Chapter 11 : " Survival Lessons "
When me, Maugrim and Roody were still sleeping adults made it to the small hidden pond. We were put on the grass still sleeping as Orchid and Lynx layed down as to take some sleep. Adults on the other hand started to walked around the area to see if its already someones spot or not. We were lucky. Noone was here for realy long time.
"I will keep watch up there" sayed Kalash looking up the river where waterfall was.
"Want me to come with you?" asked Jaiden.
"No i need you here to stay with others" he replied.
"Enna, Maddie, Haute and Chaos take some sleep we will keep on watch" sayed Balthier.
"Thank you sweety" replied Maddie as she started to find comftable spot to sleep.
As time pass by sun was high in a sky which made me woke up.
" yawn Oh we made it" i sayed when i woke up and saw the pond.
"Yes but stay silient. Others are still sleeping" sayed Jaiden.
"Oh sorry" i sayed lowering my head and looking around to see most of gigas sleeping.
When i slowly stood up and carefully moved between still sleeping Maugrim and Roody.
"Wow this place looks nice" i sayed when i was standing next to Jaiden.
"Indeed it is" he replied.
"I dont know if we will stay here or not. Even if this place looks nice we might not have any food source. That might cause us to move up the river. We will see" he added.
"Oh ok. Can i help with anythink?" i asked looking up on Jaiden.
"Yes you can go back to sleep or at least try to look like you do" growled Baltier.
"I'm just trying to help. Why you have to treat me like i'm useless?" i asked surprised of his answer.
"Because you are!" he replied.
"Balthier thats enought!" growled Jaiden.
"Are you threatening me !?" sayed Baltier showing his teeth.
"Too bad you wasnt so cocky when we were about to fight the rexes" he added.
"Both of you shut up" sayed Kalash when he noticed what was going on.
"Let them sleep. I dont care if you want to tear each other apart just dont wake them up" he added.
Then he looked at me to which i backed away limping with a silient whimper.
"Still afraid huh ?" he asked me.
"How cant i be" i replied nearly laying on the ground.
" sigh Listen here snacky i tolerate you for now. I hope you will proof useful soon. We will need you on hunts since female will stay in this spot to make sure the youngers will be safe" he sayed as he moved closer to me. What he sayed surprised me a bit since i was thinking that only think Kalash wants to do is to get rid of me one way or another.
I stayed silient as Kalah got anoyed by this and quietly growl.
"Do you even listen?!"
"Y-yes i just got surprised by that" i replied.
"So now go and rest i need you at hunts as soon as posible" he sayed as he walked away.
When i stopped being paralized by fear i moved back to where i was with out any more questions.
As i was laying down, board from being unable to do anythink, i felt somethink pokeing my right side. When i turned my head to see what was it i saw it was Roody trying to crawl towards me.
"How are you big brother?" he asked with a happy eyes.
"Not bad but please be quiet and let olders sleep ok?" i asked.
"Ok!" he sayed as he layed down next to me.
We both layed there for a while it startes to be afternoon as everyone begine to woke up.
"Yey mommy is awake!" sayed Roody wagging his tail while we both layed there.
"Yes i am. I see you and Sky are going along realy well" she sayed when she saw us laying next to each other.
"Heh how to not like a presents of that energy of his" i spoke up with a smal tail wag.
"Yes i know he is even more playful since he got seceond older brother" replied Enna to which i smiled.
"Playing with him remainds me of howni used to play with younger hachlings. I miss those times" i sayed with a little sigh afterwords.
"Hard to not noticed the flash in your eyes while you play with others" sayed Enna as she giggled a bit to which i wag my tail.
Rest of the day was realy lazy for me, only Maugrim and Roody were play fighting.
As day was about to end we all serched for comftable spots to sleep. I took a spot under a tree that had bushes on a left and behide the tree as well as some rock to the right so i was realy well hidden.
Kalash was sleeping on rocks up the waterfall while Baltier and Jaiden on the lower parts of pond to make sure they will see any danger before it will reach us.
Adults were sleeping in the forest to my right and youngers were sleeping between them.
For me it was a long night and i could not sleep, mainly because i already had some good sleep but alsaw because i still did not felt safe during the night.
Every smalles noise was puting me on edge. I was so tired of laying down and begain to be thirsty i walked to the pond to take a drink.
When i was doing so i heard a voice behide me which scared me grately as i jumped and fall into the pond.
"Cant sleep huh?" that was Kalash.
"Y-yes ... its all because of those rexes. I cant forget what happend that one night and i'm afraid it would happened again" i explained.
"And you are still not thinking of any danger while you was drinking. You have a lot to learn kid" sayed Kalash.
"I-i just ... sigh you are right" i sayed lowering my head.
"You see even if we are here and you are with us you need to be alert at all times. Every pair of eyes is priceless right now" explained Kalash.
"Dont worry you will learn it with time" he added after a short pause as i was walking out of the pond i fell into.
As time passed by in silienc i layed down near the pond and start asking Kalash a question.
"Kalash you must be realy expiranced in fighting when you have so many scars and i want to ask you ... have you always been so ... lonely i mean before you met Enna and others" I finaly speek up.
"Well ... I was always a loner since i needed to care about myself by my own" he explained.
"Oh ... " i replied as it gone silient for long while befor i spoke up again.
"You think i can be good fighter as well ?" i asked.
"Heh i see snack want to be a fighter huh ?" he sayed as he snort a laugh.
"Well ... yes i want to" i replied.
"First heall your leg and then if you proof to be strong we will see" when he sayed that just a posibility of me getting stronger made me wag my tail.
"Now go and sleep" he added.
