by Lori Beery
A scrapping sound snapped my attention back to the rock near my ledge. I looked over the edge to see John climbing up towards me. In short order, he was standing on the rock next to me.
“Nice spot,” he told me as he took stock of the area.
“Thanks,” I said accepting his compliment. “Down around that point, we should find where my shadow went.”
“True enough,” he commented. “You should get yourself some chow.”
“Food would be good,” I mumbled as I seated myself on the ledge. Before I could start down, John handed me a loop tied in a rope.
“Slip that on your foot,” he instructed. “I’ll lower you down.”
“Thanks,” I said, slipping the loop over my left foot. I waited for his signal to drop over the edge. When he gave it, I allowed myself to slide off into space with my weight on my left foot and my hands gripping the rope. Except for the sliding sound my pants made rubbing against the rock, there was no noise. I found myself descending at a slow, steady pace. Not long after I started, I was on the ground some six meters below the ledge. “I’m down,” I called as I stepped out of the loop.
“Good,” answered John while he hauled up his line. “Go eat.”
I was not a person who needed to be told twice there was food available. I turned away, giving John a parting wave, and headed toward the cook fire. When I got there, Marc was scraping the pot clean. They didn’t leave me any? I must have made a distressed noise because Marc looked up at me. A grin split his face and he handed me a full bowl – one that he had not been filling with the dregs of the pot.
“This one is for you,” he said still grinning.
“Thanks,” I responded, taking the bowl and spoon with a grateful smile. As I walked away, I stuck a big spoonful of the hearty stew into my mouth. It tasted very good, and I had nearly finished it before I sat down beside Marta a mere two meters away.
“Did you see anything up there?” she asked.
“Other than beautiful scenery, no,” I replied. “We will probably find a tree-dweller hole around that point,” I told her pointing to the northeast.
“That’s where you saw the humanoid shape,” she said. She pitched her voice low with mysterious pacing.
Surprise spread across my face and, at her grin, laughter burst out of me. “It is,” I responded when I could draw a breath.
Two hours later, Dr. Aspen, Paul Mimosa, and Ray Birch, all of whom had training in zoology before the development of Teacher lessons, joined X-tee, Marc, and I on the point of the ridge. We were spying on a group of seven tree-dwellers. Three of them were children. The remaining four looked like adults.
To my eye, it looked like the children and their two caretakers were busy playing a chase game while the other two stood watch. The sentinels had their backs toward the rock wall. Their attention was out over the forest and up at the sky. The children squealed in delight as their babysitters chased after them.
While we watched, three of the adults each grabbed a child and dropped to the stone, adopting a fetal position. The remaining caregiver also crouched low but kept his gaze fixed on the sky. Fearing the bird had arrived, I rolled onto my back, staring up at the sky and nocking an arrow. I let my eyes scan the bright blue expanse. I saw nothing. But I knew it could be there, beyond my ability to see.
“They are crawling to the cave mouth,” murmured Dr. Raymond Birch in a barely audible voice. I had been observing the tree-dwellers from his right side. “You didn’t draw to anchor. Does that mean you didn’t see anything?”
“Yes,” I replied in an equally quiet voice. “Sadly, that doesn’t mean the bird is not up there,” I told the scientist as I met his gaze. I watched his brow furrow into puzzlement.
Before he could form a question, I felt a touch on my right knee. I snapped my gaze down and to my right. X-tee knelt on the other side of Raymond. He had a finger across his lips in the sign for silence and pointed down the ridge. Raymond and I made our way down as silently as we could.
When we reached the bottom, everyone gathered around us expectantly. X-tee motioned everyone to move into a tight knot. He met everyone’s eyes as he looked around the group.
I felt the weight of his gaze when they rested on me. “I assume you started searching the sky when the tree-dwellers hit the ground,” he stated quietly.
“Yes, Sir,” I responded.
He nodded once then turned his attention to the rest of the group. “We know the tree-dwellers are in the cave around the point. They seem to be able to sense the bird’s presence. Wouldn’t you agree, Dr. Aspen?”
