'Unbelievable', Coldfire shook her head.
'Agreed. Had someone told me this three nanapi's ago, I'd have scarce believed it, likely I'd have judged the initiate delusional and unfit for a warrior tour of duty.', Argent agreed.
'You and me both. How by the stars did he manage that?'
Argent shrugged. 'He once told me that on his planet people have many animals they train for several tasks. Some are just foodbeasts, like these cows and pigs he mentioned, others are actually trained to guard said livestock against wild animals and poachers, and they use even animals to carry them around and pull their carts or power heavy machinery like mills or even cranes.'
'This sounds ... primitive.', Coldfire sent hestitantly.
'For us, it is. But see for yourself what he accomplished here and ask yourself, out of the two of us, us initiates and him I mean, who is the real primitive here.'
Coldfire took another look at the scene. It was still unbelievable to her - somehow, with a mixture of cajoling, forceful appearance and rewards he managed to garner obedience from the arianesin, especially the younger animals. Just now she watched one particularly large beast stop in its tracks, solons away from gutting a dummy, just on a sharp gesture by Nathanial.
'He told me that the arianesin felt to him like they were supposed to be domesticated - or actually had been - and they just went feral again. What he meant is that they are supposed to be receptive to such treatment and training', Argent added.
'Do you think the Soia used them for a similar purpose? As guard beasts?', Coldfire asked.
'No idea. Are the other preparations set in place?', Argent retorted.
'I think so. Whoever tries to make her way through the woods will be in for some surprises. Really. Snare traps? I scoffed at that idea but let me tell you, I stopped laughing once I saw Snow dangling upside down from a tree sapling. And that weapon he fashioned himself...'
'What weapon?' Argent's curiosity was piqued.
'A hollowed out reed. He calls it a 'blow tube', and said a specific tribe, the Cherokee on his planet used them to great success for hunting. You can shoot darts with it. Not very accurate, but completely silent. Blackrune picked up on it and is already thinking about making an improved version of it. Better materials, more precise workmanship, you know. And both Copperspike and Natan said the arianesin poison could be used to coat the darts.', Coldfire reported.
'This is scary. We were warned when we found the arianesin hide in front of his cabin when we arrived. But now we see how much better he is at woodman's lore and survival than we'd ever be.', Argent sent, shaking her head.
'What do you mean?'
'Take us. We're accustomed to technology. We have shelters made from hi-tech materials, a water filtration unit, a communicator, and that was deemed the barest minimum a diral is sent into isolation with. We knew about nothing about the woods and little of the animals living here. Then, take Natan. He came from a world which doesn't even have electricity. And again and again he showed us how he can make do with whatever he finds here and how to use everything at his disposal to great effect. By all accounts he is better adapted to this lifestyle than we are. And I think, the Mizol, even older and more removed from their diral time, might be in for an even nastier surprise than we had been.'
'Sounds about right.... For something different. Since your outing to the waterfall, I watched you several times coming out of his cabin early in the morning. It's likely that others noticed as well....', Coldfire left her comment open-ended.
Argent sighed. Of course someone would bring up this topic, it just had been a matter of time. She felt relieved that it had been Coldfire and not someone else.
'Yes, it's true. Ever since the waterfall, I ... couldn't get him out of my head. He's up there, in the back, always. It's ... disconcerting, and I know that this is wrong to get so attached to a male, but why does it feel so right?'
'I don't know', Coldfire hedged, 'Perhaps it is because he's a human and not a Loroi. We know that his people do things differently in that regard. Count yourself lucky that so far no one else had seriously made a move at him. But I've already seen some eager looks in his direction, perhaps it'd be just a matter of time - what would you do if, say, Firebrand, seriously tries to have her turn as well?'
'I'm not sure', Argent sent dejectedy, 'Perhaps I'll leave it up to him to decide. If he declines, the matter would be settled. But if he says yes... I couldn't stand in his way.'
