Sam, Skitter sent to his friend, something doesn’t feel right.
What is it? Sam responded. I don’t see or sense anything out of the ordinary. The forest is always quiet when we pass through on the rakkeben.
At almost the same moment, Shonyb stopped abruptly, almost causing Skitter to be thrown from his perch. A deep, booming growl was winding up in the wolf’s throat, building as the seconds passed. It was, Skitter decided, a good time to climb off the rakkeban. Though they had forged a friendship, he thought, he was not about to test the strength of their bond when the larger beast was growling like that. Sam, too, seemed to think it was a good time to stand on his own feet.
Skitter noted absently that the other humans were dismounting as well. Their rakkeben began growling along with their leader, the fur on the backs and necks of all the wolves standing up. Still he couldn’t see what was causing them to growl and their hackles to rise. Scanning the surroundings—though he did it much more surreptitiously than the cumbersome humans did, he thought—his attention was drawn to their northwest, where just out of sight some of the tall grass was moving. A soft rustling sound was now detectable from the area.
Skitter called Sam’s attention to the area and Sam passed the message along to the other humans. The hapaki waited to see what would emerge, heart racing and eyes darting to find a suitable hiding place. When something finally did, he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved, be embarrassed, or to remain scared.
Out of the forest, from at least four directions at once, a pack of rakkeben was stalking slowly toward them to surround the party. From the largest, with chocolate colored fur speckled with white in random patches to the smallest, a light gray-colored adolescent, they were all intent on the party, all softly growling, and all with their hackles stiff. Surely all rakkeben were friends, right? If he were to chance upon another hapaki community, he would be friendly and polite toward them. Wasn’t it the same for rakkeben?
Immediately he saw the flaw in his logic. First, rakkeben were not nearly as smart or sophisticated as the hapaki, and second, rakkeben were predators. Being predators often meant being territorial and being territorial often meant killing trespassers. Even trespassers of the same species. After all, men were the same species as each other, weren’t they, and how many times had he seen them kill each other in the last few weeks? He didn’t relish the thought and he went toward a nice safe log off to the side of the trail to hide.
“Be calm,” Dr. Walt said to the others. “Except for rare territorial disputes, rakkeben have ‘agreements’ that allow them to pass peacefully through each others’ land. Perhaps the locals are just trying to show our friends here who is boss. Be calm and perhaps they will let us go on our way.”
Skitter could sense Sam relax a little. He also noticed that Nalia loosened her grip on her weapons but remained at a heightened sense of alert, waiting on what would happen next.
The large chocolate colored rakkeban slowly sauntered up to Shonyb, instantly picking her out as the leader. Both were still softly growling, but it seemed to be lessening. By the time the two big wolves were face-to-face, they had stopped growling, but their fur still stood up stiffly on their backs and necks.
Skitter watched as best he could from the safety of his hiding place as the two sniffed each other. He was still unsure how they communicated. The wolves continued for a few moments, and then the chocolate looked toward his pack meaningfully.
Letting the fur on his neck lower, he turned and began walking away. Before he had finished turning completely, however, the big wolf stopped and stiffened suddenly. He rapidly turned his head this way and that, casting about in the air for a scent he had apparently detected. The sniffing became more pronounced, faster, and finally he turned and looked right at the hapaki’s hiding place, with an intensity that caused Skitter to shiver uncontrollably
Immediately, his growl returned as he began stalking toward Skitter. The hapaki had no doubt what that meant. The rakkeban had caught his scent and was about to eat him. He ran through his options. He couldn’t fight something like this massive hunter. He couldn’t break and run because he would be caught easily, if not by the leader than by one of his pack. The only choice available to him was to stay where he was and hope that the wolf could not get to him in his tight space. He hunkered down deep within the log and waited for his death.
