by S. V. Brown
Ethas’s black eyes widened just before his face was lit by a smile. “We get to sleep in the soldiers’ quarters and everything!”
Ed saw another way to escape from his uncompromising father. Once he had stood by his open bedroom door with his fists tightly clenched, promising himself that when he was big enough he would defend his mother and fight his father. As it was, he felt helpless. How he longed for it to end but on the days the Sovereign left the castle, the days brightened considerably. Maybe he could learn how to defend from the soldiers. He nodded quickly. “I’d like that.”
People of the Caves
“… and the ARTHODPODA shall have its part in tearing down the Enemy: …”
Excerpt from the Joiran Cluster Archives, the Third Hostility.
{[AIS] [Aislant] [caves]
[605887/1396/23/winter]}
When Serafina woke, it was not what she expected. It was so cold and icy and there was a terrible noise close to her. She thought she saw something move away from her. She was on her right side, half lying and half sitting, nestled in a slight concavity of snow. She didn’t want to look but she had to. Numb with shock and fear, she raised her head. The falling snow did not yet cover the sight before her. She vomited and a new wave of blackness threatened to engulf her. Some distance away and all around her lay what was left of the beasts that had taken her, except she now saw that they were only people in disguises. Her feeling of relief that they weren’t the Twisted Ones was fleeting because then she saw and heard animals tearing apart flesh. Terasian. The beasts were supposed to have been exterminated thousands of years ago. Feena only knew this from having listened to a cook’s tale when her mum had let her stay in the kitchen while working a compulsory ship duty. The cook had even shown her a picture when her mum was busy elsewhere. She never forgot what they looked like. The beasts were modifications of a wolf with several other combinations. The resulted creature was larger than a male wolf, hyena shaped, grey to black fur, long fangs and green cat eyes. She was frightened; for every beast, there should be a master, but all she could see were the animals. Since the Third Hostility, it was in direct violation of Absolute Law that Joirans could be masters of animals. Their roles became carers or to simply coexist with them. Scientists had made the Terasians in a time when they had no boundaries, until the Elysians installed some for them. The scientists had lied. They hadn’t killed the beasts as they said they had, but she hoped they had killed the masters. Both the master and the beast shared the same name, forever entwined in some way.
The vile taste in her mouth and the sight before her made her cry; there was no one to help her. The tears fell from her large golden eyes, but she uttered no sound. What was worse, she couldn’t move her cold body. Pain coursed through her hands and feet, and her fingers looked strange. The blanket had come undone. There was loose black hair all over it and the torn fabric of her top made her colder. Her mind grew foggy and she watched, horrified, as the beasts devoured their meal. She then saw one of the beasts look at her and saw it bare its fangs under its lips. Then, another looked at her and then at the other beast. From where she was half lying on the snow, she tried to see how many beasts there were, but her mind didn’t want to work and she didn’t really want to know anyway. She just wanted Mum, Dad and Mr. Pollocks. She blacked out again.
Feena regained consciousness and saw three Terasians move away from her. She was panicky. She thought it was her imagination, but all the beasts at the wreckage to her left started to back away, growling and snarling. It was then she heard growling and snarling behind her and then on either side of her. There were many white wolves moving in on the Terasians. One wolf got down on her belly and shuffled over to her. The beautiful creature stopped a meter away and gazed at the young Joiran whose tears began again and everything became foggy. In that fog, she thought a large being covered in soft white fur gently picked her up.
The creature protected the fragile body in its warmth and waded back through the deep snow with ease toward a mountainous range.
When she awoke, it was to warmth and softness. Her body still hurt, but when she looked at her hands, they seemed to be normal again. Someone had wrapped her, not in fur as she expected, but in woven fabric of varying colors and patterns. She looked around and saw that she was in an enormous cave and that fires were burning in different places in the central area. The entrance to the main cave was dark and narrow and she couldn’t see to the outside due to a turn in the crevice.
Around the fires hunched tall creatures covered in long white fur. They had friendly faces of varying shapes and colors, ranging from narrow to round, pink to brown. Then she realized it wasn’t fur. Long white body hair covered every section except their faces. The hair was shorter around their wrists and ankles. One, a lot smaller than the others, came over to her, smiling, and offered her a clay bowl while making drinking motions.
A little shyly, she took the large bowl and smelled what seemed to be runny soup. She took a sip. She hardly tasted it but it was hot and it warmed her. The creature smiled and looked back at the group whom she perceived to be adults. They nodded in encouragement and began talking amongst themselves. They had deep voices that sounded almost musical to her. She wondered if they spoke the common language, Unuslingua. The creature touched its chest and said, “Thonnurr,” looking at her expectantly. Having glanced down its body and noting its small stature in comparison to the others, she realized it was a boy.
Pointing to her chest, she said, “Serafina.” She wondered how old he was. She held up all five fingers on one hand and two on the other and tapped her chest. He repeated her name but frowned when she wiggled her fingers.
