-v-
Chapter 32: Captured attentions
"When playing a game of strategy or planning a war, it is important to remember that the taking of pieces is often more of a distraction than an objective. Always make moves for the improvement of your position and the achievement of victory. For the defeated general casualties are a condemnation upon their epitaph; for the victorious general they are merely a footnote."
~Anonymous
From the Summation of Ancient Thought - Volume 47
"Keep pushing!"
As if to punctuate the polite request, the hidden runner took it upon himself to violently shove the male rainbowface with enough force to nearly make him lose his makeshift oar. It was only the speedy reflexes that come from fear that allowed him to secure the smooth stick and to regain some measure of control.
Chronos's beak clicked in irritation. "I can't if you knock it out of my hands!"
"That isn't the only thing that will be knocked," the hidden runner threatened before another one of his comrades waded up to the makeshift canoe and directed for him to get off.
"Enough, Vargus! I will keep watch."
This earned the other hidden runner some kind of protest that was unintelligible to the rainbowfaces as his underling jumped into the water and swam out to the water's edge to join several of the other hidden runners. As if to clarify beyond doubt that there was no escape, hidden runners peered out from either side of the river as two flyers circled overhead. The unspoken command was unmistakable: don't even try to escape.
In the brief intermission they were afforded while their new hidden runner overlord came aboard, Chronos spared his mate a glance. In light of what now laid before them her features shined in his mind like a beacon of hope in the inescapable darkness. The only feature that ruined the illusion was the fear in her eyes that she could not quite suppress despite her expert training.
The Consortium had prepared them to die for the Consortium, but that was before they made this planet their home. That was before they had two others to live for. Two children they had no intention of leaving as orphans.
Chronos took a deep breath before grasping his mate's shoulder reassuredly. He then mouthed out in a flurry. 'We will get through this. Follow along for now.'
His shoulder was slapped away by the hidden runner almost immediately, but Chronos could see from the new determination and coldness in Logos's eyes that his words had done the trick. The Commander had confidence again.
If only he felt the same…
"Enough with the delays! We saw you two using this thing to go down the river and we expect you to continue. We wouldn't want to keep the New Great Leader waiting, now would we?"
Logos fixed the hidden runner with a neutral expression before nodding slightly, a subtle cue for Chronos to begin to row as well. Within moments the small boat began to build momentum in the relatively still waters of the river. It was only then that the obvious leader of the captors began to take on a less annoyed expression.
"Better. I am sure that you will find our hospitality more to your liking when we are safely in our territory," the hidden runner assured them as he looked at something far away.
Chronos heard Logos sigh as she opened her beak. "Do you think we can manage that? Ignis's people are everywhere. They will know that we are unaccounted for…"
Chronos nodded slightly. Good strategy. Test the waters and see what their plans are.
"I hope we can manage that for your sake," the hidden runner stated with genuine concern as he looked back over to the female, "Otherwise our orders are clear."
Chronos debating on pressing the obvious question but his 'host' answered it for them.
"Kill you before our enemies can use you. And, as I am sure you understand, this would kill all of us as well… something we would rather avoid," the hidden runner stated darkly before turning his focus at something far away once more, "But we are prepared for that sacrifice. Are you?"
Chronos took a deep breath as he gave his oar another push through the water. "We… would rather avoid dying," he finally said dryly.
The hidden runner grinned maliciously. "Good. Then we have an understanding. Keep pushing us forward."
The male rainbowface could not argue with that logic as he resumed his stead pace of rowing, keeping time with his equally silent mate. Not wishing to antagonize their captors again he merely gave his mate a serious look that spoke volumes.
When we get a chance we will need to talk.
The outskirts of Althon's territory:
"So Wrok has finally decided to end the facade? Well, I suppose Fate has forced his hands, has it not?"
Questor's question oozed out of his beak like a gentle wind, carrying no hint of malice while at the same time indicating much. For, as his companions knew, this question was not really a question.
"Fate has definitely forced his hand. Hopefully this will force him to make mistakes as well," one of Questor's followers said.
"What do you think will happen, Great Leader?" another prompted.
Questor raised a hand reluctantly. As much as the title made his heart swell, he also knew that Fate had a cruel way of crushing the presumptuous. "I am not Great Leader yet. Let us be careful to not tempt Fate."
As the underling made a movement as if to apologize, Questor waved him off. "It is alright, Veno, I am touched by your commitment to our cause. Your question is also a good one, and Fate has not yet clarified the next verse in its song."
Questor allowed himself to step forward into the clearing as his two companions moved to follow his every move. "Althon? Would you be so kind as to show me what happened here?"
"We were attacked, or more accurately raided. One moment they were attacking those watching the territory's border. The next I had most of the pack chasing them away. It was really rather odd. I would have expected them to have tried to avoid a fight if they were so outnumbered from the start. As it turned out the whole thing was a distraction. When we returned we found signs that a number of hidden runners had passed right through our territory," Althon explained, "A few died on both sides during the initial fight, but we lost them once they started running. I don't know if they went around us or took a longer route back to their pack, but regardless they managed to evade us."
Questor nodded solemnly as he studied the scene that lay before him. The jungle occluded any coherent view of the landscape as the trees cast long shadows over everything around them. At the same time the dense foliage prevented any view of the horizon or any unobstructed view of the Bright Circle. As such the only sign he had that anything had occurred here was the word of his allies and a discarded spear that lay before him. A spear that had been splintered by some unseen force.
Questor nodded before speaking in a soft voice. "How many did we lose?"
"Two died. Two are hurt. Another is badly hurt. I'm surprised he's not dead," Althon replied.
Not as bad as it could have been, Questor thought to himself.
Questor then turned around and placed a hand on Althon's shoulder. "I must hurry and deal with the preparations for what is to come. No doubt our new enemy will be on the move again soon… and in larger numbers," he then shifted to a less imperious voice as it took on an almost paternal quality, "Please give my respects to the families that have lost loved ones on this day, but first… please show me the one who is about to join the ancestors. I think he has earned an audience, has he not?"
Althon nodded. "If you would follow me, sir," he said, turning to lead the way.
Questor followed in silence as his other companion hesitantly stayed behind, leaving the allied pack leader and Questor to tend to the soon-to-be-fallen. As he walked through the dense jungle, however, Questor's mind was focused on other details than the rather customary send off that he was about to offer. Namely, the unsuitability of this pack's territorial ambitions.
Althon has not done his pack any favors by choosing this part of the jungle for his territory. He is open to unseen assault on all sides and his only advantage, sneaking out in the middle of the night, is negated by his fixation in staying in this place. Questor frowned. Fate probably has a hard future in store for this pack, but the truth stands with itself. At the least it will serve as an early warning for when Wrok undoubtedly makes the same move soon.
His eyes turned determined and cold for a moment before regaining their previous stoic solemnity. Fate can be cruel. At least this ally will be a minor loss.
"He's right over here, sir," Althon said, gesturing in the direction of a badly wounded hidden runner lying near a tree accompanied by two of his comrades.
As Questor approached the two companions went to attention and bowed their heads slightly before Questor waved them off respectfully and gestured to the fallen hidden runner. "It's alright. He deserves our attention right now."
