She found many things to buy and she refused to let Braden negotiate. He was appalled at the high prices she was agreeing to. He grew increasingly miserable as he carried more and more items for her. Braden kept trying to interject sanity into the process, but Micah shushed him. Finally, when he could carry no more, they returned to the wagon where he deposited a small fortune in goods, which shouldn’t have cost a small fortune.
“Why are you punishing me?” he asked her, a sad look on his face.
“Braden, look at these people. Ten turns ago, they were starving. They’re trying to make a go of returning to normal as you asked them to do. So we share a little of the wealth that Holly gave to us. Who cares, especially if it helps?”
“But I’m Free Trader Braden,” he countered in a weak voice. She looked at him until he looked away. “You could have made better deals.”
She lifted his long and sad face. “We’ll get a good deal next time. Look at this place. Look at the people. What we traded today is priceless, it’s the value of hope.”
Braden conceded, knowing that his role had expanded far beyond a simple Free Trader, something he reveled in being and would probably never get the chance to do again. He had a hard time letting go. As usual, Micah taught him the hardest lessons of his life, helping him become better at being himself.
“Okay,” was the most he would say, even though Micah knew what he was thinking.
“I’m sorry, lover. You fill a more important role now. We both do. Teach the other traders how it works, but we have different goals. We create the conditions for everyone else to be successful.” He wanted to argue with her, but looked at the wagon, knowing about the pile of gold and platinum they carried, and saw his friends idly watching people. “From the first turn we met, it’s all you’ve ever done. Don’t you have more now than you’ve ever had before? And you didn’t trade for any of it.”
He wore Old Tech boots, carried an Old Tech bow and blaster on his Old Tech belt, over his Old Tech clothing. His stuff was in an Old Tech wagon, pulled by good friends. Some of the platinum and gold had been his from before, when he plied the northern trade routes, but nothing else. Everything he had was because of finding New Sanctuary. He looked at Micah. Well, not everything. The most important things had nothing to do with things at all.
The caravan met to determine their way ahead. Braden promised to take G-War west and Micah agreed to settle the trade and particulars for the water buffalo. They believed that fifty head awaited them.
The Wolfoids wanted to run with Braden, but it was G-War’s call. They couldn’t scare away the Hillcats that the Golden Warrior was trying to woo into coming south. After Braden thought about it, he figured that he’d need the wagon in case more than one or two ‘cats decided to join them. Brandt suggest that Braden could ride him and they’d make the best time without being overly burdened. Bounder looked at his mate with puppy-dog eyes.
‘Okay, it can be a boys’ trip out. You can all do disgusting man things together,’ Gray Strider told them over the mindlink. Micah shook her head. Braden grinned. No sense waiting. He couldn’t look at the pile of goods in the back of the wagon as it countered the nature of his being. Maybe after a trip back to nature, he’d reconcile himself with his new role as Vii’s savior. Until then, though, they were headed to Hillcat country.
It’s a Man’s World
The King of the Aurochs dipped his head so Braden could us his horns to climb onto his head, then crawl down his neck to find a seat on his back. G-War leapt effortlessly to Brandt’s face, then assumed his position crouched on the top of the King’s head. Bounder was ready to run alongside. Braden had his pack with certain things, but they were going to rough it, live off the land for a few turns while they tried to find Prince Axial De’atesh’s people. Zyena said that Skirill could go, too.
The going was easy as people had not yet ventured too far from Cameron. The road was little used and empty for the first part of their journey. Brandt and Bounder raced for half the daylight, until Bounder conceded the King’s dominance in the footrace.
They rested so the Wolfoid could decide if he wanted to try and ride the Aurochs or continue to run. He opted for riding, which created the first challenge of the journey. How does one get a Wolfoid onto the back of the largest of Aurochs?
G-War and Skirill watched with good humor while the others tried to figure it out. They were on a broad plain, no rocks for Brandt to stand next to, no ditches or water to wade into. Braden opted for leaning against Brandt’s side, turning himself into a steep human ramp. Bounder backed up and took a run.
