by Sven Grams
Trex was the first to answer.
“I suppose so,” he answered.
“I don’t think…” Sara began, but she was cut off.
“Sara!” stated Filfia clearly, a hint of impatience in her voice.
Sara knew she would not be able to hide what she felt uncomfortable sharing.
“Yes,” she answered eventually, crossing her arms.
The Sage smiled before continuing.
“The subconscious is a normal way of sharing emotions, you don’t even notice. But it has an effect none the less.”
Nearby, Mayor Petrice blinked a few times, remembering back to something.
“Even so…” Mayor Petrice said eventually, not quite accepting the Sage’s arguments, and unwilling to send the youths off alone.
The Sage continued.
“We will need every available soldier for the diversion… if it becomes necessary to fight. And our two young trackers here will find the settlers more quickly on their own,” assured the Sage.
Trex still looked uncertain. Sara, for her part, was still cross for having to share her thoughts moments before.
“hmmm… If you say so,” Mayor Petrice said eventually, not seeing any great alternative. She then turned to Trex and Sara.
“However, I want you to avoid all conflict with any bears at any cost, so be careful. You are not to fight a single one alone, is that understood?”
“Yes ma’am,” said Trex enthusiastically, he had no intention of fighting any bears in any case.
“Ok then,” continued the mayor, “I’ll get you two some messenger birds in case you need to send something back to us. Once you find the settlers, I want you to send us a note and head straight for the coast from wherever you are, as long is it safe to do so. Once there, signal the fleet to pick you up, I will tell them to keep an eye out down the coast.”
“Ok,” said Trex, a little on the back foot.
Sara kept quiet, but was obviously also becoming as nervous as Trex.
With a quick nod of acknowledgement, the Mayor walked over to the other soldiers to make preparations
Sage Filfia could sense the growing unease of the two youths. Getting up, she walked over to sit beside them, placing her staff to the side.
“There is less reason to be nervous then you think,”said the Sage comfortingly.
“I have been here long enough now to know that there are no permanently settled tribes either north or east of here, it’s just wilderness. Our soldiers will intercept anything coming from the East. I would not send you alone if I thought it was a high risk to you.”
Both Sara and Trex were looking a little more comforted.
“Anyway,” continued the Sage “I was observing the two of you as you scouted… I am most impressed at how you subconsciously supported each other. Obviously, your history is playing an important part in your mutual trust.”
Trex and Sara shared a side-glance, not really realising this.
“I want you to remember what we talked about before.”
The Sage looked specifically at Sara.
“Sara, you need to actively share your drive, always think of Trex and yourself as a team, you are stronger together when you share your abilities, give him some of your focus, you must keep him actively in mind when you push yourself and your emotions.”
Sara took a moment before nodding.
The Sage turned to Trex.
“Trex, you automatically subconsciously share your control with all allies around you. But you must learn to actively focus this affect instead of just letting it dissipate… now I know this is difficult for you, as your training deliberately tries not to focus on anything. But try and be more aware of Sara in your surroundings then everything else, she is part of your team. And despite what you may have been taught, you can actively help her, remember this.”
Both of the youngsters took in the information, trying to digest it.
“It will take practice, but you will quickly notice the affects. And anyway, this is the perfect place to practice this,” said the Sage. She finished with a big smile, seemingly happy with herself.
Sara couldn’t help but think that the Sage took her love of field experience a little too far on occasion.
“I suppose we don’t have much of a choice,” said Sara eventually.
“You’ll be fine,” said the Sage confidently, getting up with her staff in hand.
“I hope so,” said Trex honestly, looking over at the scene of destruction nearby with concern.
Over by the Mayor Petrice, she was discussing matters with her soldiers. If anyone had looked closer, they would have seen that in her hand she held the small metal disk that she had retrieved from the rubble. On it was a pentagram with an eye at its centre.
“So are we going to punish the scum who did this?” asked Lieutenant Rosso darkly.
Mayor Petrice looked down at the metal disk in her hand, clenching her fist around it.
“We may just get the chance,” she said darkly.
Back over with Trex, the young male lion looked over at the boards which marked the two fresh burial mounds nearby. He absentmindedly took a closer look at the one which had been elaborately decorated. It had obviously been an important Anthro who had died. Trex could see that a symbol had been scratched into the wooden marker, it looked like a pentagram…
The sun was already low in the sky as Sara and Trex raced through the ancient mixed forest. The two youngsters were on their own.
They stopped and started their feverish pace as they looked for signs of the missing settlers in the autumn landscape.
Light filtered through the high canopy to illuminate the uncluttered forest floor. The golden light reflected off the damp mulch of yellow and red leaves.
They had been running since midday and had lost track of time. Taking the advice from Sage Filfia to heart, the two were an unstoppable duo. Continually scanning, discussing and running back and forth they made their way forward like a speeding tornado.
Trex stopped for a second. He barely noticed his high heart rate and quickened breathing. Despite all the time that had passed, he still did not feel tired.
