by Wolf Golan
“General Ryzen is bringing two commands from the North you say?” He asked Gorro.
Gorro gave a nodded.”
The rest of the Raidin command is on the North side of Yem Mountains, protecting Trelindria.”
Tywor's horse shook its head moving him, as he continued to think.
“Gorro ride to Ryzen and tell him all of this and to hurry. I will take my army and set up a line south of here, we’ll try to stall them here.” Tywor explained.
Gorro reined his horse up to start north.
“As you wish General!” Gorro yelled as he started galloping up the road.
Tywor turned to Rilat, Max, and Wadda rin, and the rest of the group. He reined in his horse by them.
“Rilat!”
“Yes General?” Rilat nodded his head.
“Get to Nu oo with the rest of your people. The terrain towards Nu oo is too rough for the Rourds. We'll keep them here as long as we can until second Command arrives from Dens'mere.”
Rilat nodded again and gestured to his men. They started moving out towards the south across the glade. Rilat looked at Max and nodded to him. Max nodded back and looked down at Wadda rin. Max bent down to him and he grabbed his little shoulders. “Looks like this is where we part my little friend.” He looked in his eyes. “You be brave, protect your people, your family, and do what Rilat tells you okay?” Wadda rin's eyes starting blinking with innocence as he nodded his little head.
Max kneeled and hugged him. Wadda rin had never had a hug before. He awkwardly put his little arms around Max and squeezed.
Max parted and held his little shoulders, `We'll meet again my young friend.” Max got up. “Now go! While it's still safe, go!”
“Okay,” Wadda rin said as he ran after Rilat, his little bushy head bouncing up and down across the Glade. Max looked at him one last time with concern. He turned to the Raidins. General Tywor stood before him with his horse.
“The Modas are River People to the West,” Twyor pointed up the river with his pale hand before putting his gauntlet back on. “A fishing party met your friends and brought -them to Crehling two suns ago.” He turned his horse south.
The Baellyin Knights took them to Dens’mere from here. There is a small boat down there for you.”
He nodded to Max then made a strange ‘pist’. The Raidin army suddenly turned in perfect unison, it scared Max. Tywor galloped to the front of the two marching columns with his personal aide following, he began to lead the Army across the glade into the trees.
Max was overwhelmed by what he saw in a few moments, staring at the army disappearing into the bushes and trees.
“Oh boy,” Max said sighing. He started to trot down the hill toward the river.
Chapter 6
Max found the boat and started down the river immediately:
Paddling was nothing new. Max had paddled a lot growing up in Birchville, where he checked his family's fishnets every spring. For the first couple of hours, the river was quiet.
Max's arms started to burn as he paddled relentlessly. He let it float as many times as he could. The canoe was small and neatly carved. He finally decided to stop for a few moments as he floated. He then continued.
Max heard distant thumps as he looked to the east he saw nothing but made sure to look a few more times. The trees appeared to be a mix of pine and fir.
He heard the thumping again, solooked and squinted. He soon made out black blocks moving like a train. They appeared to be columns and columns of soldiers marching south, that must be second command.
He stared at them until he sailed around a bend. Max slowed his rowing and thought about Alex Parks. Max lost his mother Bellen, to Griffen disease when he was eighteen. His father Pennington had a heart attack when he started at UEF's Fleet Academy after college.
It was his Tsimshian mother and Gwich'in father who inspired his adventurous spirit. Aunty took him across the world with the tribal shuttle to introduce him to the oldest indigenous societies the best she could. Pennington took him to the Gwich'in Celebrations in the mountains of Canada, where his people gathered to practice the remnants of their culture.
His parents were gone, and Alex was all he had left, and he had to reach her.
Max thought it was a beautiful river with the trees overhanging and the rustling of leaves, the river swirled, and winds howling through the trees.
Max checked his watch.
He had paddled for three hours. He kept paddling even though his arms were exhausted and a challenge to even lift. He felt he was making good time. He checked his mileage-reader, it read: 6 Miles from Crash Site. He continued.
A loud buzzing sound erupted as a huge hand-size Dragon Fly glided across the water. “Whew.” Max jumped.
