Imperial Guard – 005 Ethos of Solbrecht

Chapter 2 The Loss, Part II

Author's note: A small but important thingy that needs be mentioned. Kut'lari are created by Arrow Tibbs. I hope I've portrayed them well.

Jetreycka, Majih and Seylah

The hotel where they decided to spend the night was run by and designed to appeal to members of their species, which translated itself into suites for two, four or even eight guests. Despite paying 160 credits a night, Majih was satisfied with the pleasant decor of their quadruple room with its communal arrangement, hoping Jetreycka in particular would appreciate a moment of tranquility before their trip the next morning.

Their kind wasn't known for ostentatious behavior, but that didn't mean they had no sense of luxury. Large navy blue floor pillows, with a subtle gold-colored trim around their edges, surrounded a rectangular tan-colored rug in the center of the room, which was embroidered with the hotel's logo, as well as welcoming messages and inspirational quotes in spiraling Preidogian.

The near-square beds, placed in two sets of two on opposite sides of the room, with plenty of space between them and the seating arrangement, were huge mattresses bordered in light-colored wood. Large pillows and crisp clean sheets of a cotton-like material with an almost silky quality topped the beds, as well as thin covers in the same color as the floor pillows.

The room was located on the sixth floor, offering a nightly view of the city through the sliding glass doors, which doubled as windows, offering access to a balcony. The torch-like wall lamps created a cozy atmosphere with their warm yellow glow and the dark polished wooden floor was like the one commonly found in many of their people's houses, adding to the living room feel. The cream-colored walls were painted with spiraling patterns in different shades of autumn brown and red, reminiscent of written Preidogian, as well as nyvharn, a flowering climbing plant common to the region.

With nothing but his beige shorts on, Majih had sprawled himself on the cover of one of the beds, his head and back resting against the two large pillows, his flexible legs stretched in front of him. With the beds sized to accommodate every thinkable member of their kind, being a six-foot tall Talocaan Mantrin had its advantages. No matter how he positioned himself, his long legs couldn't reach past the edge.

Flipping through the channels on one of two large holo-tv's with lazy hand gestures, its screen projected at an angle from the ceiling to serve the two beds on his side of the room, he wasn't interested in watching anything in particular, and decided to amuse himself with the mind-boggling content. The concept of television on Solbrecht was wildly different from back home on Sogowa Prime, both in terms of entertainment and information value. One major difference was the ridiculous amount of advertisement for unhealthy foods and all kinds of products that no one really needed, except to impress their neighbor.

Absent-mindedly gnawing on the claws of different fingers of his right hand, his ears had been listening to the sound of running water, until it finally stopped after about fifteen millicycles since the start. The adjacent shower space was very spacious and Jetreycka was enjoying it to the fullest, which he couldn't blame her for. If there was one luxury he had learned to appreciate, it was a hot shower whenever he got the chance.

"You sure you don't want some?"

Deciding that there wasn't anything worth watching anyway, he turned off the TV with a hand gesture and pushed himself up in a seated position. Sitting in the center of the left of the opposite beds with her legs crossed, Seylah happily munched on a dark brown rectangular sweet called chocolate. He had joined the girls into the store where she bought it, surprised Seylah wasn't scared away by the prices of all the imported goods after complaining about the tags of certain items of clothing. In fact, she bought three bars in total, of which she had already consumed the first two earlier that day.

"Seylah, it can't be healthy to eat so much sugar in one day. And hyami, I loved the sample, but I'm not sure about the pills you have to take with them."

Smiling at him with her brown-stained teeth, she swallowed, making smacking sounds as she licked her lips clean. Little smudges covered the side of her muzzle and he wondered how much she had already stained the covers of the bed, the way she wolfed it down.

"They told me it was fine as long as I take a pill before eating it. It contains something called theo… theobro-something. Humans and some other species are fine, but apparently our bodies can't break it down all that well, so that's what it's for."

Not long thereafter, the door to the bathroom opened to let Jetreycka out in a haze of moisture, a big white fluffy bath sheet draped over her shoulder which she didn't bother to cover herself with as she walked over to her bed opposite to his, giving him a good view of her backside and sweeping tail. Her large feet left damp stains on the wooden floor, the thick skin on the soles having absorbed water.

"I'm not looking."

