Em'brel was getting frustrated with the windmill design. She had several giant wooden gears that could be engaged or disengaged while the blades were spinning to apply the wind forces to different electricity generation levels, depending on the actual wind strength. However, now she was having trouble adding in a mechanism to adjust for different wind directions.
Angela leaned over her shoulder as the younger girl scribbled out her fourth set of plans before sitting back and sighing in defeat. When the AI turned her attention to the Em'brel, the younger woman threw up her hands in frustration. "I just can't do it, ok? Jack, S'haar, Sare'en, and now Lon'thul are all off facing another life and death situation, and I just can't focus on something as banal as blueprints. All I can think of is that there's a very good chance I might not see one or more of them again, and I can't focus!"
The AI looked at her friend sympathetically. "Well, if it helps any, Jack, S'haar, and Sare'en are all perfectly safe, and I'm not expecting Lon'thul to get within range of my sensors until early tomorrow, so everything seems to be proceeding as planned so far. That being said, I can understand what you're saying. So what say we set this aside for now and focus on something less tedious?"
Em'brel slumped in her chair and nodded so pathetically that Angela wished she could wrap the girl in a physical hug and make all her worries disappear. But, failing that, the next best thing she could do is offer a distraction or two. "Ok, well, when was the last time you trained with Ger'ron?" Of course, Angela knew the answer to that, but she tried to get Em'brel thinking more analytically, focusing on herself rather than her worries.
Em'brel rubbed a sore shoulder. "Just this morning. Apparently, I was 'taking my frustrations out on Ger'ron', so he made me go wail on a training dummy instead. Evidently, he was right because I smacked the thing hard enough to jar my shoulder out of place a little, though he was able to set it again easily enough."
Angela knew all this, of course. Not only had she seen it happen, but she'd also been watching and cataloging Em'brel's movements to make sure her shoulder was getting better, rather than needing additional medical attention. Luckily, it seemed to be nothing more than a minor injury and would probably be a forgotten inconvenience in a couple of days.
Angela decided to try a different approach. "Well, we could sit down and watch some movies. I've got quite a few you still haven't seen."
Em'brel shook her head. "No, I don't think I'd be able to focus on a movie any more than these blueprints. I'd muddle up the plot and see things before I understood what was going on, and the whole thing would be ruined. I'd hate to waste a good movie like that."
The AI nodded. "Fair enough. Alright, what would you like to do then?"
Em'brel sat back and closed her eyes. One moment passed into another, and then another as she considered her options. Angela would have wondered if the girl had fallen asleep, if it weren't for all the steady readings she was getting indicating otherwise.
Finally opening her eyes and sitting up, Em'brel turned her attention back to Angela. "I think I'd like to cook a big meal for everyone! Like we did back when everyone was stuck inside during the freeze, and dinner was the day's highlight. That would help distract me, and I'd feel like I was doing something actually productive and helpful!"
Angela smiled at her friend. "When you say it that way, it almost sounds like you aren't always doing something productive, but I understand. So what are you thinking of making?"
Em'brel was already digging through the cupboards. "I think a nice, thick stew will serve many workers and give them the energy they'll need tomorrow. Where's the large pot? The huge one. The one I used when we wanted lots of leftovers?"
Angela helped her friend find all the hardware and ingredients she'd need for her stew. Now, if only there was a way to distract herself as easily as her friend. She knew there was no particular reason to worry about Lon'thul. This wasn't even the most dangerous part of this endeavor, but this was the only part when she couldn't keep an eye on everything, which made her worry. She could only hope and pray to whatever gods might hear an AI's prayer that Lon'thul was currently safe.
-
Lon'thul's heart rate skyrocketed as the night’s deafening silence filled his ears. But, of course, when silence was this oppressive, it was usually wise not to attract attention to yourself, so he didn't bother trying to look around. The movement might make too much noise, and he wouldn't be able to see anything without poking his head out of cover, which he really didn't want to do.
Instead, he focused on keeping his breathing even and controlled while tasting the air and listening for any sounds that might provide a hint about what sort of danger he was currently in. After several moments of hearing nothing, he began to hope whatever had caused the silence had already passed through.
That hope died at the sound of something massive clawing at a nearby tree off to his left. Shortly after the sound stopped, the ground shook from an enormous impact, and for the first time in his life, Lon'thul felt truly small.