Skitter’s eyes widened as Shonyb stepped in front of the other wolf. Taken aback, the local leader stumbled to a stop. But the shock only lasted for a few seconds, and then the rakkeban planted his paws, lowered his head, lifted his tail, and growled a deep, booming growl. It was unlike the earlier growls, which Skitter thought may have just been indicating general caution. This one was definitely a challenge.
Shonyb moved closer to Skitter’s hiding place. She looked down through the small opening and sniffed at him, looking him right in the eyes, and then she calmly turned back to the other wolf. When the male stomped his foot and growled even more loudly, Shonyb scratched at the ground, bared her teeth, and let forth such a loud growl that Skitter was surprised it didn’t blow back the fur on the male’s face.
The two wolves stood, almost nose-to-nose, fur standing straight up and mouths drawn back to show their large, sharp fangs. They growled at each other and the male feinted a time or two, but Shonyb didn’t react. Her feet, planted so that she straddled the hole to Skitter’s hiding place, never wavered.
Finally, with a parting low growl, the male turned his head, then his body, and began to walk back into the trees. Shonyb maintained her low growl until all the other rakkeben were out of sight, and then she finally relaxed. Slowly turning and putting her snout into the hole that contained him, she flicked her tongue out and licked the tip of his nose, startling him. As he climbed out to get onto his litter, he was greeted by the laughter of his traveling companions at Shonyb’s impromptu kiss.
39
Just as the party was leaving the Wolf’s Run area, anticipating going through the town of Medit in four days of travel, it started to rain. It began as a light mist that floated on the air and slowly seeped in through every crack and opening in the party’s clothing, chilling them. Their oiled cloaks, though being pulled tight around them, did almost nothing to impede the mist from getting to their skin.
While that was uncomfortable enough, the mist soon, over the course of a few hours, became a light sprinkling rain. Relieved at first because the more substantial precipitation was more easily deflected by their cloaks, their relief didn’t last long. It began to build in intensity. From a light sprinkle to a gentle shower, to a hard pelting rain, and finally to a drenching downpour, the storm buffeted and soaked the hapless travelers. Ultimately, even the staunchest amongst them, Rindu, relented and agreed that they had to stop and seek shelter. They had a half a day of sunlight remaining, but they would not be traveling further that day.
The land was very flat but heavily forested. The chance of them finding a cave or rock outcropping was not good. They hadn’t seen significant rock formations for days in their travels and so settled for creating a shelter against a very large oak tree, making a lean-to type of shelter with poles they quickly cut from nearby saplings and oiled cloth they brought for just such an occasion.
Sitting beneath the canopy they had erected, the small group sat dejectedly and stared out at the downpour. Their fire, while warming, and a big help in drying their soaked clothes, did not brighten their mood or outlook.
“How long do you think the storm will last?” Sam asked.
Dr. Walt waved his hand absently while staring into the flames of the fire. “It’s hard to tell. I am not as familiar with this area as others we have passed through. Looking around, however, I would say that these trees get precipitation often and in great quantities. Look at all the lush undergrowth. The soil, even before it started raining, seemed well-saturated. I hope the weather pattern is deluges that come and go quickly.”
Rindu, rubbing his hands together toward the fi
re, added significantly, “If it does not abate in a few hours, we will have to decide if we will travel in it. That is something I do not desire, but we also cannot afford to delay here for too long. The Gray Man no doubt knows to where we are bound by now and we must finish this matter quickly before he prepares further.”
If anything, each of them drew themselves in even tighter, hugging themselves for warmth and wrestling with their own thoughts individually. No one spoke much for the rest of the day, communicating with one or two words when necessary, with grunts or complete silence when not. By the evening meal, the rain had still not relented and the group decided there was nothing for it but to get to sleep early in hopes of an early, and dry, start in the morning.
