“My ancestors died face down in the mud so that I wouldn’t have to take sky taxis piloted by redcoats!” Russell Winters insisted as he and Veera boarded Cromwell’s shuttle late in the afternoon of Maran ‘Halloween’. The allusion to the Revolutionary War was made possible thanks to the pilot’s choice of costume. She was dressed like a true lobsterback, complete with leather belts, buckles, and the various other finer details that defined the foot soldiers of the colonial British Empire. The only thing she was missing was a powdered wig, but even on Natori’s ship some sacrifices to conserve materials had to be made.
“Look, I’ve already had it out with that bloody Scotsman and his William Wallace getup. You’re ‘free’ to stay planetside if you want,” the pilot responded in good humor. “Given that you’re already strapping in I’ll take that as a no thank you. And I bet you can’t even trace your ancestors back a hundred years, much less three hundred.”
“Private John Winters, Pennsylvania Line, Colonial Army. You can look it up if you like,” the First Lieutenant replied immediately, throwing his wife a smile. “Damn proud of that one.”
“I don’t think I understand…” Veera said as she rested the major element of her own guise, a sun-bleached and cleaned chesko skull, in her lap for the ride. Cromwell closed the hatch and spun up the engines.
“Maybe I will take a look, see if my great uncles and grandfathers shot at yours, eh? Buckle up and watch the horns on that skull. If we hit turbulence and you get stabbed by your own costume I’m not going to be liable. Pretty spooky though. I approve,” she warned with a laugh, beginning their journey up to the Event Horizon where they would meet with Natori. The Admiral did not need an escort for something as civilian as a halloween celebration, but Io had insisted on participating as well when she left them that morning. Collecting her alone was worth the trip. As they settled in, Veera asked the obvious question.
“So, your tribe fought against hers? How long ago?”
“Ah it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Russell allowed, reaching over to grab her hand. She took it happily and used her other hand to pick a bit of stray fur off of the rough leathers that he was wearing over a set of black clothing. He’d decided against painting his Aegis black. “It’s more like her ancestors and my ancestors were part of the same tribe. Then mine sailed over an ocean and eventually revolted to form our own government. We didn’t enjoy being ruled by a government thousands of miles away in which we had no say. Like I said though, it’s more complex than just the war. We’re allies now. I only brought it up because the pilot is dressed the same way that their soldiers did back at that time. This was almost three hundred years ago.”
“That does sound complicated,” Veera agreed. “Not to mention I have no idea why you would want to be dressed so boldly during a fight.”
“Ha! They do look a little silly, don’t they?” Russell responded, earning a scoff from their British pilot. “But imagine a line of hundreds of men all dressed like that marching in unison towards you with perfect precision on a continent months journey by sea from their homeland. You’re there in a muddy uniform if you could manage it or maybe just rags or clothes and you’re up against those guys who look like they just got finished having their regiment inspected by the king himself. You knew you were up against one of the most powerful militaries in the world. They knew it too.”
“Ah, so there was no reason to hide,” Veera understood the basics. “I’m sorry to hear that your tribe lost.”
Russell cocked his head at her briefly before a wide smile formed on his lips. It was the same smile he’d worn after showing her the ursae he’d brought down and proposing to her. “What do you mean lost? We won.”
“You had help,” Cromwell grumpily pointed out as they ascended into the upper atmosphere of the planet.
“Aye we did, but we still managed to outlast them and eventually earn a surrender. Maybe one day Io can give you a full history on the subject,” he suggested to Veera. “I don’t know the finer points of the whole conflict, just that I had family there and the outcome.”
“Human tribal relations sound very tangled. Most of the time we just try to kill one another because they want our food,” Veera summarized neatly and with little remorse.
“Oh trust me, there’s been plenty of that throughout human history too!” he assured her. “Things have been a bit more peaceful recently though, at least on Earth. Struggles like those between your village and the nomads just don’t happen anymore, at least in my country.”
