It had not taken long for runners to be recruited from the village. Each of the youths volunteered when it became known that the Shaman needed someone to take messages and guide others back. So it was surprising to them that they had not yet been dispatched, and were instead standing outside of the Shaman's house while another group, led by the apprentice Soru, went to where many knew a Lupar camp was supposed to be. To do what, no one knew, though stories began to circulate of strange noises from the east, towards the Lupar cities. Of course, it was always the friend of a friend, talking about things that could barely be heard. But when coupled with a request from the Shaman, it looked strange indeed.
It was late in the day when the scouting party came back. Forbasa had dismissed the four messengers when it became clear that the scouts would be longer than anticipated. Now Soru and the other two young males who had gone with him now came back. But they did not come back empty handed.
The villagers coming back from their day at work gave the party a wide berth as the young gatón manhandled a large bundle between them. Their passage through the village raised enough of a commotion that Forbasa and Alexis came out to meet them as they arrived at the house in the center of town.
Alexis noticed that the villagers' tails were all hanging low, as if wary of something. She saw it too, in their eyes and in the body language of Soru and his two companions. A few seconds later, she saw why, as the three lay down the bundle they were carrying.
It was a Lupar, and obviously a soldier from the encampment. His wolf-muzzle face was somewhat obscured by the helmet that covered his head, though it left spaces for his large ears. His clothing was brown leather armor and a blue sash that normally would have been tied around his chest to hold up his sword scabbard. It now was tied tightly around his leg to form a tourniquet against any blood loss from a nasty wound on his upper leg. His pants and the sash were stained with mud and blood.
It was clear to Alexis that this was one of the men who had faced the giant the night before. She guessed, accurately, that this was one of the ones hit by the stuttering streams of light. She looked up as Forbasa asked, "Where did you find him?"
Soru responded. "He was just in the woods. He apparently crawled there from... Where his friends fell." Soru and the two other young gatón looked down at that, their expressions clearly showing Alexis that she truly hadn't imagined the terrifying events.
Forbasa spoke again. "Take him inside." And he turned to walk into his house, with three carriers and Alexis following. The other villagers who had gathered around to look at the new curiosity were knowledgeable enough to not try to follow or to bother the Shaman at a time like this. However, like all sentient persons, they began to talk about what was going on.
Inside, Forbasa indicated to the three young men to lay the Lupar on a couch normally reserved for those waiting to talk to the Shaman. The young men were gentle as they set the lupar on the couch, despite the fact that they had to be extremely tired from carrying the heavy man for so long. Their exhaustion finally showed on their faces, now that they didn't have to present an impassive mien for themselves and others. Soru did this without any other emotion, but the other two gatón showed some embarrassment, since they were in the house of the Shaman.
Forbasa ignored them, for the moment, as he quickly examined the lupar now dirtying up his house. He didn't care about that, however, but rather cared for the life of the young person in front of him. For a shaman was also a village's doctor, as well as wise man and religious leader. He quickly determined that the wound was created by something puncturing the skin at a fast rate, most likely an arrow. Yet there is no shaft sticking out... "Did you do anything to this man, besides carrying him here?" Forbasa asked of Soru.
Soru shook his head. "No, shaman. We made sure that his tourniquet wouldn't come loose, but that's it." He said for his companions, who simply tried to relax a bit. However, there was something more in their eyes than exhaustion. Alexis saw it for what she knew her eyes must've shown; fear. Fear at something that they couldn't explain.
Forbasa had seen it too, but he had a patient to attend to. He told Soru to get a bucket of water and some soap, while he looked more closely at the wound. It was horrible to look at, but he detached his emotions while he examined the lupar's leg. Apparently, whatever had done this damage was no arrow, yet it looked much like an arrow wound. Forbasa had seen those before, and messy as they were, this looked both better and worse. It looked better in that the wound had none of the typical shards of stone or metal or wood that came from the arrow when it hit flesh, and indeed, there was no arrow to worry about puling out. What made it worse was that the wound went through the entire leg, and so it needed to be taken care of at both ends.
Soru came in just then with the bucket and soap. Forbasa washed his hands and went to work, cleaning the wound and bandaging it, adding in some medicinal herbs he had Alexis bring him from the nearby shelves. After he was done, he motioned for all of them to move into the kitchen, so as to not disturb their guest.
