Dashing out the entrance, Noah comes upon a scene that makes his blood run cold!
She is madly flailing at the tentacles of an enormous squid-like creature. It has seized her by two long tentacles while a clutch of other tentacles are attempting to pull its immense, slithering mass onto the shore.
Its grasp is so constricting she cannot bring either spearpoint to bear and is hammering on the tentacles with the blunt edge of the shaft.
The monster’s mottled skin is slick. Its shape is tubular. Broad where its tentacles protrude. Flanged at its narrower back end.
It is gnashing a wide, sucking orifice at the base of its tentacles. Noah knows that is its mouthpiece.
Rushing toward Davina with his hand-axe at the ready, he slashes at the imprisoning tentacles. Severing them cleanly. Grabbing her wrist, he wrenches her free from the truncated tentacles which, like the severed tail of some reptiles in his world, are still wriggling.
As Noah raises his spear, the creature issues a deafening shriek and, using all its remaining tentacles, hauls itself into the grotto.
It is retreating into the shelter of its home, Noah realizes, and the lifeless jellyfish are its larder.
He and Davina must move on and hope to find a different shelter in the quickly gathering darkness.
They make it as far as the other end of the bay and are standing on the ocean shore when night arrives in earnest.
It is too dark to travel this unknown shore and, spent by their encounter with the creature of the grotto, they fall asleep on a dry elevated patch of packed sand. On the landward side of the shoreline path.
A few small fish make a quick breakfast as they start out shortly after waking. Having slept off their profound weariness, they are now fully rested and ready for the new day’s trek.
The shoreline path follows a northern course. Drawing them ever closer to the open light ahead.
The blue-green ocean stands off in sharp contrast to the bleak, grey tundra, and Davina feels they are threading the boundary between two separate, inhospitable worlds.
A land where no visible life dwells.
And a sea where hostile life-forms lurk. Like the creature in the grotto cove.
Shuddering at the memory of its slimy suckers on her bare skin, she will be glad to be quit of this fell place.
That is when a faint hum begins resonating from the distance. Soon, it gathers volume to an ever-increasing howl. The eerie sound raises the hackles on her neck, but she knows it is the howling crater Noah described and, so, she soldiers on unafraid.
The relentless howl only adds to the awful monotony of passing the same featureless landscape and seamless ocean. League after endless league. Day after timeless day.
Still, the fish are plentiful and the nights uneventful and, after their struggle against the creature of the grotto those many days ago, they are grateful for this safe passage through the tundra barrens.
In Noah’s mind, this leg of the journey has been like a doppler in slow motion. As the howling progressed from faint to deafening and then back to faint before ceasing altogether.
It is when the noise ends that their new horizon begins.
It is a piedmont terrain, silhouetted against the brighter horizon ahead. Marching in uniformity toward a range of higher mountains in the far distance. The sight breaks the monotony of the featureless barrens they have traveled. Lightening their step and refreshing their spirit.
The next morning dawns bright and early, as Davina rises for the first time in the direct light of two suns.
They are now beyond the extended shadow of the polar cloudbank.
She looks skyward at Cosmos, whose violet-red-yellow striations contrast sharply with the blood-red intensity of two suns. Just as Noah had depicted them. Although the giant planet appears to be more roundish than the oval he described.
Rather than fearing them, she feels comforted by their presence. Deep in her racial memory are affinity to and welcome acceptance of these celestial companions she has never beheld.
As the two continue their northward journey, Davina frequently glances upward and is gladdened by the heavenly trinity accompanying them.
While she cannot articulate her feelings, they echo an ancient faith inspired by the remote worlds hovering overhead. Possessing powers greater than herself, her people and their small world.
She is humbled and exhilarated every time she looks skyward, and she experiences deep, indefinable stirrings within her soul.
It is a happier, more spiritual Davina who marches by Noah’s side. He is acutely aware of the change in her demeanor and attitude. She is a more reflective, confident companion, and Noah loves her all the more for it.
As they approach the closest sierra abutting the near foothills, the twin suns illuminate colors more vivid than she has ever experienced.
Vibrant red and orange blossoms spring up beside the shoreline path, and the reflected light of two suns casts colorful images across their way. Like rose petals before a bridal procession.
Reading the radiant reflections as an auspicious omen, Davina is happy to follow this magical, brightly hued path wherever it may lead.
Night finds them across from a high landward bluff. Separated from the shoreline path by a bramble of closely packed shrubland bathed in a fading violet glow.
As shadows lengthen, the blossoms furl their violet petals. While the greenery of the shrubs’ bare leaves reasserts itself as the sole and dominant color between the path and the landward bluff.
Enough light remains to cast the heliotrope forest at the crest of the bluff in tones of pale purple which, as the couple watch, are devoured by the spreading blackness of night.
Leading Davina to a sheltered thicket of green shrubs, Noah clears ground-debris from a small, level area, and soon both are lying in one another’s embrace. The cool, crisp ocean air acts as a soporific, and they are asleep at once.
Next morning, rested and refreshed, they make their way through the shrubland to the landward bluff.
