by Sarah Hite
Javi laughed when Palo responded, If you have not figured that out yet, boy, you are in trouble.
You would not believe it if we told you, Alamine said. She looked over at Torak and asked, Should we tell them?
Torak shook his head, “I’m sure they’ll figure it out by the time we reach the Caverns. We should get started.” He asked Akio to take the lead since his sense of direction was temporarily skewed, and the small group started their long day’s journey.
Several hours later Torak called the group to rest under a small group of trees. There was a thin creak that wormed its way through the trees on its way to join the river. The young prince slowly laid down in the shade of a large oak and looked over his wards. The children were spread out in the shady glen; most of them were falling asleep. He looked over at Neela, who was curled up with her younger siblings. She had not been as much of a pain today, for which he was thankful, but she was still not on her best behavior.
Shanni was keeping up better as well. She seemed to be feeling better and had more energy; she preferred to stay with Lukair, Akio, or himself. He looked up when Akio walk over. “How are you?” the boy asked.
“Better. The dizziness has worn off, and I feel more like myself. I’m tempted to take a nap, but it seems like whenever I do, it makes it worse.” He changed the subject. “How long do you think until we reach the river?”
“Maybe another hour, but my uncle said someone would be waiting for us next to it. They are supposed to help get the children across.” The boys looked over at Lukair. The young man had called their attention to Alamine. She was pacing back and forth along the edge of the stream.
Torak stood and the boys walked over. “Alamine?” Torak asked. She stopped pacing and looked up him. “Are you alright?”
Something is not right. Something does not feel right.
Torak lowered his head to look at her. Do we need to stay here for a while? he asked, thinking she might be in labor.
She looked up at him and shook her head. No, I think we should get as far away from here as we can. I feel like we are being watched. I do not like it. She looked around at the trees uneasily. I have felt this way before, then I was attacked by a mountain cat. I think we are being stalked, hunted.
Torak looked around the trees. He saw nothing out of the ordinary and sniffed the air. There was an unfamiliar sent, and he did not like it. It reminded him of the cougars he had fought to save Akina. “Wake the kids. We’re leaving.”
“But they just laid down. What is going on?” Akio asked, confused and alarmed.
“I think she’s right. We need to leave.” Akio looked up at his friend and nodded. They began waking the children and quickly got them on their feet. Lukair picked up Tomel and Zema and set them on his shoulders. Alamine took a place next to Palo and Eira on Torak’s back, and they quickly left the glen.
After a while Torak asked if the older Pebblines would help Akio find their way. After they had joined the adolescent, he and Alamine back-tracked the trail. Torak sniffed the air and could not find the cat’s scent. Likewise, Alamine could not find a trace of the predator either. Hoping they had lost the animal, or the cat had gotten tired and left, they returned to the rest of the group. Torak could now smell water and knew they were close to the river. After a few more minutes he heard the roar of an enormous amount of fast moving water. They left the trees and found themselves on the edge of a short ravine. The river was at the bottom and the ground below met it on the other side.
“It is huge!” Akio exclaimed.
Torak agreed. “I wasn’t expecting this. I thought it would be the same level on each side, not a cliff on one and plain, level ground on the other.” He looked around and saw the army only about four hundred yards away. Most of the warriors were gathered on the other side. Those in the air were helping others across. “Come on, let’s get as close to them as we can before they all leave.” Mentally he added, so only Alamine and Akio could hear, The closer we are to them, the less chance of any predators attacking.
They reached the ledge just as the last of the wounded touched down on the other side. One of the larger dragons looked up and saw the children above. He stepped away from the warriors and leapt into the sky. Alamine had not seen him leave; she was studying the trees behind them, slowly looking over each one. She had only looked through a few when she suddenly froze. Torak, get the children out of here!