"Soru, you, Jahni and Fayet did well to bring him back. Especially as young as you are." Forbasa said. His words had their intended effect, and the three youths became a bit calmer and even a bit proud. "Now, tell me, what else did you see at the place that Alexis spoke of?"
It was almost like Soru had been lightly slapped as he unconsciously tried to ignore his memories. He recovered quickly, though, and spoke. "Shaman, it was nothing I've seen or heard of before." He looked at Alexis and continued. "You were right, Alexis, in that there was an army encampment there. But no longer, for the tents and wagons have been burned, and many lupar bodies lay strewn about the ground." Soru paused, his eyes showing more fear now, though he had to continue his report. "Many more were where Alexis said they would be, about halfway to the ridge from the camp. They were burned as she said, shaman, and they looked like no ordinary burns."
"What do you mean?" Asked Forbasa.
"Shaman, it looked- It seemed as if their flesh had been consumed so rapidly as to not have even had a chance to melt their armor more than a little bit. Many of them had-" He choked for a minute, seeming to come to a full realization of the sights he'd been sent to report on. "Many had almost no flesh at all, just bones and metal melted onto their skeletons." At this last statement, he lowered his head, as did the two youths, Jahni and Fayet. They, too, seemed like their experience was finally catching up to their consciousness.
Alexis, feeling for them, decided to steer the conversation away from the dead bodies. "The sphere I told you of, was it still there? Was the Giant around?"
Soru and the others looked up at that; no one was supposed to ask questions in the shaman's home save the shaman or anyone who asked permission first. But Soru answered when he noticed that Forbasa cared not a whit at the breach of manners. "No. We saw no such thing as a large sphere, though where you said it had been, we saw that the ground had been charred black, as if by some evil source."
"Or as if a fire scorched the ground." Said Jahni, adding his own view to that of Soru's.
Forbasa nodded. "Yes, indeed. Did you see anything else of import?"
Soru nodded a bit. "We did find many tracks, leading in several directions from the camp and the battlefield. Mostly Lupar, though we almost looked past the second kind of tracks, for they were so big, like, like-"
"Like a giant." Alexis finished for him. Soru nodded at the observation. "There was one other thing, shaman." He said.
"Yes?"
"We looked northeast to the Lupar city of Tanzano, and saw a great pillar of smoke coming from it."
Forbasa froze then, as did Alexis. The former because of what he had been told years before, and the latter because of what she had seen last night.
Forbasa shook himself slightly. "This is- Unfortunate. I thank you for your frank observations." He said to the youths. He turned to face Jahni and Fayet. "I release you from this duty, and I ask you to not speak of this until I give you permission. Do you understand?" The two young gatón nodded their heads obsequiously. "Good," Forbasa said. "Now, please go to your homes. And give my regards to your families and thanks to your fathers for releasing your services for this errand."
The two youngsters seemed buoyed by the shaman's words, and they thanked him and left, leaving Forbasa, Alexis, and Soru standing in the kitchen. Forbasa now felt the weight of his years, and silently motioned them to head to the library.
Once in the room, Forbasa went and sat down in his chair to rest his aching feet. Both Alexis and Soru followed, but stayed standing. "Soru," Forbasa said, "In the morning, I want you to gather back the messengers. Each will have a scroll waiting for them that I shall prepare tonight, and I want you to have them take it with them when they leave so they can deliver it to my colleagues."
Soru nodded. "Anything else, shaman?"
"Yes," said Forbasa. "I want you to go home and rest now. You're the youngest of the three I sent out today and you've done some of the heaviest work, so you should go rest."
Soru looked ready to object, but he instead bowed. "As you wish, shaman. Might I ask a question before I go?"
"You already have," remarked Forbasa with a hint of a smile. He went on before Soru became too confused "Go ahead, child."
"Some will begin to talk tonight, shaman. Many saw us bring the lupar in, and some will wonder why Alexis does not return home at night." Soru paused, but Forbasa said nothing. "Is there anything I can say or do that will help prevent the rampage of rumors?"
Forbasa shook his head. "No, Soru, you've done enough today. Go home, and if anyone asks, tell them... Tell them that I sent you to find the lupar after the gods told me where he was. That should be enough."
"Yes, shaman. With your leave?" Soru asked. Forbasa nodded and the youngster left through the back door in the kitchen.
