Eyes Wide Open

"First time?" Bebe asked Drindl.

"Last year, but not like this," Drindl said.

"Our eggs will hatch within a week and our scent will change," she said. "You won't be thinking clearly and you may…"

"Oh, no," Drindl interrupted. "I wouldn't…"

"Here me out," Bebe said. "Alithea and I were trained to work around warriors. We learned to cripple a warrior in musth who tries to mount us without permission."

"You don't have to worry about me," Drindl assured her.

"I won't hesitate," Bebe said. "Neither will Alithea. It will happen quickly, as though by instinct. You won't be able to continue the journey. A wolfbear meal." She said it calmly as though describing the path of the sun across the sky. "Didn't Alpen tell you?" she asked. "He's your teacher."

He shook his head. An alert warrior crippled by a woman? It didn't seem possible. "Thanks for the neck wrap," he said, then hurried his pace to catch up with Alpen and Fallon.

Again they moved away from the river to spend the night. They gathered dry winter's wood for the fire and finished the last of their food cache at the evening meal.

"Tomorrow morning we must hunt," Alpen said.

"Where are the Ibik?" Fallon asked. He didn't expect an answer. The other grazing animals that accompanied the Ibik herds were missing as well. The springy kuru and tail twitching gamelon were smallish animals with stringy meat but they would have been a welcome meal on this journey.

The three warriors sat side by side. Drindl leaned toward Alpen. "Can Bebe and Alithea cripple a warrior? Bebe said you were supposed to teach me." Alpen glanced sideways at him. Fallon laughed. Bebe and Alithea looked at the three warriors from the other side of the fire.

Fallon nudged Alpen in the side. "Didn't you tell him? He's your bantam. That was the first or second thing my teacher taught me."

Alpen signaled for Fallon to lower his voice. "I was focused on the battle, the energy. The tent was closed." He turned to Drindl. "Yes, they are doctors. They learned to heal and hurt. One swift kick. If they are kind to you, the kick tears the muscle from your bone. If they are not kind, a broken bone or worse."

"Well, at least I will be prepared to defend myself," Drindl said.

"No, you won't," Alpen said as he stirred the embers of the fire. A pop. Fallon looked across the fire at Erthen, at the glow of the dancing flames in the child's dark eyes. Erthen was mesmerized by the fire as he huddled in Alithea's arms.

"Their scent will change pretty soon," Alpen continued.

"Bebe said in a week or so," Drindl said. "I think she wanted to prepare me."

Alpen nodded. "She told you then. Depending on the wind direction, you may get their scent as we are walking. If you are pulling the travois, stop and tell me or tell them. We will reposition everyone."

"I'm not a rutting Ibik, Alpen." Drindl argued. "I can control myself. You can trust me."

"You will probably peak a few days before the eggs hatch. Let's all be careful," Alpen said. Fallon touched him to signal no more talk. He hoped Alpen did not have to hurt Drindl.

"We'll all be careful and look out for each other," Fallon repeated.

Down By The River

They stopped in mid-afternoon below a large tree near the river. After two encounters with bird talons, Fallon inspected the tree closely, then pronounced it safe. Alithea held Erthen while he splashed in the cool water. He wanted to stand in a shallow eddy, but his hooves were still soft and easily cut by the rocks in stream.

Drindl scrubbed while Alithea supervised. She reminded him she was a doctor, but he was careful to keep his lower half submerged. Bebe gave the egg pouch to Alpen, then searched along the river bank until she found an olanthe bush. She filled a pouch with its berries and returned to the group. "A poultice wrapped around his neck will mask the scent," she told Alithea, who agreed.

Bebe mashed the berries, then found a clean rag on the travois. Drindl sidled away from her as she sat on the river bank and strained the berry mash. "Stay there, Drindl. This will be messy. The water will wash away the residue." He stood in the water, a sheepish look on his face. "You don't need to crouch," she approached him. She looked below the water and stopped, struggling to keep a smile hidden. "Ok, crouch, then face away from me."

