She gently packed the tree sap into the wound of her thigh. She didn't remember exactly when she got it, though she guessed it was when she jumped out of the water as he had slashed through it. Sucking on her fingers, she looked at it again. She had needed to remove the crust from the wound, so wet lines of blood had trailed down to the back of her thigh. But the sap had stemmed the bleeding. She checked the other wound on her chest; it was still puckered in a desirable way. If the swelling went down, she would irritate it again. She lowered her leg, straddling the branch she was on, and began to think.
Last night had been a series of mistakes on her part, and she was seeing why, now that she was awake. She had to be especially careful now; Torodondodondo knew who his opponent was. The hunt would be more difficult if she wanted to keep any advantage she had. But she didn't know where Torodondodondo was, and she was reluctant to go to the spot she had lost him to pick up his trail. She would have to, but would have to be careful. It was very likely he had the same idea, or even the idea to simply wait for her there, knowing she would come. She never had to forget that ultimately she was the prey; it was her purpose.
Turning, Diwizama made her way further up the tree, climbing up the smaller and smaller branches until she was primarily sliding up the trunk. Once her head broke the leaves she looked around, orienting herself. To the west she saw where the trees gave way to the large river where she had hunted the river hogs. There was a city near there, where she did most of her trading for books, and where she would meet the man who took care of the safe. There was very little else around her lands, a few other cities that were near them along the river, but to the east was wide open, and hers.
Turning towards the still ascending sun, she saw the small hole in the trees where her village was, then looked to the south where far away the tree line was suddenly gone. Those were the diamond mines. Having fixed her location between those three points, she looked to the north and paused. Her expression fell like a stone as she looked over and saw smoke curling into the sky through the trees. That meant only one thing: trespassers. She didn't have the luxury of going and dealing with them now, whether they were poachers or soldiers. Poachers were more likely; the people of this land knew better.
Frustrated, she ducked back into the leaves and climbed down. Across the branches she went, heading back the way she had come the previous night, but avoiding the same exact path. The closer she got, the slower she went, the more cautious she was.
She paused often, sometimes crawling as slow as a chameleon across a branch and to another one. Once she found the damaged trees, she turned her gaze to the ground. The clawed footprints were deep in the earth and very clear. She moved along the tree limbs, looking up and around often as she followed the trail. When it vanished, she moved to the tree above and pinched between her fingers dry soil clinging to the branch. She searched around until she found the next smear, and then the next. Eventually that trail faded away, but she had a decent idea of what direction Torodondodondo had gone in.
He was heading south. Hopefully he had not discovered the mines. While the workers there would be safe, the soldiers were free to attack, fitting the Payas' code of appropriate game. She began to move along the branches, flickering under the beams of sunlight that reached down unhindered to the jungle floor. She passed over a small herd of bongo and noted their location for hunting later if she returned to this place. They moved nervously, hearing her pass by but did not take off into the trees. She was not hunting them.
As she moved along, she changed direction every now and then to make a sweep from east to west to see if she could pick up the trail. There were little things that kept her going. Here there was a broken branch, one too thick to have been broken by an ape. There a set of prints where he went to the ground for a few moments before climbing back into the trees. But most of the time there was nothing, and she had to just go forward with the risk of it not being the right way. Either she picked the trail up again, or had to go back and try a different direction.
Her search came to a sudden halt when she heard a rattle. She froze instantly and pressed to the tree branch. It happened again, but it made no sense. Even the rattle made by a Paya in rest had a meaning to it. This was just… noise. She looked around, but did not spot Torodondodondo. The jungle around her was still alive, which should not have been the case.
She slowly moved forward, creeping along silently, following the sound. She stopped every now and then when the rattle sounded again, every time expecting the cold touch of blades through her back. But it never happened. She slithered forward and froze when she caught a bright golden glow. She held her breath, waiting, but it didn't move. She crept closer, her hand lifting from a branch, removing the ba from her side and placing it down in one fluid movement that did not interrupt her advance.
She stopped right above the glow, eyes wide, breathing shallow. She did not need the spear. Torodondodondo was lying in a spot of sun, bathing in the same way a lizard would. One hand was thrown over his stomach, the other rested in a natural position at his side. A long gash ran from the center of his pectorals and diagonally across his left collarbone. Dried dark green blood, no longer glowing, was sprayed over his chest from the wound.
The soft rattle came from deep in his throat as his chest rose, then lowered silently.
He must have been exhausted, to have fallen asleep with his mask and armor on. That, or he was not going to be caught without them in the case of an emergency.
Diwizama thought of what to do, watching the Paya sleep. Given how long it took for her to find him, it was likely he would not be asleep for much longer. She tilted her head then looked around. She needed to lead him away from the south. The further they were away from the mines the better. But it would not be wise to awaken him either. She lay stiffly on the branch above Torodondodondo and thought. Then she lifted her head from the wood and carefully climbed down. She froze, hanging from the lowest branch when he rattled again, but his sleep was undisturbed save by whatever dream he was having.
