Drindl's Lesson

"What's with the staff?" Bebe asked.

"I forgot," Fallon said and retrieved the long staff that he had brought back from the cliff. He couldn't close his hands around it. "This is dry and stiff. A good poking spear for…whatever." He didn't want to use the word wolfbear in the darkening twilight. "It needs cut in half. Maybe too thick for you or Bebe?" He looked to Alithea. "A chance to show Drindl what happens to a warrior who gets too aggressive?"

Alithea looked at Bebe, then stood up and felt the end of the staff for dryness. It was almost too thick. She looked around in the shadows. "Take the egg," she said to Fallon. "Where – about here?" She pointed to a spot on the staff. She laid each end of the staff on the stones tied to Drindl's feet. Drindl drew back as she moved one stone closer to the other. She paused and sighted the spot on the staff. With a bend of her knees, she launched into the air, whirled in midair and struck the staff with all of her directed weight on her hooves. The staff snapped and she picked up the two pieces.

"She's even better in the daylight when she can see what she's aiming for," Fallon said and laughed.

"Can I see that?" Drindl asked and put his hand around the staff. He shook his head. "That's thicker than the leg of a bull Ibik. A warrior could learn this?"

"It's harder for you," Alithea said. "Women have different types of muscle than warriors."

"A lot of practice too," Bebe said. "Something we haven't done since we started this journey."

Journey's Pause

"Why can't Drindl help us?" Alpen asked.

Alithea looked up from Drindl's wound. "He's torn some of the scar tissue. That's why." She continued to clean and disinfect the damaged skin. Alpen held Erthen and looked toward the western sky, judging the amount of light left in the day. He stamped his hoof in frustration and Erthen kicked out in sympathy.

"You're carrying our egg," Bebe reprimanded him. "Don't stomp."

"We have too many eggs or not enough people," Alpen grunted. "A warrior in musth, three eggs, the little one here." He jostled Erthen up and down. "You are a contented little warrior, Erthen. I hope our babies are as contented."

"When Alithea is done, she and I will take the eggs and Erthen," Bebe said quietly. "You and Fallon can tie up Drindl until you get your jail built. I'm waiting to see this." There was a hint of mockery in her voice.

"We're losing the light," Alpen argued. "We'll get it done." He looked to Fallon. "A prisoner cage like the one we built two summers ago."

"We had stones also," Fallon reminded him. He turned from side to side. "No stones." He trusted Alpen but he was just as curious to see how they were going to build a prisoner jail out of nothing but trees.

When Alithea finished, Alpen tied Drindl's hands and feet. He and Fallon slung their tools on their backs, crossed the narrow river, up the far bank and disappeared over a ridge. "I'd feel better if I could see Drindl," Alpen said.

"Alithea and Bebe can take care of themselves," Fallon said. The sun crossed below the top of the nearby trees. "We don't have much time." In a short while, they found a dry river bed and some dried out wood on the flat plain. Fallon looked to his right where the ground rose up and the old river bed curved out of sight. "This river would have cut deeper through the land further upstream. There might be some caves or alcoves we could use."

When they rounded the curve, the ground rose up into small cliffs. There wasn't a cave but there was a depression in the cliff a bit higher than their heads. There were also cobblestones and larger boulders that had fallen long ago into the old riverbank. They made a crude stone stairway to the depression and tested the dirt. "We could dig this out," Alpen said. They descended the stone stairway to get their tools. They were on the eastern side of the ridge and the shadows were darkening.

Before ascending the stairway again, Fallon stopped and scanned the ground. He put his digging tool down, walked over and picked up a small boulder and hefted it. "Imagine if we tied a stone to each of Drindl's feet," Fallon said. "He would have some range of movement but he would be slow. He would work off musth energy pulling the stones around." He pointed to the sky. "We don't have much light left."

Hefting the two boulders, they started back to camp. "I didn't think we had gone that far from camp," Alpen said when they took a brief pause. "Seems like we're the ones working off all our energy." He looked back at the fading sunlight. Several rests later they finally made it back to the river. Fallon almost lost his footing as he crossed the shallow river with the weight.

"We found some berries," Alithea said. "We have a little left food left over but we won't have much for dinner."

