“Mmm,” she hummed. “It is.” You can’t even hear the other people in the keep. I might have to steal this place from you.”
Sam laughed. “There’s no need to steal it. We can share.” He paused for a moment, and then winked. “Just don’t make too much noise.”
She squeezed him one more time, then punched him in the arm.
“Come on, lazy,” she said. “We have some traveling to do today.”
Sam looked around at the snow-covered landscape one more time, then followed her to the stairs.
They found Nicole with Skitter’s nephew in the meeting room in which they had agreed to assemble. Sam had collected the gear and supplies they would use and stored them there the night before. Sam’s mother had a look on her face that indicated she was concentrating on something. He knew it meant she was communicating with the younger hapaki. Skitter lounged nearby.
“Sam,” she said, turning to him. “I want you to meet Max.” She motioned to the smaller of the two hapaki.
“Mom, I’ve already met him. Don’t you remember?”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “I know, silly. I want to introduce him to you by his name. He didn’t have one before, as you recall.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Sam sent greetings to Max, calling him by name. He got a polite response, colored with happiness at his new name. “Max?” Sam asked his mother.
“Yes. Max is rather…intense. He’s what we’d call an over-achiever on Telani. Everything he does, he does to the maximum. It just seemed to fit. I explained it to him and he likes it. He likes what it represents.”
Sam smiled at his mother. “Sounds like a great name to me.”
The younger hapaki and Nicole had been inseparable since they had returned to Whitehall. Sam caught snippets of their conversations—at least, Max’s side of it—and they seemed to be understanding each other better and better all the time. His smile grew wider at the thought. He hadn’t seen his mother so involved in anything in years. It was nice.
Good morning, Sam, Skitter sent.
Good morning, Skitter, Sam returned.
I have met your cat, Skitter sent. His name is Stoker?
Yes, Sam sent back, smiling at the thought of the two meeting. How did it go?
I like him. We can’t communicate, but he narrows his eyes at me and rubs against me, so I think that may mean we are friends.
Yes, Sam sent, that means you are friends.
I have met the baby cats, too, Skitter added.There was some emotion there Sam didn’t fully recognize. It was similar to affection, but a different kind than he had felt from Skitter before. It was almost like parental pride.
And what do you think of them? Sam asked, trying to keep from laughing at the pictures forming in his mind of Skitter being swarmed by kittens.
I love them, Skitter said without hesitation. I played with them for more than an hour this morning. Molly doesn’t mind. She seems to enjoy the break. They are very…energetic.
Yes, they are. Sam smiled outwardly as well as through his sending. It was great that his friend got along with the cats. They were the only housecats in Gythe, but that would change when they really started reproducing. It was nice to see that they would be welcomed by at least some of the natives.
Will we be leaving soon? Skitter sent, changing the subject but keeping the underlying affection for the kittens and their older counterparts. I’m excited to meet hapaki from another community.
We will eat breakfast and then I will teleport us all to just outside your community. We will start from there.
Eat? Max interrupted. Did someone say “eat?”
Sam laughed, both in his sendings and out loud. “Okay, everyone,” he said, sending the same thing, “let’s eat a big breakfast and then we’ll get started. We’ll be covering a lot of miles today.”
They moved to one of the small dining halls just down the corridor, talking excitedly about two hapaki communities meeting for the first time in the memory of Skitter’s folk. Max was anxious, too, to see some of the unknown territory in the world, as his uncle had done. When they were finished, the humans donned the packs Sam had gathered for them.
“Sam,” Nicole said. “You’re going to teleport us there, aren’t you? Why do we need gear?”
“Well, yes and no,” Sam said. “In order to teleport to a location, I have to know the vibratory signature there. I don’t know the area where the community is, so I can only bring us to the closest location that I know intimately. That would be the site of my old house, where you met Skitter the other day. Once we get there, we’ll have to travel just like anyone else. The packs have all the stuff we’ll need, including food, some basic tools, and some lengths of rope. You should always carry rope.” He winked at her.
