The claw, or the animal it came from? I cock my head to the side as I try to understand.
Is he teaching me their language?
Up until now, the only word I have said while on this world was my name, and that only once... yesterday!
I'm almost afraid my tongue will come flying out of my mouth trying to pronounce the word he said to me, with the few syllables the word is made of.
Seberkyne nods to me encouragingly, holding his hand out to me, as if to draw the word out of me that way.
I try to remember how my mouth works, with all the muscles it takes just to make a sound! Animal noises are easy, but this?
He repeats the word a third time, gently, slowly.
I open my mouth, and hesitantly, I manage to squeak out the word.
Seberkyne smiles broadly at me and pats me on the shoulder.
I look over, and I see that we drew the attention of the other men when they heard my voice pronounce the word. A little crudely, perhaps, but well enough for them to hear me pronounce it and understand me.
So, what did I say? Their word for razor-grizzly, as I have come to know them, or just the claw of the animal? Or did I just say “necklace” and nothing to do with the animal my necklace was made from?
Seberkyne wants me to say it a few more times, to get it out better, more fluidly. So I do.
OK! I can now say, “Bear claw.” or, “Necklace.” or, something...
Chuckling, all the men cheer me on, giddy and hopeful that I can be taught their language in due time.
I see that my bow is on the ground with my arrows next to me. Then I pick it up, show it to Seberkyne and I say, “Bow.”
….
I don't know, but it sounded strange to my own ears and very simplistic to me. I frown and look down at it for a moment, then look back up to Seberkyne.
Seberkyne looks thoughtfully puzzled by my word, so I say it again.
Seberkyne grunts and chuckles softly, then he turns to the other men and says something to them, and they all grunt in turn as they consider... whatever it was the old man said to them.
Seberkyne then touches my bow, and says their word for it, and I repeat the word. Are we making progress?
Suddenly we hear this ear-splitting screech, from high above our heads. We look up to see a large winged predator flying lazily in circles above us. Like a huge bat, it is one of the largest flying animals I have seen on this world, with a wing span easily twice as wide as an adult man is tall. I call it a sky-wolf; the closest thing I could think to describe them. The sound it made was a locator for a potential... friend.
I stand to my feet, looking up at it. The men get a little nervous as they wonder if the creature is about to swoop down to collect me for a snack, then I make an answering call up to it, letting it know that there are not any friends for it here...
All the men look at me in shock that I can make such a sound, then look back up at the sky-wolf and, it shrieks again in acknowledgment... then it flies away, no muss, no fuss.
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, then begins to mutter to each other about me... again.
Sean, the panther boy, who talks to animals....
Chapter Fourteen
When we get finished with our break, we get up and arrange our bags back on our saddles, well, Dakanii helps me with mine, then as he did before, helps me get on my horse, and this time he hands me the reins, instead of tying them to his saddle.
He dips his head to me with his eyebrows raised.
I nod back at him; I think I can do this.
He releases my reins, and, carefully, with my left hand, guide the animal around in a couple of turns, leaning to keep myself from falling off as they all watch. OK, so this may be easier than I thought. This particular horse seems well trained.
Everyone chuckles in amusement and approval, then mount their horses, and we set off again, with Dakanii first, then me, Seberkyne and the others.
After a while, with the sun dipping down to the horizon we stop to set up camp. This time I watch as everyone unloads their horses, and take their saddles off for the night.
Um.... how do I....?
One of the other men, named Anjax (the cook), comes over to me, and with a smile to the child, takes my saddle off my horse for me. I carefully watch him as he does this, to see how its done, then I can do it myself.
I nod to him in thanks, and he pats my shoulder. Then he goes to the horse carrying all the other supplies to get a hot meal ready.
I get the impression that these men don't mind doing things for me; adult men, having found a little boy lost out in the wilderness, with no real means of communication yet.
I start to reconsider the way I had felt about villages before, and if these men are the standard to how people are... maybe I was wrong in my assumptions about them. Hmm....
Well, now that I'm among them, I'll see if other people react to me the same way.
I hand my horse off to the man tending the picket line for the horses, then he directs me to the camp with the others.
“Sean!” Dakanii addresses me gladly as I approach the fire ring, and signs that he would like to use my flint and iron.
I nod, go to my bag and retrieve it, then take it to him. He strikes the flint with the iron, marveling at it the simplicity of it, and in no time gets the fire going.
When he hands it back to me, I wonder: I found this in ruins, where it was made long ago. And these people never heard of this? Still using a small bow and stick to make fire with? An ancient culture whose knowledge was not passed down?
Strange...
So, what was it that destroyed the structure and the people who lived there?
I don't recall seeing any bones or skeletons at the ruins where I found everything I have, perhaps they just abandoned it... for any number of reasons.
I make myself comfortable in the camp, wondering if there is anything else I can do. Everyone pitches in and has chores to do. I'm still used to keeping the camp small, as Midnight never needed anything I did in the camp. The fire, the cooking... all that was just for me.
