Under the Shadow of the Plateau: Frontier Forever

by Benjamin Krieger

  Congratulations came pouring out through his listeners, and Morton put up his hands to remind them that there was more to the story. “So we’re all walking up to see what was left of her. And again, it was pretty gross. Everyone was hootin’ and hollerin’ and this one guy goes up to take a piss on her, and a gal went and tried to grab one of her boots, when Ole Officer Brennan shot them both.”

  Confusion washed through the crowd. “I know, I was a little taken aback too,” Morton confessed. “I’m not going to lie, I wanted to have a little keepsake from the Marshal myself. I really wanted her skull, but again, Brennan said that USi would be able to trace her biomatter, so he was gonna take what was left of her to a reclaim facility, and anyone with blood on them had to go with him.”

  Someone handed Morton a new drink and he took a small sip. “Oh, thank you. Mmm. So, everyone was saddling up to come back here to start the celebration, but we didn’t get that far. The caravan was just starting to pull away,” Morton took a big long draft of his drink as he remembered painful details that he was about to skip over. With a shiver he said with finality, “And that’s the last thing I remember. A few days later, I woke up in a USi hospital. All they could tell me was that I was alive and there was a big hole out there in the desert. From the way the government doctors were talking, and the fact that they let me go free, I’d say they didn’t understand what the hell happened either. So yeah, that’s it.”

  After an awkward pause, the crowd went into an uproar.

  Eventually, Morton put his hands up to hush them again. “So let’s drink one for the fallen Marshal! And then another for the fact that I’m still standing here with you today! Free drinks for everybody!”

  Members of the crowd were drinking and discussing the incredible story they had just heard. Many of them congratulated Morton for having survived and thanked him for having told the story so well. He was laughing and clinking glasses with them, when over the din, the skeptical young man from earlier shouted, “Hold on, Mister Morton!” Suddenly, it was like they were in a vacuum, silent with a ton of pressure. The poor fool went white as a sheet as he realized his overstep. “Sir! Oh man, that came ou–”

  Having already moved to stand behind him, Frank put a gentle hand on the man’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go talk in private.” It was not a question. With wide fearful eyes, the dissenter was smart enough not to resist. Morton went into the office first, followed by the young man escorted by Frank.

  Nearly half an hour later, everyone was still talking excitedly about Morton’s story and what might have happened to the ill-fated man, when he suddenly came flying through the office’s mirrored window. He screamed on his way through the air but slamming into the ground made him limp and silent before he slid all the way across the polished wood floor and hit the railing on the other side. No one on the balcony could see Mister Morton inside the office, but they could hear him swearing from an obscured location.

  Frank stepped through the broken window, shattered glass crunching beneath his feet as he went to make sure the young man was dead. Picking the corpse up by the head, he gave the neck a sharp flick, then broke his spine over his knee. Grabbing him by the waist and armpit, Frank held the lifeless vessel out over the balcony’s edge and ripped it in half. Blood showered down on the crowd below, followed by the entrails, and then the rest of him. Screams of laughter and disgust came up from the floor below, and Frank felt confident that everyone on the balcony understood the unspoken message. Wordlessly, he walked back to the office and followed his master back to the train.

  Chapter Fifteen

  False Start

  Rhodes had barely been with the Starrletts for a month but was already feeling guilty about it. Not only was he neglecting his search for Pathos, but he was starting to feel like a detriment to the herd. No one had said or done anything to make him feel that way, in fact, many animals had been going out of their way to make him feel at home, especially the gorillions. Nevertheless, he found himself with strong personal reservations about being included in animal society.

  Once, when he was much younger, Marion had said that humans were like snakes, as dangerous as they were beautiful. At the time, Rhodes had been proud to be compared to the seductive creatures, but humanity’s insidious nature seemed much clearer to him now that his human family had cast him out. Snakes, lizards, spiders; anything that was poisonous usually lived alone, not within a herd or tribe. He was proud and appreciative of the fact that Marion said he could stay, but if he had been in her position, he didn’t think he would have taken the risk. If she knew half of the horrible things going through his head, he was sure that she would have thrown him out too.

