The time it takes my hunting Bound to reach us seems like an eternity, but is probably only around an hour. I was torn between running towards them to meet them partway, or waiting for them to come to us. In the end, I decided to stay put.
That was for two main reasons. One, I sense that none of my Bound are near death, or at least not to the point where minutes might count. Two, I don’t know exactly what the problem is. If they’re being chased by something that they’ve accidentally angered, it would be better for us to have a defensible location.
After spending a few minutes fidgeting, then realising from the progress my Bound had made that it would be quite a while longer, I decided to use the time as productively as possible.
Meditation had never felt harder to enter, but thanks to my new rank in it, I was able to calm myself down despite the situation. Topping up my mana pool, I then started feeding more of it into Bastet. Whatever the issue that’s happened, it should be helpful to do that. If one of my Bound is significantly injured, I can use her as a mana reserve to draw on. If they’re being chased by something, Bastet having extra mana in her has got to be helpful.
It would be good if Bastet could draw on my mana within her herself, but we haven’t tried to do it and now isn’t the time. We haven’t tested her ability to take my mana at all; maybe we should have rather than me trying to work out how to control fire myself.
It's pointless thinking about that, I tell myself firmly – even with Meditation actively helping me to calm my mind, I’m struggling to control my thoughts. What ifs about the past never helped anyone. I don’t even know what the problem is; it’s far too soon to start with self-recriminations.
But what could have happened? With two Tier two kiinas, a lizard-man who’s close to Tier two, a lizog, and an aerial scout, what could have taken them unawares? Is it a hunting party of lizard-folk including Path-walkers and Warriors? Is it a group of beasts which has been unexpectedly difficult to combat, and which refuses to give up the chase? Is it something else which has been pushed out by the vine-stranglers? Could it be something of a similar level to Kalanthia, maybe another mother seeking to find a safer area for her offspring – and finding my Bound to be tasty snacks?
I can’t tell where my Bound are exactly, only a vague sense of distance and direction offering me any clues. That’s another reason not to go charging off into the forest willy-nilly: with my inability to clearly pin-point exactly where my Bound are, we might spend more time actually trying to triangulate each other’s location than just waiting here will take.
What’s odd, though, is that I'm becoming increasingly sure that only three of my Bound are approaching me; the other two are not. If anything, they’re getting further away. I can sense that one of them is Sirocco – the Bond between us is different enough that it’s relatively easy to tell.
Only by spending some time meditating on it am I able to identify the other Bond as Fenrir. Oddly enough, he seems…asleep? The Bond is muted, the emotions muffled in the same way as happens when he’s asleep.
My other Bound are all broadcasting different degrees of worry, fear, and urgency. At least they’re all alive. Has something happened to Fenrir? If so, what? Why would he be asleep?
By the time I see my Bound break through the treeline and run towards us, I’m relieved to finally get some news; anything must be better than the tortuous turning-over of possible scenarios I’ve been doing.
Bastet and I stand from where we’ve been resting. We scan the trees behind my Bound; nothing seems to be chasing them. Or, if they are being chased, their pursuers aren’t hot on their heels.
Are any of you injured? I send to River as soon as he comes into range of our mental communication.
Yes, but not seriously, he answers quickly, a sense of worry and urgency coming over the Bond.
As they crest the hill a moment later, I see the truth in his words. It seems like all of them are injured, their scales or feathers bloodied. However, it doesn’t look too bad. Hades is limping a bit and Persephone has a badly torn wing – those seem to be the worst I can see. I immediately go over to check them out.
“What happened?” I snap tensely at River. He’s injured too, blood marking his scales in multiple places.
Fenrir’s been taken. His mental voice rings clearly even as he half-bends over to heave in air. The kiinas are better off but they look tired too.
“Taken? Taken by what? Or who?” I ask sharply. At least the lizard-folk’s way of communication isn’t impeded too much by being out of breath, and our mental connection isn’t impacted at all.
A great beast. Not explaining any further, River shoves a memory at me. I pause in my healing to check it out, more able to multitask now than in the past, but still not able to juggle directing mana with reviewing memories from my Bound. The image is still, but I draw in an abrupt breath as I see it.
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Absently passing it over to Bastet, I see her tense out of the corner of my eye and hear her instinctive growl as she sees it too.
It’s big, that’s the first thing. The image that River has sent includes Hades, so I can see that the creature is slightly taller than him – and it doesn’t appear to be at full height. It’s wider even than that, and appears more like a giant spider with ten legs than anything else.