He then went down to a knee before the injured hidden runner could potentially injure himself further by trying to get up. As he did so he could clearly see the gash in the hidden runner's side and a distinct streak of green joining the pool of crimson. A dead runner, indeed.
"You have done your pack proud, fighter. I promise I will do what I can to see to it that your attacker pays for his crime." Questor softly addressed the injured runner.
"T-thank you, sir," the wounded hidden runner replied, "Shoulda been more careful, I guess."
Questor shook his head. "When it is our time Fate directs us to the right place. Know that you have played your role in the great song." He then frowned as he looked at the two companions that stood beside the fallen hidden runner. They both looked noticeably younger than the fallen runner and were struggling to keep their emotions in check. "Your sons?" Questor asked softly.
"My nephews. My sister died after they had passed the age of safety."
Questor nodded and put his hand on the hidden runner's shoulder. "I will see to it that their upbringing continues. Do you have any remaining family?"
The younger hidden runners couldn't help but look surprised. "There's no one else, at least not in the pack," one of them finally said.
"We want to help, sir!" the other nephew affirmed, "Just like our uncle!"
"You can do that by not rushing into a fight," their uncle interjected, "There are ways to help that don't involve trying to do my job."
Questor took on a determined expression. I do need to send hostages to Frendor, and that would be safer than anywhere around here. And this would also give them a way to help...
"I think I have just the thing that you two eager runners could help me with," Questor affirmed with a kind smile, "You two know of Frendor the Outsider, don't you?"
"He trains scouts, right?" one of the nephews asked.
And is an absolute scoundrel who stays out of any meaningful conflicts… but useful in this case… "He does. His entire pack lives by the Old Ways, and you two could learn much and keep him in the good graces of our cause… while keeping out of this mess until you are older."
The uncle hid a sigh of relief before spasming slightly in pain."You'll be able to learn how to embarrass anyone too slow or unaware. Sorta like you do with your friends now, actually."
This made one of the nephews snort even though it almost came out as a sob. "I told you he would find out."
The hidden runner smirked as he addressed his leader. "Runs in the family."
Questor nodded approvingly. "Then your family lives up to the hidden runner name. And it will live on, I will see to that."
Though it was obviously painful for him, the uncle rose slightly and bowed to Questor. His nephews mirrored him after a moment, having been surprised by their uncle's action.
Questor bowed back, "Easy… rest now. Spend your time with your nephews and know that you have done what Fate has demanded for your sister, your family, and the cause." He then looked back towards Althon.
"I will see to it that the arrangements are made, sir."
Questor nodded his approval of the situation before respectfully stepping away from the dying hidden runner and the mournful nephews. Fate always provides what is needed, even if it comes at a high cost. It was then that he noticed a flyer landing several body-lengths away. Hmph… and with no time to rest.
Questor approached the flyer with deliberate speed. When Nalan was around it was never an idle conversation. "Let's go and talk over here. I take it that you have news?"
Nalan nodded before taking off in the direction of the stream that Questor had gestured towards.
Oh, my first follower… and the one that still doubts. As Fate loves irony, you no doubt will be the last to truly believe.
It took a good deal longer for the hidden runner to make up the distance to the stream, but when Questor finally arrived Nalan did not hesitate to make his report.
"It is going as you expected. The valley seems to be staying out of everything and the fastbiters are rampaging towards Wrok's territory."
Questor nodded. "And eventually towards us."
Nalan nodded grimly. "Yes."
Questor did not visibly react to this news. "Good. It is all going to plan then."
Nalan shook his head. "Sir… never mind."
Questor snorted. "Do you know why you are my most valued follower, Nalan?"
Nalan did not immediately answer but eventually shook his head in the negative.
"Because you still doubt, which means that you see things that others miss. Only when I take my rightful place will that doubt cease to be useful," Questor answered.
"And only then will I stop doubting," Nalan answered almost defiantly.
Questor smiled. "I know. For now know this: Wrok will face Seeker's wrath first and then our friend will send his pack into disarray. Then it will just be a weakened Wrok, an Ignis weakened by the loss of her allies, and me. Then I will take what is mine."
Nalan shrugged with his wings. "I am not one to doubt Fate, sir. But I don't think Fate is just going to drop victory in front of you."
It was then, however, that another hidden runner nearly slammed into the flyer before throwing himself down in front of Questor. "Sir, I bring great news!"
Despite the suddenness of the intrusion Questor couldn't help but smile. Why do I have the feeling that Fate has done just that?
"There's Dive, Lift, and Valaria! I wonder if they have seen them!"
If the sudden exclamation had not awakened Gyors, then the brown blur jumping over him certainly would have. As he blinked his eyes, recovering from his impromptu nap, he was unsure if Biter had actually been there or if it had been part of a weird sleep story.
That was when the appearance of three orange blurs to his right finally clarified matters. Yep, the other kids were up to something. Great…
Gyors quietly woke up those of his siblings that were still sleeping and got them moving. He wasn't about to let the other kids do something interesting without at least knowing what was going on.
It was then that he heard some rustling in the bushes nearby.
"I think they are heading to the rock shaped like a spiketail," the bush suddenly spoke, sounding suspiciously like his brother, Sana.
"That's still within the area Mom told us not to leave, right?" Gyors asked, trying to remember where exactly Staza had said the line was.
Sana's head peeked out from the bush before he nodded in affirmation. "So if they are not leaving the area, then they might be waiting for someone to enter the area."
"Then we need to see who that someone is," Gyors said. Maybe we'll finally get to meet those friends Biter's talked about.
After being informed by Ungu, who had taken her usual place next to him, that everyone was ready, Gyors quietly led his siblings towards where the other kids were gathering. If this were more important I'd let Sana guide us. This is a lot harder with one eye than I thought it was going to be.
After several agonizing minutes of trying to maneuver around the other kids, Gyors and his siblings finally reached a decent hiding spot that kept them downwind of the other fastbiters. All they had to do was wait and see what happened next.
Ugnu peaked her head over the ridge in order to see the scene before them as the rest of the kids arrived in the small clearing. Haven and Leap's children stood out like green plants against a barren background as Fisher and Verok unconvincingly tossed around a large hard tree-sweet as if they were getting ready to play a game. This no doubt was an attempt to put their flyer watchers at ease that nothing was amiss. Meanwhile, the other children played along as Pounce dug a hole to act as a goal in one side of the clearing and Biter did so on the other side. Right next to the spiketail-shaped rock Nibble stood watch as the highest-ranked child in the mini-pack of little biters.
I guess the flyers are still around. Maybe it's because of the fish I saw Pearl give them. Weird. Watching us seems like its more trouble than finding your own fish, Gyors thought.
His thoughts were soon interrupted, however, by the children scrambling into position as a familiar biter appeared from behind the rock.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Murderface!" Nibble offered politely as he gestured hastily towards the hole that Pounce had dug, "Do you want to join us for a game?"
I'm honestly not sure if that's the guy's name or not, Gyors, thought, I'd ask, but then I'd have to admit I forgot what his name was. Sana would never let me live it down.