He turned to see what she meant when a mountain cat launched itself out of the trees. Zema squeaked in surprise as she was tackled off of Lukair’s shoulder. She hit the ground hard, and tried to roll over, but the cat landed on her before she could. Torak swatted the cat off her and commanded Akio take as many of the children to the army as he could. Palo, Eira, and Daro launched themselves off the cliff with no further prompting. Javi took flight, circling around, and picked up Tomel, who protested loudly about leaving his sister behind.
The child was not without help though, Alamine had gotten the hatchling to her feet and to the safety of a hollow underneath a nearby boulder before the cat could get back up. Nori and Eika ducked behind Lukair, while Neela refused to leave her siblings. Shanni hid behind Torak. “Your sibs will be alright, Neela. They’re too big to be the cat’s target. Now go!” Torak demanded while he held the cat at bay. She hesitated a moment longer before leaping off the cliff. The approaching dragon had seen the children’s reaction to the cat and had put on a burst of speed. He landed behind the cat and growled, scarring it away. “You kids alright?” he asked.
Torak looked up at the Ice dragon and nodded, “I think so. Alamine, do have Zema?”
Alamine crawled out from under the boulder, Zema right behind her. The child was shaking and her eyes were wide. Ketowa looked her over but could not find any injuries. “Let’s get off this cliff before the cat comes back,” the shaman suggested. They all agreed and Torak gathered the remaining children together. As Ketowa picked Shanni up to leave, Elder and Seoung landed on the bluff.
“We heard what happened. Is everyone alright?” Seoung asked.
Torak nodded. “No one got hurt, but I don’t think Zema will sleep tonight.” He turned to the child who was still trembling behind Alamine. The elders agreed that she would more than likely find sleep difficult, and would probably have nightmares about the cat if she did sleep. Elder suggested they leave and took Nori in his forelegs. Seoung followed his lead and picked up Eika. Torak gently picked Zema up. She flinched, so he spoke to her soothingly. Alamine asked if he would be able to carry her as well; she wanted to stay with the child and help her calm down. He agreed and adjusted his hold on her to pick the chieftain up. Then he left with the others.
They landed within a few minutes and were met by the rest of the children, and Alani. “Thank the Ancestors,” the queen said when they landed. “Did anyone get hurt?”
“No, not physically anyway,” Seoung answered. He let Eika go and watched as she ran to Neela; they were met a moment later by Nori. Torak spotted Tomel pacing anxiously a few feet away. He let Alamine climb out of his paw before carrying Zema over to her brother. Tomel stopped pacing and looked up when Torak’s shadow fell over him. The prince said nothing, but set Zema down next to the little Pebbline. Zema! Tomel squeaked, running to her. He embraced her and added, You okay? She nuzzled him in return and nodded. She was still trembling but seemed happy to be with him again.
Midafternoon Torak found himself deep within the forest that surrounded the Eastern Caverns. He was not in a good mood. Against his better judgement, he had fallen asleep at one of the resting points, and as usual, woke up dizzy. To make matters worse, a headache had developed. When he had trouble standing after his nap, Ketowa had told his father that the sluggish response of his pupils could possible give the boy temporary blindness. Which is exactly what happened. The extra sensitivity aided in causing his headache, whereas the over-extended section of his brain did the rest.
Alamine sat at his back; she was watching him closely. He had again as
ked Akio to take the lead and hung back. He could follow, but leading someone else would be difficult, another reason Alamine had opted to join him. She wanted to keep an eye on his footing so he would not stumble. The chieftain stopped aiding him to look over at Neela and Daro. Their facial expressions displayed their argument.
What is going on you two? she asked projecting her words so Torak could hear.
He stopped walking and waited for them to answer. Neela said nothing, but the look in her eyes replied for her. She glanced at Daro again before yelling, “I did not!” She ran off into the woods before anyone could stop her.
“Neela!” Torak exclaimed. When she did not stop, he turned to Daro. “Okay Daro, out with it.”
“Out with what? I did not do anything to her,” he claimed and turned away.
Akio had turned the group around and asked what happened. “Someone got Neela upset. She took off.” He glanced at Daro, then added. “I have to go after her.”