Politely averting his eyes, he was still unable to keep his body's instinctive responses in check, breathing through his nose as it picked up her wet leathery scent.

"That's all right." Taking a peek from the corner of his eye, Jetreycka had turned around, the towel wrapped a bit more around her torso so it covered her breasts, while the bottom end screened the space between her muscular legs. "I know you don't mean anything by it. Besides you've got a girl waiting for you back home."

Seeing her smile after pouring her hearts out today, brought one to his own face. Looking down at the navy blue covers of the bed between his own legs, he pictured his mate sitting right in front of him. Recalled that wonderful scent of hers mixed with that of her garden, in which she could be found at random moments of the day. Shaking his head he chuckled.

"I would never do anything that would endanger the bond between Binjeh and me." Perching on the edge of her bed, Jetreycka heaved a deep relaxed sigh, ensuring the towel continued to cover her orwi and breasts, before resting her arms of considerable muscularity on her thighs. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I really enjoyed that. It felt so good after today."

Turning her head toward the other person with them in the room, she frowned at Seylah, who tried to make sure she licked every single smudge of chocolate off her fingers before getting cleaned up, unable to resist laughing.

"Are you sure that's healthy, girl?"

"That's what I told her," Majih answered her question. "How can you still be hungry? We practically stuffed ourselves less than half a cycle ago."

Rubbing his rounded belly, he burped with a closed mouth, wishing he hadn't eaten as much as he did, because he knew it would give him trouble falling asleep. Seylah shrugged as she scooted off the bed, collecting the shredded remains of the wrapper of her chocolate bar while commencing to take her turn in the bathroom.

"Can't take it with me tomorrow. It melts under high temperatures, so I had to finish it."

With her shorts and t-shirt still on she disappeared into the bathroom with a slam of the door, leaving him and Jetreycka behind in near complete silence.

"Uiisa," her muffled voice sounded through the wood.

"Subtlety is not really her strongest point," Jetreycka said with a chuckle.

"I heard that!"

"And she's got sensitive ears!" she called on purpose, now laughing out loud. Majih laughed with her, and it didn't take long before they heard their friend's laughter coming from behind the door, shortly before they heard the water being turned on. "It's gonna be a hot day tomorrow." Grabbing her towel, Jetreycka used it to rub her ears dry as drops of water continued to leak from the tips. "I actually kinda like the shirts and blouses they wear around here, but I'm not a fan of the shorts. I'm glad we decided to buy some poetyo in advance, and not just because it'll be much more appreciated where we're going."

Referring to the sets they got from a small shop in town, based on Raeth's advice which he received from Le'tan, they bought them because they basically had no idea what they were heading into. That they were on a search for a lost child would not matter to the traditionalists. Showing up at their doorstep in human clothing would, especially if they had decided to support Wyr'Mo'Gwi's cause.

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be more comfortable. Used to wear poetyo a lot around my parents' farm. It gets pretty hot in summer where I grew up. And Binjeh is practically fused with hers."

Jetreycka smiled.

"She really sounds like someone I'd love to meet. Remember to take me with you one day."

"Sure."

Smiling as she flexed her toes, letting her arms fall between her legs, she drummed her fists to the rim of wood around the mattress in a gentle rhythm.

"Majih, I really appreciate that you and Seylah want to help me find Oseya. It means a lot to me."

He smiled back as her eyes found his. He had no trouble picturing her as the mother of a young girl. It was hard not to notice that she and Seylah had grown close in such a short while.

"That's what friends are for, Jet. Don't worry. We'll find her."

Her response was a firm nod as she cracked another smile, before her expression turned serious.

"I'm a little worried about Raeth and Le'tan though. I had a chat with Le'tan once about his old home. Didn't seem to have that much trouble talking about it, but he's got some bad memories of that place. Might even have shifted their stance toward Wyr'Mo'Gwi."

"Hmm, yeah that's worrying. Hope their good intentions will tip the balance into their favor."

Stretching her beak into a wide yawn, giving him a good view down her throat, she shook her head after exhaling sharply and scratched behind the base of one of her ears. Without warning, she rose to her feet, not bothering to adjust the towel as it slid off of her shoulder. Heading over to the right side of her bed, she opened up the covers and lowered her body on the soft mattress.

