Skyla came to slowly but surely, like an anchor being pulled from the depths of the ocean. Something cool lay on her brow and it felt lovely and refreshing. But the rest of her body was awash with pain and complaining wholeheartedly about her treatment. Memory soon followed feeling and her eyes snapped open.
The creatures! They'd shot her...with a dart, some sort of drug...
She shot upright but immediately regretted it as her head protested at the sudden movement. Something fell onto her lap and the coolness left her brow. She blinked several times to make sure she was awake, then raised her head to look around her.
Skyla was surprised to find herself in an actual bed with a blanket, and she appeared to be in some sort of dwelling. The whole place was dome shaped and the walls and the ceiling seemed to be made of a mixture of moss and tree bark. There were several oval shaped torches hanging around the wall, giving off a pale green glow, and it was them and a large gap in the wall Skyla took to be the entrance that provided light for the room. It was obvious someone lived here as there was the bed and other bits of furniture scattered about that indicated a sentient dweller. But at the moment, there was no-one around.
The Lombax's ears twitched as they picked up sounds coming from outside, movement and voices, though she couldn't quite hear what they were saying. It sounded like there were quite a few of them.
She stiffened as a shadow approached and a figure entered the dome.
"Ah, you are awake," it said, moving over to where Skyla lay and setting down several objects on a nearby table. Skyla shifted away from it slightly and observed it suspiciously.
This creature was quite obviously the same species as the males as it had many similar features. But this one was very distinctly female. For a start she was at least half a foot shorter than the males, and her skin was light lilac in colour but looked the same in texture. Her eyes were also lilac, as was her hair which fell straight down her back like a sheet of paper. She wore a soft green dress that appeared to be made of petals and leaves, sewn together with such skill it looked like something you could pick off a tree. Creases around the creatures face and the slight grey tint to her hair told Skyla this creature was an elder of its kind.
"How are you feeling?" it asked, blinking its wide lilac eyes at her. Skyla frowned ever so slightly,
"Where am I?" she blurted bluntly.
"You are in my home," the creature gestured around the dome. Skyla glanced about the place again before narrowing her eyes at the creature,
"Who are you?"
"I am Heryn Naneth," the female replied calmly.
"What planet am I on?"
"Eudora."
"Eudora?" Skyla had heard of the place, a planet covered by great forests and a few small oceans. That made sense.
"Yes, Eudora, in the Baran forest," the creature told her. Reaching forward, Skyla flinched as she took something from her lap, it was a square of blue plant-like material folded into a usable cloth. The woman held it out to her, but Skyla simply eyed it warily.
"You are safe now," the elder said. Skyla let out a small mirthless laugh, then froze. Safe now...but that wasn't true, not yet. She needed to get hold of the authorities, time was of the essence! She made to get up, but the creature called Heryn pushed her down again.
"No, you are badly wounded and need to rest," she said firmly.
"I need to contact the authorities...I need to help my friends!" the Lombax cried, panic beginning to set in. How long had she been out? Certainly long enough for Baen to be searching for her, what if she was caught before she managed to alert the government? She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn'tlet that happen.
"You cannot help your friends in your current state," the woman told her and Skyla instinctively glanced down at herself, lifting the covers as she did. Her body showed all the signs of the abuse she'd been through. Her leg, although not bleeding anymore, looked a mess, and her whole body ached with bruises that had started to form, visible even through her fur in various shades of yellow, black and purple. As if to contribute to her assessment, her head throbbed acutely and spots appeared before her eyes. Groaning, she let the cover fall back and put a hand to her head.
"How long was I out?" she murmured, more to herself than the elder.
"Nearly a day," Heryn replied anyway, "I am sorry about how you were treated, it was wrong and irresponsible of Lhach and Beleg to shoot you like some common animal. As soon as you are feeling better, I will have them apologise to you."
"I didn't think they spoke my language," Skyla said somewhat suspiciously, her panic temporarily subsiding as she concentrated on understanding her current situation .
"They do not, but I do", came the answer. Skyla looked at the creature inquisitively,
"What are you?" she said, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I am an Enyd," Heryn told her.
"I've never heard of them," Skyla admitted.
"I am not surprised, the Enyd are a secluded race and we rarely leave the surface of a planet, and we never involve ourselves in galactic affairs." As she spoke, Heryn picked up the objects she'd brought in with her, a curious assortment of plants. She began stripping a yellow flower of its petals. Skyla watched quietly as she crushed the petals with a curved instrument into a bowl and added a few drops of water, turning it into a thick paste. Heryn put in a few other plants and poured more water into the bowl. Once it was reasonably liquid, the Enyd tipped the mixture into a wooden beaker and tasted it. She nodded in satisfaction and held out the beaker for the Lombax,
"Here, drink this," she said. Skyla eyed the beaker warily and made no move to take it.
"It will help your body to heal faster," Heryn explained, "it is perfectly safe." Hesitantly, Skyla accepted the beaker but didn't drink from it just yet.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked with intrigue.
