear within a split second but he ran the risk of putting the people's backs up. The healer's words made clear that these primitive people still believed in dark spirits. He and even his father didn't doubt the existence of supernatural beings entirely but the people might harm them, thinking they were possessed by evil. But he trusted upon Kenagi's sincerity and his courage and decided to go through with it.
"I'm going to make contact with you" he said, aware that Kenagi still couldn't understand what he was saying.
"Please trust me. Trust my brothers and sisters as we trusted you. Don't be afraid. It won't hurt."
That was not entirely true, as Kenagi would find out soon enough. Making contact with someone's mind for the first time could be a little overwhelming. It wouldn't cause any physical pain but the shock of someone entering your mind, like a thief breaking into your house, your personal vault could make your skin crawl. Jicko knew that if he did his best, he could uncover the hunter's darkest secrets, things no one should be allowed to know except for himself. And father had strictly forbidden any of them to do that. It could severely hurt someone's feelings; wound someone's pride to dig up memories of things that had been carefully hidden in that person's mind. It was one of the most terrible forms of abuse someone with telepathic abilities was capable of.
Kenagi flattened an ear, as the boy moved closer and sat down cross-legged in front of him. What's he doing? When he moved closer, he first thought that the boy was going to tell him a secret but that still wouldn't make any sense if they didn't understand each other. He nodded vaguely, with a confused expression on his painted face. Jicko confirmed his nod with one of his own and took a deep breath.
"All right. Here we go."
Kenagi watched intriguingly as the Talocaan boy in front of him closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. Was this some sort of ritual the city people performed? If so, what did it mean? Were they friends now? Was he thanking him for his rescue and the hospitality of his people in some sort of way? Kenagi's mind filled up with more and more questions in the few seconds he and the boy were sitting like this. The other children watched them as they sat, their gleaming eyes fixed on what happened invisibly between them. It made him nervous, not knowing what to do. But he didn't even dare to ask, afraid that his bluntness insulted the boy by disturbing the ritual or whatever it was. In the mean time Jicko concentrated his energy and mentally reached out to the man in front of him. Very carefully he made contact with the young hunter's mind, using just enough energy to enter the outer layer of the hive of thoughts. He had to be on constant alert. One mistake could completely fry Kenagi's synapses resulting in brain damage and an almost certain death. He had to avoid that at all costs. Kenagi had been unaware of the boy's mental intrusion until he suddenly gasped for breath when he heard a voice. A voice coming from inside his head.
"Can you hear me?" Jicko's voice said.
To his astonishment, Jicko was still sitting in front of him, motionless like a statue. Yet he was speaking to him, in a universal language of thought patterns understandable to any intelligent being.
"Yes, I can hear you. What is this? What are you doing?" he said aloud.
"Shhh. Don't speak. Think. Don't be afraid. I trusted you. I trusted you from the first time we met in the forest. Now I'm asking you to trust me. Do you trust me?"
"Eh eh" Kenagi thought with a nod.
"I won't tell you who we are. Where we're from. I'll show you."
Shortly after that, Kenagi's mind filled with images. Images of someone's life; Jicko's life. It was as if he lived Jicko's whole life in just a couple seconds. It was however still a bit confusing, remarkably short and it didn't really have a beginning. He had the feeling the boy only showed him the essential things but a big piece was missing. However he didn't want to be rude and ask why. Jicko kept the images coming at a steady pace. He didn't want to overload Kenagi's brain and trigger an epileptic seizure but when it was over the hunter was sweating and slightly panting. It was exhausting for his less-developed brain to handle such stress.
"Wow. I've never seen anything like that" he said aloud between two breaths.
He leaned back on his arms and stretched himself out. The edges of Jicko's beak curved into something that resembled a smile when he opened his eyes. He was still mentally connected but at a level just enough to communicate.
"You should keep your thoughts for yourself. I know a piece is missing but the truth is: I can't remember what happened. That's why it's missing. It just isn't there."
"Okay. I understand" Kenagi replied.
"In the mean time I've learned a lot about you."
He let out a mental laugh.
"I already had the feeling that I was begging your father to save my sister."
"Yes, my apologies for that. My father can be very strict. You did the same to him as what you're doing to me right now, do you?"
