"Any more of them?" I ask one of the riders as he approaches. He shakes his head, leaving my expression blank. My heavy breaths echo all about me. It's all I can focus on. Wandering away to the new sound of confusion, energy builds up in my wobbling legs.
Thunder strikes the way I came and the wind whistles past me as I soar away. Crashing back down, I leap for the nearest mountain and deform all that I touch. Stone is now but dough to me, flaky pastry dough. So easy to break and what little resistance there is needs only a little push to go...
"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit!" I repeat as I survey what lands are not blocked out by another mountain range. Any hints of the bugs, any at all. My chittering gets worse. It keeps speaking to me. There is a bug. He's right here, even within my head. My head snaps to the side, a sore mark growing on my palm and cheek.
Annoying noises.
Yes, Body... I know I am one of them... Yes, I know that these wild bugs even seem to consider me to be one of them... No. No! No; I do not need to be reminded of it. So this body of mine best shut up. Shut up!
Biting back the headache, I growl the pain away and end it with a damning sigh. I cannot see anything up here. The wilderness is shockingly... Too overgrown. Releasing my grip on the mountain, I allow gravity to put me into a sprint.
Reaching the bottom, I cannot find any casual confidence to direct my steps. No quick hop to end the process. All I can manage is to jaggedly cleave a boulder out of the stone giant. I cannot tell if the ground is dusty or if the rock has found a way to shed its coat of millennial dust.
Valley-Riders come into view, their mounts coming to a halt so they can come down. At the head of them, I spot Neeameth and, although I do not know her rank, she appears to hold authority. Either way, she's the only familiar face I've seen in a little while now. Though, I do not care to deepen my understanding of her.
She gives me a wave that I do not return and her eyes fall on the mess I am soaked in, "You certainly showed those rightfully unlucky things..."
Neeameth turns away in disgust. But, even with it clear that she's not a fan of the gore or where it came from... It's hard not to think that it's focused on me. The kept secret for the moment is, some of this blood is mine. Mine.
"You didn't need them for anything, did you?" I ask, forcing some humour into my tone to try to calm myself down. I don't think it's working. More, I need more to destroy. More to hurt... These extreme emotions are still in me. They need an outlet.
"Well, if we could track them, we could've got something out of it. But having them be dead is fine in and of itself. We're here to exterminate, after all." she explains, shrugging away any complexity from the topic. A piece of bug falls off of me as I wander to keep my body busy. She takes the moment to spit on it.
"I saw that most of you went the opposite way. Did you find anything there?" I remark, focusing my mind back to the many points the riders went off in their smaller groups.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Just more tracks, lots of them. It is definitely a hive on the move, so we are hoping to figure out a way to intercept. Naturally, we'll also need to rally the others." Neeameth explains, a hand going to her stuck out hip.
"Intercept as in shave away at it or just..." I try to ask, going quiet as my claws put on a show of gestures. Thankfully, she seems to understand either way. I guess it's pretty easy to imply absolute destruction even with a briefly shut off head.
"Redirect it at worst, which it tends to be in my experience," she remarks, presenting an interesting question for me to ask.
"You have dealt with migrating hives before?" I go, letting the thought out and my eyes go wide as she shakes her head. Huh? Huuuuh...?
"Not personally, no. This is the first time many of us have actually taken part in such an operation. We're all sort of fusing together our patrol experience. But, there are many document tablets on the matter we're currently involved with," she explains as if it is meant to assure anyone of anything. Yet, the riders with her seem plenty confident. Or maybe deluded is a better answer?
"...A bit of reading wouldn't be experience, though." I point out, my head tilting slightly as my eyes narrow and blink.
"I'd rather not attend a training course for dealing with these things moving about." she sneers, almost sarcastically. Her attention focuses on the puddle of blood that is still able to form around me.
"So now what? We head further this way?" pointing towards the direction of my mess, then, my hand points the way they came, "Or that way?"
"Given how, we only found tracks on our side. Heading that first direction you pointed in might be our best option. At least, until Mounted-Captain Henipiotch calls us back. Though, on that topic, we might be best off rallying together, regardless. If we knock out too many stragglers, the rest will congregate in response." Neeameth speculates and one of her fellow riders steps forward.
"The time it takes us to rally, the bugs can do the same. Hitting them while they're isolated may be our best option." he points out and I start to tune out, not really able to contribute.
"Mounted-Captain Henipiotch was quite explicit with us needing to be together in the event the earth shaman is found." Neeameth counters with and the man nods in either agreement or concession.
"If there is a chance to go back, maybe most of you should go back? That way, if it is urgent..." I try to add, trailing off as my feet move around.
"Losing track of you would be fairly bad in and of itself, Nin. You are our strongest muscle. If we're deprived of you at a dire moment, it will cost lives that could have been spared Undwote's pack."
"And what if the earth shaman is just over there? You wouldn't stand a chance as a small group. Even with me here, you'd be collateral." I point out, gesturing in a random direction that looks like it has good hidey spots.
"We will sense it before it comes near," she tells me and I look around my person as so many others have before. I cannot see what they can see, nor can I feel it. But, Brewbrt and the Captain were quite explicit with the whole I am 'untrained' bit. A fact that cannot be contested. A clumsy athlete is clear to everyone, even the clumsy one himself.
"Not with me near. Your leader made that very clear when we were back at your place. If I am near you, you lot will suffer in your magic tracking. As I -will- interfere, despite my best efforts not to." I tell her, getting the thoughts out of me and into them.
She sighs, "That is true. It is quite a fuzzy sensation. Being near you. Oppressive in a way I am disappointed to admit is not the fun kind."
"Then let me go ahead, just a short distance. If the earth shaman is that way or even remotely close by, then me being isolated might get it to come out. And, you know, you can shoot it." I suggest, and her quick smile vanishes as her mind lingers on the scenario I have created.
"Are you sure that is wise?" she asks. I shrug, some of my anger coming back out in my hidden expression.
"I was never a wise person." I tell her, my memories over-flooding me with every idiotic thing I've done. Not even throughout my life, just these past few months.