Imperial Guard – 005 Ethos of Solbrecht
Chapter 10 The Hunt, Part III
Weyan, Thylun, Itan, Syrran, Trezka and Nami
"Sheesh Thy, I haven't seen you this spooked since that time where we had to defend that outpost on Raza Seven and we had that Shizvadi horde converging on our position."
Frowning as he conjured up the memories of that particular event, Weyan's attempt to calm things down fell on deaf ears, which included Thylun's own. With Weyan being the one who discovered the written message, it surprised him how his friend was still able to smirk it off, despite his initial reaction.
"Wey, we had guns back then and even if we had those right now, these are our people we're talking about. Have you ever taken a shot at another Mantrin?"
"No." His friend shrugged his broad shoulders. "But I would sure fight back with whatever I can get my hands on."
To Thylun's relief, the others took it far more seriously. He hadn't failed to notice that something had happened between Trezka and Itan, the first one expressing her bad mood with an annoyed grunt, while the latter looked a little abashed. Judging by their wet clothes and Itan still holding the top part of his outfit in one hand, the two of them had gone for a more private swim, though the glum look on his face indicated that something had gone awry. None of that was important right now. It was also Trezka, sliding back into her role as chief of security who threw her weight in the scale with her statement.
"They don't appear to demand that we leave, though I feel we're about to overstay our welcome. We'll finish the day and like Thylun said we're gonna leave tomorrow morning at first light."
Weyan shrugged.
"Well, I'm not afraid of Wyr'Mo'Gehk."
"Don't say that!" Thylun hissed back at his friend. Looking over his shoulder at the row of bushes behind his back, he began to imagine the natives readying for a sneak attack. "They could be listening right now."
"This is not a debate!" Trezka growled, ended the discussion in a way that would make anyone think twice of talking back. "We're leaving, and that's all there is to it! Now we still gotta catch something to eat before dark. Don't stray too far from camp. And no one goes out alone. Nami, are you with me?"
The Fjetanha girl gave her consent with a quick nod.
"Lemme grab my bow."
Splitting up for a final time, the two women took on the task of scoring the meat for the evening meal, disappearing into the dense undergrowth surrounding their lakeshore campsite, leaving the men to divide the remainder of the tasks.
"I think we still got plenty of fruits and vegetables from the morning walk," Itan estimated after a quick look at their stash. "We'll leave it at this. Let's not be wasteful." Balancing on his long legs, he rolled his shoulders and smiled. "You guys liked the fish, right? Shall we catch some more?"
"Sure, I like 'em," Thylun agreed. Watching Weyan fold up the written piece of cloth before putting it inside his own backpack, it still left him wondering why the natives would not go through the more social procedure of coming out to talk to them. Scratching behind an ear, he asked the question out loud as it continued to bother him. "I still don't understand. If they would just come out and talk to us, there won't be any misunderstandings. What do you think it means?"
"Could be recruitment," Syrran speculated, shrugging his broad shoulders as he commenced to follow Itan who took the lead. "The portion of our people opposed to human influence know they're at a significant disadvantage in any kind of direct engagement. They're going up against directed energy weapons and mobile armor. It can become far worse than the Uhna'hir conflict."
"Let's hope it doesn't," Weyan expressed his concern. Catching up with them, he let his gaze drift over the borders of the lake as the group followed Itan to what had become his favorite fishing spot. They wouldn't even lose sight of their camp that way. "Experts on our side believe a new conflict is on the horizon." Shaking his head, he sighed. "Might very well be inevitable and only a matter of time."
"Well done," Nami praised, as the second churii they caught during their whole trip fell to the ground with a low agonizing bawl. And at the hands of Trezka no less, who complained during their last session that she wasn't made to handle a longbow. The surprise as well as joy that radiated off of her face was something she had never seen before and made Nami chuckle. "You're getting better at this."
"Did you see that?" her companion exclaimed, her body shaking from all the excitement and the adrenaline.
"Yes, I did," Nami replied while nodding. Flattening an ear while crossing her arms over her chest, estimating the fair bit of distance between the hunter and its prey at over one-hundred steps, she could not help but be impressed. It had taken Trezka a while to get her aim right, but she did it nonetheless and in a few moments they would be able to taste the result. "Did not expect you to pull it off before we left."
The quasi-indignant look she received turned her chuckle into a genuine laugh.
"Hey, I may be used to a different weapon, but you can't say I'm not a good shot."
"I never said that," Nami said in an amused way. "Your marksmanship was never in doubt."
"It's a beautiful piece," Trezka admitted, running her fingers down the longbow's upper limb, studying its wooden construction for one last time before giving it back to her friend. Taking it from her, Nami flung it over the shoulder other than the one covered by the strap of her arrow quiver. Loosening up the muscles of her neck and arms, Trezka took the first steps in the direction of her prey, showing a few teeth along the edges of her beak as she smirked. "Let me get that."
"It's a young one, I believe." Following the larger woman to the spot where the churii hit the ground, Nami continued to keep her long, tufted ears perked, scanning the direct vicinity for the presence of those who refused to show themselves out in the open. She did not doubt that they were being watched, though so far she hadn't gotten any visual confirmation. Twisting the neck of the animal to prevent any more needless suffering in the same fashion that Weyan had done, Trezka removed the arrow next, preparing to lift the considerable amount of dead weight onto her shoulder. "Need any help with that?"
