Chapter 10: The Pack
“Grand Huntress!” A blond-furred Lilhun broached foliage below Sahari’s perch upon the mountain tree, their tone serious while sauntering casually towards her, the evening sun highlighting her golden stripes.
“Nalah, you know as well as I, that designation is an honorary one at best.” Sahari stopped her over-watch, stepping off the fifteen-foot drop and absorbing the impact on her digitigrade legs with only a minor crouch for further compensation. The pseudo-titled lookout brushed a stray yellow leaf from her onyx-black coat as she regained her slightly loose posture.
Nalah’s toothy grin betrayed her continued tone. “It is a designation you have earned with our oath, Grand Huntress.” The statement was accompanied with a dramatic gesture, one fist of her four fingered paws touching the ground as she knelt, her tail pinned to her spine in an orderly display of subservience.
Sahari shook her head softly while exhaling the breath she would otherwise use to admonish her for the ceremony. Were it not for her suddenness of the promotion and the circumstances around it, the display would have been warranted. If she wanted to play up the formalities, Sahari was happy to oblige. The Huntress took to a stern inflection and adorned a scowl as she addressed her scout. “Rise, Scout Nalah. Speak your report.”
Nalah rose to her full height, standing stiff at attention. Her head only slightly higher than Sahari’s, though the difference reversed if the latter reciprocated the gesture. Nalah’s face matched her previous official tone as she said what she came to say, eyes staring far into nothing while not meeting the Huntress’. “We have established visual on three, likely sapient, individuals in the area.”
Sahari’s eyes narrowed; the yellow colour of her iris intensified by the contrast of her eyelids. Her vertically aligned slit pupils widened at the adjustment in light exposure. “’Likely sapient’? I take it they are not of the survivors.” The cadence of her voice flowed like song but struck like fangs at the news.
“N-no, Grand Huntress.” The scout shifted under the increased pressure, straightening back up before continuing. “Forward Reconnaissance Scout Tel reported seeing them around the downed shuttle.”
The Huntress hummed as she mused the information, crossing her arms as she paced slowly, the underbrush shifting as her legs pushed them out of the way. “And these three, were they attempting to scavenge it?”
“Negative, Grand Huntress. They were viewed using the shuttle as a shelter. Intel Officer Harrow suggests they might have been its original occupants.”
Sahari ceased her pacing for a moment, the facade of authority falling where she stood. “For what reason do they abandon the shuttle for such duration?”
Nalah relaxed, lowering herself back to her casual posture as her smile returned to her. “No idea, Sahari, but you should talk to the others.”
“Done with your act?” Sahari prodded playfully, uncrossing her arms and dropping the authoritative tone.
“I’ll tell you the rest later.” The scout shrugged with a laugh, walking back into the bushes. “You might want to regroup for lunch, Jax caught one of those small leaf creatures. If you hurry, you might get some!” She called over her shoulder, her visage already obscured.
The Grand Huntress sighed, loosening her shoulders and stretching her legs as she followed behind her pack member. Just seven suns ago the remainder of their military-turned-tribe had finally established a pecking order and were beginning to expand into hunting, having expended whatever rations they had smuggled onto the planet with them long ago. A difficult thing to do when everyone is trying to prove themselves worthy as they fell onto instinct after being abandoned on an uninhabited world for months. Years of training and education falling to the wayside under duress as they were stripped of their weaponry and gear, left naked and alone on the place they had considered colonizing.
It was perhaps still tenable when they set up their first outpost, the initial forty first-year soldiers working together to secure the oddly flexible wood and construct a rudimentary log shelter large enough to sustain their numbers. Were it not for the apparent lack of wildlife to support the hunting needed to feed them all, they may have started rebuilding a basic village right after. Sure, it was annoying to give up all the joys that technology afforded them, but it beat being one of the higher-ups who unceremoniously left them here and were promptly turned to space mist due to a now-stranded mechanic not taking the situation too kindly. It was insubordination and treason in all but name, but not a single member of the ensigns would fault the male for his sabotage of their frigate.
Unfortunately, said ensigns spending weeks fighting for leadership and neglecting due diligence, failed to account for the absence of creatures being a direct indication that they had settled near the den of a dangerous animal. She could still remember dragging Pan out from under the collapsed building as the grey four-armed beast slaughtered the camp.
Sahari shuddered at the memory, shaking herself free of it as the two walked into a small circular clearing surrounded by dense trees that almost formed a natural shelter in which for them to take safe harbour. Several logs lay near the natural walls as seating, populated by three Lilhuns who were in the middle of a discussion that bordered on argument. In the centre of the clearing burned a small campfire being tended by a white Lilhun who seemed to be quietly listening to the others speak while she sat on the ground near the right of the entrance. One of the occupant’s ears flicked in her direction as she entered.