Through this, Alexis had stood or sat quietly, still coming to grips with the unfolding events. Mostly, she went back to last night with the thought that it wasn't a dream or nightmare now. It was real, Soru had confirmed it. So deep in thought that she just barely noticed Forbasa talking to her. "Excuse me, shaman, but I was, distracted. Could you please repeat what you said to me?"
Forbasa didn't show any ire as he began to talk again. "I said, child that you will have to keep watch over the lupar for a while tonight whilst I write up those scrolls I mentioned to Soru."
Alexis seemed shocked. "But, shaman, shouldn't I write them? I am your scribe and you know much more about medicine than I."
"True, child, but I must use an old style of writing, known only to shaman, to ensure that I will be taken seriously by my colleagues." Forbasa said. And to make sure that the no one who cannot be trusted will read them. "As for medicine, you know enough in that regard to take care of the young man in there. His wounds are cleaned and treated with yumma, so there is nothing more I can do now. You will get me if he should change, correct?"
Alexis simply nodded. "Good," said Forbasa. "Now, go child, and help yourself to some food from my kitchen. I must work quickly now."
"Yes, shaman." Said Alexis. "Would you like me to make up a meal or snack for you?"
Forbasa thought for a few seconds. "Yes, dear child, if you could bring me a small snack, that would be gracious of you."
Alexis nodded, while Forbasa went to work, grabbing some empty paper scrolls and his pen and its inkwell from their storage places. He had much to say to his colleagues, some of whom he had never even seen.
Alexis made herself busy in the kitchen, trying to hold back her thoughts. It helped to be able to do something, especially after she had slept for most of the day, recouping from the night's exertions. The nightmares of what she witnessed had startled her awake more than once, and so had made it a fitful rest. Still, her leg was much better, and she now could do some duties to keep herself busy.
Unfortunately, it wasn't too hard or time-consuming to make dinner for herself and the shaman. Soon after eating her dinner and delivering Forbasa's, she had nothing to do than to sit in the fore room and keep watch over the wounded lupar.
Despite the unusual circumstances, her curiosity about the lupar managed to draw her temporarily away from her dark thoughts. Gazing quietly from her seat near the door, she could easily make out the lupar's gray fur and defined musculature in the dimming light.
As the day waned into night, Alexis got up to light a lantern, and when she did she noticed more details about their guest. His leather armor had a symbol engraved on the right side of the chest, which looked like some stylized tooth with blood dripping from it. The sight made her pause, for she was unfamiliar with military insignia, but she soon took her eyes it to look over the young man some more.
He appeared to be about her age - 20 in Terran years - and had had something done to the fur on his face. Lines of black came down from the top of his snout to run down the sides, and two triangular spots had been put under his eyes. How strange, Alexis thought. I wonder why they'd want to do something like that?
She decided she'd hovered enough around him, and so she checked to make sure the bandages were on properly, and then went back to her seat, to think more about the night before and of the stranger in front of her.
He awoke to the muted sounds of people outside and the occasional birdcall. He opened his eyes only to screw them shut again when he realized he was facing the sun through a window.
His first conscious thought was that his leg hurt like hell. His next thought was to wonder where he was. He took a few sniffs through his long nose. It smells like a house, but not like most houses I've smelt, he thought to himself. There were the usual house smells, of wood, fabrics, food, paper even. But there was not any of the smells of people, at least not any people he recognized. Then he caught another scent, and sniffed a bit more to find it underneath the other smells. Smells like trees, like a forest. Like the forest we set up by before-
He bolted upright as his memories of what happened flooded his consciousness. His eyes opened wide and he looked about frantically. Yet, all he saw was what one would associate with a house; Furniture, walls, a door and some windows, certainly nothing that would hurt him.
He began to calm a bit after realizing that he was indeed, safe. But where? He wondered again. As his fight or flight mode shut down, he started to feel again how badly his leg was hurt. He looked down to see the horrid wound patched up and bandaged properly, even though he remembered only being able to use his sword sash as a tourniquet the night before.
He shook his head. Was it really last night? What day is this? How long was I out? Since he didn't have an answer for those questions, he decided to find out about where he was. Opening his eyes again he looked around at the room he was in.