“Do you know how long we have been running for?” he asked Sara as she ran up next to him to look at a broken twig. Trex was breathing quickly, but he had no problem talking, it was amazing.
Sara looked up at the slowly setting sun.
“A fair few hours,” she said, also breathing quickly.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Trex, “I’m not even tired, and I’ve been almost at a flat run since we left.”
Sara smiled.
“I’ve been putting in extra efforts,” she confirmed.
Trex could feel her projection, now that he was concentrating on it, he felt an urgency, a determination, it was invigorating.
“And you?” Trex asked, wondering.
Sara took a couple of deep breaths, thinking about how she felt and momentarily overcoming her usual urge not to share information freely.
“Yeah, I think I can feel the calm,” she said, “let’s put it this way, I would normally never be able to keep this pace up and still be able to concentrate effectively on tracking... when wolves ramp up specific emotions, you don’t clearly think anymore… So yeah, you must be doing a good job.”
Trex smiled, happy that all was going so well.
The two had reached a part of the forest where large rock formations had begun to appear more often. Nearby, a tall rock outcrop reached higher then even the tall canopy top.
“Let’s see where we are,” suggested Sara, indicating over to the outcrop.
“Ok,” agreed Trex.
The two youths quickly bounded up the side of the rock formation. Trex was jumping further then he normally did, and Sara attempting precision movements that she would normally not have trusted herself with.
Arriving at the small rounded stone peak, the two looked over a golden landscape. The light of the setting sun had already started to cha
nge to a deep orange.
Trex was wearing his normal traveling equipment. His staff was in two sections strapped to his back next to a quiver, stuffed full of arrows. A short sword and small axe were strapped to his belt as well as a large travel bag slung around his back. He was wearing the changeable Lion Empire issue cloth as a poncho, ready for anything.
Sara had her sword and dagger. On her back was a large round shield which covered a large travel bag, including a small cage strapped to one side. The small wooden cage contained two tiny fluttering messenger birds, which had been given to her by the Mayor before their parting.
The birds looked very much like hummingbirds here on earth. The little creatures had a knack of returning to their similar message carrying flock members upon release, regardless of distance, which made them invaluable and quick message carriers while in the field.
Looking far to the west, the two youngsters recognized landmarks that were close to the destroyed village. They couldn’t, however, see the waiting fleet any more, that part of the coast being obscured by a ridgeline to the south.
“Wow, we sure have come far,” said Trex, a little concerned at their distance from the others.
“It’s amazing that the settlers where able to come all the way up here so quickly,” said Sara, looking over the rugged landscape they had come through.
Trex looked back east to the towering stone formations they had been approaching and had just reached the base of. Old trees clung to crevices and gaps between the ancient rocks.
“This isn’t a bad place to hide out, it’s at least defendable.”
Sara turned to look at the rocks.
“I think they’re up there,” she said suddenly.
“But the tracks seem to lead further north,” said Trex.
“I know, but the bears have good trackers as well, so the settlers must have known that they would eventually be found out… Also, up here they’ve had more time to cover their tracks and make false ones.”
Trex thought about this for a second.
“What makes you so sure?” he asked finally.
“It’s just a feeling I have,” answered Sara, her eyes scanning the maze of jutting rocks and clinging vegetation.
Trex looked from Sara to the outcrop, he knew better then to questions a female’s intuition, particularly a wolf’s. He had learned this lesson from his very perceptive wolf aunt.
Dark shadows started to fall over the rocky landscape as Trex and Sara moved between, and over, the maze of paths between the towering rock formations.
The going was much slower now, with the two taking much longer to find anything to follow. Even when they did find something that looked like a clue, their confidence in it actually meaning the passing of the settlers had dropped to almost zero.
Trex knelt down so as to more closely inspect some moss on the bare rock.
“This is getting impossible,” called out Trex.
Sara was nearby, kneeling down on a small dirt field which had collected between the large rock formations. Three large deciduous trees towered up over the rock formations around it.
“I still think they came this way,” replied Sara confidently, inspecting the leaf litter on the ground beside a tree.
Trex grimaced. He jumped down into the clearing and walking over to the wolf. He was unsure of how much further he was willing to trust her ‘feeling’.
“The light is fading fast, we might miss something if we try to keep going,” Trex said wisely, “we should make camp here.”
Sara had her head bent momentarily to one side as she stood back up, trying to look at something strange from a different angle. Straitening up, she walked forward, inspecting the ground as she did so.
“emmm hmmmm,” she said.
“Sara, are you even listening to me?” Trex asked, annoyed at the brush off.
“Give me a second,”, said Sara, her eyes not leaving some tracks in the ground.
Trex sighed, walking over to her and kneeling down next to her.
“What have you got?” he asked, looking down.
“Something was definitely done here, looks like there was a lot of disturbance.”
“Could have been an animal,” dismissed Trex.
He stood up straight again, he had had enough of straining his eyes all day. He was getting a headache, and he had not drunk enough water.
