Begginnings, Ch 2, Pt 5

Within heartbeats of Kaelish Nelmos' collapse, Aalila had dissolved the protective barrier he had created and was at his side. Where he and his family had honed the physical skills all Krendaarri possessed and used them to protect, Aalila and her family, and others like them, had trained their skills in weaving to higher levels; using them as she had to heal Yenaali's wounds was just one of the ways those skills were used. She now looked over her lover with her weaver's sense and grew more and more relieved when all she found was a spreading bruise on his left side where the tail had struck him and some minor cuts and scratches that were already closing.

As she did not have to save his life, Aalila began kissing him fervently, all over, her hands touching and stroking him. He responded in kind, laughing.

“If this is my reward,” He said after he managed to catch a few breaths, “I could Dance against a hand of prides.” Still laughing he grabbed one of the flasks on the belt Aalila wore.

“That's,” She started as he gulped down the concentrated teni fruit.

“I'm so spent, I don't care.” He made a slightly sour face as he finished the last of it then gasped, “much...”

He lay back on the grass, eyes closed for a few moments before he asked, “Aamaa?”

“Aalila wove me well, son,” She said after she had come closer by crawling on her hands and knees. “Though I think it might be a bit before I'm ready to run again.”

“We will carry you back home, Yenaali,” Aalila said, “And you will rest for a hand of days before I will let you do anything more than stand up and walk a few paces.”

She held her hand before Yenaali's face and the older female looked at it curiously for a few moments before looking back up to Aalila.

“I never noticed your right hand having seven fingers before,” She said at last.

Aalila glanced down at her own hand, comparing it to her six-fingered right hand. Then her look went sly, “Oh, my apologies. I misspoke. I meant a hand of days,” And her right hand grew two more fingers to bring the total to nine.

“I relent,” Yenaali said, laughing, “Your parents have trained you well. As for you, Kaelish Nelmos, my son. My wondrous, amazing son. Myell's Dance against the Lords from the Sky so long ago could not have been more outstanding than yours.”

He flushed at the praise, but his scent was a mixture of embarrassment, pleasure and a hint of shame.

“I almost killed her, Aamaa,” He admitted; his head bowed low. “For what she had done to Aafaa, what she did to you, Aamaa, I wanted to. Part of me wants to race after her now and put an end to her still.”

Yenaali pulled her son close, embracing him and kissing him gently, “Yet you did not. You defeated her. You scattered her pride, I do not think any other Dancer has ever dared as you did; using the hlesskssaa's calls against them in that manner.”

Kaelish Nelmos studied the grass before his feet, “I...it was not my plan. As I struck and the first sought to flee, I realized I could make certain they did not return and used Scarflank's voice on them. The pride is no more. Now I wonder if perhaps I would have been more merciful if I had killed instead.”

Yenaali understood her son's doubt. It was not in the nature of Krendaarri, even Dancers or Weavers, to kill. Zaal had granted them a world lush and abundant and the Krendaarri ate the grasses of the plains, fruits and nuts from bushes and trees either growing wild or that they had cultivated. So abundant that they did not need to kill the plants for their sustenance and that grew into a reverence for all life. Thus were the zaalsestri used to harvest the grasses sharpened but the zaalsestri a Dancer used were blunted; to make them harder to use to kill on purpose or by accident.

“Kaelish Nelmos,” She said once again, “You did not kill. I...was prepared to. And, because of that, I nearly died by Scarflank's claws. Had you and Aalila not been as close...”

She paused a moment, shaking her head, “But you were close. We live. Scarflank yet lives. You destroyed her pride but they are canny and healthy. Some of her daughters were likely ready to leave and form prides of their own, the males are strong and surely will find a place in other prides. As for Scarflank herself, she is too stubborn not to build a new pride. I can only hope that Zaal wills it that she makes their range far, far from here.”

As odd as it might seem, Kaelish Nelmos took comfort in those words. New prides would mean more risk for the Krendaarri in future Turns but there would ever be Dancers ready to defend. He took comfort despite the risk because he chose to not kill

“There is a stream not too far north from here,” He said after a long silence. “This place, and we, smell too much of blood.”

Aalila nodded in agreement then added, “Zaal's eye is getting low enough and we could all use some sleep before we returned. Kaelish Nelmos, help me gather grass and we'll make a nest to carry Yenaali.”