“That’s very nice to hear,” his wife said softly, reminded that his country might soon be hers. It was a humbling thought, but one she did not have much time to reflect upon as Cromwell set them down in one of the Event Horizon’s hangars and they disembarked. Waiting for them was the Admiral, whose tall body lent a perfect frame for a somewhat accurate recreation of the Doom franchise’s robotic anti-hero. He was only spared a passing glance, however, as standing beside him was none other than Io in the flesh. She had dispensed with the bulky Aegis armor and instead wore a standard HEL female officer’s uniform, just as she had time and again in her projections. She’d even fashioned up her hair in the same bun she liked to wear when digital. Veera laughed gayly as Winters covered the distance with a single stride in low gravity, looking a silent question at his AI companion before she leaned towards him and they embraced one another.
‘I promise I didn’t cheap out on Halloween, but I felt this was more appropriate to meet you at least,’ she explained, registering quite a few new sensory inputs. ‘You smell like wood smoke and dirt, I believe.’
“There are worse fates,” he replied in a quiet voice before moving back to appreciate her full form at arm’s length. The uniform was well tailored and made no secret of her sizable chest and notable hips. She smiled bashfully as he finished looking her over. “Damn, Io.”
‘Mein barbar, your way with words never ceases to amaze. Veera, darling, you look wonderfully spooky and a tad round in the belly. So good to see you like this at last.’
The Cauthan took her turn to greet Io and tentatively touch and poke. Her claws inevitably found their way to her breasts, which she tested curiously. Natori, devious as he was, did nothing to stop her. That job was left to Russell. “Veera, I hate to say it but touching a woman’s breasts like that is pretty much forbidden in public. Not to mention it’s considered harassment if you’re not romantically involved.”
‘However, in this case I feel there needs to be some sort of recalibration on account of my casually taking a claw to the nipple. He’s right, Veera,’ Io admitted. ‘But no matter. What do you think?’
“I don’t know the first thing about what makes a human female beautiful but my mate does, and he’s very bad at hiding his gaze,” Veera replied, firing a tactful warning shot at Russell who ran a hand through his short-cropped hair and refused to deny the charges. “But you really do appear in every way like the other human females I’ve seen. Will you be like this all the time now?”
‘No, my dear. This body will need tune ups and maintenance from time to time, which is why I wanted to meet you both here as opposed to my workshop. This is how I want you to always remember me, if you will. With that accomplished, I will go change into my costume and we can depart. Be back soon!’ she assured them, kicking off the ground strongly and floating towards the doors that would lead her into the interior of the ship.
“Uh, happy Halloween Admiral,” Winters saluted, feeling a bit out of place given how the two of them were dressed. Natori took the half helmet of his costume under one arm so that he could return the salute.
“Same to you, First Lieutenant; and you as well, Veera. I must say I’m in agreement with Dr. Lamont. Today has been utterly refreshing for the crew! I even received a few trick or treaters at my private quarters! Do you think the Cauthan are excited?” he wondered with anticipation.
“Knowing them, sir, any excuse for a celebration is usually welcome,” Winters replied. “They're hard working people who don’t take much time to do so when there’s no reason. And are you supposed to be the robot from that old video game series, the one with the demons?”
“Samuel Hayden, yes. Io picked it out for me, said it ‘suits my personality’,” Natori laughed. “I’m guessing it was a bit before your time?”
“Yes sir, can’t say I ever played much from before first contact.”
“Mmm, yes. Why bother playing a single player game on a PC when you can drop yourself into the Udanis pacification without actually risking getting your limbs melted off? I insist to this day that the annual installments of Battlefront Milky Way are utter garbage, but it is my job to command this ship and not recommend vintage entertainment options to those under my command. Might I ask what the two of you will be going as tonight? I daresay those rather imposing trophies back on the shuttle are part of it?”
Winters allowed Veera to respond for the two of them. "After some consultation with Thantis, Russell received permission to disguise himself as Kel for the day. As Kel does not have a mate, my playing the role is not particularly controversial.”
“Is that so? Must be rather lonely as the God of Death,” Natori mused. “I can think of a handful of old tales where human death gods had to abduct their wives! Probably on account of not being the most popular fellows.”