"It is not the Enyd way to leave the wounded in the dirt. We are a peaceful race and strive to heal, not harm," Heryn told her sincerely, clearing away her potion making equipment, "please, drink it. You will feel better." The woman got up, taking the bowl with her as she crossed the room. Skyla studied the contents of the beaker. It was a green-ish yellow liquid that managed to look vaguely appealing, it looked a little like liquidised leaves and sunlight. Slowly, she raised the beaker to her nose and took a subtle sniff. A pleasant, fresh odour hit her nostrils, to her surprise. She took a tiny sip to test the mixture. It tasted cool and sweet and reminded Skyla of spring at the facility, when all the plants were flowering and the air was thick with the fresh smell of life. It was not at all unpleasant, and actually had a rather nice flavour. Not to mention that when she swallowed, a cool sensation swept through her body like a bolt of electricity. The pain in her head lessened and she even felt more alert.
Throwing caution to the wind, Skyla downed the rest of the mixture in one go. A cool feeling washed through her like a river, and she could almost feel the cells in her body start to work again with a new healing energy. The pain died down all over and Skyla felt much better for it.
Heryn returned to her side carrying strips of damp looking leaves that resembled cloth and a bowl full of purple liquid with blobs of moss in it. She gestured Skyla's leg and held up the strips,
"May I?" Skyla only hesitated briefly before nodding her assent, the elder did not seem at all hostile and appeared willing to help. The woman gently raised Skyla's leg above the covers with careful hands and rolled up the tattered trouser leg so she could get to the wound easily. She then began wrapping the strips around the injured part. To Skyla's alarm, as soon as the strips touched her flesh they clung to her leg, as if on their own accord. She glanced at Heryn,
"These are EssLeaves. They are the best natural healing plant on the planet, and one of the best in the universe. They bind to a wound and fall away naturally when it is healed," the Enyd explained calmly as she continued to apply the leaves. When she was done, it looked like Skyla was wearing a green leg warmer. Almost immediately after the leaves were applied, the Lombax felt her leg go numb around that area, as if her limb was being shut down for reconstruction.
"You will still be able to walk," Heryn said in answer to her patient's worried look, 'but you will need to rest for a few days, possibly a week." Skyla frowned, a week? She didn't have a week. She opened her mouth to say this to Heryn but was interrupted as another figure entered the dome.
"Naneth.."' it said then stopped abruptly as it registered that Skyla was awake. This new creature looked similar to Heryn, another female Enyd. But this one had light blue skin, a short white dress and looked younger. She looked at the Lombax in fascination and said something to Heryn in the liquid language Skyla had heard spoken by the two males. Heryn replied in the same tongue and the younger female came forward, towards Skyla.
"This is my daughter, Heryniel," the elder introduced the girl who dipped Skyla a neat curtsy.
"H-How are you...feeling?" the girl asked, her words a little hesitant. It was clear she wasn't used to speaking the galactic language, and the tongue was alien to her.
"Much better, thank you," Skyla replied slowly and with a smile, she could see the effort the girl was making to communicate and the curtsy had been rather cute (though Skyla was a little embarrassed by it). The girl beamed, obviously thrilled she'd been understood,
"What is your...name?" she asked more confidently.
"My name is Skyla," the Lombax told her.
"Skyla," the girl seemed to roll the name around her tongue, "pretty name," she announced with a bright smile. Skyla felt herself warming to the creature. Heryn held up one of the moss balls soaked in the purple liquid and indicated Skyla's cuts and bruises.
"May I?" she asked again. Skyla nodded without too much hesitation and sat still while the elder began dabbing her various small injuries. The mixture stung a little, but it felt exactly like one of Xavier's antiseptic creams so Skyla wasn't worried. The thought of the Peluchian scientist caused a pang of longing in the Lombax's heart. She wondered if he'd ever heard of Ess leaves, as he'd probably have a field day with them and all the natural remedies Skyla had been given. Shoving thoughts of the professor aside, Skyla focused on Heryniel who edged closer to her bed every second. She seemed to be staring at Skyla's ears.
"What are them?" she said. Heryn murmured something to her daughter and the girl thought a moment.
"What are they?" she tried again and smiled as Heryn nodded.
"They are my ears," Skyla told her. The young Enyd's eyes widened,
"Ears? But...they are so..." she waved her hand, "big!" she finally said. Skyla's mouth twitched into a small smile,
"All my species have big ears," she said, then frowned, "at least, I think they do." She wasn't sure. What if Lombax's didn't all have big ears? What if she was a rarity, a mutation? She shook her head slightly; those thoughts were both maddening and depressing.
"How are you...here?" Heryniel asked, glancing at the bed. Skyla shifted her body over a bit and the girl sat down with a grateful smile.