I walked back to my spot to take some rest as i did not knew if i will be able to even close my eyes, but i did and fel asleep.
When mornigh came i woke up to a bit of noise. Others have woke up as well and gathered at the pond so i stood up and joined them.
"Good morning. How is everyone doing?" i asked.
"Fine and you Sky?" sayed John.
"Fine as well thank you for asking" i replied.
"So today i want to look around" started Kalash.
"We need to know what is around us. As far as i remember there is a gulf on the north. For now we havent see other predatirs nor pray. If we will still be unable to fin any pray we will leave" explained Kalash.
"Well ... i found footprints last night but they look to be arould week old" sayed Jaiden.
"Thats why i want to look around the area maybe there will be some spots where prey is" replied Kalash.
As time went by and adults were serching for prey, only Enna, Haute and Maddie stayed with us, as Orchid And Lynx joined rest of the adults.
I set down on the rock next to my sleeping spot and watched the area in serch for any danger.
The area itself was realy nice. Around the pond was a small meadow surounded by trees. The meadow was stretched from the a higher part of river where it was turning down the waterfall and it was going down from the pond crateing some sort of clearing.
It was afternoon when others did came back and surprisingly Jaiden, Orchid and Chaos had some luck and they found prey which was an ava. Everyone welcomed hunters back.
"So there is a prey here. Thats good. Means we can stay for a bit" sayed Enna.
when hunters puted the meat down only they and Roody with his brother Maugrim started to eat as they were useing so much energy.
"Thanks sis!" sayed Roody wagging his tail while he begain to eat.
"Heh your welcome. Just left somethink for others" she replied.
"I will i promise" he sayed wagging his tail. Just looking at their happined makes me happy myself.
"Skylen come to me" sayed Kalash.
I got realy surprised by this did he realy called me ? I looked at Enna as she looked at me and insisted to go to Kalash so i did just that.
"Y-yes?" i sayed as i limped towards him unsure of what would he want form me.
"Just come here already" he replied impatiently.
When i finaly made it to his spot above the waterfall i spoke up.
"What did you want Kalash"
"I want you to know that soon you as well as Maugrim, Roody, John and Calista will begain a lessons of survival. You need to know its not a nice place since we nolonger have ouer territory we cant feel safe so you all will need to know some rules that are going to be operateing form now on" sayed Kalash.
"We will start tommorow as its too late today to do it" he added.
"Now go and tell others" when he sayed so i limped away and did how he wanted me to and i told thebothers about it.
We all soon had gone to sleep.
The next morning started realy early as Kalash woke us up and lead us up the river to a bigger waterfall.
When we got there Kalash started to tell us new rules.
"So first of all old rules are still apply but you need some new rulse to keep you and us safe. So rule number one noone play tag game bacause we still dont know the area well and your noises might bring somethinks atention. Rule two noone leaves the are after sunset. Rule three if you see anythink that will lookd suspiciously you have to tell that to us as soon as posible. Rule four untill we wont be sure the area is safe, no exploring unless you will ask some of the adults to go with you. And lastly rule five, there will be a queue for a meal since we dont know how much prey is around. So first in a queue are youngest Roody and Maugrim then John and Calista then Orchid and Lynx then females and you snacky then me Baltier and Jaiden"
"Any questions?" he ask shortly after we finished.
Then Roody spoke up.
"Dad why brother Sky is not in a queue and there is someone called snacky ?" he asked confused.
"You see he is a snacky" explained Kalash pointing at me.
"But he is a brother, a part of family, why you call him snack then dad?" asked Roody even more confused.
"Ehhh he just is thats it. Anyone else have a question involving new rules?" sayed Kalash quite anoyed.
Silience.
"Good now go back to the pond and follow the rules" he sayed as he turned around to walk towards his rock he is sitting on.
As we got down to the pond and drinked we all started to form a queue to a meal like Kalash ask as to do. Since i was on a tail end i decided to woke up rest of family so everyone could eat.
"Orchid, Lynx wake up" i sayed as i poked their sides a little.
"What is it brother yawn" asked Orchid.
"Well there is new rule that we have ouer place in queue to the meal and both of you are just after John and Calista" i explained.
"Had you eat already ?" she asked.
"Ummm no ... i'm second last" i replied.
"Well thats unfair" she sayed quite anoyed by how Kalash treats me.
"Its ok sister ... as soon as my leg will be healed i will be going on hunts as well" i reassured her and wagged a tail a bit.
"If you say so" she sayed as she and Lynx got up.
I walked back to my spot and tryed to not fall asleep as i was a bot tired by that early wakeing up by Kalash.
When it was a time for Orchid and Lynx to eat there was realy little of food left. I knew i will most likely wont get any food so i tryed to fell asleep to use as little energy as posible.
As i was takeing the nap and Orchid had finisb eating she saw that there will be almost no meat for others.
"Mom?" she asked Enna.
"Yes Orchid what is it?" replied Enna.
"Since there is new rule anout eating a meal and Sky is second last to the meat can i take a little bit from here to give him?" sayed Orchid.
"Of course!" replied Enna as she give Orchid part of her own food.
When Orchid made it to my sleeping spot ahe sayed.
"Hey Sky! Wake up! I have some leftovers for you" she sayed as she poked my nose with a pice of meat to which a woke up.
"O-oh ... thank you sister!" i sayed with a wag of my tail.
"No problem" she replied as she giggled a bit when she saw how happy i was. I was just acting like overgrown hachling.
It was afternoon when i finished my pice of meat and walked to the pond to take a drink. I was almost walking without any problem. It was a matter of time when i will join a hunting party.