by S. V. Brown
Here ends the Joiran Cluster archive.
Next: The Aislant archive…
About Selina Valen Brown
I consider myself a mad writer with a secret desire to be a mad scientist. But the truth is I’m a bit lazy when it comes to anything not writing. And that, my reader friends, includes final editing/proofreading. I try my best but I just can’t spot the mistakes in my own work. Nor am I a grammar queen, or even, princess. In fact, I’m probably on par with the grammar joker or torturer which is why I pay a professional to proofread my work. However, because I’m a little bit naughty sometimes I sneak back in and add a few things
Anyway, I’ve been writing since I was a kid and not just the compulsory writing they make you do at school. I did actually write because I loved, and still love, stories. From wooden blocks, to paintbrush (with no paint), to crayon, to paintbrush (with paint), to pencil, to the almighty pen—I still remember when I passed my pencil strokes and was allowed to use a pen—to typewriter, to recorder (that didn’t last), to keyboard connected by cable and then cordless, to stylus (didn’t like that either), back to cordless keyboard I have been creating and designing stories.
I’ll keep writing as long as people enjoy them. And if they aren’t enjoyable, then I’ll return to the real world and live in other people’s stories.
Cheers
S. V. Brown
Other titles by S. V. Brown
Alien Crucible runs from Log 1 through to Log 18 - visit http://www.aliencrucible.com/
Praeda Chronicles - free on my website (see “Connect with S. V. Brown”)
Swackle - free on my website
Short stories and writing hints at http://lonecreature.com.au/
Connect with S. V. Brown
Twitter
https://twitter.com/S_V_Brown
Website
http://www.selinavalenbrown.com/
Kingdoms Away 2 Aislant Archive—(not proofread)
Home Sweet Home
“…and the Arachnids shall smite down the Enemy with their terrible poisons…”
Excerpt from the Joiran Cluster Archives, the Third Hostility
{[AIS][Aislant][Main Cave]
[607895/1400/295/winter]}
It was almost five Heikave years after Fin had arrived that the Ellri had worked out her true age. When she had originally shown her seven fingers to Thon he hadn’t understood the significance, but they had noted it. When she had started her journal, they had studied her entries. They were able to calculate her cycles by comparing them to their women. If the cycles were the same ratio it made her age now about sixteen, the same age as Thonnurran. They had calculated some time ago that her age would eventually overtake his. What was more important however was that she matured with her age, just as Thonnurran matured with passing time. They deduced their days were almost twice as long as the days on her planet of origin.
Discussions occurred without her knowing and the Ellri brought Thonnurran in on the talk. When he arrived, he looked quizzically around at the old faces. Once they had explained what it was they had discovered he became so enthused that they had no reservations about proceeding with their idea. As he left, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. He’d thought he had been discovered.
Both Thonnurran and Fina would receive their name extensions and their commissions on the same day. A multiple festival was always a special occasion.
Preparations took place and Thonnurran and Fina received special gifts. They were both very excited and compared each other’s clothes. She loved the way his cloak attached at the neck and fell to the back, and it was very thin and soft to touch. It was a bright blue color. It was almost identical to a flower he had discovered and named on their last journey. He looked grand standing six foot two inches tall, his shoulder span just under three feet in width, covered in long and now thick white hair, his face less pink and unlined, with his blue eyes beaming down at her.
“Look Thon, with my cloak I am sure I will be able to come with you on your journeys.”
She missed his startled look. But there was no way he was going to ruin this for her. “Well, we kept waiting for you to fatten up with all that cake you keep eating but fadar and mutimi realized they
would have to make you this instead.”
“Thon!”
He laughed. He would have to speak to his group. They would have to go on some customary journeys for her. This would reduce his time to study. But if he didn’t take her on some, the maturas would have something to say and he would be discovered. And he didn’t think Kyrrannthonn, his friend, would complain.
Fin twirled around in her cloak. While it was a similar style to her brother’s, it was all white on one side, and a mottled brown and green color on the other. Their parents had kept in mind Fin’s direction toward the profession Expedire as well as Navigation. It was very practical but still beautiful. It was cleverly and evenly filled with a special material sandwiched between the layers and created so much warmth that she couldn’t wear it closed in the cave.
