Imperial Guard – 005 Ethos of Solbrecht
Chapter 7 Raindrops, Part I
Author's note: I'm so sorry I did not continue this sooner. Depression is a bitch and it hit me harder than ever before this year. I haven't given up on this series at all. In fact, it's been on my mind for every single day since the last chapter. (Got a big portrait of Norgu on my bedroom wall to remind me as soon as I wake up, so yeah.) I'm doing a bit better, and I'll do my very best to make updates more frequent. Thanks for reading.
Raeth and Le'tan
"What did you call me?"
"Raeth, just walk away! He's not worth it!"
Of course he was worth it. It was worth it to shut him up once and for all. In the middle of the circle of eyes watching from the sidelines. The yells of encouragement rang in his ears. There was Nalu, his best friend, telling him to back down. He was not going to. Not in front of so many witnesses. The confrontation had already drawn a large crowd from different grades. Friends, fellow students he knew and those he did not.
If this human, this boy, who happened to be taller by about a finger's length, thought he could pick on him and others of his kind for his own pleasure he was sadly mistaken. If this bully was so convinced that he had but a mere animal in front of him, he was going to show him that animal or not, he could bite back just the same.
"Yeah Raeth," the boy snickered. "Just walk away, with your big tail tucked between your oversized legs. Show us what a coward you are."
"Leave him alone, Lucas," the one girl in his group of friends tried to salvage the situation. "You've impressed us. You've shown us how tough you are."
Raeth didn't know what Ashley saw in him. His lack of knowledge regarding human beauty ideals prevented him from making an assessment when it came to their looks. Lucas' particular attitude however was a universal thing. It also happened to be the thing he hated most about present-day society.
But even if he wasn't comparing Ashley's small, slender figure and kind face to Lucas' tall, burly, overweight appearance, not to mention the short spikey blond hair, beady little eyes and the way he always sneered at anyone less than his equal, there was nothing that the two had in common.
One of Ashley's best friends was a tiny skittish Orkeht girl named Liiu, to which Lucas' behavior had to feel just as insulting, even though he never attacked her directly. It was Raeth's theory that Lucas only bullied other kids he didn't like for whatever reason, and those he saw as potential rivals in the schoolyard. In a twisted way, he felt somewhat proud to be considered a rival, if that were the case. It also presented him with an opportunity to show Lucas he messed with the wrong Mantrin and teach him a lesson.
"Just let me handle this, Ashley," Lucas called over his shoulder. "I bet I can take him," he added while redirecting his glare at his opponent.
Raeth did not fail to notice and even took some pleasure in the slight tremble of the boy's voice as he flexed the fingers of his right hand, revealing his unsheathed claws in the process, the palm still stinging from where it met with their sharpness, in addition to a flash of his canines.
"What did you call me?" he repeated his earlier question. "Say it out loud so everyone can hear you."
In the meantime Lucas had assumed a steady position on his much smaller legs, fists raised like a boxer right before the sound of the bell. In his thoughts Raeth awarded him points for bravery, at least for attempting to prove how stupid he was to challenge someone who was naturally equipped with a lot more ways to defend himself.
"You heard me," Lucas said, doing his best to spot an opening, still not realizing there was none.
As his opponent feinted sideways while keeping his distance, Raeth did little more than stand his ground as the circling crowd expanded, the cheers of encouragement from both sides getting louder.
"Get him, Lucas!"
"Raeth, don't," Nalu pleaded. "You'll get suspended."
"Say it again," he growled, ignoring his friend.
They were now both trying to secure an advantageous position, making sure to keep Solbrecht's bright afternoon sun out of their face and preferably behind their own backs, circling each other to find that opening. Eventually his feet hit the grass of the small toel court, bordered by trees and bushes on three sides, the bleached wooden poles carrying the goal hoops having survived many summers in Solbrecht's blazing sun.
The school itself was one like many others found in Faeyra-Estaria's suburbs. It was a modern building without any kind of distinctive shape, engineered in such a way that plenty of natural light entered every classroom while keeping temperatures at pleasant levels throughout the seasons. The outer walls were even equipped with sliding panels, reminiscent of the ones in his people's traditional houses, to allow fresh air to circulate and create a healthy and appealing learning environment.
"Fine. I'll say it again, but only because you asked. All you'll ever be is nothing but a savage beast."
Even as a kid Raeth had always thought he had a sizable supply of patience and self-control. He had never felt the need to physically or even verbally abuse someone because of differences of opinion. Then again, he never had the chance to truly test it until this moment. To hear that boy say it, accompanied by that snickering laugh of his. Receiving praise from his friends for saying it. What he was insinuating, directed toward his kind as a whole, made his blood boil.
The low growl building inside his throat rocketed to a loud roar with a much lower pitch than anyone would've attributed to someone his age. Barreling toward the human boy with his fists raised, shrinking the last bit of distance between them with such speed that the smug look on Lucas' face twisted into a sudden panic, he headbutted him in the stomach.
His opponent wheezed loudly as the air was violently expelled from his lungs. He felt Lucas's hands grab hold of his t-shirt and arm on his way down to the ground, and what masqueraded as a professional match between two rivals quickly degraded into nothing more than a violent quarrel between two kids. Rolling over the ground, their arms mashing to land as many hits in as short a time as possible, Raeth continued to pummel the human boy with his fists, surprised by Lucas' strength.