“Oh,” she responded. “I guess I’m being a bit spoiled, huh? I just expected you to snap your fingers and we’d be there. Sorry.”
He laughed. “No worries. The more places I learn, the easier it will be to travel instantly. I just don’t know many yet, that’s all. Okay, everyone follow me. I have a surprise.”
He led them down to one of the stables, all the while fending off the questions that bombarded him. When he brought them through to one of the stalls, he stopped.
“Mom, let me present you with your companion for this trip. Meet Chipper.” He opened the stall door and led out a very large bird outfitted with a harness and reins and with a saddle strapped tightly to its torso. “Chipper, Mom.”
Nicole’s eyes grew wide. “Is that an ostrich?” she asked.
Sam handed the reins to her. “Not quite. Chipper is a manu bird. They are larger and stronger than ostriches. And smarter, by a bit anyway. He is well trained and all you’ll have to do is lightly move the reins to the side you want him to turn and he’ll go that way. It takes much less skill than riding a horse because manu are pretty easygoing. Their personalities, and their extensive training, make it relatively simple to travel with them. They won’t fight you.”
Nicole went close to the bird, looking into its big brown eye. She reached a hand out tentatively.
The bird looked at her, not moving.
She slowly moved her hand to the bird’s head and started to stroke it. The bird made a sort of cooing sound. She looked at Sam questioningly.
“He seems to like that,” Sam said. “Do you want to try to ride him around the yard for a bit before we leave?”
Nicole kept petting the bird’s head. “What do you think, Chipper,” she said to him, “do you want to run a little?” The bird cooed and blinked at her.
She was easily able to swing up onto the saddle. She started him walking by making a clucking sound and squeezing with her legs, at Sam’s direction. Soon, she was walking and then trotting the bird around the small yard in front of the stable. When she was ready to stop, she tugged gently back on both reins as Sam had told her to do and the bird came to a stop. She dismounted.
“That was easy,” she said as she got back down onto her own feet, “and fun. I think we’ll be good friends, Chipper.” She stroked the bird’s head.
“I had a litter strapped to the back of the saddle, as you can see. It’s like the one Skitter used when I was here last time. I figured Max could ride with you. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfect,” his mother said, eyes dancing excitedly. “But, where are your birds?”
“Nalia and I will be riding our rakkeben. You remember me telling you about the rakkeben, right?”
“The big intelligent wolves?” his mother asked. “Yes, I remember. I can’t wait to see them.”
Sam laughed. His mother loved animals. All animals. “We’ll call them when we get to where my old house is located. I have Skitter’s litter right here so he can ride along with me. Just like old times.”
“Are we ready to go then?” Nalia asked. “It would be good to get started so we have more daylight in which to travel.”
“True,” Sam agreed. “Okay, everyone gather around. This will only take a
couple of minutes.” He sent the same thing to the hapaki, wondering at the same time why he and his mother couldn’t communicate when he could send thoughts to two hapaki at a time. He’s have to ask Dr. Walt about it.
Sam sat in a section of the yard underneath an awning so that it was free of snow. He quickly entered the khulim and was focusing on the vibratory signature of his old house. A moment later, he had created an envelope of rohw around his party and changed their vibrations to match his destination. He felt his reality lurch and when he opened his eyes, he was again in the familiar clearing he had left a little more than a week before.
He had no sooner stood and dusted off his pants than he felt Max panic. The little hapaki was frantic, crying out and then suddenly becoming silent and freezing. Sam wasn’t sure what was happening at first, but then he saw some foliage move toward the edge of the clearing. He understood.
Don’t panic, Max, he sent, it’s okay.
“Mom, don’t freak out or anything, okay? The rakkeben are here. Somehow.”
“What?” Nicole asked, but didn’t need an answer. A large white-furred animal was entering the clearing. When it had emerged completely from the surrounding vegetation, it was plain to all there what it was.
