The Alpha and the Healer moved cautiously towards the old man. There was only one explanation for this. This man had to be the hyena. But if that was the case, why did he toy with them? He acted like he was daring them to act, to see what they would do? If it was true, had the old man wanted them to attack? All these questions raced through his head, those thoughts mixed with the strategy they could use to overpower the old man and get away safely. He looked to Aiman who seemed perfectly at ease and didn’t give away even the slightest hint of danger. It was possible there was no danger. But as Alpha, he had to accept and prepare for all eventualities.
“Come, come, young man, I don’t bite, well, at least not in this form I don’t bite…usually.” He said this as he half turned in his seat to watch the two approach them.
Acharya and Asclepius walked to either side of the old man and sat down next to Aiman. Acharya didn’t take his eyes off him, “Aiman, is everything alright?”
“Yes, perfectly.” He looked directly at Acharya, “Our host however, is incensed at what you called him before you made your diving escape down the hillside.”
Acharya looked at the old man and nodded his head, “I’m sorry if I insulted you in any way. I was simply trying to distract an animal from attacking my friend.”
The old man raised an eyebrow, “You called me a ‘slobbering, mangy mutt’.” He leaned forward with a sneer upon his lips. “I’ll have you know that hyenas are not mangy or slobbering. Our jaws, in hyena form, could crush your bones in under two seconds.” There was a darkness to the man’s eyes as he spoke. “Aiman and I were just talking about why you are here.” He pointed to the man sitting across from him. “Did my map help you find the place?”
Aiman replied, “The map was adequate for the region, but did little to help us find anything, as you can see.”
“Wait, Aiman, why does this guy act like you two have met before? Have you ever seen this guy?” Acharya asked.
The old man silently nodded to Aiman, who answered, “This is the librarian I met in N’Djamena national library. He was the man who helped me translate the texts and gave me the map I used to guide us here.”
Acharya arched an eyebrow, “You spoke English the whole time?” Acharya asked incredulously.
The old man scoffed, “Of course. What? You think we poor black people from this backwards continent of Africa only speak in clicks and throat noises, like that ridiculous film, “The Gods Must be Crazy?” He made a derisive hand wave. “We, in Africa speak many languages and English is among one of those we speak. Though it may not be prevalent here in Chad, we do know about the outside world and even, dare I say…technology.” He said this last with an exaggerated gasp and wry smile.
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Acharya looked back and forth between the librarian and his Enforcer. He looked at Asclepius and then back to the old man. “What have you told him, Aiman?” he asked.
Before Aiman could respond the old man answered, “He hasn’t told me anything that I couldn’t piece together for myself. You’re looking for my people.” He shot a glance back at Aiman before turning his full attention towards Acharya. “And since you are looking for my people, I have a few questions for you. If you lie to me, and I’ll know if you are, I leave. If you are looking to become one of us, you’re wasting your time, and I leave. If you come in conquest, or to start a war, I leave.” He paused, letting what he said sink in to the minds of his audience.
“If I leave,” he continued, “you will never find what you seek. The village is just ruins and even if you did find it, there would be nothing for you there. Do I make myself clear, young man?”
Acharya looked to Aiman and Asclepius then back to the old man and looking directly into his eyes he nodded solemnly.
The old man smiled and rocked back a bit as he sat on the hard ground, “Excellent, Now I will begin my questions. Remember,” he held up a finger for emphasis, “I will know if you are lying and if that proves to be true, I walk and you will be forever without what you seek. Now, why are you looking for the lost village of Kabultiloa?”
Acharya took a deep breath before answering. He had no idea if the old man was bluffing or not, but they had come so far. It was up to him to not blow this possibly one chance to succeed in their impossible task.
“We are looking for Werehyenas,” Acharya answered.
The old man smiled ironically, “If that’s the case I’d say you were pretty successful in finding some.” He smiled widely. “Why would you be looking for some old ruins, though? Is this because of that story I helped Aiman translate back in the library?” He raised a questioning eyebrow at Aiman.
“We had very little information to go on. Since we knew of this fabled village of Kabultiloa, it seemed the most rational place to begin our search,” replied Aiman.
The old man nodded to himself, muttering under his breath, “Well, what do you expect? You send half blind children to go find someone who doesn’t want to be found. Where exactly should they start looking? I mean it’s not like we advertise where we live or that we even exist.” He continued to mutter to himself almost too quietly to hear.
This went on for several minutes. Even though the three of them couldn’t hear what he was saying clearly, the gist of it seemed to be the old man arguing with himself. Eventually he stopped muttering and looked up at the trio.
The librarian refocused on the men in front of himself. “Why would you want to find, or even look for the Bultungin? We haven’t attacked anyone. We have minded our own business for centuries.”
Acharya blurted out, “Why did your kind disappear? Why did you leave?”