She lathered the paste on the sides of his neck where the scent glands oozed. Some of the paste fell onto his shoulders, then fell into the water that swirled around him. She wrapped his neck in the clean cloth and had him crouch further until the water came up to his shoulders. She brushed away the residue. She asked Alpen for a cloth and let Drindl exit the water and behind the tree.

"I wasn't this bad," Alpen said. "I think there's something wrong with him."

"You were worse," Bebe said as she pushed him playfully. "You all get used to it. Muscle smell, you told me." She looked back at the tree. Drindl was still hidden on the other side. "I smell olanthe berry, but no musth and he's probably relieving himself right now. I think this will work."

Alpen gave her an impatient look. "We need to go."

"Give me a few minutes to clean up," Bebe said. "There's enough berry paste for another treatment. Let's see if this one lasts until tomorrow morning." She turned to the river. "He's your bantam. We have a responsibility to him."

"Warrior skills, not nursemaid," Alpen called after her, then turned to brush away the damn Zeti flies.

From the river, Bebe called to Drindl, "Remember to bathe again." She waited for an acknowledgment, then "Drindl!" she called again. When she heard his muffled reply, she came up the river bank and helped Alpen secure their things to the travois. Drindl walked back into the river, then emerged again and wrapped himself. Alpen and Fallon took the harnesses while Bebe tightened the neck wrap around Drindl. In a few hours, when the air was cooler, Drindl could pull a harness without sweating too much.

Over Their Shoulder

Bebe woke Fallon. "Can you tell us what this Faerie is squeaking about?"

The sun had warmed the air while he slept. He threw off the covers of his bedroll and stood up. He looked to the Faerie on a nearby rock and laughed. Someone had tied a skirt of woven twigs around the Faerie's waist. The wings did not have full motion so the Faerie hopped up and down in a fit of anger and frustration. "It looks ridiculous! Alpen, was this your idea?"

Alpen pointed to Drindl, who said, "I thought he would like being out of the cage."

Fallon brought his teeth together to make a high keening sound. The Faerie paused, then said that he wouldn't fly away if they took this skirt off him. Fallon put him back in the cage, then gave him the tiniest morsel of energy to help the Faerie sleep.

Bebe wanted a break from babysitting the eggs and stepped into the harness of their travois. Drindl took lead and they continued south on the Ibik migration path. Their route took them toward what they guessed was a river running down from the highlands ahead of them. When they broke in the mid-afternoon, Alithea checked and redressed Fallon's wound, then tied a fresh bandage. "You can pull for a few hours but keep a moderate pace," she told him.

Erthen wanted to sit on Fallon's shoulders but Alithea thought that was too much strain. Alpen took the boy for a while until he got tired of the bouncing. Drindl took Alpen's place. A short time later, the wind changed direction and Fallon noticed the smell of Drindl's musth again. He looked back at Alpen who came alongside and said, "His smell is in the wind. Our village is downwind. If faeries get a whiff…"

"The faeries won't search all the way down here," Fallon argued.

"They don't need to. They only need the direction of the scent. They will tell Altiss who will tell Sarten."

"You think he'll come after us?" Fallon asked.

"Sarten won't come after us. We're only two warriors," Alpen said. "Bebe and Alithea are two of his best doctors. He needs them. That's why we need to keep moving."

"We could explain," Fallon argued. "You and I both bear the marks of our loyalty to Sarten. That has to mean something."

"I'm a bit older than you. Sarten has become ruthless and will get more so," Alpen said. "We'll find my brother's people and make a new home, a safer home."

"Wash Drindl in the river?" Fallon asked.

"That will help for a while," Alpen agreed. "Not in the evening. The scent will attract the wolfbear."

Journey's Dawn

Fallon climbed into bed with Erthen and Alithea, who murmured a question if everything was OK. "Drindl says thank you." She smiled and they both drifted into sleep. It wasn't long before Drindl shook him awake.