He and Aalila spent the next little while collecting his zaalsestri and those of his mother, weaving them back to sharpened blades to slice through some of the tougher, taller grasses nearby then crafted them into a long sling and hanging bands that they slipped the zaalsestri through after weaving them into straight, slightly flattened rods that they could bear on their shoulders. They gently lifted Yenaali and placed her within the sling and lifted it up and put the carrying rods onto their shoulders. They walked slowly for several minutes before reaching the stream. They carefully washed the blood from their bodies and refreshed themselves in the cool water for laying on the bank and warmed in the light of the setting sun.

Yenaali sniffed the air, “Son, I smell ulgek melons.”

“Oh, no...please no,” Aalila said, her nose already wrinkling in disgust.

“I'll be right back,” Kaelish Nelmos said as he scented them as well. It was only a handful of minutes before he returned with four melons, each slightly smaller than his head and covered in a thick, gray-brown rind. He set three of them aside and then lengthened and sharpened the claws tipping his fingers and used then to pierce the fourth melon.

At the now stronger odor of the melon as its juices seeped from the punctures, Aalila gave a choking sound that was very much like the Krendaarri's name for these extremely pungent melons.

“Please,” she said weakly, already backing away, “You showed Scarflank mercy...”

Kaelish chuckled and started to break the melon into two halves beginning from where he had pierced the rind, “They're far better than teni, my love,” He said and gave his mother one half of the melon. Soon they were scooping the pulpy interior out and licking it from their fingers. Kaelish Nelmos offered his half to Aalila, who shook her head, nose growing smaller on her face nearly to disappearing altogether.

“I'd sooner eat kellen dung,” She replied. “At least it smells nicer.”

“More for us then, my son,” Yenaali said after almost finishing her part of the first fruit.

A large amount of soft grasses suddenly formed over their heads and rained down on them. Eyes still shining, Aalila then raised up the dirt from the stream bank up, around and over mother and son. She left openings for part of the stream to run through the shelter and several slits along the top so air could move through. Then she walked up stream, crossed to the other side to be upwind of them and wove a second shelter.

“Very well,” She said before stepping inside her second construction, “But I am sleeping here and you two are sleeping there.”

Beginnings, Ch 2, Pt 4

       As Aalila gave him leave, his hands gripped the zaalsestri hard enough to make the golden skin of his fingers pale for lack of blood.

The hlesskssaa were clawing hard at the protective wall he had woven; driven to frenzy by the smell of spilled blood and by his mother's cries. He did not need to see them that most of the pride was trying get through and offered thanks to Zaal that they did not have the cunning to have one climb up upon another and be able to reach the opening. Zaal's Eye was high enough in the sky that the sun could be seen in that opening.

          Kaelish Nelmos closed his eyes and lowered his head, letting the warmth of the light soak into his body.

        “Zaal, You whose Dancing and Weaving created us,” He said softly, barely a whisper, “Grant me the strength to do what I must. Grant me the wisdom to do only what I must and no more. Guide my hand so that, if I must, it will be swift.”

         Saying that, he gave his mother and Aalila each a kiss then stood. Weaving some hand and footholds, he gripped the zaalsestri with one hand and climbed up the inside of his enclosure with his other hand and feet and stood top the narrow wall. The hlesskssaa did not yet see him and he knew that could last only a few heartbeats at best. Glancing about quickly, he took note of how they were clustered, made his decision and leaped from the wall; landing behind three of them on the side opposite from where Scarflank raged.

A zaalsestra gripped in each hand, Kaelish Nelmos began his Dance.

Aalila tried to focus on Yenaali and make certain there were no other wounds that required her skills. Mostly, she tried to close out the noises outside and not worry for her lover.

“Please,” The other female said after a moment, “We must witness this.”

“Yenaali, it is too dangerous.”

“Please...”

Then Aalila nodded as she realized what she could do. She turned her weave sense towards the wall and altered its structure so that it became clear but still remained at least as hard as what Kaelish Nelmos had crafted. Though the curve distorted the view, they could see outside.