Her feet touched down on the ground and she crept forward, removing Mbia's spear from the belt. She was approaching a sleeping predator, which was dangerous to do no matter the species. She moved slowly, every muscles tense, ready to spring if the need arose. She paused mid-step as his head moved to the side, the grey eyes of his mask staring right at her, and her heart smashed against her sternum. But he did not move, and his breathing did not change. She exhaled silently and stepped forward. She was close now. She continued her approach with short sliding movements, one hand up ready to defend, the other holding the spear towards the ground.
She was close enough now to the hand he had away from him. His sharp claws were digging into the soft earth even without him trying. She held her breath and moved to lower the spear to the ground so that it would be right next to his hand. She jumped. Torodondodondo suddenly moved. One great shoulder lifted from the ground. His black dreads slid across his shoulders. The charms lightly sang against each other as his large back was turned to her, exposing a scar. He snorted once, head shaking slightly before he was still again, and his sides rose and fell steadily.
Diwizama's shoulders fell, the task ahead now suddenly very much more difficult. Her brow furrowed and she shook her head slightly, looking up through the small space in the trees. There was no helping it. She readied herself again and made her way around, opting to go the way around his legs, as they would be least dangerous if he awakened than if she had rounded his torso.
She knew that showing the back to someone was a grave insult to the Payas, like saying that they were not dangerous. It was something her clan had adopted as well, and to not answer the insult was a sign of weakness, but what more proved the offender right. While Diwizama could amuse herself with the circumstances, Torodondodondo was asleep; the 'insult' was entirely unintended.
She moved past his spiked heels and moved back up his body, being ever cautious. Her toes dug into the soft earth, as she leaned forward. Mbia's spear lightly touched the ground in front of Torodondodondo's mask, above his hand. His mask was beautiful, it looked like the traditional masks the Payas wore, but it was more rounded, save for the crown, which was serrated on the edges.
She held her breath, wanting to touch the surface of the mask. Her fingers flexed, but then curled, remembering her mistake the previous night. She retracted her hand. He had no mark carved into it the brow like others she had seen in the vault, but what she was looking for was carved just beneath where she had cut him. It was such a shallow wound; she had thought it had been much graver from the way that he had roared.
She didn't have time to ponder it, turning and heading back the way she came, quietly, but on the ground. She intentionally bent the plants and moved things to clear her way. She wanted to leave a trail for him to follow. Hopefully, though, the return of Mbia's spear would be enough to get him more interested in coming after her and keep him from going further south.
She moved quickly, but didn't run. She didn't want Torodondodondo suddenly appearing behind her, or worse, above. But the jungle around her was still alive, the animals were joined in chorus. She almost relaxed, brushing her hand along some ferns, feeling the cool slick blades on her hand before she grabbed and broke the ends. She looked up at an osprey sitting in a tree. It observed her with sharp cocks of its head and made a soft noise.
"I'm much too big for you," she said to it quietly as it turned a golden eye to her again, then its attention went elsewhere. She continued on her path, turning to where the bongo had been and climbed up into the trees. She had left a good enough trail. She could hunt now and retrieve the kill later, in case she survived and was too tired or sore.
She heard movement ahead and her muscles all tensed, her eyes widened for more light and she crept forward. The Bongo were nervous now, sensing they were being hunted, but this time Diwizama was being quiet, and they did not know where the danger was. She stayed above them, readying her spear and looking for a good individual that would both feed her and make a good offering to Torodondodondo. She selected a good-sized, thick-horned buck with a deep russet coat striped with white. She dropped down out of the tree, spear angled down and pierced the hide of the buck easily.
The herd flew into a flurry, and in the chaos the sun glinted off of sharp metal. The spear missed her, flying into the forest. Diwizama wasn't sure how Torodondodondo missed, maybe the many jumping warm bodies around her confused him, but she reacted quickly. The herd was dispersing around her, trying to choose and follow a direction but had no leader. Torodondodondo appeared, leaping into the fray and his blades flashing out. Blood sprayed everywhere and bodies hit the ground all around her but she stayed put, even though the heavy weight on top of her made it difficult to breathe.
It took only a second for the rest of the herd to scatter, and Torodondodondo followed after them, then stopped and rattled, looking at the fleeing individuals, then turned. His gaze was down, searching the ground, but all he could find were bongo bodies and pieces. His rattle was frustrated and he kicked a large buck. Diwizama's muscles went tight.
Torodondodondo gave a quick jerk of his head and bent, lifting the corpse of a doe, one hand nearly encircling her entire neck. He moved the head back and forth before abruptly dropping it and standing. Diwizaba's lungs burned for air but still she held her breath. His head turned again as something else caught his attention. He moved closer to her, stopping so close that she could see the claws of his four prominent toes with detail. She heard him rattle above her and got ready. The moment the weight was lifted off of her she shot forward, spear angled upwards. She felt it penetrate through flesh, and Torodondodondo's roar of battle turned to one of pain, then rage.