He stared at it as it glided like a mini-helicopter. It went into the bushes and out of sight. He continued around another bend.
He figured he reached mile 7.
After clearing another bend, he saw birch trees stories high, forming a green arch over the river. He paddled under it.
He peered up at them when he saw a huge hand holding a branch. The dark hand was the size of Max's forearm. The hand disappeared into the leaves and the branch sprang back up.
Max got scared, his heart began beating fast and he slowly came to the bushes where he saw the hand “Is anyone there?” He gently yelled. “I search for the Moda!”
Only silence.
He slowly paddled past, nervous and jumpy as he decided to paddle faster.
“Gaawwk!” He whipped his head towards the sound but saw nothing. “Gaawwk!” He heard it again.
In the skies above the treetops, Max saw a huge reptilian bird with a figure on top of it. The bird started flying toward him, getting closer. Max could make out the figure as a Baelyin in a black cloak.
The bird flew straight towards him. The figure on top of it looked as if he was poising himself to attack. Max was so amazed by the sight that he ignored his military instincts.
He floated upon a brush when suddenly a tall creature burst out of the bushes and grabbed him.
“WHHHOOAAA!” He yelled dropping the paddle in the river.
The creature's huge hand gripped Max's chest and had a perfect hold of him. He threw him over the bushes. Max hit the forest floor rolling and hit a small willow bush hurting his side. He landed on his back dazed.
He heard a huge explosion and looked to his left to see his boat had exploded behind the bushes. The giant creature started whirling a sling the other way. Max saw three huge windmills above him as three more creatures twirled slings above, out of nowhere. Max heard the whistles of their stones as they released their slings toward the bird.
“Cyaakkk!” He heard in the distance. Max surmised they had gotten their target.
A huge metal spear tip moved to his face.
The spear had a well-crafted clover shape tip on a long metal stem to a longer wooden poll. The-spear was ten feet, a foot taller than its owner.
The creature stood eight-to-nine feet tall with huge long fingers, fish scale vest, leather belt, the familiar Ghrin skin cutoff pants, and low-topped skin-shoes tied at the ankle.
He had features of a dark-skinned human on earth with shoulder length hair. He looked like a Native American from a Salish Tribe. Like the Tlingits in Southeast Alaska.
More of his people cleared out of the bushes.
A few of them wore rectangular grass weavedhats that look more like matador hats. They wore fish and hide vests. The one in middle had on a chest piece with rows of long fish teeth. Max stared at them, their eyes completely wide and frozen. They smelled of creek sediments and sea.
“You must be Max,” the one in the middle said.
“I'm Tyang'gesh Chief of the Eastern Moda Nation.” His long fingers extend out of his huge hand to Max. Max looked at his long fingers wide-eyed. “Welcome to the High Woodlands, Max Wilkes.
###
Max felt like a kid sitting between Modas, as they paddled home. His head did not reach thei
r shoulders, it was a little embarrassing. They smelled of river water.
They entered a grassy wetland and.an aroma of rich dirt hit him like a punch, it was nice. Yellow grass began to envelop them as they made their way around a couple small bends of muddy grass: Max heard what sounded like quacks and honks of waterfowl.
They cornered another grassy bend to see a small village resting atop a small rocky bluff. The log houses were tall with hide tent nestling between.
Max saw a few Modas with lamp hats walking in the waters with spears, spotting fish. Max saw a flight of geese drifting by in the distance.
At the north end of their village a watchtower loomed over, with a Moda monitoring the surroundings.
The canoe slid onto the wet dirt bank Max jolted forward a little. A Moda jumped out and pulled the canoe up a little more then tied the babiche rope to a stump. The rest filed out and ran up the cliff. The party mounted the incline and strode to their homes.
Max struggled but got to the top of the cliff and a breeze hit him, and it felt nice. It was a little windy in Crehling. He walked on dead grass following the Modas to their homes.
Max could see smoke rising out of the homes and their women walking about with wheat baskets of water and others lugging piles of firewood. Piles of fish hung over fire pits everywhere.