“Sahari! Glad you could join us from your busy schedule of brooding!” The dark grey one cheered, drawing the attention of everyone from her seat on the left. “Settle a bet, will you?”
“I am amazed you made it back from your excursion without getting lost, Tel. Of which bet am I to settle?” The Grand Huntress drolled, only perking up in curiosity to find out whatever the Void the group was arguing over in their boredom.
A large black Lilhun spoke up from his centred seat at the back, not raising his eyes from the small creature he was in the process of butchering with his claws as he interjected, his voice deep and mirthful. “Harrow thinks the blue one is the leader of the pack.”
Harrow, a dark orange Lilhun resting on the rightmost log with a single arm propped against her thigh, rested her cheek against her paw while lazily batting at the black one who was out of reach to begin with, her tone far more at ease than her words. “Fuck sakes, Jax. I was going to lead up to that.”
“Harrow, we would be here until The Great Hunt if we let you take your time doing anything.” Nalah piped up, moving around the left side of the logs to the back in order to look over Jax’s shoulder as he worked.
Tel smirked, enjoying the bickering that her recent walk had elicited as her tail traced figure eights behind her. “We have neighbours! Ones that don’t seem to be the demolition type!”
“Two hexapod insectoids and a bipedal. Tel didn’t get close enough to check gender.” Harrow shot Tel an irritated glance that withered somewhat by the lazy speed in which it was delivered.
“You didn’t see those weapons they have for arms! I swear the small one alone could cut me in half!” She tossed her arms up in mock frustration, having to quickly flail her arms forward and shift her weight as she almost fell off her seat.
Sahari raised a brow. “Weapons?”
“Large, mostly single edged blades where their hand would be.” Harrow pitched in with a sigh, flexing her paw downwards to mimic the description. “About the length of your entire arm, apparently.”
Nalah sat down next to Tel, having grown bored of waiting for Jax to prepare his catch. “We could use that kind of firepower right about now.”
Sahari frowned, turning to look at the less than thorough recon specialist. “And the biped?”
Tel leaned her weight back, holding onto the log to keep her from falling on her back. “Nothing of note. No natural armour or weapons. Paws of four fingers and an opposable thumb. It wore clothes so I can’t comment much on its level of fur but it seemed to be almost exclusive to its head. Feet coverings stopped me from telling if it had talons, but I doubt it. It was shorter than the blue insect but taller than the purple one. Binocular vision, like us, so it might have been a fairly foraging focused species. I doubt it could hunt effectively. Overall, it seemed to be pretty defenceless. If anything, I'd say I'm more impressed it's still alive.”
Nalah leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. “Think the insects are hired muscle?”
“No, I don’t think so. The blue one stayed with it, but didn’t seem to be keeping watch or anything.” Tel admitted with a soft shake of her head, sitting herself upright with a push of her tail. “The small purple one was gathering the leaves off those glowing plants, not something a guard would do.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Maybe the biped is a pet?” Jax offered, having finished butchering and was now distributing sticks with meat for everyone to roast over the fire. He frowned as some blood dripped onto the tan patch of flesh on his scarred arm.
Harrow spoke up, reaching over to grab a stick from Jax and holding the meat over the flame, her tail swaying slowly behind her. “Doubt it, sounds like he was doing repairs to the shuttle while the blue one supervised.”
Noticing Sahari look at her, Tel gave a shrug. “It didn’t seem to be supervising anything. It barely seemed to care what the biped was doing at all, honestly. I don’t think it even knew what the biped was working on.”
Sahari’s shoulders sagged, tired of all the uncertainty they had gone through since they arrived. “And what guess can any of you provide for the biped to be accompanied by two of those living weapons?”
The group remained quiet, eyes looking back and forth amongst each other in case someone had something to suggest.
“The biped is the pack leader.” A small, weak voice stated. Everyone turned their attention to the previously silent white Lilhun that had been stoking the fire.
Noticing that the newest input would not continue without some prodding, Sahari crouched down as low as she could to get eye level with the smallest of the group. “Why do you think so, Pan?”
Pan looked at the Grand Huntress, quickly breaking eye contact as she fidgeted at the unexpected spotlight. “If the report is accurate, I suspect the little insect was delegated to resource gathering, a task most fitting for smaller blades on a reduced frame so that they would be able to easily reach the material in the dense underbrush. The blue one, having only been observed spectating the biped without any meaningful interactions, likely had little else to do at the time, leaving them to accompany the leader as an instinctual pacification and comfort behaviour in lieu of a task. The biped, having been described as having the nimblest appendages, likely acted on the task of repairs or maintenance of the downed shuttle as it has remained inoperable since it crashed initially. These factors lead me to believe that the biped has assumed, in some capacity, leadership of the group. A position that has been uncontested since its assumption.” Pan rattled off the speculation, only taking a breath once she was finished.