Not even bothering to get up, they continued the fight on their knees, the surrounding crowd divided into two groups continuing to cheer. Receiving a blow to his own stomach Raeth felt the air being knocked out of his lungs. Clamping an arm around his belly while grinding his teeth, he growled at his opponent who did not grant him the time to recover. The next punch hit him square in the jaw. The world flipped on its side and started to spin. The smell of grass entered his nostrils, the short fine blades prickling his cheek. The sound of cheer as well disappointment washed over him from two clearly discernible sides. It was soon followed by that smug laugh of Lucas himself.
"Yeah, that's it! I'll take you on anytime."
"C'mon Raeth, get up!"
Get up.
A command not obeyed by his muscles. His stomach felt like it was trying to switch places with other organs. Smacking his lips, he tasted iron, watching Lucas' scramble back on his feet and steady himself.
"You see? I won! You're nothing."
As the vile words echoed through his mind, they woke up other feelings. Feelings of family honor. Of dignity and pride. Things not every kid his age often worried about. But he was a Mantrin. If only his father could see him now. Erseh. If he got wind of this, and he would with the injuries he sustained, he would be a disappointment to him. Watching Ke'tarr glare down his muzzle in his thoughts, it drove the pain to the background. The world snapped back into focus. The deaf feeling in his ears disappeared.
Showing off to his friends in a gleeful display, Lucas was up on his feet, but so was he a few ticks after regaining his strength. Panting hoarsely, his toe claws dug into the grass as he braced for round two. The circle of bystanders widened and before Lucas' even got the time to fully turn around, both of them were again on their way down to the ground. The anger blinded him. Kneeling over his opponent, his much larger legs locking them in their current positions. He didn't care what kind of damage he caused, continuing to pummel Lucas until the other boy let out a scream.
"Both of you, break it up!"
The much louder and heavier voice broke the final part of his frenzy and not long thereafter he felt strong hands around his arm, roughly pulling him off his injured opponent. With his hearts beating in his throat and trying to choke him, sweat dampening his t-shirt, his eyes were locked on Lucas. The blood stains on the human boy's t-shirt. His gasping for air as his eyes bulged out of their sockets. The panic on his face as he spotted the scratches on his arms and the trails of red oozing from them.
Raeth swallowed hard. Finally beginning to realize that he was the cause of Lucas' injuries, his gaze slowly panned from the human teacher, kneeling to check up on his student while scolding the crowd into dispersing, to his right hand of which the claws were still unsheathed. Panting lightly, becoming aware that the fine droplets on his deep brown skin and the red stains on his yellow t-shirt and beige shorts were Lucas' blood, his gazed redirected to the large three-toed foot standing next to him on the grass and up at the face of the teacher from 8th grade.
The Sogowan glared down his muzzle in the same way as his father did in his own thoughts. His nostrils flaring, he shook his head, beefy arms crossed over his chest, a large and heavy tail rustling the grass. Raeth spotted the worried looks on the faces of Nalu and his other friends as they continued to watch from a distance, as well as little Yimeh who seemed on the verge of bursting into tears. Frozen in place, the thought of running popped into his mind. He dismissed it almost as soon as it came up as it would only make matters worse. With his hearts still pounding against the inside of his chest, he looked down at the foot, which was a much larger copy of his own, watching its claws dig deeper into the grass.
"You," the large Mantrin grunted. "With me. Now."
"Stupid humans! Stupid school!"
"Raeth!"
With his little sister trailing him, doing her best to keep up with his larger steps, he followed the familiar route back home through Faeyra-Estaria's suburbs. With school being over for the day, the streets and parks were filled with children of different races and of all ages, playing games, enjoying each other's company under a mild early summer sun. Oblivious to the sounds of joy and almost everything else happening around him, he acted like he didn't hear Yimeh's complaining about not being able to keep up with his angry pace.
Zigzagging over the spotless streets, giving everyone and everything in his path a wide berth to avoid any confrontation whatsoever, the events of the past half cycle as well as the harsh words of his teachers continued to echo in his mind.
Your parents are going to hear about this.
Maybe Nalu was right. Maybe he should have walked away. He would have been called a coward, but it would have saved him the trouble he was in right now. His sore mouth from where his teeth had scraped the inside of his cheek and his aching stomach were stark reminders that he had done quite the opposite.
In his opinion, he had defended not just his own honor, but that of his entire people. Too bad none of the teachers shared his opinion, despite some of them being Mantrins themselves, and dismissed it as nothing more than a quarrel between two kids that got out of hand. One in which he had also used his claws on a human kid, which was more than enough reason for suspension, as was made abundantly clear by the principal himself.
"Raeth, please! Wait for me!"
"What?" Slipping to a halt, he turned around on the spot with such ferocity that he almost whipped his little sister in the face with his tail, the distance between them being much smaller than anticipated due to her attempts to catch up with him. With one arm still protecting her face, she recoiled, her ears drooping, her bottom jaw quivering when she met with his rage. "What is it Yimeh?"
"I… I waited for you. You're hurt."
"It's nothing," he lied, grunting in annoyance at the stinging sensation of his sore mouth.
"You have blood on your shirt."
"It's not mine." For some reason her concern only made him angrier. Made him feel weak, while he was not. He won that fight in the second round, though the thought of what would've happened if the teachers hadn't butted in had crossed his mind a few times already. In his rage he could have killed Lucas and when they reminded him of that fact it frightened him, for in the moment, he did not even realize that. "I just wanna be left alone, okay?" he requested after scraping every remaining bit of self-control together.