I will help you find her, Alamine said. He nodded and turned into the woods in the direction she went. Akio watched them for a moment before asking, “What do you want the rest of us to do?”
“Follow us…at a distance. I don’t want to scare her off,” Torak responded.
Akio agreed and had the children follow him into the woods. They followed about twenty feet behind Torak and Alamine. The chieftain guided him through the trees and across a shallow creek bed to the edge of an open field. There they found Neela, sitting under a tree about fifty feet away. Mentally Torak told Akio to have the children wait while he talked to her. He left the tree line and cautiously approached her.
“Neela?” he asked, drawing her attention. Startled, she looked up at him, but did not run. He sat down next to her and let silence fall between them. After a few minutes Alamine crawled down off of his back and spoke to her. She still did not say much but spoke to the chieftain quietly. After a while longer, Torak asked, “Do you feel like telling me what happened?”
She looked up at him, her eyes sad, showing the emotional hurt she felt. “Why would you care?”
“I know we don’t get along, but you’re still my responsibility, and whether you want to believe it or not, you matter to me. My uncle asked me to watch over you because he knew I would get you back to your parents,” he replied.
“Why did he think that?” she asked, not wanting to believe him.
“Because… I’ve had practice. When my sister and I were separated from our parents, I kept her safe, until we found them again. Now she’s with our mother in the Middle Kingdom, and I’m here with Father.”
She looked up at him, and after a few more moments of silence, she quietly told them what had happened. “He said…. he said it was my fault my sibs fell off the cliff, and it was my fault the cat attacked. He said I was too loud, that I drew the cat to us. He said I almost got my siblings killed, but I did not! I did not.” Her shoulders sagged and her head drooped, showing the pain and fear she felt. The emotional hurt was also displayed in her voice.
Torak looked down at Alamine; she shook her head but allowed the prince to speak. “No, Neela, your siblings fall could have happened to any of us. That cliff was unstable to begin with. That’s why Kwan wanted to take it slow. He knew it could give way, and wanted to avoid it all together, but he couldn’t get cut off from the army. He chose to take that path, but tried to stress the stones as little as possible.”
Alamine agreed and added, That cat would have attacked us anyway, but it was not after your siblings, they are too big for it. That is why Zema was the target. She is the smallest, and weakest one in our group. None of it was your fault.
While they spoke, Torak was examining the field beyond. “Speaking of cats, we should probably leave.” There were several mountain cats on the other end of the field. They were nearing something laying in the tall grass. He studied the cats for a moment, then a slight movement caught his eye. The thing that had attracted the cats’ attention was moving. He studied it for a moment as Alamine led Neela back into the woods. “Wait a minute, I know that shape.” He suddenly pulled back. Alarmed, he called out for Lukair. The young man ran from the trees and Torak kneeled down so he could climb on his back; he barely gave him time to hold on before taking off.
Akio, Alamine, and the rest of the children watched from the edge of the field as Lukair pulled his sword free and jumped off Torak’s back while he was still several feet in the air. The moment he hit the ground, he began chasing off the cats. Torak landed and growled as one of them bit down on what would have been its dinner. He batted the cat off of its prey and roared his anger at the predators, scaring most of the cats away. It took a few minutes to chase the remaining cats off, but they were soon left alone in the field. The friends looked down at the bloodied grass in front of them. Lukair kneeled down and gently took her head in his hands. “It’s okay, it’s okay, there gone now. You’re going to be alright Shae.”
Alamine watched as Lukair knelt down and started digging through his pack. Torak looked angry. Whatever the cats had been after, he was not happy about it. Lukair pulled several long pieces of cloth from his supplies. Alamine realized these were bandages, and watched as he began wrapping them around what they had saved.
Lukair gently held her head and spoke soothingly. Her eyes were open, revealing an unfocussed gaze that saw nothing. She was covered in scratches and bite marks. One of these was deep and jagged, situated at the base of her neck, and just right of her left shoulder. Her hide was a dark charcoal grey, and she was barely breathing. The boys knew she was in trouble and had to get her to Ketowa as quickly as possible. Lukair untied his bedroll from his pack and unrolled it. He carefully wrapped the little dragon in it and picked her up. Together the boys joined the rest of the group.