Now there are five others with me, and their rides, and all the items they need for their rides. I wonder, what would have happened if I had acted sooner, and rescued all seven of the men. Suddenly I feel bad about not having acted sooner, but how was I to know that those.... I hesitate to call those goblins people, not after what they did! Not even wild animals, predators, who hunt other animals to eat, are not that cruel. They only do that for their own survival, but what those goblins did, that was just plain mean, and evil. I hate them.
Seberkyne sits down next to me and sees my troubled expression. He raises his eyebrows to me questioningly.
…. how do I explain to him my thoughts and what I'm feeling about the comrades that the goblins had murdered that night I saved them?
At a loss, I shrug my shoulders and sigh heavily.
He regards me closely, and decides that, perhaps, I'm not thinking about my friend again, but something else. I wonder if he's going to try to read my memories again, but he does not.
Well, he gives me a reassuring smile and a soft sigh, then pats my shoulder comfortingly. In time, when I've learned enough of their language, maybe we'll go over all that. For now, I look about me to the others and see what they're doing now.
Supper looks to be about ready, and Anjax calls everyone to the pot over the fire. He ladles out portions of the stew— yes! We're having more of that delightful stew tonight! I smile up at Anjax as he serves me my bowl and puts a biscuit with it, and returns my smile with his own.
During the meal, Seberkyne uses the opportunity for more lessons to their language, using everything that we're using, saying the names of them, and repeating it for fluidity. The ingredients that made the food, the bowl, the spork, everything is a language lesson now.
Even the other men are wanting to help me learn words, but Seberkyne waves his hand dismissively at them, “I got this! We don't need to confuse th
e boy!” then they nod their heads at his wisdom, and converse among themselves.
The old man decides not to give me too much for one night, as he sees that I'm tiring from it.
As we bed down for the night, with everyone keeping me in the middle of the camp and them all surrounding me, reminds me once again the similarities of when Midnight and I slept together at our campfires. I look up at the glowing rings above the clouds, and see the midnight shadow approaching from the east, and the stars becoming more visible.
I sigh. How is Midnight now? Is he OK? I will never have another friend like him, and I miss him terribly. I have new friends now, but they are not Midnight.
Oh, they're OK in their own way, I decide.
….
I don't know, perhaps it is time I get back with people, civilization.
To keep myself from crying once again, I start humming softly to myself. Everyone hears me humming, and they all watch me for a while, until we all go to sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
The smell wakes me up first.
My eyes pop open, and I see by the shadow on the rings that it is way past midnight, maybe an hour before dawn, when we are attacked!
Goblins again!
What is it with these guys?!
I jump up at the ready and sound the alarm, and I'm joined by the others, with their swords at the ready. I grab my spear, it was just ready at hand, and we engage fifteen goblins who launch themselves from the surrounding brush.
The sound of clanging steel rings out as our small company of six take on more than twice our number. I dodge and twist and turn, parrying and thrusting with my spear, blocking with the shaft of my weapon, but there are just too many. I see my sword at my feet, then I throw my spear at a goblin, nail him, then I reach down and scoop my sword up, and with a fluid motion fling off the sheath in my right hand, and with my left I grab my claws from under my tunic.
Oh, yeah! Here we go!
Now I'm slicing and dicing the enemy up as I make my way through them and among them, sword in my right hand, claws in my left! As the goblins are occupied by the men, I'm running behind them, taking out their legs with a swipe, or a rake across their backs, distracting them long enough for the men to finish them off. A couple of goblins try to get me with their weapons, but I'm just too fast for them.
Midnight's lessons are paying off!
Across the camp I see a goblin getting behind Dakanii as he's engaged with another goblin, to attack him from behind, and I'm not close enough to engage.
“Dakanii!” I shout out, then make another sword throw at the second one, which takes him off his feet before his dead body lands on the ground with a heavy thud.
Dakanii shouts something at me, thanks, I suppose, then I run across the camp to retrieve my sword from the fallen enemy.
I take my sword from the dead goblin, and then I feel my right arm being grabbed from behind and I am pulled back hard—
Just in time to see a battleaxe swing at my head and miss!
Seberkyne! He was the one that had saved me!
I quickly dispatch the ax wielding goblin with a thrust from my claws, and I nod my thanks to Seberkyne for his assistance. Then back to back, we face off with the last of the enemy. Him with his thick staff, me with my claws (all of them, including my sword!).
None of the goblins have a chance to get away from us, and all is quiet again.
We all look about us in our camping area to make sure there are none left, and with the time of day approaching, none of us are going back to sleep anytime soon.
Everyone puts their weapons away after cleaning them off, then go around, patting each other on the shoulders and gripping each others' arms, smiling and laughing all around.
Brothers of the sword.
They even praise me very loudly for my contributions to the battle, and they chatter away at me again as if I already know their language. They laugh as they know I don't understand them and they see my expression, but we all know the gist of it. I share in their mirth and laugh with them.
We all take a sigh of relief, then the men go about checking the enemy bodies, looting I guess... I'm not sure what the men are looking for on the goblins' dead bodies.