The fire was barely above embers and Fallon stoked it a bit. Drindl said it was too hot and moved his bedroll away. How long would the musth last? Fallon guessed a week. The fire popped a few times and he heard the far off cry of a large animal. Was that the wolfbear? His father had said they were as large as two Jade warriors, but Fallon had never seen one. Did they exist or was that something that parents told their children? He stood up and leaned near the Faerie cage but heard nothing under the cloth covering.

He turned toward an unfamiliar sound from the trees nearby. Did wolfbears climb trees? He held his breath and listened but heard only Alpen sleeping. The wind? He quietly slid his sword from the travois and sat near the fire, watching the nearby tree. He planned his defensive strategy without knowing how the animal moved.

The first light of morning turned the sky from black to dark blue gray, and still he watched the tree. Bebe raised her head, then waved with her hand and ducked below the covers again as she felt the cold air. Fallon fed the fire and watched the sky brighten. The tree branches shook and a dark figure emerged and rose against the morning breeze, soaring into the sky on large wings. It was larger than anything he had seen before.

He filled a container with water and nestled it in the embers of the fire to warm. The edge of the sun crossed above the hills and he woke Alithea. Erthen remained sleeping and Fallon kept his voice soft. "I saw a large bird from the tree over there," Fallon pointed. "Maybe it left a few young eggs."

Alpen and Bebe were already awake and Fallon told them about the bird. They agreed to watch Erthen. Fallon and Alithea moved through the winter's grass toward the tree. They stood at the base and Fallon planned his ascent. Alithea gave him a hug. "A leader thinks of the whole group."

"Alpen is the leader. He is the oldest." Fallon liked clear cut tribal rules.

"You are a good partner," she said, then added, "and you smell like musth."

"Drindl," he said.

"You helped him? I can smell it on your nightshirt. I can smell me on your hands," she said. She looked away toward the camp. All they could see was the smoke drifting above the tall grass.  She lifted his nightshirt and undid his loin swaddle. "I left the bala leaves at camp. I can't use my hands." She smiled, lowered her head and ducked under his nightshirt. He gasped as he felt her warm mouth. She steadied his legs as he leaned back against the tree trunk. The wave of pleasure tightened his stomach and buckled his knees. She lifted her head as his muscles fluttered beneath his skin. When he released, she helped him remain standing. "Hello, there, young warrior," she said in a low tone of voice that reminded him of the day he first met her. "In a week or so, I'll be healed from the birth of the egg. It will be your turn." She reached into the egg pouch and rotated the egg. She didn't mention the fresh scars she had seen.

He had to wait a few minutes before he could climb. "I don't know how much strength I have left in these young warrior legs," he joked as he placed a hoof on a knob of tree bark. He paused, realizing that his muscles were still trembling. Then he pulled himself up to the first branch, where he could see a large nest balanced in the fork of two branches. When he got to that branch, he stood up and saw two large eggs in the nest. He looked around for one of the parent birds but saw no sign. A bird will leave the nest but only if the eggs are newly hatched. 

He heard the shriek from far off first, then Alithea screamed his name.

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All good warriors have an exit plan and Fallon had already chosen his. He launched off into the air, grabbed a supple branch that bent with his weight and he jumped to the ground near Alithea. He grabbed her hand and they ran toward camp. She could not run at full speed, because she held the egg pouch in her hands to reduce the bouncing motion. The black feathers of the bird fanned in the air as it swooped to attack them. Fallon raised his nightshirt and waved it to distract the bird's attention from Alithea. The bird's talons ripped through the cloth and he felt the searing pain as the sharp claw caught his forearm. The bird pinwheeled, regained its balance in the air and flew up into the tree. Fallon glanced sideways at Alithea. He was relieved that she looked unhurt.

"Your arm!" she said and reached toward him. He looked up at the nightshirt that waved above him. Blood streaked across the light gray cloth. "Here!" she urged and he held out his injured forearm toward her. She finished the tear in the cloth that the bird's talons had started, then tied the strip around his arm to staunch the blood. They hurried back to camp.