The rakkeben were large wolves. Very large wolves. This particular rakkeban stood almost as tall as Sam. She was completely white, unlike the other wolf entering the meadow behind her. That one was a light gray color.
Sam swept a hand out toward the approaching wolves. “Mom, let me introduce Shonyb, my friend and companion during my first trip here. Behind her is Cleave, Nalia’s bond-mate.”
“Oh, Sam, they’re absolutely beautiful!” his mother said. “Do you think she would let me pet her?”
Sam thought he covered his surprise well. “I, uh, well, maybe. Let’s go see.”
Before they could take a step, though, a blur of reddish brown zipped past them toward the rakkeben. Skitter bounded up, skidding to a stop just in front of Shonyb. He reached his tiny paws up to the rakkeban, who lowered her head, and gave her his best hapaki hug. It was almost comical to see the hapaki try to reach around the massive shaggy head. The wolf’s tongue darted out, licking Skitter’s face, plastering the fur along the side of his scalp. Sam could hear the hapaki laughing in his mind.
“Um, they’re kind of friends,” Sam said to his mother. “I probably didn’t mention that when I told you the stories about my time here.”
When the humans drew near the wolves, Shonyb dipped her head respectfully. Sam did likewise, then went up to the big rakkeban and hugged her head much like Skitter had. She licked his face, too, but not quite so wetly. Soon, Sam had introduced his mother to Shonyb and the wolf’s head got another hug. Nalia was reacquainting herself with her own rakkeban, hugging him and petting his furry head.
Then, Sam remembered Max. Max, are you all right? Sam sent.
Fine.
Come on. Let me introduce you to Shonyb and Cleave.
No. Rakkeben eat hapaki, Max sent back.
Skitter? Max sent. Can you explain it to him, make him feel better?
The two hapaki discussed it and Max finally agreed to move. He was still cautious around the wolves and wouldn’t go too close to them, but Sam knew he would grow accustomed to them. Eventually.
“Sam,” Nicole said while alternating between stroking Shonyb’s head and Chipper’s head, “I have a couple of questions.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“First, why isn’t Chipper freaked out about the rakkeben?”
“Oh, that one is easy,” Sam said. “Part of the manu bird’s training is to cooperate with rakkeben. It is pretty likely that they will travel with them or at least encounter them, so the birds are acclimated as they are grown and trained.”
“Okay,” Nicole said. “The other question is: how did the rakkeben know we’d be here today? Are they close enough to have sensed us and then came here?”
Nalia answered for Sam. “Communication with rakkeben is not understood completely. They seem to be able to read minds or feelings in some way, but can’t communicate to others like the hapaki can. They share a special sensitivity with their bond-mate, but no one has been able to explain anything more than that. Dr. Walt has tried. Repeatedly. It drives him to distraction that he cannot figure it out.”
“I can understand that,” Nicole said. “Well, I’m just glad they have that sense. Now we can get started without delay.”
Chapter 15
Sam marveled at how much his sensitivity to the rohw had changed while he was in his own world. He had to work harder to even sense the energy on Telani, so it was like he was swimming through molasses. To do it, he had to develop his “muscles” just to get by. Now, back in Gythe, where the rohw was abundant and strong, he felt energized, more powerful than ever before.
He could easily sense the ley lines stretched out before him. He did so without having to enter the khulim. Even now, as he fitted the framework of Skitter’s resting place onto Shonyb, he could tell which way he needed to go. It was almost intoxicating. Was this how Rindu and the other Zouyim felt all the time?
It didn’t take long for them to get started. Skitter climbed into his litter and Sam onto Shonyb’s back in front of it. Nalia mounted Cleave. Nicole and Max got into their respective places. Sam turned Shonyb north and they started their journey. Their destination was northwest, but they’d have to take a meandering course because of the thick forest.
The forest was heavy and travel was not fast, but Sam enjoyed it. He missed traveling like this, with the rakkeben and his friends. The forest was alive with birds, squirrels, and other small animals. The smell of the vegetation and the loamy scent of the forest floor made Sam smile. There were trees in Telani, but he hadn’t seen anything there to compare with Gythe.