The elder male gave the children a tail-smile. "As much as I would like to, little biter, I am afraid that Thud has us on scouting duty. You kids have fun!"
Biter and Pounce both nodded a bit too vigorously as Ambush answered for them all. "We will, Mr. Murderface!"
It was then that Murderface stopped. A sudden change that made all of the assembled children freeze with concern. Uh, oh. It looks like they might have been found out.
"Though you kids might want to work on your scouting. I think that you might be about to be ambushed…" Murderface then pointed right at the ridge that held Gyors and his siblings. "You kids have fun, too!"
And just like that Murderface walked off, leaving the two groups of children to groan for their own reasons.
"Time to move," Gyors whispered, "Hopefully they'll think we left." I can't believe it. All that effort, and we get busted.
"Come on out, guys!" Nibble yelled with a sigh, "I guess… well… we should have told all of you as well."
Acting as a second-in-command, Biter made a waving gesture with his right hand as if to tell the others to stand down. Though his tail was hung in defeat. As Gyors could attest to, being caught in ambush was always embarrassing… when it wasn't deadly.
"Alright, everyone up," Gyors said in a normal, if irritated, tone, "They got us."
Nibble watched in mute fascination as Verant and Staza's children appeared suddenly from one of the numerous ridges that surrounded spiketail rock. Their appearance was both impressive and infuriating. It was a sign of how lax the pack's children had become, and, as leader of the young ones, it reflected poorly on him.
He let out a sigh before glancing at Biter. It was hard to believe it was a mere Night Circle cycle ago that he had finally beaten Littlefoot's son in a spar and won the 'leadership' of the young ones. That achievement was a highlight of his young life, but everything since then had been nothing but stress and annoyances. This was only further intensified by the fact that both Biter and Pounce would, of course, want to beat him in a spar next and to take the position. If this was what being a pack leader was like, then he had half a mind to just be a second-in-command. It seemed like less trouble.
Nibble cleared his throat. "Biter, would you like to let Gyors know about the actual reason we are here?"
Biter looked confused for a moment, but then he quickly nodded. It was not lost on either of them that Gyors knew Biter better than Nibble.
Biter walked up to the other pack of children slowly, just as his father had taught him. To run up to another pack could be seen as hostile, but to walk too leisurely could be seen as an insult. It was best to walk with both authority and dignity. Though, he had to admit, it was hard to feel dignified when seven other fastbiters nearly ambushed you and Murderface of all biters was the one to make the discovery. What did we miss?
Well, there was no time for that now. He had some relationships to mend. Finally stopping a few body-lengths away from Gyors he gave him a slight nod. "Sorry, guys. I guess that we should have told you what we were up to. But, um, it is kind of complicated."
"Complicated?" Ungu asked, confused, before realizing that she had completely ignored her group's ranks. "Oops."
Biter nodded awkwardly. "Um… it is kind of a situation where we promised to keep it secret so that this was not discovered." He waved his arm at the pack. "We kind of messed that up."
"Okay... so what needs to be kept secret?" Gyors asked.
Biter leaned in as if anyone could overhear him. "Some of our valley friends are sneaking over and we were worried that if everyone knew that you know who," he pointed up, "or you know who," he pointed in the general direction where Staza resided, "would have us grounded until our parents came back."
"And you all thought this would be a good idea why?" Gyors asked.
Biter shrugged. "Well, it isn't like they would have the chance to see us when we are back in our territory. That would be a long trip! This, on the other claw, is just a matter of them sneaking out of the valley, and they apparently do that all the time anyway."
It was at exactly that moment that a leaf-eater flyer landed on a bush right behind Biter. "Whew! That was a close one!"
It was at exactly that moment that Biter bolted around, taking up a defensive position. As soon as his mind registered that it was Flip's voice that he had heard, however, his fear turned into pure unadulterated annoyance.
"I'm assuming this is one of them?" Gyors asked Biter while trying not to laugh.
Biter narrowed his eyes at the flyer. "This is Flip. It seems he got the slip on our flyers."
"He does know how to tell fastbiters apart, right?"
Flip merely looked from fastbiter to fastbiter as he stood on his perch. With each face he focused on his breathing rate increased noticeably.
"Uh… these are your… new friends?" Flip asked in a somewhat less cocky voice than earlier.
"Yep!" came a booming voice as Dive lived up to his name and landed on the bush with a resounding crashing sound. This was more than enough to make Flip take off in a panic.
Biter rolled his eyes at the sharptooth flyer's antics. "I figured you guys had an excuse to let Flip sneak through. Just don't do that to Tricia or you might end up an impression in the dirt."
"Is he okay?" Portum suddenly asked, her eyes following Flip's somewhat erratic return.
"He's fine," Lift's voice affirmed before hovering above Biter. It was only when he nodded that she and her sister Valaria landed on his back. "Datum apologizes for the delay. He said that their shortcut had some unexpected complications that required a change in plans."
Biter narrowed his eyes. "And what does that mean in normal people talk?"
"The stream had bellydraggers in it," Valaria clarified.
Biter growled as he waved his arms in annoyance. "I didn't invite them over just so that they could feed someone!"
How are these kids still alive? Gyors wondered.
"Shouldn't you know what's down a particular path before you call it a shortcut?" Ungu asked, sounding extremely confused.
Biter very quickly cut off her thoughts. "That is what a certain flyer is for." He turned to glare at an apologetic-looking Flip who was now perched beside Dive.
"Uh… the stream looked clear to me. It isn't like I can see below water!" Flip muttered.
"Really?" Ungu asked, surprised, "Then how can the flyers watching us catch fish?"
Flip made a retching gesture before rolling his eyes. "Does Flip look like someone who catches fish? You are thinking of other kinds of flyers."
Biter tail-smirked and let out an amused snort. "Alright, alright. Tell Nibble…" he paused when he got a confused expression from the flyer, "The green one over there who is pacing around… tell him what you told me and then tell the others to sneak over to the spiketail-shaped rock. If we stick to the ridges then we should be able to keep you hidden from our sharptooth flyers or Staza."
Flip looked around uneasily. "They would eat us?"
"No. My mom would just give you a lecture," Ungu said. She paused and thought for a moment. "And she might personally escort you back to your parents so they know exactly what you did."
Flip gulped. "That's even worse. I will tell them." He then took off without another word.
Ungu and Portum shared a concerned look. "He seems to have his priorities backwards," Ungu stated, amused and concerned in equal measure.
Biter only shook his head. "Oh, trust me. You haven't seen weird priorities until you have seen my friend Datum."
"Yes, it was scary, but it was also very interesting! Did you see how the bellydragger waited until the absolute last moment before coming out of the water? It is a most interesting strategy."
"I would have found it much more fascinating, brother, if I weren't running for my life at the time!"
Tricia took a deep breath as if to will her horns to calm themselves before they collided with two rainbow-heads in a most 'fascinating' matter. As such her eventual response was much more calm and collected than it could have been.
"What in the name of sanity is wrong with you two? We nearly got eaten! Eaten!"
The sudden placement of horns in the path of the two rainbowfaces made them stop as they blinked, as if confused, at the threehorn's interruption.
"Uh, Tricia? If you are going to ram people can I get off first?"
