Chapter 16: Duneflies on the Saan
"Nikos, is there a fire?"
"Where?"
"Over there. I see smoke rising and I can smell . . . something. What is that?"
"Mmm . . . sulfur. That's just Mount Starshettom. She always does that when Starsh is dreaming, according to local legend. She's been asleep my life and more. We get the odd earthquake, but the scientists don't expect another eruption for a few centuries."
"Wait - you have a volcano? And you didn't tell me?"
Nikos gave his friend an exasperated look and shook his head. Avocato sounded positively scandalized and insulted this fact hadn't been included in the first three sentences Nikos had spoken to him the first day at the academy. Something like: Hello, my name is Nikos. I'm from the Saan River Valley. We have volcanoes. "We don't keep them as pets, Cato."
"Them?"
"We do," Kedi volunteered from the shadow of the wheelhouse. "Hot springs."
"We have those, too," Nikos replied, producing a whine of betrayal from Avocato. Nikos just sighed, while Kedi sipped his fruit drink and lounged in the shade, going back to amazing the captain with talk about snow and glaciers and auroras.
They were on the Catchpaw barge, riding up the Saan River to Vel Pitten for a three-week visit with Nikos before they returned to Ventrex City for their second year at the academy. Kedi and Avocato had met at Primatrex, one of the largest transportation hubs on Ventrexia. From there, Kedi's academy supplies had been shipped to Alphatrix to store at the Cato estate while they had taken a succession of progressively smaller, older, and grittier transports to Ventrexia's equatorial region on the far side of the planet.
The further they traveled, the more they stood out. Their clothes, accents, builds, and Avocato's coloring set them well apart from the locals, most of whom looked like variations on Nikos. Finally, they reached Answaar Region's only city, Tektul, though to Avocato's sense of a city, Tektul was at best a glorified town. Still, it allowed them to get some clothes suited to the broiling hot and humid weather (and made Kedi realize Avocato had no concept of prices, had probably never gone shopping alone in his life, and could not be allowed to wander about a store unsupervised). The following morning, a land transport took them over the mountains on dusty, unpaved roads to Vel Genn, a small port town on the Saan River, to find Nikos waiting for them on the docks just in time to catch the barge that would bring them to Nikos' home.
Avocato, who had never had such an adventure traveling or encountered anything but first-class service, was instantly fascinated with everything he laid his eyes upon. He was fortunate the heat sapped Kedi's energy or chances were good his friend would have strangled him in his enthusiasm. Leaving Kedi to wallow in the shade and with Nikos trailing behind to keep him out of trouble, he explored the whole ship from the open cockpit to the engine room. Already delighted with the sheer variety of unconventional vehicles he'd been in for the past two days - and unable to believe any of them had ever been new - Avocato was refusing to let the presence of so much water intimidate him. At this time of year, the Saan River was narrow and slow, a lazy ribbon of water cutting through the jungle and swampland. As soon as Vel Genn was behind them, the sandy banks of the river vanished beneath dense ranks of dark, drooping trees and vines. Flowers of every color bloomed in profusion, and animals and birds the likes of which Avocato had never seen clustered in the trees. Birds, bugs, and animals were all making a racket, and some of the animals threw nuts at the barge as it passed beneath their overhanging trees. The air was heavy with moisture, and smelt of the river and rotting leaves, brimstone and perfume. It was beautiful and lush and exotic, and Avocato could scarce believe he was here, in the heart of it all, floating up the river at a slow, steady pace.
"Put this on, Cato," said Nikos, passing him a broad, conical hat woven of plant fibers. "You're not used to this heat or this sun, so if you won't go in the shade, wear it."
Avocato smiled and clapped it on his head, settling the hat over his ears and tying it under his chin like Nikos did. "How do I look?"
"Like a tourist," Kedi provided.
"So I look like you. Outstanding."
