The humans abandoned us. They disappeared quickly into the gloom of the crevasse ahead of us, leaving us in their dust. They had left us behind, because I was too slow. I assumed that Larissen would abandon me as well, eventually.

I was overly aware of my own frailty. I found myself focusing heavily on my surroundings. I tried to tell myself I was being useful, that I was worth dragging along. I still had my keen observational skills, afterall. Which we needed. The sides of the narrow crevasse were well textured, with many irregularities that could hide a forking pathway.

As I observed, as we moved, albeit at a much slower pace than the humans hurried retreat, we heard the clicking-clacking of the mikuya grew closer. The sound, louder. they approached. An inevitability.

There were enough of them that they sounded like a bamboo forest in the wind.

There were also no forking paths, at least none that we found in the time we had.

One oddity: as the clicking-clacks increased in volume, the sounds caused by the humans began to do so as well. Since Larissen and I had not increased our pace, then either the humans had slowed down significantly, or there was a trick in the acoustics up ahead. Or, or, they were coming back. But if that were the case, then things had gone quite sour.

Larissen noticed the same thing at the same time.

“Quickly, hide,” he demanded.

It took me a second to parse what he said, and in that time, he found a recess in the cliff face and pulled me in. We were just off the main path, and in the darkness we were near unseeable. But even so, I doubted the mikuya would miss us–if Illusions failed to work on them, then a hiding spot would fail as well. Besides, I theorized they depended more on scent than anything else.

I opened my mouth to ask along those same lines, but Larissen shook his head and hissed for silence.

I pursed my lips, or tried to. Instead, my mouth quivered and my ears and tail drooped, but not by a lot. I was still learning about this body, but it seemed to know what I meant to show, at least some times.

“What?” I breathed.

“Shush.”

I glowered but waited, straining my senses to figure out what he had noticed that was so critical that he could not even take the time to explain it to me. When I realized what it was, my cheeks burned and I huffed.

The humans were still getting louder, which meant they were coming back our way. Why were they coming back our way? The mikuya were even closer now than they were before, though it sounded like the humans were closer. Reasons ran through my head. Without asking them, there would be no way to know for sure. There could be mikuya waiting, there could have been a blockage, or they could have just had a change of heart about leaving us.

The humans were almost within sight now. We could overhear bits of their conversation. Their tones were grim.

“-haven’t seen them yet,” Gregory said.

“Think they found another way out?” Kate asked.

“No. Gods take it, we’ve been checking!” Muleater swore.

“They might have just not made it this far yet?” Kate offered.

“Probably gave up and ran off to join the thrice-cursed infested then–” Gregory started.

“-you keep mentioning them doing that but I don’t see why they would,” Kate defended, leaving me feeling just a little bit better about my investment in her.

“But–”

“Quiet,” Muleater said firmly. “Ready yourselves. If you have meaningful words, use this time to share them now. Else, prepare.”

Did Muleater just not say quiet? And now she was asking for meaningful words? This failed to make sense. Unfortunately, neither Gregory nor Kate called her out on the apparent discrepancy. When they were almost to us, Larissen put a hand on my shoulder then covered his eyes, before giving me a meaningful look.

Embarrassingly, it took me until the humans were just about in sight for me to figure it out.

“Illusion,” I mouthed. I covered our recess in thicker shadows, with the same greenish tint as the rest of the basalt we had passed. The Illusion covered as much surface as I could, which was just enough to cover both of us and look natural. Though I was still unsure why we were hiding. I meant to take a step out to snag Kate as she went past, but Larissen held me in place.

Soon, the humans had passed.

When they had gone far enough to not risk being overheard, I finally asked, “what are they doing?”

“Is it not obvious?” Larissen answered. I supposed that it probably would have been, but my delirium made intelligent thought a bit more difficult. Thankfully, he answered his own question soon after. “The humans will attempt to break through the mikuya.”

I figured that much out on my own, “but why?” They had been escaping, last we saw. Why had they turned around?

His tail swished behind him in agitation and he shook his head. “This one does not know,” he said.