‘This is going to be good,’ G-War quipped just before Bounder jumped. The Wolfoid’s back paws hit Braden’s back like a battering ram. Braden collapsed under the onslaught. Bounder slammed bodily into Brandt’s side, falling on his back on the ground. The ‘cat giggled as he curled his tail around himself, settling in to watch round two.
Bounder rolled to his belly and stood gingerly. He flexed a little then jogged in a circle. Braden laid on the ground beneath the King, refusing to move. He could feel two massive bruises already taking shape in the middle of his back. Bounder leaned down and sniffed him.
‘You’re fine. Let’s go again,’ the Wolfoid suggested. Braden looked at him as he pushed himself to a sitting position. ‘I only need to take a couple strides and I’ll be able to jump up. Get up! You’re tougher than that…’
“First, Micah tells me that I’m no longer Free Trader Braden and now, I’m not even a good Wolfoid step,” Braden complained. Bounder slapped him on the back, chuckling. He walked a few strides away and waited for Braden to get into position.
“I want it on record that we are better with our mates nearby.” G-War looked at him through narrowed eyes. Brandt shook his mighty head. Skirill and Bounder agreed with Braden. “Well, half of us are, anyway.”
Braden leaned against the Aurochs once more, tightening his muscles and gritting his teeth waiting for Bounder’s impending impact. This time, Bounder leapt upwards, landing on Braden’s shoulders for a second short jump to Brandt’s back. He scrabbled to find his balance, then crouched, facing forward, two legs splayed widely on each side of the King’s spine.
‘This isn’t very comfortable,’ Bounder complained. Braden ignored him as he got into position in front of the Wolfoid.
“You think it’s bad now, wait until he starts running,” Braden prophesied.
It wasn’t long before Bounder was completely miserable. Brandt slowed, much to G-War’s dismay.
‘Boy’s day sucks,’ Bounder said with a surprisingly human intonation. Brandt laughed so hard he had to stop. G-War started calling everyone names, which made the King laugh even harder, threatening to throw his riders as they clung tightly to his scarred hide.
Braden’s back was tightening up and he couldn’t have agreed more with the Wolfoid. Brandt continued their journey, taking extra care to keep his gyrations to a minimum. They finally reached a forested area with a stream, short of their goal but it was farther than Braden had ever traveled in the north in a single turn. Trips of three or four turns could be made in a single daylight with the speed of the Aurochs.
Braden wondered if any of Brandt’s herd would eventually move. He expected they would at some point as the herd outgrew the Plains of Propiscius or a young bull wanted to try his luck elsewhere, out from under the umbrella of the King.
With the forested area came the promise of a large meal. G-War guided Braden and Bounder to a spike buck. After the run and the ride, Bounder was in no shape to hunt, so Braden dropped it with one of his last arrows. He took the greatest care in removing it, cleaning it lovingly, and returning it to the quiver with its two Old Tech brothers. They flew better, but were no stronger than arrows he could make himself. They broke in battle. They broke when hunting. Braden had every intention of using his last arrow to take down a deer in the south, when they were within reach of getting more and not before then.
G-War was pleased to get
the choice bits. Skirill had had a light day of flying so Braden threw raw entrails into the air for the Hawkoid to catch, continually demonstrating his mastery of the sky. They watched lazily as Skirill impressed them with his aerobatics.
After their meal of venison was complete, Braden staggered to the stream, drank fully of the cool water, then stripped and climbed in, letting the chill take the sting out of his muscles. Bounder joined him, laying his chest and Wolfoid-man-parts in the water. He sighed as his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Wet Wolfoid. At least it’s not raining so we don’t have to smell Brandt, too,” Braden said. Bounder knew that he should be offended, but couldn’t find the energy for it. The cool of the water took the sting out. He’d probably just run from then on. He couldn’t abide riding. He wondered if the bruises would ever heal.