So that she could pin the cloak at her neck, they had added a deep yellow jewel brooch. Her fadar and mutimi had worked extremely hard on the cloak. As foresters, they were always planting and caring for the trees to supply wood for fires and building material, she wondered where they found the time. On her feet were new brown boots, sturdy and hard on the sole but soft and pliable on the top. The geonglings had helped make the boots for they had small hands and were able to produce the small size for her feet.
Fin curled up in the family room of their home cave for a quick nap covering her head to simulate darkness, and Thon laughed at her teasing her about the time she spent sleeping.
“Thon, don’t you dare forget to wake me up.” Fin’s muffled voice muttered from beneath the cloak.
Even after all this time, she still heeded her body’s needs and slept more than the Heikave people. On one night, she had been wandering passed the vast main cave and through some of the network caves. She came across a very old Heikave named Joppullarran who was treating a bivouac and it stunk. She had poked her head in and held her nose. He chuckled and recruited her immediately. This was the Heikave way, recruit, delegate, supervise and tell stories. This cave network was cooler than what the others were because they had to have larger ventilation shafts to accommodate the type of work. She learned to respect other trades and now listened when Thon told her if something was poisonous. The study of weather occupied her time as well as studying maps and playing with models made by the Ellri masters to recreate scenarios of accidents, natural disasters or even attack and defense strategies.
The Ellri would set up difficult scenarios and watch in amazement as she sometimes managed to overcome the obstacles. They involved her in complex attack or defense games, placing her on one side with a team and would try to give her insurmountable missions. One such game took place in five goliath caves, well away from the main cave. The Ellri had strategically placed large miniatures representing friend or foe around the labyrinthine caves. They played for six days. There was little time for sleep. Fin, who was represented by an enemy miniature, was third in command. She had died a gruesome death, but it had allowed her team to win.
Thon often sided with her team, studied her moves and listened carefully to her suggestions. They came in handy.
Fin’s bivouac was almost finished; it was over four years in the making. Her bivouac was six feet long. At her current age, she was only four foot nine, developed in the breast and with fine brown hair apparent in the pubic, arm, and leg regions. She doubted she would get much taller. She had pale small freckles over her body much to the amusement of the Heikaves who all had clear skin under white hair.
Not only had she been making her own bivouac, but she became involved in the trade of making journey equipment; ropes, bags of all sorts, and a variety of climbing equipment. It was a good trade and a specialty. Thon was her greatest fan and constantly emptied her storage supplies. She complained one day.
“Thon, what are you doing with all that equipment?”
He shrugged his broad shoulders casually, already prepared for the question. He didn’t even need to look at the Ellri browsing Fin’s products who became interested in his answer, “I’ve been using your gear for some time and word has gotten around to the other caves how durable it is. My team has been sharing the equipment and now we have special orders from other young teams. Good work, sis.”
Thon turned to the Ellri, “Don’t worry, I won’t work her too hard.” The Ellri responded, “Leave some for us next time.” With that, Thon laughed and left with his arms full.
The Ellri chuckled at Fin’s frazzled expression.
Thon popped his head back in, “Fin.”
She looked up from testing a range of screw-lock, keylock, manual and automatic karabiners. She didn’t make these but selected them to go with her equipment supplies.
“Kyrrannthonn says ‘hello’ and that he hopes to see you at the next clan meeting.”
At her blush, Thon disappeared.
The Ellri quickly busied himself with selecting some rope.
Along with making equipment, there were lessons on how to use and maintain each piece, and then she had to learn the exact tolerance of each article. She also learnt how to teach effectively. It was during one of these training sessions in another mountain cave system she noticed a certain male Heikave paying her particular attention. She had known for a while he was interested in her but this time he had watched her with an intensity that made her shiver in excitement.
Fin had felt both flattered and confused at his interest. But she knew she was not ready to involve herself in any relationship. That was until one night after dinner when he began to sing and would look at her. She couldn't tear her eyes from his and realized the song was about her. He was strumming a stringed instrument accompanied by other musical Heikaves. Geonglings giggled when Fin’s face burned.
She tried not to allow it to distract her too much as she had applied a long time ago to join the salvus team, those who saved lives. Fin still had no word of acceptance. She kept herself fit and, at sixteen, she was sturdy, strong, and muscular. She didn’t think much about the fact it would be difficult for her to save a Heikave but knew there would be plenty of other things she could do. At times, the salvus had to go save an animal; and this was something she could easily achieve. The white wolves would patrol the region, return, and give signals with their paws. At times, they used their voices to warn of danger or of an accident. Fin had become adept at reading and interpreting the signals.