"Nah, I can handle it." Groaning through clenched teeth, she did as promised, taking a couple of deep breaths while adjusting her walk to stay balanced under the additional strain with a first pair of calculated steps. "Wouldn't want that pretty hair of yours to get dirty," she said with a grin, nodding toward the little stream of blood from the animal that stained the front of her outfit.
Knowing very well that her friend messed with her, Nami pursed her lips as she gave her a squinted stare, which made little difference in the way Trezka looked at her, having more of the opposite effect.
"Let's get back to camp," she decided, taking the lead. Nami hadn't failed to notice the change in the surrounding forest, the death of the churii silencing every witness in the direct vicinity other than the two huntresses. It was due to this that her trained ears picked up on every single sound. Following a winding path through this dense part of the forest, careful not to trip over the sprawling exposed roots of ancient trees, she remained wary of any movements in the surrounding foliage, which were very noticeable due the absence of wind. "Wait," she ordered, raising a hand to halt a panting Trezka.
Attempting to filter out her companion's heavy breathing, her ears swiveled into focus on what she could only identify as footsteps and the rustle of leaves. Despite their species' average size and most individuals not being particularly light-footed, those trained in the art of stealth, a necessary skill for hunters, were still able to show off the remarkable ability of staying out of sight. It made her wonder what the point was of toying with them like this.
"Show yourself!" she called out in Preidogian at the suspected position of the person watching them. With one hand tightening around the grip of her bow, she resisted the idea of drawing the weapon and being the first to show hostility. And it was a good thing she did not, for not soon thereafter, two pre-teen boys of Sogowan descent and a small Goureg girl, all dressed in the common tan-colored poetyo wrestled through the bushes to reveal themselves. "Oh," Nami heard herself say.
Unable to hide their guilty faces, two out of three directed their stare at the ground with their arms hidden behind their backs, while one of the boys dared to take a peek at her and Trezka, his ears lowered to a horizontal position as he tried to smile.
"Well, I gotta hand it to ya," Trezka, who joined her side, said between two breaths. "You do know how to scare a bunch of kids."
"We're sorry," the one in the middle said in a high-pitched voice, twisting a finger around a strip of his bottom poetyo, his tail twitching nervously.
After his apology, Nami found the eyes of all three staring back at her and Trezka, their heads bowed down to a slight degree. Chuckling to relieve some of the tension, which had the desired effect as they appeared to deflate after holding their breath, Nami shook her head. Even Trezka was amused, adding a laugh, as she redistributed the weight of the dead churii over her shoulder.
"You were spying on us, weren't you?" Nami asked.
"We were curious," the girl answered. Her slate-colored skin featured a much more pronounced pattern of the spots of darker pigment her Goureg race was famous for. Instead of being contained to her lower back and the back of her legs, her spots were visible all over her body up to her neck with a very prominent one below her right eye. It did make her look cute, or so Nami thought. Balancing on her legs, the girl pointed at her clothes, which were a dead giveaway that she and Trezka were not from around here. "What's that you're wearing?"
"It's our hunting gear," Nami answered. "It's not that different from your poetyo."
"It looks different," the girl said, taking a step forward for a closer look.
"They're from the city," the only one of the three who hadn't said anything so far stated without any doubt in his voice. Crossing his arms over his chest, his face drew into an antagonistic frown, his tail whipping up a few blades of grass as it swept over them. "We shouldn't talk to them."
"It's okay," Nami tried to avoid an argument. "We may be strangers around these parts, but we're just camping for a few days and enjoying Solbrecht's beauty. We'll only take what we need and do our best not to be wasteful, I promise."
"My erseh says our people from the city have betrayed us," the boy continued in an accusing tone. "They will be punished when the time comes."
As that boy of maybe ten cycles stared back at her in a rather hostile way, Nami did not know what to say. She could not believe her ears that this was what young children of the forest were being taught by their parents. Even Trezka seemed at a loss for words, disbelief and a hint of shock dragging the corners of her beak down as they looked at each other. Fortunately for them, it were the other kids who began to quarrel, the girl being the first to respond.
"Why does your erseh always gotta to be so mean, Taii?"
The boy grunted, turning on the spot to face her, showing his claws as his ears flattened on the back of his head. That he was short-tempered was for sure, and Nami figured if this was any indication of how his father was, the girl might very well be right.
"My erseh knows best because he is a ghisveht. We should listen to him and the other ghisvehts and most of all the abwot. Let's go."
Adding the deed, he turned his back on everyone, tossing a glare over his shoulder as he lashed his tail at them. The other boy followed, the girl doing the same with some reluctance while whispering an apology. Safe to assume they were heading back to their home in the forest, Nami wondered how far they were away from the neighboring communities.
"Can you believe that?" she asked out loud, staring after them until she could not see them anymore. Other than a flare of the nostrils, grunting as she adjusted the churii on her shoulder once more, Trezka left the question unanswered. "This is what they teach their kids out here."
"Little we can do about it, I'm afraid," her friend and superior said with a sigh. "We got what we need. We should head back."