After several hours of travel, the party halted in a meadow to eat lunch.
“Well, Mom,” Sam said, “what do you think so far?”
She smiled at him. “I love this place. It’s gorgeous and the air is so clean, it feels like I am more energetic. Traveling by manu bird is nice, too, but I’m starting to get saddle sore. I’m not used to riding like this.” She rubbed her back side and winced.
Sam laughed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. There’s really nothing to be done. All I can say is that you’ll probably get used to it. We’ll take it easy the first few days to let you acclimate. I don’t want to be a pain in the butt.”
“Very funny.” She mock-scowled at him, but couldn’t hold back the smile that burst through.
“How are you and Max getting along?” Nalia asked Nicole. “Is communication getting easier?”
“Oh yes. The first week or so it was tough. We had to go slowly and couldn’t really form complete sentences. In the last few days, it’s much smoother. I can understand more of the feelings and senses he sends to me and I think he understands better how to hear complete thoughts from me. We’re becoming good friends.”
“That is good,” Nalia said. “There will be many more hapaki to talk to when we get to the other community. You will be needed as a translator.”
Nicole frowned. “I need to become better at speaking Kasmali first. That language is not going so well. I need a lot more practice.”
“I will speak to you only in Kasmali during this trip, then, to help. If you must use English to make yourself understood then do so, but we should try to use only the language of Gythe. I’m sure Sam will do the same. We will force you to learn.”
“I guess that’s the best way to do it,” Nicole admitted, her shoulders slumping.
Nalia smiled at her reaction. “It will not be that bad. You will learn more quickly. You will see. It is as when Sam was learning. Rindu and I forced him to speak our language. He whined and complained like a child who is not allowed sweets, but he learned quickly and he can now speak almost as an adult.” She looked out of the corner of her eye at Sam, who was sitting nearby rubbing Shonyb’s ears.
“I heard that,” h
e said. Both women chuckled.
They traveled until the sun was down past the trees and the forest they were passing through was getting darker. It would be fully night in another hour or so and Sam halted them in a convenient clearing.
Sam removed the litter from Shonyb’s back and the two rakkeben were allowed to go out and hunt for their dinner. Nicole removed Chipper’s saddle and fed him the food they had brought for him. With those chores done, the humans sat on convenient logs and the hapaki made themselves comfortable in the undergrowth.
“I have a surprise for everyone,” he said. “Just let me meditate here for a few minutes and I’ll show you.” He went off to a flat grassy area, sat in the familiar cross-legged position, closed his eyes, and began to breathe deeply. Soon, he was in the khulim.
Just shy of half an hour later, he opened his eyes, just as the rakkeben were returning. Game must be plentiful here. It didn’t take the wolves long at all to eat. Sam felt a shudder in his mind, coming from either Skitter or Max, at the thought of the wolves running down and eating another living creature. It was probably Max.
“Okay,” Sam said. “Here’s our surprise. I have just learned this area, the unique vibration of this location. Now, we can teleport back to Whitehall and spend the night in our own beds. In the morning, when we’re ready to set off again, I can teleport us back and we can start traveling from here.”
The others nodded. They had to have known about this or he would have gotten more questions about why they hadn’t brought tents or more food. He knew they were just humoring him to make him feel good about his cleverness. He appreciated it.
Everyone gathered around him as he sat again and concentrated. Within a few minutes, the familiar disconnected feeling grabbed hold of them and they were suddenly back in the yard in front of the stables where they had started that morning.
“I believe we are here in time for dinner. Shall we?” He handed Chipper’s reins to a stable boy and nodded to Shonyb, who understood and ran off to spend the night in one of the parks on the fortress grounds. Cleave followed her lead. Everyone else made their way into the keep, first to their rooms to drop off their gear, and then to the dining hall where they knew Rindu and Dr. Walt would be.
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