She was hoping to be included in the warmer season lookouts that monitored the movements of the Terasian masters and their beasts in the outer regions. It was a vital job and not allocated lightly. She suspected that a team might accept her as an assistant leader. This would mean grave responsibility but she wouldn’t have to carry anything heavy. On a positive note, the Master Clothiers had been able to develop some clothing for her, light and warm.
Fin woke refreshed to Thon’s rough shaking and grumbled at him. It was almost time for them to arrive at the main cave. All their family would be there, including the white wolves with Sheca, the young female who had first approached her. Sheca had given birth to five healthy puppies two months ago much to Fin’s horror - because she had watched the birth. When she heard the word “birth”, she had an instant flashback of the horrific day when her mother’s friend had given birth on board the cruise ship. This was the same reason she avoided any Heikave women in labor. Thon had been to every family birth giving assistance.
He knew her horror but never spoke of it.
They entered the main cave escorted by their maturas. A total of six were part of the ceremony. They stood, listened, and relaxed as entertainment began. Finally, the time had arrived for the announcements. Each candidate received his or her approvals to professional training. Thon received Herbal Law and Medicine and Fin, holding her breath, received Navigation. There was a slight pause before the Ellri glanced under heavy eyelids toward Joppullarran who yelled out not to make the little thing wait. She received Expedire and was told she could join a Salvus team.
Amid the laughter came congratulations. Thonnurran became Thonnurranna and Fina became A’fina.
Fin didn’t think things could be much better, but a moment came when absolute silence filled the cave. The white wolves surrounded the candidates and in unison howled. Fin had bumps all over her arms and shivered at the way it made her feel. She wanted to join them in their howl, as she often had in the past, but didn’t feel the time was right. They were beautiful on their own. What happened next was amazing; Sheca presented each candidate with a pup. She picked them up one at a time by their scruff. The pups proceeded to bond with each Heikave receiving a name extension.
Fin, who was sitting next to Thon and another student, petted each pup with pleasure and was happy for them. She hid her disappointment that she was not bonded, and tried to console herself with the fact that she always had animals around her. This was now an extraordinary occasion, for the bonding of Heikave and white wolf had not happened for some time. She was not sure why they chose this time to begin the tradition again or why it happened to be this particular group of Heikaves. What she did know was that all those receiving name extensions and wolf bonding were in Thon’s journey group. Her astute mind could make no other connection and decided to wait for more information.
The Ellri and maturas were amazed and grateful for the experience. Many had tears in their eyes. It had been hundreds of years since wolves had bonded with the Heikaves. It had been a sad time when the Heikaves realized that the decision not to fight the Terasians regardless of what they did to them or their land had irreparable consequences.
The Heikaves had been some distance away from their mountainous region on a simple research journey, close to the coast, when they had stumbled upon a group of Terasians hacking away at some old growth trees. The Heikaves had not stood and fought as they had in the past, they had run. Later that night, they saw a fire in the direction the Terasians had been destroying the trees. The Heikaves and wolves had returned the next day and witnessed the damage and dead animal bodies.
The wolves had stopped bonding after that episode.
The wiser ones now studied the young Heikaves more closely wondering at why the wolves were bonding now.
Fin watched the Ellri reactions, and her own curiosity was heightened. She was determined to find out one day why the wolves chose to bond after such a long time. It was then of great surprise to her when Sheca and her mate Sheba came up to her, licked her face and plonked themselves down at her legs. She started to cry and Thon hugged her and his puppy, now named Tuley, jumped all over her and Sheba. It was a great honor for Fin and she was glad she made her bivouac tent wide, for the two rascals often joined her inside her personal inner cave within her family’s caves.
Thon breathed a sigh of relief; the bonding did not look quite so unusual now that the two adult wolves bonded with Fin. It was something he and his group had not considered when taking action against the Terasians.
As Fin lay in her personal cave with the two wolves and other assorted menagerie, she listened as they all settled in. While the two often slept in her cave, tonight had a special feeling of permanence. The other animals, arctic foxes, large pronghorns, brown and black bears and smaller wild and domesticated animals, rotated around and she wondered at their seemingly organized roster system knowing it was probably just her imagination. She had no idea they were responding to her…
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