“It would appear so,” he agreed in a noncommittal statement of what he had observed.
“I believe it would be in our best interest to establish our base camp now while we have light,” stated X-tee. “With the possibility of swarming lizards in the vicinity, we need to find a cliff face. Specifically, we need a cliff wall with an overhang to give us some cover from the bird.”
His words caused anxious murmuring to pass among the group. Everyone agreed with X-tee’s suggestion. We needed a safe place to camp for the night. Such a place would be harder to locate without light, especially if we had to fight off lizards in the process.
I wondered, not for the first time, why our mountain was free of the ravenous creatures. Yes, most of the sides were composed of cliffs. But there were multiple passages into the mountain itself. Despite that, those small caves were always lizard-free as far as we knew. What about the bird kept them out? Pushing aside my quandary, I brought up the rear as we began seeking an adequate campsite.
Chapter 16
Amerzan was shocked. A group of the hairless tree-dwellers was leaving his mountain! They had climbed down to the ridge that connected his mountain with the great Northern Spine and were traveling along it. Where were they going and why? His curiosity induced him to follow. Perhaps the one who was trying to communicate with him was part of this group. He did recognize three members of the company: the small one, the strong-light leader, and the dim-light leader. Perhaps he would get the chance he needed.
He spiraled higher and took advantage of the breeze from the East. When he knew he was higher than the creatures’ ability to see him, he used the current weather conditions to hover over them. He easily kept pace with them, especially when they stopped at midday.
He watched the small one climb upon a ledge. It stayed there with two little tree limbs in hand until the dim-light leader climbed up. Not long after, the entire group moved to the junction with the Spine. But they stopped before they got there. A group of six individuals climbed up the ridge and went absolutely still.
They were motionless for quite a while. Amerzan flapped his great wings once and allowed himself to drop lower. Now he could see the tree-dwellers on the other side of the ridge. Almost instantly, the creatures fell to the rock and went still. At once, the small one rolled and started to search the sky. It held one of the twigs pointed directly at him. Yet, it didn’t cry out or make any other sign that it saw him. It was silent.
A little baffled, he tilted his wings, allowing the wind to move him higher into the sky. The true tree-dwellers, keeping close to the ground, disappeared into the rock. There must be a space within the Spine like the one in his mountain.
The hairless tree-dwellers gathered at the base of the ridge. After a short time, they climbed onto the Spine, keeping on the side away from the cave the tree-dwellers now inhabited. Curious, Amerzan continued to follow the hairless company.
***
Finally, we found a suitable site. The cliff was about a hundred meters tall and faced the Northern Ridge to the East. The base stood on a three-meter wide rough slab that instantly climbed upward in a steep, broken slope to the Northern Ridge. The ledge formed a trench-like tube that extended North and South. The top fifteen meters of the cliff leaned out well over the bottom of the trench in an alarming fashion. If we set up camp a couple of meters below the inflection point, we would be safe from above and from th
e swarming lizards.
After many grueling hours of climbing, we of the guard had the camp erected. We had hung eleven portable ledges and placed the same number of lift seats for easy access. The plan was that we would use nine of them for sleeping, one for a lab for the scientists, and the other one for cooking and storing the communal gear. That meant, except for one of us, we had to double up. The lucky loner turned out to be Nathan, who seemed very happy about the situation.
It was a very good thing that we had started building our camp when we did. We’d just gotten the last lift seat secured when the sun started sinking below the horizon. During the next half hour, everyone claimed a sleeping ledge and had a big bowl of stew in their hands. The stew was thanks to Ross, Derrick, and Lloyd. They cooked while we worked, and the other scientists rehashed their plan to study the tree-dwellers.
My ledge was one of the highest ones. I rested my back against the cliff and stuck my legs out in front of me. I cupped my bowl of stew in my hands, happily inhaling its mouthwatering smell. I was famished, but I was exhausted as well. It didn’t take long before my tummy rumbled loudly, demanding I start feeding myself. I complied willingly, although my entire body ached. I hoped I could take the second watch so that I could catch a few Z’s first.