Numb and tired, Braden built up the fire to help him and Bounder to dry. Skirill was perched on a nearby limb, trying his best to sleep. Brandt continued grazing, working to replenish the energy lost during the run. G-War was draped over a branch in his favorite sleeping position. Braden banked the fire to direct the heat toward one side where he and Bounder sprawled.
“What do you expect to find out there, G?” Braden asked.
‘I’m sleeping,’ the ‘cat answered instantly.
“Sounds like it. I’ve rarely seen any Hillcats and never where they live. What can we expect to see?” Braden pressed.
‘You will see nothing. I have to go into the hills alone. They don’t allow strangers.’
“I’m not a stranger, G. We’ve been together for what, thirteen cycles now?” Braden countered.
‘You are a stranger to them and always will be, no matter how long I’ve been saddled with you. No, I must go alone,’ the ‘cat emphasized.
“You are such an ass! Saddled? Maybe Brandt could say that, especially after this daylight’s extravaganza, but you, saddled with me? Then again, you’ve been far more insulting in the past, so you must be feeling pretty good. It’s like you’re not even trying to get under my skin. But, I do understand, G. We’ll get you close and then you go do your thing, see if any of them would like to join us for a trip south. You might not want to tell them about the crappy heat of the Great Desert.”
‘I can’t leave anything out when talking with a fellow Hillcat. We see within each other’s minds. We cannot lie.’
“There’s something new. Have you ever lied to me?” Braden asked.
‘Not that you know of,’ the ‘cat answered smartly. Bounder grinned and turned away so Braden couldn’t see him laughing.
Braden didn’t have a follow-up question. As with most of his conversations with G-War, he’d have to think about it. If he asked questions without thinking, the ‘cat found ways to make him feel stupid. Braden didn’t want to give him any additional fuel for the fire.
When Brandt returned, they settled for the evening. Sleep came easily to all of them while G-War maintained vigil in a way that only a ‘cat could. Braden slept at ease, like he used to in the old days, when it was only the Golden Warrior and him, always carrying a load of something, plying the routes as Free Trader Braden.
Yowls, Nips, and Purrs
Braden happily awoke without getting an alarm from G-War. He’d moved from his perch in the tree during the night to a much softer spot on Brandt’s head. The bull was lying in the grass, upright as he did, resting his heavy horns on the ground.
Bounder was upside down, back legs straight in the air, twisted sideways with his front legs on the ground. His mouth was open and his tongue was lying in the dirt.
Braden stood and stretched. The Hawkoid blinked rapidly to clear his eyes then launched himself into the air, flying a lazy circle as he looked for an inattentive ground squirrel, although if he found a rabbit, that would become his breakfast. The engineered Rabbits had made such an impact on their lives that it had grown increasingly difficult for any of them to hunt the small domestic ones. G-War maintained that he didn’t have any problem hunting them, but Skirill had seen him do less and less of it. Although population control was becoming a real problem in places like New Sanctuary. The rabbits threatened to overwhelm them, eating everything in sight.
G-War ignored the thoughts from his friends. He hesitated only a little when it came to the domestic rabbits. No one knew how much he could really eat when game was plentiful, like the rabbits at New Sanctuary, especially with the Server and Maintenance Bots readily removing any telltale sign of a kill.
He had more important things to think about. What would be a compelling approach to convince a lady Hillcat to join him? With the domestic cats, it was always easy. He was twice the size of most domestic males, so he simply chased them away. G-War didn’t know if he was bigger or smaller than an average male ‘cat. It bothered him thinking he might be smaller and less capable. His scars also made him less attractive in one way, but more in what mattered. He’d fought battles that the others could only dream about.
That’s the hook, he thought to himself. None of the others could have fought in such battles.
It took no time to pack up, and Braden was able to get more comfortable without a Wolfoid wedged against his back. G-War rode in his usual spot, but Bounder refused to ride, insisting that he could keep up by running alongside.