The hunter's mind was racing. Should he run? Should he draw the bow and fight? Before he had time to truly consider either option, he heard a deep whuffing sound off to his right. Something was taking long, deep breaths close to the ground, as if tracking a scent.
There were two monsters, and he was right between them. Attempting to run or fight right now would be suicide. His best bet was to stay hidden and hope they were tracking something else.
As the seconds ticked by, Lon'thul could feel the beasts closing in. They were moving slowly as they hunted, their occasional footfall heavy enough that he imagined he could feel the reverberations through the ground. Even when a biting insect landed on his arm and bit him, he simply gritted his teeth and tried not to react.
The whuffing seemed to be getting closer, and Lon'thul slowly shifted his hand toward S'haar's new swords. He desperately hoped a quick slash to the eyes or nose would be painful enough to buy himself precious seconds to begin his escape. If not...well, at least he'd die fighting, rather than cowering.
As his hand crept up to the handle, he thought he could sense the beast right at his side, its snout inches from his hiding spot. Any second now, it would pinpoint his location and pounce. Every muscle and nerve was screaming for him to launch himself at the monster without thought in a final desperate attempt to survive, but he knew his best chance was to wait until the beast was even closer. If he started to move before the wolgen was close enough, it would have time to react, and he'd be dead before he could land his blow.
Lon'thul touched the pommel, and with agonizingly slow movements, he wrapped his fingers around the hilt. Then he waited. At the next footfall, he pulled the sword just an inch out of the scabbard, using the beast's movements to hide the sound of the metal being drawn.
The process continued for a few moments, until it was no longer his imagination that he could feel the ground shaking. The whuffing sound also increased in urgency. It had his scent, and he only had seconds left.
Suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by a loud crash off to his left, followed immediately by a high-pitched scream, then a deafening roar. Thundering footfalls indicated a pursuit had begun as something with less nerves than himself broke cover and ran.
The sniffing stopped, and soon more heavy footfalls could be heard from the right as the second beast thundered toward Lon'thul's hiding place. He grit his teeth but chose not to draw the sword any further. Instead, he struggled to keep control of his panicking mind and ignore his instincts as he locked every muscle in place. It was a gamble, but either he was right, and this was his chance, or he was wrong and already dead.
The crashing charge was right on top of him, and Lon'thul gripped his left hand into such a tight fist he knew he was drawing blood, but if he was right, even that scent wouldn't distract the beast right now.
Then the sound passed. The beast crashed through the brush he'd been hiding in, missing his position by mere feet as it charged past. Its instinct to pursue whatever was fleeing into the night overrode its knowledge that it had been close to prey of its own.
Lon'thul didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he let out a lungful in relief. As he listened to the pursuit, he knew he'd been given the gift of time. The question was, what should he do with it?
Looking down at his bleeding hand, he swore silently to himself. Whatever he was going to do, hiding was no longer an option. Not only had the second wolgen almost already found his spot, but now the location was also tainted with his blood. The only option left to him was to move. Sliding the sword back into the scabbard, he released the hilt, his aching fingers a testament to how tightly he'd been gripping it in desperation. Lon'thul shook his head. He didn't have time to think about things like that. It was time to run.
So, he ran. The moonlight was enough to let him keep on his feet, but he cursed the clumsiness brought on by the darkness. Every broken twig, rustled bush, and splattered mud puddle was deafeningly loud in his mind. He knew it wasn't, because he could still hear the distant sounds of the other pursuit, but still...
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Lon'thul was well aware he had to use every second of their chase to put as much distance between himself and his hiding spot as possible. Then, all too soon, a final crash was followed by the sound of a victory howl, and Lon'thul forced himself to slow down as well. Maybe they'd be content with their current meal, but he didn't want to assume as much.
Once he slowed his run, he tore off a piece of his coat to wrap around his hand and staunch the bleeding. He knew he'd left a trail of blood until now, but it would take them longer to scent it out than it had taken him to run, so it was still a net gain. Now he just had to capitalize on that gain as much as possible.
Thankfully, years of hunting alone in the forest had given him an unerring sense of direction, and he knew he was headed in the general direction of the village, even if he didn't know its exact location. While he couldn't continue sprinting, he decided speed was a better option than stealth at this point and continued moving at a rapid pace through the foliage.