The threehorn closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She had forgotten about her mouthy swimmer passenger. "Why, Malka? Want to be rammed in solidarity?"
This made the rainbowfaces look around awkwardly before Sauria finally spoke.
"Alright… how about we all stop for a moment and think."
Oh, for the love of… now Ms. Flathead is getting involved… Tricia willed herself to be quiet.
"We messed up and nearly got eaten… which isn't good… um…"
Such deep insights, Sauria. I am sure the rainbowfaces are impressed, Tricia mentally mocked.
"But we are still here so we might as well go and finish what we intended to do."
"So in other words, we need to shut our mouths and get on with it!" Charger added, simultaneously agreeing with Sauria's calming sentiments while also insulting everyone for good measure. But, crude as it was, it struck a balance that Tricia could live with.
Tricia snorted and nodded. "Right!"
Before the rainbowfaces could move much further, however, Tricia swerved and stared at the rainbowface. "Biter and his fellow fuzz-balls should be a bit over the ridge, correct?"
Datum rolled his eyes before continuing his forward stroll. "Flip said that the fastbiters would be near a rock shaped like a spiketail."
Charger snorted from beside Tricia. "So we are looking for some kind of dumb rock?"
Axiom nodded. "And also a fat one."
"That is speciest, sis," Datum chided before earning a harsh stare from her. "I, mean… that is rude."
Tricia shook her head as she left the two rainbowfaces to their weird conversation. Though they were friends sometimes she felt that their heads were stuck in the clouds even more than the longnecks!
Speaking of longnecks… she was not hearing Sauria's footsteps.
"What is it, Sauria?" Tricia groaned in annoyance as she turned around. We have so little time to play anyway before our parents find out something is up!
She was greeted by the scene of Sauria looking in Tricia's general direction with wide eyes. "The bushes moved."
"What?" Tricia deadpanned.
Sauria swallowed. "The bush in front of you. It moved."
Tricia quickly turned around and bared her horns at the unseen threat. But the bush did not move in the slightest. Even the wind did not appear to disrupt a single leaf. It was completely still.
Tricia sighed. All of this talk about nearly being eaten alive must have been taking its toll on her flathead friend. "Sauria, I think it is just the wi…"
That was when she saw it. One of the bush's leaves twitched.
Wait… leaves don't twitch...
That was exactly when Malka noticed… "That's… that's…"
Malka's words were suddenly cut off as Datum walked over and covered her mouth. "Your admirable attempt to spy on us has failed, Biter. You can come on out now."
But as a blue fastbiter suddenly peeked through the bush, Datum's confident expression quickly fell. This most certainly was not Biter.
And then another fastbiter appeared beside him. And another. And another.
Tricia trampled the dirt with her foot as she took aim at the first fastbiter. If she was going to go down she was going to go down fighting. "Are you a friend or do you want to become flat?"
It was at exactly that moment that Malka jumped off and ran in the other direction.
Ungu was rather confused as a panicked swimmer ran into the bushes she was hiding in. What's she running from? Doesn't she know it's not safe around here?
"Are you okay?" she asked after moving closer to the swimmer.
The swimmer froze, its tail suddenly going rigid with fear. As the swimmer turned around her mouth quivered, but it did not speak. The only communication that Ungu received in return was in the form of Malka's widened eyes.
"F-friend?" the swimmer croaked questioningly in broken sharptooth. The word was barely comprehensible, but Ungu nodded in understanding.
The swimmer continued to look at the fastbiter with wide eyes. It was enough to make Ungu question whether the swimmer had understood her or not.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Ungu said carefully, as if she were speaking to a much younger child. She took a step back to hopefully make the swimmer feel safer.
The swimmer took a deep breath before letting out a confusing series of grunts and bellows that appeared to be directed at her other friends. That was when she saw the threehorn Malka was focused on.
Ungu wasn't sure what to feel. If that threehorn tries to attack Gyors, she's going to be attacked. Unlike Malka, Ungu had seen two of her siblings prepare to leap at Tricia.
"Whoa! Everyone just stop!"
Biter suddenly sprung into the clearing out of nowhere before turning towards the threehorn and grunting something unintelligible. Though the grunts had the same cadence as what he had said before.
Was that leafeater? What a weird way of talking, Ungu thought, How exactly did we get into this mess again?
She saw the exact moment the threehorn realized she wasn't facing a single fastbiter. Apparently she's a bit too focused. Almost like Gyors without his other eye, actually.
That was when she was greeted by a threehorn with one eye. Uh, oh…
That was when the threehorn emitted an annoyed sounding grunt and gave her a harsh glare.
"Charger is asking if his friend is okay. Just don't move, alright, Ungu? And you too, Gyors!" Biter soothed.
This is not going to end well, Ungu thought, watching but trying to not give anything away as her siblings shifted to be able to collectively attack both threehorns if necessary.
The swimmer walked forward, gave Ungu a look, and then nodded at Charger before emitting some grunts of her own. This, finally, appeared to make the threehorns calm down.
"Your friends are rather jumpy, Biter," Gyors said.
"Well, we did surprise them," Portum said, defending the leafeaters since she couldn't outright point out that they'd been a bit jumpy as well.
"You surprised threehorns," Biter noted pointedly, "Surprise and threehorns do not go well together."
That was when another voice, with a most peculiar accent, broke through the banter. "Should I translate this conversation accurately for Tricia? Or should we continue to pretend that you all are discussing something else?"
I guess these two are rainbowfaces, Ungu thought. She hadn't heard much about the valley's rainbowfaces and none about any other, but it was impossible for her to miss the colors on duo's faces. They're kinda strange. They sound kinda like adults. Weird adults.
Ungu watched as Biter gave the male rainbowface a sour look. This merely made the rainbowface give Biter a smirk before he said something to the male threehorn. Only then did Charger give him a nod and stepped away from Ungu with a nod that she assumed signified either a dismissal or an apology.
Well, he doesn't look sorry, Ungu thought, I think I preferred it when he was glaring at me. Why does everyone think I'm a joke except the swimmer? I'm not that much smaller than my siblings.
"Alright, um… maybe I should translate for everyone?" a flustered Nibble suddenly asked rhetorically as his feathers appeared to stand up like an overlooked bush. There was no immediate answer from anyone besides a slight curling of Pounce's tail into something approaching a smirk, which was promptly put down by Biter giving him a playful glare.
Well, at least somebody finds this funny, Ungu thought, once again rather grateful that her siblings' ranks relative to each other hardly ever changed, Poor Biter. It almost seems like he and Nibble would feel more comfortable trading places. But they're not going to do something that simple, are they?
"Um…" Nibble began, "Let's go ahead and do introductions… all of you have met Tricia."
The green fastbiter, in what was almost a parody of a polite introduction, gestured towards the pink threehorn that was nearly ambushed by Gyors and the rest of his siblings. As if to match the gesture, Tricia gave an arrogant head bob in greeting.
Which, now that Ungu thought about it, is exactly what she would expect.
That was when the female threehorn began to emit a series of grunts. Which, with a smirk apparent in his tail, Nibble translated in sharptooth.