It was, for him, a fairly simple room. He lay on a couch that was on one end of the room, nearly filling up the part it was in. At the foot of the couch was a series of shelves built into the wall, all of them holding some containers of some sort. Looking to his right, he saw that there was a couple of simple chairs sitting at the other end of the room, and hanging on the walls there were a couple of cloth articles, perhaps some sort of tapestries or blankets. At least one had to be a blanket; for it was draped over a chair near the door in a fashion that suggested it had been used in just that function by whoever had sat there.
His head was clearing a bit now, despite the terrible pain of the wound. He realized that there were people outside talking, though he didn't understand the muffled speech. This worried him a bit, for that could mean he was taken prisoner. But by whom? Would that monstrosity have bothered to take prisoners? And even if it did, why was he in a small house?
That clicked something in his thoughts and he looked around again. He didn't notice it before, but all the furniture seemed a bit smaller than it should be if Lupar were to use them. That left only one possibility. The Gatón, He thought. Could they be behind what happened? The question was so absurd that he almost rejected it out of hand, but most of what he had seen, what he had experienced, that was pretty absurd too. Wasn't it?
No. He had heard many tales of the Gatón, mostly from his grandmother about how they cast spells against the Lupar and generally preyed upon the unwary. Some tales he heard from his friends while growing up, which ranged from the ridiculous when they were young, to the absurdly raunchy when they were nearly grown. But none of what he had heard over the years mentioned the Gatón as capable of summoning such things as that terrible giant.
That, and I'm not supposed to believe in such things, He mused. He had always been a skeptical one, believing more in science than magic. Supposedly, there was a whole movement going on throughout most of the southern cities, including his own, where men of learning were making all sorts of discoveries, undermining centuries of ignorant superstition.
Now, however, he wasn't so sure. Never mind, he thought to himself. I must go meet whoever has helped me and learn what has happened. He turned on the couch, and set his feet on the floor. His leg protested being moved with such a bad wound, but he ignored it and tried to stand up.
"Yip!" He couldn't help but yelp in pain as he tried to put weight on his wounded leg. Fortunately, he had the good sense to try it first to make sure it would be all right before he got into a position where he could fall down. A fat lot of good it did me.
The door opened then, and in came something he didn't expect; a female Gatón. He had thought that at least he'd have a guard to watch him, even if the watch post was outside. What made the impression more striking was her appearance. Chiefly the hair at first, then those blue eyes, both rare among the Lupar as well. What was even more startling was the concern he could see in the catwoman's eyes.
"You're awake, that's good. But I don't think you should be standing on that leg just yet." She said to him in a faintly scolding tone of voice. He felt sheepish, and was surprised at feeling that way. "I'm sorry?" He said.
She smirked at that a bit, her upper lip going up enough to barely show the tip of her fang. "I suppose you aren't, but that's alright." The smirk went away, and again the concern came back. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm, fine." He said. "I just wanted to fid out what was going on. How did I get here? Who treated my leg? And how do you know my language?"
"You were brought here by a scout party that found you in the woods. They brought you back here to our village so that our Shaman could heal you. I know your language because it is based off of the ancient Merchant's Tongue, which is the language our Shaman insists we use while studying in his house." She said.
"Shaman?" The young Lupar asked with a raised eyebrow and tail, both the signs of disbelief.
Her eyes darkened a bit at the tone of his voice. "Well, I know you Lupar don't quite think us civilized, but we do know how to treat a hurt or sick person." She said in a bit of a huff.
"I'm sorry." He said, with more feeling than he intended. Why did he do that? He gave a mental shrug and focused. "Where are we? What village?"
Her gaze softened. "You're in the village of Kuamket, about a third of a day's travel from where they found you." She said with some compassion. "Do you- Do you remember how you got wounded?" She asked with some trepidation.
He felt caught. How could I explain what I saw? It was all very mad, and suddenly, the thought that this lady would think him mad became important to him.
The entrance of two more gatón saved him, however. One was an old man who thee Lupar thought must be the shaman, especially from the way the young lady reacted at his entrance; by turning towards him and lowering her tail in deference. Or was it deference? He couldn't be sure, since the Gatón were so different. The other new arrival was clearly an adolescent, though he carried himself with a confidence that some men perhaps twice his age could never have. Both were fairly typical of their race, or so the Lupar thought. Both had the brown hair and yellow eyes that the young warrior's friends had assured him existed. The elder one, however, had white streaks through his hair and in his face and tail fur.