“You may be right, but Kel is hardly lonely,” Veera continued, seeing as they were all still waiting for Io. “He has his two sons and two daughters after all.”
“And how did he acquire so many children without the help of a wife?” the Admiral posed inquisitively.
“That’s actually a good question,” Russell agreed. “Not sure I’ve heard that story myself.”
“He created them,” Veera explained simply with a flutter of her feathers. “Even for a god, seeing to all of the affairs spread between the five of them would be quite difficult.”
“A death god with the power of creation? How curious. Perhaps I will have another chat with Thantis this evening,” Natori decided. “How is he doing, by the way?”
“Quite well, but I don’t think you’ll have much time, sir. He’s expressed an interest in various Halloween tales and I’m pretty sure Io intends to spend most of the night doing just that. Speaking of which, did she find that officer’s uniform on her own or did you give her permission, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“Ah, another poignant question,” Kaczynski acknowledged. He wore a thoughtful expression that didn’t quite mesh with his Halloween getup. “I think both you and I would agree that Io made the jump from HEL equipment to HEL personnel a long time ago.”
“Little less than a year, sir,” Russell replied, not wanting to dwell too much on the events of that evening.
“As you say, Lieutenant. Given that she has taken it upon herself to assist me in the operations of this vessel in addition to her role as your ‘digital assistant’, let’s say, I saw no reason not to allow it. That doesn’t mean I’ll be pinning various insignia on her lapel, however. At least not yet.”
“Right, still a lot to figure out,” Winters acknowledged, earning a nod from Natori.
“Much as you and I both appreciate her, yes, difficult questions do remain.”
‘But let’s answer those questions at another time. Tonight is meant to be a celebration and festival,’ Io insisted, returning to them in an elaborate getup that had Veera’s eyes wide and her feathers waving in appreciation while Russell couldn’t help but laugh.
“Did you honestly decide to dress up as a pirate? One of the most cliche Halloween costumes of all time?” he ribbed her playfully. The AI scowled at him from beneath a tricorne cap, an accent piece to go with the billowy cloth shirt, corset, trousers, heavy coat, knee high boots and even a codpiece that had all been spruced up with a bit of metal and light here and there to give it a modern, space-like feel. She even had a small, robotic parrot perched on her shoulder and a cutlass strapped to her hip.
‘I am a space pirate, thank you very much,’ she clarified. ‘And given that my first act aboard this vessel was to commandeer it, I think it’s an excellent choice of attire for the evening.’
“Well that does explain why you were so tight lipped!” Natori added approvingly, recalling her insistence from a few days prior. “And is that pride I detect in your tone, Io?”
‘What? It was quite the achievement if I do say so myself,’ she insisted, hand on her hip. ‘Shall we go then? Seil should be setting just about now. I wonder how the gourds will look after dark.’
“They’re no pumpkins, but I think they’ll look decent with those little lights once the sun sets,” Winters related. Many Cauthan, especially the young ones, had taken well to the idea of carving faces into some of their produce. It had taken a bit of convincing for Gentia to allow it, but the plan had been allowed to proceed when Alice explained that the vegetables would be hollowed out beforehand with minimal waste. Many stews had been made that evening. “Last I heard I think Gentia was going to place them all in or around the ursae skull. I think it’ll look pretty good.”
‘I am glad to see you getting involved with the fun. You frown too much,’ Io replied as he helped her onto the shuttle, throwing her a questioning glance at her comment as they strapped in along with Natori. ‘My actuators are operating nominally but thank you. You’re quite the gentleman when you have the mind to be.’
“There’s been less to frown about lately. We didn’t exactly celebrate last year,” he pointed out stoically as Veera leaned across him to speak with Io.
“I like his serious face! What’s a pirate?”
Io opened her mouth before reconsidering her answer, furrowing her brow and pondering a reply. “Who’s frowning now?” Winters joked.