"Tricia says that we all seriously need to work on our communication. She has enough trouble with the big biters without the little ones trying to bite her tail as well!"
This made the female rainbowface put her head in her hands, while Datum rolled his eyes. "She means that as a compliment, I am sure. Threehorn honor, you know."
Pounce couldn't help himself as he gestured at the threehorn. "Should I ask her that?"
"No, I appreciate not being rammed, thank you," Datum replied back before giving his sister a glare as if not to encourage the fastbiter.
"How long have you guys known each other?" Gyors wondered aloud, "You sound like my friends and I do. Well, did. Most of them are dead now."
This made the rainbowfaces freeze in horror at Gyors words before Biter quickly mouthed out something in a series of grunts to them. Then, without missing a beat, the female rainbowface began to speak in leaf-eater as well.
What happened next was unexpected.
The longneck, which up until then had been standing behind the others, slowly walked forward towards the assembled pack of fastbiters. Though Nibble's pack was steady and did not seem perturbed by this, for Ungu it was a strange sight.
Actually that was an understatement. It was downright surreal.
Ungu simply stayed where she was and stared. Her siblings, unsurprisingly, tensed and took a few cautious steps back.
The little sauropod continued forward, unfazed, until she was a few steps in front of Tricia. Then, with a sweep of her head made possible by her elongated neck, she examined Gyors and his siblings with an appraising look.
I wonder what she's thinking, Ungu thought, She definitely doesn't understand not getting too close.
Then the longneck spoke with a solemn series of grunts. These were quickly translated by the mail rainbowface. "Sauria speaks for us all when she offers our sympathy for your loss. You may no longer have them, but if you are willing, we can also be your friends."
Gyors glanced at his siblings, as if judging their reactions. "I think we'd like that," he eventually said.
This seemed to give the longneck pause before she let out a breath and nodded in appreciation before grunting something that made both the threehorns and the rainbowfaces give indignant grunts in response.
What are they saying? Ungu wondered. looking at her siblings in confusion, hoping they had an answer.
Swipe did not share in the confusion, however, as she nudged Biter out of the way and rolled her eyes. "Sauria recommends that we have someone other than my brother, the horn-faces, and the rainbow-beaks handle the niceties next time. There is no head more level than a flat head!"
Ungu bit back a snicker, which was soon drowned out by her siblings outright laughing. Then, like a building wave, the laughter passed to the rest of the fastbiters and even to the leaf-eaters. Soon both horrific, carnivorous shrieks of amusement were met by loud grunts of levity from the herbivores. Perhaps they weren't so different after all?
The Great Valley:
"So, Blara, think you are still the fastest swimmer this side of the two hills?"
Blara looked at the other swimmer with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. Glare might have been her friend, but she could truly be insufferable sometimes. Everyone knew that to question a swimmer's ability to swim was a sore subject.
...not to mention that she was the fastest swimmer this side of the two hills.
"Think? I know I am," Blara replied, smirking.
"Oh?" Glare replied with a smirk of her own as she gestured at a shallow stream, "You know that Bent-tail over past the two hills does his swimming in shallow streams like this one. Do you think you can match that?"
Blara was about to respond to her friend but then Glare leaned in. "That male you like is watching."
Blara did her best to not react to that last bit, instead hurrying towards the water before she could embarrass herself.
She could hear the footsteps of her friend before she let out a half-hearted boast for the benefit of the scene, and the audience. "I bet that I can beat you!"
Then, as if to complete the challenge, her friend dove into the stream, sending water sailing into Blara's face.
"Not fair," Blara muttered as she dove after her friend. She was quickly greeted by a few giggles and playful slaps of water in her direction which allowed her to catch up. If she needed any further confirmation that her friend was throwing the race for her sake then here it was.
Blara swam past Glare as quickly as she could. "Catch me if you can," she called, keeping up the ruse that Glare was actually trying to win.
Glare dutifully pumped her arms through the water, making tremendous splashes as if Balara were being chased by a tsunami instead of a mere adolescent swimmer. It was only when they were well out of hearing range of the males that Glare spoke again between gasping breaths. "So what do you see in this-" she went underwater a moment, "-male? You seem awfully convinced that-" she dodged a splash from Blara, "-this is the one you want to nest with!"
'Well, he's..." Blara disappeared under the water. "...nice," she finished as her head reappeared above water.
As if to mock her Glare went upside down as if to swim at a leisurely pace and to totally destroy the facade of a serious race. "Just nice, huh?"
"What do you want me to say?" Blara asked, now staying above water, "He's a good friend. Now if only I could actually get him to notice me the way he seems to notice every other female..."
Glare quickly went back into a brisk swim as she gave her friend a teasing smirk. "So you're saying if I win this race then maybe I could have a chance?"
"Glare!" Blara protested, dunking her friend before surging ahead.
This earned her a playful laugh from Glare as she resumed the half-hearted attempt to outpace her speedy friend.
Blara focused on speeding ahead, dodging small rocks in the stream. There was a reason she preferred deeper rivers. If she hadn't been having to keep an eye out for obstacles, she might have missed something that definitely didn't belong in the water.
"Whoa!" Glare protested once a hand stopped her forward progress. "What was that for?"
"There's something in the water," Blara said, her tone indicating that that something shouldn't be there.
There was something in Blara's tone that gave her friend pause as her normal joking manner was gone in an instant. "Like what? A bellydragger?" Her head was now moving around rapidly, desperately trying to find what Blara had noticed.
"Left bank," Blara said, moving to the opposite bank to get a better look while giving her more distance in case it was something dangerous.
Glare was even more cautious as she sprung out of the water and then quickly hurled Blara onto the bank by grabbing one of her shoulders.
"Come on. We need to see what it is," Blara said, moving forward despite her own fear, "Do you see it?"
An audible swallow could be heard from behind her as her friend reluctantly followed close behind. There was something deeply horrifying about being out of water when threats arose, but there was something even more horrifying about the possible threat being in the water.
Blara moved closer, trying to get a better look at whatever was floating in the water. She hoped she wasn't too close in case it turned out to be dangerous.
"Eek!" Glare suddenly exclaimed, before recoiling back. For several moments Blara was uncertain what had spooked her friend, but that was when she saw them.
Flesh-eating fish… and they were paying her no notice. Instead they were quite focused on whatever was floating in the stream…
"What is that?" Blara wondered aloud, now rather alarmed.
Before she could act on her suggestion a rather large fish took a large bite at the unknown corpse, causing it to flip around. It was then that they all could see that this was not the body of a large fish.
Their screams were heard by half of the valley.
"This is terrible! Did a sharptooth get into the valley?" a swimmer practically shrieked as several other swimmers stood behind her as if not daring to approach the ghastly scene.
"If it did then it didn't finish its meal," a flyer quipped before getting nudged by one of his fellows for his lack of tact.
"Maybe something spooked it?" another swimmer suggested.
"What did you see?" the domehead, Numo, asked. I've got a bad feeling about this.
There was some disturbance from among the assembled swimmers as one of their number rushed to another and hugged him. An elder female looked at the scene briefly before answering the domehead. "My daughter says that she and a friend were having a race when they came across… across…"
She gestured hesitantly at the body. "I think… that was Ba. One of the newcomers from the Stout Snout herd."