Alpen came away from the fire, his arm raised and a flechette in his hand to attack the bird if it followed Fallon and Alithea to the camp. The sharp edge of the disc shaped stone could flay smaller animals. Drindl had awakened and tended the cauldron of hot water in the campfire. He gathered Erthen in his arms and hurried the boy away from camp. No one noticed or mentioned Fallon's nakedness. Only a small section of the nightshirt was around his neck and right shoulder.

Bebe had disappeared inside her sleeping roll. When she emerged, she held out a bala leaf smeared with her own paste and handed it to Alithea. "Undo the tourniquet," Alithea said. Fallon released the pressure and blood flowed from the wound. "Tighten," she told him. "I want to flush the foulness from the wound."

Bebe laid out some more bala leaves. "Alpen, soak the leaves, then hand them to me," Alithea said in a practiced voice. She and Bebe had learned the doctoring art from Altiss' mother. She used the leaves to clean the wound, then smeared Bebe's antiseptic paste on the torn flesh, placed more leaves on the area then tied it with another cloth. "Oh, the egg!" she cried. How long had it been since she turned it? Bebe reassured her that it was all right. "Erthen. Where is Erthen?"

"Here," Drindl called out. He had distracted the boy with the hunt for a Faerie that wasn't there. Alithea waved to Drindl that they could rejoin the group. Alpen draped a blanket around Fallon who sat near the fire.

Fallon had several scars below the short hair that covered his skin but Alithea pointed to the fresh ones, the ones he had received when he fell from the cliff and into the tree. "These aren't battle wounds," she said.

He hadn't told her that part of the story. She would have worried and prodded him as though he were a bag of lumpy fruit. "I could use some sleep," Fallon said. Alithea consulted with Alpen and they decided to let him rest for a short time before starting their day's journey.

Journey's Night

They didn't take the time to set up tents for the night and Drindl offered to take first watch so that they could keep the fire going. Erthen had slept during the day and wasn't sleepy. Fallon kept the egg pouch and Alithea snuggled with the young child until he quieted.

Later in the night, Alithea shook Fallon awake. "My watch?" he whispered.

"No, Drindl is relieving himself," she whispered back. "I can hear him." Fallon closed his eyes again to sleep. "He'll get infected." Her voice was insistent as she shook him awake again.

"What are you talking about?" Fallon asked as he shifted the pouch at his waist and turned to face the sky. There was a small moon that night but the stars shone. "It's natural, especially for a warrior in musth."

"The Zeti fly will be attracted to his seed," she said. They were little specks of dust and they hung in small clouds near rivers and lakes in the valleys.

"He's swaddled. The flies can't get to him," Fallon whispered as he drifted back asleep.

"They are in the fur on his hands," Alithea reminded him. She was not going to let this go. Fallon felt his own hands but they just felt dirty. "We didn't wash tonight like we normally do." Erthen stirred, then nuzzled against Alithea. As he went silent, Fallon became aware of the sound of Drindl. He was away from the fire so that he would not disturb the others. Fallon remembered the hungry urges when he was Drindl's age.

"I'll wake Alpen. Drindl is his bantam," Fallon said. He gently folded the bed covering away so that Erthen would not be disturbed.

She checked his motion. She reached somewhere into the darkness, then produced a large bala leaf. "I found these by the river. I will coat it with my juice. That will kill the Zeti flies. Tell Drindl not to use too much pressure."

"How do you know this?" Fallon asked.

"I know," Alithea said.

Of course. Why did he ask? He undid the egg pouch and gave it to Alithea, then took the curled leaf from her. She whispered again to be gentle. He rose and walked with the ghost warrior gait to the large rock where Drindl was.
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In the pale starlight, Drindl did not notice Fallon until he was a few feet away. He jumped up in surprise, his night shirt gathered about his chest. "Is it your watch already?" he stammered.