"I saw what happened."
"I gave him what he deserved! I hope Wyr'Mo'Gwi gets him."
When his vile words met with her ears, she gasped, her mouth falling open in disbelief.
"Why do you say that? They've done really bad things!"
"I don't care!"
"Why are you so angry at me?" Yimeh sobbed, fresh tears turning into wet spots on her pink t-shirt with its bright floral print.
"Yimeh, stop being such a crybaby all the time!"
"I am not!" she bit back, her voice raised to the volume of a shout for the first time.
Wiping her eyes with furious strokes from the back of her hand, she abruptly ceased her crying. Her ears had flattened on the back of her head and she even bared her teeth at him. Dropping his shoulders in a moment of astonishment, a good portion of his tail falling flat on the warm pavement, he counted the number of firsts that had occurred on this day and decided it was one too many. For the first time he had lost complete self-control. For the first time he had attacked a human kid with no regard for the outcome. For the first time he had directed his anger toward his little sister and received the same in return. With the coming of shame, the fury subsided as he was confronted with hers.
"I'm… I'm sorry." His sister's eyes, which were so much like his own, stared back into his, residual anger and concern mixing into confusion. Until he stepped up to her and hugged her against his chest as she leaned into him while letting her arms dangle. Rubbing between her ears, he took a deep breath, looking around to see the occasional child or their parents shooting a glance, but not paying any kind of particular attention to them. Yimeh did not say anything for a while nor did she continue her crying, emitting a soft purring as he continued to rub between her ears. "Yimeh?"
She looked up at him with a questioning look in her eyes as he unwrapped his arms to give her the room to do so.
"Hmm?"
"Let's go home."
"So how did that end?"
He did not have to dig far into his memories to answer Le'tan's question. The sun's retreat had allowed his brain to restore some of the functionality it had lost during a second sweltering day of slipping in and out of consciousness while Solbrecht's relentless sun baked him to a crisp. Directing his gaze up at the twilight sky, to find out that his body was still attached to his arms, he groaned at trying to move some feeling back into them, the rough ropes having chafed his wrists down to bare flesh.
The blood from his wounds had been washed away by rivers of sweat that soaked his bottom poetyo, the strips of cloth soaked with a disgusting combination of bodily fluids. The stinging lacerations and skin that felt like it had been treated with sandpaper formed an odd mix of sensations with the mosquito bites he had accumulated during his first night. If he moved so much as a single muscle, all of these feelings screamed for attention, which made him wish he could just strip his entire skin off. He figured his species' rapid wound healing and strong immune system had prevented his wounds from becoming infected, for the resulting fever would have sped up his demise to the point where he would not be alive anymore.
Le'tan appeared to do marginally better, smudges of blood from his removed left ear still covering the side of his face, washed away by the sweat that poured out of their dehydrated bodies in little streams. What he did not quite understand was why they had been given water twice a day. His direct question had remained unanswered, making him fear the givers had received orders to prolong their suffering. It was not enough to satisfy his growling stomach, though he hadn't dared to ask for more than the water they were given.
Running his parched tongue over his cracked lips, they felt and tasted like they were bleeding, the saliva in his mouth feeling thick and stringy when attempting to speak, his dry throat causing his hoarse voice to bear much resemblance to that of an old man.
"As you might expect, I was never bothered again after that fight." Everyone had witnessed what he was capable of when he lost his temper, which he did have, as became painfully clear that day, though outgrowing most other students at that school also had something to do with it. "I gave Yimeh quite a scare that day too. Poor girl. I can't remember yelling at her before or after that time, and I was punished for mentioning Wyr'Mo'Gwi. Faeyra-Estaria suffered another attack on the same day. I remember watching the aftermath on TV that evening, and apologizing to Yimeh. It was terrible."
Taking a weary breath, his legs wobbling while trying to find a position that was less uncomfortable, if only for as long as it lasted, he hung his head. Over the tall hedges that surrounded the square patch of grass where they had been tied up came the sounds of a lively community preparing for the evening meal. He was not surprised that Le'tan's community, despite being fully committed to Wyr'Mo'Gwi's cause, still behaved like any other did. Apart from the high level of alertness and grueling physical training, they continued to be a huge family where traditional values dominated their lives.
"I got suspended, of course," he continued in his hoarse tone of voice. "But only for three days. And there was a talk between the teachers and mine and that boy's parents." Shaking his head he scoffed. "If only things were that simple around here."
Le'tan sighed. It was an exasperated sigh and he could sense his friend and crewman's desperation, which was getting to him more and more, the look of defeat on Le'tan's face adding to it. His dulled eyes still had that blind man's look, but instead of giving in to despair they talked each other through the day, despite the effort it cost to speak.
"How did things get so out of hand?" Le'tan asked aloud. "Look at what's become of our people. I don't-" A dry percussive cough interrupted him, his whole body spasming during his attempts to get rid of it. Taking a wheezing breath he recovered, grimacing in disgust as he smacked his dry lips. "Throat," he grunted. "What I wanted to say is, I don't believe what they said about what happened to Urwha. I think he was removed from his position as abwot by force. He never would have approved any of this. Urwha did have a strong opinion about human colonialism but he was a peace-loving man. He never would have resorted to the kind of violence Solbrecht has seen over the past few solar cycles."
