Page 4 of Ragoru

She wasn’t going quite that far north, but close.

With a soft groan at her aching muscles, she slid off her pack and set it on the ground next to the boulder she chose for her rest stop. At least she wouldn’t have to scour it too much for venomous insects. A quick look satisfied her that it was safe enough. Sitting on the rock, she unzipped her pack and pulled out her datapad. She might as well get a better look at where she was heading. Her initial impressions of where she was heading had been vague since she had been in a hurry to get started due to the conveyed urgency of the situation. Now was the perfect time to get a closer look.

Pulling up the correct file, she expanded the map and pulled up the overlay for all known past and current settlements for the area. At least what was known before the satellite went inoperative. She tapped a finger against her bottom lip as she studied the screen. It was definitely close. The coordinates would place her near the westernmost edge of the mountain range. Thank the Great Mother that it was summer. The weather would still be chillier in some places, but in more open spaces the temperatures would run warmer than they did in the dense forests. She would be heading due north of the mining village at the southern coastal edge of the mountain range.

She shook her head in bemusement. What could possibly be noteworthy out there? More importantly, who would have seen anything? The mining village rested within a circular pocket nestled right up near the beach that cut it off from practically everything. So much so that the Resource Department had to boat supplies in and rotate crew. The miners lived every day of their lives within that small pocket of open land. They weren’t permitted to stray far from the village because there was a history of people getting lost in the mountains if they didn’t stick to the paths that had been marked in the early days of the colony. And those paths were typically avoided anyway because they were notoriously difficult for transport to access. The only exception was a road that followed along the coast to a series of abandoned settlements and mills that were closed to all visitors. That was likely the reason that she was chosen to investigate rather than sending someone by ship to the mining village.

Still… it didn’t make any sense.

What could anyone have possibly seen? Unless someone disobeyed orders. She didn’t understand what desire anyone would have to go anywhere near the abandoned villages. No one knew what happened to the people who lived there. As far as she was concerned, it was just plain creepy. The last satellite imagery of the villages had been captured after the people had disappeared, and even then they had a ghostly air to them as the structures slowly decayed where they stood. Unfortunately, to get to the coordinates she would have to make her way past them. She wasn’t looking forward to it.

Sighing, Evie thrust her datapad back into her pack and pulled out the small box that held her musicpod. Sliding the small disc into her ear, leaving the other free so that she could be aware of her surroundings, she grabbed a ration bar and zipped up her pack again. Time to get moving again to make the most of the sunlight she had left. With a tap of her finger against the disc, she started the first track, determined to distract herself from the direction her thoughts were heading.

CHAPTER4

Vrishna narrowed his eyes at the potentially edible things swimming in the water as he waded into the stream. He had never seen such things on his homeworld. That they were obviously alive and moving meant that there was a good chance that they were a viable source of food. At least he hoped. They hadn’t seen much game in this part of the forest. He hadn’t even so much as caught scent of anything in days, and his stomach pinched unhappily. It was as if something had driven the large game away, leaving only small burrowing animals, each hardly a mouthful, that easily escaped them more often than not. It was as if the animals themselves hid from whatever foulness clung to the air—a presence that he couldn’t pin down and in no way recognized.

His fur rippled with a shiver sliding up his spine. He didn’t like it.

He would be a lot happier once they left the area. The trees were thinner there, reducing the comforting coverage of the forest significantly. He felt exposed in this strange land. He was glad that Thral had suggested that they move further inland. With the mountains rising up in stark shadows just ahead, they reminded him too much of their dying homeworld to lure him toward them, and he was certain that his new companion felt the same way. Thral didn’t speak much, but the male was slowly becoming more at ease in his company, which was a positive sign. Vrishna didn’t want to be alone, especially not in such a strange, unfamiliar world, but neither had he been able to tolerate one moment longer confined by the Shining Ones. Not when triads made a game out of attacking him to impress their females due to his considerable size.

As happy as he was to be away from there, Thral’s presence reassured him. Most would have mocked him to know that it did since he was so much larger and a more formidable fighter and hunter than the other male, but Thral had a quiet certainty in everything that he did that Vrishna did not quite possess. This world threw him off and made him second guess himself, and the newness of a lot of the sights, sounds, and smells were overwhelming. He was well aware that Thral didn’t trulyneedhis company and only tolerated him, or perhaps was amused by him at best. The male never seemed ill at ease in their surroundings—not even there, though he was more alert to their surroundings. That alone made Vrishna pleased to be with him.

The only time Thral had appeared even remotely stunned was when, days after escaping the walls of the Shining Ones, they had come upon a great expanse of water unlike anything either of them had ever seen before. It was clear that the male had not anticipated suddenly running out of land and peered along the water at a loss before resolutely turning to the north. But this place… it was not a good place.