Relaxing his body's powerful muscles as he filled his lungs with fresh air, untainted by the harmful pollutants still found in Solbrecht's less-developed cities, Weyan took a moment for himself to appreciate the invigorating feeling.
The innate beauty of a clean natural environment teeming with life. The more pleasant warmth of the setting sun on his spotted brown- and black skin caused by his mixed Sogowan-Logri heritage. The cool squishy mud between his toes, which were still visible through the shallow water, as he wriggled them.
Tracing a pair of bright blue birdsas they skimmed the glistening water of the lake in their mating chase, he walked a few steps further until the water reached his lower set of knees. With the meat and fish cleaned, and Syrran and Thylun building their final campfire, they were about to enjoy their last meal out in the wild.
As his right ear swiveled in the direction of approaching footsteps and their light splashing, as whoever it was entered the water near him, he guessed by the light thread that it was Nami. A quick look to the side confirmed his presumption, the Fjetanha girl flashing him a sharp-toothed grin.
"Am I disturbing you?"
"Not really," he replied with a shrug.
Retrieving her long black braid from behind her back, she began inspecting it, removing the little bits and pieces of nature that got stuck between the thick intertwined strands.
"So like we said, Trez and I ran into a trio of kids after she shot that churii. We finally did meet the natives."
Glaring down his muzzle at the young woman, there was something about the way her voice changed that made him raise an eye ridge. He knew Nami as a tough girl with few fears. The genuine concern that tinted her voice therefore had his immediate attention.
"And they weren't pleased to see you, if I understand correctly."
Nami's vivid orange eyes, which reflected her fiery spirit under normal circumstances, had lost their spark, matching her voice as her face shaped into a disconcerted frown.
"They were kids, Weyan. They're teaching their children to hate us. To hate others who don't think like them. Human, Mantrin, doesn't matter. That boy spoke of punishment for those of us who adapted to life in the cities."
Digging his canines into his fleshy bottom lip, Weyan sighed as he attacked an itchy spot below his left armpit with his claws, only to bump into an insect bite. Not having any relatives on Solbrecht, the current situation weighed less on his mind than those who did. That did not mean that he, nor the modern citizens of Sogowa Prime were not concerned about the recent shocking developments.
The shortening interval at which the subject hit the news was a good indicator of the worsening problem that plagued Solbrecht since the dawn of human colonialism. And right now, everyone concerned with it could feel it building toward a new climax.
"Do you have any family around here?"
Nami shook her head. Satisfied with her braid, she tossed it back over her shoulder and turned to face him, her fluffy white tail tip drenched from whipping the water surface.
"I had, until they moved to live with us on Sogowa Prime. My hahme's sister, her mate and their children. They lived in one of the less-developed cities not far from here actually." Biting on the claw of her index finger she looked in the other direction of where they came from. Away from Faeyra-Estaria and toward one of the neighboring cities lying somewhere beyond the forest. "And what a dump it was," she grunted.
"Yeah, I've been hearing things."
"You won't believe what they've been through. What they had to witness every day. The racism toward our people. And the other way around, I might add. The lack of facilities truly adapted for our kind. The absence of a good education or healthcare system, at least for us that is. Other than that, the level of technology was just… off. Like traveling back in time. Compared to that place, Faeyra-Estaria is a paradise."
"I don't understand how these cities can function like that. I mean, they're corporate controlled, right? Is there any interaction between them?"
"Me neither, but you're correct. Several separate corporate entities control the human settlements and as a citizen of one it is almost impossible to move to another. Having a surplus of cash available might help matters, but honestly, who has that in this day and age?"
It was true that money, or rather a lack thereof was still a problem in most parts of the galaxy. A true post-scarcity economy was unattainable in most societies if not for the simple fact that those who craved wealth and power often made up the rules.
Corruption of this type even still existed on Sogowa Prime. Though the degree was impressively less than on other worlds, because of the unified belief in the insignificance of acquiring material possessions, differences in size and quality of housing and their proximity to certain amenities still boosted the individual's desire for higher income. Then there were public services such as schooling and healthcare that had to be provided for. And those services required manpower and supplies that were not available for free.
Those civilizations that did achieve a near post-scarcity society had moved beyond a corporeal existence, where a unification of minds erased the individual's needs to serve the greater whole. It was the ultimate sacrifice to end all suffering, or so did those who moved to this higher level of existence believed.
"And all they do is remind us of that ancient pact that does not allow us to intervene in any way."
Heaving a sigh, Nami bowed through her knees to dip her hands into the cool water below.
"But what good would that do?" she pondered out loud.
"Perhaps negotiate a truce before it's too late. If the humans are still trying they're obviously failing at it."
"Nami! Weyan! You guys coming to join us?"
The voice of his best friend made him throw a quick look in the direction of their camp where he caught him standing on his legs, waving. They managed to build a new fire in record time, the flames devouring the dry, brittle wood like a hungry beast, rising up above the heads of those seated around it. Signaling back, he and Nami walked back up on the shore, the latter shaking the water out of her soaked tail tip. Looking over her shoulder to wait for him to catch up, she flicked a tufted ear at an insect that buzzed past her head.
"You guys have been friends since forever, haven't you?"
