Chapter 14
A/N: Don't ask me why I've not updated for so long. THE STUPID COMPUTER BROKE! Okay, really sorry about that. Promise I'll update more often in future… :p
Disclaimer: I do not own any of KA's characters.
Claimer: all the never before seen characters are mine. Kelbrids - half mine.
Lital coplur, they said. Lital coplur.
It's meaning!
(Guarding outside.)
(Huh?)
(It means guarding outside!) came Istram's exasperated reply. (I am getting tired of being our personal translator.)
We were sitting on a large smoothed out lump of a rock in a corner of the room. Istram said the rock was supposedly our very own specially created bed, since kelbrids slept on perches. Well, thank you very much; I am so touched by your generosity. Not to mention our private room which is locked on the outside.
At least this cave had "what you humans call a toilet", as Istram had put it.
We had explored the cave earlier on, not that there was mach to see. The tunnel leading away was to the toilet. In the toilet, there was a depression up to my knees in the centre of the circular room. Apparently, the kelbrids seemed to like circular rooms, for all the rooms we've been to had been circular.
The taps to the shower were mind controlled, and the simple word "fulae"- meaning flow - would send reddish water gushing out of a small hole in the ceiling. "cheeran" – meaning stop – would halt the flow of water.
At first, I was rather apprehensive about bathing in some funny coloured water, but Istram assured me it was just the minerals in the rocks that gave the water its reddish hue. The water tasted strange; I found that out when some of it got into my mouth. Somehow, it reminded me of burnt chicken.
In the main cave, there was only our "bed", which was against a wall, and a small, shallow indent on the wall directly opposite our "bed". I thought the rectangular hole in the wall was to serve as a shelf, and Istram confirmed it.
So there we were, sitting on that miserable excuse of a bed and feeling extremely bored. Eventually though, we manage to catch up on our sleep.
The next day, we woke to the faces of our two kelbrids guards peering over us. We started, and they retreated hastily. Then, one of them handed us a hunk of something which looked like meat.
Istram inspected it, and then exclaimed (Thank goodness this meat is cooked, because I do not think your weak human body can digest it raw. Fire is a sacred element to the kelbrids, and it is seldom used. You should be really thankful they bothered to cook the meat.)
(Hmm… really?)
We accepted the huge piece of meat, which was speared on the kelbrid's sharp hands. The kelbrid then gestured for us to stand up, and said "chupo."
(That means 'come', right?) I asked.
(Your memory seems to be improving,) Istram told me dryly, as got up and followed the kelbrids.
Eating as we walked to the Room of the Kelbrids, I found the meat surprisingly delicious, even though it was slightly tough.
(What is this meat?)
(It comes from one of the few living creatures on this world, the staple food of the kelbrids. It is a small, brown and furry animal, with poor eyesight but acute hearing. It has an extremely long tail, which could strangle a kelbrid, unless it is caught by its tail, rendering it helpless.)
(What about the name of that species?)
(Hmm… it's quite long, and I think it is… cap… Capri…Oh forget it. I can't seem to remember its name,) Istram said.
(Never mind. It doesn't really matter anyway. I say, this meat is really filling. There's still about… a quarter left of it, and already my stomach is filled up,) I commented, as we chewed it.
(Better finish it. The next meal you will get is what you humans call 'dinner',) Istram advised.
(What!)
(As you've said, it is filling, so it will last you until dinner! Kelbrids eat the whole animal, which can last them three days.)
I was suddenly reminded of the feed-every-three-days-or-starve yeerk routine.
(Would it help if I told you they would only feel hunger pangs after four days, and then only start starving after five days?) Istram asked.
I grunted mentally in reply.
In front of us, our kelbrid guard suddenly stopped, and we almost crashed into him. Not paying attention, we were.
Once again, we were led into the huge Room of the Kelbrids. This time, only Jake was there and the others had not yet arrived. The same could also be said for the kelbrids. There were only a hand full of them flying about, and even fewer sitting were in the alcoves.
Apparently, for the first time, we were early.
After a while, more kelbrids began to fill in, and the other animorphs arrived. Soon, the room was packed again, filled with kelbrids eager to know what punishment would be bestowed on us. Too bad they didn't know we would go off scot-free.
Calee entered the room.
Kelbrids all over fell silent in respect. Calee nodded to them, and then headed for the platform where Trale and Baine were already seated.
Trale stood up, and said grudgingly "we have decided. They will not be punished, since-"
The rest of his sentence was lost in the immediate uproar that followed. Kelbrids left their alcoves in extreme indignation and flew all over the room, their wing beats making the din worse.
Obviously, the kelbrids were not happy. Some had landed near us, but thankfully made no move to advance. Most of the kelbrids were screeching to their neighbour, probably complaining. Calee, Trale and Baine were trying to calm them down, but Trale had a satisfied look on his face, which made me very suspicious.
Suddenly, there was an extra loud scream in the air above us. The animorphs and us looked up, and to our horror, a group of kelbrids were swooping down at us, their cruel talons opened wide, with murderous glints in their eyes.
A/N: finally! Next chapter should be more interesting… oh, answers to the questions will be answered in the next chp. It's a promise. Just hope I can update earlier… now, can you review:p
