/ Duel Universe
/ Author: The Cowboy of Oklahoma
/ Ch 35.1: Healing, Supplies, Enemies
/ word count: 1686
Gorilla Clan:
Shelly Carson and Maiden of Moonlight stayed close to the hut Ka'an Freeman was laying in. Requesting bedding so they may be allowed to sleep there. For three days, Ka'ans' visible injuries were healing rapidly, barely noticeable scars left behind, still he slept. The gorilla female from before, came in and changed his bandages daily. The women tried to ask to help with this procedure, but were each similarly removed from the hut while the bandages were removed. The two stood outside the hut, waiting for the clear to be allowed back in. Each time they did this, it was like waiting for hours, when the work was done in minutes. Both women made it a point to look away from each other during this process. Not wanting to speak on the matter, they both had feelings for the man inside the hut. They waited quietly on either side of the doorway for the all clear, and allowed back inside. The small female gorilla came over to them, she had also become a regular at the hut with them. Shelly guessed it was more out of curiosity than anything else, two humans and an elf were probably an unusual site for most here in this clan. Shelly had decided that moving around to get the lay of the land, wouldn't be too smart since that huge gorilla or monster friendly to this clan, was still sitting just outside this hut, and she and Moonlight were well within their reach should they so choose to stop her. Everything had been uneventful for the entire time they were here, Shelly hadn't even let her people know that they were fine. She hoped they hadn't sent out a search party, finding the campsite in it's tattered state, then the subsequent obvious trail that would have led them here, could be disastrous. The large female nurse gorilla, I suppose one could call her that, had finished up and was about to leave when Shelly motioned to speak with her.
"Excuse me?" Shelly cautioned. "I need to get back to my transport and inform my people that we're okay and they shouldn't need to worry about us. Otherwise they might try to find us on their own, and it could involve a fight." She explained.
The gorilla looked at her for a moment, what is best describable as a look of thought, on her face for a moment. Then she turned to the huge shadow and bellowed something guttural and indescribable to human speech. The larger grunted back the same, then the gorilla turned to Shelly.
"He say, you may go, but will need guide. Get lost in cave easy for others." She explained.
"Okay, thank you. I am ready when the guide is." Shelly said.
"Guide be Bruthus, he bring you here before. I go get him for you." She said.
"Thank you." Shelly said again, then went into the hut to wait.
Moonlight was sitting beside the bed holding Ka'ans' hand, humming a soothing tune. Shelly walked back in to see this and had to stop in her tracks, clenching her fist at the audacity of this elf maiden. However, she kept her words buried for the moment, it wasn't the right time to scream out her frustrations. A few minutes later, the gorilla called "Bruthus"came into the hut and motioned for Shelly to follow him.
"We go now." He said quietly.
"Yeah.." Shelly agreed, looking over her shoulder at Moonlight again before turning to leave.
Outside, Bruthus started to head for the campsite when Shelly turned and looked back inside the cavern. The motion was not lost on the guide, and he turned around, looking at her.
"It good not interrupt elf song, is bad luck." He implied.
This caught Shelly's attention, "what?"
"Elf songs have healing abilities, and strength abilities and focus abilities. It good you not interrupt song." He explained.
Shelly gritted her teeth at the thought of that elf even holding Ka'ans' hand, let alone the idea of her singing to him. Some random..monster..was encroaching on her man and she was beyond infuriated by that idea. She wasn't even that pretty!!
"Stupid..elf..bitch!" Shelly said under her breath.
"What that?" Bruthus questioned, not quite hearing the words, nor understanding the meaning.
Shelly caught her breath for a moment, then breathed a deep sigh to rid herself of some stress. "Nothin'. Let's go." She pressed on past him.
He followed quietly. They walked the whole way without another word spoken, reaching the clearing where the attack had occurred and then made their way to the transport. Shelly got to work firing up the systems required to send a long distance message, activating the encryption protocols, and getting a feedback indicator that a connection was established.
"Oscar 5 Charlie, destination reached, HVT ambulatory, will advise ASAP." Shelly said briefly, setting the system to repeat for several minutes, then to disconnect automatically afterwards.