Adjusting the length of his steps to match her pace, he chuckled.
"Not always actually. Our rivalry ended shortly after we beat the crap out of each other over a training session during our short time in the Marine Corps. Thy's got a mean punch I'll tell ya."
The sadistic smirk that curved the edges of her black beak upwards was softened by the teasing look in her eyes and amused tone of her voice.
"Tell me more."
"What a beautiful world," Thylun said before sinking his teeth into the flesh of his second grilled fish.
"It's so similar to home, yet different enough to be worthy of a visit now and then," Trezka added, swallowing a mouthful of vegetables before biting off a piece of roasted churii meat from the bone.
Overhearing the flattering remarks about the planet they enjoyed the riches of, Syrran found himself unable to disagree. Overseeing the lake from his current spot around the fire, squinting against the bright reflections of the rays of Solbrecht's setting sun on the water surface, he enjoyed the taste of fish untouched by the flames.
The sky started to adopt that orange pinkish hue of the approaching night with the help of thin layers of high up clouds. Again he wished he could share the moment with his mate, the memory of her kind face and bright blue green Goureg eyes appearing before his mind's eye. Not that the current company wasn't enjoyable. Not in the least. No matter where one resided in a galaxy as vast as the one right up above, there was always something to long for.
"I might not know the specifics of what's going on around here," he said, catching the attention of every single pair of eyes in the circle. "But it sure is a shame."
"Don't know what it is," Nami added. "Everywhere you go it's the same thing. People fighting over differences of opinion. They'd rather kill each other than try to come to a mutual agreement."
"It's been tried many times here on Solbrecht," Itan said, swallowing down a mouthful of food with a gulp of water. "Some say we're just too different. Relationships between our two peoples have gradually broken down into what they are today."
"They might not want us to interfere," Trezka grunted. "But they're still our people. There could be all-out war in less than a solar cycle."
"That could turn real ugly," Weyan speculated, concern twisting his face. "The humans don't have a real army here on Solbrecht, but the paramilitary forces stationed in the larger cities possess enough firepower and materials to cause a bloodbath."
Being born in a family with strong ties to the military, Syrran could confirm with a fair amount of certainty that Weyan was right. The Imperial Guard, nor the Earth Colonial Alliance had any bases or forces on Solbrecht and their starships only patrolled the surrounding sector at the request of the Solbrechtian Navy. However, the corporations controlling the larger cities did possess significant firepower in the form of private armed forces equipped with advanced hardware, such as directed energy weapons, powered armor, gunships, tanks and walkers.
If Wyr'Mo'Gwi were to take them on, they would need to maximize the element of surprise, capitalize on the well-demonstrated ability to commit sabotage on a large scale and insert as many sleeper agents in the cities that could rally people to their cause. Any kind of revolution would already be many solar cycles in the making, given the duration of the current conflict.
"I believe Wyr'Mo'Gwi is capable of achieving their goals if they take the right approach," he stated, seizing the attention of the others once more. "Treating them as just a bunch of savages would be a huge mistake."
"Can we talk about something else?" Thylun suggested.
His overall silence during the current discussion conveyed his opinion about the matter more than if he had taken part.
"My idea," Trezka agreed. "Where do you think our next mission will take us? I've been hearing things about the Ancients."
"You're right," Syrran confirmed. As one of the ship's navigators he had already been informed about a developing situation by Raeth before they touched down on Solbrecht. "As you all know, artifacts left behind by the civilizations that came before have been found scattered all over the galaxy. One of the latest discoveries appears to be some kind of energy trail. Leading to where no one knows. Our ships and those from a bunch of other worlds are currently following it deep into the galactic core."
"Ya think they'll send us after 'em?"
Trezka's voice sounded hopeful and the eyes of the others glittered with the natural curiosity that flowed through their veins. Syrran's own short tail whipped the grass with the excitement of being able to deliver the good news.
"They're sending back frequent requests for supplies, so we might be in for a few runs. Navigating the galactic core is dangerous and incidents do happen. I think I speak for everyone if I say I'm curious as to where that trail leads."
"Could it be one of the Ancients' former worlds?" Thylun asked.
"No one's been able to successfully interface with Ancient tech," Itan stated, swallowing a large piece of roasted churii meat.
Kneeling on his middle legs, he tossed part of the bone into the fire with a crackling sound. Raising himself up to grab another one of the fish they caught, he put it at the end of a sharpened wooden stick to let it roast by the fire as he continued.
"To find one of their worlds, which could even have active technology on its surface would be one heck of a find. Even the Drej made an unsuccessful attempt at activating an artifact. It is what caused the destruction of one of their motherships near the Andali nebula. Miraculously, the artifact was later retrieved completely intact by an Earth Alliance starship that had been monitoring their activity."
"How do you even know all this?" Trezka asked with a frown, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I'm an engineer. I keep up with this kind of news." He chuckled and shrugged his well-built shoulders, remaining calm under a stare that would've dissected him had Trezka put any more effort into it. "I don't know more than what's publicly available, I swear."
"Aaaaahhh." Turning around on the spot where he was seated, Weyan stretched himself out into the grass, his legs facing away from the fire, with a loud and satisfied sigh. Resting a hand on top of his ballooning belly, he wasn't even able to deflate much after blowing all the air out of his lungs. "Yep, I'm stuffed."
