by P. L. Smith
"Mo-Na! You scared the crap out of me, Lethan."
She scooted next to the fire, warming her hands and the memories from the night before flooded back.
"Lethan, are you all right? How are you feeling?"
Lethan turned a small pig on a spit over the fire and sat back on his haunches. He was smiling.
"I'm more than all right. I can't thank you enough for what you did. If you hadn't... well this would be a much different morning. Thank you, Jak."
"Forget it. It was nothing, just keeping you from doing something you'd regret."
"What was it you knocked me out with anyway?"
"...arrhh, is someone cookin', or are we about to burn to death."
Lethan and Jak both turned to see Dagan trying to lift himself up, looking much like a turtle stuck on its back.
"Good morning, Dagan," said Jak.
"Good morning to you, Jack... and good morning to you Lethan. Looks like you've awoken from your sleeping death."
"Probably the best sleep I've had in years, I must say. Crazy dreams...," said Lethan, his voice trailing off.
"Yup, Jak's dream thistle did the trick, I'd say."
"Dream thistle?"
"Goatsbane. She stuck it in the meat. Apparently the Yumans use it to help them sleep. Jak came just in time, I reckon. Things were beginning to look... bleak."
Lethan nodded.
"I'm sorry Dagan. I could see it. I could watch, but I couldn't do anything else. It’s as though I was tied in the back of a dark cave with just the small hole of light to watch... to watch while I... I..."
"Put it behind you, Lethan. There was nothing you could do to stop it. That demon was an entirely different creature. It was him that was gonna do it, not you." Dagan stared at Lethan until he nodded. "Good. What's this then?"
Dagan gestured towards the fire and the glistening piglet.
"I thought the least I could do was feed you two after all you did. So I caught a pig for Jak, and I managed to find some sweetgrass for you."
Lethan reached behind him and hefted a large bundle of bluish grass.
"Sweetgrass! I don't think I've had sweetgrass since I was a calf!"
Dagan shoved a handful into his mouth, savoring the foliage. The look of utter satisfaction on his face was too much for Jak and Lethan, and they both laughed.
"Now then..." said Lethan, turning back to the fire. ”I think this little guy is just about ready."
Jak smiled, eying the glistening meat.
Not exactly mom's salted pork, but the next best thing.
****
It was late afternoon when Jak reached the river crossing back into Redtree Forest. She had pushed ahead, watching for game. She knelt at the river's edge, scooping water to her parched lips. The cold, clear water eased down her dry throat, and the relief made her skin tingle. She splashed her face, washing away the sweat and grime of the trail. Her eyes found her reflection in the slow moving water. She knew the person staring up at her, but she had aged. Her cheeks were leaner and her jaw longer, more pronounced than when she had last seen her reflection. It surprised her to realize she was beginning to look like a woman. The reflection filled her with a bit of pride, and at the same time a gnawing sadness. Her parents would not get to see this transformation. They'd only known her as the child that she was.
Jak felt her eyes burning with tears and wiped at them with the sleeve of her shirt. She could hear Dagan and Lethan coming along behind her.
Hopping from stone to stone, she quickly crossed the river and examined the wet sandy shore looking for fresh tracks. Two sets of small deer tracks followed the river for a ways, and then disappeared into the brush. Jak quietly crept into the trees, as she set her crossbow.
As Lethan and Dagan crossed the river, Lethan stopped, sniffing at the air.
"What is it Lethan?"
"I smell blood... and Firejacks."
"Jak! There's trouble!" shouted Dagan.
Jak emerged from the brush, looking somewhat annoyed.
"What is it? I almost had a shot."
"Firejacks. They're near. They must've... Lethan, the nest!"
Horror filled Lethan's eyes, and like a flash of lightning he was gone, sprinting through the trees.
"Wait, the what?"
"The nest. It's where we raise our young. Go after Lethan! I'll come as fast as I can."