  Rhodes had readied himself to leave a number of times, but something always came up. Whether it was helping with migration, hunting, new litters, weather, it felt like the closer he got to departure, the better a reason he found to stay. It didn’t help that life within the herd was so pleasant. Even though the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Onondaga was similar in many ways, there was a rhythm to living in the wild that was soothing. Every day they would get up under the jungle canopy, move to where the best food was, and start all over again. Eating and sleeping patterns varied between species, and although Rhodes had yet to spend a night in the pile of cubs, he generally did whatever Lincoln did. Never having to worry about the day of the week or month, he was free to make his own schedule, which was liberating in a way he did not expect.

  There were times when he missed living with the Onondaga, but Rhodes felt more at home with Lincoln and his animal family than he did climbing Grand Mesa. Equality was a totally different concept for humans and animals. Onondaga were supposed to treat every member of the Dakota with the utmost respect, whereas the Starrletts made no pretense about treating everyone the same. Even though animals ate each other, they acknowledged the importance of their diverse roles within the herd; some were hunters and others prey.

  Ever since Pathos had gone missing, Rhodes’ sleep had been plagued by nightmares, but now he was having occasional dreams about being an animal. When he was younger, he had dreamt about being a gorillion, but these dreams were a lot less enjoyable. More than once, he had found himself in the form of a giant wolf, taking down game without difficulty. It was hardly different than any other hunt, but his heart would be filled with horrible emotions that made him feel nauseous. In others, he would be a prey species fleeing in terror. It hadn’t made sleeping easy for him, but it was better than what he had previously been dealing with.

  His friendship with Lincoln had never been stronger, but Rhodes gave Marion most of the credit for his increased peace of mind. He tried not to make comparisons between his parents, but long after his human mother and father had held a memorial service for their lost son, the lioness had still not given up on her adopted one. She was constantly concerned with the safety of all her children, and although she was vocal about her reservations every time he and Lincoln asked permission to leave, she understood why Rhodes needed to go. They still needed to make their case each time and convince her that they were prepared to fend for themselves, but unlike the Chieftain, she never tried to dissuade him. This time had been no different, except there was faint resignation in her consent, as if she had decided before they even asked.

  Despite numerous similar false starts, Rhodes and Lincoln were set to leave in the morning, and this time it felt final. They had gathered provisions, said their farewells, and Lincoln seemed even more excited than usual. But long after dark, largely because of the gorillion’s increased enthusiasm, Rhodes started to suspect that his brother had hidden reservations about their mission. Laying in a treetop, he wanted to ask about any potential reluctance before they departed, so he whispered loudly, “Are you awake?... Lincoln!”

  “No,” the gorillion replied.

  “Then how are you talking to me?” Rhodes asked, much more quietly.

  “I meant no, I’m not Lincoln,” he answered, sounding half asleep. “But if y
ou keep talking, I'm going to call for his mother.”

  “Either that or in the morning you'll blame poor sleep on my talking and we’ll postpone our trip again.” Rhodes hadn’t realized how upset he was until the resentful words were out of his mouth.

  Lincoln sat up. “Wow. You sound like a cub.”

  “My bad,” Rhodes said immediately, turning over on his branch so he could see the gorillion. “I don’t even know where that came from. I’m sorry.”

  Lincoln had already forgiven him and gave a look that said so. “You’re just antsy because we’ve had to wait so many times. We said we were going, like, a month ago.”

  Rhodes sighed. “Yeah, probably... Are you sure you want to go? I know we’ve talked about it plenty, but I don’t want you to feel like you have to come.”

  Lincoln had to think about how to reply but started crying instead.

  “What?!” Rhodes asked in a surprised whimper before jumping down to the gorillion’s branch. “Everything’s going to be fine! We’ve been on so many ranges. The Thunder-Lizard isn’t going to get us–”

  “It’s definitely not that...” Lincoln sat up so they could sit comfortably next to each other, and put his arm around his human brother. “It’s you... I don’t want you to think I’m like the people who called you crazy, but I am worried. You were in rough shape there for a while and you’re better now. It’s nice seeing you able to relax again, y’know? I want to figure out what happened to Pathos too, and I’m excited to go ranging again. But part of me also thinks that you’re doing really good here with the herd. I’m worried that if we go back out there... you might find yourself on that same slippery slope.”

