Into the Forest Shadows

by J. A. Marlow

  One of the beetles landed on the trunk of a nearby tree, whipping his wings so fast that the singing turned into a shriek. Kate put her hands to her ears to block out the horrible sound.

  "Great, what do we do now?" Kate asked.

  "We find a way around it. A little hard considering I didn't see exactly where the hive is located. And I don't want to make a mistake and fall down one of the burrows and be eaten alive," Ayden said.

  She glared at him. "You're just trying to scare me."

  He glared right back at her, "Tell me one animal that doesn't protect its home and its young."

  Kate couldn't help a hard shiver going through her. She peeked out from under the bush. No beetles, but they had to still be out there. Lurking in shadows, just waiting to pounce the moment they emerged.

  "We can't stay here all night," Kate murmured.

  "Trust me, I know that," Ayden said testily.

  A shape in the canopy flew through the branches. Before Kate could point to it a mass of beetles converged on it. The shape disappeared in a flurry of singing wings.

  Ayden pulled at her arm, gesturing at her to follow. He crawled out from under the bush. Her hands and knees crunched against the dry leaves and twigs that had fallen on the floor. She recoiled at the touch of something slimy, brushing a hand against her pants before continuing.

  He rose to his feet and started running. Her basket banged against her shin as she followed him further into the forest. Her ears attuned themselves to the returning sound of singing wings, but couldn't hear any noise other than the sound of the two of them crashing through the underbrush.

  Ayden led the way to a small rise and stopped. Kate was thrilled to stop. She bent over, sucking air into her lungs.

  "Well, that was a bit of excitement," Ayden said with a laugh. "Good time for a meal to fly by."

  "Glad you find it so amusing. You were kidding about eating us, right?"

  "Only if you fall into the burrow," Ayden clarified.

  "Great, you weren't kidding."

  "We'll walk along this ridge as far as possible. The beetles always make their nests in hollows or depressions."

  "And when this ridge ends?" Kate asked, standing up straighter.

  "We'll figure that out once we get to it," Ayden said with a shrug. "Let me know if you hear any fast clicking."

  Ayden walked swiftly away. She demanded. "What do you mean fast clicking?"

  "You'll know it when you hear it," Ayden said over his shoulder.

  Kate groaned. She forced herself to start moving forward.

  She strained to hear the beetles. She also searched for one of the Trailing Willows. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen one since they'd left the shuttle.

  It concerned her. What would they do if the fog came before getting to Grandmother's house?

  Kate opened her mouth to ask Ayden, only to find he'd stopped. Kate caught up with him, trying to see what he so intently stared at. A few breaks in the trees allowed her to see a portion of the mountains.

  A thick fog had descended in one big cloud towards the base of the mountains. The bank blocked out the tops of the trees, appearing as if it were covered with snow right down to the base.

  "That doesn't look good," Kate said.

  "No, it doesn't."

  She didn't care for the worried expression on his face.

  He led the way back into the shadows of the forest. They dropped down the ridge and struck out across a relatively flat area filled with the larger and taller trees with the bright purple leaves. No matter how quietly she tried to walk the crunch of dead leaves met each of her footsteps.

  Holding the basket grew annoying. Kate wished for a backpack like Ayden's to carry everything in. And why did her cape have to get caught on anything close to her? And her basket? She'd never felt so clumsy before.

  She jumped at a sharp bump on her head.

  A purple and blue seed pod dropped to the forest floor at her feet. Kate rubbed the top of her head and looked up.

  Just in time to see another one heading straight for her.

  Kate squealed and ran. A shower of seed pods rained down, some hitting her head, some her shoulders or bouncing off of the cloth cover of her basket.

  Ayden put up an arm to protect his head, breaking out into a run. But the shower of seed pods followed. Good grief, aerial attacks by the trees now?

  He pulled her up next to a tree. He glared into the canopy.