It was the Elder - the young Lupar couldn't think of a better label for him - spoke next. "Ah, you're awake. That's good." The old gatón walked over and leaned over the wounded leg. "Let me see how this is doing."
The Lupar felt nervous and even a bit embarrassed, but he decided this must be the man who had taken care of his leg, so he felt he owed him. The elder gatón, for his part, pretended not to notice his guest's discomfort at the examination, especially when the bandage was lifted so that Forbasa could look at his work.
The Lupar is taking it well, or so Forbasa thought. He dismissed the thought from his mind for the moment, and continued to study the wound. "Yes, that's healing nicely. Alexis, could you get me the waso herb from the shelf?" He indicated with his cane which shelf it was.
Alexis? Interesting name, the Lupar thought as he patiently watched the young lass get the container and present it to the shaman, who opened it and took out a small handful of powder before turning back to his guest. "This will sting a bit, but please try not to move your leg until we change the bandage. Oh, that reminds me, Alexis, could you?" The old man said to the lady - No, Alexis. She went to another shelf as the old man dumped the powder into the wound.
The young Lupar was not quite ready for it, though he managed not to yelp in pain or to fidget, though his face told the story to the others in the room. The shaman moved quickly and soon had the old bandages off and the new ones on. The younger gatón male, who grabbed an oil lamp from a shelf along the far wall, carried out the old ones. To burn it? Mused the Lupar. Perhaps they aren't as backwards as I've heard.
"Now then," said the elder gatón, "I think it's time for introductions, hmm?" The old shaman motioned for Alexis to bring him a chair, which she did so promptly. "I am Revalo Forbasa, the Shaman of the village of Kuamket." Forbasa said as he sat down. "This considerate young lady is Alexis, whom you've already met, I take it." Alexis bowed her head slightly at the mention of her name, and though her face didn't show embarrassment at the latter comment, her tail began to try and wrap itself around her leg.
The man nodded. "Indeed we have." He turned to his host - for that is what he thought of the old man now, despite his earlier trepidation - and said. "I am Mikula Farkas, member of the Clan Regulus of the city of Tanzano. I take it that you are the one who treated my wound, since you displayed such skills earlier?" Forbasa nodded, and Farkas took a breath before going on. I must do this. "Then I owe you my life, and in my clan, that means I must try to repay that debt any way I can. I ask you," he cat his head and eyes downward, "if there is some way this one may be able to serve you?"
Forbasa was taken back as was Alexis and Soru, who had walked into the room after burning the old bandages outside. What do I do? Thought Forbasa. He had heard of the Lupar's so-called "life-debts," but he had also heard from merchants and travelers that the practice was dying out, as the cities grew numerous and the clans began to fade with their merging into the larger framework of civilization. Yet this young one feels indebted to me to the point of, what? Death? Forbasa was in unfamiliar territory, and now he regretted not taking that trip into a Lupar city that a friendly merchant had offered so long ago during Forbasa's youth.
He decided to temporize. "Perhaps, child. Before we can discuss that, there are some questions I must ask you." He waited until Farkas nodded his head before going on. "Good. Now then," Forbasa leaned forward so that he would draw the lupar's attention back to his face. "Now, what gave you that wound?"
Farkas moved back as if physically slapped. He took a couple of seconds to compose himself a bit before replying. "I- I'm not sure you would believe me, sir."
"I have seen many things, heard many things. I assure you, that whatever you say, I could probably believe it." Forbasa said to the nervous young man. When Farkas seemed reluctant still, Forbasa decided to get a bit dirty. "I would consider it a payment on that debt you mentioned if you'll tell me what you remember."
Farkas looked pale, which is hard to do for a species that has no bare skin on the face, save around a few openings. He straightened his shoulders and began his story, taking about ten minutes to do so, as his memory was somewhat jumbled from the fear and the wounding. Still, some helpful questions from Forbasa moved things along.
"...And then I passed out from the pain. Then I woke up here." Farkas finished. I wonder what the Gatón do people struck by madness? He wondered as the other three sat quietly contemplating his story. Yet, as he looked into their eyes, he didn't see disbelief or suspicion, but rather worry and thought. In Alexis' eyes in particular, he saw something else, something he knew to be in his own, brown eyes; Fear.