He gestured for her to lie back into the soft covers. She looked around again and saw many creatures coming and going through smaller crevices around the entire cave. As her face clouded over with emotions, he bent down, patted her hands and quietly left. Only a few seconds passed when a female came over, much taller and wider than the boy and, to her amazement, the female stroked her head just as her own mum did. Serafina began to cry and allowed herself to be comforted. She soon slept, and whenever she awoke, there was someone there with comfort, food or drink. She wondered if they had chocolate. She liked chocolate. She just wasn’t allowed to eat a lot of it.
{[AIS][Aislant][caves]
[605894/1396/30/winter]}
As Serafina became more aware of her surroundings, she wondered about the wolves. The cavern they were in was massive. She could hardly see the ceiling. The light from the fires barely reached up the walls and, now and then, she could make out golden patterns lighting the top. She touched her head in an unconscious gesture, moving the hair away from her face. Her small, sharp, inquisitive features studied the surroundings, noting the groups of creatures busy with different activities.
Within the great cavern, Serafina could make out motion in the dark recesses above. She was sure bats inhabited these caves and it was their movements she could see, but there was no way to communicate her interest.
As Serafina lay in the arms of a female comforter, she pulled away slightly to look toward the base of the cave walls. What looked like bundles of white fluff were in fact the white wolves. Some of the wolf groups were playing and eating and others were caring for their families. One of the wolves trotted over to her on the smooth sand floor. Serafina looked up at her comforter and moved to indicate she wanted to stand. The helper supported her and as Feena’s eyes set upon the magnificent animal, everything else faded into the background. She took two uncertain steps toward the wolf and felt the pain in her body from the injuries she had sustained. Her golden eyes were at the same level as the wolf’s eyes in front of her.
The comforter behind her smiled and said something that sounded like, “Sheca.”
“Sheca,” Serafina repeated to the large wolf. She knew to thank the wolf but wasn’t sure if these wolves would understand. She bowed her head slightly and knelt down, still facing the wolf. The she-wolf approached her and
placed her slightly wet nose briefly on her cheek. Serafina saw the tail wagging slightly and so she gently reached up and scratched around the ears. The she-wolf backed away, gave Serafina one big, sloppy lick and then loped back to her pack.
The young girl looked at her current carer and saw the approval in the kind face.
“Fin …” the carer beckoned and finished speaking words that Fin did not understand. They had shortened her name at some point. Fin reminded her of fish. She remembered that the people of Earth used to eat fish and chips. She liked chips and so decided she’d not complain about her name. She had tried shortening Thonnurr’s name but he shook his head and pointed to his height. He then pointed to her height and said Fin, then went a lot higher and said Fina. Fin doubted she would reach the height Thonnurr measured. The names of her carers were complicated, but it was permissible to use what she considered were their titles. Matura was the standard for both male and female.
She began as a geongling, a young one, adopted by a family that included Thonnurr and thirteen others. Her new family lived in a cave some distance from the main cavern. When Thonnurr had directed her through one of the smaller crevices, he kept turning around to smile at her. His pink face crinkled in encouragement. She could make out his features clearly from high recessed lights of some kind. The lights dimmed to represent nighttime, just like ship life. She was ushered through a heavy rug overhanging a tall cave entrance into a large cave. A big fire was off to one side, with smoke drawn through discreet ventilation shafts. She could hear the muted sounds of bats.
Serafina had already identified at least three different bat species on their way through the shorter tunnels. There was a very small colony hanging from her new family’s home caves.
Shelves recessed into the rock walls held assorted items. Stools, rugs and huge cushions grouped on the other side of the fire. It was big enough for at least twenty full-grown Heikavians. From that main family room, two crevices led to smaller caves for sleeping. Thonnurr directed her down one passage. Two even smaller caves off the passage contained hygiene units, toilet and bathing facilities. Fin thought she could see what looked like plumbing disappearing into the cave wall.
Thonnurr showed off his cave-room and then led her to an empty one next to it. She felt dwarfed in it until Thonnurr and two adult Heikavians crowded in.
“Fin.” A large female Heikavian smiled down at her, she pointed to her chest. “Yewennossua.”
A deep voice next to Yewennossua said, “Sutternnivva.”
Thonnurr pointed to them both, “Fadar and mutimi.”
Fin guessed it was his mother and father. She nodded to them, not sure of what to do next.
Sutternnivva, in his deep musical voice, spoke quickly to Yewennossua, his bondsmate, and then to his son. He stroked Fin’s head with his large hand and left.
Yewennossua, with Thonnurr’s help, dragged her off to many other caverns. They let her pick out bedding and clothes too big for her. She had seen some Heikavians wearing clothes, more for decoration than decorum. She selected rugs, cave plants, pictures and ornaments.
Laden with items, some piled in a cart they had picked up, and she followed Yewennossua and Thonnurr back to her room just in time to see Sutternnivva finish putting together a long, low slat base and place a thick, firm mattress made of a soft material. He had also brought in a small, exquisite chest and table made of dark red wood with small black flecks. It was warm in the cave already. Sutternnivva helped them unload and, with some help, Fin organized her new things and within minutes had her room looking cosy and welcoming. She smiled gratefully at her new family.