Tossing the towel toward the foot end of the bed, she flicked an ear as she looked at him, her thick muscular tail rustling over the white sheets. Lifting her huge legs into the bed she leaned on her elbow as she found a good position for them and her long tail by trial and error, throwing the covers loosely over her body.

"This bed feels so good." She yawned again before dropping her head on the pillow with a deep relaxed sigh. "Majih? Would you be so kind as to take my towel with you to the bathroom when you go?"

"Sure. Sleep well Jetreycka."

"Hyami. You too."

Less than five millicycles later, Seylah exited the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth and a questioning look on her face, the edges of her beak covered with a thin layer of foam. Majih wondered if she had even bothered to use a towel, judging by the wet stains on her clothes and dripping ears. Brushing her teeth with short pauses, she eyed Jetreycka who rolled over on her other side with a weary sigh.

"Oh that's right. I promised to show you how to apply your poetyo."

"Okay," was Seylah's response, a small foamy blob of kuarwii toothpaste falling on her t-shirt. Walking back into the bathroom, the sound of running water splashing in a sink was heard, as well as some gargling as she rinsed out her mouth. With a sigh of fresh breath she came back into the room and beelined toward her bed, dropping her body gracelessly on top of it on her belly, her arms spread wide and her legs still on the floor. Rolling her head toward Majih she smiled. "I'm done. You can go."

Watching Majih disappear into the bathroom and waiting for the water to turn on, Jetreycka lifted herself out of bed again to retrieve the box that contained her poetyo from the floor for a demonstration. Seylah had spent so much time away from her own people, that according to her own words, she had forgotten how to put them on. Having dragged herself off of her own bed, Seylah had retrieved her own poetyo and now shared the large space between the two beds with her.

"Okay," Jetreycka began. Having opened up the box of hers which she had placed on her bed, she pulled out the largest of the three tan-colored cloth strips. "This you probably remember. The longest one on your waist." Turning around as she folded the strip in half and evened out the ends, she discovered that Seylah had only taken off her shirt and hesitantly held on to the rise of her already unbuttoned shorts. "Seylah, it's all right. Majih's not here right now."

"I know. Just… just gimme a tick."

It took her a while, but like she had flipped a mental switch, she eventually let go of the shorts and having undone all the buttons, it dropped to the floor between her legs, kicking them aside with her foot. Being each other's equal in terms of their appearance, Seylah's skin had the same warm brown color in the dim yellow light of the lamps, with nothing special about the color and shape of her lighter spots. The characteristic irregular patch of rich black skin around her orwi was nothing out of the ordinary either. Standing bare naked in front of her, she moved her legs a little closer together in a protective way, her stretched arms squeezing her breasts of average size together, while keeping her hands in front of her genital slit and balled to fists.

"It's all right, Seylah," Jetreycka said in a soothing tone. "You can do this."

Her gaze averted, Seylah retrieved the longest part of her own poetyo and followed her example in folding it in half. Copying her, as she started wrapping her own bottom by crossing the strips around her legs and tail, the girl struggled more with the idea of being naked than with the difficulty of dressing. It still resulted in the strips being tied too loose.

"You should pull it a little more, or it'll flutter. Let me help you."

"Ehm, Jetreycka?" she interrupted her. "Can we continue this tomorrow morning? I don't want him to see me naked."

Flattening an ear, the upset look on Seylah's face as she kept throwing looks at the bathroom door made her want to comfort her. She had been caring for Seylah ever since the young woman joined the crew. Her motherly instincts had awoken from their slumber, yet Seylah seemed to resist the idea of getting close at times. Refraining from it, not sure if she would even let her, she heaved a small sigh.

"You know he doesn't mean anything by it, right? He just saw me too."

"I know. It's just… I don't feel comfortable about it. Please?"

It was the pleading look in her eyes that persuaded her into unwrapping her own poetyo.

"Okay. Tomorrow we'll chase him off and then we'll continue this. It means we'll be skipping straight to your exam though."

Her decision came not a moment too soon as they heard the water being turned off. Putting the poetyo back into their respective boxes and dropping them on the floor next to the bed, they both slipped under the covers with a simultaneous chuckle, listening to the sound of teeth being brushed. Polite as he was, Majih knocked on the door first.

"Can I come back in?"

"Yes, you can," Seylah answered.