Jak didn't wait. She chased after Lethan jumping and dodging limbs and brush, desperately trying to catch up.”
Lethan was hit by a wall of smoke and quickened his pace. He coughed, and his eyes watered as the smoke got thicker. Through the haze, a hovering shape materialized before Lethan. The Firejack's stinger was out and aimed for his head. Lethan's claws slashed through the air with such speed that the pieces of the Firejack were slammed to the ground in an orange splatter of blood. Lethan kept running.
Twice more Firejacks appeared through the smoke, and twice more they were sliced clean through. Lethan took his breath in great gasps, his lungs begging for oxygen. The smoke relented as he entered the clearing where the nest was, and he felt the warmth of ash beneath his feet.
It was burnt. Everything. Lethan's heart sank when he saw the first body. It was a small Elapi, barely more than a fawn, and he found others, many others, all young and all burned to death.
Lethan dropped to his knees, his heart and his stomach sick. He saw the dead young, and then in his mind he saw all the young Yumans, whose lives he had taken. He wanted to die. He was no better than the Firejacks. He wanted to kill every last one of them for what they did, and he deserved no better.
Lethan closed his eyes, trying to shut out the world. He wished with all his heart he could see Lina again. For a moment he thought he could hear her.
Lethan.
"Lethan!"
Jak pushed through the trees and nearly collided with him. Her eyes were burning, and she was covered in soot.
"Lethan there you are. I thought I lost..."
Jak saw the bodies then, unsure of what they were at first. Then it hit her.
"Mo-Na..."
But nothing else came. She could voice no other words, no other thoughts. She could only feel the horror. Tears streamed down, washing the soot from her face.
Lethan stood, looking like nothing more than a shell of what he was.
"Stay here and wait for Dagan."
"Why? What are you doing?"
"I'm going after them."
"No, they'll kill you. There's too many. I'll come..."
"Stay here. Wait for Dagan."
Lethan was gone before she could respond. It didn't matter; she didn't have the will to chase after him. All she could do was sit and wait for Dagan.
Lethan had no trouble following the Firejacks. Their scent was strong to the west. They had done what they had come to do, and they were heading back to their hive. It didn't matter. Lethan would catch up to them, and he'd kill every last one.
****
"Foresters of Redtree! This is a great tragedy. The loss of our young cannot be undone, nor can it be forgiven. We will exact vengeance upon the Firejacks, I promise you. But the time has come for us to retreat. We cannot fight these weapons. We need to regroup. We need to find help, and we need to heal. This is not going to be an easy war or a short war. We are in this for the long haul. If we all galloped to the hive of the Queen and attacked, we'd all be dead by morning. What good would that do our fallen young and our fallen brethren?"
Dagan looked about the clearing. He met the eyes of each and every forester. Some held the fury of fire. Some merely glanced down, drained of all strength.
"We must prevail in order to preserve their memories. That is why I think we should retreat to Mountainhold, build back our strength and seek out help."
"From who? Who is going to help us?” said a soot blackened Centaur.
"We are not the only creatures upon this land. There are the Yumans."
"Pox on the Yumans! They didn't come before. Why would they come n
ow?"
Jak had been sitting by a tree behind Dagan, lost in a daze, but now she stood.
"The Yumans didn't come, because you sent a Lycan to ask for help! Lucky for you I came. I'll go back and tell my village. They will help. They have to."
"Even if they do, what good is it? There's fewer Yumans than there are foresters."
This time Dagan spoke up.
"Every able body will help. But you're right Calypso. It is not enough. We will send out runners in every direction we can to find help. There are foresters who no longer live in Redtree. We will find them, and they will help us."
"And if they don't?" said the Centaur.
"Then we are all done, Calypso. But I am not ready to accept that. Not yet! We can only hope..."
"Hope?! We put our hope in you, and you led your best fighters to their death! Then you brought the Firejacks back here, and they slaughtered our young!"