"And you think Nenaii would? I'm still not sure what to make of her."
If anything, he had greatly overestimated her and her ghisvehts' willingness to listen to reason and consider an alternative solution. He had come across several people like her in his life, and they were all willing to fight for their cause to the better end. The only thing that differed was how much they were willing to sacrifice. He had not quite been able to estimate how Nenaii ranked on that scale between nothing and everything.
"Me neither. But the fact remains Raeth, that she admits to being a member of Wyr'Mo'Gwi. They only have one goal and they will stop at nothing to achieve it."
"I'm with you on that. Is it time for our water yet?" he groaned.
"Won't take much longer, I hope."
"You think they're gonna let us die?"
"Hangings are pretty final," Le'tan answered with a sigh. "In your absence I tried to convince Nenaii that letting us go would be the better option but she wouldn't listen."
The hedges near the entrance rustled and he watched Le'tan's remaining ear perk at the sound of approaching footsteps. A reserved smile dared to show itself on his face.
"Must be our water."
(I think this piece fits this scene so incredibly well. Blade Runner 2049 has an amazing soundtrack and it's one of my personal favorites.) Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch - Blade Runner 2049 - Rain: youtube /watch?v=D9OhQVuupdY
It was in the early morning, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of gray, that Raeth awoke from a restless slumber. Disoriented, with a stomach that felt like it had started digesting itself, the snatches of disturbing dreams that involved losing everyone he held dear to an unstoppable horde of those he found himself in the middle of, echoed through his mind. It wasn't even that farfetched, or so he thought. The same thoughts had haunted him from the moment of his and Le'tan's arrival at this place.
That Wyr'Mo'Gwi wanted to rid Solbrecht of every single human was evident. But what about the many Mantrins who had gotten used to life in the cities? Were they supposed to abandon their modern lives for traditional values? Go back to how it was? What of those who refused?
If Nenaii considered him a traitor to his own kind because of associating himself with humans, then the same applied to all of those who did. Were they going to receive punishment before forced reintegration into the traditional communities all over Solbrecht?
In his career he had come across the occasional situation where negotiating a solution between two opposing parties had fallen onto his shoulders, the outcome not always as satisfactory as intended. With a galaxy as treacherous as the one up above, his personal list of disappointing performances was almost as long as the one of hard-earned victories, though when it came to the former, this had to be his crowning achievement.
But it wasn't the dream of his failure that had woken him from what could barely be called sleep. Or the stench of urine that stained his poetyo and turned the strips of cloth around his bottom into a sticky mess. Or his whole body aching and itching in various ways, due to the way he was still tied up and the mosquitos which had once again been feasting on his blood. It were the thick droplets of water falling from the sky that made him squint as they turned into a lukewarm shower.
Due to the almost complete absence of wind, the calming rush of the intensifying downpour falling on the grass, the hedges, the trees and the roofs of the community's houses was the only sound of significance. As the droplets streamed down his face, running over his cracked lips, he started to lick at them, attempting to collect the precious drops of moisture into his dry mouth, while Solbrecht's tears washed the remaining blood and filth off of his tortured body.
At least that was the analogy that formed into his mind as he watched the rain form small puddles in the grass around his feet. This was Solbrecht herself, crying for what had become of her people, pouring her heart out at all the blood that had already been spilled on her soil.
It also reminded him of that shower he took in the morning right before leaving the home of his parents. How determined he was at the time to put a stop to all the violence. How similar the sound of the falling droplets and their soothing effect on his flaking skin was to that brief shower. Turning his head to the left, he watched Le'tan hanging motionless on his ropes, the only sign that he was still among the living being the occasional twitch of his remaining ear.
"Le'tan," he croaked, the prickly feeling in his throat making him cough once.
Doing his best to raise his voice, his second attempt to wake his companion startled him awake. With a loud grunt Le'tan shook his head, confused by his discovery of the water that fell from the sky and its rejuvenating effect.
"What? What's-"
He too began to lick at the water that ran across his face in little streams and combined at the tip of his muzzle. A single bright flash coming from behind lit up the grass and hedges around them, a mere two ticks before Solbrecht's anger cracked through the air like a series of cannon shots. Closing his eyes, Raeth directed his muzzle up at the sky as her mighty voice echoed in his empty stomach while her tears continued to wash his face.
As much as he wanted to roar back at her, infuriated by his inability to act, he did not have the strength to do so, saving it instead by savoring the calming effect of the rain as he let it wash away those feelings. He was the commanding officer of one of the Imperial Guard's mighty starships. The least he could do was face whatever was still to come with some dignity.
When the first rays of an early morning sun pierced through the cloud cover to reduce the intense shower to a mere drizzle, the humidity threatening to be of much more concern than the heat of day, the sounds of the village waking up reached his ears. The sound of approaching footsteps, heavy and sopping wet on the short grass, caught his more immediate attention, completing his surprise as their owner showed herself. After all, there was only one person in the whole community who wore a red flower on her left breast.
Nenaii's slanted almond-shaped eyes with their warm amber color pierced into his as she let her gaze drift from him to Le'tan and back. Balancing on her enormous legs as she positioned herself in front of him, the large Sogowan Mantrinesse shook her head as she clacked her tongue, lowering her long narrow ears to a slight degree. A frustrated snort left her nostrils as she crossed her arms over her chest, careful not to crush the delicate flower that remained visible above her arm, her long muscular tail swishing with slow powerful movements.