Nikos spent a few moments gathering the nuts they had been pelted with in his hat. Sitting down on the cargo-jammed deck, he sorted through them, setting select nuts aside and tossing the rest into the river. Catching Avocato's ever-curious eye, he explained,
"They'll make a good seasoning for our lunch."
"Oh?" Avocato perked up at the mention of food. "What's for lunch?"
"Whatever we catch," Nikos grinned. He looked to the captain, who was still chatting with Kedi. "Kutat, have you got poles and lines?"
Captain Kutatxoa made a face, as if that was a silly question, and pointed toward the rail. Moments later, the three friends were ranged along the side of the Catchpaw, fishing for lunch. Kedi, used as he was to ice fishing, had all the patience in the world, while Avocato, who had only fished a handful of times before, was almost useless. All it took was for Kedi to explain fishing was hunting with stationary stalking for Avocato to embrace the sport. With the three of them working together, they managed to keep Avocato in check and reel in enough fish to feed themselves and the barge's crew.
"Nikos!" called Kutatxoa, pointing excitedly.
Nikos seemed to recognize the tone of voice, because he whipped around, let out a happy shout, and shoved his fishing pole at Kedi.
"Cato, come on!"
Leaving Kedi juggling three rods and two snagged fish, Avocato ran to the bow of the boat where Nikos was climbing the netting securing some cases in place. He whipped off his hat, ready for action.
"What can I do?" asked Avocato.
"Be ready to catch."
"Catch. Right."
Looking ahead, Avocato spotted a dark haze coming towards them. It shimmered in the sunlight, keeping a few meters over the water as it bore down on them, moving faster than the Catchpaw.
"What is that?" demanded Avocato, his voice raising to squawk.
Nikos smiled, crouching low as barge and haze drew closer together. "Delicious!"
Suddenly a flock of tiny white birds darted past the boat and dark shapes arrowed overhead in pursuit. Avocato was just starting to point in alarm when Nikos sprang straight up, claws out. He snatched something out of the air, twisted it, and threw it to Avocato. Instinctively grabbing it, Avocato let out a bark of alarm to find himself holding an insect almost as long as his arm. He screamed again and hurled it straight to the deck before he realized it was dead. The creature had a large of head (now at an unnatural angle) with a short, rounded body and long, narrow tail, six legs and six large, wedge-shaped wings a little behind the head. It was shiny black with thin bands of blue and gold down its tail. A second later, another was thrown his way, then another as Nikos caught them and snapped their necks in one smooth move. For a few panicked minutes, Avocato was kept busy collecting the immense bugs in a pile of gossamer wings and faceted eyes, terrified they might not be completely dead and not sure what to do if one moved on its own.
"Get one for my wife!" called the captain. "She loves them!"
Another leap, and Nikos snagged a final insect. Panting, he dropped down onto the deck again to survey the haul as the rest of the swarm carried on down the Saan.
"What are they?" asked Avocato dubiously, trying to decide if he should be intrigued or horrified.
"Duneflies. You don't usually see them this early in the season." As he spoke, Nikos deftly cleaned his catch, yanking off the wings before snapping the tails off each bug in a swift, practiced motion and tossing the bodies overboard. "Kutat, do you want some of the wings?"
"Leave me a few clear ones, if you can spare them, but you hunted, you keep the gain."
Avocato picked up one of the wings. They were as long as the duneflies, the primary pair a shiny black, the two secondary pairs as clear as glass. Black veins as fine as thread ran through them in intricate patterns. They were quite elegant, beautiful, even.
"What do you do with these?"
"All sorts of things. Fishing lures, decorations, window panes, even jewelry."
"I'd like to see that. And . . . what do you do with . . . those?" He asked as he gestured uncertainly at the dunefly tails. They were all black, but the colored bands varied from blue and gold to orange and green and red.
Nikos smiled, amused at his hesitation. Avocato had a reputation for being willing to eat just about anything, and Nikos was going to put his friend's daring to the test. Cato was in for a surprise. "Grill them."
"Poaching's better," yelled one of the crew.
"No! Stir fry," cried another voice.
