“You know, maybe we should go back?” Fillion said, looking worried.
“I can’t leave not knowing whether there are more nahual this close to my farm,” Etran said. “I have to make sure there aren’t more in there.”
“We aren’t leaving,” Millinith said. She started digging in her satchel. “This is the first nahual den I have ever found.”
“Well, did anyone bring weapons?” Fillion whispered. He was hanging at the back, nervously eyeing the den.
“I always carry my sword with me,” Etran replied, quietly drawing the sturdy weapon.
Aeron took out his belt knife. The blade was only four inches long, but he didn’t have anything else. Besides, he knew magic, right? He held onto that thought.
Fillion, with a resigned look on his face, also drew a short knife from his belt. Millinith removed a lantern from her satchel and unshielded it, handing it to Etran. He took the lantern from her and, leading with his sword, carefully made his way into the den. He had to duck to enter. Millinith entered next, also crouched. Aeron and Fillion followed close behind. Everyone had to crouch low in the tunnel.
“I hope there aren’t any spiders,” Fillion muttered.
“Me too,” Aeron whispered and silently cursed Fillion mightily for making him think about spiders in the dark den.
The tight tunnel lead slightly upward. Two people could fit side by side, but it was close. The earthen walls, where Aeron placed his hands to steady himself as they made their way farther in, felt dry. The den wasn’t new, then. Also, Aeron began to smell the terrible odor of nahual.
“Ugh, can you smell that?” he asked.
“Yes,” Millinith replied. “We’re getting close to its lair.”
The tunnel’s upward trend ended. It was now more or less level as they went along. Aeron guessed they had made their way about twenty or twenty-five feet in. Ahead, Etran slowed and then stopped.
“The tunnel splits,” he whispered. “Should I go left or right?”
“A moment,” Millinith said. “I want to see the ground.”
Etran lowered the lantern and she studied the ground at the tunnel juncture for a bit. “Look how the floor is somewhat smoother to the right. It’s gotten more use. Let’s go that way.”
Etran nodded and headed right. Everyone followed, though Fillion moved closer to the two in front, leaving Aeron farther in the rear. Aeron kept looking back nervously, knife held up. He was sure something would jump them from the other tunnel. A bead of sweat dripped from his brow and down the side of his nose.
“It’s warm in here,” he remarked, heart pounding.
“Yes,” Millinith replied. “Without the cold outside air, this winter riding gear is making me uncomfortably warm.”
“Hold!” Etran said, quietly. He stopped suddenly and crouched down.
Ahead, a larger area loomed before them.
Millinith tapped Etran on the shoulder and motioned to him, indicating she wanted to go around the area in a counter-clockwise direction. Etran nodded and they slowly moved to the right, everyone keeping their eyes open for anything.
The room wasn’t very large, but the gloom made it seem bigger. The other side of the space was just on the edge of the soft light of the lantern. As they made their way about a fourth of the way around, they reached a raised bed of soil. It looked like a sleeping area of sorts, a bed about six feet around and maybe a foot above the ground. They continued their circuit of the room along the wall. They had nearly made their way around back to the tunnel, when they came across a disturbing find. A pile of dead animals. Rabbits, foxes, opossums and other small creatures, most of them apparently recently killed, were stacked haphazardly.
“I wondered why my traps weren’t catching as many as they used to,” Etran muttered. “That damned thing was hunting around here too.”
“Or maybe your traps were successful and the quarry stolen,” Millinith said, eyeing the pile of animals.
“Why would the thing catch or steal all these and then just leave them here?” Aeron asked, nervously eyeing the pile.
“A food store?” Fillion asked.
“Possibly,” Millinith said. “But hunting is easy in this area, why would it need to have a store?” She turned to Etran and said, “Please watch the opening. I want to have a closer look around.”
Etran nodded, handing her the lantern.