She saw white spots in her vision as she fell to the earth. The back of his hand had turned her head so quickly her neck had cracked and she was dizzy. She stood immediately, becoming aware that her spear was still in her hand, perhaps torn out by the very force that threw her. The flowing green blood spilled across Torodondodondo's knee as he faced her and roared. She heard his wristblades unsheathe and steadied herself.
The grace and power with which Torodondodondo attacked was unrivaled. Mbia had not been so fluid, brusquer in his style, with strong movements. Mbia was like a buffalo. Torodondodondo was like a leopard.
Diwizama anchored herself and swung into his oncoming attack, avoiding his first lunge forward and bringing the end of the spear to his wristblades, forcing them down to the earth. He recovered quickly, opening his hand against the ground and shifting his center, swinging his other blades backwards at her legs. Diwizama stumbled out of reach and then jumped, putting more distance between them. He closed it easily in just two strides, leg muscles rippling. She jumped, turning her body sideways and hit his chest with her shoulder.
She went flying to the ground, the soil grinding against her skin. She rolled out of the way as his wristblades sank deep into the soft earth. Rather than pull them out he simply swung his arm, the blades carving to the side, bringing them up through the earth. She felt the edge of her ear slice open and hissed in pain. Blood fountained onto her shoulder as she whirled to her feet, facing him again, in her hand a small brown sphere.
Torodondodondo seemed to recognize it, jumping slightly at the sight of it in her palm and his muscles bulging to dodge. She anticipated it, though, and threw the sphere into his path. It hit him square in the chest and his roar sent birds fleeing out of the trees in clouds.
The bright white arches of energy ran over his body, causing his skin to twitch and spasm. All of his muscles involuntarily tightened, immobilizing him. He seemed ready to fall to his knees, but he was too proud for that. The shock lasted only a few seconds before dissipating and leaving Torodondodondo heaving breaths. But by then Diwizama was gone, running into the jungle towards the north. No doubt he could see her retreating, what she didn't understand was why he had not thrown another disk at her.
Eventually, she dared to look back over her shoulder. Torodondodondo was not following her, still she ran, sure that her mother's ghost was cursing her for doing so. She ran until her sides hurt, breathing felt like inhaling fire, and she could taste iron in the back of her throat. She fell onto a tree, her legs burning in protest, convulsing. She didn't know what else to do. It felt wrong to make the final blow against Torodondodondo when he was paralyzed like that, unable to defend himself. She had no idea those metal spheres were that effective on a living body. She resolved to not use them again. She leaned away from the tree, still not having caught her breath, but she couldn't stay here.
She saw the jungle move and whipped her body to face Torodondodondo, not knowing how he had caught up to her. She reacted far too slowly, hearing a metallic sound. She felt cold metal on either side of her neck. She was slammed back against a tree, her throat trapped between the two blades on his wrist. Torodondodondo's cloak dropped as he lifted his other arm, extending the wristblades with a deliberate curl of his fingers. He had won, the hunt was over. She set her jaw, hands pressed against the tree and looked upon him with hard eyes.
He hesitated, fingers flexing then curling again. He tilted his head, rattling with curiosity. There was a deep guttural roar. Diwizama felt the cut of the wristblades as they dislodged suddenly from the tree. She put her hand reflexively to the wound on her neck, fingers slick with blood and stumbled to the side, watching with awe. A gold spotted mass of muscle was on Torodondodondo's back, claws raking the skin as teeth bit, trying to get to the back of his neck through the dreads. Diwizama watched splashes of green blood fly as the leopard snarled and tried to get a hold on its victim. Torodondodondo roared and arched his back, throwing the leopard off.
He turned around, wristblades brandished at the feline who flashed its own weapons. Its hunt just went very badly where unaware prey should have been easily taken down. But this was no antelope or hog, not even a man. This was a Paya.
Back arched, the leopard tried to weigh its options, but the hesitation was a bad choice in itself. Torodondodondo lunged, wristblades ready. The leopard reflexively jumped for his throat, but came up short. The hit was not direct, though; the claws of the leopard raking down the Paya's chest distracting it enough that the wound was not instantaneously fatal.
That was all Diwizama saw. She ran into the trees. She could feel the blades of ferns and grasses vainly try to cut as her skin. Her calves became slick with the blood of breaking plants. She stumbled, fell, stood back up, cut to her left and ran in a new direction. She didn't know where she was going, had no destination or plan in mind. She just ran, one hand clamped to the wound on her neck when it was not breaking her falls or helping her dodge trees.
Then, a blood-curdling roar shattered the air, and a chill went down her spine. Her eyes widened, breathing became difficult. She didn't stop.