"On a certain level yes. The problem with our telepathic powers is that when we lose control because of hefty emotions, the people around us will feel that as a direct result. They can feel the anger or grief like they are experiencing it for themselves. But anger usually manifests itself in bursts of energy which can be dangerous to others around us. You've seen what happened when Shezu lost control."
"Sounds like it's not just fun."
Jicko shook his head.
"Shezu even broke the arm of Syndar over there once. He teased her. He shouldn't have done that but she got real mad. I've never seen her like that. The fury in her eyes for a split second frightened me. She didn't do it on purpose, but the temporary loss of self-control unleashed a tiny fraction of her power on him. What happened after that even shocked her. She couldn't believe what she'd done, only because of a loss of control."
"By Kirliya" Kenagi brought out.
He knew everything about these children and it was still a little difficult to comprehend. He beginning to have an idea about the reason why those soldiers were after these children. They were afraid that their powers could pose a threat to others. But why would a child want to harm someone else?
"Jicko!" Reylyn nagged.
"C'mon don't keep us in suspense. What are you to talking about behind our backs?"
"Yeah, I bet he's telling him all kinds of little secrets about us" Syndar added, crossing his arms.
Jicko looked at them and smiled.
"If you wanna know, why don't you join us?" he asked aloud.
"Really? Can we?" Fran asked, already stretching out his clawed hands.
"Let's do it guys" Pynch encouraged them.
Kenagi watched bewilderedly as the children entered the imaginary room he and Jicko had been sharing before. It was like a meeting all inside their minds, moving their consciousness to a place without walls, without boundaries and where everything was possible. It was a wonderful and exciting way to get to know each other and he began to enjoy it. At first he had been a little anxious with the boy entering the territory of his mind but now they were really having fun. So much that they forgot about the fact that it was the middle of the night. A few moments later the sound of footsteps approached the hut and the children and Kenagi pricked their ears. The shadow appearing in the opening broke the mental link and instantly snapped them all back to the present. The children all burst into laughter and Kenagi laughed with them. The woman who entered the hut was his mother and she smiled and shook her head when she noticed her son sharing the same space with their guests.
"Kenagi, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night. Come, let them sleep. They must be tired."
The children all expressed their displeasure when Kenagi stood up. They all established a small telepathic link with both him and his mother so that they could follow the conversation. If they just kept their level of penetration low enough, they wouldn't even notice their presence in their mind.
"We were just having fun mom."
When Oywelu looked over her son's shoulders she spotted the smirking little children's faces, laughing at her. She shook her head again and chased away her son who grabbed his bow at the last moment and chuckled.
"Go to your bed. You have to get up early tomorrow. It's your turn to organize the hunt this time remember?"
"Yes mother."
"I'll watch the children for you tomorrow. Now go."
Following her son with her eyes, if he really did go home and sleep she sighed and turned her attention to the children.
"Go to sleep" she said with her warm voice.
"You're safe with us. May Kirliya watch over you and your sister."
With those words she closed the curtain in front of the entrance making it almost completely dark inside. What little light coming through the cracks in the walls and near the curtain was just enough to see each other, even with their enhanced vision. But sleeping was something they couldn't do just yet. Not before Shezu returned, safe and well.
Kenagi let out a sigh of relief when his back made contact with the soft mattress of his bed. He pulled the blanket over his body up to his neck and closed his eyes. Then he opened them and rolled on his left side, his face now directed at the wall. He let out a soft frustrated growl and rolled on his right side. It was all a little awkward because of his unusual leg configuration and tail but he just wasn't lying comfortable. But it was not the position he tried to sleep in that kept him awake. When he closed his eyes it was as if he could still hear the boy's voice in his head. Could he? No, Jicko wouldn't do that. But it was unbelievable what kind of abilities they had. He wondered if they were also really strong. Guess I will find out soon enough. But he wondered if he should keep this to himself or tell the others. But Jicko trusted him and he didn't want to damage his good relationship with the children. He trusted upon them to inform his people about their powers when the time was right. Satisfied with his decision to leave it up to them he turned around for one last time before he fell asleep, in his dream experiencing the excitement of the hunt, he had to organize tomorrow.