Opening the door and turning off the lights in the bathroom, Majih walked over to his own bed with his shorts still in one hand. Tossing the piece of clothing on one of the floor pillows on top of his t-shirt, he threw the covers open with a satisfied look on his face. Moving his body in a comfortable position, he let out his own relaxed sigh before turning off the lights with a voice command.

"Ehm, Majih?"

"Yeah?"

"Seylah and I need a moment to ourselves tomorrow morning. Do you mind?"

"Nah, that's okay. I'll go ahead and reserve us a spot in the restaurant. We'll meet up downstairs."

And so the next morning it happened as agreed upon. Dressed in his own set of the tan-colored cloth wrappings, Majih left them to a moment of privacy after a splash of water in his face. The rays of the early morning sun crept into the room through the dimmed windows, coloring the walls a soft yellow and bringing out the painted patterns in a dazzling display of color.

Standing right in front of her like before, Seylah had the strip of her bottom poetyo draped over her tail and hips. Moving slowly, she did as instructed, crossing the strips so they began to cover her orwi.

"You have to pull a little harder, girl. It needs a bit of a snug fit or it won't stay on." With her fists clamped around the ends she sighed, undoing part of the progress to the point that she had to start over again. This in contrast to herself as she was practically done already. "It's okay. Take your time. Majih will just have to wait a little longer."

"I'm sorry. It's just. Down there…"

"Do you want me to help you?"

Nodding hesitantly, she handed the ends over to her after making the first cross herself.

"Okay. Now this is a bit more difficult for me to do. I'm going to touch you, okay?" More nodding. "All right. You'll have to help me a little. Take this end." And so they moved through the process together, continuing with the second cross, until she found out that Seylah had twisted her end near the front. "Whoa, whoa, that won't be comfortable. Let me help you."

Forgetting for a split tick about what she was doing, she slipped her finger between the twisted strip of poetyo, thereby inadvertently touching the sensitive skin close to Seylah's genital slit. The girl froze for an instant, her body tensing in that single moment of touch, like being zapped by electricity as she let out a shriek. Stepping away from powerful legs that kicked violently in her direction before she could injure her, Jetreycka gasped at the sheer terror on her young friend's face.

"I'm so sorry, Seylah! I didn't mean to." Falling backwards on her bed, Seylah's eyes had flown wide open as she crawled away from her. Curling up on the mattress in a little ball, she wrapped her arms around her folded legs, squeezing her eyes shut, taking rapid shallow breaths. "Seylah."

"I… I'm just…" she brought out.

Her body tensed like a loaded spring, she appeared to try and make herself as small as possible, her tail curving around her bottom. Forgetting all about the poetyo, the strips still loose and wrapped around Seylah's thighs, Jetreycka wasn't quite sure what to do, but eventually lowered herself on the mattress beside her.

She had never seen anyone this frightened before. It took some time before Seylah got over the initial shock on her own. Jolting back into a seated position next to her on the edge of the mattress with her feet on the floor, Seylah's bottom lip quivered as she looked at her.

"Seylah." With a soft wail, the tears began to stream down her face, her ears flattened so far down that they looked ready to be absorbed into the back of her head. Forcing her legs into a closed position, she hugged her arms around her chest and began to shiver all over her body. Reaching behind her, Jetreycka grabbed the bedcover and proceeded to wrap it around her trembling figure like a cocoon. "It's all right. Give it a good cry."

Biting into the bedcover, Seylah cried with loud muffled noises. Like she was holding her own child, Jetreycka cradled her arms around her, one hand on the side of her head, the other pulling her against her chest, slowly rocking her as she whispered soothing words into her ear.

"It's…" she sobbed, letting go of the bedding with her teeth. "What they did to me back in that place."

"Shhh, you don't have to explain."

"It hurt! It hurt so much!"

She cried into the bedding again, which became more and more covered in wet stains. Jetreycka still had trouble picturing what this young woman had been through at such a young age. Bits and pieces had come to her at random moments when they were alone and the image she composed of them in her own mind was nothing less than revolting. It took a full five millicycles before she had calmed down enough to talk, taking muffled breaths interrupted by the occasional loud snort.

"I'm phorry," she grumbled

Her ears looked like they still hadn't decided if they wanted to climb back to their normal positions. Still wearing the bedcover around her shoulders like a cape, she continued to suck one end of it for comfort, soaking it in a generous amount of saliva. Staring at the floor between her feet, her arms dangled between her legs, the claws of her toes scratching the wooden floor as she curled them.