  Then Kate's ears picked up the sound of chittering and what sounded like laughter. Small bodies ran up and down the limbs above them, but they were too far up to see what kind of creature they might be. They couldn't be the forest-floor dwelling bunts.

  "What just happened?" Kate asked.

  Ayden turned away from the chattering creatures with disgust. "Some of the animals don't like humans in the forest. Lately they've been playing tricks on us. We do our best to ignore them."

  "You mean they are doing this on purpose?"

  "Oh yeah. They did it once in a while before but it's been getting really bad lately. Come on. No point in staying and giving them two easy targets," Ayden said, gesturing forward.

  Kate looked up once more. Several bodies had stopped in a line on one thick limb, staring straight down. Straight down at her.

  "Uh, just how intelligent are these things?" Kate asked, turning to follow him.

  "Depends on the creature, of course. The tree lemurs are intelligent, but they can't talk in our language like other forest creatures can."

  "I think you're giving them a little too much credit," Kate said.

  "You're so sure of that?" Ayden asked, throwing a smirk back at her.

  She'd only said it to make herself feel better, but with the smirk no way would she back down. She pushed heavy branches out of her way, trying to keep them from whipping around to hit her in the face. She whirled at a sharp tug from behind. The branches snapped back, striking her hard in the middle of the back and nearly knocking her over.

  Kate pulled at her cape, trying to get it free of what had entangled it. Gathering up the folds of the cape, she found one corner of it wrapped tightly in a coil of flexible white root. A root that was tied to the thick branch of a nearby tree.

  A small black creature with bright eyes appeared next to the tree, rising to its haunches. She found herself the sole focus of its attention over a long nose with a white patch of fur near rounded ears. It put one long and nimble paw on the line and tugged, glaring at her.

  No doubt in her mind that it had been done on purpose.

  Kate yanked off the knot. The creature watched as she backed away. Ayden's mouth twitched with amusement, but he didn't say anything.

  Kate marched past him, "Okay, so maybe a few of them have brains. Not another word."

  "Nope, not another word," Ayden said in a voice on the brink of laughter.

  Know-it-all Gatherers, attacking tree lemurs, electrocution by fog, human-eating beetles...

  When she got to Grandma's house she wasn't going anywhere for a week.

  #

  "Ms. O'Hanson? Ranger Tottori would like to speak with you in Inter-Planetary Communications."

  Mary O'Hanson looked up at the Ranger from the rock ledge she'd been sitting on under the shade of a bushy tree with bright purple leaves while waiting for Kate's shuttle to return. The rugged features of the Ranger's face held a controlled quality that put her on edge. The last time she'd seen a similar expression was when she and Travis had been asked to explain why their company scheduled an extra freight run to the planet. A freight run she'd not known about before the meeting.

  Mary found her voice, "Is there a problem, Ranger?"

  "Please follow me." the Ranger gestured towards the tall central buildings that made up the core of the human settlement on Oburos.

  Mary slid off the ledge. The sound of engines made her look up. She spotted a dark spot in the sky, but it approached on the standard planetary approach vectors to the city. That meant an off-world tran
sport and not Kate's shuttle.

  Another ship. Meaning more people arriving at the colony thinking they could make their fortunes with the byproducts of the unique forest. Just before entering the main Spaceport building her practiced eye identified the new ship as a Series V Galaran transport.

  By morning it would be filled with those unable to take the restrictive living necessary on Oburos. Such as the extensive recycling which meant many common luxury goods from other worlds were not welcome on Oburos. Or the small living quarters, most of which did not have outer windows. The restrictions and permits needed to make trips into the forest, and what plants and items could be harvested in the forest.

  The cargo hold would be filled with the valuable byproducts of the forest destined to be delivered throughout the Interplanetary Confederacy. Most of it would be from the Blackstone Corporation, the business started by her grandmother.