"Deep fried!"
"Roast," declared the captain with authority.
"Unless you put an oven on this boat, they're getting grilled," countered Nikos. "Cato, gather up those wings. My mother can use some at home."
Kedi was at the stern of the boat cleaning the fish, and he looked with interest at the duneflies, as impressed as Avocato at the iridescent wings. "There was a hairy pink thing over by those ropes," he said, pointing with the knife. He motioned with both hands. "About so big. It stole a fish head."
"Croyrats," grumbled Nikos. "They're pests. Ignore them."
"Pink?" echoed Avocato, clearly hoping to spot one.
"It was cute," said Kedi.
Nikos cast him a look. "You have an odd definition of cute."
"Free pets?" suggest Avocato.
"I was thinking dinner," Kedi replied, an edge of disappointment in his voice.
"Why not? We're having bugs for lunch and I've been told peppers and jura sauce can cover a lot of sins."
Nikos groaned at their antics. "We are not keeping or eating barge rats! Cato, go grab those nuts I saved before, and a hammer. I'll get a fire going and see what kind of spices Kutat keeps on this boat."
"He hunts and cooks," breathed Avocato with starry-eyed wonder, raising the back of his hand to his temple and falling against Kedi.
Kedi hummed and nodded with exaggerated adoration, raising a fist for emphasis. "He takes command when he's hungry and makes his bed."
"If Cordell doesn't get a move on, I'm going to marry him myself."
Rolling his eyes at their dramatics, Nikos gave him a good-natured shove. "Go, Little Cato!"
Avocato freely admitted he was a disaster with feet when it came to cooking and had been banned from any food preparation in his family home by his mother, brothers, the house staff, and all the chefs. Taking this warning to heart, Nikos set him to the safest task: shelling the nuts, then grinding the pale yellow nutmeat to a thick paste in a stone bowl, with stern instructions to just keep grinding. While he tended the fire, Nikos added spices and sauces and this and that to Avocato's bowl, even directing the willing captain to bring the barge below a certain tree overhanging the river so the first mate could shoot down a branch heavy with small yellow berries. He squeezed their juice to the mix and gathered the broad leaves. Finally, Avocato had a fragrant and spicy dark red paste Nikos used to coat the fish and dunefly tails. Kedi helped him wrap the fish in the leaves, slicing more of the fruit on top of some of them before setting them over the grill. The dunefly tails were put right over the fire, sending up a smoky, spicy aroma that drew calls of appreciation from the crew.
"That's the first thing I've heard your men agree upon," observed Avocato to Kutatxoa. He had been banished from the galley for fear his mere presence might ruin lunch as it cooked.
"Food and the fact that I'm the best captain on the river are the only things they agree upon," Kutatxoa boasted.
"Your wife's better," came a shout.
"And better to look at!"
Kutatxoa grumbled something about respect. Avocato laughed.
Not much later, they joined the crew sitting on the deck around metal platters of grilled fish and duneflies. The sailors, who found Kedi and Avocato charming and harmless and amusingly ignorant, watched in anticipation as the foreigners were confronted by a local delicacy. Nikos set a grilled tail atop the leaves that were serving as plates before both of his friends.
"Um . . . how do you eat it?" asked Avocato, to the general glee of the barge's crew.
Seeing his opportunity, the first mate leaned towards him, talking slowly and pantomiming with his hand. "You bite some off with your teeth, then you chew. Like this."
"I know how to eat," Avocato countered, exasperated. He gestured helplessly. "Just . . ."
"Cato," Kedi said softly, knowing what was his issue, "use your hands."
"My hands?"
"There's hardly a fork between here and Tektul, my friend," Nikos said in sympathy. "Just be careful and you won't get dirty."
"Next time I come here, I'm bringing a fork," vowed Avocato.
"Bring me one, too," said Kedi. He picked up the tail and eyed it suspiciously.
Such niceties reduced the crew to something close to tears, but they were polite enough to wait on their meal until their guests (or Avocato, at least) got over their breeding and started eating first.