‘Well excuse me for having a sense of sensibility!’ Io retorted, stumbling over the last couple syllables and developing a mortified expression on her face. ‘Human bodies are just… difficult! Veera, pirates are a bit of an enigma in human culture. The most accurate, historical definition of a pirate would actually come quite close to the raiders that we unceremoniously dispatched last winter. Groups of men and the occasional woman who marauded around raiding shipping, commerce, and other generally productive human endeavors. In short, they are one of many groups of people throughout history who found it easier to take what they wanted rather than make it themselves.’
“How detestable,” Veera spat, clearly holding no love for the idea. “I don’t mean you, of course, I just-”
‘Oh it’s quite alright, my dear. That is the fun of Halloween! You get to dress up and play a role as much or as little as you like for an evening. But aside from the very real subject of historical villains, this is what pirates have become in the modern era.’
Russell and Veera looked around briefly as Io clearly expected something to happen. When nothing untoward, and certainly nothing pirate related, came to pass as their shuttle came in contact with the upper Maran atmosphere, the corporeal AI sighed in frustration. ‘I don’t have any projectors built into this body and you left the Aegis at home!’
“So if I say go go gadget helicopter, rotor blades won't spring from your head?” Russell asked in mock disappointment. His smile quickly faded as the joke fell flat and Io looked at her lap. A rather uncomfortable silence endured for the short duration of the flight, and when the hatch opened to reveal the western gate of the village, torches ablaze and plenty of Cauthan in the streets, Winters waved Veera on. “Just give me a moment?” he requested.
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“I’ll be at the gates then,” she replied understandingly, handing him his headwear for the evening before donning her own and moving away from the shuttle. Pilot Cromwell ensured it was safely locked and then did the same, heading in to find some of the other humans who had been given permission by both Natori and Antoth to be a part of the evening’s festivities.
“Sorry, Io. It was just meant to be a joke,” Russell told her, finding the situation incongruous at best and absurd at worst given her rather elaborate costume and his looking like something out of a horror movie.
‘I know, and I should have taken it as one. It’s just that I suddenly became worried, and when you are like me and can think even faster than most people, the whole mental spiral can happen before you can blink. I hadn’t planned… I wasn’t ready for the realization that becoming like this would make me far less useful to you and Veera.’
“It makes the space pirate getup far more convincing,” Russell pointed out. “Love the parrot. And I don’t need you to translate tonight. I want you to have some fun with us.”
‘You… you are exactly the same as you always are. It’s comforting in a way. I just need to accept the fact that this is something that I wanted. See, if I were still digital I’d be able to throw on a uniform instead of having a heart to imitation biological organ conversation with you dressed like this! I should… maybe this was a mistake.’
“Because you can’t be a walking slideshow? Io,” Russell sighed as she looked ready to punch him and possibly shed a tear or two. “Now is really not the time. You made this decision on your own, you’ve been working on it for weeks, and yeah, there are obviously some sacrifices that are going to have to be made if you want to interact with the rest of us like this. Is it a programming thing or just nerves?”
Io chuckled at herself for a moment. ‘That would be rather trite, wouldn’t it? Programming VI’s to feel shame or disappointment in the event they cannot perform a task asked of them. That sort of situation would be easily handled on my own, so I suppose it’s just nerves. A sudden, fleeting, but immense desire to run and hide?’
“Sounds like my first dance at school. And no, we’re not going to be talking about that,” Russell declared with finality before reaching out and taking her by the gloved hand. She had truly gone the extra mile for the holiday. “Everyone’s waiting to see you so let’s go have a bit of fun, alright?”
‘That may be exactly what I’m afraid of?’ she posed, trying not to shift her green eyes away from his for too long. Russell scoffed lightly.
“You, the girl who always has something to say and something new to show off afraid of social interaction? I doubt it.”
‘But I can’t just blink away or change myself this time,’ she pleaded.
“Well it’s a good thing that everyone we’re going to hang out with tonight likes you then, isn’t it. Come on, how long are you going to keep my pregnant wife waiting?” he wondered pointedly.
‘You would use the babies against me?!’ Io demanded in shock.