  With the day-to-day operations overseen by Travis. He excelled at running the Blackstone Corporation profitably, but his enthusiasm frustrated her at times. She'd put off dinner that night because of it. She didn't want to talk to him any more about the financial changes he wanted to make which included him taking stock. Some of it sounded risky. Somehow she had to find a polite way to say something without causing any problems.

  Two women at terminals looked up as they walked into the main Inter-Planetary Communications office. Mary recognized Ranger Tottori's dark hair at one of the stations. He glanced towards the door, and seeing her he straightened his uniform coat and quickly walked over to her.

  A large display on one side of the room showing a map of the human area. Over the map clearly defined approach vectors to each of the Gatherer Camps showed no activity.

  Where was Kate's shuttle? It certainly hadn't arrive back at the city.

  Ranger Tottori pulled her to the side of the room. "There's been a problem."

  In a flash Mary found herself in the past. Barely a teen, the same words shattering her world. Father holding her hand so tight it hurt as the Ranger explained the situation. Still no communications with or help from other worlds. The hulk of their crashed ship still in the deep scar at the end of the peninsula and the start of the buildings that would eventually become the city after it became obvious no help would be coming.

  After the scouting mission didn't return on time.

  "We have confirmation your daughter was on the shuttle along with a Gatherer named Ayden Jarreau." Ranger Tottori continued.

  Mary forced herself out of the memories. "What happened to the shuttle?"

  "Electrical fog is rolling through the area. We received telemetry that the shuttle was losing altitude before we lost contact."

  Mary sucked in her breath. Just like last time. "When will a rescue party be at the crash site?"

  "The fog is lingering and indications are a bank will roll into the area tonight. We dare not send another shuttle out until the fog clears. However, we successfully turned the shuttle back to Ms. Blackstone's site."

  "You've called Mother? Is Kate injured?"

  "Communications to Blackstone Station are down. We've had no response to our calls."

  "That doesn't make sense. The communication relay is sheltered in the tree. The fog shouldn't affect it," Mary said.

  Ranger Tottori studied at the map, "Ayden is a competent Gatherer, I know his Uncle Henry quite well. He'll take care of your daughter. We'll keep you informed of any updates as we have them, but don't expect anything tonight unless we regain communications with Blackstone Station."

  "She may not be inside yet." Ranger Tottori said a few more things she didn't remember once she left the room. Her little girl had likely been in a shuttle crash. She didn't know if her daughter survived or not. Kate didn't have much fear, and there was a lot to fear in the forest. Mary should have sat down and talked a few things over with her, given her a few more warnings.

  Or said a proper goodbye.

  A surge of anger welled up in her at the missed opportunity. She moved down the halls of the spaceport and into the main city with solid steps. Travis could have been more patient at the shuttle. He was known for his patience and goodwill with everyone else.

  And why couldn't Kate be more understanding?

  Mary yearned to have a close family again, like what she remembered before Grandma's crash. Before Oburos regained contact and travel with the Interplanetary Confederacy. If only Kate would stop rebelling maybe she could see what a close family they could be.

  Somehow she found herself in front of the offices of the Blackstone Corporation. The guilt pushed down at the anger. After her marriage to his brother, Travis had taken the helm of the main offices and pushed the company to new heights. Since Mary and Kate came back to the planet he'd been there for them.

  With the suppressed anger, the fear reappeared.

  She walked straight through the main room filled with desks to one of the private offices along the back. She let herself into the room.

  Travis sat at his desk with a large window behind him framing a view of the ocean and some of the fields. One corner showed a portion of the multi-colored wall of trees surrounding the human habitation. A few colorful native plants in pots graced the high windowsill.

  "I asked not to be disturbed while working on this contract." Travis looked up with a deep scowl on his face. His face cleared when he saw her, a smile transforming him into the caring man she knew. "Good afternoon, Mary. Have you changed your mind about having dinner tonight? Kate is invited, of course."

  Mary felt her facade crumble. Still standing next to the door she broke down crying.

  Travis rushed forward. "What is it?"