Still, this wasn't enough of a lead. He needed something else to buy some more time. His mind was working furiously. What would peel him off the hunt once he started tracking his prey? A river would be a godsend, but he wasn't aware of any in the area. Another larger predator would work, but this was a wolgen he was dealing with. The only things that could scare one off would be even more dangerous to deal with right now.
That was when an idea occurred to him. He slipped out one of his smaller throwing spears and kept it on hand as he looked for what he needed. In this low light, it would require almost pure luck for him to stumble across what he was looking for, but he would need to be ready at a moment's notice if he found it. He became convinced this was his best option for getting out of this situation alive.
The forest had grown silent again, and Lon'thul slowed his pace to reduce the noise. He didn't want to make it too easy for the beasts that hunted him. The hunter also kept his head moving, looking desperately through the dark for any sign of that sole thing that might very well save his life. Each second took agonizingly long to stretch into the next as he moved. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he could just make out the distant sounds of something moving through the forest again...and it was coming from the same direction as he had fled from.
-
Em'brel was finally asleep. Ger'ron had generously acted as her bodyguard while she'd been out distracting herself late into the night, but both Em'brel and Angela could tell the old guard was growing more than a little exhausted as the evening wore on, so she'd agreed to be escorted back home.
After the guard had gone and passed out, Em'brel and Angela stayed up, talking until the AI could tell that despite the girl's anxiety, her exhaustion was beginning to inevitably win her internal war, and she slipped into unconsciousness for the night.
Angela lowered the temperature enough to slow Em'brel's metabolism and help the girl sleep more deeply, wishing she could do something similar for herself.
Instead, the AI analyzed everything about the forest around the village where Jack and S'haar were currently sheltered. She cataloged every tree and bush and scanned for whatever movement she could. It wasn't nearly enough to keep her mind from imagining horrible fates for everyone, but she had no idea what bit of information might prove useful in the coming days.
That was what she was in the middle of doing when suddenly, the sensors from Jack and S'haar's headsets were joined by another set within her transceiver's range. There was only one possible explanation, and a quick ping to the headset confirmed her assumption. Lon'thul was way ahead of schedule. Either he was being the idiot he promised not to be, or...
She activated the coms in his headset but kept the volume low, her voice barely hissing out of the headset. "Lon'thul, what's wrong? Why are you this far already?"
The hunter's whole body froze as he admirably kept himself from jumping or shouting. Finally, after a moment's hesitation, he quietly hissed his reply. "I'm being hunted by two hungry wolgen. If I break and run now, I'll never make it to the village. How well can you see the whole forest ahead of me?"
As much of Angela's conscious processing power as possible went into analyzing what the hunter said, scanning the region in even greater detail. "Pretty well. What do you need?"
Angela could now just make out the sounds of something large moving in the distance behind the hunter as he spoke through his headset. "I need to know where the closest large animal other than the wolgen is right now!"
It took only a second to pull up three viable options. "You've got two churlish front and right and a kovaack off to your left."
The hunter paused. "The churlish would probably give a longer chase, but the kovaack will fill their stomachs better. Maybe it'll be enough for the night, so let's go with that. Give me the angle and direction."
Angela hoped he was right. "Forty-four degrees to your left and about two thousand feet away."
The hunter shifted his angle but kept moving silently. Angela suggested a slight course correction but otherwise stayed silent. She could hear the beasts coming up behind him. They were slowly but steadily closing the distance as she listened. The fact that the hunter was trying to remain unheard gave them the advantage in speed they needed to close the gap with their prey. She'd already woken Jack and S'haar and told them what was happening, but there was no way they'd make it in time. It was killing her to listen silently to what might be the final moments of the young hunter she'd grown so fond of, but she had to trust that he knew what he was doing.
As Lon'thul continued moving forward, Angela did some math and realized the hunter would never make it in time. He needed another distraction. She activated his headset again. "You're headed in the right direction, but they're going to catch you first. As hard as you can, toss the headset off to the side and keep moving forward! Once you hear an unnatural wail, just start running!"
While he never stopped moving forward, Lon'thul's hands hesitated only a moment before grabbing the headset, jerking it off his head, and chucking it into the distance.