"So, there is such a thing as being stuffed in your case," Thylun joked.
"Hey, believe it or not, I'm easily satisfied," Weyan reacted casually, positioning his arm under the back of his head as a makeshift pillow.
"Yes, we can see that," Nami quipped, sticking out the tip of her tongue.
The mocked glare he gave her didn't last long, for the entire group burst into laughter a mere three ticks later, including the big Sogowan-Logri himself.
Locking her fingers together, Trezka pulled one of her legs closer to her, kneading the muscles of her thigh with her hands. Looking up at an evening sky as dreamy as the look on her face, where the pale silhouettes of Solbrecht's moons, a near circle and a thin sickle looked down upon them, she heaved a small sigh.
"Anyway, if deep space near the galactic core is our next heading, I'm eager to get back up there."
Despite all the fun they had during the past couple of days, which unfortunately had to end in a bit of an abrupt way, her eagerness was adopted by the others. If a non-standard supply run would be their next mission, they were guaranteed to touch the home of the other half of the crew, which included Syrran himself.
"Just a little more patience," he said to himself.
Following the gaze of the others up into the sky, his left hand placed on the symbol of their bond tattooed on his right upper arm, Kihné's face reappeared in front of him like a painting. The Iyuula flowers with their stems crossed, and the symbols that formed her name below them in rose gold on his slate-colored skin signified the unbreakable connection, even across unimaginable distances.
"You miss her, don't you?" Nami disturbed his thoughts.
She had a fond look on her face when she said that. Feeling the edges of his own beak creep upwards, he chuckled.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Kinda," Nami replied with a wink.
He figured it was, receiving looks from everyone, though they all smiled. Taking a deep breath, he once more looked at the sky, making them follow his example, right before he closed his eyes as he recalled the memories of his mate once more.
You'll see me again soon.
Even if it hadn't been the middle of the night, Itan would've been on guard whenever moving away from camp, given their current predicament. It was due to Nami and Trezka's encounter that he was a little more on edge than usual.
Pushing himself up on an elbow, he stared out over the lake, which the absence of wind once again turned into a mirror, its reflective surface a near-perfect copy of the fairly clear night sky. The lack of fuel had reduced their last campfire to a small pile of red-glowing charcoal-like remains, leaving a smoky incense to linger in the air. Perking his small Goureg ears to listen for anything other than the light breathing sounds of his companions or the buzzing of nighttime insects, no potential spies seemed eager to betray their presence.
They had decided in unison that a full bladder was the only good excuse to walk away from camp alone, so deducing that it was as safe as it could be, he got up to honor his body's request. Moving as subtle and quiet as a 400-pound Mantrin could, he made his way to the nearest tree line, ensuring enough distance between camp to prevent any wind from carrying unwanted odors in their direction, before relieving himself by watering a tree.
Blowing out his lips as the sense of no longer having to hold it any longer sent a shiver down his spine, his ears suddenly picked up on something he could not quite identify but vowed to find out after. Fastening the closure of his poetyo-like bottom garment, he pressed his shoulder into the much thicker trunk of an adjacent tree, flattening himself against it in an attempt to stand out less.
Doing his best to not let his imagination run wild, he perked his ears once more, attempting to filter out that which he was not interested in. The others were still asleep, a quick look in the direction of camp revealed. In the fair amount of pale moonlight, unobstructed by the little shreds of cloud that dotted the night sky, he didn't see anyone else out in the open.
He therefore focused all of his attention on the forest, which due to the density of the vegetation offered many excellent hiding places, even for a Mantrin as large as himself. Those with the right skills could be standing right next to him and he wouldn't even notice.
The light rustle of the leaves of the bushes directly ahead. Was it just the slightest bit of wind, or was it someone trying to hide in them? The rubbing of a rough surface across the bark of a tree. An animal using its claws for grip while trying to climb the trunk, or the poetyo of a possible assailant attempting to find the right angle?
Not making the possibly lethal mistake of moving forward alone, Itan decided to trust his instinct as usual. An instinct that made him feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden, as an aggressive hiss of which he could not determine the source, reached his ears. With his hearts picking up the pace, his mouth turning dry, he shuffled backwards, paying extra attention to how and where he placed his foot during every step. A thin film of sweat covered his brow while he made his way back to the others without turning his back on the darkness beyond the edge of the forest.
Struggling to keep his naturally deep breathing under control, he lowered himself on his knees between his sleeping companions like a parent watching over their offspring. Keeping his voice down as much as possible while trying to wake them, he crawled between the resting figures to grab his gear-filled backpack.
"Hey. Everyone wake up," he hissed. Tugging at legs and arms within reach and shaking a shoulder or two, his efforts were met with considerable annoyance in the form of grunts and groans as everyone tried to find their bearings after the rude wakeup call. Her voice coated with a level of crankiness without equal, Trezka was still the first to be up on both knees, assuming the role she held aboard the Myr'shala. "You better have a very good reason for this. What's going on?"
"We're being ambushed."
