Opening my notes panel, I start the process which is still all too familiar to me, despite my time in this survival forest. It seems like you can take the human out of Human Resources, but you can’t take the Human Resources out of the human.
At least this time I won’t be squeezed from both sides – feeling the directors breathe down my neck via my manager to offer as little as possible at the same time as the candidate is pushing to get as much as possible. Knowing that I’m going to have to find a compromise which risks satisfying neither party, and that this could cause the candidate to go elsewhere, or my manager to override me and offer something which is likely to be a slap in the face to the person I’ve been in contact with which they’ll probably blame on me….
No, this time, I’m the director and the balancing act is going to be different, though perhaps just as delicate in its own way.
By the time we reach the river, all the erstwhile prisoners drinking thirstily at the clear water, I think I’ve jotted down a few important points. But those can wait until the immediate tasks are done.
I hop off Hades’ back, thanking him for carrying me. Giving him a little stroke down the neck, he leans into the touch for a moment before rearing back, giving me another suspicious look, just like he did when I did the same to Persephone. Am I doing the kiina equivalent of flirting, or something?
“I’m just trying to express my appreciation,” I tell him. “If you don’t like it, say, and I’ll stop.” He seems to consider the question warily for a moment.
Just appreciation? Nothing else?
“Just appreciation,” I assure him. “Perhaps friendship.”
And for my mate? he demands.
“The same.” I’m pretty sure I was right with my suspicions – this is some form of kiina courtship.
Then I will allow it, he tells me loftily, pressing his neck to my shoulder insistently. I hold my laugh inside, lifting my hand to stroke at his smoothly scaled neck – as long as I stroke downwards, anyway. Ah well, even if it is a form of flirting, he seems to like it well enough.
After a few moments of just enjoying a little time together, I move away.
“River, will you come with me?” I ask. The lizard-man immediately moves away from the new Bound he’s been standing next to, walking quickly over to me.
Where are we going, master? he asks curiously.
“Just a little upriver so I can collect some uncontaminated water.” He tips up his chin briefly in response and we walk away together in companionable silence.
While we don’t go far, I do make sure the sight lines are a little obscured between us and the main group. For good reason – I don’t want our conversation to be detectable by the others. One other in particular.
“One of your village?” I ask as soon as I think we’re far enough away, dipping my water containers into the stream. Deciding to just risk it, I drink thirstily straight from one of the pots. The clear, hopefully-uncontaminated water tastes delicious, better than my boiled and cooled versions for sure.
Yes, River responds a little cautiously to my question. One of the Unevolved.
“How was he taken?” I ask. “We’re pretty far from your village, aren’t we?” I pull my map up to check. Sure enough, although we’ve headed vaguely in the direction of River’s village, we’re much higher up the mountainside than them. It’s like a triangle, where if the distance between Kalanthia’s cave and the village is the hypotenuse, where we are is the point of the third angle. Not a right angle, but not far off from it.
Catches-leaves has never been known for his navigation skills. He used to even get lost in our village when he was a hatchling. He is a year younger than I am, and frankly, the fact that he survived to adulthood has always been a bit of a mystery. To my knowledge, he’s disappeared three times, only eventually making it back to the village, rail-thin and on his last legs. But always with something that was enough to allow him access to the communal carcass. River pauses, looking and feeling contemplative. I sometimes wondered whether he should have been called Last-chance-lucky instead of Catches-leaves. It certainly would be more apt.
“So you don’t think that it’s an indication that the Path-walkers have sent out a hunting party for us?” I check with him. That, actually, had been the first thing I’d been concerned about when I’d had the time to think about the implications of a lizard-kin being caught by the same creature which had also come close enough to Kalanthia’s territory to catch Fenrir. While it could be explained by the danaris ranging widely, this area is pretty much as far from the lizard-folk’s village as we were near Kalanthia’s cave.
River hesitates.
Catches-leaves would never be chosen to be part of such a hunting party, he answers.
“But…?” I prompt, hearing it unspoken in his voice.
But I suspect that there likely is one, nonetheless, he continues reluctantly. They would have had to search for our tracks after going around the Forest of Death, and I doubt that the Shaman would have been part of the hunting group, so the ones which were following us probably returned to the village before sending out another party. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re in the area.
“Won’t they know that we’re with Kalanthia?” I ask, a little surprised.
Not necessarily, he answers. Just because we took Lathani does not mean that we are in league with the Great Predator. It will no doubt have occurred to them, but they will be reluctant to trespass on the Great Predator’s territory without proof. Especially now they know that she will be on the alert. Too many were killed in the first expedition; the village can’t afford to lose the same number, let alone even more.
No, I think that they will try to find and then follow our tracks, hoping that we are not connected to the Great Predator and that they will be able to pursue the village’s justice without invoking her wrath.
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Eyeing the number of creatures around me now, I grin a little sardonically at River.
“They think we’re an easy target, huh?” I ask with more than a hint of irony. He seems almost apologetic on behalf of his village.
They do not have all the information.
“No kidding,” I mutter in response, returning to filling my containers. Then, glancing back up at River, I ask another question. “Does Catches-leaves not know?” River does his equivalent of a shrug.
He is not the most observant. Nor is he involved in any sort of decision-making, being at the bottom of the hierarchy. I asked, but he couldn't seem to say for sure whether there were more or fewer Warriors around. The Shaman was there before he was captured, though – as was the Herbalist. They are rather…unmissable.
“So we’d better assume that they are hunting us,” I sigh. Hopefully Kalanthia will be keeping more of an eye out this time – I seriously don’t want to return to find that she’s been brought near death again. Or worse – killed. Even if that would let me off the hook when it comes to Lathani.