"You idiot," she said with enough venom to make him wonder if she had swallowed a no'ciht. "You're both idiots."
"Good morning to you too," Raeth said in a laconic way, trying to guess the reason for her frustration.
Last night he and Le'tan had come to the mutual assumption that Nenaii wasn't even a bad person. Even in her position as abwot there was very little she could do about his' and Le'tan's situation, despite all their good intentions, without angering her own people and quite possibly receiving severe punishment if she tried. To be in a position of power while being utterly powerless. That had to be it.
"I've considered what you said. Even lost sleep over it! But my hands are as tied as yours. It is my first and foremost job to protect my people. I can only do that when I'm abwot. I don't want to see them get hurt either, but they have lost too much already. We can't back down and we won't. They would never accept it. My ghisvehts would hang me if I even considered it."
The more she talked, the harder she bit down on her molars, a distant sadness pooling up in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, revealing most of her teeth in a painful grimace, she averted her gaze with an angry hiss.
"He was so young. The fire of our cause burned so bright inside of him. Insisted on taking part in the protests. The police they- My mate tried to-" With her voice raised to the level of a shout, she directed the full brunt of her anger at the one who happened to stand closest to her. "I had to give the body of my own son back to Solbrecht. They shot him in front of my own eyes. Do you know how that felt?!"
Without saying a word, Raeth had listened to this woman's pain, for he doubted there was anything he could do or say to ease it. She was a child of Solbrecht in hearts and soul, yet paid an incredible price for her loyalty. Nenaii lost everything that their people deemed most valuable in life: her family.
He pitied her, yet her bulging biceps, balled fists and the drop of blood that left one of her nostrils made him refrain from showing so much as a glimpse, for she was not the type of person who would react appreciative to it. If anything she would introduce him to the sharpness of her claws, or so he feared. Ignoring his own needs and wants, no matter how much they screamed for attention, he answered her in a calm tone of voice.
"I cannot say I do and I'm sorry you had to go through that. I would not wish it upon anyone to experience that pain, for I am a parent as well."
"You never should've come here, you fool!" Nenaii spat.
Water splattered around her foot as she stomped into one of the small puddles that had formed on the dry soil between the grass. Impervious to the stench hanging around him, which was impressive given the fact that it was even hard for him to ignore despite the rain, she looked him straight in the eyes.
"When will it end?" He chuckled at her comeback from her decision to stand that close. "Forgive me for not maintaining my usual hygiene standards." When she did not react he continued. "How much more suffering do we all need to endure? How many more innocent people will die needlessly? For what you're proposing is all out war."
"And how many more of our people will suffer if we do nothing? Answer me this, Raeth. Why can't the humans just respect our wishes and leave?"
She did have a point there. The modern world was more than aware that it was Wyr'Mo'Gwi's goal to remove the human presence from Solbrecht entirely. How they were going to deal with the adapted part of their own people was anyone's guess.
"Many of them were born here," he answered, keeping his calm tone of voice, being very careful with his choice of words. "To them, Solbrecht is their home too."
"Even now you're still worried about what will become of them when we will force them to leave. But what will become of us if we do nothing? Us Raeth. More humans will come. More cities will be built. More of our lands will be utterly lifeless because of their insatiable greed."
It was then that Nenaii finally became aware of the blood oozing from her nose. Touching the back of her index finger to the tiny stream of droplets falling into one of the puddles between her legs, she grunted at the sight of her own blood, her ears lowering as she frowned.
"Not to mention things like this. We haven't seen the last of that wretched veat uya. It even spread into one of the nearby cities."
"Are you ill?"
"We got lucky," she growled, tossing him an angry glare. "We were spared the first wave. But it came back in milder forms. With different symptoms and different lasting effects. I survived, but I keep getting these damned bloody noses. I know I shouldn't, but I get so worked up over this and it's making it worse." Nenaii heaved a derisive sigh, that sadness from before returning to her eyes when she looked at him as she continued to dab her nose with her finger. "Why? Why would you want to protect their way of life that many of us have become so addicted to? The needless consumerism that is damaging our planet. The inequality that makes everyone work for a small wealthy minority until they drop just to have a roof over their heads while they could have all their basic needs fulfilled if they would just come back to how it used to be." She scoffed. "Did you… did you know there used to be no word for 'poverty' in Preidogian before the humans came to our world?"
"I… admit there are some tough challenges that modern Solbrecht will need to overcome," Raeth admitted. "They're gonna need some more time for that."
Nenaii shook her head, the corners of her beak curving upwards.
"I don't believe you're a bad person, Raeth. Within you I sense a great amount of commitment and loyalty for what you believe is right. In fact, I could use you on our side."
Did he hear that right? Was Nenaii offering him a way out of this mess by recruiting him? Making him a member of the most fearsome guerilla organization of Solbrecht? She had earned his respect, even though it struck him as odd. They were very much alike in one way. Polar opposites, but with the same unrelenting loyalty to their own cause. He could therefore not accept her offer.
"I cannot in good conscience commit to your cause, knowing what is going to happen."
Nenaii smiled and hummed in approval nonetheless
"A pity really, though I had to try. I would've loved to have you join our ranks, though you've earned a few more points of my respect for staying loyal to your own beliefs, no matter how wrong they are."
"There will be many victims on both sides of this conflict. I refuse to contribute to that in any way."