In the mean time Shezu had the feeling she was experiencing a nightmare. The intensity of the fever made her slightly delirious and she had seen things that were actually not there. The fever-induced visions had been frightening, horrible. It freaked her out. The face of the older woman hovering above her however was as real as the piercing pain in her left arm. She didn't know how she got here but the man who had picked her up before she lost consciousness certainly knew more about it. She studied the face above her for a moment. It was the face of a Sogowan female, an elderly woman. The strange symbols tattooed on her face and body and the collection of small wooden rings in the lobes of both ears made the possibility that she was among the people of the forest a very likely one. She was lying on a heightened bed in the middle of a primitive hut under a hole in the roof. When she tried to remember what happened and started to become aware of everything around her she noticed her cheek stung.
"That's it" she thought.
The old woman had slapped her, right in her face. But that slap had made the hallucinations disappear.
"Must have been the fever" she thought, feeling the cold sweat on her face and body.
The old woman had one hand firmly pressed on her middle, just under her breasts and muttered words in a strange language while she had her eyes closed in some sort of trance. It didn't take long for her to find out that they had taken her to some sort of Shaman.
"Hello, can you hear me?" Shezu asked carefully.
No reaction whatsoever. She kept muttering the same strange words. Only the pressure she put on her stomach increased.
"It is my arm that hurts not my stomach" Shezu said, raising her voice.
Still no response.
"Are you even listening to me?"
What is she doing anyway? She decided to wait for five more minutes. Then she would force her to let her go. But after a few more moments the Shaman finally stopped with her exorcism ritual and took a deep breath.
"Finally" Shezu thought, letting out a mental sigh of relief.
But she wasn't finished yet.
"It is done" she said.
Shezu flattened an ear, not knowing what she said. She didn't feel any different. Not much. The fever was still there although it felt slightly less present then before.
Fri'kaja sighed and studied the results of her work. The Sogowan/Fjetahna girl looked back at her and seemed to have been freed from the evil inside her. Her face was still a little pale but the dark spirit had made her ill. She didn't forget to notice the bandage around the girl's left arm. That must be the place where he entered her body. First I've got to finish this. She grabbed a stone bottle that contained water blessed by the First Warrior took a big gulp and spat it all over Shezu. That would destroy any trace of the evil inside her. Shezu however was less than happy about it.
"Hey, I know I could use a bath but you don't have to spit on me!" she said indignantly.
"And you might wanna do something about your breath."
Fri'kaja flattened an ear and put the bottle back on the shelf with a bang. She acted like she didn't hear the indignant remark and walked over to Shezu's other side. She lifted her arm and inspected the blood-soaked bandage. The pieces of cloth were dirty and smelled. The infection was severe as she knew and the wound had to be cleaned. At that moment, the hunters she had sent out to collect fresh herbs with medicinal properties returned. The two men each had a small bag full. It would be more than enough, if they got the right ones.
"Did you get the big ones?" she snarled, snapping her head in their direction.
"Yes ma'am" the hunter replied, leaving as soon as her gaze passed over.
He and his friend tossed their findings near the rest of the Shaman's stuff and left. Fri'kaja carefully put one of her long claws under the bandage and cut it loose with a swift stroke, revealing the source of the infection spreading through Shezu's body. The girl let out a growl of pain and shot her an angry look but Fri'kaja didn't even see it. The wound hadn't been cleaned by the inexperienced youngsters creating a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Blood caked to the girl's diseased skin along the frayed edges of the two deep cuts. The skin around the wound had turned to a fiery red. Fri'kaja recognized the signature of a Vexathyr's attack in an instant, as she had seen those more than a few times.
"You're lucky to be alive" Fri'kaja quipped.
"But you should have cleaned that wound first little girl. Yes, the bandage will stop the bleeding. No, it won't stop the germs."
Shezu could see that the Shaman was clearly agitated when she saw the condition of her injury. It was stupid indeed. They should have cleaned that wound first. It would have saved her a lot of trouble. But being a Shaman and a healer, Fri'kaja continued her work. But first she needed water, to do what Shezu did not. A look on the shattered remains of the jars that had contained fresh water before Shezu destroyed them forced her to look for it elsewhere. She headed out leaving Shezu lying on the bed in the middle of the room.
