Wilderness Untamed

by Butler, J. M.

  She knocked them back once more.

  WroOth sighed. "This won't work, Amelia. I know you're afraid, but this isn't the way to handle it. You can't stay up there."

  "Oh ho, yes I can! I most certainly can." Amelia pushed back two more. "I can do this all night. There has to be some way to make them stop."

  "There isn't, darling." WroOth continued to stroke the dolmath he held, his mouth tweaking with concern. It burrowed closer, rubbing its face into his doublet. "It's your warmth and your smell. They love it. They love you. And they won't hurt you as long as you take precautions. You can't take precautions up there."

  "Trust me, I can. At least better up here than down there." Amelia adjusted her grip on the staff. "And keep them away from me. I know they're harmless. I get that. And I don't want to hurt them, but I can't have them near me."

  "They aren't predators," QueQoa said. He was almost entirely covered in them. Two were intent upon kneading the area around his wound. "They don't even hurt flies."

  "You are going to fall asleep up there, and there's a good chance they'll carry you off." WroOth smoothed the fur on the spider's back. "If you're unsecured, four could carry you off as easily as I could push you off that boulder."

  Amelia pointed the staff at him. "Push me off, and—"

  "I'm not going to push you off. I'm just trying to explain that while your current position may feel like a better solution, it isn't. You have to sleep."

  "Not tonight I don't." Amelia shoved two more back.

  "But they'll be here most nights," QueQoa said. He winced as one got too close to a tender point on his shoulder, then moved the dolmath away. "And the full moon isn't for some time yet."

  "Well, that means I'll have to figure something else out here." Her head spun as she pushed another back. Two more were already climbing up the side. Relentless was an understatement.

  "Here." WroOth held the spider up as if it was a kitten. "Why don't you try petting it first?" Unlike a puppy, all of its legs twitched and wriggled in multiple directions, its jaws opening and closing in what might have been excitement but seemed more like a threat. Mock fangs her foot, those looked real enough.

  "No." Amelia set the staff against WroOth's chest and pushed him back. "There will be no petting, no snuggling, and no sleeping. Thank you."

  "Give her space, WroOth," AaQar said quietly. "For all intents and purposes, these are spiders. This won't be resolved in a night." He rubbed his forehead, mumbling something under his breath.

  Naatos began rummaging in the bags and finally pulled out a garment, a tight-knit sweater. Taking his knife, he cut the end of the cuff and drew out the yarn until he had several arm's lengths. The dolmaths clustered around him, trying to climb his legs and tapping at his boots like kittens eager for tuna. One even swatted at a low loop of grey yarn. He then crossed back and offered her the end. Once more, he had to lean up to even be close to reaching her. "Here."

  "Here what?" Amelia studied the end of the yarn cautiously. To get it she would have to stretch down, and she wasn't entirely certain he wouldn't pull her off. The ground swam with dolmaths.

  "Tie this to your wrist as a marker," he responded.

  "A marker for what?" She pushed more dolmaths away, her voice shaking. Her hands trembled as well, but she was getting stronger. She wasn't going to let this destroy her. She'd find a way through. Of course she would. She didn't need sleep for now anyway, and that gave her time. Precious, precious time.

  "Dolmaths are not actually dangerous, but they can cause problems," he said, more calmly than he had said almost anything. "I do not say this to frighten you, but I must be exceptionally clear. You will not be able to hold off sleep forever. Soon the adrenaline and terror will fade, and exhaustion will come in its place. When that happens, there is a chance we will not be able to stop them before they carry you off. And because you are a Neyeb, their soporific scent is not going to put you under. Which means that, even though I will come looking for you as soon as you are missing, you may wake up in their den. That den could be half a mile from here or it could be much farther. Regardless, those places are massive. You have my word that we will find you if that happens. But, as you are unlikely to stay in one place and you could become lost in a much worse place, you may be able to follow this string out through the entrance."