The night air was cold and Drindl didn't notice. Musth, for sure. Fallon kept his voice low. "Alithea says the Zeti fly is on your hands. They will be attracted to your seed and lay their eggs on you. You'll get sick." Drindl looked down at himself. "She said to give you this." He held out the leaf to Drindl. "Put it around you and gently rub. Gently, she said. It will kill the Zeti flies." The smell of Drindl's musth was strong enough for even Fallon to smell it, and evoked strong memories.

Drindl did not take the leaf and Fallon brought his arm down. He hesitated. A warrior in musth can hear only his own blood pounding. If Drindl got Zeti sickness, they would have to leave him behind. "Here, I'll show you." He unfurled the leaf, being careful not to spill Alithea's paste. He wrapped it around Drindl's swollenness and gently moved to and fro. "Like this. Gently, Alithea said." Drindl gasped at the touch, then curled his two hands around Fallon's hand. "Too much?" Fallon asked.

"No," Drindl moaned. Together they moved.

Fallon could feel the young warrior's body tense. He withdrew his hand so that Drindl could hold the leaf himself. "Gently, slowly," Fallon reminded him as the warrior's hand moved more quickly. He started to back away but Drindl held his forearm and let out a small cry into the darkness.

Fallon stood still as Drindl's hand quieted and his breath slowed. "What should I do with the leaf?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"Alithea didn't say. Leave it on the ground," Fallon said. "You all right?" He could barely see Drindl's head nod. "Don't tell Alpen. He's your mentor, not me. We can't have you getting sick. Until we get to the southern highlands, you'll need to scrub your hands before pleasuring yourself." Fallon turned to go, then added, "I'll go lie down again then take next watch. Wake me when the fire is low."

"Thanks for looking out for me," Drindl said. He looked down at the leaf in his hand. "Tell Alithea thanks also." He let the leaf fall, and picked up the loin cloth from the ground. 

The Egg Game

Alpen set the water containers down next to the travois. "What's going on?"

"We were talking about last evening," Fallon said. "Did you know that Altiss' had closed the visiting tent?"

"Yeah. I asked Altiss if someone would share egg caretaking last night. She said the tent was closed to all visitors. You were helping Drindl at the time. I waited and watched. There were no women in the tent."

Both Fallon and Bebe showed their surprise. "They are not in the village," Bebe said. "We are the surgeons. Who will repair the warriors wounds? Where are they?"

"They weren't there," Alpen said. "I thought that was strange but I had other concerns. When Drindl awoke me in the middle of the night and he showed me the energy the warriors had taken, I knew this was bad."

"I could never have come out of a dead sleep with two eggs and figure all that out," Fallon said appreciably.

Bebe patted the eggs in her pouch. "He's got brains enough for two eggs."

"We need to go," Alpen urged and looked at the sky. "By now, Sarten will have realized we are gone. Altiss will send faeries out to look for us."

Fallon covered the Faerie cage then secured it to the travois. Drindl took the lead with Fallon's travois. 

As the sun neared the western hills, Alpen suggested that they camp away from the river. "The wolfbear comes to the river to drink. If there are no Ibik herds, we might be its next meal."

They built a fire and roasted the Ibik meat they had brought from their underground cache at the village. "We'll take turns hunting tomorrow," Fallon suggested. As a campfire activity, he asked Alpen, "The egg game? Has Drindl played?" Alpen and Drindl shook their heads. Drindl had never heard of it.

Bebe went first. "Alithea and I are doctors. You are warriors. The egg game is about choices under pressure." Drindl nodded. "You are taking care of your own egg. Your child. An Ibik herd is coming and will trample three eggs of your fellow warriors that are ten paces away. If you run out and wave away the Ibik herd, you will save the three eggs from being trampled, but the herd will trample your egg. What do you do?"

"Why can't I carry my egg with one hand and wave at the herd with the other?" Drindl asked. "That way I would protect all the eggs." The others laughed. Alpen stamped his foot in the dirt. Drindl looked around the fire in dismay. "What did I say?"

