Racing the Suns (The Hunter and Wanderer)

by Karen Pepin

  That was discouraging, but there were many more rooms with these boxes. Perhaps I could find a pair elsewhere that would fit better. In the meantime, these would do. I could line them with fur or even wear them over my current foot leathers.

  The other items in the opening were hanging from triangular pieces that hooked on a bar running across the top of the box. Some were made of the same material as in the wall boxes I had already explored, but others were made of a thicker material. I gave one piece a tug, but it resisted coming off. I yanked harder and it fell loose. It was another dark green tunic, but longer, more similar to the one I wore, except it had arm coverings. It also had a piece of material at the top which could be flipped up over my head. There was a slit down the length of the tunic that was closed with some round fasteners.

  I sat down closer to my fire with the garment in my lap. The rounds were attached to one side of the material and pushed through a hole in the other piece to keep it together. I slipped the round out of the hole and the material parted. What a clever way to close something, I thought. The material on the inside of the tunic was different than on the outside. It was a sleek, slippery material, softer than anything I had ever touched, softer than rochin fur.

  I undid the rounds and slid my arms through the coverings, putting it on so that the opening would be in the front. Like the foot coverings, this item was also too large for me, but I noticed immediately that it was warm. I twirled around awkwardly, laughing. That would keep my upper body warm. I would just need something to cover my bare legs.

  Inspiration struck. I tore open the first box from the night before. I pulled out several pieces until I found the ones I wanted. These could be worn on my legs. I picked a pair that were blue like the water over the Deeps. They hung longer than my legs and the waist was too big, but my sling worked as a belt to hold them up. If I cut off the extra material at the bottom, these would work to keep my legs warm.

  I tried on several different combinations of items now, to see which fit best and were the warmest. The colors enchanted me, and I giggled with the abandon of a child. These materials were so much lighter than my leather tunic, but they were warmer too. I hobbled around in my new clothes, trying to dance, and sang cheerfully. The leggings wouldn't be convenient for dealing with my bodily functions, but if they kept me warm I could work around that. I decided to test them out in the snow in the morn.

  Late in the afternoon, after trying on piece after piece, I began searching my den again. Surely there were more things I could use. I found more telltale lines beneath the shelf I had been sleeping on. I pried open a box there. Inside were a line of rectangular items. Their outsides were hard like wood, but were not made of wood. These flat hard covers flipped open from one side. Inside, black symbol markings covered each thin, leaf-like piece, back and front. There were so many. Then, I found the rectangle that opened up to images of people. They were people like the clan, but not. They wore the garments I had found. They smiled up at me and I touched them. They images were startlingly clear but still.

  Page after page, the background of the images showed landscapes I had never seen. Some showed tall square structures, reaching towards the sky. There were symbol markings covering several of the pages. If only I could read them. Whomever these people were, they had lived here once. They must have built this place, though my mind could not fathom how. Looking at these pictures, I felt a kinship for these people and was thankful that they had left items behind I could use.

  “Thank you, blessed Wanderer, for your bounty,” I murmured. Then I had a thought. What would the clans think of what I had found?

  15

  The coverings worked better than I expected. The temperature had dropped again, evidenced by my cold-numbed nose and fingers, but the rest of me stayed warm as I moved about. I had even created a makeshift bag out of a garment by tying one end shut. It would work well for transporting the red fruit to my den. The snow was melting slower because of the cooler temperature, but I could pull the remaining fruit directly off the tree. I filled my makeshift bag and took it inside.

  I did not see the little animal in my storage room, but the red fruit by the crack had been eaten down to almost nothing. I nudged the remains into the crack. After a moment's thought, I left another piece by the crack. I didn't want the little thing to go after my other food. I tried to decide where to stack my food stuffs so that the critter wouldn't get into them. Laughing, I pulled out a box, emptied its contents on the floor and poured my fruit in there. Now, I could close the box and keep my food safe. I carried the clothes that had been in the box to my den and placed them up on my sleeping fur. I would look through them later. I filled my carry bag and emptied it several times.