“Can, would, and will certainly do so in the future. C’mon, no more lollygagging,” he insisted, walking towards the gate. He felt some resistance on his hold but he was also confident she was following behind him.
‘You are not a member of the town guard. You can’t tell me not to lollygag,’ she groused quietly as they approached the gate. Veera waved happily while the on duty Cauthan, who wore rough-hewn masks over their eyes made of wood and secured with leather straps, looked at one another quickly in an attempt to confirm they weren’t going crazy. When both of them came to an agreement that they were indeed seeing Winters’ spirit walking among them in the flesh on the night of all hallows, a curious human legend about spirits and demons and all manner of supernatural, they did the reasonable thing and bowed on one knee to her. She held Russell’s hand so tightly he thought the bones of his palm might suffer a stress fracture.
‘They’re bowing to me, like for real!’ she whispered nervously, finding the situation far less reasonable than Thantis’ attempted display of reverence the last time she’d used her body.
“You’re a great and powerful spirit who just so happens to be dressed like a pirate. And they don’t know what pirates are,” Russell pointed out. “I’ll punch you in the ribs if you take it too far, alright?”
Io made a sound that landed somewhere between an uncomfortable squeak and an indignant grunt before clearing her throat, closing her eyes, ‘taking a deep breath’ to fortify herself, and addressing the on duty watch. ‘Rise, my friends. Thank you for welcoming me to your village. Where will we find Antoth?’
“Oh he’s strutting around in his old armor, you can’t miss him,” one of the guards reported. “Should be somewhere in the town square. You should hurry before they light the bonfire.”
“Yeah, we’ll do that. Thanks guys,” Winters replied, taking Veera’s hand as they made their way towards the center of town where they could see the beginnings of a large fire roaring to life in the middle of the square. “Well, guess we were a bit late anyway. Looks fun.”
“I’m reminded very much of last year,” Veera said happily. “What shall we do first? We can have dinner later or whenever you’re hungry. Do you need to eat when you’re like this, Io?”
‘That’s very kind of you to ask, Veera,’ the AI replied, doing her best to at least act normally since looking normal was out of the question that night. There were a few more incidents of reverence but she handled them politely. “Ah yes, have a good evening. No Veera, I do not need to eat but that does not mean I cannot participate. I would not waste your food though. Perhaps one day on Earth we can all sit down for a meal together. Natori is only so frivolous with his ship’s resources.’
“Well we’ll set a place for you anyway. I’m sure Fenrir will be happy to eat your portion. You think he’ll be alright, Russell?” Veera asked with some concern.
“I ran him ragged earlier. We can check in every so often. I don’t think Io needs us to hold her hand all night, right?”
‘And if I said I did?’ Io retorted. “I just started using them, after all.”
“Then I guess you’re getting dragged away from spooky story hour in order to check up on the shaggy alien dog,” Winters laughed, taking her hand with his free one and giving it a playful squeeze. “We’ll stick close, no worries.”
‘Thank you,’ Io replied quietly as they approached the festival itself. Short of ongoing hostilities in the middle of a raid, congregations of Cauthan in the village center were always a sight to behold, with thousands of feathers fluttering and waving about as everyone greeted one another, compared masks, fur colorations or, in very rare cases for those who had the time and the resources, full costumes. Even for those without, wood, leather, bone, and other materials were plentiful, and in a town where almost everyone was a part-time craftsman out of necessity there were a plethora of masks on display that would put some Halloween shops to shame. Russell saw all manner of animals depicted, from hyrven to chesko and plenty of ursae given that the town now possessed an authentic specimen. There were even a few shen masks to be seen, bringing some levity to the evening.
“Given her some room to breathe,” Russell encouraged as numerous Cauthan approached to gawk and wonder at Io’s costume, with several of them convinced that all human spirits appeared dressed in such garb when they walked the mortal plane. Veera couldn’t help a fit of the giggles as Io looked helplessly at Russell. “You can clear things up at the next festival,” he promised as a particularly plump Cauthan finally found them.
