Page 4 of Challenged

Rardek

Despite the cold, I am sweating by the time we arrive back at the fire. The knowledge we hold has burned at our spirits, driving us to run hard. I bend over, bracing myself on my knees as I draw air deep into my lungs, trying to catch my breath. As my heartspace slows enough to allow for speaking, I rise, words ready to pour out of my mouth.

But there are two faces I was not expecting to see at the fire, and the sight halts the words at the end of my tongue. Anghar and Paskar, prepping two frenelles. They both grin broadly when they see Jaskry and me, rising to greet us. Despite the forest’s troubles, my heartspace lifts to see them.

“They said you were out on hunting rounds,” Anghar says, coming to my side and gripping my arm in greeting. “What have you got to add to our catch?”

I feel Jaskry tighten next to me.

“I am afraid we return empty-handed,” I say, feigning shame. “Good that you arrived with gifts to save us from the drudgery of meal bars.”

Paskar shakes his head, but Anghar is no fool. His eyes narrow, and I nod, letting him know that there is more to what I am saying. His eyes flick to the trees, and I wonder how much he has noticed. The lack of animal sounds? The rot itself?

“These we caught yesterday,” he says, gesturing to the frenelles. “But no one was much in the mood for cooking. It was a long day of travelling and we did not have the energy or patience for building a fire and prepping a fresh kill. We were all to our beds early, ready to be up early today. The females, particularly, long for the walking to be over.”

“How far behind are Vantos and everyone else?” I ask.

“They should arrive midday tomorrow. He sent us ahead so that any preparations might be made for the waking of the females to start. As eager as we have been to arrive and rest our aching feet, Vantos is twice as eager to be away from this place again.”

There is some amusement in Anghar’s expression, but he glances at the Mercenia hut, and I think his heartspace is more in line with Vantos’ than not.

“Perhaps when he samples our marvellous hospitality, he might change his mind,” I say.

At the fire, Larzon snorts. “Hospitality? It is them who bring us meals while you two return with nothing.”

There is a sharpness to his tone, but Larzon no longer has the power to strike at anyone’s heartspace. We have all learned not to take him too seriously, despite how very seriously he is inclined to take himself.

“It is a very fine sort of nothing, though, do you not think?” I say, pretending to show it to him. I know I should not, but I findpoking him a little too much fun. Larzon’s expression twists into a snarl and he takes a breath to speak.

“We have food enough to feed everyone,” Anghar says, smoothing the conversation out with his warm tone. “Would you aid us with the preparations, Rardek, Jaskry?”

Jaskry takes up a seat and pulls his knives out of his pack, ready. I incline my head in apology.

“I am afraid I have words I must speak with our chief,” I say. “Is he here or out on patrols?”

“Liv, Lorna and Brooks have gone down to thepodroom to discuss preparations for Vantos’ arrival,” Anghar says. “Their mates have gone with them.”

“To protect their linashas from sleeping females?”

Anghar chuckles. “Or to protect them from the ill feeling the Mercenia hut inspires in us, not them.” He glances at the hut once more. “I am no better. I find myself very glad that my Ellie remains safe in our village, despite how my heartspace yearns to be near to her.”

I grip his shoulder - a pale sort of comfort to offer a male so far from his linasha’s side, but it is all I have.

“I will speak with Gregar now, then,” I say, then gesture to the half-prepared frenelles. “Once the message is delivered, I will return to assist.”

“With watching the food cook?” Paskar says, shooting me a smirk.

“My favourite part of food preparation,” I retort with a small bow.

The others laugh, including Anghar, which pleases me. Always it has been my gift - to play the fool and make others laugh. Laughter is a vital balm to the spirit, and never a more important one than when we lived without hope for a future. We have our sisters now, younglings on the way. We have hopeagain. But laughter can still ease the burden of worry, and we have plenty of that resting on our shoulders right now.

And I am about to add more to Gregar’s already considerable load.

The cold feels deeper the moment I step inside the Mercenia hut. The entrance is propped open with a stone, but the natural light of the sun only penetrates into the hut so far. As soon as I lose the feeling of it on my skin, a chill seeps into my bones. It is as much the unsettling feeling the Mercenia hut inspires as it is the temperature. Dazzik is a lucky male to have the irrepressible Sam as his linasha. I do not think his spirit would have endured staying here so long if he did not have hers keeping him lifted.

The sunlight is gone entirely as I start the climb down to the level with thepodroom, the false light that glows from the ceilings replacing it. It is a strange sort of light that the humans make in their huts. It washes the colour out of skin, casts dark shadows everywhere. My eyes dislike it, and spending much time beneath it makes my headspace throb.

But the light in thepodroom is stranger still. Each of thepodshas bright spots shining from it in an array of different colours. They flicker on and off, or pulse in a steady rhythm, making it seem like there is movement in the room when there is not. My hunter’s senses snag on every shifting shadow, expecting to spy some creature darting between hiding spaces. I have to turn my senses off, or else I will grow exhausted.

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