“Shouldn’t we find out?” I asked, prompting him to rejoin the humans, safety in numbers and all that. Although, if they were to push through the mikuya, they might end up volunteering Larissen and I to go first, fodder for the meat grinder.

“Perhaps, but…” he paused and seemed to be weighing his options, as though whether or not to say something I might disagree with. I waved my stump in his face to help encourage him. He coughed, then finally spat it out. “With the humans throwing the trail off, it is likely that the mikuya will not realize our absence. This is a good thing, this one believes.”

“But if the humans couldn’t beat the mikuya earlier, then how could they do that now?” I asked.

“In our tongue,” he insisted, for the first time that I speak in Kaivan as opposed to Imperial. I stared blankly at him, uncomprehending the fact that he chose now of all times to make that point. “To answer your question. This one does not believe that the humans can. The humans must have no better choice.”

“They’re going to die.”

He growled as I continued to use Imperial, which flowed better in all honesty. But rather than making an issue of it, he nodded. “Yes.”

Even Kate… and granted, she had somewhat betrayed my trust. But then again, she had also had mitigating circumstances. Trust? I rolled the word around and realized that I was surprised to have actually felt that, and possibly more, for the girl that had violated my basic human rights. Or rights, considering.

“But–” I started to protest.

Larissen hissed to silence me. “The humans might survive. But regardless, after a time of waiting, our own travels should be much safer. The mikuya cannot maintain their vigil forever.”

The plan was pragmatic, ruthless, and… left me feeling ill at ease. But I could in no way, under my own power, help the humans, if even Larissen would allow me to escape him. And Larissen would unlikely help the humans. In fact, I could think of no way to convince him otherwise. And so, perhaps with some shame, I relented to Larissen’s plan.

And so we remained in our hiding place and we waited. The sounds of battle could be soon heard. Shouts. The clicks and clacks. A scream. And then silence. It was over far too soon. Not the silence, that lasted far too long.

A stray tear escaped my burning eyes, but I ignored it as best I could. Larissen had been correct, this was the best way.

And so, Larissen and I waited with our backs to the cliff. If we moved, made sound, or somehow alerted the mikuya to our location, then Kate’s sacrifice would have been in vain.

And so we waited.

Waited for the mikuya to assume the humans were the last of the party, for the mikuya to let their guard down, and for the opportunity for ourselves to escape.

Night fell.

What little light there was disappeared, and the gloom became complete darkness. At some point, I drifted off to sleep.

I jerked awake the next morning.

Dim light filtered through the recesses above us in stone. I had failed to realize it earlier, but the narrow canyon appeared to be a half collapsed cavern, with cracks serving as poor sky-lights.

It was still dimly lit, if at all, but my eyes gave me night-vision which seemed to work well enough.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Larissen was guarding us when my eyes landed on him. He had positioned himself between myself and the passageway, partially exposing his body in the process. The way his head continually pivoted from left to right, it was obvious he was on the lookout. That obviousness was compounded by his pointy alert ears, and his ultra-still tail.

“A-are we safe?” I croaked out.

“Our language, Kitten. Now that the humans are gone. This is good practice.”

I decided to relent, if he would be a stickler about it. If he was willing to make such a hassle about it, even with his low whispering voice, then the mikuya must have been gone. Or at least far enough away to pose little threat.

Reformatting my question in my own mind before speaking, I asked, “Are these ones safe?”

“Perhaps,” he shrugged. “The mikuya have made no sound since the sun rose and their scent is no stronger than before. But caution serves the hunter well…” he trailed off expectantly.

From previous conversations in the slave wagon, with him, Issen, and Kissen, I recognized his phrase. I knew what he sought, and I gave it to him, furthering our rapport.

“...for the jungles are unforgiving,” I said.

After another pause, I asked, “When will these ones leave?”

My throat was parched enough that every word hurt to speak, and I fantasized of waterfalls and steak. I felt hungry enough that I might have even been tempted to try the lichen again. Or a gastropod.

“Uncertain,” he said. “Perhaps tonight. In the meantime, save your strength. Rest.”