"I handle with the best interest of my people up front. Believe me when I say that if there was any other path that doesn't involve violence I would've walked it. But maybe if this were Sogowa Prime we would've walked it together."
"Just… who are you really?"
"Do not assume I don't know anything about the Forgotten Past," she said in a warning tone while slowly shaking her head. "The time of the Imperium. Our people had forsaken our beliefs and failed to protect their planet once. We will not let that happen again. Solbrecht will not suffer the same fate as Mantra, and therefore they will need to return to our ways."
Turning halfway in the direction of the exit, she looked over her shoulder one more time before leaving, her ears lowering in disappointment.
"I wish I could set you free, but I can't."
"What did you do to Urwha?" Le'tan hadn't made so much as a single sound during their whole conversation, nor had Nenaii paid any particular attention to him. She had turned her back on them and was but a few steps away from the exit when his accusing tone of voice made her long ears perk upwards, her eyes narrowing to slits as she halted on the spot and tossed a glare over her shoulder. "What did you do to him?" Le'tan asked again through clenched teeth.
"I told you," Nenaii replied without much emotion. "Urwha got old. He could no longer lead his people. We returned his body to Solbrecht with the utmost respect. I led the ceremony myself."
"I don't believe you," Le'tan grunted, the words coated as if with a deadly poison. "Urwha had the kindest hearts. He never would've approved any of this. Admit it. You got rid of him because he got in the way."
"Le'tan," Raeth warned.
He understood his friend's anger, but his accusations were based on speculation. And the best way to displease Nenaii seemed to be accusing her of disregard for her own people's wellbeing.
"How dare you?" she hissed, her toe claws turning up little bits of grass and soil when she returned to them with threatening steps and a whipping tail, looming over Le'tan at less than half a step of distance. "You, a runner and a traitor, and you dare to call me a liar?"
Straightening his back with the last of his strength, Le'tan still had to look up to make eye contact, yet he did, with eyes that glowed with the same intensity as Solbrecht's midsummer sun.
"How come his oldest son did not follow in his footsteps then? In fact, I didn't see any members of his family in your circle when we arrived."
"Okaht renounced his ghisveht status and named me his erseh's successor."
"Now why would he do that?"
"Because he saw what veat uya did to those he loved! Because he understood what needed to be done for our people. None of this is any longer your concern and I doubt it ever was, but I offered him my guidance if he would take on his erseh's role within this community and commit to our cause. But he refused and instead asked me to lead us. So, I did."
Le'tan's continued to meet with Nenaii's bared fangs and unsheathed claws with a cynical look in his eyes. It was his turn, yet he seemed at a loss for words. He had no proof that whatever Nenaii said was a lie. The only one who could provide that proof would be Urwha's son, but Raeth doubted they would ever get to speak to him even if he asked.
"Here they are."
If he hadn't been focused on Nenaii's threatening stance and seething tone, he would've noticed the new visitors sooner. A total of four Mantrins entered the secluded square. Two of them were Nenaii's subordinates, escorting two others he hadn't seen before. One was a larger than average Orkeht male, the other a Sogowan Mantrinesse.
The rain hadn't stopped them from making whatever journey it was that brought them here, their poetyo soaking wet, their skin glittering with droplets. Estimating their age, he didn't guess them older than being mid-teens. That did not withhold the Orkeht from carrying a small longbow over his shoulder. The girl was unarmed, yet when her sharp triangular eyes pierced into his for a second, he felt she was not to be trifled with and did not need the extra security of a weapon.
"What in the name of-" Nenaii, who hadn't seen them coming, turned around with an irritated grunt upon hearing the sound of voices and tossed them a poisonous look. As recognition struck her face, her voice trailed off into a much softer tone. "Oh, it's you."
"Yeah, it's us," the Orkeht grunted with a snort. "Who're they? And why are they prisoners?"
Straightening her back at the use of such a demanding tone on her own turf, Nenaii left Le'tan for what he was to confront the two, using her size to her advantage. Flaring her nostrils she blocked the Orkeht's view, her subordinates taking a step back, although the two strangers did not move a muscle.
"The one missing an ear is a runner who left our midst many seasons ago. The other is his friend from the city."
"Then why are they here?" the Orkeht asked, his gray eyes narrowed to slits.
"According to their own words, they came here to negotiate some kind of truce. They want to put a stop to our conflict with the humans. It was, however, made very clear to them that as long as the humans are here and destroying and contaminating our lands, we will not back down."
"Are you sure that's the only reason? They could be spies and should've been executed immediately. But since they're still alive and your interrogations appear to have been unsuccessful, maybe we should take them with us."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Nenaii scoffed, finding herself unable to suppress a chuckle.
"You? Take them?"
"What? They barely seem capable of walking, let alone running," the Orkeht bit back in annoyance at her mocking tone of voice.
"Who told you we were keeping prisoners anyway?"
"Maylii did."
Nenaii snorted.
"Maylii. I'm gonna kill that little bitch."
"Remember whose side you're on, Nenaii," the Orkeht warned. "It's either us or them."
With a frustrated growl Nenaii looked over her shoulder. During their conversation Raeth had listened to every word being said with curious intent. It was the complete silence of the Sogowan girl and her cold calculating glare which gave her an aura of maturity that caught his attention. Then there was the growing feeling that he had seen her before.
"Fine. You take them."