"Seylah, you have nothing to be sorry for."

Jetreycka had no idea how long she had been rubbing the girl's back, but when she finally stopped, Seylah looked at her with a look of gratitude in her bloodshot eyes. Taking the soggy bedcover out of her mouth she took a deep weary breath.

"You've been so kind to me. Even after what I did to you."

"All has been forgiven, girl. Remember that."

Wiping her eyes with the palm of her hand, Seylah scratched at the back of her neck. She had continued to express her guilt over what happened on the Ophelion trade hub despite her repeated telling that she didn't have to. Her memories of that place continued to plague her from time to time, which wasn't surprising.

"Have you been having nightmares again?"

"Last one was a few days ago. It got better ever since I joined you guys. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm out."

"You are. And I'm here for you if you need me."

"Hyami," she whispered.

Touching her beak to Seylah's, she purred softly in response.

"I don't wanna rush you, but we've kept Majih for a while now."

Figuring she was right, Seylah yawned first, then slowly heaved her body off the bed, the cover sliding off of her back. Retrieving the strip of poetyo from around her thighs, she evened out the ends and started over on her own.

"I can do this," she grunted.

Playing with his wristcom after checking its chrono for the second time, Majih began to wonder what kept the two women. The hotel's restaurant was arranged like one would expect from a place run by Mantrins. Standing near one of the partitioned seating spots with four pillows around it, he kept glancing around if the two women had shown up.

Hotel guests could choose between rugs or low tables made of slices of tree trunk. The torch-like lights, which were still on at this time of the day, kept the whole traditional culture theme intact. Despite being a modern building, equipped with comforts like full climate control, cleaning robots and digital entertainment, the decor carried through everything from the rooms to the public spaces.

The floor was made up of large white marble-like tiles, in contrast to the polished wood in the rooms. The walls were painted in similar floral patterns and the wooden partitions between the seating spots were decorated with colored engraved texts. The tall ceiling allowed for large flowering plants and small trees to be scattered around between the rugs and tables, the different species spreading a mild fragrance that changed depending on one's location.

Despite being focused on members of their species, quite a number of them dressed in poetyo like the staff members themselves, the hotel welcomed everyone who desired a taste of their culture. The group of Kut'lari sharing the rug and twelve floor pillows on his right more than enjoyed the fresh vymi eggs, jerked meat and fish. A predatory, yet gregarious as well as polyamorous people, the multiple parents as well as their children had all greeted him on his passing. Having the appearance of a kangaroo crossed with a bit of lion, the creatures featured large rabbit-like ears, a long bushy tail and sharp claws at their fingertips as well as the three toes of each foot. In addition, the males sported prominent canines as well as a set of stout antlers protruding from the top of their heads.

They were dressed in nothing more than sparse semi-transparent robes, their white fur, as was customary, painted with important events from their history in a variety of bright clashing colors. Studying them from the corner of his eye, wondering about the meaning of the variety of symbols dyed onto their fur, the children continued to smile at him. Smiling back as well as waving his fingers, Majih didn't realize his companions had shown up until they stood right next to him.

"We're here. Sorry for the delay," Jetreycka apologized.

Both dressed in fresh new poetyo, she and Seylah looked ready to blend in with the traditionalists. The younger woman had her gaze averted, staring at the rug, unlike Jetreycka who licked her lips as she eyed the large buffet counter at the other side of the restaurant before looking back at him.

"It's fine. Let's go. Don't know why I'm standing here. There're plenty of empty spots. Most people are still asleep."

Making full use of what the hotel had to offer, they, as well as members of other species indulged in the luxuries offered. He had already decided that he wanted the fresh vymi eggs he had spotted at the rug of the Kut'lari, as well as try out the different types of jerked meat, fish, raw vegetables and succulent fruits. Filling a couple of small gourds and wooden plates to share, paired with a large cup of warm hesjwii for each of them, the three walked back to their spot, thanking the planet in a respectful manner for providing them with the food they were about to eat and dug in. Noticing that Seylah continued to avoid eye contact, Majih decided to ask, if only because it worried him.

"Seylah, is everything all right?"