Kaelish Nelmos was nearly a blur as he Danced. Spinning, he would lash out and strike a flank with the side of a zaalsestra one one hlesskssaa even as he would use the blunted end of the other to hit where a leg joined the body of another. He would leap high over one only to land and fold himself flat against the ground as second rushed over him and collide with the first. Then he would be on his feet again to use the curved stave to thrust upward and batter the sensitive underside with nearly enough force to topple the beast from its feet. All the while, he growled the hissing, rattling sound of the hlesskssaa. Frightened, in pain, in singles or in pairs, the other hlesskssaa of the pride began to flee towards the Railing.

Yenaali chuckled softly, weakly.

“What is he doing?” Aalila asked. While she knew he could Dance, she had never seen him move with this much determination and precision. But she could not understand why he would divide his concentration to alter his voice so.

“He is tearing the pride apart,” Yenaali said as she struggled to sit up a bit in order to see better. Aalila quickly changed her position so that she could put the other female's head in her lap to let her see. “Those calls... they are the ones a pride leader will make to drive away one from the pride she deems unfit to remain.”

Kaelish Nelmos rolled to the side as a pair rushed him from the front and back, causing them to butt heads together and then landed a solid blow to the neck just behind the head of each of them. Hard enough to rattle them but not enough to break their spines. He then gave each a prod and roared out his cry again. Even as they fled, another rushed in then swerved at the last moment and lashed with his tail. Instead of trying to dodge the strike, Kaelish Nelmos let it fling him. As he flew, he planted the end of a zaalsestra into the ground and spun around it and planted both feet squarely in the attacker's snout. The hlesskssaa didn't need the growl as incentive; it fled with no further provocation.

“He's...” Aalila began then stopped; speechless.

“He is grass, my daughter to be,” Yenaali responded. “He bends before the wind so that he does not break. And, should the wind uproot him, he is even more dangerous to the trees about him.”

At last, only Scarflank remained. She had tried several times to claw or bite but Kaelish Nelmos dance had almost always placed one of her pride between them. On the few times there wasn't, he was far to nimble to be caught. Now, they stood facing one another. Kaelish Nelmos had the long end of each zaalsestra planted into the ground and the staves leaned inward, crossing just before his face.

He looked at her from behind his guard position. “Leave!” He called out even though he know she could not understand his words, but he hoped his posture, determination and tone would carry his message. “Your pride is fled, scattered like leaves. They will not return to you! LEAVE!”

At his shout, Scarflank roared, clawing at the ground in rage. Her tail lashed twice, three times, tearing out clumps of grass even as her claws dug at the ground. Roaring again, she moved towards him.

“leave.”

The word was soft this time, nearly a whisper. He did not move as she advanced on him. Instead, his eyes glowed like stars and the blunted ends at the top of each staff grew into sharpened points.

“leave,” Kaelish Nelmos said once more, still not moving.

Scarflank stopped and glared at him. She roared out once and once again. Then, at last, she turned and began to move slowly towards the Railing. Kaelish Nelmos stood motionless, zaalsestri sharpened into killing spikes, until the hlesskssaa, now without a pride, climbed over the stones of the Railing and continued to the west. It was only after Scarflank had disappeared over the horizon that he finally moved; slumping exhausted against his weapons.

Beginnings, Ch 2, Pt 3

During the run out to the Railing, Kaelish Nelmos' mind was divided. While he paid attention to his path and surroundings, he also delved within his memories. The kellen shared the plains with the Krendaarri though the latter had built the first Railing more than a thousand Rings ago to help keep the migratory animals from the portion of the plains the Krendaarri required for their own food needs. Migrating southward as the seasons cooled, then northward again as the weather turned warmer once again, the migratory kellen followed the cycle of the grasses. They were large, generally docile and slow-moving and the Railing was more than enough to keep them on the westward side of the stone and wood creation. Krendaarri would roam the Railing's length, keeping it mended and watching for herds of kellen that might accidentally wander through a breach or perhaps come too far eastward before coming to the Railing itself. When this would happen, the Krendaarri would keep watch to make certain they did not come too far east; carefully guiding and coaxing them back closer to the Railing. They were careful because the kellen were quite a bit heavier and, while docile, they could be roused to stampeding with little provocation and their long, sharp horns were a formidable challenge to anyone seeking to bring such a stampede to an end.

