The rest of the clan moved in, helping themselves to drinks and any food left over. Everyone sought out Carter to shake his hand, and Kerri, to give a kiss on the cheek.
‘Have you heard from Ben?’ Avi asked.
‘He came back to say everything was clear, and to take the men with him, but not since then,’ Sam said.
‘Do you want me to go and check everything’s okay, that they’ve not fallen asleep?’ he asked with a grin.
‘That’s a good idea, I also think we should exchange the ten men there for replacements. Get something to eat and drink first.’
Sam called everyone around.
‘Firstly, thanks for making such good time getting here. We weren’t expecting you till morning. Secondly, there are ten men gone through the gateway, to guard the other side. You may not know this, but going through there makes you age very quickly, unless you have the ability to change into your alter ego. Only by changing can you slow the ageing down. Those ten guys have been there all day. I’d like ten volunteers to exchange with them.’
Every hand went up.
‘Okay, ten minutes to eat and drink, and then you go. Avi, you lead. I want to see at least one man return within minutes, otherwise, we assume something’s wrong.’
Sam moved off to welcome the new arrivals.
Naz and Vin climbed the scree slope, eager to catch up with the boss to give him the news.
‘Once through this boulder field, we should find the gully leading to the plateau,’ said Vin.
‘If they left early enough, they should be off the plateau by now,’ said Naz.
‘You wouldn’t want to be there at night, exposed with nowhere to hide.’
‘You’re right there,’ said Naz. ‘The boss will have thought of that, he’ll push ‘um to keep moving.’
‘I was thinking, maybe I should get myself a big stick, Naz, get that young lady to show me some tricks.’
‘Now that’s a good idea, Vin. You could start your own school at home. ‘Vin’s self defence and pie making classes,’ it’ll be really popular.’
‘Ah, you’re laughing at me now, Naz. But I do think a school would be a good idea, without the pies though.’
‘Vin, you make the best pies this side of the tundra, you can’t give that up.’
‘I was thinking more of branching out, diversifying.’
‘You may have something there, Vin. Imagine a company of bears like us, wielding sticks like they do.’
‘Yeah, I reckon we’d be the meanest... hold on, I hear something.’
‘I hear it too,’ whispered Naz. ‘Behind those boulders, voices.’
‘It must be them, apes don’t talk, do they?’
‘We’ll take a look, quiet now. You go left, I’ll follow the path. Be ready to run,’ whispered Naz.
‘You think we can outrun them?’
‘Dunno about you, but if there’s a horde of ‘um chasing my tail, I reckon I can.’
‘You got a tail, Naz? I never noticed.’
‘Figuratively, Vin.’
They crept forward, edging their way around either side of a particularly large boulder. It was Vin that spotted the townspeople first.
‘It’s okay, Naz, it’s them.’
They came out to be confronted by a scene of carnage. They spotted the boss immediately, going amongst the people, tending the wounded.
‘Boss!’ Naz called out.
He turned to greet them, a look of relief on his face.
‘What happened?’ Naz asked in disbelief at the sight of dead and injured people lying among the rocks.
‘No one seems to know what started it. There was a panic, and people started to run. Someone fell over, they brought down a load more, and then from out of nowhere, one of those creatures got amongst ‘um. We couldn’t see what was happening, there was so much dust churned up from the people running. No one knew where it was in the dust cloud, until they were attacked.’
‘One creature did all this? How many, Boss?’
‘Ten dead, twenty-eight injured.’
‘One creature.’ Naz said again, shaking his head in disbelief.
‘Boss, I’ve got some magic green stuff, it’s sure to help with the injuries.’ Vin pulled out the moss from his pack.
‘How’s it work?’
‘Dunno, Boss. I’ll try breaking some off and using it on the injured.’
‘Okay, you get on with that, Vin; I want to talk with Naz.’
Naz could see the boss looked exhausted.