Soon after he went to sleep, Sam awoke with a start. Looking around, he wondered what it was that had caused him to come awake. Nalia was curled up a few feet away, wrapped in her cloak, shrapezi on either side of her within easy reach. Rindu and Dr. Walt were further off, on the other side of him, the first breathing the regular deep breaths of sleep and the second snoring softly. The rakkeben were curled up near each other, dreaming whatever wolfy dreams they dreamed. Even Skitter was immobile and, when Sam probed his mind to see if he was awake, showed no signs of consciousness.
He got up then, uneasy about why he awoke. Did he remember anything from just before he woke? No, Nothing. Maybe he just had to relieve himself. The rain had slackened, though it was still coming down. Wrapping his now-dry cloak around him, he went around to the other side of the huge tree to relieve himself out of sight of the others. When done, he sat near the dying coals of the fire for a moment. Taking a few of the dry pieces of wood they had, he fed it until it was burning well and then added a few more of the wetter logs. They would smoke a little until they were hotter, but the fire should last for hours, allowing everyone to sleep comfortably.
He sat at the edge of the fire and thought about where his life had led him in the last few months. He would never have guessed events would have progressed at they did. Here he was, in another world, rushing toward a confrontation on which the fate of the world literally hung. He could hardly believe it even though he’d been living it for weeks. Weeks? Now that he thought about it, he’d been here for more than five months.
As he sat, deep in thought, a single footstep in the gravel caused all his ruminations to shatter. Whirling, wishing he had not left Ahimiro lying near his bedroll, he readied himself to fight.
There was no one there. Jerking his head around quickly, looking from side to side, he searched for what had caused the noise.
Nothing. Maybe he was just imagining it.
Turning back toward the fire, he stepped right into a man standing less than a foot away from him. He recovered from the shock almost instantly, swinging his arm to strike, but the man disappeared and he almost threw himself into the fire from the momentum of the strike. Stupid, stupid! He knew better than to attack so aggressively that he caused himself to lose balance. Nalia would have been furious to see it.
He shook his head to clear it and looked around again, but saw nothing. Maybe his nerves were just frazzled and he was imagining things. Carefully considering the surrounding area again, he slowly sat down on a log in front of the fire and started to relax. He breathed deeply and slowed his speeding heart. Finally, he was calm and settled again, thinking that he would try to go back to sleep in a few minutes.
“Sam,” a voice came from his right. Whirling toward the sound, he saw the man again, standing a few feet away, well within the light of the fire. He was of a height with Sam, with a similar build. He wasn’t bulky, but he looked fit, from what Sam could see through his charcoal cloak. His bald head and pasty white skin made Sam think of a maggot. The eyes, rimmed with red and glowing as they reflected the fire’s light, bore straight into Sam. He didn’t make any threatening gestures, but simply stood there, confident and in control but not aggressive.
“Do you know who I am, Sam?”
“You are the Gray Man,” Sam said, relieved that he was not showing his anxiety. “You were described to me. Have you come to try to kill us?” As he said it, Sam tried his hardest to attack the man. He formed the image in his mind, analyzed contingencies, and decided on a course of action. He set his body in motion to attack, to strike the man dead before the other had time to raise a defense.
Controlling his body in the way that he had been training for the last few months, he directed it to feint, strike at vital areas at the eyes to blind, throat to incapacitate, the femoral nerve to deaden the leg. He put everything into the attack that he could muster, every bit of skill, every bit of power and speed, every bit of vibrational energy that could be generated. He would destroy the man utterly before he had time to strike Sam or his friends. He would end this now.
Finishing the complex combination that he had initiated, Sam expected to see the body of the Gray Man strike the wet ground. It was at that point that he realized his body had not heeded any of the commands he gave it. He was still standing in exactly the same place he was when turning to see the Gray Man and rose to his feet. He hadn’t moved an inch. Trying to do something as simple as wiggle his fingers, he was unable to do so. He was trapped, and now he would die.
Still, he glared defiance at the villain. “You can kill me, but my friends will avenge me.” With that, he screamed as loud as he could to wake the others up. “Danger! Get up! To arms! The Gray Man is here!” Repeating his litany, he looked at the sleeping forms of his friends. They didn’t move except to continue their slow breathing.