But as the kellen roamed, so, too did the hlesskssaa. They preyed on the herds, easily singling out individual animals and running them down. Though they were lighter than the kellen, the hlesskssaa could run almost as swiftly as a Krendaarri on the large, muscular hind legs; their bodies balanced by strong, heavy tails. Sharp, hooked claws tipped front and rear paws and teeth, just as sharp, filled their long mouths. Dusty brown fur covered their bodies and let them blend into the tall, partially dried grasses of the plains during the drier times. And, unlike the kellen, they could easily leap over the Railing, chest high to a Krendaarri, to hunt those smaller, misplaced herds.

They also were not above preying on the Krendaarri when the chance arose.

It had been the responsibility of Kaelish Nelmos, his parents and ancestors, as well as a few other families, to act as defenders of the rest of their race from such attacks since before the first Railing had ever been erected. Through the Rings, they had learned how the hlesskssaa moved, studied how they would attack, singly and in packs, and learned to both defend against that but also to fight back and drive the hlesskssaa back. Over the rings, many a Krendaarri had died in this defense, but only seldom, with great reluctance and remorse, was ever a hlesskssaa killed.

“We must protect ourselves,” Kaelish Nelmos' parents had told him many times, “yet we must not become like the hlesskssaa. As Zaal crafted us all, they have no less right to live than you or I.”

Thus, the Dancers, as his family and the others were called, would carry zaalsestri to use as weapons, but these were rounded and blunted instead of the bladed tools the Krendaarri used to harvest grass from the plains. They could strike, and strike hard, a hlesskssaa yet only the greatest of mischance would they be able to pierce the thick, furred hide. They, and the Dancer's skills in shifting and weaving and fighting, were enough.

Three hands of Turns ago had been a very dry summer and the grasses were very brittle as the kellen herds made their way southward. Lightning had struck in the plains and the resulting fire spread panic and the kellen stampeded, breaking through the Railing in several places. Kaelish Nelmos and his father, Nelmos Viraane, had been watching along one such area where the fires had also grown close and a pride of hlesskssaa also came through. Father and son managed to drive them southward as other Krendaarri worked to calm and contain the kellen. They struck and threatened with their zaalsestri, keeping the snarling predators at bay until they reached an area where a river had halted the fire's spread though it still burned on the northern side and had the wood in the Railing ablaze. The hlesskssaa dashed through the river where it cut an opening in the Railing but the prides leading female stumbled against one of the smaller males and fell against the burning wood; gaining the large burn that gave her her name of Scarflank. Roaring in pain and rage, she circled about but Nelmos Viraane, with relentless blows of the zaalsestri, managed to at last drive her through the opening as Kaelish Nelmos wove river stones to fill the breach.

The fire and the pain had done something to the hlesskssaa, however, and each turn since, she had lead her pride over the railing. Each time, she was turned back but, over the next hand of turns, the pride had killed almost two hands of Krendaarri. The number of Dancers patrolling the railing increased over the next hand of turns and, while she and her pride were often spotted close by, they did not cross the railing again. A hand of turns ago, Kaelish Nelmos' father was patrolling. Under the cover of night, as he slept, Scarflank had leaped over the Railing and had killed him in his sleep. Yenaali had found the pride, still feasting on his body, the next sunrise.

She struck with a fury few Krendaarri could match yet, even so, she drove the pride back without killing them.

Now, a hand of turns later, Kaelish Nelmos had nearly lost his mother to the same pride.

Beginnings, Ch 2, Pt 2

Aalila saw her lover's hands clench briefly into fists and his scent grew flat for a handful of seconds before his expression turned determined. He walked a few paces towards a granary and took up two of the zaalsestri leaning against it. The slightly crescent-shaped staves were slightly taller than he was, with a handle grip about a third of the way down from the top on the inside of the crescent. With relief, she saw him weave the sharpened inner edge of the longer section back into the round shape matching the shorter end.

“Mesaanos Tirka,” He said, “I will bring these back with me. And twice as much fruit as you need to recook these flasks of runners' fruit.”

He picked up a shoulder belt laden with twelve flasks filled with a thick syrup made from fruits that had been cooked down to concentrate their sugars and tossed it to her. With that, he started trotting westward.

Aalila followed quickly after him and just managed to her her father say, “Take these instead...” but was too far away to hear the rest.

Mesaanos Tirka, shook his head, chuckling a little, “Ah, well, they'll find out soon enough.”