It has a multi-segmented body, but not like a millipede – this one instead appears to have a main body, perhaps a thorax, with a head attached, and then a multi-segmented tail. In the image, the tail is halfway through a swing towards Fenrir, who’s attempting to gnaw on one of the creature’s many legs. Even though this is an image of something that’s already happened, I see the sting on the end of the tail and wince.
It’s furry, perhaps the first native creature I’ve seen here which isn’t either scaly or feathered. It also has massive mandibles, and these are more like a wasp than a spider. It doesn’t appear to have eight eyes, either, but the four on the front of its head and the two on the sides are definitely enough.
“This attacked you?” I ask, horror going through my body. With the clear strength and size of the creature, I suppose I’d best be glad all of my Bound are still alive, even if two are currently missing. “And where’s Sirocco?”
Realising that I’ve stopped healing Hades, I turn my attention back to that even as River replies.
It came out of nowhere, he confirmed. None of us knew it was there until it was on top of us. We kept it at bay for a while, but none of our weapons could get through the hard armour protecting it except for Fenrir. Oddly enough, it didn’t seem to be trying to kill us, aiming more to cripple us.
Well, that would explain why their injuries appear mostly fairly superficial. Hades' limp has been caused by some blunt impact but doesn’t actually take too long to sort out. Moving on to Persephone’s wings, I listen as River continues his report.
It tried to strike all of us with its tail spike, but we all managed to dodge it. Until Fenrir didn’t. That was the moment River had sent over the Bond. I did my best to deflect the sting, but was too out of position to do so. His tone is full of shame. It knocked me away with one leg, and by the time I stood up again, it was crouching over Fenrir.
He pauses for a moment, reluctance coming across the Bond.
“Tell me,” I urge. “I need to know.” River tilts his chin upwards for a moment, then visibly forces himself to continue.
We tried to attack it to get at Fenrir, but it just defended itself. When it stood up, we couldn’t see our pack-mate. Not until we looked at its belly. River seems unable to put his thoughts into words, and instead sends another image. I pause my healing once more to look at it.
The creature looked even more like the spider I had compared it to, a webbed parcel now stuck to its underside. It only took a brief moment for me to understand that Fenrir was wrapped in the web.
It did not try to attack us further, River continues after I start healing again, feeling a bit numb. It just ran off, Fenrir attached to it, leaving a mess of sticky substance which trapped us until it was out of sight. I considered chasing it – although its trail was not obvious, Sirocco could easily find it, but thought that, since our efforts hadn’t worked before, we should return here to seek your aid instead. He pauses for a long moment. Master, I’m sorry, he says, sounding wrecked. I failed you.
“What?” I ask eloquently, confusion filling me. “How did you fail me?”
We all know that Bastet is your second, and leads the hunt if you are not present, but if neither of you are there, command falls to me. Therefore, the responsibility of losing one of our members falls to me too. I accept the consequences.
I stare at the lizard-man. Seriously, what kind of society are the lizard-folk? His tendency to self-blame all of the time can’t be solely down to the Bond…can it?
“Look, you’ve said already that the creature came out of nowhere, right?” I ask, waiting for his acknowledgement before continuing. “And that you did your best to protect Fenrir, but were unable to in the end, right?” He admits that it’s true. “Then what on earth could you have done to prevent this outcome?”
I should have called for a retreat sooner, River replies quickly, showing that he’s been turning this over in his mind for a while, probably ever since it happened.
“And do you think you would have been faster than the creature? That it would have let you go before it got what it came for?” Because that’s the conclusion I’ve come to, with all the evidence I’ve seen. Not aiming to kill, but aiming to sting. Then, as soon as it had stung a creature successfully, stopping its actions, wrapping Fenrir up, then running away? It seems likely to me that it was searching for live prey, for whatever reason. That’s fortunate for Fenrir – for now. Though I don’t know if I want to know exactly why the creature wants live prey. Visions run through my mind of all sorts of possible reasons.
No, River admits after a moment. I’ve almost forgotten the question I’d asked him, my thoughts had been racing so far in another direction, but I manage to recall it after a brief instant.
“Then I don’t see anything that you could have done differently which would have had another outcome. Where is Sirocco? Chasing the creature?” That’s the only thing I can think that she might be doing – she hasn’t broken the Bond so she hasn’t cut her losses and flown away.
Yes, River confirms. I sent her to watch where the creature goes and what it does. She should be able to find us later and tell us what has happened. He hesitates, eyeing me. I…thought that you might wish to pursue. Is that correct?
I pause for a moment, surprised that he even needs to ask the question. Then I remember what kind of society he comes from and understand.
“Of course we’re going to pursue,” I tell him with emotion. “Fenrir is still alive, and while there’s life, there’s hope. Now, let’s get right onto that.”