The Gray Man waved his hand toward Sam and the younger man’s mouth closed on its own, cutting off his screams mid-word. “Sam, Sam. I am not here to kill you. I am simply here to talk to you. Please, sit down.” Sam’s legs buckled and he sat down hard on the log. “I just wanted to see you, to talk to you. I will leave you in peace when we are done and you can decide what your actions will be after that. Now, if you will not scream any longer, I would like to have a little discussion.”
Looking at Sam and raising his eyebrows, he waited for Sam’s nod. When it came, he waved his hand again and Sam felt the power locking his jaw loosen and evaporate. “There, is that better?” the worm-like face said.
“Yes,” Sam answered, after only a slight hesitation.
“I think we have gotten off on entirely the wrong foot, Sam. I understand that you are coming north, hunting me. Is this correct?”
Sam didn’t know what to say. He paused for a moment and then decided that he was no match for the other man’s power, so he might as well be truthful. “Not necessarily. I am going north to see if you have information I need.”
“Ah, I see. Information. And you would wrest this information from my cold, dead hands?” he chuckled softly.
“I just want to go home. I have come here accidentally and just want to go home. I was hoping that you would have the information I need to do so.”
The Gray Man red eyes burrowed into his skull. They were even more pronounced because of the pale flesh surrounding them. He considered Sam for a moment, as if weighing him, judging him. “Of course. I can see in your eyes that you are telling the truth. Perhaps I could help you.”
Sam remained silent. He waited, both afraid to taint the other man’s decision and at the same time not wanting to give too much away. They were still enemies, after all.
“Seeing that you have asked me so nicely, I will relinquish the ancient records I have unearthed that will explain how to go back to your world. It’s the least I can do.”
“What’s the catch?” Sam asked before he had time to think about the wisdom of doing so.
“Catch? There is no catch. Of course I will help you. Why wouldn’t I?” He looked even deeper into Sam’s eyes, making Sam feel as if the man was studying everything Sam had ever thought. “After all,” he added with a wry grin, “you are my son.”
40
Sam sat bolt upright with a shuddering breath and looked around. He was lying on his bedr
oll, still in the same place he fell asleep. He looked around and saw Rindu sitting motionless not six feet away, staring at him. The fire had settled down to embers but Sam could still feel the warmth radiating from them. “Have you been keeping watch all night?” he asked the Zouy, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead despite the coolness of the night.
“Yes.”
“Did you see anything?”
“Nothing but you thrashing in the midst of a bad dream just before you woke abruptly.”
Sam sighed. A dream. “Would you like me to take watch so you can get some sleep?”
“That is not necessary. Nalia will wake shortly to take the second watch. You may take the third, if you desire. You should get some sleep.”
He nodded at Rindu. “Ok, yeah. I’m still tired. I’ll take you up on that.” Wrapping his cloak tighter about his frame, Sam settled back onto his bedroll, thinking of the dream and what it meant. Surely it was just his imagination, just a dream. The Gray Man couldn’t be his father, could he? No, it wasn’t possible. He had seen his father’s body in the casket. That much he remembered. No, more likely, he was having some kind of Star Wars crossover dream. He chuckled at that, but it was forced. Closing his eyes and calming his mind, he consciously relaxed himself and drifted off to sleep.
The storm lasted for three more days. The party decided to bundle up as tightly as possible and to push on through the rain. The rakkeben didn’t seem to mind the weather at all. Their undercoat was so thick that rain soaked their outer fur but simply slid off the inner. The rain gradually tapered off, losing intensity and duration, the time between cloudbursts increasing. When the sun finally came out, each person’s spirit seemed buoyed and hopeful. Sam knew that he, at least, felt better when he saw the bright glow in the sky.
Vibrations: Harmonic Magic Book 1 Page 26