Are you all sure you want to be touching them, the way they smell? Well, have at it! Better you than me!
I wonder how the goblins get to us? I haven't seen them using beasts of burden of any kind. All the horses I see are used by us. I look to the periphery of the campsite, looking for anything the goblins are using, but I don't see anything at all!
Are they coming at us on foot? Are they using sky-wolves? Approaching by stealth that way? Death from above! I look to the sky with the little light available, but I don't see any circling in the sky.
I go back to the camp puzzling about this, when I suddenly hear Seberkyne's voice ring out in alarm off to my left. He had shouted out my name.
I take a defensive stance with my weapons once again at the ready to take on more, if there are any. I look around, but, all is calm. Everyone is busy with what they are doing, although they are all looking at Seberkyne and me now.... What?
I turn back to the old man and frown at him. What are you looking at?
He now approaches me carefully, looking very intently at something, at—
My left arm is starting to hurt. I think its just muscle strain from this morning's activities, but the pain is getting sharper and sharper. I look at my upper arm, where the pain is now about unbearable, and I see some blood trickling down my arm from there, nearly where my shoulder is.
I got cut. Great. One lucky goblin got close enough to slice my skin.
The sight of blood does not bother me, and this cut looks very superficial, but no sooner that I had seen my own blood coming from a small cut on my arm, I suddenly get very woozy, and my knees buckle under me.
What... what's happening? Why am I...?
I drop my weapons, and the other men rush to my aid, kneeling all around me.
Seberkyne checks my wound closely, then says something quickly to Dakanii, who now looks very worried about me. He turns to one of the other men and says something quickly to him, and then that man hurries back to the horses. I fall backwards, but Dakanii and Seberkyne catch me, with Dakanii holding me onto his knee and cradling my head with his hand.
I try to move, but my limbs just won't obey me and dangle limply. I've lost all feeling in them.
Dakanii is saying something soothingly to me as he brushes my hair out of my face with his other hand, but it sounds all muffled now, and he's starting to get out of focus. I hear everyone else around talking excitedly, but it all runs together. I look around to the other men kneeling around me with concern and worry evident on their faces, and they're all spinning around me. I think I'm going to be sick!
Then all goes dark....
silence...
Chapter Sixteen
….
I take a deep breath... it feels so good to breathe deeply again...
I—
How long have I been out?
Where am I?
My eyes open slowly, and I blink them several times to clear them. I see white all around, well, not quite white, more like a creamy color, light earth tones... I'm in a.... room? Made of smooth stone?
Where's the camp?
Where am I?
I... see a person standing by an open doorway, a lady. Maybe its my eyes still adjusting, but she looks a little strange. Not by the difference of her gender, but of other things.
Aside from her long dress, which appears a deep crimson color and gold thread trim, I see that her hair is very long and reddish in color. Her skin appears to be a shade of... olive? And her face. Her eyes look a little larger in proportion to her face than the men I have been traveling with, with a slight slant to them. And... are her ears really pointed? Not to the extent of the goblins, but just slightly pointed enough to notice.
And her smile. Such a motherly smile she's giving me with a twink
le in her eye.
Is she an... elf?
I don't know, but I feel so secure here, and at peace for the first time since... I came to this world?
And I feel something else, too. The lack of clothes on me. I can hardly move at all, and I certainly can't check under the covers of my bed, but all I seem to have on is one of my pairs of undershorts. I can feel with my limbs again, but I seem to be too weak to move any of them, and they are sore.
My arm!
I turn my head to look at my arm, that's all I can move, and see it all clean and dressed in bandages. It hurts, but not as sharp as it was before.
The lady sees that I'm awake now, and she walks— no, she glides her way into the room, moves a chair by my bed and floats down into the chair and looks at me with that smile. Then she reaches out a hand and feels my forehead. I can tell that my leather headband has been removed.
She then caresses my cheek tenderly as she says something soothingly to me, and her voice sounds so sweet! I just wish I knew what she's saying.
She brushes back my hair with her hand, then she produces a small cup for me to drink from. I'm too weak to sit up on my own, so she helps me to sit up enough and holds the cup for me so I can drink—
That could have tasted better! I grimace and lick my lips as she sets the finished cup down on the table beside the bed. I frown at her for the foul tasting liquid, but she just smiles sympathetically at me for taking my medicine, and I notice that most of the pain is already going away, fading. She then holds a different cup up to me, a large one.... not more medicine? I cautiously take a sip, but, no. It's just cool water this time.
Ah! Thank you for that mercy! Again, as she continues to help me sit up, she holds this cup for me to drink from while she gently speaks to me, encouraging me to drink more. Grateful for her care, I look up into her eyes as she's helping me, and they are really beautiful! They seem to reflect the light in a fantastic shade of green. I can't help but to look at them, and I think she likes me looking at her. She certainly seems to enjoy looking into my eyes as she ministers to me. I manage to sip the entire contents of the cup, feeling the hydration spread through me. I was really thirsty!
Avarii- the Golden Child Page 8