The unfurled violet blossoms are blushing open in the sunlight, and their bright reflection creates expansive violet shadows lighting the couple’s every step. While the green leaf-racks of the shrubs are tightly matted above them, the gnarled trunks are widely spaced. Making travel effortless.
It is still dawn when they arrive at the foot of the bluff, with its thundering falls. Rainbows are just beginning to rise into the mist all along its base.
Enchanted by the vivid mix of bright colors, Davina’s eyes widen as they drink in the magical display. As she pauses, spellbound, on a large, flat rock beside the falls, Noah wades into a wide, stone-sculpted pool and spears two fat fish.
Sharing the flat, dry rock, they make a leisurely meal of the fish. While rainbows dance along the opposite side of the pool. Arching upward into the downward-streaming falls. Dropping lazily to the base. And rising, again and again, to repeat their colorful frolics.
Basking in the glow of two suns against the sheer vertical flow of ever-changing liquid color, Davina does not consider the terror awaiting them in the canopied treetops at the crest of the bluff!
Reluctant to break the spell of this magic place, Noah lets her delight in the stunning display. They will rest here this night.
Tomorrow is soon enough to face the grim reality soaring on silent wings in the forest above them.
Chapter 44. Bolt-Hole
As they rise to the early dawn of two suns, Noah announces:
“We have a decision to make.
“The heliotrope beauty of the forest above us is false. It masks a fell place guarded by loathsome creatures that feast on the flesh of dead things. And attack any who dares enter their charnel realm.
“When last I passed this way, the furry companions I have told you about used their numbers, fortitude and guile to distract the winged guardians. Permitting us to pass safely through to the very bluff above our heads.
“We are two alone. The guardians will not be tricked i
nto ignoring our presence.
“Our options are . . .”
The unexpected expression on Davina’s face stops him in mid-sentence, as a single moist tear falls from one lovely eye onto her cheek. The despair welling in that one wet tear chills him as she softly laments:
“Why is it that evil so often stalks beauty in these lands beyond the clouds?
“Is there no place in this wide world where peace and contentment reside unsullied by lingering threat and death?
“Are we always to be in danger wherever we roam?”
Taking her into his arms, Noah brushes away the tear with gentle reassurance that they need not fear any creature he has encountered in his odyssey across this world.
He patiently explains the peculiarly exclusive food chains of the other creatures in all the lands they will cross. Assuring her they are not on the menu for the simple reason other creatures have evolved separately from themselves.
“No creature will hunt us,” he concludes as her expression begins to brighten. “That is the crucial distinction that will preserve us.
“But many of the large predators are territorial. We need simply to avoid them.
“I have safely crossed the lands we enter now. So we know it can be done.
“The winged guardians are a threat only if we enter their territory. They will not hunt us. They will not pursue us beyond their forest.
“What we must decide now is whether to enter their heliotrope realm or look for some way around it.”
It is a different Davina who responds. Gone is any trace of despair. In its place is the bold, venturesome resolve he has so come to admire and love. Curiosity and excitement flood Davina’s thoughts as she asserts:
“I long to cast my eyes on the fur-covered beasts that can fly. They must be very different from the wee creatures that flit about the green gardens whose seeds we carry with us.
“Let us ascend to the bluff above and follow the river to the outskirts of their territory.
“Let us proceed with stealth, observing them without letting them observe us.
“Then, let us see what concealment there may be to see us safely through their guarded realm.”
Heartened by her adventurous spirit and dreading the unknown dangers lurking in the hills and vales around the base of the elevated forest, Noah readily agrees. And, so, they march directly to the nearby slope. The very one he descended long ago when the furry bipeds fled from the forest above. So gentle is the acclivity they are not even winded when they crest the bluff.
Davina’s eyes are positively shining with expectation as she peers into the tree-lined corridor tracing the course of the wide, boiling river rushing through the forest.
The trees are so dense their trunks seem to form high seamless walls on each side of the river. Its banks are broad, level, smooth and open.
The blossoms of mega-flora are as wide across as Davina’s forearm is long. And the heliotrope reflections cast a mauvish-purple aura on everything they touch.
The river is a paradox of calm and fury. Raging white rapids are flanked by still waters gently lapping the sheer rock at its banks. The path they are following seems carved out of bedrock. While the river flows several feet below in a channel whose steep sides are vertical and smooth.
The water is crystal clear. Many species of fish inhabit its depth.
The air is as crystal clear as the water, sharply etching the forest scene in stark, achingly bright detail.
Davina’s eyes widen at the surreal splendor of it all, and she is glad they chose to follow this river path. The rays of two suns fill the corridor with light, and the visible sky above conveys a sense of openness and freedom the dense trees belie.
They follow the river the rest of the day, pausing only when shadows begin to lengthen in the growing darkness of approaching night.
Spearing a few fish, they sit on the edge of the riverbank. Savoring the raw filleted flesh while peering into the water’s depth. There are endless chains of fish, seemingly head to tail, all swimming smoothly against the current.