As I ate, I surveyed the area. The main component of our surroundings was rock – granite with a wide range of color. The view directly in front of my perch was blocked by the ridge of the spine. To the North and South, I could see the sky. But in either direction, rocks jutted into the scene. As far as I could see, there was not a green thing anywhere.
Beside me, X-tee, my portable ledge companion, – slept. His breaths were deep and even. He, also, sat with his back against the cliff and his legs stretched out in front of him. However, his lower legs and feet stuck out into space. I hoped the edge of the ledge didn’t restrict the blood flow to his feet. Our camping site was not a place to get numb feet. His empty, stew bowl sat between us. Apparently, he is even faster at eating than I am. Maybe he started before I did.
“X-tee, wake up,” I called, gently shaking his shoulder. His eyes popped open, and he quickly took stock of his surroundings. “Why don’t you lay down against the cliff? I’ll move to the edge and take first watch,” I suggested.
“No, no,” he said. “You get the second watch. I want you to try to communicate with the bird and then get some rest. I’ll wake you for your watch,” he told me. He maneuvered himself to the edge of the ledge, clearing room for me to stretch out against the cliff. His movements caused very little movement of our portable ledge, a fact I was very grateful for – that and the safety harness we each wore that anchored us to the cliff.
“I’ll try,” I responded. I shifted position so that I laid on my back beside the cliff.
Closing my eyes, I allowed an image of the bird to appear within my mind, as detailed as I could make it. Then, I opened my eyes and thought to the sky, ‘Bird, are you out there? I want to talk with you.’ I tried to repeat this process like I had before the expedition began. I don’t think I was very successful. The next thing I knew X-tee was shaking me awake. I stretched and sat up, rubbing my eyes.
“Ky, it’s your watch,” he said tiredly. “Wake John for the third watch.”
“Will do,” I told him as I pulled myself to my feet to facilitate switching places.
I eased myself into a sitting position on the edge of the portable ledge. I let my lower legs dangle over the edge as I looked around. As I settled myself, I made sure my bow and quiver were within easy reach.
The base of the cliff lay lost in shadows, but I could easily see the stone wall below me all the way down to about eight meters above the ground by the reflection of the stars off the rock. It gleamed brightly. I saw no movement of any kind, nor did I hear anything beyond the resting sounds of our camp.
The stars attracted my attention. They blazed beyond the overhang of the rock above me and lightened the night until the ridge blocked my view. I couldn’t discern any of the constellations I had learned. I decided I couldn’t see enough of the sky to recognize them.
Trying to pay attention to any change in my surroundings, I found myself relying more on my hearing than my eyes. A sound like distant falling rock echoed up the north-south trench that ran along the foot of the cliff. I held my breath as I waited for more sounds, but none came. I slowly released my breath in a quiet stream. At that moment, a rustling sound like wind through the grass sounded above me. It seemed to move directly out above the cliff toward the ridge. My heart leaped into my throat. As far as I knew, these rocks supported no vegetation. Could that be the bird? I stared at the starry ribbon between the cliff and the ridge, but I saw no shadow cover the stars. After several anxious moments, my heart returned to its normal position, and I was able to breathe regularly.
The rest of my watch passed slowly. Unidentified, random noises continued to occur. Each one drew my attention, but nothing in my immediate vicinity changed, except for Ross shifting position and stopping snoring. With that, the entire camp settled into a deeper quiet.
When my watch finally ended, I pulled myself to my feet. I used the lift seat as a steppingstone on my way to the next sleeping ledge. Crouching down, I gently shook John’s shoulder. He looked up at me a little dazed.
“Sorry, Sir,” I said. “X-tee told me you have the watch after me.”
He rubbed his face and started to rise. “Yea, yea I do have the third watch,” he mumbled, now on his feet. “Anything to report?”
“Lots of unidentified noises,” I said. “Kind of creepy but no sign of anything nearby.”
“Ok, go get some sleep,” he instructed.