Fin looked up and saw that the walls did not reach the top. She wondered if the stone had been cut out or if it was a natural feature. The floors of the caves were mainly stone or sand. The family caves contained many floor rugs and wall tapestries. There were other areas for cooking and working. Thonnurr had demonstrated how to light a fire using a bulky ring device they called a fire ring. After a few goes she was able to light, feed and maintain a fire. Sutternnivva had pointed out how to recognize the different ventilation shafts.
There were linked grottos off the main cavern that led to a lesson area. She attended lessons with different age groups and studied as much as she could while learning their language. Her whole world became these people and their ways.
For the first three of her years they adopted her. Like all intelligent species, she had to learn their complex social structures such as their laws, traditional ways and moral structures. Feena learnt that they called themselves “Heikavian,” which meant people of the caverns.
Fin reveled in some of her lessons. She learnt how to make all sorts of pottery for practical use and art. She learnt how to produce her own art supplies. Some lessons were painful; she disliked any sewing but she suffered weaving, which she liked but found her pieces usually looked lopsided. To her embarrassment her baskets, bags and containers went into the general stores and she frequently saw Heikavians with her creations.
Yewennossua smiled down at the glowering face one day in the main cave, the golden eyes following a matura packing a lopsided bag ready for a journey.
“What is it, Fin?”
When the sour reply of “nothing” came, the kind Heikavian gave her a little hug. “Your works are very popular. They may be a little asymmetrical, but the way you combine materials and colors in your work is greatly admired and emulated.”
It was true, for over time Fin saw more bags like the ones she made and she could never seem to make enough to satisfy demand. She also began to make specialty bags for medicines and the salvus teams. Soon Heikavians put in special orders. Fin even had to hold her own lessons and teach the Heikavian people what she knew of her language and people. She had to help with basic chores that included cleaning up animal droppings, care for Heikavian infans, some of whom were bigger than she was, and care for the animals that came and went, some of which stayed frequently in her room. She would often have some animal or another following her around or hanging off her, much to the amusement of the Heikavian people. Bats frequented her room; they would climb down to hang off her back or shoulder. She had a good ear for mimicry and would often sit with her menagerie of foxes, ducks, rodents and marsupials practicing their sounds.
She never felt left out, as they always found a way to include her without breaking their laws. The Heikavian, on their part, noticed her physical differences, her needing to sleep during the day, being awake for periods during the night, her growth rates and other unusual traits, yet they accepted her fully and without reservation. Without her knowing, they often fondly called her “little treasure” or “little gem.” Occasionally it was “little storm” and it amused the people of the caves when the storm rolled in.
As Fin grew, her memories dimmed of her former life, becoming just a shadow in the corners of her mind. Only Mr. Pollocks remained clear in her mind. At first she cried about her parents, hurting that they would be so worried, but she grew to love the Heikavians.
The Ellri, the older ones, over the following years noted that she worked hard, complained little, learned with determination and had a special relationship with the animals. This endeared her to them. They had a great respect for Animalia and had legends of those whose minds and hearts were aligned with the Elysians just as theirs were. They knew not if she was one, but they carefully nurtured her gift, at the same time allowing her to develop without preconceptions. One day, they were showing her around their extensive cave networks and she saw a cave drawing of a black bear. She had begun to cry and wept the name Mr. Pollocks.
Cradol or Not
“… the Insecta shall act as distraction, causing the Enemy to become frustrated and down of heart, …”
Excerpt from the Joiran Cluster Archives, the Third Hostility
{[AIS] [Aislant] [Main Cave]
[607125/1398/393/winter]}
Fina, as the Heikavians now called her at age twelve—she still considered herself
as Fin—found it difficult to keep track of time for her species. The Heikavian people tried to teach her the methods of timekeeping but, between the language barrier and not knowing the conversion between their hours and days and her home world, she had no real way of knowing how much of “her” time passed. She thought that a day and night was much longer, and they seemed to live in perpetual cold and snow. This posed no real problems except they couldn’t determine her age accurately. Her previous environment had been mostly artificial. She remembered laboratories and ships, so, with the exception of a few brief scattered memories of visiting planets, her timekeeping had been clocks and computer-generated diurnal variations.
Thonnurran became a good friend and they kept markers on how high they grew. To their amazement, they had to redo Fin’s measurements regularly, whereas Thonnurran’s growth rate was a lot slower, normal for his people. Thonnurran teased her continually about height because, even though she grew quickly, she was still much shorter than he and the others in their lessons. She in turn would tease him about not being able to fit into the small places when they ventured with their friends into the deep, secret caves of the mountain range they inhabited. He fondly called her his “little sister.”
The Ellri had decided to perform a Tendere of Fin’s name, after roughly estimating her age. The Tendere was a great moment and they held a feast. She was renamed Fina. She supposed it had something to do with her reaching womanhood. She was shown how to care for her needs and when she suffered from severe cramps, she was shown how to prepare and administer Hylera, an herb, which was found on the mountainous slopes where she lived. To her relief, many other women used the herb and she found that her cycle was shorter than theirs was but came around more frequently.