"Enough!" laughed Nikos. He used his fingertips to lift his serving by both ends. "Eat! Like so! Use your claws if you're afraid of getting dirty."
The fact that he was eating an entree with his hands was enough to distract Avocato from focusing on eating an insect. His determined battle to keep face and fingers clean worked out in his favor, because he was halfway done with the tail before he stopped to consider what it was. An insect, yes, but Nikos was right, it was quite delicious. He finished the last few bites, following the crew's example of leaving the last, smallest tail segments.
"Well?" asked Nikos slyly.
He paused to contemplate the balance of spicy coating and tender meat. The flavors were new, and they harmonized well – not too overwhelming, with a tang of acidity against the slightly sweet dunefly. "Surprisingly tasty. I'd eat it again."
A cheer rose up from his audience. Even Kedi, who was not as fussy as Avocato about emerging as clean as when he started, laughed with the rest of them. Avocato was rewarded with a smile, a playful elbow to the ribs, and a leaf-wrapped packet of freshwater fish from his host. Everyone else had chopsticks to eat the fish, but Nikos fetched Avocato and Kedi spoons so wouldn't have to fight the unfamiliar utensils. The crew finished quickly, thanking them for the meal, and got back to work. The three cadets lingered in a strip of shade cast by the wheelhouse.
"My little sisters can help teach you to use chopsticks," Nikos promised as they ate. "They can't wait to meet you both."
Avocato had seen holos of Nikos' younger sisters, Miriyalu and Mrica. They were twins, just nine years old, and looked like miniature versions of their brother. He was very much looking forward to meeting them as well.
"Though, be warned, Cato," Nikos continued, "I haven't been able to convince them you're not a prince."
He laughed. "I'll try to set the record straight."
"Don't bet on it. They've written quite a script about you in their heads, and they've told all their friends they're hosting royalty."
Avocato laughed and ate the last bite of fish. He was washing his hands in the clear water of the Saan when he abruptly realized there was no sound from the forest. Not even the bugs were making noise. In the hours he'd been here, he'd gotten used to the constant clamor. Now . . .
"Nikos, why is it quiet?" he asked softly. By Kedi's wary expression, he knew his northern friend had noticed the change as well. Nikos gazed at the water, looking at the stern, then over the bow.
"Kutat," he called, a hint of warning in his voice. He was more cautious than afraid.
"I've got him on the scanners, boy," assured the captain. "He's heading down the river. Get on those forward bales and show your friends our Old Rivermin."
"This way," ordered Nikos, hurrying forward. "Come on! Hurry!"
They climbed onto the same bales Nikos had used earlier to catch the duneflies. From here they could see a long, almost straight expanse of the Saan River stretching out before the Catchpaw, glittering in the sun and murky in the shadows.
"There!" Nikos pointed. "He likes the middle of the channel. It's deepest there. See that swell of water? And those dark birds overhead? We call them Rivermin's widows. They follow him everywhere."
"He who?" asked Kedi.
"There!"
A flight of brightly-colored water birds took to wing a moment before the surface of the Saan erupted a little ahead and to the side of the barge. A massive fish, golden orange with spiky green fins, jumped almost clear of the river. It was a thrilling and intimidating sight, nearly half the length of the barge. Catching one of the birds between its teeth with an audible crunch, it slapped back down with a tremendous splash that rained down on Avocato and his companions. Shouts of amazement, alarm, and admiration escaped the young cadets as the Old Rivermin, escorted by his widows, resumed his course past the Catchpaw. The wake of his passing rocked the flat-bottomed barge, but nothing could shake Kedi and Avocato's excitement at the sight of anything so huge.
"That's good fortune, to see our old man so soon upon arriving," said an elderly crewman, chuckling at their reactions. "The Rivermin, he likes you, blue and gray!"
Nikos laughed and made a sound of disbelief. "You just made that up, Iring!"
Iring gave him a toothy grin in return. "Doesn't mean it's not true!"