Kaelish Nelmos fought the urge to run as fast as he could. While that might let him catch up to his mother, it would probably leave him too spent, even replenished with runners' fruit, to be useful. So he kept his pace to a lope that covered ground quickly but did not sap his endurance. Aalila paced him easily. They quickly made their way through the remainder of the Krendaarri's home and onto the plains westward from there. A few Krendaarri were coming from the direction in which they were headed and they could see where the grasses had been bent by those who had come through previously . However, they followed a trail of grass that was bent in the direction they traveled. The path Yenaali had made. As they ran, the grass was bent more, letting them know they were getting closer to her as it had not yet had time to start to grow more upright. After running for close to three Hands, they managed to catch up to her.

And find her surrounded by three hands' worth of hlesskssaa. Yenaali was managing to keep the pride at bay by spinning about and swinging a single zaalsestra that she gripped closed to one end of the staff. Kaelish Nelmos looked quickly for the second staff, they were nearly always used in pairs, then he saw how his mother kept her right arm close to her body and saw the trail of blood painting that side of her body green.

Quickening his pace, he shouted, “DOWN!” then planted the longer ends of his own zaalsestri into the ground and used then to vault high.

Yenaali heard her son's shout and as much fainted to the ground as crouched. She was aware enough to see his leap and the resulting flip that carried him over the back of two of the hlesskssaa and land just in front of her. Spinning, he lashed out with both of his weapons and struck five of them hard blows on their flanks. Cautious, the pride drew away and scattered out of the range of his reach.

That was enough for now. Kaelish Nelmos kept the zaalsestri outstretched but shifted his focus to the grass about them. Eyes flashing a brilliant blue, he used his weave sense to draw the grass up and the ground beneath into a round wall three times his height and as round in diameter, closing himself, his mother and Aalila, who rushed in as the hlesskssaa scattered within its sheltering walls.

Aalila knelt down beside Yenaali and gently moved the blood-covered arm. A claw had caught it and laid it open almost to the bone from wrist to elbow. Worse, though, was another clawing that opened her side deep enough to break several ribs and tear organs below.

“Hold her steady,” She told Kaelish Nelmos as he knelt beside the both of them. Then, to Yenaali, she said, “This will hurt, I am sorry.”

Yenaali managed to cough a weak laugh, “It already does, Weaver.” She placed a reassuring hand on the one who loved her son so as she used Aalila's title instead of her name; showing great respect for Aalila's talents. “Do what you must.”

Aalila felt a moment's pride at the touch and the words but did not let it distract her from the task at hand. Eyes flashing at least as brightly as her lover's had a few moments before, she sensed the depth of the damage and set to work mending the rent organs and bones, muscles and tissues. It was time consuming a well as draining work and she paused for a moment to drink one of the flasks of runners' fruit to replenish her own energy.

Kaelish Nelmos held his mother as still as he could manage as Aalila worked. Yenaali cried out several times as Aalila had not lied. If possible, the putting of her body back together hurt as much, if not more, than being wounded. For all that, she held as still as she could, with her son's help, as Aalila worked. Shortly, it was much easier to breath, if still very painful to do so, and her torn skin was woven closed over her side and her arm. She would live.

Aalila held a flask to Yenaali's lips, “Drink, slowly...”

She obeyed, and very nearly wished she hadn't.

“Teni...” she managed to gasp after Aalila had squeezed the flask dry.

“Your son grabbed them,” Aalila said, smiling shaking her head. “So that was what Father tried to say. Son as mother, headstrong, reckless fools; I'd not have either of you any other way.”

They all sat or lay within the wall's shelter, each recovering their strength for a few moments as the hlesskssaa scrabbled and scratched outside. Kaelish Nelmos had hardened it enough that they could not claw their way through or gain enough of a foothold to climb up. This did frustrate the pride enough that the rattling, chattering hissing that was the source of the Krendaarri's name for these predators was getting very loud.

Kaelish Nelmos looked down at his mother then at Aalila. She nodded, “I've done as much as I can, we need to get her home so she can rest. Take care of Scarflank.”