The group stared slack jawed at Pan, eyes wide in disbelief. Sahari barely managed to maintain composure at the sudden information dump that had spouted from the normally timid female as she rose up before the surprise had her fall on her haunches. “Thank you for your explanation, Pan.”
Pan returned her gaze to the fire, adjusting it with one stick while roasting her portion of meat with another, the white fur on her cheeks taking on a slight pink tone with a hint of a smile. “Thank you for asking, Grand Huntress.”
Tel blinked a few dozen times, failing to process what she had heard. “Holy shit, that was the most I've ever heard Pan speak.”
Harrow opened her mouth a few times while trying to formulate a coherent sentence, her tail stiff as it was caught mid-sway. “I forgot she could speak at all.”
Sahari stood back up, taking a position next to Pan as she joined in on the cooking, her free paw resting upon her hip. “Does anyone disagree with her assessment?” Nobody verbalized against it, simply trading looks until they collectively shrugged. “Then we assume our new neighbours are a pack of two insectoids headed by a bipedal. Nalah and I will mount a secondary observation tomorrow at mid-sun to assess the nature of their residence and if they are likely to be a threat moving forward. Nalah, you mentioned that you had more to report, did you find anywhere suitable for us to set up?”
Nalah snapped to attention where she sat, barely remembering to hold the stick with her almost completely cooked morsel. “Yes, Grand Huntress. I located a prefabricated structure approximately half a sun out to the north. Premises seem to be in good shape and well made in a clearing of optimal size for undisturbed expansion.”
Sahari shifted her weight onto the other foot, her glare sharpened at the scout. “Occupied?”
The scout fought back a smirk. “Negative, Grand Huntress.”
The Grand Huntress returned her own unrestrained smile. “Finally, some good news. Jax, I offer my apologies, but I need you to triple your hunting hours for the next two suns. We need to get what little food we are able so that we do not drop dead on the way there.”
Jax nodded as he retrieved his meal from the stick, the meat only enough for a mouthful. “Of course, Grand Huntress. It will be done.”
Sahari returned the nod, turning to look at her information specialist then recon scout. “Harrow, I will have you and Tel to secure water and a transportation method for it. Prepare enough for the trip. I care not if you manage to carry it in your hands, I just need it done.”
“Yes, Grand Huntress.” The two sung out in unison, Harrow having to respond while chewing.
“Good. Nalah and I will take first watch. Jax, Pan, You two take second. Harrow and Tel will round us out and leave at first light.” Sahari tossed the chunk of cooked meat into her maw, chomping down to enjoy the first meal she had eaten in days.
All present bowed their heads towards their leader. “Yes, Grand Huntress.”
------------------------------
“Sahari, do you regret helping us escape?” Nalah asked while leading the two through the woods, her hands resting behind her head while she adeptly navigated the dense brush that was illuminated by the star positioned directly above.
Sahari glanced at her, eyes meeting the hands bracing the back of her neck before she returned to scanning the trees. “I never regret saving my kin. Why do you ask?”
The scout turned to walk backwards, feet still placing themselves firmly but at a diminished gait. “You never asked to be suddenly nominated as the Grand Huntress, yet here you are, leading a pack of dropouts and outcasts that decided to make everything your problem.”
Sahari slowed her pace to match her company, a playful frown worn on her face. “All of you being outcasts is what kept you alive. I fear you all would have joined the Great Hunt if not.”
Nalah tilted her head. “But you never wanted to lead.”
“I never sought to be much of anything. I was content to surrender myself to my orders. I latched onto the opportunity to explore the stars. I steeled my resolve and prepared my body in order to be chosen. As much could be said for all of you.” Sahari confirmed, motioning for Nalah to turn around so that she could guide them without stumbling over something.
The scout complied, lowering her arms to rest at her side. “I think Jax only followed us because he was in the woods relieving himself when everything happened.”
Sahari snorted. “I would have joined the first group I seen as well, had i not in which to mess my fur in light of the events.”
“Funny.” Nalah called out sarcastically, herself struggling to maintain composure. “Do you think they’ll come back for us?”
Sahari shook her head softly. “I doubt they could. From what I could hear; the ship suddenly dropped out of warp over the planet before it was supposed to and all systems fried upon arrival. Navigation and communications were of the first to go.”
Nalah slowed her pace, her voice smaller than before. “So, a warp-spike and hostile electronic warfare?”
“Warp-spike is likely, though there was no commotion about any sort of targeting so it may have been a feature of the spike.” The Grand Huntress quickened her pace to walk by the scout’s side.
“The things you hear in a disciplinary meeting, huh?” Nalah joked, forcing a smile to combat her forlorn voice.
Sahari smirked. “We are both of the opinion that the commander needed that shower. Plus, he benefited greatly from the green.”