With his eyes used to the relative darkness, the light of the moons was enough for him to see hers glitter and narrow to slits, her ears flattening to the back of her head. In his thoughts he praised her for her level of self-control, given the perilous situation unfolding around them.
"Are you serious?" she hissed.
Fetching her own gear like the rest, some of them struggling to get at least their bottoms covered, Itan did his best to stay one step ahead of everyone else, including those he could not see. Using his impeccable survival instinct, he recalled the waypoints they came across on their way to their camping spot and prepared to follow the same route back to the city. Other lakes, rock formations and clearings, even unusually-shaped trees. As a survivalist, these were the kinds of things that allowed him to navigate on these trips without a map of any kind. Only this time he had to do it in the darkness of night.
"Follow me!" he whispered. "Leave everything you can't carry behind."
He didn't have to say it twice. The short spear, thrown with an incredible amount of force given how loud the sound of its tip penetrating Solbrecht's soil was, missed his leg by mere inches. The angle at which it stood also indicated it had been thrown right from where he went to relieve himself and missed Trezka's head by an even smaller margin.
"What the-"
Cursing under her breath she was up on her feet, right when he decided to break silence.
"Everyone run!"
If there was one thing Itan thanked their Goddess for in what had become a turbulent night, it was that they were not a mere group of friends camping in the woods. They were a strong team of Imperial Guard officers with impressive military training under their belts. From what he could tell from a quick look over his shoulder, they moved as one, sprinting over the shore of the lake to get to the other side, carrying the few things they deemed important enough to not leave them behind.
Fearing the sound of primitive projectiles whizzing through the air wasn't mere imagination, confirmed by the impact of what he guessed was an arrow hitting a tree when they reached the edge of the forest on the other side of the lake, he forced himself not to panic.
With his powerful legs demanding a lot of energy to keep them moving at their current dashing speed, his breath came in deep, heavy bursts. His hearts pounded. Despite the relative coolness of the night, a cold layer of sweat covered parts of his skin.
Hurtling into the cover provided by the forest, praying they wouldn't find a different group of attackers lying in ambush, they would've trampled anyone using the first barrier of vegetation as their hiding place. Smashing through the undergrowth, he was the first to clear some kind of path through, grinding his teeth at the scratches that the rougher, sharper branches left on his skin.
"Everyone still there?" he panted.
Listening for five distinct voices answering, he turned one quarter while continuing to move sideways in the right direction to see for himself. It was hard to see in the dark, the canopy of the forest now blocking most of the moonlight that was such a great aid before, but his crewmates were still there. Counting in his head the number of silhouettes, he remembered a large clearing in the direction of Faeyra-Estaria which would put them on the right track back to the city.
"One, two, three…" It had to be about a ten millicycle walk from here. If they kept up their current pace, they could cut it down to half that amount of time. "Four, five… six! Seven?" The figures were large. They were armed with melee weapons of some kind, and they were closing in on them from the sides. "Watch out!" he yelled, in time to make the others notice and continue the sprint which he tried to lead.
"Stay together! Don't let 'em catch you!" he heard Trezka growl. "Just let us go, you cowards!"
Her shouting was met with hissing and growling. Not so much in an aggressive, but rather in a teasing way. He even picked up some cruel laughter that sounded like it came from multiple directions. That they had them more or less surrounded was a certainty. But instead of letting themselves be driven together like cattle by a bunch of shepherd dogs, they breached an opening for themselves.
With everything happening so fast, Itan found it hard to keep his thoughts in order. With branches sweeping against his body and in his face. Having to watch the ground for any obstacles that could result in a nasty fall, or worse, a broken leg. One of the attackers tried to block his path, but obviously hadn't accounted for Goureg size. The smaller Mantrin gasped as the air was slammed out of his lungs, as Itan knocked him out of the way with one massive arm. That he was a male became obvious by the pitch of the loud groan, followed by the snapping of branches as he hit the bushes.
"Must've been an Orkeht or Amadre," he thought.
But he didn't have time to think. The trees seemed to fly past at breathtaking speed. His legs tirelessly continued to carry him, even though his lungs and hearts felt like they were about to give out. He heard himself yell if everyone was all right several times without counting if he got an answer from all of them, though there were still voices that responded.
He didn't know for how long he ran, or even if he was still heading in the right direction, but it was when he heard a scream right behind him after making several small jumps over rough terrain that he finally scraped to a halt.
"Itan!"
A female voice. Panicked and in pain. Not for a tick he thought about saving his own skin, spinning around on the spot as fast as someone with his legs could. With the roof of leaves over their heads being much thinner in this part of the forest, it even allowed him to see her face, strained from clenching her teeth. She was down on the ground on her side, both legs pulled toward her under different angles. Her warm brown skin turned pale by a few slivers of moonlight, the blood oozing from a wound on her lower knee appeared as black as ink.
"Trez!"
"Did… did anyone see Trezka and Itan?"
With all four of them out of breath, backs and shoulders slumped against nearby trees in sheer exhaustion, it took a while before someone interrupted their panting to answer his question. Letting his eyes drift around him, to see if he hadn't missed them in all the panic and confusion, Thylun still couldn't count more than four present, including himself.