“No need,” she said, waving it away. “You hang onto that for now.” Aeron felt a short pulse of magic and a small globe of light appeared over her left shoulder as she made her way back to the sleeping area.
“What’s she doing?” Fillion asked.
“I’m not sure,” Aeron replied. He watched Millinith as she wandered around the ‘bed’ crouching down every now and then to examine something closer.
“Aeron,” Millinith called, “come see this.”
He duplicated the Dagur’s Gleam spell on his own shoulder and quickly made his way over to her. “What is it?” he asked.
“These branches,” she said pointing, “do you recognize them?”
Aeron looked at the small pile of branches, each thin and starting to dry. “Not really. Maybe if they had leaves?”
“I think they’re willow!” she said excitedly, snapping a long piece off one and placing it in her satchel. “And do you see this pile here?” she said, pointing.
“It looks like mushrooms and nuts and a few smallish berries.”
“Yes,” she said nodding. “Winter forage. And here,” she said moving over to the other side of the raised area, “this appears to be a separate sleeping area, yes?”
Aeron eyed the bed of soil. There did appear to be a separate area on the left side of the bed, a shallow area dug into the raised bed of soil, maybe half a foot or so deep and about two feet in diameter. “I suppose,” he replied dubiously.
“This is most interesting,” Millinith said, writing in her notebook. “This could explain why every corpse I have examined at attack sites has been female.”
“I don’t follow.”
“This nahual was preparing to reproduce.”
“To what?” Aeron was stunned.
“Think about it. Plenty of food on hand, willow branches for pain and a separate, small sleeping area.”
“Well, then why would it risk getting killed by attacking people so near to when it was going to have young?”
“Maybe nahual need animus in order to reproduce. That would explain much.”
“If that were true, it would,” Aeron slowly agreed. He wasn’t sure how they could survive out in the wilds, if that was the case, though. People weren’t everywhere in the world, so how did nahual survive, reproduce, without people out there?
Millinith interrupted his thoughts. “Let’s see what the other tunnel leads to.” She tucked her notebook in her carry-all and headed back to the opening.
The other tunnel lead to a toilet.
“Faugh!” Etran said when they got to the small room. “The stench is horrible.”
Aeron had to agree. The nahual seemed to only toss soil into the pit in the center of the room infrequently. Although the smell was terrible, it wasn’t as bad as the horrible thick smell he remembered from his dream, a weak version of which he had smelled in the main room.
Once they were outside again, everyone took deep breaths to clear the stench from their nostrils.
“I’ll be happy never to go into another place like that again,” Fillion said, sliding his knife back into its sheath on his belt.
“I’m in full agreement with you on that,” Etran said. He sheathed his sword and handed the lantern to Millinith. “It doesn’t appear that there were more nahual in there.”
“No,” Millinith said. “It seems like it was the female’s den alone.” She had a thoughtful look on her face. “Though, if she was preparing to reproduce, there may have been a male nearby. Assuming they have males and females, of course.”
“What do you mean?” Etran asked.
“Well,
there are some animals that have only one sex,” Millinith said, as she put away the lantern. “Perhaps the reason we have never seen a male nahual corpse is simply because there are no males.”
That thought seemed to keep everyone’s minds busy. No one spoke on the long trek back to the farmstead.
Is it time for fun yet? Anaya asked him as they rounded the corner of the barn.
Anaya’s plea brought Aeron out of his reverie. Oh, I’m sorry, love. That took a bit longer than I thought it would.
We should play in the snow.
That’s a great idea!
Aeron turned to Millinith. “I’m going to play with Anaya in the snow while you finish up. Let me know if you need me for anything.” He started running to Anaya.
“Hey, can I go too?” Fillion’s eyes were sparkling as he watched Anaya.
“Sure, come on!”
“Alright,” Millinith said. “I don’t have much more to do anyway.”
Aeron and Fillion were already halfway to Anaya, both eager to do anything that would wipe away thoughts of nahual and their dens.