‘It was a nightmare, Naz. No one could see where it was in the dust, it just kept ripping and biting. It was mindless evil. It took five of them cats to bring it down, and three of those were seriously injured.’
‘We’ve got to move, Boss, it’s too dangerous here.’
‘I know, we’re gonna have to carry ‘um and the dead will have to be buried. What did the Southerners say?’
‘They’ll allow ‘um through, they’ll deal with the question of staying or moving on later. They’ve opened another gateway. Ten of ‘um are guarding the entrance, with reinforcements expected.’
‘Good job, Naz.’
‘It was as much Vin as me. He helped create mutual trust.’
‘He’s turning into a good guard.’
‘You’re right there. In case anything happens, Vin left a marker in front of the gateway, you’ll see it from way off.’
‘Nothing’s gonna happen, Naz, we’re on the winning side. We’re gonna get through this and get home. Right?’
‘Right, Boss. Shall we try and get these people moving?’
‘I’ll speak to Dray.’
Naz approached a group of cats standing around.
‘You guards!’ he called in his most authoritative voice. They jumped, and if they could have stood to attention they would have. Naz noticed their ears perk up.
‘The deceased will have to be buried. Lay them together in a shallow grave, cover ‘um with rocks. Do it now.’
He was glad to see they followed his order.
He moved over to Vin. ‘We need to get moving. We’ll have to carry any who can’t walk. How’s it going with the moss?’
‘This is the last of it,’ he showed Naz the few clumps he had left. ‘I tried to concentrate on the most serious. Glad I brought it along.’
‘So am I. I’ll get these people on their feet.’
Dray approached with the boss. ‘How long to the gateway, Naz?’
‘A couple of hours, we’ll be there by morning if we can get moving.’
Dray called out to the townspeople, ‘We’re leaving now. Help your neighbour, if you need my help, call out as I pass. We leave now, we’ll be out of this by morning,’ he said, encouraging them to their feet.
‘You want us to help carry the injured, Boss?’ asked Vin.
He turned to them both. ‘No, you’re more useful unencumbered, in case of another attack. Will you two lead?’
‘Sure, Boss.’
‘Okay, let’s get out of this mess.’
Naz and Vin retraced their path through the boulder field, signalling the column of bedraggled townspeople to a halt at the last good point of cover.
‘Across that scree, through the burnt grass, turn left, and we’re out of this,’ Naz said.
‘It’ll be light soon, we’ve a better chance once morning comes. They see better in the dark, we see better in the day,’ said Vin.
‘It won’t be so bad once we’re down this scree slope. We won’t be so exposed.’
‘There’s no more cover between here and the border,’ Vin said. ‘Maybe I should scout out ahead?’
‘You sure you wanna do that? I was just thinking to make the same suggestion.’
‘No, I said it first. You watch for my hand signals. Wait for me to get to that big rock over there. You’ll have more chance if you’ve more time to prepare.’
Naz looked at him with pride in his eyes. ‘Lead on, Guard.’
‘Thanks, Naz, that’s the nicest th
ing anyone’s ever said to me.’
Vin moved forward with his chest inflated, proud to be recognised at last as a Guard.
They worked their way over the scree slope as quietly as the moving grit and gravel would allow. The moans of the injured raised alarm in everyone. Vin moved, stopped, listened, looked, and moved again. He watched the dull grey landscape getting lighter as the sun started to head towards the top of the eastern peaks. The sky started to glow orange and red where the sun’s rays diffused through the wall of smoke continually rising from the forest.
It looks beautiful, Vin thought, but I wish I was somewhere else.
Little by little, Vin edged his way to the bottom of the slope, and with immense relief called the column down to the less exposed rolling hills of burnt out grasslands.
What a waste, he thought, all this burning and destruction.
Naz approached him at the edge of the blackened stumps of the once-high grass stalks.