I hate being right. "Oh." Numo took a closer look at the body. "I don't think I met him, but that's definitely a Stout Snout," he confirmed, sounding somewhat disturbed. The sight of the corpse wasn't the only reason he was feeling ill at ease.
"Clear a path!"
That voice needed no introduction at Topps' massive form appeared behind the assembled valley residents. They quickly pushed one another in order to make a path for the threehorn, lest he make a path for himself. The sound of thundering footsteps behind him only confirmed that the longnecks were on the move as well. Soon what passed for the valley leadership would be on the scene.
Topps stepped forward through the crowd and stared at the body for a long moment. The fact that he moved his head in close was a sign of his aging eyes.
His eyes might be starting to go, but his mind definitely hasn't, Numo thought, If he even thinks there was foul play involved we're in trouble. If there actually was, this is probably going to get a lot worse.
It was then that the threehorn sighed. "One of the Stout Snouts… Ba, I think it was. Can someone tell me what happened here?" He continued to stare at the body for a long moment before giving it a curt nod, as if giving the Stout Snout what passed for a polite dismissal for one last time.
"Those two girls," Numo said after no one bothered to speak for a while, gesturing towards the swimmers in question, "found the body floating in the water a little while ago. I heard some screaming and came to see what was going on. I don't know any more than that."
The booming footsteps of the longnecks became louder before some of their number grew silent. Then, with an extension of his neck, Bron looked over the crowd at the scene.
Topps sighed. "Probably a drowning then. If a small one gets grabbed by a slippery scalie then it could be hard to get out. We need to seriously do something about the sharptooth scalie problem!"
This earned several murmurs of agreement from the swimmers.
"I think whatever killed this one was bigger than a fish," Somni said suddenly, as his massive neck appeared next to Bron's.
Topps gave the newcomer a dry look. "What makes you say that?"
Numo looked at the body again, now both curious and concerned. Uh, oh. I've got a bad feeling about this.
Bron nodded then. "He is right… the face. Something smashed his face."
The crowd grew oddly still then. The previously fearful and disturbed banter was replaced with a disturbing silence.
Bron took a deep breath as he looked around at the trees, as if looking for anything that could have fallen. Then, with a dejected look, he turned back to the threehorn. "I think we are looking at a murder, Mr. Threehorn. And not from another Stout Snout."
And that feeling just got worse. Numo looked back at the now larger crowd. As the crowd grew so did its agitation. After a few moments, Numo spotted Castor among the crowd. The pair shared disturbed looks. We both know this does not bode well, the domehead thought, I hope none of us had any... He noticed Nyphon and Basher in another part of the crowd looking surprisingly calm. We're doomed.
Castor caught the same detail as he glared at the other two domeheads. Though over a hundred conversations were happening at once nothing was louder than the silent one going on right in front of Numo. A silent conversation that was only concluded when Bron let out the call for a valley meeting.
Numo gestured away from the crowd, hoping Castor would get the message. We need to talk, and soon.
Back at Hanging Rock:
"Well, we could play a game of pinecone!"
Malka gave her threehorn friend a sour look. "Yes, Tricia, that would be a fine idea. It is all fun and games until one of us is accidently disemboweled."
This made Charger chuckle, which earned him a glare from the other threehorn.
"What about a mind game then? Something that doesn't involve claws or death," Flip suggested in return as he landed on Tricia's back.
Both Axiom and Datum nodded at this, which made Sauria roll her eyes. "Only if those two are on separate teams."
"Oh, like 'who's got my tail'?" Pounce suggested in sharptooth, to the uncomprehending looks of the leaf-eaters. But then he translated.
"I am not sure I want to know how that is played. I suppose the fact that your tail is still attached is a good sign," Axiom suggested with some amusement.
"We could play 'which direction am I?'" an enthusiastic flyer exclaimed that Ungu quickly identified as Dive.
"They're not flyers, flutter-head!" his sister, Lift, quickly retorted.
"How about 'who's the killer?'" Gyors suggested. His suggestion was greeted by groans from his siblings.
"Not again."
"You always win that one."
This made Nibble cough awkwardly. "Perhaps something that does not creep out the leaf-eaters?" He gestured at the weird looks Gyors was getting from the rainbowfaces for emphasis.
"How about a riddle game?" Ungu suggested, "We haven't done that in a while.
This suggestion attracted some interest from the leaf-eaters, as Sauria and the threehorns discussed the matter in a series of bleats and grumbles. Then the rainbowfaces and Malka joined in, exchanging nods.
"That sounds promising," Datum offered in sharptooth, "A riddle exchange then? See if our teams can stump each other?"
"We're in if everyone else is," Sana said after noticing Ungu glancing uncertainly at her siblings. It didn't help that she was on Gyor's literal bad side.
He was greeted by a series of nods, which mostly followed from the next-highest ranked to the least.
"It looks like we're in if you are, Nibble," Biter affirmed as he took a tally of the others. He then looked up at the ridge that Petrie's children were perched upon, just to confirm the flyers were of the same mind.
This earned him a playful eye roll. "All against one? I'm not giving you that lopsided of a spar, Biter. I also like the idea of a riddle game."
This was all Axiom need to hear before she waved Malka and Charger to her side, sending Datum, Tricia, and Flip to their own team. Now this only left the choosing of the other team members.
Datum rubbed his beak awkwardly. "Uh… I guess we can have people join our teams now. I am not well versed in your dominance hierarchies, so perhaps all of you could join in order of rank?"
This was followed by the little rainbowface looking at each fastbiter in turn, starting with Biter, and then Nibble, and then Gyors, as if unsure where everyone stood.
"Um, we may have a problem," Gyors said hesitantly, "We're pretty much two different packs."
It wasn't until the one-eyed threehorn grunted out something that made the swimmer snort with laughter that Gyors directed his one eye on the male rainbowface. This earned him a sigh before he reluctantly translated.
"Charger was just joking!" Datum said very quickly in sharptooth before adding almost sheepishly, "He said that you guys could fight over it."
Gyors and his siblings immediately tensed up but found themselves looking in different directions, some of the fastbiters thinking the leafeaters were more dangerous.
Before the situation could escalate, Nibble whispered at Gyors with a tone that indicated equality. "So… now that you met two threehorns for the first time, do they sound like what you imagined?"
"Worse, actually," Gyors said with a laugh.
"We could just have the rainbow-beaks pick us out. I'm sure that will tick off the horn-faces," Nibble suggested.
"I like where this is going," Flip muttered in sharptooth from Tricia's back.
"What are they saying?" the threehorn demanded, though to Gyors it came out as an exasperated grunt.
"Oh…. nothing…." Flip muttered before wisely going airborne.
"Let's do that," Gyors said, liking the idea of annoying the threehorns.
Both of the rainbowfaces looked at one another across the imaginary line between the two teams and exchanged an eyeroll. Then Datum cleared his throat
"Alright… my first pick is Biter..."
"Hmmmm… well… um…" The male rainbowface finally looked exasperated for once. "Uh, the green one? Sorry, I don't know your name."
"Portum," the fastbiter answered, slightly annoyed.