The tall Modas frightened Max a little as they seemed overbearing, but he reminded himself they were allies, as well as fellow indigenous creatures.
Max walked by a Moda women holding a fish, spread out on a wooden fillet device over a fire pit. She glanced at Max before flipping the roaster over.
With bits of advanced technology here and there, Max figured they've had contact with the advance races of the planet for quite some time. It was nothing new to him to see hunter/gatherer people with advanced technology sprinkled among their culture.
Some kids his size ran pass him playing.
“Kamptaur!” The Tower Guard yelled, his long arms pointing to the north. “Cyaak!” A screeching cry streaked across the sky.
Max looked up and saw a tiny dot approaching. He put his hand over his eyes and made it out as a huge reptilian bird with a figure riding it, like the one on the river.
The Moda women started screaming and running into their homes grabbing their children, while others ran into the surrounding forests for cover.
The Moda Men pulled out giant slingshots with balls of ivory spikes and began swinging. They aimed at the flying creature. Max stood by Tyang'gesh watching in ghastly silence.
The bird turned and made its way east. The Modas stopped their spinning and relaxed their weapons, watching it disappear.
The women folk and Elders returned to the village, the calm returned. Max followed Tyang'gesh to his home. Max could tell they were still startled by the commotion, as he passed women, kids, and houses.
They got to one of the houses and Max walked in with Tyang'gesh. A huge hearthstone lied in the middle with large boulders. A cloud of smoke made its way up through a sky hole. Tyang'gesh's wife kneeled on the side of the hearthstone working.
Tyang'gesh rested his spear by the door and took off his chest piece and hung it. His little kid ran up to him and he picked him up hugging him. He put him back down and he ran outside playing.
Tyang'gesh's wife wore a tunic made of fish scales as she washed some freshly caught fish in a water basket and laid them out on a grass mat. She smiled hard at Max and had a warming kindness to her.
“We caught him up around the bend.” Tyang'gesh said lying down on a ghrin fur. “Now I can rest.” He laid his head on a sewn cotton pillow. Max wanted to sleep too, but he had to get to Alex.
“Hello Max. I'm Uk Waa, Tyang'gesh's wife and my child is Ja'ish. It was his canoe you used.” She said with her gentle eyes. Max smiled, feeling a little humiliated he used a child's canoe.
“Your friends told me all about you. They said you're a little like us, Native American?” She smiled, awkwardly pronouncing it.
“Yes,” He looked down bashful. “I suppose so... ” She continued to smile hard at him. He changed the subject. “I see my friends used the Interpreter box on you guys?”
“Yes, they were very nice, your friends.” She stopped washing the long purple-red rye fishes. She dipped her hands in water and began wiping a skin cloth. “We had a messenger run to Yems the night your people came from the sky to inform them.”
“You saw our ship?” Max asked curious.
“Yes, and we heard you guys too. We can hear very far. We heard your people talking.”
Max was taken aback. “Our crash site is nearly ten miles away, you 'heard' us?”
“Yes, our Scout heard you, it was a quiet night,” she smiled.
Max was stunned and speechless. He sunk his head staring at the ground. He shook himself and snapped out of it. “Look you're very nice, but I have to get to Yems. I need to meet someone.”
“Yes, I know your life partner Alex Parks.” She sounded it slowly and funny. Max smiled at the sweetness of it.
“Yes, I chased my girlfriend halfway across the galaxy and now half way across your world.” Max laughed nervously. Uk Waa laughed too.
“Well... ” Max raised his eyebrows at the comment. “She's actually just my girlfriend, but yes. I need to get to her; can anyone take me?”
Uk Waa's face turned a little concern. “Max, Gorro, and Tywor came through here and said Rourds were invading the Low Woodlands. I don't know if it's safe.” She said like a kind mother.
“I met with Gorro and Tywor in the Woodlands.” Max answered. “Tywor is setting up a line to close in the Rourds, the Baelyin Armies are making their way down.”
“Tywor told you this?” Tyang'gesh asked sitting up.
“Yes.”