Of course the subtext of Argent's sanzai told Coldfire her feelings on that matter.
---//---
'The readings seem to come from a Soia ruin, judging from what the scanner told me. Artificual structure, mostly comprised of ceramics and stone, but with a slight energy reading in it. Not enough for an active device, more likely it's dormant or damaged. Strange... there are numerous deposits of meteoric iron as well.', Tozet Coral reported.
'Do you think it has something to do with the deforested area you just scanned earlier?', Parat Nelonial asked.
'I don't think so. There were some oddities with the clearing, though. I read a number of Soia-Liron lifeforms, but can't make heads or tails of the reading.'
'Looks like we have two mysteries at hand, now. First, the Soia ruin, now that clearing. Any sign of this diral, though?'
'So far, nothing conclusive.'
'Too bad. Narrat Anchor, any place to touch down?', Nelonial turned to the shuttle pilot.
'The ruin ist mostly overgrown and I'm not sure I'd want to set down in an unknown clearing in the middle of a forest. My suggestion would be near the edge of the forest closest to the ruin. That would bring us in striking distance to both the ruin and the clearing. Still, be prepared for a hike through the forest', Anchor reported.
'A hike through the forest', Lennai Songbird sniffed derisively, 'how difficult could it be?'
Nelonial gave her protege a rather pointed glance. 'More difficult than you might imagine. We expect a ruin where we can drop off our Listel to do her sciency stuff, and maybe deal with the diral if they had not vacated the place. So yes, maybe add a bunch of ornery kids to the mission's risks in addition to the wildlife. Anchor, bring us down.'
Sending a wordless assent, Anchor broke orbit and directed the shuttle down to the landing site she envisioned.
---//---
'They're coming! They're here!' Poison Claw called out.
Nothing could have really prepared Nathanial for the noise that followed Poison Claw's announcement. A sort of whistling of something large piercing through the air, coupled with a deep thrumming that went right into his bones.
And the sight.
Something large passed high in the air, in front of the pre-dawn sky, lowering down and heading in the general direction of the ruin. Light reflected on a surface that must be metallic in origin. Argent tried to explain it to him, but still his mind stopped at the thought that this is some sort of ship, sailing through the air, and that there are persons in it.
And I'm supposed to scare away people who accomplished things like these - maybe I've taken too much on my plate with this. Nathan thought, doubt clouding his mind.
'Everyone to positions. Natan, Poison Claw, you take point and scout out the intruders. Remember, if they come close, don't hestitate to touch each other. Natan, don't be shy and let Poison Claw under your Lotai, as you've practised', Argent directed the diral as a whole.
Both human and Loroi sent their assent, though in case of the human with a some trepidation and distaste.
'Hope it won't take too long. I think the blue color gives me a rash if I need to wear it for longer than maybe five thousand solons.', Nathanial sent.
---//---
They timed their planetfall on their desired location in the early morning hours, local time, to spend the time before sunrise to set up a base camp and have a full cycle of daylight for recon. None of them were eager traipsing through a forest in the middle of the night, and they planned on reaching the ruins mid-morning to noon, ready to set up necessary instruments.
Sadly that required carrying some of the heavy gear from their base camp to the ruins, much to the chagrin of Gallen Ranzadi Neat and Soroin Pideir Bast.
Lucky for them the forest was not that dense that it required them hacking their way through the undergrowth, but it was dense enough that their sight, even under best conditions, ranged only several meters. Large rocks blocked their sight even further, putting the Loroi on edge.
"Halt!", a voice sounded out from the right, making Nelonial - and the rest of the group - stop in their tracks in surprise.
A male voice.
Turning to the source of the disturbance, the Loroi were treated to one thing they never, ever, expected to face in the wilderness of Deinar.
'Do you see what I see?', Neat sent disbelievingly.
'If you mean a large male with an almost bare chest... No, you are not male-starved, or we both are, because I see the same', Coral answered, flabbergasted.