Vrishna glanced over at Thral where he crouched over the river from the rocky bank. “What do you think?”

The male flicked his ears in response, his eyes moving over the river restlessly. “We don’t have much of a choice. I don’t like the smell of the air. I don’t trust the berries or anything growing here. We will find out how safe these things are to eat soon enough.”

Vrishna grunted in agreement, his paws slowly shifting in the water. The water created an optical illusion with his own paws, alerting him to the fact that the swimmers would not be exactly where they appeared to be. It was a frustrating experience, especially when he slashed his claws through the water and misjudged the true distance between his strike and his prey, allowing the swimmer to wiggle away safely. He growled irritably and repositioned himself again, his entire body going entirely still once more as the swimmers slowly moved around his paws.

This time his strike was far more successful. He dug his claws into the swimmer and lifted its slick, wiggling body from the water before tossing it onto the bank beside Thral before losing his grip on it entirely. Thral delivered a killing blow to the creature and waited eagerly for the next swimmer and the next that Vrishna hurled toward him. After there were two swimmers on the beach for each of them, he waded out from the water to rejoin thrall, shaking the water from his fur.

Dropping to his haunches, he worked quickly to strip the skin that flaked scales all over his hands and removed the heads and organs, keeping only those that he recognized as preferable to eat. Popping them into his mouth, he continued eating the flesh. The numerous tiny bones pricked the inside of his mouth more than he liked, but he ignored them, eating quickly. There was a slight sweetness to the meat that was pleasant enough. He didn’t detect anything overly sweet or bitter that could alert him to any poison within the swimmers. The last of the meat consumed, they both waited for a bad reaction to manifest, but when it never came, they both splashed into the river, their tails flagging with excitement, and caught several more swimmers to feast upon until their bellies were full.

Stretched out side by side on the beach, Vrishna sprawled on his belly and Thral reclined on his back, they rested contentedly. As much as possible, considering where they were. He rubbed at his nose idly for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Thral eyed him and grimaced.

“I smell it too. It is an underlying putridness as if something is rotting here.” He sighed and glanced longingly toward the river. “The swimmers were pleasing, but we should not linger.”

Vrishna grunted in agreement. “I agree. It makes my fur prickle. I wonder if Sabol made it this way. Hopefully he was lucky enough to choose another route.”

Thral glanced sharply at him. “What do you mean?”

Flicking his ears, Vrishna scratched at his scruff with one hand. “That’s right. You refused to join the hunts, so you haven’t heard. The Shining Ones told us not to speak of it so not to stir unrest, but it doesn’t matter now, everything considered.” The corners of his mouth crept up as he allowed himself a moment to relish his freedom. Thral sat up, staring at him intently as he did so. “Sabol was one of the best hunters among us. And quick. One day, we were hunting and in pursuit, growing closer to the herd. Sabol led the way, rushing through the trees far ahead of us… and then he suddenly wasn’t there. No one thought anything of it at first. Even the Shining Ones with us didn’t seem to notice until we were cleaning the prey and noticed that Sabol was not among us.”

A thoughtful look crossed the other male’s face, and Thral shook his head slowly. “I have not detected the scent of another of our kind since we left. If you are certain that he escaped, then he has not come this way.”

Vrishna nodded, his gaze returning to the gentle splash of the water. That much at least was peaceful, even if everything else made his fur prickle. “I figured as much. The hunt was north of the containment area. He would have had no reason to travel in the same direction, but it was a thought that still came to me. I am glad if he did not. This is not a good place,” he stated aloud.

“It is not,” Thral agreed at last, rolling to his feet. Peering down at Vrishna, he tipped his head eastward. “Let’s go,” he grumbled, “there is no telling what else is here.”

Vrishna’s eyes snapped over to him in surprise. Thral usually left without announcement, leaving it to Vrishna to decide if he wanted to follow him or not. He was being actively included now as if he were part of a burgeoning triad… a family. His heart warmed as he quickly sprung to his feet.

Thral angled his head back to compensate for their somewhat unequal height as Vrishna joined him. It lasted only a moment, and then Thral grunted in approval before loping off into the trees in a course set due east. The tip of a crumbling wooden structure seemed to watch them over the tree line as they passed, and Vrishna shuddered. There was something lurking there, and he couldn’t get away soon enough to satisfy him.

CHAPTER5

Evie swept the back of her hand over her sweaty brow and groaned. She had covered considerable distance over the last two weeks, and she was now deep into the upper northern forests. Lowering herself on a log that had fallen across the road, she dropped her pack at her feet and squinted at the trees. A loud whooping sound from the gray engal filled the air in a call that had her tracking her surroundings for any sight of the predator. Despite its considerable size, it effortlessly made its way into the trees to drop down with outstretched wings on its prey.

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