“Don’t get too tired, though, we have to fly back to Caer Baronel soon!”
Aeron waved to her in acknowledgment as he and Fillion ran on.
Millinith smiled, shaking her head, and she and Etran returned to the farmhouse.
Anaya ran to a large drift of snow piled up on the side of a ravine cut into the side of the rise the barn sat on and, half jumping, half flying, leapt into the air and plunged directly into it, sending an enormous cloud of the powdery snow into the air.
Aeron laughed delightedly and ran and jumped into the drift as well. Seconds later, he heard Fillion plunge into the snow beside him. He stood up and snow fell from him as he laughed. Anaya stood as well and unfurled her wings, sending more snow flying up and around them.
Snow is fun!
Aeron laughed as Fillion, also laughing, stood up from the drift beside him. Aeron said, “Snow is definitely fun!” He made a snowball and threw it at Anaya, hitting her on her side.
Anaya sounded off with a mock roar and, with a flick of her wing, flung a shower of snow at Aeron.
Fillion laughed and threw a snowball at Aeron.
Aeron barely dodged it and watched Anaya rolling in the snow. They had spent many a day at the Caer playing in the snow. But for drifts as large as this one, they had to look outside the Caer proper, where the snow was shoveled and swept up. They had even used the ramp at the sinkhole as a large, snowy slide, a most awesome and fun way to spend an afternoon.
After several minutes romping around in the snow, the two boys were winded and Aeron called a rest.
“I can’t get too tired,” Aeron began, “or let Anaya tire herself out, as we have a long flight back home.”
I am not tired. I had another very nice nap while you were in the trees.
You slept in the snow?
No. I cleared a spot over there. She pointed her nose to a small cluster of trees, under which was a large area cleared of snow.
Oh. Well, I just want to be safe. You will be flying us back home soon. I don’t want to strain you on our first trip out.
I suppose you are right.
Aeron smiled at the resignation in her voice. I want this trip to be perfect. That way, there will be more!
The boys made their way to the farmhouse. Fillion sat next to Aeron on the front steps, eyes on Anaya. “What’s it like? Flying?”
“It’s amazing and scary at the same time,” Aeron replied. “You are way up in the sky, so you can see forever all around, including all the way to the ground below you. It can make you panic a bit, but I’ve gotten used to it now.”
Fillion nodded. “I once climbed nearly to the top of a large pine tree near my house. It was spine-shivery how high I was. I can just imagine how scary it is flying even higher.”
“Well, we do have safety straps we use,” Aeron said, fingering the steel rings on his riding gear that were used with the straps. “We are strapped in pretty well to help keep us in the saddle.”
“Oh, I see. So that riding gear really is designed to help you while riding her.”
“Yep. It isn’t just to seem, I don’t know, exotic or anything. It really is functional.”
“. . . a lot you can learn from examining them,” Millinith was saying as she and Etran walked out the front door of the farmhouse.
“If you could explain what you are seeing,” Etran said, as he followed her down the steps, “I’d be grateful.”
“Of course.” Millinith stopped and looked at Aeron. “We’re going to study the tracks for a few minutes, and then I will be ready to go.”
Aeron nodded. “Okay.”
Millinith and Etran headed around the side of the house.
“I suppose I can take the horses back, so, you know, you two can leave straight from here,” Fillion said.
“You’re not worried about nahual?”
“Nah. For one, it’s still light out for a while, and also, I’m pretty sure my horse and I can outrun a nahual, and the other horses as well. We’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t think we’ll have another attack for a while. At least I hope not.”
“Well, be sure and thank your father for the use of the horses, and for you, to guide us here.”
“I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Just wait until I tell my friends about Anaya!” His expression grew concerned. “I can tell them about her, right?”
“Sure. Everyone is eventually going to know about her, so I don’t see why not.”
“Golden!”
About half an hour later, Aeron and Millinith were packing up and getting ready to leave.