“Wait,” said Sara, taking a step before digging in the leaf litter a bit. Her hand suddenly re-emerged holding a length of rope.
“A rope?” she said questioningly.
“A rope!” exclaimed Trex, knowing instantly something was wrong.
But it was too late. The ground around them exploded as a net suddenly appeared to swallow them up. Nearby, a large rock tumbled behind a formation, pulling perfectly camouflaged ropes tight to spring the trap.
“Aaaargh!” Sara shouted as the two were flung together and raised into the air violently.
Leaves fluttered down as the net bobbed up and down.
“Damn it!” shouted Sara, fueling her rage. The wolf struggled against the rope, trying to twist her pinned arms.
“Sara stop! You can’t break the rope by strength alone!” shouted Trex, who was being crushed as the powerful wolf struggled.
“What, why!” shouted Sara.
“Give me a second, you’re crushing me,” grimaced Trex as he assessed the situation.
Sara calmed down, looking around them in frustration. Hanging in the air, Sara caught sight of a shadow which emerged from the rocks further up the path. Though she could only make out the silhouette of the shadow, she could clearly see that the Anthro was quite large, and did not have a visible long tail.
“Trex” said Sara, her tone clearly indicating urgency.
“Almost there” said Trex, ignoring her.
Trex could just touch the edge of his axe. Concentrating hard, he focused his attention on the rope net that was holding them, as well as his axe. The metal morphed and the rope slackened ever so slightly and then pulled tight. The sound of a cutting edge was followed by a quick swipe from Trex’s freed hand with the freed blade.
The bottom of the net gave way and the two youths fell to the ground.
Sara grasped her head, having landed on an awkward angle.
Looking up anxiously, she searched for the shadowy figure.
“Trex, we’re not alone,” she said urgently, getting to her feet.
“Carrion!” called a voice from the shadows.
The large shadow re-emerging, its silhouette clearly indicating that it was armed, female and most likely an Anthro bear.
Had either of the two youngsters been paying more attention, they would have noticed that the voice of the bear seemed as frightened as they were.
Trex sprung up, retrieving an arrow and a section of staff, morphing it into a short bow ready to fire in a split second. Sara was also back on her feet, shield and sword ready.
Unnoticed by the two youngsters, the two messenger birds quickly made their escape out of the broken cage from behind Sara’s back. The delicate frame had been partially crushed in the fall.
“Should we attack before the others get here?” whispered Sara urgently to her companion, backing up next to him.
Trex hesitated, he was ready to fire, but his mind was hindering him, he felt compelled to wait.
Another figure emerged from a path behind the shadowy bear silhouette.
The new Anthro was in the direct fading sunlight and Sara and Trex could see that he too carried a sword and shield. Other figures also appeared behind the first, but they were of no further interest to the two youngsters, their focus being held firmly by the first new Anthro to appear. He wasn’t a bear, or a lion… or a wolf, he was a fully grown adult halfling.
With the attention of Sara and Trex now caught elsewhere. The Anthro that had called for help from the shadows stepped forward into the half light, her weapons loose in her hands. She was indeed a bear, but not much older then Trex or Sara by the
look of her, and she looked nothing like the savage brute either of the youngsters had been expecting
Sara and Trex lowered their own weapons, completely unprepared for such a sequence of developments.
It was half an hour later, and the two youngsters were still in a mild form of shock. Trex and Sara sat close together by a small open fire. The few flames worked relentlessly away on some crackling dry wood. The settlers were careful to ensure that the fire generated minimal smoke.
Sara could feel that multiple eyes were on her and Trex.
Their appearance had naturally caused a stir amongst the settlers, and the two were greeted with cheers and spontaneous good will once they informed the group that they were part of the rescue force.
The young adult male halfling called Carrion had quickly dampened the mood, however, reminding everyone that they were still a long way from being saved.
Sara and Trex now sat by the central fire, the last eager questions of the settlers having been firstly answered. Around them were numerous other small fires, but more and more Anthros left their own to move near the two scouts, braving the evening chill to hear with interest what they would say.
Trex looked around the small clearing. There appeared to be about fifty Anthros in all, or ten distinct families from what he could judge. Most of the families were a mixture of wolf and lion Anthros and Trex had counted six halflings in total of various ages. The halflings were only a few years younger then Trex or still cubs. The only exception to this was the young adult halfling Carrion, who appeared to be somewhat of an unofficial leader of the group, despite his young age.
Sara took the moment’s respite to look up at the rapidly darkening surroundings. The young wolf could make out sentries posted on the naturally formed stone wall of the small clearing. These settlers were no amateurs at survival.
Opposite Sara and Trex on the other side of the fire sat the young female bear and a young lioness. This was obviously the fire they shared with the halfling Carrion.
Carrion returned to take a seat close to the lioness. The halfling looked over the fire at the two, his piercing expression examining them closely. He looked very serious and radiated determination, it came across as a bit cold and unwelcoming.