“Io, you look amazing!” Asha gushed. “Is this a fashion many human women wear? I’m so glad you were able to walk on Mara tonight. Is it because of the stories? Is there truly a chance we might see other spirits?”
If Io had possessed compunctions about telling white lies or embellishments to Cauthan they would only count as passing acquaintances, the idea of doing so to Asha and Zolta was something else altogether. She opted for as close to the truth as she could get to while maintaining an air of mystique for the Hallow’s Eve. ‘I’m not sure any other spirits would want to manifest while I’m present here, but I hope I’ll be able to attend the harvest festival as well. It’s much easier when I’m around Russell and the human ship. Now I see that Zolta is opting for a mask this evening. That’s a fine hyrven by the way,’ Io complimented the lad’s craftsmanship. ‘But what are you, Asha?’
Io’s question was necessitated by the very pregnant female’s choice of dress for the evening. She had managed to clip, tie, and otherwise pin together leather and fabric so as to maintain her modesty while displaying her prominent belly. One half of the white fur there was left untouched, with the other side dyed a light blue courtesy of Alice and Alyra’s pet project. Zolta, predictably, had chosen not to dye his fur.
“I’m the Twins! See?” Asha offered, turning one way and then the other so that her belly mimicked Eiur and Auril, which shone above the village half full on that evening.
“That’s brilliant,” Russell approved with a nod of his head as Veera’s arm feathers waved in a similar sentiment. “Is Xan with you?”
“We left him back with some of the other humans, the ones we all know. I’ve never seen so many of you at once,” Zolta explained, looking around. Every so often one could pick out an individual conspicuously lacking fur or feathers, as a handful of adventurous souls from the Event Horizon mixed and mingled with curious Cauthan under the express permission of Admiral Kaczynski and Antoth. “At least no one’s made a scene, not like you did.”
“Hey, in my defense, Vash,” Winters countered. The argument stood, and the young Cauthan couple led them all back to an eclectic assortment of benches, chairs, and even stumps of wood where the rest of their friends were seated. “Hey everyone! We collected our spirit guest for the evening.”
“Damn, that’s quite the getup Io,” Xan observed, their reaction to her physical body far more reserved than the average Cauthan, many of whom were still staring. The young priest was wearing a basic wooden mask that bore a striking similarity to the village’s most well known hyrven. “So are you solid when you’re down here like that?”
‘You may see for yourself if you wish,’ Io permitted, removing one of her gloves and holding out her hand so Xan could brush a finger across the back of her palm. As he did so she giggled before retracting her arm and replacing her glove. ‘So that is what a ticklish sensation is supposed to feel like? How quaint! And how are you this evening, Anita? Are you supposed to be Vishnu?’
“Hi everyone,” Anita greeted them shyly from her seat next to Alice. Under other circumstances she would have fit in well at an elaborate Indian wedding on account of her flowing hair, ornate, crown-like hairpiece, and dazzling necklaces which she’d had to convince several Cauthan were made of cheap plastic and worthless. The covering of blue dust on her face completed the look. “Yes, we never celebrated Halloween when I was younger. Does it look good?”
“Head and shoulders above Alice’s costume,” Russell declared, earning him a raspberry from Alice who seemed to be going to great lengths to blend in with the local population.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that looking like a Cauthan is so resource intensive! A full suit of fur would require a lot of material that I just wasn’t allowed to use and why would I want a fursuit anyway?!” she huffed, pressing a button concealed in her palm that made her feathery headdress shake at him with indignation. The display had Veera and Asha clutching their sides with laughter.
“I think it is a great honor. Thank you, Alice. I hope you will forgive me for not shaving my fur and being a human for an evening, what with winter on the way,” Gentia said merrily. She and Thantis had not opted to do anything elaborate for the holiday but that had not stopped them from having fun. Using the dusty fur dye that had been the brainchild of none other than Anita, who made the suggestion based on her homeland’s Holi festival, the two elders had ‘switched’ appearances. Usually of lighter fur, Gentia’s was almost dark brown and she’d applied light gray powder liberally to match her mate’s wizened look. Thantis had done just the opposite and the two of them were most pleased with themselves. Thantis spoke up as well.