Looking at him from under her eye ridges, she nodded faintly. Putting a slice of fresh raw lesfihr, which was a fatty saltwater fish, in her mouth, she chewed slowly on it.

"I'm fine."

"Majih, as you might know Seylah's been through a lot," Jetreycka explained after clearing her mouth. "She had a bit of a difficult moment upstairs. But she's all right now. Are you?"

"Yes," she answered in a less than convincing manner.

Racking his brains to think of moments when he might have said something to upset her, he couldn't come up with anything.

"I hope it's not something I said."

"No, nothing like that," Seylah tried to put his mind at ease. She seemed more aware all of a sudden, like awakening from a kind of emotional slumber. Despite her lowered ears, she finally looked at him with a glazed look in her eyes. "It's like Jetreycka said. Let's… Let's not talk about it."

"Then we won't. Let's discuss our plan of approach one more time."

"This is it. I recognize this."

Having left the few belongings they brought with them from the Myr'shala, that they wouldn't need for their trip through the woods, in a locker at the hotel, the trio arrived at the city border a mere twenty millicycles after they left. After watching the sleek white air taxi that brought them to the small park and nearby campsite rise up into the sky with a soft whine of its anti-grav drive, Majih let his gaze drift over the recreational area.

Bordered by dense forests, which were highly discouraged for entering by the authorities given the current situation, the campsite was littered with large colorful tents and recreational vehicles, the first of their occupants enjoying the fresh air, scented with blossoms, and the early morning sun now that its rays were still kind to their skin. To satisfy their need to cool off on Solbrecht's hottest days, the small lake as well as its artificial equivalents, complete with slides and floating platforms would do a perfect job.

Mantrins as well as humans in their plain or colorful leisurewear had begun to spread out over the area, either for an early morning walk, or in case of the children, dipping their toes in the different bodies of water, a few individuals even daring to swim. It would have been nice to join them on another carefree day, especially with the promised temperatures, but they had something more important to do.

Jetreycka walked with hesitation in every step on her way to the tree line, her head swiveling in all directions as if she was still looking for clues as to what could have happened all those seasons ago. They didn't even look out of place in their poetyo, many of the Mantrins around them wearing the exact same. The only thing they lacked was the water bottle carried on a belt around their waist, which they were going to need, as their search could very well take the greater part of the day.

"I think our original plan's still the best we have. Following the river would be a good start," Majih mooted, based on their discussion during breakfast.

"Then that's what we'll do," Jetreycka agreed, her next few steps as determined as the tone of her voice.

Not following one of the designated paths, but their intuition and common sense, they kept the river to their right and wrestled themselves through the dense vegetation that lined the recreational area to enter the forest.

After leaving the first rows of trees behind, they soon found out why it wasn't wise to leave the hiking trails as the terrain proved to be very irregular and hard to traverse, with deep trenches and thick undergrowth. After climbing out of one, she halted on top of a raised patch of ground, looking down at the thick green growth covering what appeared to be an old riverbed.

"We even searched in here," she said with a sigh. "It's like nothing's changed. At the time we thought that maybe she fell and hit her head."

It was uncommon to see their kind with any kind of footwear, the thick armadillo-like skin on the soles of their feet providing more than adequate protection against rough or even moderately sharp surfaces. The rocky bottom of the riverbed felt far from comfortable though, and Majih had to admit it wasn't that farfetched.

"We can't give up hope, Jetreycka. The search never turned up anything so if she never returned to the city, we must assume the other possibility."

"Ardiin and I spent all the time we could spare searching for her," she said as she continued their walk. The density of the forest did not provide enough room for them to walk next to each other, so they walked in line, staying as close to each other as their swishing tails allowed. "We were exhausted."

"To me it sounds like you did everything you could at the time."

Agreeing with him, she continued to march through the forest with the pace and determination of a soldier, only slowed down by the thick vegetation. The dense canopy provided adequate protection against the rising sun, though Majih could feel his lungs struggle against the high humidity. After following the direction of the river for what couldn't be more than half a cycle, Jetreycka's large legs and fast pace caused his poetyo to stick to his skin. Breathing heavily from exhaustion and the overall climate they decided to take a short break.

Small reptiles and amphibious creatures skittered ahead of them over the muddy sand of the riverbank as they left the cover of the forest, darting through the shallow water of the broad slow flowing river. Scooting after them, Seylah walked in until the water reached up to her lower knees, her tail whipping the surface with loud splashes as he joined her together with Jetreycka.