Summoning her subordinates with a snap of her fingers, Nenaii turned around to face him and Le'tan for one last time. Throwing them a look of what appeared like remorse, like she just condemned them to a fate worse than hanging did not bode well. Not that it mattered considering she was going to let them die anyway. Or was she? The arrival of these two crushed any hopes of finding out.
As his captors removed the ropes around his chafed ankles and bleeding wrists, releasing him from the only anchors that held up his body in a disgraceful stance for an unbearable time, Raeth felt his legs wobble for a tick before giving way.
Crashing down on his knees, water from one of the puddles splashing into his face as he caught his torso with his elbows, he panted hoarsely at the near-complete lack of strength in his once so proud form. Looking up into the triangular eyes of the girl as she glared down her muzzle, he could not detect so much as a glimpse of sympathy.
"Get up," she said harshly, her youthful voice having a bitter quality that did not fit someone her age.
Le'tan didn't fare much better, hitting the grass in a similar fashion, sounding out of breath from the moment of deceptive freedom. With a loud grunt, Raeth tried to make his muscles obey the commands given by the girl and his own mind. This started by sitting upright on his knees, until his legs at least started to feel capable like they could carry a fraction of his weight.
Their new captors certainly weren't going to carry them and seemed interested in taking them alive, so in his thoughts he thanked them for not using other methods to get them back on their feet, except patience. It was in short supply though, the evidence coming from their repeated commands and frustrated sighs.
Their wrists once again wrapped with ropes, this time to keep them together, he and Le'tan stood in front of the group of five on quaking legs about a millicycle later, still trying to catch their breath while being studied like alien specimens. Their imprisonment and treatment had that effect, the disgust that showed on their faces not being misplaced, though he was already past the point of feeling shame or humiliation.
"Hmm," the Orkeht hummed. "If they have anything more to hide, Eleisyn will make them talk."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Nenaii mocked. "You actually put a nutcase in charge of punishment."
"You better watch your tone, Nenaii," the Orkeht warned.
"Or what, you little vymi dropping?" she snarled, as they took their distance while he and his partner commenced to lead their new prisoners. "We've got our own nutcase though. You already met her. We just don't leave her in charge of anything."
Ignoring her, the Orkeht removed his longbow from his back, loaded an arrow on its string and pointed with the tip of the projectile in the direction of the exit.
"C'mon walk," he ordered, before signaling his companion. "Lead the way."
Taking his first steps toward the exit, Raeth halted one more time to look into Nenaii's amber-colored eyes as he was about to pass her. Little emotion distorted her youthful features, yet her ears lowered to a more horizontal position and it were her eyes that betrayed her true feelings at this point.
"Remember this one thing," he began. "I have family living in Faeyra-Estaria. I am here for them. Can you guarantee they will remain unharmed in the coming storm? That's why I tried to put a stop to it. Because there are millions of others who feel the same way."
When she did not respond nor looked the other way, and he was once more ordered to move, he did so with slow steps.
"Stith."
Nenaii's voice captured the attention of the girl before she disappeared behind the hedges, as well as his own, finally confirming his suspicions. It was her! The girl from the news article Yimeh showed him. The uncommon name. Her current age. The time between her reported disappearance and this moment. She had been captured by Wyr'Mo'Gwi and was still alive, standing right in front of him. Flicking an ear, the annoyed, questioning look on her face was copied in her voice.
"Yeah?"
"Tell… tell Kiryee I said hi."
In the few ticks it took her to respond, something that resembled a smile showed itself on her face for the first time.
"I will."
Despite his brain working at only a fraction of its capacity, Raeth still did his best to figure a way out of their newest predicament. What should've been a short walk to the edge of the forest, was a stumbling gait for one half of the group of four. The clumsy way his and Le'tan's once so strong legs moved due to the general lack of strength was to blame, becoming the main reason for the irritated looks and derisive snorts of their captors before they even crossed the community's outer border.
Meanwhile, the people around them, going about their business, children of different ages being taught in groups by older adults, barely deigned to look at the two near-zombies passing them like prisoners on death row walking their final steps.
After crossing the rim of ground left fallow around the border, the surrounding forest swallowed them like a hungry beast, while also providing cover against the increasing heat of day. The effect was too strong for his liking on his and Le'tan's weakened bodies. The coolness under the thick roof of leaves made a series of shivers crawl all over his skin, the sounds of the community beginning to fade behind them as they followed the girl named Stith, and were chased along by her male companion with his longbow. Their growling stomachs were audible above the sounds of the forest around them and although he had tried his best to get some water into his mouth, the small downpour had been far from enough to replenish the fluids his dehydrated body had lost in the past two days.
He had been keeping as close an eye on their captors as they on them, the Orkeht keeping more than enough distance to fire a shot before he could turn around to try and overpower him, if he even had the strength for that. Stith tossed a glance over her shoulder at regular intervals, following what appeared like a primitive trail winding between the trees. The only thing that made it as such was the churned up soil under their feet. Messengers often used the same routes between communities, their toe claws responsible for creating natural paths during their short journeys.
"Ugh, you both stink," the Orkeht grumbled. "I can smell you even at this distance."
Ignoring the additional snide remarks that followed, Raeth began to fear they only had one more chance to do something about their current situation. It was a long shot, but the Mantrin trailing them had already taken the word execution into his mouth and mentioned that it should have been done already.