  She eyed the yarn but then realized that more spiders were crawling up. Grimacing, she pushed them back. "How do I know you aren't going to pull me down?"

  "If I wanted you off the boulder, I would come up there and push you off. I wouldn't use yarn."

  "True..." She moved back to the center of the boulder and started, her nerves tightening as she saw three more climbing up the backside. She swiped them away, shuddering. Tears streaked down her cheeks though she tried to choke them back. Already her shoulders and spine ached. "I couldn't sleep if I wanted to."

  He nodded slowly, then placed a few loops of the yarn on the boulder as close to her as he could. "When you are ready for it." He stepped back then. The muscles along his neck and shoulders had tightened significantly.

  "They're harmless," QueQoa said, sounding confused. "They may look like spiders, but I assure you they aren't. They are some of the few creatures on Ecekom which are harmless and beneficial to us. Why are you afraid of them?"

  AaQar moved alongside him, speaking softly once again. QueQoa's eyes widened as he glanced from Naatos to Amelia and then back to AaQar. Naatos watched her somberly, arms folded as he remained in contemplation.

  She pressed more back. Her heart screamed in her ears. It was going to be a very long night. Each second was a horrid eternity. Her hands and fingers burned, her elmis throbbed with her own terror. And all around her on the ground below were dolmaths, dolmaths, dolmaths. She shuddered. More tears spilled out as she fought to retain what little control she had left.

  "There's no way to stop them," QueQoa said. "They'll always come."

  "I'll find a way to cope," she snapped. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. I just can't do it all at once." She pushed more off. The night stretched on endlessly before her. She couldn't rest, she couldn't stop.

  WroOth scaled up the boulder and stood beside her.

  "WroOth, don't!" Amelia shouted. "If you push me off—"

  WroOth put his arms around her and guided her down to a seated position. "I'm going to stay up here with you."

  "You have to rest. You don't have to stay up here with me."

  "Shhh shhh." WroOth hugged her close, his arms pinning hers down as he took the staff. "You're safe. I won't let them get to you. We aren't leaving yet anyway. I can sleep in the morning."

  "I'm not sleeping," Amelia said, still shaking.

  "If you don't want to sleep, you don't have to. But you don't have to stay up here alone either." WroOth tucked his chin against the top of her head.

  "You need sleep too."

  "I can sleep in the morning. This takes precedence. Besides, that's what big brothers are for. Though for the record, cats are far more dangerous than dolmaths. If you die, they will happily eat your face."

  She shuddered, images of spiders on her face flashing back into her mind. The hook-fanged spider biting into her shoulder reared up again, its bristling fur cutting into her as she'd fallen in the darkness. "I'm going to figure out how to handle this."

  "I know you will. You just need more time." WroOth swept the staff around the boulder and then returned it to an easy resting place on the edge of the boulder. "It seems we'll be staying in this place longer than anticipated. That is not ideal, I know. But more importantly, you don't have to face this alone. So shut your eyes a bit and see if you can rest."

  She closed her burning eyes. The hook-fanged spiders were still there. And somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew the shrouded woman watched. Opening her eyes again, she pressed her hand to her face. "It'll be fine. It will. I just need time. That's all."

  21

  Darkest Night

  She was afr
aid of dolmaths.

  Her gasping breaths and trembling terror dominated Naatos's hearing and sight. Fear, acrid and now painful, filled his nostrils.

  He paced back to the fire, nudging some of the dolmaths from the stones. Two eagerly climbed up his legs, tapping and patting as they collected the warmth.

  There was no point in acknowledging them further. They were harmless creatures. His veskaro had only a few hours ago flung herself into the mouth of a sarsquech to get a better angle for a kill shot, but these harmless furry creatures that were dangerous only if they carried you off and you couldn't find your way out of their sleeping dens…these were what had her in near-hysterics.

  And that was his fault.