Scooping up a few handfuls of the cool water, he splashed it into his face and over his poetyo like the two women did. Checking out the tickling sensation around his ankles, he counted several different species of fish swirling around his legs and slithering over the sandy bottom.

"Phew, that's better," Seylah panted. "I'm not really used to this kind of climate anymore."

"It's quite tough on many members of our own kind as well," Jetreycka explained. "A growing group of researchers believe that Solbrecht's climate is changing. It's getting hotter and drier. Of course some blame the humans for that as well. I don't believe that though."

"The human settlements are still too small and too few for any noticeable impact on a planetary scale," Majih agreed. "The planet might just be going through another climate shift. It's happened before."

After a few more millicycles of splashing about, the trio resumed their search, staying close to the water. After about another half a cycle of following the meandering river that snaked through the landscape, Jetreycka stopped so abruptly that they almost walked into each other as she perked her ears. Freezing on the spot, not moving a muscle except for those of their ears and necks as they tried to pinpoint the location of the sound, they lowered their voices to a whisper.

"Did you hear that too?" Seylah asked, tip-toeing closer to her.

"Yes, I think I heard voices."

"I think you're both right," Majih agreed, perking his own shorter ears to listen. "We may have reached something."

Jetreycka took a slow shivering breath. Having joined her side, Seylah laid a hand on her shoulder. Majih watched as she placed her hand on top of the younger woman's, squeezing softly. Walking around her leg to face her, he watched the internal conflict manifest itself in the expression on her face, her nostrils flaring as she ground her teeth.

"Jet." She swallowed, biting her lip as she looked at him, then at Seylah and finally straight ahead. "Jet, let's find Oseya."

She nodded.

"Yes," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The last bit of distance they walked at a snail's pace. Ahead of them were the sounds of a lively community, which they didn't know the stance of. They could be a native tribe, a community of disgruntled citizens or something in between and in all cases they could or could not have pledged their allegiance to Wyr'Mo'Gwi's cause.

Having crossed the border of their grounds, it appeared they had reached one of the community villages typical for this region. To prevent a forest fire from destroying their houses and crops, the rim of fallow ground with a few tufts of grass lining the border was standard. The village itself was built under the cover of a multitude of tall flat-crowned trees, planted between the residences and storage buildings, to provide shade during all parts of the day.

The shallow river was their main source of non-drinking water, a number of Mantrins in the process of watering the surrounding fields. At first sight, the inhabitants appeared to be a mixed bunch of Gouregs and Sogowans, unsurprisingly the two races most common in the region, tending their crops in all three parts of the tan-colored poetyo to protect their skin.

It didn't take long to catch the attention of a few of them, the villagers leaving their daily tasks for what they were. After a quick exchange of inaudible words amongst themselves, a Goureg Mantrinesse rose from her kneeling position between the crops, brushing little bits of soil off her knees and middle legs before coming toward them. She was small for her race, but powerfully built, her slate-colored skin close to Houn's bluish tone. Her small ears went hidden under the ear dress of her poetyo, her long tail dragging a bit behind her over the grass-covered grounds.

"Uhreaht," she greeted them with a nod. Her voice was warm and kind and the edges of her pale yellow beak curved into a faint smile, her characteristic blue green eyes showing a slight twinkle. Majih felt his shoulders drop as they lost the bit of tension built up before they had decided to make contact. The tails of Seylah and Jetreycka dropped from their tense upright position to rustling the tall blades of the cushion of grass under their feet. "Please be welcome. I'm Reyva. What brings you here?"

Doing one shuffling step forward, Jetreycka greeted her back. Majih noticed how Reyva rested her gaze on each of them individually for a few ticks during Jetreycka's moment of hesitation, balancing on her legs as she rested her arms on her thighs.

"I'm Jetreycka. I… I'm looking for my ahmyr."

This was only the first community they had come across. Close to the city, though there were many others in this region. If Oseya had been adopted into a tribe, she could be anywhere, depending on where she was found and by whom. Reyva's ear shifted position under the ear dress of her poetyo as she gnawed on her lip. Taking a slight breath, blowing the air out of her nostrils, she turned on the spot, commencing to walk back to where she came from.

"Come with me."