His own fear diminished a bit and it was replaced by... Anger? Why should I feel that? He didn't know what to think, especially when Forbasa began to speak again, bringing his thoughts again to the memories of the dark night.
"You are not mad, as you surely think yourself, my dear child." Forbasa was saying. "Alexis here too, saw the same sights as you did that night, and I have no reason to think her mad." He finished with a slight smirk on his muzzle.
Farkas looked inquisitively at Alexis, who appeared to have become embarrassed again. "I had heard from some hunters that a Lupar camp was being set up, so I was curious to see what it was about. I fell asleep in a tree while watching your camp and, well..." Her voice trailed off and Farkas knew then why she had indeed shown fear earlier. Few could have seen what they had seen that night and not been permanently changed.
"Then you found me because you sent a party back to verify her story?" Farkas asked of Forbasa, who nodded.
"Indeed we did, for we had to make sure. Not that I distrust my apprentice, however, but because some things must simply be checked." Forbasa replied.
Farkas nodded, then an idea formed in his head. "Mr. Forbasa, sir, this begs a question; do you know what these happenings are?"
Now it was Forbasa's turn to sit back in shock, though he got over it quickly. A smart one, this lupar is, he thought. And he feels himself indebted to me. Is this a message from the Gods? Could he be helpful in the times to come? He decided to test the waters a bit more. "That certainly is an, interesting question." He said. "Tell me, why do you ask this?" Farkas looked a bit embarrassed himself, and stayed quiet for a moment. "Come come, I will not be angry, I promise."
"Well," Farkas began, "why believe in such a thing? If I had heard this story from anyone other than myself, and had not seen it with my own eyes, then I'd think the poor person had been touched by madness.
"You, however, take the word of young Alexis there, " he gestured lightly and automatically with his head to indicate her, "at face value. Granted, she's probably well known to you, and perhaps even well trusted as well. But such a thing that we witnessed, I could not come up with such a thing in a hundred lifetimes, and still you felt the need to send a party out to make sure of her observations. Or at least I surmise that, since I hadn't moved too far from the battlefield, and I must've looked dead to them, so why check me for signs of life?" Farkas was beginning to relax a little now as he got into his reasoning. "Normally, they'd want to leave and report in, like I presume Alexis did." He paused while Alexis nodded a confirmation. "So they took their time. Why? I can only surmise that they were told to go there and look for anything unusual, and I suspect a survivor like me would be rather unusual in a place like that." His voice grew bitter at the last sentence, and he took a pause to catch his breath and to settle his feelings a bit.
"So, my dear boy, tell me how this translates into the idea that I may have some information about these... heinous events?" Forbasa asked after a few seconds.
"Simple." Replied Farkas. "They were obviously told to check out the story of a person you trust to not be prone to making up tall tales. But even then, this tale is so tall as to block out the sun, so why," he leaned forward, a predatory look on his face, though he wasn't looking at anyone in particular, "believe it? Even if the witness is trusted, such things have never been even thought of. The only reasonable answer I can see is that you had a reason to make sure of what you were told. And I can see that only if you know something about this even before it happened." Farkas finished, and only then realized that he had perhaps spoken too much. He wanted to trust these gatón for some reason, especially because he owed them a life-debt. Yet, how much did he know about the Gatón? I have shown this shaman to be carrying a secret. What if he decides I should be 'disposed' of? Such things happened in the larger Lupar cities, could they happen here?
He looks worried, Forbasa thought. But he's proven to be flexible of mind, and I would suspect that he has bravery to match. "I thank you for your observation. You deserve an answer, and that answer is: 'yes.' I do know some... Things. I cannot reveal them, yet." Forbasa said. "But I promise you that I will let you know, in time, and I make that promise to you two, as well." Forbasa turned towards where Alexis and Soru stood quietly as he spoke the last part of the sentence. "You have been of great help so far, and in such confusion. Especially you, Alexis. I thank you both." He finished and waited until the two bowed their heads in respect, then turned back to his guest.
Farkas was still a bit wary, yet the old shaman - What? Am I really using that word in my thoughts now? Another mental shrug. This wise old man speaks eloquently, far better than I was led to anticipate from the Gatón. Why, they even know MY language! So caught up in thought he was that he missed what Forbasa had just said. "Pardon me, Mr. Forbasa, but I was... ordering my thoughts. Could you please repeat that?"