My stomach rumbled faintly, though loud enough for both him and I to hear. He huffed, but not in amusement.

“Hunger is always a formidable foe,” he said.

I nodded, not that he saw.

I tried to rest my eyes, but I found myself fantasizing of feasts; a persistent nagging thought occurred and grew in time, until the thought screamed and blared through my mind. The humans should have left something behind. Their rations, or possibly themselves. My mouth salivated of its own accord.

It was certainly a temptation to sneak out to where the humans had fought. That was tempered by fear. And that Larissen would undoubtedly disagree. But he could not have been any less hungry than I, unless he had been holding out. But it was not as though he had a way to smuggle goods past me. Unless he had snuck out while I had slept or rested. Which might be why he wanted me to rest again. At the back of my mind, I vaguely understood that my paranoia was unjustified and likely driven by hunger and thirst.

My stomach growled again.

“Perhaps these ones could scout the humans?” I asked, raising the possibility. Anything to find nourishment. Or refreshment. My throat ached. I imagined it cracking as we spoke.

Larissen tsked. “Too dangerous. Must wait.”

I considered that. I really truly did. But if food was just around the corner…

“No,” he answered, yet again, before I had even asked once more. Had I been that obvious about it? I refused to beg. It would only make me sound weak. But perhaps an argument? Or… or I could demonstrate just how safely I could perform the reconnaissance.

“Illusion,” I mouthed, covering myself in a Blurred Camouflage.

I began to crawl around Larissen, though his ears tracked me.

“This one is not fooled,” he said. “It is difficult to sit hungrily, but it is also far safer to wait.”

“But–” I started to protest, but was cut off. Not by Larissen though.

It was a sound neither of us wanted to hear. A creaking, clicking, clacking. High tension wires criss crossing. A bamboo forest in the wind. The sound came from far too near; I could not determine from which direction either.

Glancing at Larissen, I let my Illusion drop. His eyes wide, his ears swiveling from one direction to the next. He turned his attention to me.

“From which way?” he asked.

“Both?” I offered up hesitantly.

The sounds were neither growing in intensity nor decreasing. They were just there, and far too regular to be natural motion. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Furthered when I saw the way Larissen was looking at me.

“It wasn’t my fault,” I insisted.

He shook his head, almost sadly. “This one is apologetic.”

I did not like the sound of that. “Why? Wha… why?” I asked him what he meant, but I knew. Why would he be apologetic, unless he had been the one to summon the mikuya. Was that why he had us wait? Was that why he had let the humans run off ahead? Suddenly all our previous interactions were reframed with suspicion.

“You betrayed me?!” I asked, in Imperial, perhaps a touch too loud.

Not that it made a difference, the mikuya grew no louder. They hovered just beyond our sightlines, either direction, surrounding us, even from above.

“Betray? No! Never,” he said. “But our place here is compromised.”

So, he refused to admit he had brought them here. And I only suspected him because of his apology, but he was not making sense. What was he getting at?

“Why the apology then?” I asked.

His claws were looking just a bit too sharp.

His teeth a bit too bared.

He was far too focused upon me for my comfort.

I took a step or two back, preparing an Illusion just in case.

“Do…” he winced, then started over, “Does Kitten know what the mikuya’s infestation is?” he asked.

I had ideas, but they largely stemmed around a fungal infection that may or may not be treatable. Definitively parasitic, if the infested animal was still living. I motioned him to go on, still taking another step back. I could not fool myself that I had enough distance from Larissen–he could easily clear the space between us in a single lunge, even if I used an Illusion. He could likely hear me sidestep as well. But perhaps not over the Jungleborn’s racket?

“Torture.” He took a deep breath. “Living torture.” Another pause. My right foot found a loose stone and rested just beside it. I tried relaxing every muscle, to be ready for immediate movement. “My sister’s blood will live on, but not with yourself. This one is sorry.”

In a sick sort of way, it made sense. Given what he knew, it made sense. He would spare me a fate worse than death. He refused to both abandon me and his sister’s blood-spirit. Which meant one of us had to escape, and it certainly would not be me with my debilitation.