They had reached the clearing that everyone remembered well from the outward journey. A single very tall, very ancient tree with a narrow crown stood in the middle, its exposed roots spreading far and wide, not allowing any other trees to stand close. It created a wide circle of grass around it, resulting in a very recognizable waypoint.
With Syrran still out of breath, and his best friend Weyan still hanging with his back against a tree, his tongue lolling out from the side of his mouth, it was Nami, who recovered the fastest out of all of them, who answered his question while keeping her voice down. She had even managed to keep hold of her longbow, her most prized possession in all the fear and confusion.
"I thought they were in front of us. How could we have lost them?"
"We went on the evasive a couple of times," Syrran whispered. "I had to dodge a guy who tried to cut me off."
"Well they can't be far off. Gotta be around here somewhere," Weyan said between two breaths. "I have faith in Itan's skills."
"Let's hope we lost our attackers too, so we can go look for 'em," Nami suggested. "Be very quiet for a while until we're at least somewhat certain. Ears perked and eyes peeled."
"Can you still walk?"
For Kirliya's sake. Out of every single possibility, why did I have to get stuck with him? Despite that initial thought she didn't want to refuse his help, considering his show of genuine concern. Crashing on his knees into the mossy soil, Itan went to take a closer look at her injuries, before his bright Goureg eyes found hers. Although she couldn't make out that characteristic color in the darkness, they glittered with the same gentleness as during their short moment of intimacy.
Cursing herself for her reaction to his openness at the time, she couldn't quite figure herself out. It hadn't even bothered her that much until now that they were alone again. This time in a rather unpleasant situation. "I really overreacted, did I?" she thought as she stared into his eyes. Even now, not realizing she hadn't even answered his question yet, which made him repeat himself, she hadn't accounted for her own body's reaction to the soft touch of his large hands.
"I-I think it's not that bad," she heard herself say, a mild shiver crawling down her spine. With his hands holding her wounded leg in a gentle grip, one hand around her ankle, the other supporting the middle segment, they both tried to assess if she was still able to move her knee. Refusing to be that damsel in distress, a definition that did not usually fit many members of their kind, Trezka tried not to let the pain show on her face. "I'm gonna get back up," she groaned.
Lowering her leg until the heel of her foot touched the soft moss covering the forest floor, Itan got back on his own feet before extending his arm. Frowning upon the gesture at first, her mind refusing to show weakness, she decided to use it as a peace offering for her behavior earlier. Locking hands in a powerful grip, she let him drag her back on her feet, being careful with shifting weight onto a knee which still bled and hurt to a degree that was difficult to call tolerable.
With Itan being more than capable of balancing her size and weight with his own, he supported her until both felt comfortable with letting go of each other, although Trezka realized shortly thereafter that she had underestimated her ability to walk. Panting heavily, a drop of sweat crawling over the side of her face, she staggered along in the direction they were heading in with a clumsy gait, until Itan was the only thing that prevented her from hitting the ground once more.
Inadvertently leaning into his chest, as he supported her from behind, she let the safety of his arms surround her in a moment of sheer tiredness.
"I… need another moment, I think."
"I'm not going anywhere without you."
The sound of his deep bassy voice was soothing. It almost made her forget about the fact that they were still on the run from any possible attackers. She could feel her leg throbbing, the pain weakening her ability to stand on it. Even if surrounded, running would not be much of an option. Taking a bit more time to regain some sort of mobility, Itan again let her walk a few steps on her own to figure out a workable pace and step size. After finding it, they continued to walk in the previous direction.
"I believe we strayed from our path, but the river is still to our left," Itan said out loud, his ear on the same side swiveling to pick up the sound. She could hear it too above the sound of her own panting. At least with Itan she wouldn't get lost too easily. "The others have to be somewhere on our right. We should keep moving until we reach the city. As Weyan is somewhat my equal when it comes to these trips, I expect him to come to the same conclusion."
As his proposed course of action sounded like the most logical one and she couldn't come up with anything better herself, they continued to follow the rough path through the forest. Her ears reacted to every single sound around them, the extreme quietness of the forest and her instinctive nervousness keeping her on edge. They could not rule out that they were still being trailed, even if from a distance, for whatever reason.
It was when they reached the shore of another lake, which she remembered from the outward journey that they knew they had rediscovered the original route. The surface of the smaller lake was smooth as a mirror, copying a sky that started to lighten, although an approaching cloud formation threatened to prolong the night as it began to obscure the two moons. Staying close to the surrounding edge of the forest, there was no sign of anyone else, friend or foe.
Starting to feel a bit lightheaded, she wanted to grab hold of Itan's arm, or leg, or whatever part of him she was able to reach first. "I-Itan..."
With dark spots appearing in front of her eyes, the fear of losing consciousness pushed her along, until she realized the spots were far too gangly and not a symptom of her condition at all, as Itan froze right next to her on the spot. With the two figures getting closer at a rapid pace, the thought of running was pure instinct, though her legs refused. Shaking her head to regain her focus, the two creatures standing right in front of them not much later were a very rare sight, not only in this region, but also in the modernized parts of Solbrecht.
Compared to any other race or subspecies of Mantrin, their legs appeared unnaturally spindly, yet muscular, even if they wouldn't posture up in the threatening manner that they did. To compensate for this, their wide feet had much longer toes to balance their high center of gravity in combination with the long and slender tail that tapered to a sharp tip.