The female Centaur beside Calypso broke into sobbing. He put his arm over her shoulder trying to console her.
"Dagan, I say you are weak. I am taking my legion to sneak into the Queen's hive and kill her. They won't be able to fight without their Queen. We will do what you couldn't, old bull."
Dagan felt defeated. Calypso's words cut deeply, and he felt there was more than a little truth to it.
A vicious snarl ripped through the clearing. Immediately everyone fell silent and looked around. Calypso jumped as Lethan, covered in the bright orange blood of Firejacks, stepped from the trees behind him.
"Calypso, you will be dead before you even reach the hive. You will be cut down. You and your legion will be lying in your own blood on the Firejacks' first assault, and the last time I checked, Dagan was still the steward of the foresters. So, unless you plan on challenging him, you best calm yourself. If you do want to propose the challenge, seeing as he is wounded, I will be filling in."
An evil grin spread across Lethan's lips. Calypso glared, but kept silent. Dagan spoke, eager to break the tension.
"We are in terrible times, but we must not become divided. The only way we can fight the Queen is by sticking together. A herd is stronger against the predator than a lone bull. Together we are a strong herd."
Dagan glanced around the clearing once again. He was unsure if they were with him, or if his herd was divided.
"Friends, you have put faith in me as Steward for many years now. If you feel I am no longer able to do what is needed for the good of the foresters, I will humbly step down."
He paused, but no one spoke.
"But if I still have your faith, and you still believe I am able to lead you, then I ask you to follow me to the mountains. From there we can plan and coordinate our counterattack and have time to find help. As I see it that is our only option."
The foresters all nodded silently in agreement. Lethan gave a half smile to Jak, and she smiled back. She was surprised at how relieved she felt to see him.
"All right. We will leave at the break of dawn. Spread the word to all who are not here. We don't want to leave anyone behind. I will see you all in the morning. Mo-Na bless us."
As the foresters quietly dispersed, Lethan approached Dagan. The old Minotaur thrust out his arm and grasped Lethan's.
"It's good to see you again, Lethan. I wasn't sure if you'd be coming back. Jak was worried about you."
"I was not!"
Jak had leapt forward in protest, but was immediately embarrassed by her action.
"Well, thanks for the sympathy or lack of it. So what's the plan once we get to mountains? Hide until the Firejacks find us there?"
"At this point I just want to get everyone to safety. Then we can go to work on some sort of a plan."
"The fall is at its apex Dagan; winter is coming. We won't be able to stay up there long."
"I know it Lethan. But it's all I know to do! I am at my wit's end."
"Okay, okay. Calm down. It's all right; we'll... figure something out."
"What about the weapons?" asked Jak.
"What about them?" said Dagan.
"What were they like? What could they do? Did you see how the Firejacks operated them?"
"Well, there were different ones. Some hurled sharpened limbs, and some threw giant rocks or baskets full of hot coals."
"The limbs, how thick were they?"
"Not very thick, I could easily snap one."
"That doesn't really help... here. Were they bigger than my crossbow bolts?"
Dagan pinched the small arrow between his two bulbous fingers and held it close to his face, examining it.
"Yes, they were longer and thicker, but just a little, as thick as my fingers perhaps. Where did you get such a thing?"
"There is a blacksmith in my village. He made my crossbow and the bolts for me to hunt with."
She held the small crossbow out to him, but he merely stooped and examined it from her hand.
"Fascinating."
"What about the rocks they threw? How big were they?"
"Bigger than your head, surprisingly."
Jak wasn't sure if he was mocking her but let it pass.
"What are you thinking, Jak?"
"I'm thinking we need to go see Tiny... er, the blacksmith. You might remember him Lethan. He's the one who took a hammer to your legs."
"Oh yes. Charming fellow. Yeah, let's go see him."
Jak frowned at him.
"What is it you're going to have this blacksmith make?" asked Dagan.
Jak's face turned up in a grin.