Beginnings, Ch 2

Chapter 2

As it was early morning, the vast majority of Krendaarri were still sleeping in clusters of family members that could span three or four generations. While many of these chose to do so in dwellings worked from the stone of the ground or from the mountains of the Spine that loomed over the northern horizon, there were several families that would, especially in the warmer months of summer and early fall, erect temporary shelters made of wood, woven grass and cloth made from fibrous plants or simply lie out in the open grass beneath the sky. This last grouping was rather thick on the ground in the direction Kaelish Nelmos and Aalila approached coming from the east and the Fingers and they moved cautiously around and through them. Not for fear of waking them, however. When a Krendaarri is asleep, not even getting stepped on or having a few hundred kilograms of fruit and nuts dropped on them is likely to awaken them. But there were several others also bringing foods harvested from plains and forests, returning from their work and others still, having risen early, heading out to do the same that the available paths could become crowded quickly. Friendly greetings and wishes of bountiful harvests were exchanged and people passed one another by.

Scenes like this were repeated all along the eastern, southern and western edges of over a thousand square kilometers of plains and hillsides and low mountains that some ten million Krendaarri considered their home. This was, for all intents and purposes, the entire population of the Krendaarri species as, save for a few thousand who would range outward from the location to scout or stand guard against possible danger or roam even further abroad to know what happened elsewhere upon their world or for simple curiosity and wanderlust, their sense of family kept most of them clustered more closely together. It was not so much a city as it was an enormous village divided and subdivided into smaller and smaller villages as family groups would gather together along clans formed by blood or life-bonding between members of different families. There were no paved roads, or unpaved for that matter, and beyond the stone or wood and cloth structures families might use as homes what other structures that existed were granaries and storehouses for foodstuffs and pavilion-like clearings that would have a flat, stone platform usually about half as tall as a Krendaarri where one could stand and be seen more clearly by groups when one had something of importance to share with others. Also scattered all throughout would often be tables or other work spaces for crafts folk who used their weaving sense to work stone or metal or wood into various tools or ornaments and decorations. What fires there were usually existed near these places; most often with those who would prepare foods.

There were few other structures beyond that save for bridges that would span two rivers and dozens of streams that were fed by waters the Spine captured from rainfalls or melted from the snows that capped several of the peaks and were replenished by winter snows and amphitheater built into the side of those same mountains where all the Krendaarri would assemble for special events and ceremonies.

There were also numerous animals spread throughout the place as well. Birds would pick and peck at the ground in areas where the families were not sleeping. Small, furred creatures scurried here and there, some nesting in trees, others would nuzzle their way into gaps between sleeping Krendaarri and take shelter in their shared warmth. None of these animals, birds or otherwise, were domesticated in the common acceptance of the term, however there was, through long ages of mutual coexistence, something of an accord. Their nests would not be disturbed and they weren't captured for food. In fact, the Krendaarri would actively protect them. In return, several species of birds had the habit of flying up and harassing predatory birds and driving them away and those they could not, the Krendaarri shoo away from nesting grounds. Other animals might steal nuts or fruits or grains from the storehouses or families' dwellings, but they also helped keep the trees free of parasites or pests that could spoil those same items on the trees. Some of them, if they tended to sleep with this certain family or that, would often leave a little pile of nuts nearby for the Krendaarri they had...adopted.

One of these piles, perhaps a few dozen nune nuts, was along the path Kaelish Nelmos and Aalila threaded their way along and his foot brushed the pile, scattering them a bit. It's builder was sitting on the shoulder of a sleeping Krendaarri and began chittering angrily at this affront.

“My apologies, noble chicherri,” Kaelish Nelmos said softly as he stooped down and arranged them back into their pile, “I meant no offense.” He said it with a soft chuckle but meant it all the same. He waited while the chicherri looked on, then, seemingly satisfied, gave a dismissive flip of its long, furred tail and settled back down to doze once more.

The pair had continued generally westward until the sun was about a hand span higher from the horizon than it had been then they had arrived. Finally, they reached a larger clearing with several taller storehouses and some smaller buildings. A fire burned nearby and a large metal cauldron hung over it with a Krendaarri stirring the contents simmering within. He glanced up, smiled, and shifted into Aalila's form nearly as completely as Kaelish Nelmos had the previous day.

“Aafaa!” Aalila called out, shifting into his form and hugging the older male. After a long moment's embrace, she drew away and resumed her own form as her father altered to match Kaelish Nelmos as her lover returned the greeting and the hug.

“Mesaanos Tirka,”

“Kaelish Nelmos,” The other male said as each resumed their own shapes, “I trust you and my daughter had a bountiful harvest?”