“Later I will have to speak with my apprentice about asking to touch every spirit or deity he comes across.”
“Hey, I know her and she said I could,” Xan defended himself. While the adults, including Sentaura, the Dupuis couple, and Lachlan were happy to continue chatting amicably while soaking in the distant warmth of the bonfire and listening to haunting tunes played by a couple of skilled woodwind musicians from the Event Horizon and eager, quick learning Cauthan performers, young Ursol was not.
“Story, story!” he cried out, causing Sentaura to tisk him and shake her head. “He cannot even remember to wash his paws half the time, but one mention of scary, adult stories over a cycle ago and he never forgets.”
“I agree with the little one. Good evening everyone!” Natori greeted them pleasantly, having come from giving his regards to Antoth and Ratha. His naturally tall frame coupled with the bulky, robotic costume shocked the little Cauthan into silence. The Admiral removed his mask with a smile and found himself a seat while Ursol whispered ‘scary!’ to his mother. “Did I hear that it’s story time?”
‘Well I would like to, but in my zeal to dress the part of a pirate this year I seem to have overlooked my ability to present any sort of visual aid,’ Io lamented. Kaczynski nodded his head sagely.
“Then it’s time to work on your oratory skills, my dear. At worst, I’m sure you can find a spooky tale to read to us all, no?” he suggested.
“I would love to hear one!” Thantis added excitedly, taking a sip of tea from a simple leather flask before offering it to his mate and then the Dupuis couple. Gerard was of course daring enough to try and came away fanning his mouth.
“That’s one way to warm the belly on a chilly night! Fantastic. So, my dear assistant, would you like to start or should I?” the Frenchman offered to take the heat off. Russell leaned across Veera and squeezed Io’s hand gently.
“We’ve got one of our own, you know,” he whispered. Her eyes lit up, though she quickly glanced towards Sentaura.
‘Is this the right audience, sir?’ she wondered nervously. He bobbed his head side to side a couple of times.
“Maybe not, but I think they might enjoy hearing how justice was finally done,” he suggested. Io nodded and cleared her throat before leaning forward into the circle and placing her elbows on her knees.
‘Then let us begin with a most harrowing tale, the hunting and slaying of the great beast of Mara.’
-----
Though Xan, Asha, and Zolta had already seen the climax, they and the other Cauthan listened with rapt interest as Io led them through the stalking of the ursae, the gruesome fate of the Cauthan raiders, and the eventual showdown with the great, four-eyed beast in the snowy forests beyond the walls. Word travelled quickly through the celebrating Cauthan that the Avatar of Kel’s spirit companion was spinning stories by the fire in their own language, and soon Io had a small audience of a few dozen onlookers. Amplifying her voice was not a concern, and by the time she’d finished her first story, during which Russell had gone to retrieve a muzzled Fenrir, she was feeling confident and ready to tell a new tale. ‘And now I will tell you all of the Wendigo, a demon from the world of humans…’
Ursol clung tightly to his mother’s breast, but when she asked if he wished to leave he shook his head vigorously, insisting he wanted to stay and hear about the ‘bendigo’. Lachlan chuckled approvingly and ruffled the short feathers atop the child’s head. “Now that’s the spirit, brave little laddie. Don’t you fret, Uncle Lachlan will be protectin’ you from anything makin’ mischief tonight.”
Sentaura was a tad more realistic. “If you have nightmares you have no one but yourself to blame, my son.”
Io lowered her voice slightly and began her tale, looking around the gathered Cauthan who waited expectantly. None moreso than Thantis, who procured a human tablet from his robes and set it to begin recording as Natori looked on with unabashed pride. ‘Our story begins in a forest very much like this one, blanketed by snows, a caravan low on supplies and many miles from home. For days and days they had travelled in peace but on that winter’s night they found themselves watched. Unbeknownst to the humans huddled around that live-giving fire, something else was in the forest that night, something ancient, something horrifying, something that hungered for their very flesh, the Wendigo.’