  How many Neyeb had he escorted through the wilderness of Ecekom? Hundreds. And how many had responded negatively to the dolmaths? Well, there had been Nwaso. And Kiwlwi. And Sesla. All of them had had horrific encounters with boleshes and casket weavers. It was not hard to imagine that a traumatic encounter with hook-fanged spiders might create a similar response. In fact, Sesla had had that issue. He had almost lost his child to hook-fanged spiders.

  He closed his eyes, swearing inside. Of course if she had just told him who she was—

  He stopped the thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It didn't matter. The damage was done.

  WroOth held her carefully, one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other using the staff to push the dolmaths back. AaQar continued to hold the book, his finger marking his place, as he spoke with both.

  Naatos paused, realizing that in all of this, one member of the family had become even quieter than usual.

  QueQoa was resting on his side now, and the dolmaths fought to climb onto his shoulder. He winced occasionally and pushed them off, but he was already drifting into sleep, the strap for keeping himself in the trench wrapped tight around his wrist. But there was something off in his half-shaded gaze. Several dolmaths were fighting to get onto his neck and shoulder as if it held special warmth.

  That in and of itself was unusual. Usually QueQoa would have had something to say to him regarding a situation like the hook-fanged spiders and Amelia. Yet he had simply gone to sleep?

  Naatos crossed over to him. His brother wasn't almost asleep. He was asleep.

  AaQar was right. Again. A small rash prickled out along the back of Naatos's neck, slightly raw to the touch. He healed it with a shrug and a thought. One of the dolmaths reached it as he was finishing. It chirred with frustration, craving the warmth.

  Dolmaths had many uses, not the least of which was spotting certain kinds of infections. Their love of heat made certain injuries easy to spot. Three were eager to perch on the back of his neck and had resumed climbing him. But now that the rash was gone, they moved to his shoulders and resumed roaming.

  Ten fought to get onto QueQoa's shoulder and neck. He had to bring up his forearm to shield his face.

  Naatos didn't have to see any more. He understood.

  Time was the one thing they needed, but it was the one thing none of them would receive.

  Amelia battled to maintain some semblance of calm. Her breaths rushed in and out, and her heart thundered. Even without focusing, he could hear it. Its every beat was a charge against him. Each ragged inhale she took, each shuddering cry underscored the impossibility of the situation ahead.

  AaQar was right on another point as well. It was not certain that he would remain conscious or whole. The ilzinium might take him down like it would his brothers. And the burden of caring for this family could not fall on Amelia's shoulders. It would have been difficult enough if she had been at full strength, but with such profound terror over something which would occur every night during their incapacitation? No.

  At best, they would survive by the grain of their bones, and she would be carried off to die in the depths of a dolmath nest.

  WroOth spoke quietly to her now, but it didn't sound as if it made much difference. The fact that she hadn't hyperventilated and passed out was a victory. And one she wasn't likely to maintain. The faint bit of pride he felt in seeing his younger brother's ability to handle such a difficult situation with such deftness was swallowed up with the grim reality he now had to face.

  There was no mirth or amusement unless one wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. Their situation was dire. And dire situations required drastic action.

  Rising, Naatos picked up his opi bag. There was no need to replenish the supplies. With a few key ingredients, an antidote could be made for their condition. An antidote that would relieve their bodies of the devastation and humiliation that ilzinium toxicity would most certainly produce until the point when their bodies recalibrated and they were able to heal. He would either find what he sought, or he would take the only remaining course available to him. Only then would his family be safe.

  AaQar put aside the book, scowling. "Naatos."

  "I'll be back at dawn or a little later."

  AaQar did not appear convinced, but Naatos kept moving.

  Amelia's breaths shuddered in and out, echoing in his ears despite her trying to hide them. She most likely didn't even care that he could hear her. At this rate, a brutal tension headache would be her only reward. And there was nothing he could do for her. Trying to take WroOth's place here or attempting to comfort her would only agitate her further.

  Some portion of him bristled that he had been such a poor lover and veskare that he could not even comfort his beloved in a time such as this. But that was his fault and no one else's.