She set about gathering some supplies while the system finished its job. Grabbing medic kits, MREs, several h2o gel paks, emergency transponder, blankets, feminine necessities, soaps and the like.
"Bruthus, will you carry this load back for me please. We females of different species need thin's the Gorilla Clan doesn't have." Shelly asked nicely.
"Okay. She 'uman and she elf have been nice to Gorilla Clan. I help you with this." He said picking up the fully loaded pack, slinging it over his shoulder with ease. "We go now?" He asked.
"Yeah, we go now. We shouldn't return till Ka'an, er, the male human is able to walk again." She explained.
Bruthus nodded and began the long walk back to the cavern. "It dark soon. Need fire for journey. I make torch." He said, grabbing a branch off a tree, and some of the ragged cloth from the now destroyed campsite, poured a solution onto the cloth then struck two rocks together to spark a fire on it. "Good torch, last until home."
"Very nice. Ye'r clan is really good at making fire Bruthus." Shelly admitted.
"Learn many millennia before, all beast clans fought for who stronger, other clans come, spellcaster, dragon, warrior, fiend. We learn build hut, make fire, grow food, wear clothes, make weapons. Elders say we stay Gorilla Clan, but we make nice with other clans. They say they not fight us if we not fight them. Not fight other clans for long time now." Bruthus explained.
"I see, and it was the other clans that taught ya' how to build and make fire?" Shelly asked.
"Yes. Warrior Clan show us what rocks to use, how make oil. Spellcaster Clan show us build huts for rain and cold wind. Dragon Clan gave us cave with tree for home," Bruthus said.
Shelly thought about all Bruthus told her, the history of the clan was extensive. They walked back to the cave in silence, but it wasn't as heavy as when they had left.
Bruthus stopped to look around the area before he entered the cave, nose lifted and sniffing the air.
"What is it?" Shelly asked, looking around, trying to hear anything out of place.
"Strange smell. Not far. That way." He said, pointing in the direction the air was flowing from.
Shelly looked in the indicated direction, looking for something that said Bruthus was right. She almost wanted to disregard the notion when a faint glimmer appeared for a split second then vanished.
"Somethin's out there alright. Do ya' think it's dangerous?" She asked Bruthus.
"Not sure. There four of em. Maybe looking for 'uman male. Finish him off." He said.
"Ov'r my dead body!!" Shelly declared while activating her duel disk. "Nobody's touchin' Ka'an again!"
Four sets of glowing yellow eyes appeared from the treeline almost one hundred yards away. Four beasts of varying size, build, and colors all stepped from the trees.
"These same beasts that beat 'uman male before we find and stop them!" Bruthus explained.
"They're here to finish the job!" Shelly surmised. "They'll not get past me! Go! Get more of your clan to help drive these beasts away!" She said.
"I no lea.." Bruthus tried protesting but was interrupted.
"Go now!! I cannot find my way back alone and if one of us doesn't make a stand here, they'll just follow us to your home!! GO!!" Shelly shouted then moved forward towards the oncoming threat.
Bruthus didn't like the idea, but turned and ran into the caves, torch and bundle in hand. He knew the path well, he could go completely in the dark if he had to. There were four different cut offs before reaching the cavern, all we're dead ends except the one. He could try and trick any pursuer by tossing the torch down a wrong path, buy time to gather his clan. He took wrong turns on purpose, backtracked his own steps to throw off any that followed. False trails, burn marks, his scent was everywhere now, then left the torch around a corner that led to nowhere. Finally making his way back to the home cavern and letting out a bellow of danger that got every monster's attention. He put down the pack he carried and grabbed a club, then proceeded to lead his clan's fighters back to the cave entrance. Telling them to check every false path, crack and crevice along the way. The whole time took about twenty five to thirty minutes for him to leave false trails, reach the cavern, gather a small horde of his clan, and return to the entrance. Bruthus led the now charging horde of gorillas out of the caves and into the night as one fighting force. It only took a moment for them all to see just what had happened and what was about to happen. They each carried large clubs and even some special organic duel disks the fairy and spellcaster clans had helped them fashion so as to not rely on the need of technology from the other clans. They each set the disks to their arms and screamed in unison, "Duel! Duel! Duel!"