'Oh, good. Since you see it as well, now I can be sure I'm not imagining things', Bast sent with mild aplomb.
'All of you, quiet', Nelonial cut in, 'first, what by the stars is a male doing that far out here and not succumbing to the Flames, second, how did we manage to get past by it and why don't I sense it even now?'
'You think the diral catered to its needs?', Songbird suggested.
Further deliberations were put on hold as the male spoke again.
"You tread on sacred ground. These lands, all you see, belong to the Hu'tin clan. You ... conformists ... are not wanted here. Turn around, and leave in peace. Continue trespassing, and suffer the consequences."
'Conformists? What does it mean?', Songbird asked.
'There are still clans clinging to the old lifestyle, refusing to be subsumed into the order of the State. They call us conformists, because we all conform to the modern lifestyle they don't wish for themselves. It's ... not a nice word.', Nelonial provided.
Nelonial herself listed the options in her mind. This seems to be a contact situation, with a potentially hostile populace. Trying to sway the male by any means necessary seems to be a futile effort - she herself put much effort in her looks, but that male didn't even spare her a second glance.
Nathanial himself went all out with his garb. Gathering motifs from several indian tribes, he opted for a leather vest that showed off much of his chest, along with matching breeches and soft-soled shoes, all bedecked in dyed patters, some abstract, some resembling animals. Finishing off he wore a headband, conveniently covering the upper part of his ears, showing off a pattern of triangles across his brow.
Argent was sure that it would have quite an effect on these Loroi, and she was proven right, as the younger ones positively raked their looks up and down on his body.
That got suddenly much more complicated, Nelonial thought with a sense of trepidation, I still cannot sense it, even if it is right in front of me. Perhaps that's why it spoke, rather than sending?
"We wish to seek passage to investigate a Soia ruin in this forest. Our orbital scanners registered an energy fluctuation two tozons ago and we need to..."
The male cut in. "The location you speak of is our most holy ground. No outsiders allowed. Whatever your eyes in the sky have seen is of no consequence. Turn around and leave. You have been warned."
Having delivered the warning, the male turned around and disappeared in the underbrush.
'Piss artist! Where did it go?!', Coral exclaimed.
'This way, I think', Songbird pointed forward and headed out in the given direction.
That was creepy, she thought to herself, Males are supposed to be docide and gentle, and that one actively threatened us. And the size.... Males aren't supposed to be that large, what...
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't watch her path, only to be rudely interrupted by something latching itself around her foot and violently jerking it upwards.
A snap, a rushing sound and a wordless yelp in Sanzai told the rest of the away team that something was amiss, but only Nelonial had a good view on the scene as it happened. Songbird's foot got caught in something, and a solon later a bent tree snapped up into upright position, pulling her foot high up, enough for Songbird to dangle upside down from a roughly spun rope.
'Get me down here! If I see that shit boot male again, I'll....', Songbird ranted, much to the enjoyment of Neat.
Cutting her free was easy enough, but the experience left the away team quite rattled.
'Traps? They set traps?', Coral asked with disbelief in her sanzai.
'Looks like it. Seems they really don't like outsiders. Anyway, let's proceed. Cautiously.', Nelonial warned.
---//---
Originally, they planned to be at the ruins by noon.
Now it was late afternoon, and they still were nowhere near the ruins, and morale took a turn for the worse.
For every trap they had found, at least two more were sprung on them. Coral suffered some scratches courtesy of a branch slapping right into her face, Nelonial herself got caught in another snare, and both Nelonial and Songbird dropped down into a pit, after breaking through its cover.
After examining the branches and saplings which made the pit's cover, Neat told them that it would have easily carried one Loroi, but not two of them. Or one Loroi carrying heavy gear.
After this, they spread out to avoid being trapped in the next pit.
Which turned out to be a mistake as well.
'Shred this! Something just stung me!', Bast exclaimed, her mood already turned sour after having been caught in another snare as well, and tried to slap the offending insect in her neck.