Forbasa didn't look offended, and in fact looked a bit amused. "I was asking, child of whether you have any family that would miss you in your city?"
Again, Farkas wondered if his life was saved, only to be taken more assuredly. However, his hackles hadn't been raised, and he thought he knew why the shaman was asking. "My father died a few years ago in battle with our neighbor city of Gowts. My mother is still alive, but she is busy doing maid work for the others in our clan, and my only siblings are either in the army like me - like I was," he corrected himself. After all, he had a debt to repay that even some old army leaders would agree would need an honorable dismissal. "My only sister was married off to another clan, so I suppose I have no one who would miss me too much... though I would like to at least write my mother to let her know that I did not die like the others." He finished, somewhat downcast. Oh, Great Maker. Mother, I don't want you to feel bad about something that did not even happen! Well, almost didn't...
Forbasa tilted his head to his right and revealed a little grin, pleased, as he was that the lad had guessed the reason for the question. "Then if you still wish to honor that life-debt you so rashly offered, I would like you to stay." The grin disappeared and Forbasa tilted his head back upright. "Because one thing I will tell you now, all of you," he waved his cane towards where Alexis and Soru stood tiredly, "is that if what I fear is true, then we - the Lupar and the Gatón- will need to be able to help each other. You might be a great help if that need arises." He finished and looked at the young Lupar.
Farkas lowered his head and looked at the floor. He's giving me a way out? He thought. I could go home, visit mother, perhaps warn my comrades in the army.... No! He chided himself. Honor is the basis for our clan's way of life, and I will not dishonor it! Besides, this gatón shaman speaks of co-operation. So if there were a threat, Tanzano would be alerted, somehow. More importantly to the Lupar was the fact that Forbasa had promised the reveal some of what he knew. As horrifying as the events of the other night were, he was intensely curious about them and about what they could mean. In addition, whatever he learned could be used to help his home city to defend himself.
Farkas looked up to see the three gatón waiting politely for his answer. He didn't disappoint Forbasa when he said, "I have my word, and I do not break it. I owe you my life and I will serve until you think I have done enough to repay you." He wanted to get down in a kneeling position, as the formal rules dictated. However, his wound wouldn't allow that, and he suspected neither would Alexis or Forbasa, at least not while he was wounded. So he bowed as deep as he could in front of the old man and held it.
Forbasa, for his part, had learned one thing about Lupar life-debts; the acceptance of one required the accepting party to lay their hand on the offering party's head. This he did, albeit briefly, as he still felt uncomfortable with the affair. Though with what might be happening, discomfort is the least of my worries. "Please get up, young Mikula. I am not the kind of person to stand too much on formal ritual, as useful as it is at times."
Farkas sat upright again. "Yes sir."
Forbasa raised an eyebrow. "There is one thing you must do, at least around the village here, and that is to refer to me as 'shaman.' It is respectful of our traditions, you understand."
"Of course si- shaman." The word is hard to get used to, despite my own use of it in my thoughts. Farkas thought.
Suddenly, a rumble from his belly made Farkas startle a bit, along with Alexis and Soru. "Pardon me." He said sheepishly.
Forbasa smiled. "We have been talking for a while, and you do need your strength in order to heal. Soru," he said as he turned to the young gatón. "If you would please, get lunch ready for all of us?"
"As you wish, shaman." Soru said and left the room to prepare the meal.
"Now then," said Forbasa, "We too, should get to work." He got up from his chair, leaning on his cane. "Alexis, I need you to go to market for some food supplies. I have a feeling we'll be needing some restock sooner than expected." He said with a wink to Farkas. "But first, come into the library and take down an announcement I want posted there, so you can leave it at the center post while you're out."
"Yes, shaman." Alexis said, and she went to get the materials ready.
"Is there anything I can do?" asked Farkas, who felt like he should be active.
"Yes," said Forbasa. "You can lay right back down and get some rest! That wound is healing nicely, but I want you to stay off that leg all day just the same."
Farkas nodded, and settled to lie back on the couch as Forbasa walked into what Farkas presumed was the library. The smell of food was strong, now, as Soru worked to make a good, hearty meal. Farkas just hoped he wouldn't eat anyone before he could get some food, or at least he joked to himself. His joking mood was dampened somewhat when he realized something else.
I want to protect Tanzano, but... What if I'm too late? That thought stayed with him until well after lunch was past.