The synchronized ballet of undulating forms is hypnotic, and the trance isn’t broken until there is too little light to see. As the couple turn away from the aquatic display, they realize the world has plunged into darkness.
From his earlier journey this way, Noah knows they are not yet near the canopied realm of the winged guardians. He does not know what other dangers may lurk on the forest floor.
Leading Davina by the hand, he approaches the nearest trees, locates the trunk with the widest girth and reaches high for its lowest limbs. He hauls himself up to a bolus between adjacent limbs and pulls her up beside him.
The bolus is wide and level, and they curl up in its concave folds to sleep this night.
In the protective embrace of her mate, Davina falls instantly asleep.
Not so Noah.
He remains wakeful to the menace of unknown things that go hiss, grr and skree in the night.
He does not have long to wait.
The first sound is so faint, he has to slow his own breathing to hear. It is a single high-pitched howl, followed by other howls much gruffer in tone. They seem far, far away, and he knows they pose no threat here.
The second series of vibrations are much closer, and they convey a soft hissing noise like the song of a serpent tasting redolent chemicals in the air with its constantly flicking tongue.
In his world, snakes are climbers, and Noah remains alert to this menacing sound in case it draws nearer, lured by his own chemical tracers. But the hissing noise diminishes steadily until it is interrupted by a soft yowl and silence is restored.
Whatever it is, he surmises, it is feeding on the host of other chemical tracers, and that is fortunate for him and his mate.
The silence is broken by a soft snuffling noise, like the sound a hog makes when it is rooting for food. But it suddenly ceases and, in his mind’s eye, Noah can envision a wild pig instantly alerted to danger, its tufted tail rigid with anticipation. The silence persists but a few moments when it is interrupted by a soft, snarling grr and the sounds of a feverish scuffle.
Another predator will eat its fill this night, Noah concludes, but it is no threat to tree-dwellers.
Dawn’s early light is just starting its approach when he picks up the final night-sound. It is the noise of many scurrying legs, the audial signature of an immense column of advancing army ants in his world amplified by many decibels. It is interrupted by a soft clicking noise some beetles make in his world.
This time, Noah has no notion which is predator and which prey. But again, neither poses a threat in the elevated bolus of the tree.
As more light filters into the river-bank corridor between the trees, Davina sits upright and, cat-like, stretches her lithe form next to Noah. Her wide smile and sparkling eyes are testaments to her zest for life, lust for adventure and love for Noah.
He thrills at her every waking movement and at his own good fortune in being her mate.
While no issue can possibly come of their union, he is dismayed no more. He is fulfilled each day by her incomparable companionship.
It is enough. He need not ask for more.
Dropping effortlessly from their tree-limb to the ground, they spear a few fish, eat and continue along the river’s path. Deeper into the heart of the heliotrope forest.
The suns are high in the sky when the riverbank narrows perceptibly and the high limbs of the trees grow so thick they begin interlocking to form a sunless canopy of bright green. Mottled with reflected patches of pale reddish-purple.
They are entering the realm of the winged guardians, and Noah cautions his mate to proceed slowly and in silence along a route hugging the towering tree-trunks. With their 20-foot wingspan, he knows the creatures cannot follow them into the dense fringe of woodland.
What he does not know is that their approach to the canopied realm has not gone unobserved.
He does not credit the bat-like creatures’ incre
dible visual and audial acuity. Which brought them into the creatures’ range of observation miles back.
And he does not hear or see the giant guardians who have stealthily trailed them here . . .
Swooping down on his mate!
Their silent approach is shattered by a scream next to him, and Noah turns to see his mate in the iron grip of long, curved claws as a winged creature struggles to lift her weight.
One turning thrust of his lance finds the creature’s heart, and it collapses lifeless to the ground.
That is when scores of the winged creatures erupt from the canopy. All swooping down on the dangerously exposed couple.
But they both vanish into the trees before the creatures can reach them, and there they remain. Taking stock of their situation, Noah realizes they cannot leave the protection of the trees while the winged guardians are about.
Not when it is light in any event.
Maybe in darkness, definitely not in light.
They are trapped here.
The trees form a dense fringe bordering the riverbank. Like the river’s path, the forest is open and wide beyond the narrow band of trees fringing its banks.
There are coppices of trees and shrubs throughout the forest. But they are too widely scattered to hop-scotch a path beneath the watchful eyes of the winged guardians.
No. The only course is to wait until night falls and then hope they can somehow slip away unseen. They huddle together in the safety of the dense trees. Praying for the darkness to come soon.
But it does not!
As shadows lengthen along the open path they traveled earlier, the canopy over the shrouded path beside their tree-lined shelter begins to glow.
Bioluminescence radiates from every leafy surface of the canopy overhead. Bathing the river-corridor and adjacent forest in a pale green and purple light.
It is as clear as day in this canopied realm. And it bars any possibility of escaping undetected in any direction.
Dejected, Noah tells his mate they will have to fight their way back to the open corridor. Away from the canopy and the fierce creatures who guard it. Then, they can try to find another shelter in the fringe of dense trees, hopefully until the creatures tire of their vigil.
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