  Tomorrow, I would have to start carrying wood again. My supply was dwindling rapidly. I would see which clothing would work the best to help me do that. I laughed and sang as I worked. I was going to make it. I had everything I needed here, I just had to find it and figure out how to make use of it. I started filling my bag again and considered the merits of using the fruit to lure in some game to hunt.

  A chugging roar echoed through the enclosed forest, startling me badly. I dropped the fruit I had gathered, as the herd of katerri bounded past me in a panic. Behind them, pouncing and taking down a male katerri in its prime, was the largest hotar I had ever seen. I froze as it pinned its prey with its extra long claw and tore into it with its sharp fangs. I glanced around wildly. It was too late for me to run. The hotar would attack if it noticed me. Slowly, I shifted a step back. The hotar’s golden eyes rolled up. Keep moving. Don't follow me, I thought. But, the hotar rose to its feet. Standing, it was nearly as tall as I was. Its furry ear tufts raised up in the air and it barred its teeth in a low growl. Fear locked a scream in my throat. I kept backing away through the trees, but the hotar stalked towards me. Suddenly, my back hit a cold wall.

  I slid carefully sideways, hand searching the icy wall behind me, eyes locked on the approaching beast. My fingers found a wall opening and I slid inside the dark chamber. The hotar crouched, a prelude to its pounce. Frantically, I pulled the handle to close the opening. I dropped my crutch, ignoring the pain in my leg and pulled for all I was worth. The hotar launched itself at me. With an ear-piercing squeal, I managed to get the door mostly shut, enough so that the hotar struck it with a resounding bang. A small gap remained. The hotar scraped at the gap with its claws, but couldn't reach me. I went around the opening and leaned on the handle, using my weight to close it fully. The hotar pulled its claw out as I slid it the last of the way shut. Then, I was trapped in the darkness.

  I flinched as the beast struck the door again and again. The squeal of its main claw running down the outside of the closure rang through the room. I didn't dare move around without light: some of the rooms had holes in the floors. I leaned down on my good leg and searched the dark with chilled fingers for my missing crutch. My leg ached, but had held up under use. I might be able to stop using the crutch someday soon, I realized, distracting myself from what was outside.

  Eventually, the bangs and squeals stopped. The silence was a relief. I realized then that I had a new problem. I couldn't open the door without the hotar seeing me, but I wouldn't know where the hotar went if I didn't look out. Plus, by opening the door, which would undoubtedly be noisy, I opened myself to attack. I didn't know what to do.

  How could I have forgotten about the droppings I found before the storm? There hadn't been a great deal of sign, but I felt foolish for thinking that it wouldn't hunt the same katerri that I planned to hunt. I had to leave. I couldn't stay here. I certainly couldn't kill that thing. Its reach was longer than my spear.

  Thinking of my spear, I winced. How stupid to go out without it, to think I was safe. I cursed myself soundly for being too excited by my finds to remember all the lessons I had learned as a child about surviving. I imagined the scathing response Ta'Bor would have of my folly. He would have been justified.

  I s
ucked in a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I had come too far building up my den to just abandon it. I would have to find a way to kill the hotar. With a herd of katerri to eat, it would be a threat all winter. But how could I kill it without getting killed or maimed in the process?

  I leaned against the wall and listened for the beast with one ear while I my mind sought a solution. I could lure the hotar with a butchered katerri corpse. But, where? I had to find a way to ambush it and kill it. I couldn't out run it. I couldn't get close enough to spear it myself. Its reach was far greater than my own. What about surrounding the bait with spears? Maybe I could trick the hotar to run into them. I smacked my head. Hotar were not that stupid. They were a smart predator, patient, able to wait for a long time before dropping on the prey they wanted.

  What if I placed bait in one of the small rooms for the hotar? Perhaps a katerri corpse? Once the beast went inside, I could close the opening and leave it there to starve to death. This idea excited me. The only time I would be in danger was when I went to close the opening. But, oh, there was that room with a damaged floor! I could put the katerri in the hole, the hotar would jump down, and surely that would give me enough time to seal it in.