Her fingers came back dabbed with a drop of her own blood and some yellowish-green substance which made her index finger feel numb.
'What is this? I don't feel so....', her throughts trailed off the moment her legs gave way and she collapsed on the floor, out cold.
"You were warned", the voice of that damnable male sounded, much to Nelonial's shock.
I still can't sense him... he must have followed us!, Nelonial realized, a feeling of terror creeping up in her.
"Shit boot! Show yourself!", she exclaimed.
"You were warned", he repeated, "take your wounded warrior and go back. Proceed, and we won't be so lenient anymore."
"More traps?!", she screamed in his general direction.
"Worse.", he said, and even without sanzai Nelonial got the feeling that there were no words lost.
'I've had enough with these savages. Coral, do you have any idea what's wrong with Bast?'
'I'm no Doranzer', Coral hedged, 'but it looks to me like a venom. Arianesin perhaps, it does act like a strong soporific. Their typical hunting strategy, if they can't subdue their prey at once, is to wait out until it passes out and follow its tracks. Scans show that she's stable, only in deep sleep.'
'Since we're getting nowhere here now, let's set up a camp. Guard at all times. We don't want any more surprises.'
---//---
Argent was shocked at the ruthlessness with which Nathanial harassed the away team. She, Coldfire and Poison Claw watched, meticulously keeping their distance, to not to be picked up via sanzai, where Nathanial, under the guise of his Lotai, continued to tail and pester the Mizol.
'Looks like he tagged one of them with this 'blow tube' of his. She's seems to be out cold.', Poison Claw reported.
'Natan promised to keep things rather harmless for now.', Argent remarked.
'Rather harmless? One of them got bruises in her face, one is down by arianesin venom, and two might have wrenched tendons by the forces they were yanked up by their feet from the slings. I don't think I wish to know what Natan thinks to be harmful', Coldfire sent exasperated.
'He said he could have spiked the pit, for example.', Argent told the two initiates with mild aplomb.
'Looks like they decided to set up camp. Think they want to wait out the night?', Poison Claw asked.
Argent never answered because Nathanial turned up that very moment. Even if the three Loroi were already accustomed to his perfect Lotai and not sensing him, they couldn't help but be startled.
'Looks like they're here to stay', Nathanial sent to the three, 'If they really wish to stay, I'll give them a night they won't forget.'
'Do I want to know?', Coldfire asked.
'I'll let them off the hook for now. Let them feel safe in their camp. At least until nightfall or if they decide to break camp earlier than that. Whichever happens first, I'll make another entrance, with a group of arianesin at my beck and call.'
Argent tilted her head, waiting for Nathanial to continue.
'If that sight alone won't make them wet their breeches, perhaps a pack of arianesin trashing their camp might do the trick to show them we mean business.'
---//---
Night fell over the camp of the Mizol, and morale seemed to be equally low. Bast woke up just a bit earlier, with a ponding headache and the matching disposition to boot, and both Songbird and Nelonial suffered from a wrenched ankle, the medkit did little to alleviate.
Yet, that male didn't show itself again but Nelonial had the creeping suspicion that his last confrontation hadn't been an empty threat as well.
Everyone in the camp was on edge. Waiting for the second proverbial shoe to drop.
A low, rattling growl made the Loroi flinch. A second growl, with a slightly different pitch followed, from a different direction, then a third.
"Turn around.", the voice of the male sounded again, making Nelonial whirl around and face him. There he was, illuminated by the light of the lamps they set up.
But he was not alone.
To his sides, two arianesin stood erect, snarling at the group, fangs bared, ready to jump. And by the sounds, several more were there, too, almost surrounding the camp.
The Mizol reached for her sidearm, followed by the rest of her team making similar movements.
Solitary hunters, she said. Little to no threat, she said. Shred this! Explain five or six of them, I dare you. And a male who seem to have managed to turn them into weapons!, Neat thought, casting an ugly glance at Songbird.