Tyang'gesh got pensive. He got off the bed letting out a heightened groan and sigh. “I better assemble the council.” Tyang'gesh turned to Max before walking by. “You come with me and tell them everything.”
“Okay,” Max replied.
On their way to the Long House, Max asked about the birds.
“Where do the Kamptaurs come from?”
“From their Mountain Caves, in the Great Wasteland across the Great Water,” he nodded toward the west. Max nodded pretending to know.
They arrived at the Long House, a building four times longer and bigger than the rest of the houses. It was neatly tucked below huge branches in the forest beyond the village. A Moda woman cooked fish on a grill outside it. Tyang' gesh had Max sit with the woman, as he gathered the council.
Max waited and assisted the woman where he could. Tyang'gesh gathered dozens of Moda men in minutes, so Max came in and sat among the assembly. He explained the whole situation with the Raidins and Baelyin Armies in the South. The Moda council began chattering away.
Max sat down on the grass mat and hugged his knees looking at the hearthstone. The Long House really was a 'Long' house and it took on a new meaning for Max. It stretched well over twenty feet high and forty feet across.
Tyang’gesh sat on a wooden stool staring at the fire as his warriors discussed strategy.
Max felt tired, sleepy, and hungry. He saw a Moda woman throwing pieces of fish in her mouth with a knife and a kid chewing on a ghrin bone. The Moda Woman caught him looking at her, so he quickly shifted his attention back to the fire.
“Oogoshtuuniiesh!” Tyang'gesh shouted standing up.
All quieted.
“We have to go down and assist Tywor… our families, our lands hang in the balance.”
“What about the Kamptaur-Riders? We're just going to leave our families in danger?” A Moda protested.
“No Ku Yesh, we'll send Doaks to LeshNaa and Goo village. They'll come here and fortify the camp. We're the only village with a tower.”
Max stared at them as they decided. He was still overwhelmed by their size, looking up at them a little nervous. He saw one rubbing his chin with his long fingers. “Yes, let's go!” Ku yesh said finally breaking the silence.
>
The Modas nodded their heads. Tyang'gesh turned to them. “Ku Yesh! Send out the Doaks.”
Ku Yesh nodded and flew pass Max out the door.
“We'll leave four warriors here and the rest of us will go south to meet Tywor.” The Modas nodded as they started filing out, Tyang'gesh followed.
The Moda woman by Max smiled with gentle eyes handing him a wheat plate of cut fish. Max nodded and took it. The fish had a white, gray soft, almost jellylike texture.
“Max!” Tyang'gesh called. “We must go!”
Tyang’gesh walked out.
“Rat puk,” Max said putting the plate down. “I'm sorry.” Max said standing up. The woman nodded in understanding and turned to her chores.
Tyang'gesh and his warriors gathered at a spot in the village ready to move out. They had stripes of paint half way across their face. Tyang'gesh shouldered his sling and pouch and carried his spear.
The Modas were going to war.
Nearly thirty Moda warriors stood to attention, slings hanging from their belts, pouches of stones strapped to their sides, and holding their spears.
“Kamptaur!” The tower guard yelled.
The screams of the women followed, and they began scrambling for safety again.
“Cyaaakkk!” The bird cry shrieked across the land,
The Modas took out their slings and bows and readied them toward the oncoming attacker.
The Kamptaur came closer and Max could see the sheer size of it. The bird looked reptilian with its pointy-ears, beak, and large taloned feet. The Baelyin-Rider wore a spikey animal skull mask with a steel dotted armored jack. He whipped a sling and slung a ball of fire down at the Moda camp. The fire made a small explosion but didn't strike anyone.
They've discovered gunpowder? Max thought.
The Moda warriors twirled their slings around in great arcs and projected stones into the sky at the Kamptaur Rider. A stone hit the rider and he flew off. His black cloak fluttering as he dropped into the bog. The bird flew away.
The Modas stood for a moment and then put the slings away.
Tyang'gesh turned to Max. “Tuuik will carry you to the Yems. He runs fast.” Tyang'gesh said gesturing a Moda over. Tuuik stood before Max and gently bowed. A strong and fit Moda.