It was almost completely silent, except for the sound of the crackling fires outside, the soft voices of the guarding hunters and the usual sounds of the forest in the middle of Sogowa's night. Her sensitive ears and enhanced hearing would have picked up every little detail, if it weren't for the fact that they spoke in a language completely non-understandable to her. And yet she was afraid to use her abilities to establish a telepathic link to let the mind of the older woman speak for her. It would make things so much easier. She shook her head to get rid of the idea. It was too risky. First she needed to find out where the others were taken to. When the Shaman was done treating her injury of course. She lifted her head of the pillow made of stuffed animal skins and slammed it back with a thud in annoyance. She added a soft growl and sighed. Beating her plumed tail on the mattress, her mind began to drift off to Eyza and Reyan. Tears came to her eyes when she thought about them. How the link between them was broken like a cut transmission. She wiped them away with fury and clenched her teeth. If she could only get her hands on that guy she would pay him back the pain he caused tenfold.
A few moments later Fri'kaja returned. Like most Mantrins she was still surprisingly strong for her age and didn't seem to have trouble carrying the clay jar. She put it down with a thump and removed the seal on top. She walked back to the shelves, grabbed some pieces of cloth and a stone bowl and filled it with water from the jar. After that she was busy for some time with all kinds of natural medicaments and quickly prepared a mixture of medicinal herbs to put on the wound.
Then she walked back to Shezu with her medicine and said to her at a much friendlier tone: "This might hurt a little."
She put everything down near her and assumed a more steady position on her legs to work from. Gently lifting the girl's arm she washed the wound with water, flushing away a great deal of the harmful bacteria and dirt. Shezu grumbled softly biting her teeth against the pain but knew she was only helping her. Slowly she began to feel thankful for what the Shaman did for her. She didn't even know her name but there was a simple way to uncover that part.
"I am Shezu" she said.
"Shezu."
She patted her chest until the older woman looked up from her work, twitching a ringed ear.
"Fri'kaja" she replied, continuing.
After she was done cleaning she carefully began applying her paste of herbs on Shezu's wound. The strong odor drove away the smell of the infected injury and would help to kill any remaining bacteria and increase the regenerative abilities of the tissue. Shezu was afraid of the painful sting when it made contact with her damaged skin. The pain came but was remarkably enough rapidly dispelled by the relieving effects of the mixture of plant extracts. When she was satisfied with her work, Fri'kaja began to bandage her patient's arm with a clean cloth. As if she were nursing a young child, which Shezu in fact was, she began to hum a song. The tone and rhythm made clear that it was a real children's song, sung only for the youngest. For reasons not entirely clear to her, it brought tears to Shezu's differently colored eyes. It had a familiar touch to it, like a faded memory, buried deep under the dust of time. Like a portion of the darkened part of her mind opened and closed itself with the rhythm of the song.
"Done" Fri'kaja said with a nod.
She straightened her back and gestured Shezu to get up. Slowly Shezu got up from the bed, touched by the wordless song. She looked Fri'kaja in the eyes, two triangular copper-colored eyes that had a slight twinkle. Fri'kaja flattened an ear.
"C'mon it can't hurt that much" she grumbled.
"Let me give you something for the fever. I'll take a look tomorrow, see how you're doing."
The crossbreed girl kept staring at her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. Only now she saw that her eyes were both a different color, one dull green, the other icy blue. A tear left the blue one and suddenly she threw herself against her, startling her for moment, not sure what to do.
"Come my child. It's all right" she said with a much warmer voice than before.
She heard her sob softly as she patted her back, brushed through her soft golden hair with a claw. Shezu let her long prehensile tail hang in a sad gesture. She quivered softly in the old woman's arms. Fri'kaja snorted. It was a long time ago since she had children of her own this age. They had grown up, instead of finding a mate in their own tribe they had gone out to another. It was unlikely that she would ever see them again; it remained nothing more but a nice memory.
"Come. The sun will soon announce the beginning of the next day. You should sleep now and give your body its strength back."
Shezu looked up and separated from her arms, wiping off her tears.
"Thank you" she whispered.
Even though she didn't understand the language of the city people, Fri'kaja understood the grateful gesture.
"You're welcome. Although it is forbidden to help crossbreeds, Ayi'kutan still decided to save your life. You must be special then. However, this is the house of a healer and I would have done everything in my power to save you."
Shezu nodded vaguely, not knowing what she said.
"Come now" Fri'kaja urged.
She stuck out her clawed hand, which she took, holding her head in her other hand. Her fever had caused another headache, which was starting to get really annoying. Each time her feet made contact with the soil the steps resonated in her head like a pair of drums. She was still a little weak but she could walk on her own and the pain in her arm was now just a mild glow, instead of the white hot knife it was before. Guided by Fri'kaja she was brought to one of the large huts closer to the fires, feeling the piercing stare of the guarding hunters in her back. She didn't like that. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she smirked when they were suddenly fascinated by something other than her. Fri'kaja held still near the entrance of the hut and held the curtain aside for Shezu to enter.