‘Listen, Vin, out here alone in front, sometimes you can get lost inside your own head, talking to yourself, like. Stay focussed on looking for anything that don’t belong there. Disturbed ash, a pile in the distance that don’t look like it should be there, anything that just looks odd, and don’t be afraid to call me forward for help. Okay?’
‘Thanks for the advice. I was kind of drifting away.’
‘It’ll soon be over, Vin.’
The boss caught up with Naz. ‘How’s he doing?’
‘I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else out there, Boss. He’ll be taking my job next,’ Naz grinned.
‘The home stretch, Naz.’
‘What’s the plan in case we’re attacked?’
‘If we’re attacked in numbers, you and Vin save yourselves. You’re under my orders to run for the Western Pass and tell ‘um at home what’s happening. It’s more important they have information rather than dead heroes.’
‘You can’t ask us to do that, Boss.’
‘Listen Naz, these cats dream of being Mountain Lions, but they’re not fighters. They haven’t been trained like you and me. They’re just a misguided and leaderless group of refugees now. If apes approach, they’ll panic and run, without any heed to defensive procedures. They’re just farmers who’ll run blind trying to save their own families. We’re not enough to protect ‘um. You’ve seen what one can do. Imagine a load of ‘um coming at you. It’s more important that the boss knows what’s happening.’
Naz thought this over.
‘I’ll put it to Vin,’ Naz said. ‘But I know he’s not gonna agree either; he’s a guard now. What about this for a plan: if they come in numbers, Vin makes a dash for the gateway, tell Dray to follow him. You and I try to lead a diversion away from the column. If there’s apes chasing you and me, there’s less attacking them. We drag away as many of ‘um as we can and leave the cats to get their people to safety.’
‘Okay, that’s a plan. I’m sorry I got you into this, Naz.’
‘It was my choice, Boss.’
Avi lay with his team on the far side of the slope, keeping watch on the valley stretching away in front of them. After the initial excitement of the arrival and seeing the valley for the first time, it had turned into a long and boring guard duty. Tired eyes at this time of the morning meant they had to take regular turns to swap the lookouts.
‘That’s funny.’
Avi heard the comment from somewhere in his semi-awake, subconscious.
‘What’s funny?’ he asked whoever it was that had spoken.
‘It’s quiet.’ It was Timo, who’d arrived with them from the Meeting Place last night. Still full of enthusiasm and energy at being given the task, he’d been one of those who’d insisted on lying awake all night as backup for the watchman.
Good lad, Avi thought.
‘Hmm. That’s lucky,’ Avi said. But the comment insisted on his attention, his mind wouldn’t dismiss it.
‘What d’you mean it’s quiet?’ he asked sleepily, eyes still closed.
‘It’s really quiet, Avi, the birds have stopped signing, and the crickets have stopped scratching.’
ALARM! his mind screamed at him. He quickly pulled himself to the rise and peeked over between the standing blades of grass. Whispering, ‘Wake the others, but stay down and stay silent.’
He looked over the gently rolling hills towards the burnt off grass. Nothing to be seen in any direction, but he knew, animals see more than they did.
Avi shifted uneasily, something was hitting his senses. The wind direction had changed, now coming directly into his face. He was downwind of something and it was stinking so bad, he could feel it in his throat.
He remembered something; they’d sat up all night talking around the fire with Kerri. She’d told them the horrors of her journey while Carter was fast asleep. What was it she said? ‘They smell awful, like rotting flesh you find sometimes from a dead animal left in the sun.’
That’s the smell of a dead animal now, he thought.
‘Shhh, pass it on, apes are close. If we’re spotted, I want you through that gateway without looking back; they need to be warned, Timo.’
He continued to watch, the smell making him want to gag. From the right came the head and shoulders of an evil-looking ape, the long fangs immediately noticeable, with the red staring eyes and drooling mouth. The ape climbed the hill and Avi could see its dirty torso covered in ash and dust. It was moving west, directly in front of them.
Avi found himself holding his breath to not give his position away. He counted eight, then ten, as more came over the rise of the hill.