“Damn, she’s going all out,” Russell remarked quietly as Veera clung rather tightly to his right arm. He made sure not to tell her that the two of them were dressed rather similarly to common contemporary depictions of that very beast.
‘Tall as a young tree, with dead, glassy eyes in the skull of a chesko,’ Io described in rough oration, using the local fauna to aid her. ‘Rotting skin stretched tight over its bones, jagged lines and points on its starving body of matted and bloodied fur, its immortal hunger boundless and insatiable. It had tracked them, stalked them, hunted them for days… and it could bear its hunger no longer. The winds howled and the trees shook, the fire was smothered and died, and two eyes slowly slunk through the darkness.’
“My heart hasn’t beaten like this in years!” Gentia exclaimed in a whisper, not wanting to interrupt Io as she described the fate of the brave soul who went to forage for more wood.
‘...carved open his flesh and devoured his heart, taking his body for its own!’ Io cackled as the fire popped loudly behind them. Alice shrieked and dug her nails into Lachlan’s leg, so engrossed in the tale she’d momentarily forgotten that she was surrounded by friends and family. The Scotsman winced and swatted at her before allowing her to grip his forearm with white knuckles. Things did not look up from there as Io spun her gruesome tale. ‘...with rotting nails and jagged bones he tore into the chest of his very son, feasting upon his entrails and gulping down his blood. But his hunger refused to be sated, his thirst refused to be slaked. And so he cut down his friends and companions one by one, each time growing larger, more malformed, more hideous, until the horned beast bathed in blood and rattling ivory bone towered above the destroyed camp and the devoured corpses of the caravan. It yearned for more, desired fresh meat to fill its ever growing belly, and with the mind of the father possessed it knew just where to find it, the trading post to the east. That winter screams and howls echoed through the trees each night, and when larger caravans arrived in the spring, after the thawing of the snows, bones and torched ruins were left to greet them. Only one survived the winter to pass on this tale into history…’ Io paused, smiling deviously at the horrified onlookers. ‘The father of the caravan… for his hunger was eternal.’
“Nope, nope, nope, she’s terrifying!” Alice whispered, her vivid imagination running wild with images of snowbound northern forests stained with blood, the snapping of bone, and the slurping of marrow. “Damn Io, you don’t hold back!”
‘On this night, and only tonight, I take that as a compliment,’ Io replied in a satisfied tone, walking over to Ursol who would have been white as a sheet if not for his brown fur. She lowered herself to his eye level and patted him on the head. ‘Don’t worry little one, it’s just a legend from very far away. I’ve never seen a Wendigo, and I’ve seen many many things in my life.’
Ursol managed to mumble that he understood and, at his mother’s urging, thanked Io for entertaining them all with her tale. A chorus of appreciation followed and soon Cauthan were clambering to be the next to spin a yarn for the group as even Ratha and Antoth eventually joined the circle. Between stories from Earth and Mara, feasting with the spirits of the departed, music, and other revelry, Pilot Cromwell did not begin ferrying passengers back up to the Event Horizon until well into the wee hours of the morning. Antoth remained awake the whole while as well, seeing off Admiral Kaczynski and Io on the last shuttle. The AI had already bid her friends farewell, and so the two leaders were given a moment alone with only the star filled skies above as witness to their conversation. “My people need any reason to celebrate. Thank you, Admiral.”
“I assure you, Antoth, the pleasure was all mine. My crew needed to unwind just as much as your people. But you should know that I will need an answer soon. With the Forge dead it will only take us so long to pick it clean of anything that could be of use to our two species… and then we will depart, perhaps not to return in your lifetime,” Natori allowed seriously.
Antoth grimaced but nodded that he understood. “Then if you would excuse me, Admiral. I will need what little sleep is left to me this night if I am to face my mate with this news in the morning. Selah, and may nights like this remind us that we have much in common, despite our differences.”
Natori smiled genuinely, placing a hand over his heart. “A fine sentiment, Antoth. Go in peace. Selah.”