  Making these plans gave me hope and determination. But right now, I needed to figure out how to get back to my den. Perhaps waiting was the answer. Hotar tended to take their kill to a secure place to eat. Up a tree. Back to its den. I would wait a little longer.

  When I could not stand the suspense any more, I pulled the closure open a hand span and peered out. No movement. There were multiple tracks, back and forth, in front of the opening in the snow. The hotar had stayed for some time before leaving. The tracks suggested that it went back the way it came, probably to retrieve its kill. I waited a few more minutes, watching for any sign of it, then pulled the closure open wide enough to slip out, wincing at the squeal it made.

  I was about to hurry across to where my rooms were when I noticed the shadow at my feet. I looked up and saw the hotar on the ledge of the level above me, looking down, snarling silently. I fled back inside the room and slid the door shut. One claw swiped in the door, but missed me. I closed the opening so quickly that I trapped its claw momentarily. As the hotar struggled to free itself, I pulled my dagger and stabbed it repeatedly in the paw. A coughing roar told me I hit my mark. I had made it even angrier. Its paw pulled free and I closed the opening. A shudder ran through me. I was safe. It couldn't reach me. But I couldn't escape back to my den either.

  Another bang from the outside made me move away from the entrance. The darkness was absolute. I used the wall as a guide and tested each step before putting weight on it to make sure it was solid. Another hollow bang rang through the room, followed by a low huffing roar of frustration. I eased myself down to sit on the cold floor, blade still clutched in my shaking hand, right leg stretched out in front of me. I shivered in the darkness for a long time, listening to the silence. The silence before had tricked me. My stomach began growling. Hotar were patient hunters, but they would never leave a fresh kill on the ground for this long. That, plus the injury, had hopefully convinced it to retreat.

  Like before, I moved cautiously. I checked the ledge above me and scanned the trees. A trail of blue-black blood led away in the melting snow. Slowly, with my head constantly swiveling around to look for movement, I eased across the indoor forest and made it to my den. Relieved, I slipped inside and closed the door firmly. My fire had gone out. It took a long time to relight with my numb hands, but I managed eventually. I sat in front of the warmth and chewed on a piece of dried meat.

  Once the snow was off the ground, I would need to kill the hotar quickly. It knew I was here and would hunt me just as easily as the katerri, maybe more so. I injured it. I was a threat to it now. It would have to either leave or kill me. Hotar did not leave their territory lightly. Only young males would relinquish an area to a larger, already settled predator. This hotar was obviously the dominant hunter in this area and, from its size, had been for a long time.

  I choked on a bitter laugh. All I had to do was kill a katerri and bait the trap without being attacked. And I could only limp along with my crutch.

  I stretched both legs out in front of me and pulled up the leggings. My left leg was straight and true. My right leg, however... I ran my hand along my lower leg feeling the bump where the bone was healing wrong. I had not set it correctly. Even if my leg healed enough to be usable, it would never be as good as my other leg. Damaged as I was, I couldn't hope to outrun the hotar.

  The Wanderer and Hunter wouldn't have saved my life this many times and given me the resources I had to survive, only to let me die now. This had to be a test. A test to see if I was worthy of what they gave me? The trap would work. I just had to figure out a way to protect myself while setting it up.

  I cataloged my options and weapons. My sling was next to useless. If I had better aim, then perhaps I could use it to deter an attack until I reached safety. I promised myself—once again—that I would remedy that lack if I survived this. My spear was an option. But, the hotar's reach was longer than it was. I could always make a longer spear, I mused. It wouldn't be as easy to use, but perhaps I could keep the hotar at bay, instead of opening myself to its reach. I could also attach something sharper than the fire-hardened tip of my current weapon. What about one of the hotar claws from the young one I killed a while back? An old hotar killed, in a way, by one of its own!