"Armor."
CHAPTER VI
"I seem to recall the last time I walked into this village, things not turning out so good. What's to stop them from killing from me on site this time?"
"Well, the fact that you're with me and the fact that I'm not in your belly, is a pretty good start."
"I still don't like it."
"Would you like to wait in the woods like a scared little puppy about to pee itself, while I go and talk to the big scary Yumans? For crying out loud, you're almost twice as big as any Yuman in the village."
"Yes, but there are many of them, and they have bolts and arrows and knives."
"Exactly."
Jak smiled.
They left the cover of the trees and reached the first of the fields outside the village. Jak threw her arm out jerking Lethan back by the wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"What? Walking. I thought we were doing this, or do I get to wait in the woods like a puppy?"
"I'm talking about the field. You were about to step on that potato plant."
"So what? It's just a plant. I've eaten a potato before. It takes like dirt."
"You see this field? We cultivate it. We grow these plants. It's what we eat. It's how we stay alive. I'd appreciate it if you didn't kill them."
"Okay, fine. I won't step on your precious little plant."
"Thank you."
As they made their way around the fields, they approached a hut with a plume of smoke coming out the top. Lethan was alarmed at first, but shrugged it off seeing as Jak wasn't. A large Yuman emerged from beneath the shade of the hut. Lethan immediately recognized him as the man who had given him such pretty, matching bruises on his thighs.
"Jak? Jak, is that you?"
"Tiny!"
"Where have you been? We've searching all over for you!"
Jak ran to the man, and he swept her up into his arms. He noticed Lethan and immediately pulled her to the side putting himself between her and Lethan.
"Come quick! The werewolf is back! Hurry!"
"No wait!"
"Stay behind me Jak."
Lethan froze, afraid of what the man might do if he came any closer. After all, he had his hammer. Lethan could hear others yelling, coming closer. A group of men ran from around the hut carrying spears and pitchforks. Lethan didn't like the way this was going.
Maybe being a scared puppy in the forest isn't so bad.
"Get him!" said the big man.
; Lethan began backing up slowly. He could kill these three Yumans, but knew if he did, their mission would be dead too. He'd have to run and hope they weren't very good at throwing. Lethan began to turn on his heel as the men reached him.
"Wait!"
The scream was so loud everyone had to turn to look at Jak, including Lethan, who was surprised something so big could come out of something so small.
Jak held her hands up in the air.
"Everyone just wait. He is not here to hurt anyone and NO ONE is going to hurt him!"
"Jak what's going on?" said the big blacksmith.
"The Firejacks have attacked the foresters. They're trying to start a war. The Queen wants every last creature dead, including us."
"Nonsense. Why would the Queen of the Firejacks want to kill us? This werewolf has tricked you Jak. He tried to get you to help him get back into the village just so he can kill more of our children. You, of all people should know not to trust him."
"I didn't say I did..."
Lethan felt like a thorn had pierced his chest.
"...but I know he's telling the truth. I've seen it with my own eyes. They murdered the foresters' babies. They burned them, every last one."
"Mo-Na..."
"It won't be long before they come after us. We have to join the foresters and help them fight. There's no other way to survive this. The Firejacks have built weapons somehow. Big weapons, the size of wagons. As it is, the foresters don't stand a chance. I want us to build them armor and weapons."
Tiny stood for a moment, thinking. The other three didn't move but still held their weapons level to Lethan's torso.
"This concerns the whole village. We'll call a meeting in the Altar before we decide anything."
"I promise the werewolf won't be harmed as long he doesn't try anything, but I want him tied up until we decide what to do."
"What? No. You don't need to tie him up. I told you..."
"No Jak, it's okay. If it makes everyone feel better I can be tied up. Like he says, they won't hurt me. It's for the good of the foresters. Go ahead fellas."
Lethan held out his hands, wrist clamped together. Two of the men kept their spears up while the third fetched a rope.