While he politely ignored the flush of embarrassment that carried on their scents, the slight broadening of his smile was an acknowledgment of it. They were young, very much in love, and could be excused if some of the time they were supposed to use in gathering food was spent dallying with one another. Everyone was young, once. Even if they had dallied longer than usual, the bulging sacks of teni fruit and nune nuts showed they still did their duty.

“She even let me bring more nune this time,” Kaelish Nelmos said, his wink not visible to Aalila.

“Aafaa,” Aalila responded, “When he and I are life-bonded, may I ask that you give us a present teni-paste. That is all I am going to allow him to eat for our first Ring together.”

“An entire Ring?” Mesaanos Tirka mused, “That would require quite a few teni, Daughter.” He did his best to look stern and, at last, Aalila relented.

“Well, a quarter of a Ring, then,” She finally conceded and kissed Kaelish Nelmos on the cheek.

“That I believe I can manage,” Her father replied and stirred the contents of his cauldron again. While he did, his daughter and her paramour placed their harvests into some of the storehouses nearby and set the sacks on pegs on the outside of the buildings to be used by them or other harvesters on their next outing.

“Aamaa is not back yet?” Aalila asked after they had finished that task. “I figured she would be back before we were.”

“Kenri had returned last night and then said she was going up towards the Spine as it should be time for some of the herb plants to be ready to harvest. She left a bit before Zaal's Eye rose. I suspect she might be up there for a hand of days before she returns. Perhaps both of you would like to join her?”

“After I've seen Aamaa,” Kaelish Nelmos answered.

Before he could speak further, another Krendaarri had run up and stopped.

“Kaelish Nelmos,” He said, and they briefly changed their faces to match one another's, “Yenaali sent me to find you after I told her a pride of hlesskssaa had come across the Railing.”

Kaelish tensed for a moment, “She is already on her way there?”

“Yes. I'd been watching along the Railing since it is the time for the kellen herds to head for their winter fields and the hlesskssa always follow them. I'd seen them drawing near, so I had already made sure the harvesters on the plains were warned away. When I saw the pride leap the Railing, I ran back to inform Yenaali. She told me to find you and inform you; that was just over a Hand ago.”

Though he suspected he already knew the answer, Kaelish Nelmos asked, “And why could she not wait for me before departing?”

“It's Scarflank's pride.”

Beginnngs Ch1, Pt3

For her part, Aalila enjoyed the sourness of a teni fruit. Especially after she had used her weaving ability as she had with the fog. It would leave her mouth dry and the bitter helped to counter it. Though she enjoyed the taste far more judiciously by taking smaller bites and chewing them slowly.

After she had finished her own fruit, she asked him, “Are you going to be cooperative and come down with me, or do I need to persuade you with another teni?”

“One is enough,” He admitted, mumbling, as he worked his mouth to get the muscles in his lips to relax once again. “More than enough, I need water.”

Aalila stood, ”Then I'll meet you at the stream below.” She stretched out her arms but, instead of shifting into a skriil or other bird, skin grew from her arms and body and legs to form thin, resilient membranes that allowed her to glide on the wind as she lept from the stone. Laughing, Kaelish Nelmos followed her.

The Fingers were close enough together, Aalila did not glide directly from the top of the one she and her lover had been on. Instead, she would glide and find purchase on the side of another of the stone formations then push off and glide to another; each landing being a bit lower down than the previous. In that manner, flitting between four different ones, she reached the ground, landing beside the stream, a few minutes later.

Kaelish Nelmos landed just a few seconds later, very close beside her, having copied her descent to the point of using the very same hand and footholds she had used. Even as he willed his body back to its normal form, he grab a hold of her and, laughing, pulled them both into the stream. There followed quite some time of splashing and kissing and touching one another before they climbed up onto the grassy bank to lay in the dappled sunlight. Looking up, he noted that they were lying nearly under a nune tree heavy with its nuts. While he was better skilled at shifting and she at weaving, he was more than good enough to use his weave sense to sever the stems to make a small shower of the nuts rain down about them. Taking two in a hand, he cracked the hard shells against one another by squeezing them then fed the mellow, slightly oily meats to her before taking two more for himself. Repeating this several times, they both were both sated and had largely restored the energy their exertions had spent.