"Le'tan," he whispered. Stith's ears perked up at the sound of his voice, indicating she had heard his attempt to communicate yet she did not respond in any other way. From the corner of his eye, he noticed he had Le'tan's attention, for instead of looking down at the ground, he lifted his chin. "I'm gonna try and talk to her. Back me up."
"No talk!" the Orkeht snarled.
Le'tan's confirmation was a soft grunt. They were running out of options and the closer they got to wherever it was that they were taking them, the more he was overcome by the unsettling feeling that they were indeed headed for certain death, most likely preceded by more torture.
"Stith." Calling her by her name stopped her dead in her tracks and everyone else with it. Using a calm neutral tone on purpose, not sure how she would react, she seemed surprised at first. Turning around on the spot, he met with a gruff expression on her young face.
He could not imagine what she had been through. Losing her parents. Being unwillingly recruited into Wyr'Mo'Gwi. Adapting to a wildly different life than what she was used to. He suspected it were a few of the causes for the bitterness he felt radiating from her. "Your name. It's Stith, right?"
He watched her take a breath, her chest rising and falling as she blew the air out of her nostrils, a few teeth showing around the edges of her muzzle. Balancing on her legs, she adopted a wait-and-see attitude while resting her muscular arms on her thighs.
"Yeah," she grunted. "What's it to you?"
"My name is Raeth. I grew up in one of the cities, like you."
"Stith, ignore him," her partner ordered. "Now move it!"
"Wait," she bit back, her triangular eyes glittering with a kind of fury that was again unbefitting of someone her age. Directing her glare back at him in a questioning manner, she flattened an ear, as if daring him to explain herself. Taking a weary breath, he looked straight into her eyes, spotting something he could not quite place. If he had to describe it, it would be a combination of anger, hatred, bitterness, covering up a deep sense of loss and grief that no child her age should've gone through already.
"What happened to you… should never have taken place."
"Well, it did," she said harshly. "And here I am."
"I doesn't have to be that way. You have an erseh back in the city."
"You think I don't know that?" she spat.
"Then why not come with us?"
"Stith, move! Don't let him tempt you."
"Shaddup Kaer'u!"
The Orkeht, apparently named Kaer'u, left his rearguard position and sped toward her in a fit of hot-temperedness. It seemed however that he had met his match.
"You're gonna get punished when I tell Lupit about this."
With a surprising speed and agility Kaer'u met with Stith's fury, finding himself rammed with his back against the nearest tree and losing his longbow and arrow in the process. The quiver on his back caused additional discomfort, his face contorting in a painful grimace. With his hands still tied, Raeth figured that trying to take the weapon was pointless, though he never would have guessed that a simple exchange of names could have this effect. He was interested to see how it would play out.
"Not if I kill you right here and now," she snarled in Kaer'u's face. "I'm certain I can get away with it. I'll tell you tried to run. I know for a fact that you were caught once trying to plot your own escape."
"You wouldn't dare," Kaer'u growled through clenched teeth, unable to struggle free of her merciless grip.
"Don't tempt me," she hissed back.
"Fine. Suit yourself. Now get off me!"
He was only able to wriggle himself free because she allowed him too, being taller and more powerfully built than her companion. Picking up his fallen longbow and arrow, Kaer'u bit through the discomfort and assumed a guarding position behind her, while she was once again focused on their prisoners. It was the incredulous look she gave him that made Raeth wonder if she even wanted to go back to the modern world.
"Why not?" he repeated.
"Because I can't!" she snarled. "I did go back once. There's nothing left for me to go back to."
"What about your erseh?"
"They'll kill us both. And there are things I need to take care of. You have no idea what you just got into. No idea what's at stake. I have seen what the human weapons can do. I'm doing my own very best to keep the few people that I still give a fuck about from getting killed!" She snorted, angrily digging her toe claws into the soft soil, her tail lashing. "And I don't need your help, or your pity!"
Now it was his time to hold his silence in surprise. She seemed clever, and she had to be if she had managed to survive this long. She also appeared to possess detailed knowledge about what was going on outside her community. Despite her misfortune, she had adapted to this new life, and after many seasons and an escalating conflict with the human colonists, she was still trying to make the best of it.
"I… I underst-"
"Go!" she interrupted him, pointing to her left. "If you go in that direction, you'll run into a river that will take you back to your city."
"Stith! You can't do that!" Kaer'u protested.
Instead he received another one of her poisonous glares.
"Just go, and never show your face in these woods again!"
At first he hesitated, frozen in astonishment like Le'tan. Until his feet began to carry him away with slow steps like they had a mind of their own. Away from torture and death. Back to safety. Back to family and friends and a life so very different from that of these people who were now fighting for their own survival.
"How are we gonna explain this, huh? Have you thought about that?" he heard Kaer'u shout.
Still trying to come to terms with their unexpected freedom, he and Le'tan continued to let their feet carry them closer to true salvation before their former captors changed their minds.
"I refuse to be responsible for the death of more of our people!"
"We are going to be dead if they find out!"
"Then figure something out!"
"I can't believe that worked," Le'tan panted as Stith and Kaer'u's voices began to fade in the distance. "Do you know her?"
Looking at his crewman, he decided to get rid of the ropes around each other's wrists as soon as they were out of hearing range. It would help them regain a little more balance and increase their chances of survival.
"In some way, I do."
Disclaimer: Lupit, Kiryee and Eleisyn are characters created by Tiarhlu for his story Lachrimae.