They’re definitely hunting, but they don’t have a track yet, Avi thought.
He waited for them to continue on past, with immense relief that neither they nor the gateway had been spotted. They were on their way down the far side of the next rise before Avi allowed himself to breath normally. He was getting up when the same rank odour as before hit him.
He dived back down to the ground, squeezing himself lower into the grass, his eyes barely peering over the hill summit. Was I seen? he was thinking.
Another head bobbed over the hill to the right, followed by another two. These ones seemed more intent on inspecting the ground to their left and right. While Avi watched, he realised they were actually studying the land. These are not dumb creatures, they’re working together to find something. We got a big problem, Avi thought.
They moved slowly forward, taking an interest in everything. Then one stopped. He was looking at the marker placed by Vin.
It’s just a normal rock, Avi was shouting in his mind, move on.
But it wasn’t a normal rock. It was the largest one around. The ape pushed it slightly with his foot and immediately became more interested. It bent down to look closer.
The grass is green underneath! Avi thought, now realising there shouldn’t be green grass, unless the rock had been placed there recently. Otherwise there would be dried earth.
It made a grunting call to the other two, who now stopped. They started to study the area around them much more intently, They looked at where the grass fire had stopped and one moved to the burnt area.
They’re looking for tracks Avi thought.
The one who’d taken an interest in the rock now looked at the hill, behind which Avi and his men hid.
This is it, he thought.
Avi held up his hand to show the others his five fingers.
The ape was studying the ground on the rising slope, moving upwards. Avi held up four fingers for the men to see.
The ape spotted something and bent to inspect it, moving closer to the hill crest. Avi held up three fingers.
Two more steps and we go, Avi was telling himself, he gripped his staff tightly at his side. Another ape appeared on the hill to his left.
The ten are coming back! Avi thought, now seriously concerned.
The ape on the hill made a loud grunting noise, swinging its arm. The three in front of the hill all stopped and looked up. The ape to the left ran
off the way it had come and the other three ran quickly to follow it.
Avi let out an enormous sigh of relief.
‘They found something,’ said Timo, ‘Either the tracks of the bears in the ashes or they’ve picked up a scent.’
‘I don’t believe they’ll smell anything over the stench of each other. I think they’ve found tracks through the ash. You go back and tell them everything you’ve seen. If those townspeople are heading this way, they’re about to be ambushed by thirteen apes. Go now.’
Timo dived through the gateway in a blinding flash of light. He was going so fast, he had trouble keeping his feet coming out the other side. He tucked into a forward roll, kicking up a cloud of dust, enveloping him so that the others on guard at the entrance couldn’t see what had come out of the flash of light. They were on their feet running toward him, with staffs in hand, calling the alarm.
‘It’s Timo,’ one shouted, running to help him to his feet and dust him off.
‘Where’s Sam?’ he asked, hurriedly picking up his own staff. ‘They just passed straight by. We think they spotted something.’
They both ran towards a tented structure that had been set up for shade, where Sam was now on his feet.
‘Thirteen just passed us, Sam. They were split into two groups. The second group spotted the bears’ marker for the gateway and were checking it out. They got to within three steps of where we are hiding, then one of the first group returned and called for them to follow him. They ran to the west. We think they’ve found something, probably tracks from the bears. These are intelligent creatures, Sam. They’re working together and looking for signs.’
‘If thirteen attack the townspeople, they won’t stand a chance. We need to warn them.’
‘There’s something else, Sam. The wind has changed direction, it’s coming from the north.’
‘Kerri! Kerri! Where are you?’ Lulu called.
‘Over here, what is it?’
‘Do you have any moss?’
‘Yes, why, what’s happened?’
‘I may need it. A gang of apes has just passed on the other side. The men think they’re on their way to ambush the townspeople.’
‘It’ll be a disaster if they catch them.’
‘I know. I’ve got to warn them.’
Shifters Alliance Page 23