What it? Eika asked. Her broken speech the only sign that she was barely capable of speaking.
Torak looked down at her. “Not what, but who.” He looked back at the little dragon in Lukair’s arms and sighed. “The sooner we get her back to Ketowa, the better.”
I hoped she was out there, but I did not want to find her like this, Alamine said sadly.
“This is Shaelynn?” Akio asked as he looked at the hatchling. “I had a different picture in mind for her.”
Torak turned the group around and started them back to the trail they had left. He hesitated only long enough to offer Alamine and the little Pebblines a ride. “Who is Shaelynn?” Javi asked as they walked.
Alamine sighed, Shaelynn was one of the envoys who came to tell us that help was on the way.
But she is so small, Eira pointed out.
Palo agreed, Yah, and I am pretty sure she is younger than most of us. So, why would she be an envoy?
You will know when she recovers, but I can tell you that this little dragon is the King Kyeon Mangjul’s niece, Alamine said in answer.
Several hours later they stopped for a quick break under a group of three large pines. Torak watched as Lukair carefully sat down at the base of a tree. He opened the bedroll to check on Shaelynn and looked up with worried eyes. “How soon until we reach the Caverns?”
Torak looked around, trying to find the opening in the cliffs that would lead them to the clan, but could not see it. “Neela, come here.”
The child stood and left her siblings to join him. “Yes?”
“Do you know where we are?” he asked. She looked around, but shook her head. “No. None of this looks familiar.”
“Come with me,” he said rising. She followed him and together they flew out a ways, trying to find anything that looked familiar.
After flying in a slow circle, she finally saw a bend in the small stream that brought water to the clan. She knew the stream by the willow tree that sat on its edge. She pointed it out to him and he estimated that it was about a half hour to the northeast. “How far is it to your clan from here?”
Neela angled toward the stream then looked to the south east. She saw a rise and with growing excitement told him tha
t the entrance to the Eastern Caverns was on the other side. They returned to the rest of the children. “It’s not much farther, maybe another hour.”
“Then let’s get going. I don’t know how much longer Shaelynn can hold on,” Lukair prompted. Torak carefully took his cousin so the young man could stand up. “Akio, take the older children and follow Neela. She knows how to find the Caverns from here. If two of you could take Tomel and Zema I would appreciate it.”
Akio looked at his friend uneasily. “You want us to leave?”
Torak shook his head. “I don’t want you to, I need you to. Once you get there, find Shaman Ketowa and my father. Tell them about Shaelynn. We will follow as quickly as we can.” Akio gave him a single nod and watched as the older children leapt to the sky. Akio and Javi dove shallowly to pick up the younger Pebblines and followed Neela to the clan.
***
Just on the outskirts of the Caverns, Seoung and Elder were meeting with the sentries. Kwan had just arrived. He was tired and a little alarmed; the children had not passed his station yet and he was worried. He thought maybe he had missed them, but he had not passed them on his way to the Caverns. “They’re not here,” Seoung said, growing alarmed himself. It was late into the afternoon and would soon be dark; the children should have arrived a while ago. Elder suggested Kwan return to his post and keep watching for them.
As he left, a young female Ocean dragon, perhaps a little older than Moon walked out on the ledge; she sighed and dropped to the stone. She sighed again and looked out into the woods beyond. Elder and Seoung watched her for a moment and decided to go back inside, thinking Kyeon and Alani should know about the children’s delay. They began to turn around when the young female suddenly stood up. She exclaimed and launched herself off the cliff.
“Mother!” Neela cried as they neared the female. She looped around them and guided them back to the clan. In a short time, Akio, Neela, Daro, Javi, Palo, and Eira landed. Akio and Javi released their hold on Tomel and Zema, and Akio turned to the two older dragons. “Sorry, we got lost,” he said, a little out of breath.