The scout burst out a quick laugh before covering her mouth, doubling over to remain balanced. “You dyed the commander GREEN?” The last word coming out a shrill shriek.
Sahari shrugged with a wide toothy smile, accompanied by a soft chuckle. “Green suited his coat quite well.”
Nalah shook her head with a huff, stopping to point to a tall tree nearby. “Tel said she used a big tree around here to do her recon. That one look good?”
The black-furred female studied the other trees for a moment before nodding at Nalah. “It shall be sufficient. We will likely be able to get a clear visual on the shuttle without being seen.”
The two climbed the tree, taking roost most of the way up to where they could see their objective through the branches and foliage. They had an unobstructed line of sight on the side of the shuttle with the entrance that they had failed to open when they approached it shortly after its crash, the bio-lock refusing to interface with them.
Getting situated, Sahari blinked a few times to adjust to the light streaming into her eyes through the canopy. “Nalah, do you have visual?”
The scout pointed to the left of the shuttle; her eyes shaded by a branch. “The blue one is working on something over there, looks like it’s shaving a log down for some reason.”
Her vision having grown accustomed to the light, Sahari peered at the larger insect. It did seem to be whittling a fairly large log down, but didn’t look to be collecting the scraps for any sort of kindling. She looked around the area the insect had chosen but failed to see the other two that were reported. Nalah walked further out on the branch to hopefully view a larger area.
“Visual on the others. Looks like... Combat training?” Nalah’s voice wavered with uncertainty as she rose her head above a branch in her way.
Sahari shuffled over to her, holding onto a branch above her head to assist the stand from her crouch as she peered over it. The purple insect was practising its thrusts, often going for a large overhead vertical strike. The biped stood near it, out of range of the long blades that the little one possessed, occasionally stopping it and demonstrating combat techniques that worked for its physiology but seemed to be an ill fit for the insect. It seemed like a waste of time to try to teach a combat style to a creature that lacked the ability to replicate it.
“It seems as if the biped is too stupid to notice its friends are unable to copy it.” Sahari’s voice took a disappointed tone, her gaze wandering the area in search of something more engaging.
Nalah’s eyes narrowed as she leaned forward, then widening in realization. “No, keep watching. It’s demonstrating its own version then following up with an adjusted one.”
Sahari raised a brow at the scout, turning to look back at the two. Sure enough, the biped would demonstrate a particular move at several angles, then adjusting its arm to mirror the insects while repeating an equivalent alternative, though it seemed to be unable to replicate the foreign anatomy fully.
Nalah tore her gaze away from the two to look at the Huntress. “Think they’re militaristic?”
Sahari shook her head without taking her eyes off of them, her voice slow and cautious. “No, this feels different.”
It did feel different. There was no practised drilling, no ridged structure to their interactions. The biped would walk to the insect to guide its limbs along a corrected path and re-demonstrate the desired motion while talking to it. Even when the insect seemed frustrated with its own failure, the biped would laugh and stroke it, the action seeming to be enough to encourage it to continue. This didn’t feel like a training session, it felt like a den-father playing with their cubs. A gentle yet firm guide while reminding them that it is okay to fail, that they would always have the pack’s support, even if things do not go well. A warm interaction devoid of any corruption of power. The kind of behaviour only displayed by the strongest and most honourable of Lilhun. The blue insect watched occasionally as it proceeded with its own work, seeming pleased with the interactions between the others, fully trusting its presumed child to the biped.
The revelation came out as a whisper from Sahari’s lips. “The biped is a leader.”
“Pan said as much back at...” Nalah went quiet while talking as she registered the word choice of the near silent statement her Grand Huntress had uttered. Her voice softened to match the volume. “Do you think...”
Sahari swallowed, excitement in her eyes as she watching the pair below. “I am of no certain mind, but i hold hope.”
“Shit!” The scout flinched, eyes wide as she shot herself down behind the branches with a squeak, hauling Sahari with her. “I think it saw me.”
“From this far? I was under the impression that Tel said it to be a foraging specialist?” Sahari questioned, her face showing concern and confusion.
“I thought so, too! It wasn’t even looking at the trees, it just snapped its head towards us.” The scout seemed mildly panicked, suppressing her yelling as she made herself more concealed in the branches.
The Grand Huntress flattened her ears in confusion. “So, It is a predator? Its ears seemed to be geared towards passive omnidirectional hearing, not focused long range. How the Void did it know where we were?”
“I would say smell but neither of us are downwind from the other.” Nalah shrugged nervously, shifting herself to begin her decent.
Sahari followed after her, dropping several branches at a time until they touched ground. “We are to return this to the rest. Perhaps another may have a suggestion for our next course of action.”
“You already have a plan, don’t you.” The scout asked, starting her way back towards their camp.
The female grew a wide smile. “I do.”