  “Yeah,” Rhodes said understandingly. “I know what you mean. I love it here with your family.”

  “Our family,” Lincoln corrected him.

  “You don’t even know,” Rhodes said with a sick sort of laugh. “I was like, one hundred times worse back in the tribe.”

  Lincoln laughed with him but shook his head, “I believe you. And I don’t blame you. I miss Pathos too, but it’s gotta be worse for you. He’s your twin.” The fact that he didn’t say was your twin was important to them both. They sat there in silence for a while before Lincoln began again. “But you’re better now, and we’re done waiting. I’m sorry if I’ve delayed us at all. It’s only because I was worried about you. We’ll leave in the morning.”

  They hugged again. Rhodes went back up to his branch and was glad not to have any dreams.

  Waking just before dawn, Lincoln and Rhodes grazed on some nearby leaves and mushrooms before collecting their supplies and heading out. The soothing effects of their conversation and good sleep had them both in high spirits at first, but Rhodes’ doubts had also been awakened with renewed strength. Already missing the love and acceptance that he was electing to leave, he felt increasingly guilty about making Lincoln join him. He was confident that they could handle any of the dangers they might encounter, but if anything were to happen to his only remaining brother, he knew he would lose his mind. He felt bad for Marion too. If he were to take away her flesh and blood, she would likely do him the courtesy of a painful death, but that would not make him feel any better.

  With graceful synchronization, the adoptive brothers ran to the southwest. Every step Rhodes took pounded worry into his thoughts and he was quickly consumed by them. Only two hours into their run, he was struck with an image of the Thunder-Lizard devouring Lincoln. Inwardly, he panicked and was unable to keep his breathing steady as he ran. He felt selfish for dragging his best friend into this. Desperately, he told himself that despite what Marion and Lincoln said, they both believed that Pathos was dead. He was the only one who still believed in the mission, and he decided to send the gorillion home.

  At first, Lincoln mistook the look of consternation on Rhodes’ face as focus on the travels ahead, but he eventually recognized the bad vibes for what they were. Sympathy for his brooding brother had brought them closer together, but he worried that delaying their trip so many times had been a mistake. He felt guilty for having held on so tightly and assumed that was why his human brother was upset. Not wanting their trip to start off on a bad foot, he decided to do something about it.

  Rhodes felt Lincoln silently leave the path behind him and slowed his pace slightly. Then, a second or two later, he heard something else do the same but farther back and much more clumsily. Distracted by doubt, he dropped to one knee to assess the situation. There were no natural predators that would have been stalking them at that speed. If Lincoln had been grabbed by a snare, there would have been more noise. Plus, poachers had never tried anything this close to the herd before. Nevertheless, the tribesman selfishly hoped this would lead to a good fight and some emotional release.

  Deciding that Lincoln must have heard something that he had not, Rhodes rustled some leaves just loud enough to be good bait. After a few more seconds of waiting, he made his best guess as to which way his brother went and moved to intercept. As soon as he stood up, however, he felt two clawed hands clasp around either side of his head—from their fingertips, eight pinpricks sunk into the soft flesh of his neck. Assuming a poacher had just ended his life with poison, Rhodes tucked his legs in an attempt to drop back down to the jungle floor but was suspended midair. One of the hands reaching down from the trees grabbed the bun atop his head and yanked him up even farther, while the other pulled the feather from his bun, letting his afro spring to full-size. Finally recognizing his attacker, Rhodes jumped up into the tree to retaliate.

  Still holding the human’s hair, Lincoln yelled with mock anger, “Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?!” before giving Rhodes three sharp blows to the face.