Angela could only track the hunter via her transceiver after that, but she was more focused on the wolgen at the moment. She couldn't get a good look at them through the transceiver's sensors but could tell they were massive. She watched Lon'thul creep closer to his target as the two wolgen followed on his trail. They were just picking up speed when Angela decided she'd waited long enough. She pumped up the speakers' volume as high as possible and started playing the sound of a pig in distress.
The wolgen slowed, then stopped. While Angela couldn't see what was happening, she could imagine their heads waving back and forth between Lon'thul and this new distraction. She started speaking to herself, or maybe she was praying again, though she decided it didn't matter. "Come on, come on, you stupid argu'n eating beasts! Come see the new tasty dish I've served up for you! Take the bait, you ugly inbred mouth breathing flesh bags!"
The dots representing the wolgen started moving again, but this time toward the headset. Angela was so ecstatic that she activated her avatar just to fly in a loop. "Yes! Come and get some! Come see what I've got cooked up for you!"
As the two monstrosities came closer, Angela was finally able partially to make them out through the sensors on the headset. The claws on their feet were more than a little intimidating, but she shoved those thoughts to the side as one leaned in close to sniff the odd-sounding machine to see if it was food.
Once the beast's nose was as close as Angela suspected it would get, she shifted the output to a single high-pitched piercing sound and pumped as much juice into the speaker as possible. It was more than the headset could handle, and she quickly went blind and deaf again, but based on the fact that the dots didn't move for several seconds, she guessed her plan had worked. She could imagine the beasts rearing back and covering their ears with those massive front claws, shaking their heads to clear the ringing sound she hoped had left them deaf to Lon'thul's last desperate gamble.
Angela hoped she'd done enough, because now she had no other way to interfere. Everything was up to the young hunter now.
-
Lon'thul wasn't sure what Angela had meant by an unearthly wail, but he listened closely as he continued on his path. When the cry of some unknown animal started cutting through the night, Lon'thul wondered if that's what she'd been talking about. Shaking his head, he decided she'd probably meant something more obvious and continued moving slowly and silently.
As the cry continued, Lon'thul started second-guessing if that had been what she'd meant when a new high-pitched sound briefly rang through the forest, followed shortly by the roar of one of the wolgen. Finally, realizing that must be what he'd been waiting for, Lon'thul broke into a run.
Not long enough after that, he could hear the sounds of pursuit resume behind him. They could hear him now, but Angela might have bought him the time he needed. As Lon'thul broke into a clearing, he saw just what he'd been hoping to find – a young kovaack adult recently woken by the sounds in the forest. It was breeding season, and this guy was ready for a fight.
Lon'thul slid to a halt and then threw the spear, which was now covered in the blood from his hand, into the shoulder of the kovaack. The spear seemed to piss off the thing as it howled its rage and turned to charge toward the hunter.
The crashing sound behind him told Lon'thul he was out of time, and the hunter charged toward the kovaack. But, at the last second, he dropped and slid along the ground slightly to the side of the charging beast just as a wolgen burst out of the brush and landed not far from the now very startled kovaack.
Both beasts quickly forgot about Lon'thul as they turned to face one another, assessing each other as the more significant threat.
Lon'thul didn't bother to hang around to find out what happened. Instead, he ran as fast and far as possible in the village's general direction. His sides were aching, and his breath was so ragged, he couldn't even make out what was happening behind him as he ran.
That was when he realized that while he had a general idea of the village's location, he'd been depending on Angela's guidance for its specific location. Of course, that wouldn't have really been an issue during the day, but alone in the dark, he was more or less lost.
That was when the night sky was pierced by what appeared to be an unbelievably bright new star. It shot up from the ground and hovered in the air before falling back to earth. Lon'thul knew of only one person who could make something so impossible happen out here and turned to run to the star's origin.
After a couple more minutes of running, his pace faltered, and his vision blurred. Lon'thul finally broke out of the treeline. Awaiting him was the welcome sight of Jack kneeling, rifle in hand, and S'haar with her sword drawn and ready, both scanning the forest behind him. There were others present, but the hunter's vision was getting too fuzzy to make anything else out as he stumbled a final few steps and collapsed on the ground.
Hearing S'haar run up and shout, "I've got him! Get inside and start closing the gate!" Lon'thul couldn't help but laugh weakly. "About time you came running to me! I was starting to worry you didn't care!" Then he allowed himself to pass out as he was dragged to safety.