As the green fastbiter walked over to her team, Ungu watched the growing groups of leaf-eaters and predators as if they were a matter of life-and-death. What if she were in a different team than her packmates? What would Dad think?
"Hmmmm… Dodger was it?"
Wha... Ungu was startled back to the present. Why am I always startled by that? I've been introduced to her. Twice.
"Yep!" a green fastbiter quickly walked over to Datum's team as she was called. It took Ungu several moments to get over the awkwardness of it all. Dad had said that Dodger had been his youngling name, and it was a common one.
"Still a bit weird, isn't it?" Sana suddenly asked.
"Yeah. I guess Haven's kids feel the same way. They're still looking at Portum weird," Ungu answered with an embarrassed laugh.
"Lift." Datum's voice called as a flyer took off overhead.
"Gyors," Axiom's voice called out in return.
Please don't pick me, Datum, Ungu thought in a panic. She rarely left Gyors's side anymore and even then only when someone else agreed to watch Gyors's blind spot for her.
That was when her eyes caught Portum's. Without a word she moved over to his blinded side, covering Ungu's duties without covering her anxiety.
Thanks, sis, Ungu thought gratefully. Her eyes started following Datum nervously as he considered who to pick next.
"Tormax?"
"Tormid!" all of Tormid's siblings and even a few of their new friends yelled.
Datum sighed before bowing his head and putting out his arms in resignation. "Look, I'm not good with name, alright! I just met you guys."
Axiom gave her brother a cheeky smile. "Lola."
"It's 'Lula'," Lula and Ungu said at the same time.
How do you keep messing our names up? Ungu wondered, Even if you can't remember, you could just ask someone else.
"Our names aren't that hard," Sana muttered, irritated.
"Maybe not, but they are new names for us," Datum stated with some defensiveness in his words, "It takes awhile to get used to them, and we have only known you for a few moments."
Ungu hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should reply. Sana gave her an encouraging nudge. "Datum, Axiom, Tricia, Charger, Malka, Sauria, Flip," she said, pointing to each leafeater in turn. Um, maybe that was a bit much. But it's not that hard. I just thought of them standing in places around our old nest area then just thought of the places when I wanted to remember them.
For her trouble she was greeted by two dumbfounded rainbowfaces. With Axiom folding her arms at being showed up, and Datum actually taking on a contemplative expression.
"Looks like she gave ya some learnin'!" Pounce mocked.
Datum nodded. "Indeed. That's why she is going on my team."
Me and my big mouth, Ungu thought before walking over to join her team. Deciding to stay close to someone she was comfortable with she somewhat nervously went to stand by Biter. Calm down, Ungu. He's your friend. I know friends are hard for me to find, but I don't think I'm going to lose him if I do something dumb. He's still Pounce's friend, after all.
From the other group Gyors glared at Biter with his one eye until Ungu returned the glare along with a pleading look. Eventually he relented, if rather reluctantly.
"And Sana," Axiom finally finished, letting the remaining fastbiter get to her team.
"Alright, so the teams are in place; can we get this game going now?" Tricia grunted in her own tongue, which was faithfully translated by Axiom.
"I can't believe I'm agreeing with the horn-face," Gyors muttered, "Let's get this started."
This made Axiom smirk as she stepped forward. "Alright, I will go ahead and get us started with a practice round. This is their first time playing catch a riddle, right?"
This made Datum cross his arms and take on an arrogant smirk. "I think they are ready for the real thing. Aren't you, guys?"
"Yeah!" Biter and Pounce both affirmed with enthusiasm at the same moment.
Ungu meanwhile looked more than a bit concerned, having noticed Datum's smirk. Part of my team or not, I don't trust these rainbowfaces not to do something.
This made Axiom roll her eyes as she consulted with the rest of her team. Soon Tricia Charger and Sauria were all whispering in their own language, while Axiom translated to a nodding Gyors.
It was then that Axiom stepped forward and raised a single finger. "The more you take of me, the more you leave behind. What am I?"
Silence reigned over Ungu's team for several moments as they processed the other rainbowface's words.
What does that mean? Ungu thought, extremely confused, How can you leave more of what you take behind? The rest of her teammates looked just as confused until Datum waved them over.
Datum put his hands together in a contemplate expression as he looked over at the numerous fastbiter heads that peered back at him. Then, as if to not let them feel left out, he looked over at the two flyers who were perched to his side. The three flyers, Flip, Verok, and Valaria, looked perplexed as well.
"Alright, so my sister has produced an effective riddle. In a case like this it is probably best to look at her words from every possible angle." Datum waved his hand as if to make a point. "Because in this game, not everything is as it seems."
"So it is like a hidden runner in game form," Pounce noted with a snort. This earned him a playful nudge from Biter.
"No, wait, he is right," Verok, one of Petrie's children, affirmed, "I bet she is not talking about an actual 'me'."
"That's good because your father has more than enough 'me's for all of us!"
Mercifully, Sniffer put a hand on Pounce's snout before he could sneak in any more commentary. "Like something not alive?"
Datum nodded. "Or even a concept or even a mere 'thing'."
Okay, so it doesn't have to be someone, Ungu thought, It can be something bizarre. Hm... You gather scents or at least smell them, but you're also giving off scents as you move along. Could that be the answer?
"Got an idea, sis?"
Ungu jolted before realizing who had spoken to her. "No, not really. Just something silly."
"Yeah, Tormid is right, if we have ideas it is best that we talk about them!" Pounce affirmed, "Because this riddle is making me feel like I am chasing my tail. It is right there, but I just can't catch it, you know?"
Datum stepped forward and gave Ungu a reassuring nod. "Nothing is too silly in this game. I thought the answer could be memories, but you can forget those… so your idea would be welcome."
"I was thinking 'scents'," Ungu replied, "You gather them with your sniffer, but you're also leaving scents behind as you walk around."
"Ohhhh… that is a good one,." Biter affirmed.
Datum nodded in agreement. "The only issue might be that you leave different scents when you walk around than you are taking… but perhaps it is something else we leave behind when we walk…"
It was then that Datum jumped up, spooking Flip into taking off briefly in an aborted escape. "Aha! I think that we figured it out!"
Pounce blinked. "We did?"
Datum walked over to the other team. "Footsteps. You need to try harder than that, sis."
Well, he's more confident about that answer than I was. Wait, did we actually get it right? Ungu thought before realizing that Axiom's annoyed expression answered the question for her.
The female rainbowface sighed. "You got it. Now it is your turn to do your worst."
It was then that Datum went back to his group and wore a triumphant smirk. "Alright, guys, this is what I was thinking…"
Thud let out a suppressed snort from behind his hiding spot in the bluff. "I see that the valley always has a gang of troublemakers."
"Should we alert them to our presence?" another voice, Murderface's, asked from nearby.
"Don't even think about it," Staza muttered, "You'll just send them running. Or get attacked. You never know what my kids might do when surprised." Especially if they're worried about their new friends.
Murderface nodded at this as he pointed at the little flyers. "Flyers are jumpy to begin with. Spooking one of them could set them all off."
Staza focused on what was going on in front of her. It looked like another round was starting. She strained her hearing to make out the words.