Bebe smiled. "We all do that the first time we play. We want an alternative where we don't have to make an awful choice. Let's say that you can't do that. There's isn't enough time. It's either the life of your egg or the life of three other eggs. What do you do?" The others waited. The fire popped and Erthen woke up from his slumber in Fallon's arms.

"I know we owe allegiance to our fellow warriors and to the tribe," Drindl said and paused. "I would save my own egg. Is that the right answer?"

Again they laughed. Alpen joined in, "This game has no right answers, Drindl. To sharpen a blade, a warrior follows instructions. To fight in battle or repair those wounded in battle like Bebe and Alithea do, you must be aware of your instincts."

"But what if my instinct is to run away in fear?" Drindl asked.

"I said be aware of your instinct," Alpen said. He looked to Fallon for confirmation that he was making himself clear as they had been taught. Fallon nodded and Alpen continued, "I didn't say that you had to follow it. You must become aware in order to manage your instincts."

Alithea spoke. "When they bring in several wounded warriors, my instinct might be to help the most skilled warrior or the one that I know. But I manage that and attend to the warrior that needs my skills most urgently."

"So I shouldn't save my own egg?" Drindl asked and looked confused.

Alpen shushed their laughter. "Tonight, you saved your egg. What choice will you make when you play next time? We'll see." He turned to Fallon. "You want to go next?"

Fallon said, "OK. Let's all take a turn at this one. There are no eggs, only me and three, no five warriors. I can attract the Ibik herds to me and they will trample me to death, but I will save five warriors from being trampled to death. What say you?"

The Journey Begins

While Alpen was pulling the second travois, he could not nurse an egg and Bebe had to tend to both eggs, a difficult task. They faced the sun as they journeyed south, so she kept the eggs in the pouch behind her. She had to stop frequently to rotate the eggs and this slowed the progress of the whole group. Drindl helped out by pulling the travois more and Bebe and Alpen shared egg caretaking.

They stopped at midday. Alpen and Drindl went to the river to fill up their water containers while Bebe settled in the shade. "Glad we only have our one egg," Alithea said to Fallon as she drew him aside near the travois. "Drindl's in musth."

Fallon gave her a doubting look as he untied Erthen. "He's not acting aggressive. Has he done anything with you or Bebe?"

"No, I don't think he would be interested in us like that. We are both tending eggs. But I can smell it on him as he sweats."

Fallon shrugged. "I just smell sweat from working hard when I'm near him."

"We pay attention to that kind of thing," Alithea said. "Maybe you or Alpen could talk to him."

"That's Alpen's place. He's Drindl's warrior mentor," Fallon said and added, "A warrior in full musth is fearful in battle, but doesn't think very well. Drindl will work off some of that energy pulling the travois. I'll tell Alpen tonight."
///////////////////

Bebe brought some berries to Fallon. "For the Faerie," she said. "His cage needs to be protected from the sun."

"Is it a he?" Fallon asked. "I can't tell one Faerie from another."

Bebe put a few berries in the cage and the Faerie ate. "The males have more pointed ears," she said. "You can move his cage to our travois. There is more room." The Faerie squeaked. "More energy, you little piglet Faerie?" Bebe asked with a laugh.

"He says the berries aren't quite ripe yet," Fallon answered. "The kettle berries are good at this time of year."

Bebe held her egg pouch as she bowed to the Faerie. "Your majesty." She turned to Fallon. "There are some kettle bushes toward the river. I will pick those and you tie up the cage. Alpen is almost done."

As she turned to leave, Fallon asked, "Do you think Drindl is in musth? Alithea says she smells it." He wanted Bebe to tell Alpen.

Bebe nodded. "It's early yet. He's at that age. Didn't he visit the medical tent?"

"No, Altiss closed…" Fallon paused. It was so obvious now. "Altiss' tent was closed the night before the battle to keep the younger warriors primed. But it was closed the following night after negotiations began. Sarten had already planned the slaughter. Warriors in musth and an extra dose of energy."