Elephants Meet

 

“Bebe, leave that beast alone!” Alpen’s annoyance was clear as he paused to insert his shoulder under Mellen’s armpit.

Drindl bent his head forward to check on the limp body. “We need to get him help.”

“The bastards,” Alpen said, looking down the valley into the evening shadows. He turned to look at Bebe again.

“Why is he curling his trunk like that?” Bebe asked as she caught up to the others.

“Why is he…” Drindl shifted under Mellen’s weight and turned to look at the elephant, then said in an urgent voice. “Alpen, we need to take cover. There’s another elephant nearby.”

With his free arm Alpen gave the signal for silence as they carried Mellen to the forest edge and let him slump on the ground. Alpen checked for a pulse and was satisfied. “He needs food, not potions,” Alpen growled in a soft voice as he scanned the slope of grass and rock they had just left.

“I’ll be right back,” Drindl said as he crept deeper into the forest.

Looking to her left, Bebe could see a dim cloud of moonlight through the trees. The elephant was not far away, rubbing the side of its head on several tree branches. Again, it raised its trunk, curling the tri-tip end, but this time it let out a soft grunt. She turned at the sound of a burble bird, then looked to Alpen who was also alert. The sound traveled again through the whispering air between the trees. Alpen let out an answering call.

Now came the sound of a strange language, then a familiar voice and the soft trumpet from another elephant. “Alithea!” Bebe started forward to the sound, then remembered Alpen and Mellen.

“Go,” Alpen waved her away, his voice showing a quiet jubilation. “Bring Alithea here. She needs to look at Mellen.”

Bebe dashed through the wedge of trees that had separated the two parties, then stumbled in the shadows and out into the clearing. “Bebe!” Alithea called out to her and rushed to her side.

“I’m OK,” she said, favoring her left knee. She stood up and embraced Alithea, squeezing Erthen between the two of them. She stepped back and looked down at Erthen gathered in Alithea’s arms. “Baby boy, you’re all right.”

“Not so baby anymore,” Alithea said as she hefted the toddler on her hip.

“Just a few days and he’s grown so big! Here, let me take him,” Bebe asked and held out her arms, but Erthen shrank away from her.

“He doesn’t remember you,” Alithea said in an astonished voice. “It’s only been, what, a few days?” She looked down at Erthen. “This is Bebe.”

Erthen looked up at Bebe in the darkening light, not recognizing her, but remembering the sound of her name. He raised his arms and Bebe gathered him into her arms. She whirled on the grassy slope. “I thought…,” she didn’t finish the sentence, but caught sight of Fallon. “And you!” She reached out one arm to him even though he was out of reach. She noticed the woman next to Fallon, trailing behind the pallet.

Fallon motioned with one arm next to him, “Bebe, this is Sisseku.”

Bebe stopped her swinging motion with Erthen. “Sisseku?” The woman next to Fallon nodded. “We have Mellen, we have Mellen, oh God, we have Mellen!”

Sisseku didn’t understand the language, only the name of her partner that she thought was dead. She looked to Fallon, who translated. Sisseku put down the small bundle she carried and rushed to Bebe’s side, repeating one word.

Bebe looked to Fallon, who said, “She wants to know where.”

Bebe handed Erthen back to Alithea and reached out to Sisseku. “I will take you. Close by. Oh, he’s in poor shape, Sisseku. I’m sorry.” Sisseku again looked to Fallon who translated and waved her away with a nod. Sisseku followed Bebe from the clearing into the dark shadows of the slim wedge of forest.

As Bebe led Sisseku through the forest, she saw only the dim figure of Alpen huddled over the tall grass at the edge of the forest. As they neared, Bebe called out, “Alpen, I have Sisseku.”

Sisseku rushed forward at the sound of Alpen’s name. “Alpen?” He turned to her and called her name, moving away from Mellen. “Mellen?” she asked, motioning toward the dark shadow. She knelt down next to Mellen, feeling his neck, his stomach, his upper legs. She bent down and listened to his ragged breath. “We need to…” she broke off realizing that neither Alpen nor Bebe would be able to understand. She swiveled to look at Bebe. They were all adjusting to the pale light. “Fallon,” she paused, reaching for the word in their language, but it was the same in all their languages, “Elephant.”

Bebe pointed to the elephant browsing the early autumn leaves. Sisseku shook her head, then held her arms wide and motioned to and fro to indicate the pallet. “We’ll put Mellen on the pallet,” Bebe said. She turned and ran back through the forest.

Sisseku sat silently over her partner, brushing Mellen’s cheek as she waited. The rest of the party came up the hill with the elephant pulling the skid of calf carcass. The elephant stopped its browsing and ran forward to greet the other elephant. Alithea offered to check Mellen, but Sisseku wanted no delay. Drindl and Fallon unloaded the calf from the pallet, then Drindl, Alpen and Fallon carried the slumped body of Mellen onto the pallet. Fallon and Alpen hoisted the calf carcass onto Drindl’s shoulders, while Bebe joined both elephants. Sisseku lay down next to Mellen on the pallet, speaking softly into his ear and as they followed the elephants down the hill to the village.