"Your brothers and sisters are likely to be asleep" she said with a finger on her lips.
A scream of joy counteracted her words when Fran spotted his sister first.
"Shezu! You're back!"
He ran outside and threw himself against his sister, pulling his tongue across her cheek. Shezu laughed.
"Fran. You're pressing the life out of me."
Her brother backed off, wagging his tail in excitement. Shezu watched the others come out in good shape, until the painful awareness of the loss of Eyza and Reyan stung her like an angry bee. She felt the anger, burning inside her like an inferno. But she kept it under control this time, preventing it from tearing her apart from the inside. If she wasn't careful enough, her anger could destroy her loved ones, the thing she was trying to prevent at all cost. It partially disappeared when she felt the hand of Fri'kaja on her shoulder.
"Here, take this" the Shaman said, giving her a small bottle that contained a troubled liquid-like substance.
"It may not taste good, but trust me, it will help against the fever."
Without any distrust she took the bottle and sniffed. It didn't look very tasty and it smelled horrible but unless she wanted to spend the rest of the night bathing in her own sweat with a head that felt like it could burst at any moment it was the best option. Trying to block out taste for a moment, she emptied the bottle with one big gulp, feeling the thick foul tasting fluid slide down her throat. It left the most disgusting taste in her mouth and she held up her hand to cover her beak, vainly trying not to retch.
"Thanks, I think" she muttered, giving the empty bottle back to Fri'kaja, who began steering the group back into their hut.
"Go to sleep. You must be tired. I know I am" she said, adding a yawn, which she passed on to the children.
Tiredness was catching up to them and the sun was not going to wait to come up. Indeed it had been a terrible day without much rest. Guided by instinct, Shezu found the only bed that hadn't been touched yet, pulling the blanket over her body and tried just to let tiredness do the rest. However her thoughts began to wonder off to Reyan and Eyza and apparently so did those of the others. Reylyn sobbed softly.
"We… We're never going to see Eyza and Reyan again, are we?" she said tearfully.
"Don't talk like that Reylyn" Jicko replied in a comforting way.
"I'm sure they're still alive. They couldn't have murdered them."
His words were less than reassuring and Reylyn continued to sob softly. They didn't know what the intentions of those soldiers were. They could only make an educated guess and the conclusion was something they didn't want to think about right now.
"Are you all right Shezu?"
Syndar had crawled closer to her and the undertone in his voice betrayed his concern.
"What took you so long? What have they done to you?"
Shezu got up, staring at the contours of her brother's face. Her enhanced vision allowed her to see better in the dark but there was so little light available that even their eyes had trouble adjusting.
"I'm fine Syndar. I don't know what they did to me but I remember being in pain. That woman. She did something to me and now I'm feeling much better."
She raised her voice, trying to get the attention of the others.
"Okay, we don't know who these people are but I now know that they still believe in ghosts. It might be best to avoid showing them things, we shouldn't be able to do according to their standards. I'm not too eager to find out what will happen if they discover our little talent."
Jicko let out a laugh.
"Oh don't worry about that. The guy who rescued us? His name is Kenagi and in the mean time we got to know him better. They're good people but they live by certain standards. Deviation from the rules will be punished."
Shezu was dumbfounded by her brother's words. In all the time she had been careful not to draw any unwanted attention, her brother Jicko was showing them all the tricks they were capable of.
"Jicko! Have you gone out of your mind?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, in fact I paid a little visit to his" he said in a rather laconic way.
"We all did."
"What did you tell him?"
Shezu didn't realize that she had crawled closer and closer to her brother. She was now almost near him.
"Nothing. I showed him who we were and in the mean time we learned everything about him and his people. That's all."
Shezu sighed and shook her head, pulling her hair out of her face.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow Jicko. Now go to sleep."
She returned to her own bed, leaving her brother in a confused state.
"What's the big deal?" he asked aloud.
"Sleep Jicko" Shezu grumbled, rolling over to her other side.
It remained silent after that, but in her thoughts she was still busy trying to come up with a plan to get the others back. The burning fire of the hate inside her was under control for now but she promised herself and the others that revenge would be the sweetest thing they ever tasted.
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