  So, I had a plan to trap and kill the beast. What could I do to lessen my danger? I wanted to lure it to the trap, so why not lure a katerri there too? I could place a pile of red fruit just inside the hive room that had the hole in the floor. Then when a katerri entered to eat, I could kill it and drag it further in. When the hotar came for the kill, I could also use my spear to keep the hotar inside the cave until I could seal it shut.

  The fire's warmth made me sleepy. With a tentative plan, I gave into a fitful sleep. Nightmares of claws tearing through the walls protecting me, and being chased tormented me all night.

  16

  The next day, I made not one, but two spears with hotar claw tips. I made them longer than normal and had to practice with them to become accustomed to their greater weight and to controlling them. I only had one chance to succeed. Despite everything I had survived, nothing had truly prepared me for what I was about to try. The snow was almost off the ground and I was running out of time. Another storm would undoubtedly come soon. I needed to gather while I could.

  Cautiously, I placed a pile of red fruit by the cave I had chosen, one almost directly across from mine. I just had to wait until the katerri showed up again. I took it as a sign of the Hunter’s approval when they appeared two mornings later. Frowning, I saw that no katerri were taking my bait. The snow was mostly gone from the ground and the remaining red fruit were falling from the trees. There was enough red fruit elsewhere to keep their attention. I fidgeted. After eating their fill, who knew when they would come back? There was nothing for it. I would have to kill one and drag it back to the cave as bait for the hotar. In fact, it might be a good idea to kill more than one. I needed the meat.

  I moved through the trees as carefully as I could using the crutch, freezing in place when the katerri noticed me. After a long moment, they went back to eating, ignoring me completely, and I began to approach again. I shuffled closer and readied my spear. There were two larger katerri grazing next to each other. I could stab one and then the other, providing my spear didn't get lodged. I had to do this just right. One of my targets looked at me, but I made the two jabs smoothly. I caught the first katerri in the neck and the second in the chest. The breath I didn't know I had been holding burst from my lungs. I couldn't believe how easily I killed them. Near jubilant at my success, I pulled out my spear.

  The hotar landed on the dying katerri, dropping from the branches above my head. I hadn't seen it. I screamed. It could have landed on me. I was too close. I wasn't ready. I made a frantic jab at t
he hotar with my bloodied spear. The beast swiped it away, breaking off the whole end of the spear, leaving me with a shortened stick and a ragged end.

  I fell backwards, dropping my crutch in alarm. I landed on my butt and started pushing myself backwards with my good leg. My right leg was so weak that it was near useless. I had to escape before it pounced, I thought frantically. I saw it open its mouth and roar at me, but I could barely hear it over the pounding in my ears. I scrambled backward. The hotar stalked towards me. Get up, get up, get up, my mind yammered. I used a tree to pull myself up to my feet, favoring my left leg, my eyes on the hotar.

  I screamed at it in fear and defiance. I jabbed my broken spear towards its shaggy head. It swiped its massive paw at my spear again, but I managed to pull it back in time. I limp-hopped backwards. There was no safe haven I would reach in time. I was looking at my death. In a sudden rush, the hotar charged me. I thrust at its head to make it back off, managing to nick it in the neck with the jagged point. Enraged, it kept coming.

  I staggered behind a tree, using its thick trunk to block as I dodged the beast. My right leg threatened to give out at any moment, and then I ran out of trees. As the hotar pounced, I made a desperate move and dove toward it, dodging under its claws, getting close enough to use my broken spear. I shoved my spear up as hard as I could, piercing the hotar's armpit as it landed on top of me. Its weight pushed the spear in deeper than I could have managed on my own.

  I lay trapped, struggling to breathe under the thrashing beast’s crushing form. Only my spear kept it from truly suffocating me. Hot liquid splashed over my hands and face. I pushed at the animal’s throat to keep its teeth from finding me, knowing that my feeble efforts could not stop it from killing me. After a brief time, I realized that it had stopped thrashing. I looked up into its glazed, golden eyes, a hand's length from my face, and realized the hotar was dead.