“You’re sure you can take the horses back by yourself?” Millinith asked Fillion.
“I’ll be fine. We learn to be self-reliant out here,” he said.
Etran laughed. “True enough, young Fillion. True enough.”
Millinith smiled at the boy. “If you say so. Thank your father for us, will you? And thank you for bringing us out here.”
“I will, and you’re welcome.”
“We’ll keep Elder Cayo informed of anything we find,” she said to Etran and Fillion.
After Millinith placed the last of her things in the saddlebags, she and Aeron donned their winter flying gear, mounted up, and strapped in. Anaya lifted up from the ground with a powerful push from her legs. Her strong wing beats lifted them higher and higher until they were fully airborne, and then she took them home.
Aeron couldn’t get to sleep. He kept tossing and turning in his bed, thinking about the day. He tried to still his thoughts, but was having difficulty.
They had arrived back at the Caer just before dinner. Master Doronal and Master Canneth had been very happy with Millinith’s short verbal recap of the trip. Both masters had several questions for her and for Aeron as well. Afterward, they had examined Anaya and found her to be fully fit and not strained at all, which pleased Aeron immensely. Anaya had once told him that she could carry Willem, Sharrah and himself, all together. After the masters’ examination, Aeron had realized that, contrary to what they had initially thought, perhaps she hadn’t just been boasting. Millinith had returned to her room immediately after dinner to start work on converting her many notes into a formal report, which she said would be ready in a few days.
Everything had gone very well, he thought. So why couldn’t he get to sleep? He lay back on his pillow and sighed. Because his mind would not stop its rapid pace! He kept thinking of the damn nahual. And also about what Elder Cayo had said. And what Fillion had said. And the tears Gurt had shed for his cousin, killed by the nahual. All the events from the day kept spinning around in his mind.
Aeron thought again about their young guide. Fillion had been right. Life could be very short, especially with nahual and their increasing attacks. He thought of the dirty, dusty closeness of the nahual den. It had been very unsettling to him. And because life could be so short, did he want to share his life with someone, some
one in addition to Anaya? Yes, he had to admit. Then why wasn’t he seeing someone? Well, first off, because he hadn’t been ready before, hadn’t thought seriously about it. And second, who? He wasn’t going to just pick someone at random. He needed to feel . . . something. That same spark he had felt for Cella.
He thought again about Elder Cayo and people finding their place in the world. Had he found his place? He thought so, but was it enough? The foretelling of Trader Dellia popped into his head once again. He and Anaya chasing nahual. Well, they already were, somewhat, weren’t they? But he got the sense from the trader that in her vision they were after the nahual itself, not just clues and hints about it.
He shook his head in frustration. More thoughts! His brain needed to stop thinking so he could fall asleep!
He stood up, grabbed a blanket and a pillow and walked out the door in his bedroom that lead directly to Anaya’s den. She was curled up, asleep. Aeron quietly made his way over to her and lay down in the space between her curled tail and her limbs, against her belly.
Awakened by his movement, Anaya raised her head, opened her outer eyelids, and saw him lying against her, his eyes closed. She extended her wing a bit over him and laid her head back down, closing her own eyes.
Eventually, Anaya’s slow heartbeat and the calming scent of her lulled Aeron into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 24
Hemday, Primory 27, 1874
Afternoon
Sitting in the private meeting room, Doronal leaned back in the chair and nodded. “Yes, she said she will have the final report ready today.”
“We’re actually going to meet with the team to review it after our meeting here is complete,” Canneth said.
“Excellent.” Lord Baronel smiled. “All the information we can gather is important. It helps us with my main concern, controlling and hopefully eliminating nahual in our vicinity. I also want to repay the courtesy everyone has extended to us. They have allowed us on their lands, spoken with us, and assisted us in this endeavor. They too want to be able to deal with nahual, and I want to assist them in any way we can.”
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