  Mary managed to explain in a haphazard way she knew wasn't making much sense. Travis held her tight, rubbing her back.

  He leaned away from her with a soft smile, "Kate will be fine. The shuttle is well built and surely made it to the ground safely. We'll have dinner tonight to get this off your mind and in the morning we'll know more."

  "She's my daughter. She'll always be on my mind."

  "Of course. That's not what I meant." He handed her a tissue, then squeezed her arm.

  Mary wiped away the moisture on her cheeks, "Not all shuttles land safely. I should know!"

  "You can't compare this to the accident your mother survived all that time ago." A beep at the desk signaled Travis stepping back. "I want you to go home. I have a few calls to take care of and then I'll be down. We'll talk about the weather, the food, the business. I have more ideas concerning the financial. Go on, I'll be there soon."

  With a hand to her back he quickly guided her out of the office. Mary found herself with the door closed behind her, confused as to what had just happened, and feeling even more upset than before.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ayden slowed down, which was just as well. The moment he entered into the shadows the earthy colors of his clothes made him disappear right in front of Kate's eyes.

  The light from a full moon settled on her head. With her eyes adjusted to the soft glow of the forest, it hurt to look at it. A dark shape flew past the blindingly bright orb.

  Oh great, another beetle.

  Wait, no. Beetles didn't flap their wings like a bird. She'd heard of the huge flying birds and reptiles in the forest, a few of them hunters. She thought she'd seen one near the city once.

  But the thing in front of the moon looked huge. Huge enough to make bumps rise on her arms. The fact it looked like it was carrying something didn't help her imagination any.

  Good, it was heading for the mountains.

  Kate shivered, hurrying after Ayden. First beetles, and now a hunting bird. She didn't like the thought of one of them diving down at her, possibly considering her a meal.

  A little further and Kate recognized the wide area between trees as the landing area for the shuttles. She smiled at the familiarity of it all. "We're here!"

  "About time," Ayden muttered, not stopping.

  "And no signs of fog. This is gr
eat!" Kate said, skipping in excitement.

  A low thrumming came from Ayden. Low and fast, it barely hovered in her ability to hear. Kate looked at his back, "I hope that isn't you."

  A small body jumped out of his coat and bounced twice on the ground. The dark shape scurried into the trees.

  "Aw, come on, Bunbun! Not now!" Ayden groaned.

  Kate stopped next to him. "What's wrong with him?"

  "He does that when he's frightened," Ayden said. He turned partially towards her, "Go ahead. I need to get him before he gets into trouble or lost. I'll be right behind you."

  Ayden took off after BunBun. Kate sighed, watching him go. Thank goodness she was on familiar ground.

  She picked her way along the path towards the house. A soft light filtered out one window, making the last portion even easier to walk. Never had she been so glad to see the odd house set in the midst of a tree.

  Kate quickly crossed the remaining distance. A shape moved on the other side of the lit window. She knocked and her hand dropped to the door latch.

  Through the closed door a rough voice demanded, "Who is it?"

  Kate's hand froze on the latch. "Uh, Grandma? It's me, Kate. The shuttle crashed. Has Mom called you?"

  The door flew open. Grandma blinked at her, looking out in the woods past her. Her eyes came back to Kate. "Kate, my grand-daughter. Yes, yes, please come in."

  Grandma stepped back into the dimly lit cottage. Kate paused, going over the scruffy appearance. Grandma's normally well-groomed hair stuck out in multiple directions. An apron around her waist was tied crookedly. No shoes, or even slippers, on her feet.

  Kate let the door quietly swing close and latch behind her. "Are you doing okay, Grandma?"

  Grandma cleared her voice while picking a pile of computer storage disks off the sofa. "Of course. How are you?"

  "A little shaken up. I've never been in a crash before. Do you think we could call Mom? She's going to be really worried. I should have been home hours ago."

  "I don't think it's working right now. Fog came through not long ago," Grandma said.