I nodded and carefully stepped back to my ledge. I made sure my bow and quiver were secured. Then I stretched out and promptly fell asleep.
Sometime later, I was aware of a vivid picture in my head. The view was from above. It was an aerial shot of the settlement’s roof. I could easily identify the solar panels and the motion detecting vid recorders around the perimeter. And there I was standing with X-tee and Lloyd when the recorders activated. All three of us had stared at the recorder and then up at the sky. When we couldn’t see anything, our eyes snapped to each device as it activated, one after the other, in a series going around the rooftop. That was when we got our first images of the bird.
‘Bird, what is bird?’ an unknown voice asked.
‘It is a winged, hollow-boned creature that flies,’ I thought in immediate response to the question.
‘Picture a bird in your mind,’ I heard.
I complied. I pictured the birds that flew above the canopy and one of the images of the eagle we had caught on the recorders. The last picture I envisioned was the one I used when I tried to contact the bird.
‘Ah, you are calling me a bird,’ stated the voice.
‘Is there something else you would rather be called?’ I asked.
‘I am Amerzan,’ it told me. ‘Are you in the picture I showed you?’ it wondered.
‘I am the one who was first into the mountain,’ I said.
‘You are the small one,’ it stated, sounding pleased with itself. ‘Is there something else you would rather be called?’
‘My name is Kyrah,’ I answered. ‘My friends call me Ky.’
‘What is friends?’ it asked, puzzled.
‘Friends are those you like to spend time with,’ I replied.
‘I have only spent time with my mate,’ it informed me, still puzzled.
‘That is an extreme case of friendship,’ I stated. ‘For my kind, a friend is someone whom you like to be with and who likes to be with you. You have something in common. For example, you both like to look at the stars.
‘Stars?’ it said, its voice curious.
‘The lights in the sky after the sun goes down,’ I said.
‘Ah, the dim-lights,’ the voice announced. ‘We must stop. You need to rest, or your head will hurt.’
‘Ah, my head already hurts,’ I told th
e voice. ‘Goodnight, Amerzan.’
‘Goodnight, Kyrah,’ the voice whispered and faded from me.
The next time I was aware, the wonderful smell of frying bacon was wafting up from below. The camp was stirring. I sat up and instantly regretted it. My head hurt very badly. It was like someone was trying to stir my brains with a white-hot poker. A groan escaped me as I clutched my head with my hands.
“Ky, what’s wrong?” came a concerned voice I registered as X-tee’s.
“I have a splitting headache,” I told him. “It feels like the morning after my induction-into-the-guard party.”
“Hmm, I remember that being awful,” he commiserated. “Sadly, you didn’t get to enjoy the inebriation this time.” He patted my shoulder gently. “There’s a little time before breakfast is served. Go ahead and lay back down. Maybe your headache will diminish. I’ll have breakfast sent up”
“Thanks,” I told him gratefully. “It’s not as bad with my eyes closed and laying down.”
“Good,” he responded. “Get some rest.”
“Get some rest,” I quietly repeated. Funny, that’s what the voice told me! “Hey, X-tee, remind me to tell you about my whacky dream last night.”
“You got it, Ky,” he said. “Just rest now.”
I settled into a more comfortable position facing the cliff with my right hand, shielding my eyes. The darkness eased the throbbing in my head. I drew in a deep breath and pushed it out in a steady, slow trickle. When I had exhaled for the third time, I felt much more relaxed.
I must have drifted off to sleep because there was the delightful smell of bacon and eggs filling my sinuses. I opened my eyes to find John crouching in front of me with a plate containing the sources of the wonderful smells. I grinned and sat up, reaching for the plate. To my immense relief, my headache had passed, and the pain was gone.
“I guess a little more rest helped,” John said.
I nodded. “Thanks for bringing me breakfast,” I told him gratefully.
“No problem,” he responded as he regained his feet. “Eat, then gear up and meet us at the bottom.” I nodded again. He moved to the lift seat, strapped himself in and descended out of sight.