“These are just ready for picking,” Aalila said, “We should harvest and take them back home with us.”

“I'm sure they'll be more welcome than sacks of teni,” He replied, then hastily added, “but we can take some of those home, too,” in response to the glare she gave him.

They spent the rest of the day gathering up tall blades of grass and weaving them, both with nimble fingers and their weave sense, into sacks, harvesting nune and teni until those sacks were full to overflowing. They cut several stalks of the thicker kaabu grass, slung the sacks between them and settled them onto their shoulders, Kaelish Nelmos in front and Aalila behind, to make the load easier for them both to carry. Zaal's Eye was nearly setting as they set out for home and they walked through the night; arriving just as the sun rose the next morning.

Beginnings Ch1 Part 2

“Kaelish!” She shouted, startled, and covered the ten strides from one side of the Finger to the other in a single leap and looked down over the edge. Even as she knelt to be able to look further down, she knew he had acted to elicit just such a response. Kaelish Nelmos was very skilled in the art of shifting, yet he constantly sought to challenge that skill. There was water at the base of this side of the Finger, she now gazed, with eyesight and weave sense, to try to find if he had chosen a fish or avian form. The growing cries of the skriil made her decide avian and her attention focused on the flock rising up from the fog below.

He would be one of them, Aalila was certain of that. Just which one would be the difficult part. The skriil were roughly the same, grayish white bodies and wings tipped with black; their webbed feet flat up against the underside of their bodies. Some were a bit larger, some slightly broader in wingspan, but eyesight alone was not going to solve this riddle so she shifted fully into weave sense. In this manner, she could detect are more minute differences; the number and size of individual feathers, how their beaks moved, where there eyes gazed...

“HA!” She exclaimed and exhibited her own skills. Eyes shining bright with her weave sense, Aalila caused the fog to billow upward and around one of the skriil. It was not the largest nor the smallest, not the longest of wing and, as the fog swelled around it and grew more and more dense and thick, the skriil did not attempt to fight or flee. In fact, by the time Aalila had raised the ball of nearly solid fog back to the top of the finger, a rather crouched and cramped Kaelish Nelmos was huddled within it.

She raised her trap a bit further up from the stone before she dispelled it, giving him enough distance to, barely, land upon his feet. He embraced her just a moment later after taking on her form. She did the same, greeting one another in the typical Krendaarri fashion, though the length of their embrace, and their kiss, was far more intimate.

“How did you know which one I was,” He asked after they had separated and taken on their own forms once again. “I made certain to be as like the rest of the flock as I could manage.”

Aalila kept her silence for several long moments until he had said, “Please, tell me,” almost half a dozen times.

“You were the only one looking back at me,” She finally admitted, laughing as his pointed ears drooped slightly, his skin flushed slightly greenish and his scent turned the slight tang that proclaimed the depth of his embarrassment.

“Kaelish Nelmos Viraane Tienaak Giren,” Aalila stated formally, using the names of his father, father's father, and fathers before that as she pointed towards the sun now burning the fog away quickly, “Zaal's Eye as my witness, you are glorious and wonderful and I love you as I could love no other, but you have to be the most foolish Krendaarri ever to be born; falling like that.”

“I knew I could shift in time,” He responded. His scent was nearly bitter now and her withering gaze made him admit, “I was mostly certain I could...”

Aalila held him with a look for a few moments longer then just shook her head.

“Glorious fool,” She admitted, smiling.

His scent grew sweeter and warmer by the moment. At least until a rather noisy grumble further marked the extent of his foolishness.

“Ah, yes,” She responded, a hand reaching into her sack for one of the dark green fruit she had picked earlier. Her claw tips pricked through the tough skin and she squeezed it just enough to start the juice oozing out of those punctures as she shoved it into his mouth, “I should have realized that you weren't content just to tempt time, but an empty belly as well.”

Kaelish managed to blurt out, “I have-” before Aalila had stuffed his mouth.

Teni fruit!

Bitter as it was, he knew she must have sought out the ripest, most bitter ones she was able to find. Not that he was able to accuse her of such, now. His lips had instinctively puckered at the sour taste and that only served to push the fruit further into his mouth. All he could do now was to try not to show just how sour it was as he chewed and swallowed and accepted his punishment for his folly.

Zaal! How he loved her!