So they were off. With the help of Braden’s neural implant, they were heading cross-country, which greatly reduced their travel time. Without the wagon, they were able to cross most obstacles while trusting Skirill to steer them clear of the worst of them.
By early afternoon, they’d reached a place that G-War said was as close as they should go. Before Brandt even stopped, he was off, racing uphill through the trees toward a place where he felt a great number of his fellow Hillcats.
He ran excitedly at first, but the numbers seemed to overwhelm him. He never remembered that many, wondering how they could live, knowing that they needed a great supply of meat for such numbers. He’d find out soon enough.
He slowed as he crawled through heavy underbrush and into an area that opened near the top of a great, heavily forested hill. The first ‘cat he saw was a calico, a female that was nearly as big as he was. She sniffed, turned her tail toward him, and walked away, harrumphing in their shared mindlink. He smelled nothing enticing and kept going, looking for elder ‘cats to speak with.
He came across a group of three, standing together and watching him approach.
‘We don’t want your type here,’ the eldest, an orange tabby like G-War, said in his gravelly thought voice.
‘My type…’ the Golden Warrior repeated. He knew what the elder implied: one bonded with a human. ‘Sometimes the choice to bond is not the ‘cat’s to make.’
‘You were careless and allowed yourself to be in a vulnerable position. Real ‘cats don’t do that. Always a rebel, weren’t you, Axial?’ the elder replied. He let G-War into his mind. The elder ‘cat was his uncle. It was disrespectful that he hadn’t recognized his own family. He’d already failed if he couldn’t recover from such a slight.
‘Uncle.’ G-War dipped his head. The tip of his tail flicked, fighting him as he tried to hide his anxiety. ‘The adventures I’ve been a part of are unrivalled among the Hillcats,’ he said boldly, letting the images of Bat-Ravens, Lizard Men, Androids, and others flow through his mind.
The others were impressed.
‘Go with Rialest. He will show you what you’ve missed all these cycles of the seasons. We must think about what we’ve seen before we can address your request, so go now and give us time,’ the elder said as he dismissed G-War.
Rialest was a young male, bigger than the Golden Warrior. He didn’t say anything as he walked past G-War, beckoning him to follow. They walked past shelters of various sorts, most being areas dug beneath fallen tree branches. Hillcat kittens played everywhere. G-War guessed that it had been a cold winter. That’s where the great numbers came from. Too many kittens. Some would have to migrate to a new area where game could be found.
Rialest continued walking briskly past the homes and Hillcat families, and started down the other side of the hill.
‘Where are we going?’ G-War asked suspiciously, suspecting some kind of trap, growing more wary as Rialest didn’t respond. G-War slowed and let the distance grow between them. Two large males jumped from a tree on the left and two more from behind a tree on the right. G-War was off in a flash, heading up the nearest trunk.
He turned when he gained the first branch, setting his back claws into it and readying to strike the closest of those following. The first one up the tree received a vicious slash across his face while he yet climbed the tree. He wasn’t able to raise a paw in his own defense. When he fell, he landed on the ‘cat behind him and both fell to the ground. The other two, a heartbeat before fully engrossed in the chase, lost their stomach for the fight and slowly backed down the tree.
‘What the crap was that?’ G-War demanded of Rialest, remaining in the tree as he watched the four ill-fated attackers slink away. His escort stood to the side, looking up at him.
Realizing that G-War was not about to come down until he received an answer, Rialest spoke. ‘That was to teach you a lesson. You left. You should not have come back. Things have changed in the many cycles you’ve been gone. All your presence here will do is damage our calm. You are too violent, Prince Axial De’atesh, to exist with our kind now. I will show you how we are evolving.’ Without waiting, Rialest turned and continued downhill.
G-War jumped from branch to branch until he couldn’t find a viable path, so he jumped down, wary of further duplicity.
There was none. Rialest stopped by an opening in the trees and waved G-War forward. When he arrived, he saw a massive field within a valley between the hills. A herd of water buffalo grazed, while Hillcats circled, not hunting, but keeping the herd together as ranchers would do.
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