Hence, his apology. He planned on killing me. Mothersworn idiot.

He lunged.

“Illusion.”

A blanket of white illusory flame wrapped around Larissen’s head. I kicked the loose stone to my left, sending it clattering against a wall. I dove to the right. Larissen passed through where I had just been.

“This is only making it hurt more!” he insisted.

I considered taking the attack to him, but at that moment, I just wanted to escape. I tumbled away from him, keeping the Illusion up, for just a little while longer, and I stumbled back up the path, towards the way from which we had originally come, towards where the humans had made their final stand.

“Wait!” he called, voice rising now.

Needless to say, no waiting was done. I kept moving.

The creaking of the mikuya was approaching quickly. I did not care. Better my chance with them, with their dubious motivations, than certain death with Larissen.

His feet pounded after me, less graceful than normal. He made no additional sounds, no yowling, no shouting, just chasing. He was running blind. My Illusion still covered his vision. He could not travel on all fours, instead using his arms to keep him from crashing into anything. Despite my infirmities, I kept even pace with him. But my Illusion would soon expire. I had maybe another half a minute. And once it dropped, he would have no problem catching up with me.

Could I reach the mikuya at that time? Eventually, we would reach a point where he would follow no further. He would not risk antagonizing them, surely.

I was unable to get enough of a lead to remain confident in my escape.

I hated the thought of throwing myself on the mercy of the mikuya, them and their ambiguous unknown motivations. But against the threat of certain death? I would try. And besides, it would hardly be the first time they had saved me. They had done so once before, before I had stumbled upon the caravan.

To ensure they found me first, or perhaps, scare Larissen away, I called out, almost a wheeze. “H-help!”

But I remembered, the mikuya communicated with scents, or pheromones. Would they detect me in time? I had to try, just in case. I focused on the stress, and tried to convey that emotion in the same way that I had noticed the mikuya communicating.

“What?!” Larissen called, slowing down.

“Help!” I called out again, this time louder. The gap between me and him was now growing.

“Foolish cub!” he scolded. But he had stopped chasing.

Eschiver (2/9) (+1)

Evasion (6/9) (+1)

The distance between us grew.

My Illusion expired.

I risked a glance behind, before he disappeared into the gloom. He appeared disappointed with me, sorrowful even.

But he had stopped chasing.

Which meant I could stop. I could attempt to find a third way, with neither mikuya nor Larissen.

I came around one final turn and did come to a stop.

Of course, I also ran head first into an infested meohr.

I rebounded, cried in pain as my side was jarred. I fell backwards before a heavy hand caught me by my good side and stabilized me.

I peered around the meohr, and saw what seemed to be a legion of mikuya crawling down the canyon walls and filling the space behind it.

The ones at the bottom were pressing together, with the meohr acting as a dam, a boulder blocking a stream.

But all of them, they all left space ten feet behind the meohr, and pushed away from a single creature.

This creature was not infested. Not a medley of fur and invasive tendrils. No, it was something else.

Standing upright on two legs and a tail. Its height towered over the meohr.

This creature was translucent, almost gellike, with vine and tendril scaffolding forming a visible scaffolding or skeletal structure.

It stood near three meters in height, almost humanoid, but with a head more reminiscent of a tulip than a person’s.

Its arms were planted on each wall of the canyon, with an unnaturally broad wingspan.

The meohr stepped aside and gently nudged me around it, so that I was facing the creature directly.

Blessings: Rank (1/9)

* Body: 65

* Mind: 75

* Spirit: 49

Talents:

* Athleticism (3/9):

* Climbing I (1/9)

* Featherlight (5/9)

* Stealth I (4/9)

* Trackless Tracks (8/9)

* Alchemical Immunity (ineligible for growth)

* Eschiver (2/9) (+1)

* Evasion (6/9) (+1)

Spells:

* Illusion I (5/9)

* Touch (6/9)

* Closed

* Closed

Gifts:

* Obsession (3/9)

* Closed (0/9)

* Closed (0/9)