  No. If he was to resolve this matter, it would not be here. Here there was nothing he could do except sit or pace in the knowledge of his cruelty's impact.

  He picked his way carefully through the clearing. A dozen dolmaths scurried after him while a dozen more surged toward him. They weren't heavy fortunately. It was like walking through a clearing covered with skittering, bright-eyed pillows. Their chirring purrs rose in a hypnotic harmony that, if he had been in the mood to rest, could have been soothing. It was as if it had been ages since these dolmaths had encountered a Vawtrian. He had never heard any this happy in all his life.

  At least something was happy out here.

  More excited chirrs followed once he left the clearing, and a few ran back behind him. AaQar was trying to get up, but four had already clambered back up his lap, seeming to notice him again and wanting to make up for their previous failure. AaQar pushed through a little less gracefully than usual, but Naatos continued, passing from the edge of the clearing and into the forest. He didn't want to try shifting, yet alone flying yet. He needed more time to clear his head. He reached the second smaller clearing at the base of the next hill.

  The long shadows moved with the depth of the night, small variations beneath the slim crescent moon. Its depth should have comforted him, but tonight there was nothing but the cold and failure.

  "You aren't going to go far without food." AaQar called after him.

  He barely turned in time to catch one of the extra sacks, loaded with roasted meat and other rations.

  AaQar stood beneath a great tree with long web-like branches. Trails of moss flowed from the branches near his head. He appeared contemplative, almost amused as if he had expected this. He probably had.

  "I won't need it." He tossed the bag back.

  AaQar caught it neatly and threw it at him once more. The strength of his throw was more like it had once been. "What's happening with the dolmaths only confirms what I was told. There's no one else out there. Our cities are gone. Our people. Everything."

  "Ecekom is a big world." The cold that twisted in his gut tightened. He wouldn't believe that all of their people were gone. It was impossible. Vawtrians would endure so much longer than a mere twenty thousand years.

  "You saw how the dolmaths responded to us. They act as if we are the first Vawtrians they have encountered in ages. And the ilzinium toxicity isn't making us that much more desirable. They almost lifted me off my feet twice. Something happened here. Som
ething world shattering. It will not be different in Tuvron or Sahl. It will be no different anywhere that you can reach. And more importantly we need you."

  "And you have me. But we cannot assume there is no help for us. There may be some scrap or remnant. Perhaps others who have survived this place. There may be no more Vawtrians as we know them. No more Shivennans. No more Bealorns. No more Tiablos. But there could be others. I will return before morning. And I will ensure that this camp is prepared as best it can be. But this is the only real solution. We cannot leave this to Amelia."

  AaQar eyed him contemplatively. "Perhaps. But after what happened to QueQoa, someone should go with you."

  He scoffed. "Who would you spare?" He shook his head before he allowed AaQar the chance to respond. "I won't be around her for these flights. My shifting will not be in danger once I am far enough removed, regardless of my focus. And Amelia cannot be left in charge of this camp. One does not simply overcome that level of fear in the course of two nights, no matter how much one wants to. Especially not a Neyeb."

  "So you're hunting for a miracle. If you do all that you intend, there will be no more time for you to rest. You will fall."

  "I will find a solution. You must trust me. This is the only way."

  AaQar laughed. He set his arms akimbo and studied Naatos. "So it is not only to the elements we need. Are you going to take yourself to death and see if the surge is sufficient to pull you through?"

  "Do you have a better solution?" he demanded. "If all else fails, I will do it."

  AaQar remained silent, his gaze more somber. "I do not think your plan is wise."

  "If I do not, then we will all fall one by one. QueQoa will be comatose by nightfall tomorrow. And those wounds of his are going to return with full strength. We both know this. As for you, how long do you have? Perhaps a few hours more than he. You are stronger than you were, but you are not to your full strength. WroOth may make it to the following morning. And as for me, I may make it, but I may not. After that, Amelia will have to manage the care, feeding, and protection of four invalids in the midst of a wilderness for at least a week. Perhaps longer. This cannot be left to chance."