  Blood erupted from Rhodes’ nose but his warrior spirit had been ignited. Punching Lincoln simultaneously on both sides of his ribcage, he grabbed the adolescent mane behind the animal’s ears and pulled himself in for a vicious headbutt, then yanked backwards to pull them both out of the tree. Lincoln landed on all fours and Rhodes used his momentum to swing around onto the now hysterical ape-cat’s back. He had planned on choking his brother but his neck had grown too thick, and he was about to make a joke about it when he suddenly remembered the noise he had heard on the path behind them.

  “You think you can hack it out here alone, human?” Lincoln shouted as he shook Rhodes off of his back. “You wouldn’t last two minutes without me!” The gorillion launched himself into one of his signature drop attacks and failed to notice that Rhodes was trying to signal danger. Landing with his legs straddling his brother, he let his open palm slam onto the human’s chest with a painful sounding slap. “Why did you even ask me to come if you’re going to be such a donk!” Lincoln said with a laugh, but real hurt shone through.

  Reciprocating both humor and pain, Rhodes asked, “Why do you always have to mess with my hair, man?”

  “I’m not a man, dick.” It was a joke they had both laughed at before, but neither of them were smiling. “Are you really saying you don’t want me to come?” Lincoln laid down flat on top of the human.

  Letting himself be pinned, Rhodes’ voice became strained under his brother’s weight. “No, that’s not it at all... Oh man. You’re crushing me. Get off.”

  Lincoln rolled over. “Now you’re calling me fat.”

  Both on their backs, Rhodes said towards the sky, “It’s not that I don’t want you here.” He started to cry. “It’s not even that Marion would kill me if something happened to you. Really. It’s because I don’t want to lose you.” He had more to say, but remembered the noise again and Lincoln read the alarm in his face.

  Through a combination of silent gestures, Rhodes explained what he had heard and they developed a plan of action. Lincoln jumped back up into the trees, then broke off to the side to give his brother a little extra lead time before joining the approach.

  Sprinting back the way they came, Rhodes drew his warclub. The oblong piece of metallic stone was almost as tall as he was, and had a
crook in its shaft that gave the weapon qualities of a sword, axe, hammer, spear, and boomerang. He had yet to get it to come back to him, but when he threw it just right, it would hook dramatically and make a low-whooping sound as it whirled through the air. No tools had been used to make the magnificent club; the stone had splintered off from a crag on Grand Mesa on its own, along with a spearhead for Pathos. Aside from finger grips that had only recently begun to wear into its handle, it was exactly the same as the day he had found it, and like the holy mountain it had come from, touching it filled him with palpable energy.

  As they approached, Rhodes and Lincoln both noticed the distinct smell of Jake and Mara, two of the gorillion cubs from the litter born directly after Lincoln’s. His siblings were just old enough to sleep in the pile, and apparently, they had no respect for their newly-acquired freedom. Lincoln yelled out in genuine-sounding frustration, “Did you two not bathe specifically so that you would stink so bad, that everything else around you stinks? Like some kind of stink-camouflage? It’s horrible, but it’s working.”

  Not getting the laugh he was hoping for, Lincoln regretted letting them know that he was on to them. After gesturing a new plan of action to Rhodes, the older gorillion yelled to the younger ones, “All right, you ding-dongs! Do you even know what Mom’s going to do to you when you get back? We have permission to be out here! You do not. We’re going to be gone for like a month, and when we get back, you’ll still be grounded. You’ve missed breakfast already so you’re going to have to eat shit no matter what. We’re going to get out of here now, but please take my advice. As someone older and wiser than you, go back now and tell the truth. Trying to lie will just make it worse. You’re not good enough at it yet.”

  With that, Lincoln and Rhodes began sprinting back in their original direction. Leaping, running, and swinging at full speed, there was no way the tykes could keep up. Hopefully they would take his advice and run back to their mother, but Lincoln didn’t expect them to. As soon as they got out of earshot, they stopped short and prepared their ambush. The adoptive brothers smiled at each other as they heard the cubs crashing towards them with reckless leaps. Realizing their error too late, Jake and Mara screamed shrill cries of terror as their older brothers pinned them against the jungle floor.