Master, I have a suggestion, River breaks into my thoughts. I send a wave of expectation through the Bond, prompting him to continue. I think you should Dominate Catches-leaves.
Alright, that wasn’t what I was expecting.
“Why?” I ask, surprised.
He’s feeling very anxious.
“About the Bond?” River sends a sense that it’s kind-of-but-not that.
He’s always followed the rules of the Path-walkers. Even when he was starving in the wilderness. He was always terrified that he wouldn’t have a home to come back to, that he would be banished from the village if he ate something.
“Even if there was no way of them knowing?” I can’t help but ask, taken aback by just how strict the rules of the lizard-folk seemed to be.
If he’d disappeared for a week and come back looking as well as when he’d left, they’d have known he’d eaten something, River points out. OK, fair.
“He’s eaten something now, though, right?” I check – though my memories really aren’t clear, I’m pretty sure that he was one of the emaciated ones.
He did last night – he was too starved to resist. That’s why he’s anxious. But he’s refusing to eat now, and he really needs the sustenance. I blink, trying to make the right connections to understand what River’s getting at without saying directly, and how that relates to him suggesting that I Dominate a creature who’s already taken a Tame Bond.
“So,” I start slowly, “you think I should Dominate him so I can force him to eat? I don’t want to do that,” I tell River firmly. Shouldn’t that be Catches-leaves’ choice?
Yes, but not entirely. Catches-leaves isn’t convinced that we have the strength to offer him what he’s used to with the village. That we don’t have the protection, or the healing. He doesn’t realise how much better it is with you.
While it’s nice to hear River’s enthusiasm, I’m still not convinced that this is the best option.
“Can’t we just show him what it’s like?”
Master, please, River pleads. Catches-leaves will die if he doesn’t eat. And he won’t eat until he realises that you are a stronger, kinder leader than the council of Path-walkers. For him, he’s offered to serve you temporarily in gratitude for releasing him, but he would be much better off if he served you in perpetuity; like I do.
That’s part of what’s worrying me: I still don’t know River’s true feelings on the subject. What if his argument is being motivated by his own sense of Bond-induced loyalty to me?
“I don’t see why I need to force it,” I tell River firmly. “Surely he will eat when he gets hungry enough? Like he did when we released him from the danaris’ clutches.” The lizardman seems unexpectedly frustrated by my continued reticence. “River, why are you being so emphatic about this?”
He paces for a little in silence, then stops and turns to me.
I do not know what others of your kind are like, but from what I have seen, you operate differently from us. For us, strength is paramount. If it came down to it, the Unevolved could slaughter the hatchlings with some difficulty depending on their age, but then be slaughtered just as easily by the Warriors. While it is not so clear cut between the Warriors and the Path-walkers, past battles have proved that the Path-walkers will win against the Warriors far more often than they lose.
“How does that relate to the topic in hand, though?” I protest. River sends me a look which brings me up short – I’ve never seen him look quite so reproving. I let him speak.
Catches-leaves does not know your strength. We killed the danaris, but that was not you, that was us. He needs to know that you are powerful enough to command his permanent service – not just his temporary service, offered out of gratitude. Only then will he adapt to being able to eat as we do. Without that, he will serve quietly at the periphery before disappearing back to the village – except by that point, he will be dead or almost so.
I digest the information in silence. I think I understand, as much as I dislike the idea. And it kind of makes sense: he needs to know that if it came down to a clash between me and the Path-walkers – which it probably will – that I would come out victorious.
This is going to be a repeated theme with the lizard-folk, isn’t it? Their society is based on strength, so of course any new leader needs to prove that they have the strength to overcome the old. Maybe this is what River’s been trying to tell me all along.
Though I do wonder exactly what’s driving River right now. Is it just because Catches-leaves is another lizard-kin or is this some sort of psychological tactic to make himself feel better? Like being Bonded to me is justified if I can convince others of his kind to do so? Perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Ultimately, if Catches-leaves isn’t going to eat during the whole of his time in the Tame Bond, something needs to be done.
“OK, thanks for the information,” I say, standing up. All my water containers are now filled, and I’ve got the answers I needed, even if they aren’t exactly what I want.
Returning to the group, I pull a number of carcasses out of my Inventory. I’m running pretty low – we’ll need to do some serious hunting soon – but this should be enough for now, even with as many mouths to feed as there are.
“Alright everyone, listen up,” I say, once more quailing a little inside as every single eye comes to rest on me. Except for the two who have eyes pointing both forwards and backwards, that is. “If you prefer to eat meat, come and help yourself to the carcasses here. No arguing – share and share alike, please. Any arguing or attempts to attack another Bound will mean that you are required to step to the side and won’t be able to eat until everyone else has finished,” I warn.
Even the Bond I have with them doesn’t allow me to directly order them to step aside, there’s always good old-fashioned physical force. Though I hope it doesn’t come to that.
“If you prefer to eat plants or insects, feel free to forage around the area. Please don’t go far, though, and make sure to send an alert down the Bond and run back here if you detect any danger.” They are all still looking at me. “OK, then, go ahead?” I finish, more questioningly than I intended to be.
Still, it seems to have had the right effect: about sixteen creatures – including Lathani and the cubs – move towards the carcasses I’ve set at small distances apart. Another seven shift towards different areas. Some start grazing the bushes, others the plants poking out of the leaf-litter floor-covering. One starts rooting through the leaves itself, reminding me of my very first Bound. It’s not a porcupig, but apparently has similar eating habits.
One is conspicuous as he stays apart from all the others, not starting in on a carcass or hunting for food in the undergrowth. I guess that makes my next move obvious.
Starting with Catches-leaves it is.