"I was in an escape pod...but then I was shot and crashed here," Skyla explained, wincing as Maia's face flashed before her eyes. Tears stung her vision but she blinked them away furiously, she had to see to the future before she could mourn the past.
"You are s-safe now. We will...look after you," Heryniel told her solemnly and Skyla felt genuinely touched by the girl's sincerity.
"Thank you," she said with as much feeling as she could. Then a thought sprang to mind,
"Do you have a communication system I can use to contact the authorities? I might not be able to go to them myself, but I need to get to them before Ba-...before something bad happens," she said, just keeping herself from revealing who was pursuing her. To her surprise and dismay, Heryn shook her head.
"No, we have no technology." Skyla frowned,
"None at all?" she asked sceptically. The elder nodded,
"The Enyd are a purely biological race. All our resources, our food, our homes, our clothes, are grown naturally or made from natural materials. We have no use of machines or metal."
"Oh," Skyla's heart fell, "but surely there are other inhabitants nearby?" she asked, though it was a little half-hearted. Once again Heryn shook her head,
"There are no other inhabitants on the planet." The Lombax's brow knotted in confusion,
"On the whole planet?" Another nod from Heryn,
"Several years ago, a Blarg tried to deforest the entire planet for his own gain," she explained, "he was stopped but the forests were badly scarred. The government issued a law stating that no technology may be used on the planet's surface for one hundred years and no trees were to be destroyed. We, the Enyd, are allowed to dwell here because we do not use technology and our kind has ways of encouraging plant growth."
"I see..." mumbled Skyla, "so there's no way for me to contact the authorities?"
"Not that we possess," Heryn answered. The Lombax felt her heart fall. Her goal, which had seemed so close, had now jumped a mile away. It was a '1 step forward, 2 steps back' problem. If there was no way to fetch help...it was only a matter of time before Baen found her. She felt like crying in frustration, but didn't dare let herself, especially not in front of Heryn and her daughter.
"But..." Heryniel's voice was like a light in her mind and Skyla felt her hope flicker. She glanced up at the girl, who looked at her mother,
"There is the old...metal place," she said, though she looked a little uncertain. Heryn frowned as she appeared to remember,
"The old settlement? But it is in ruins and none of the equipment is of any use."
"Some is," Heryniel said. Heryn looked at her in surprise,
'And how would you know that?'
"I...went there, once. Not...long ago. The...glass paper in the wall was...flashing," the girl said, slightly struggling to hold a full conversation in an alien tongue. Heryn's expression of surprise deepened,
"You went there? Alone...?"
"With Lhach," murmured the girl and looked down, her cheeks turning a distinct shade of blue which Skyla took to be a blush. The Lombax watched in vague amusement as the two Enyd went on to have a conversation in their own language which sounded very much like a mother interrogating her daughter about a boy, which it probably was. When they were done, Heryn turned back to Skyla.
"It appears I may have been mistaken. If what my daughter says is true, then there may be working technology at the old settlement which might be of use to you." Skyla's heart skipped a beat,
"Really? Where is it?"
"About a day's journey from here on Medisalch back. It is one of the sites the Blarg set up when he was here."
"I've got to there," Skyla said and tried to get up again. Heryn pushed her down for the second time,
"You need to rest, Skyla, for at least three days before you can go anywhere on a whole day's journey."
"Three days?" exclaimed the Lombax, "I don't have three days! In three days Ba-..." Skyla stopped abruptly, she really needed to watch her mouth, "I don't have three days," she said simply.
"I assure you, were your injuries less severe I would let you go this day. But your body has taken a harsh beating and needs time to heal or you may inflict greater, permanent damage on it," Heryn told her and from the tone of her voice, Skyla knew she was serious. The Lombax sighed heavily,
"Heryn, I can't stay here," she paused, wondering how much she could safely divulge, "bad people are out looking for me," she phrased her words carefully, "and if they find me with you...you will probably get hurt...very badly." Skyla tried to emphasise the gravity of her situation using simple words, but Heryn smiled ever so slightly.
"They will have a hard time finding you in the expanse of forest. The tree canopy is too thick for radar or bio-scans and the flora and fauna too diverse to tell our dwelling from a herd of Medisalch.A government satellite orbits the planet for spatial activity so the chances are your crash will already have been noted by them, and any ship attempting to land here would definitely be noticed. You are safe." Skyla fidgeted, she wanted to believe Heryn. But she knew Baen, and he'd definitely have a few tricks up his sleeve.
"You don't understand..." she began.
"Skyla," Heryn said in such a firm voice that the Lombax looked up at her in mild shock, that was exactly the voice Maia used when she wanted the Lombax to listen to her seriously. The Enyd went on, "you need to rest and you will be safe here for three days. Whoever it is who is after you will not be able to find you in that time. As it stands, no-one but a few government officials know we are here and even they do not know our exact location. Few others know our race even exists." Reaching out, she took Skyla's hand in her own and looked directly into the Lombax's blue eyes, "you are safe."