Their thin ears were almost twice the length of their already long, slender muzzles, and as Trezka remembered, used for signaling during the hunt as well as true communication when socializing. The colors of their skin formed an unusual camouflage-like pattern of mottled and dappled black and brown spots on a brown-yellow base, covering most of their bodies except for the center of the chest and belly. The beak, top of the ears and legs up to the above part of the thighs were very dark, completing the rather menacing look together with the piercing eyes that glared down from above. The only piece of clothing they wore were some poetyo-like wrappings around their groin, despite one of them being a woman.
But it wasn't so much their bodily appearance that made her snap back into focus. It were the long wooden spears with tips made of sharpened bone pointed at her and Itan's chest. Attempting not to make any sudden moves, she used a calm tone of voice to greet the pair in Preidogian, not sure if they even spoke the language, which had always been somewhat of a problem when communicating with members of their solitary tribes.
Assuming that those of them that lived all the way out here had been forced to leave their homes and aligned with Wyr'Mo'Gwi, had learned to communicate with the other races in their universal language, it was her best guess. When they didn't respond immediately, and merely showed sharp rows of conical backward-pointing teeth, she attempted to get Itan's attention.
"Itan, if you value our lives, keep your ears in a neutral position."
Giving her a confused as well as uneasy look, his teeth clenched together, he tried to step back from the tip of the spear, which fortunately did not result in an attack, although the creature in front of him did produce a low growling, coming from deep within her throat.
"What the heck is a neutral position?" he hissed.
"Just… don't move them at all," she bit back, fearing any kind of miscommunication at this point could get them killed in an instant. Paying close attention to the long ears, which ended in razor-thin tips, she noticed their subtle movements as the two creatures exchanged glances. Racking her brains to find some sort of escape from their latest predicament, she cursed herself for being unable to come up with one on such short notice, even under pressure.
She and Itan were unarmed, which could be a good thing as any sign of hostility could've had lethal consequences already. So far they had made the right choices by not moving a muscle. They wouldn't stand much of a chance while making a run for it, even with a distraction. The former hunters would become the hunted.
Painstaking ticks passed in which no one dared to make a move. The spears continued to point, the piercing gazes not averted for even a split tick. Any sort of distraction would be a welcome one. Although she did begin to wonder what would happen if their pursuers caught up with them.
"Hey!"
The yell came from behind, though she did not dare to take her eyes off the threat in front of her. The voice sounded familiar, and caught the attention of the two creatures who lowered their spears and began to back off. Exchanging what she tried to decipher as words, as well as using sign language and ear movements at the same time, the two tossed one more squinted look in their direction before heading off and disappearing into the forest, moving like they were still wading through water on their long legs.
"Trez! Itan! We thought we'd lost you."
With the tension of the confrontation subsided, Trezka could feel her legs quaking, her mind becoming more aware of her injured knee. Lowering herself on the other, she heaved a deep sigh of relief, grinding her teeth at the burning sensation that spread through her leg. With Itan kneeling in front of her, concern shaping his face into a frown, and the rest of the group surrounding them with the same worried looks on their faces.
"Never thought we'd see Porlau around here."
Itan shook his head. Nami, who stood next to him, dropped to her knees after handing over her longbow to Thylun to take a closer look at her injury.
"We're quite far from the sea. They must've fled their homes as well. Trez, what happened to your knee?"
"I fell," she grunted, feeling rather clumsy all of a sudden. "I can still walk, if that's what you wanna know, though it kinda hurts."
Nami sighed, shaking her head.
"No wonder. It's starting to swell, though I've got something in my pack that might offer some relief. We better get you to a doctor when we get back to the city. Does anyone have any idea how far it is?"
"Not far," Itan tried to assure everyone by sounding confident. "I recognize this lake. It's not far from Faeyra-Estaria. I estimate less than half a cycle of walking. Can you manage?"
Refusing to be carried or helped along, Trezka heaved herself back on her legs after Nami's treatment with a tissue regenerator, taking a moment to steady herself before taking a couple of uneasy steps.
"Let's just keep moving," she grunted between two breaths. "I've been through worse." With no one letting their guard down, the rest of the trip back to the city progressed without further incidents. Trezka did appreciate the show of concern and the offer to take a break when they noticed she had to put in more and more effort to keep walking. "I'll manage," was her answer, knowing very well that stopping now would only make it harder to continue.
She did notice that Itan kept a close eye on her the entire time, but instead of thinking of it as annoying, she appreciated his care. Catching the occasional glimpse of Faeyra-Estaria's skyline, with its tall green examples of eco architecture and tiny artificial lights, through the thinning canopy of the forest, a sense of relief came over her. At least they would make it back in time before the storm clouds gathering overhead would dump their load.
They had gained so much during this trip. Strengthened bonds of friendship. Getting to know each other better. Having fun doing something that everyone liked. But she only needed another look into those blue green Goureg eyes to realize she had gained something extraordinary. Something she had never expected to feel again in her entire life.
"Not that I'm gonna tell him yet, but I would've broken a leg for it," she thought while answering Itan's faint smile with one of her own.