One of the small rainbowfaces stepped in from of his group. Staza could see several of her children, including Ungu, Fitu, and Tormid, standing around with an air of confidence. Well, as much confidence as Ungu could muster anyway. It was then that the rainbowface spoke. "You have me today, Tomorrow you'll have more; As your time passes, I'm not easy to store; I don't take up space, But I'm only in one place; I am what you saw, But not what you see. What am I?"
This is definitely not my game, Staza thought, I have no clue what he could possibly mean by that.
It was then that a sigh reminded Staza that Thud was still present. "Well, I need to check on Swift before she bites my tail off. The little ones should be up from their nap at any time." He looked over towards Staza, "Will you be alright with this, um, situation, Staza?"
"Assuming no more leafeaters randomly show I should be fine," Staza said, only half joking. After seeing this many kids sneak out here I wouldn't be surprised by anything now.
She continued to watch the scene as her children, distributed between each team, talked with their fellow team members as if they had always been 'pack'. It was both inspiring and disturbing considering how much she had hoped to spare her kids the turmoil that could come with befriending the food. Resisting the opposing urges to either growl in annoyance or to smile, she finally decided on a muted sigh.
I've got a riddle of my own to figure out. What are you kids doing out here? I would have thought you guys would have learned not to do risky stuff by now. Especially you two. She glared at the
unsuspecting rainbowfaces, still locked in their sibling rivalry inspired exchange of riddles. What would your parents think if they knew you were out here? I hope they taught you better than that. Though they are the oddest dinosaurs I've ever heard about. They seem smart, but every once in a while they make a big mistake. One day their luck will run out, and I'm hoping you kids don't have to learn that the hard way.
The outskirts of Questor's territory:
"Urgh… I got a scent marking over here! You guys should probably check this out!"
"You're joking, right?" one hidden runner struggling to help move the log to the next stream asked, "We're not going to be here long enough for anyone to notice or care."
Logos struggled to help lift the makeshift watercraft as one of their watchers reluctantly began to loosen his grip. This made both Chronos and her prepare to lay down the boat, which was for the best when the supposed leader of the hidden runner group completely let go of the boat, causing them to half-drop, half-sit down the heavy product of their handiwork.
"Fine! You two keep an eye on our guests and I will check this out!"
Logos barely had enough time to lay the boat on the moist grass before she saw the hidden runner point in her direction. "And don't get any funny ideas, you two!"
She hid her malicious grimace by joining it with a pained groan. A funny idea like making a solar cooker to roast you alive? I wouldn't dream of it. She wasted no time in leaning back against the hollowed-out log as if it were the most comfortable resting place she had ever encountered.
She was not surprised when her mate sat down beside her and took a similar pose. The only thing that had been more exhausting than the journey upstream was the journey on foot to get to whatever stream the hidden runners wanted them to follow now. A stream that apparently was well away from Ignis's territory.
A stream from which they may not escape.
"This is what you were worried about? It's old," one of the hidden runners in the distance could be heard saying, "Find something fresher before you panic like that again."
"You told me to report anything unusual, sir!"
"Shit isn't unusual! Everything shits! And whatever made this shit is long gone!"
Logos turned towards her mate with a fatigued expression. She was not surprised when a comforting hand gripped her shoulder. Though no words were immediately exchanged, she did appreciate the reminder of what they still had. They had each other, and if the worst came to pass… their legacy would live on in their children.
"We can't make a break for it now."
Logos could only nod at her mate's affirmation as she watched their two guards glancing in their direction, spears firmly in hand.
"But you might have a chance if they have us travel on this other stream at night. The cover of darkness could give you a chance."
This made her eyes go wide. Immediately she turned her head and proceeded to open her beak to…
Only to have her beak closed by her mate's hands before he quickly nuzzled her to hide her sudden surprise. The next words came in a hoarse whisper in her ear.
"If Questor gets both of us then all is lost. You must try to get away and warn the others. And don't even try to argue with me… we all know you are the better swimmer."
Logos closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. It would do them no good in this situation. "And what am I supposed to tell our children when I tell them that I abandoned you to be ripped to shreds?"
Chronos nuzzled her again before offering a confident smile that didn't reach his eyes. "First, I will be more useful offering 'help' than being ripped to shreds… help I can carefully limit. And second, if it comes to that, tell them that I did my duty."
Logos leaned into her mate's embrace, sensing that the time for affections was soon coming to an end. "I love you."
Chronos closed his eyes as well. "As do I. And I always will."
"You two are sappier than that tree over there," one of the hidden runners coming back from their investigation said, sounding disgusted, "Let's get this stupid thing moving."
Logos and Chronos shared one last nuzzle before they forced themselves back to their feet. Then, with a final joining of hands, they looked into one another's eyes. They both knew it could be one of the last times they had the chance.
Logos then fixed her eyes on the wooden craft that served as their transportation into lands unknown. It only highlighted the stakes. She would either begin to head back towards the valley tonight, or she would go to the Great Beyond.
Either way she was going home.
Thanks for the reviews, everyone!
JudgementDragon25: Thank you for the kind words. :) Yeah, this story is basically a directed roleplay at this point between myself and Historian1912, and I quite like the results thus far. Sometimes when you have an idea for writing but am not quite sure how to apply it, a roleplay is a good way to get the creative juices flowing.
Keijo6: I can hardly fault you for a delayed review after my multi-week delay in reviewing your latest chapters. :p I am glad that you thought that the previous chapter explored the darker side of the 'good guys' in this war. Ultimately casualties are unavoidable in any war, and the perspective of who is a friend and a monster is often a subjective one based upon where one stands. I do hope the current chapter does not make things drag too much with its slow build, but I think that the plot it lays out is going to be very important for what develops next. In any case I look forward to your thoughts. :)
Guest:I guess we will have to see what develops with the rainbowfaces. Suffice to say, things will be coming to a head soon. As for the killing of the hidden runners, it is easier said than done to capture people in this kind of situation. When the other side has weapons and one is in hidden terrain, sometimes the only option is to attack and ask questions later. Though now they will have to deal with the aftermath of what they have done.
gordhanx: Thank you for the detailed review. I did enjoy designing the chapter with bookeneds, so to speak. With the first scene showing a touching scene between two mothers... and the last scene showing every mother's darkest fear. It is my hope that such scenes show the dichotomy of the war and the people in it - each side has their own (arguably justifiable) motivations, but there is always a high cost when a conflict breaks out into violence. We will see the consequences to that chapter in the next chapter that will be posted.
Anagnos: Thank you very much for the detailed and insightful review. :) I must admit that I had a good deal of fun writing Pearl's side of the conversation with Staza, as both mothers confronted the realities of the world they find themselves in. I felt it was important to show what this war is like for those that stayed behind, and to show another perspective on the conflict. This desire also extended into showing the reality of what transpired in the battle. Ultimately no one is omnipresent and we must all do our best to navigate our lives in a way that best suits the greater good, as we see it. But when people do not agree on what the greater good is, or have differing ideas on how to achieve it, that is where conflict resides. In the next chapter we will see the aftermath of the egg situation, and the super-pack's plans for the conflict ahead.