There was a bit more light but the sun had dipped below the hills to the west. Bebe made a cradle weave with strong cord and tied the stones to Fallon. "I can just untie them when I want, if I want," he said.

Alpen handed her a faggot from the fire and she briefly touched the hot stick to the knots. "You can try," she said. She gestured to Alpen who gave her back one of the eggs. "If you do get it untied, that's a Cawthingi fishing knot. That will be something to brag about."

Alpen laughed. "You and your knots." She gave him a playful poke.

Drindl's Choice

As they set out on their journey that morning, the mood had soured. When Bebe felt one of her eggs quicken, Alpen knew it was time. "A day or two," he told Fallon. "We can't keep the new ones warm enough." None of them knew what to do with Drindl while he was in musth the next few days.

"The work of pulling the travois is helping work off the energy but he has no judgment," Alithea told Fallon.

"I can't have him around the babes when they are born," Bebe insisted. "I don't trust him, or any warrior, in musth." With only a day or two left, she and Alpen were sharing egg nursing duty, and she wanted to pause their journey.

"With the faerie gone, I want to put at least another day's journey between us and Sarten," Alpen protested. "Please, one more day. We'll find something more stable tonight."

During that day's journey, Alpen made sure that Drindl stayed in harness until he was completely worn out by the time they broke for the evening meal near the river. "We'll have to take our chances with the wolfbear," Alpen said. He turned to Drindl who reeked of musth and was damp with sweat. "We'll have to stop to take care of the babies."

Drindl's face lit up. "I love babies! They're so cute. We could put them in the faerie cage. If the Faerie comes back, Fallon can tell him that the room is already taken!" He laughed and looked to the others to share in the joke. No one laughed. They looked to Alpen.

"Drindl, you're not thinking right," Alpen said. "You're a good warrior but I can't have you near the little ones. You leave us for the next few days or we can build a jail for you." Fallon stared in surprise when he heard this. Alpen continued. "We'll give you some privacy but you'll be locked up until I feel that you are safe to be around. Which do you prefer?"

Drindl stepped back from the others. "I saved you all and now you are casting me out!" he accused. "I can find my own spot. I don't need any of you, you know! I've been on my own since…whenever!" he paused.

"Drindl, your arm," Alithea said as she reached forward. He backed away from her.  "You're bleeding." He raised his bandaged arm and looked. "Drindl," she kept her tone even and caring. She glanced at the others quickly. "You need to have your bandages changed. When the scar is fully closed, you can go off on your own." He hesitated. "Drindl, you don't want to lose your arm. I have cut off limbs before. It's horrible. Please, Drindl." She reached again toward him and his posture changed. His shoulders fell and an angry wind inside him blew away.

"I am not an animal," he said. His voice was no longer belligerent. He sounded almost like Drindl before he went into musth. "I am a warrior. A hunter. A good one." He held out his bandaged arm to Alithea but spoke to the group. "Cage me if you must."

A Faerie Flies

In the morning when Fallon checked on the Faerie, he looked dispirited. Fallon had forgotten to protect him from the midday sun, the time when a Faerie rests. They first found some fresh Anschloss leaves and Bebe prepared a porridge of berry and leaf which she set in the Faerie's cage. He ate a bit, then lay back down in the cage. Bebe asked Fallon, "I don't hear him making a sound. Is he all right?"

Fallon made a high keening sound to get the Faerie's attention but it didn't respond. Fallon looked closely into the cage. "Even his wings don't look as shimmery. I don't know enough about faeries. Anyone?" Fallon looked at the group, then at Alithea."

"I'm not a faerie doctor," she said. "That is Altiss. She knew the faeries. So did her mother."

Drindl reached forward, unlatched the door to the cage and reached in to grab the faerie with his unbandaged hand. It was so unexpected that Fallon did not react in time to stop him. Drindl threw the faerie into the air. "He needs to be free!" Fallon expected the faerie to fall to the ground but it recovered in mid-air and flew away. "See, he was fine all along." Drindl smiled.

Fallon turned on Drindl. "You stupid bantam boy! The Faerie will tell Altiss and Sarten where we are!" He turned to Alpen. "If he were my bantam, I would…" He left the rest unsaid.

Bebe looked anxiously to Alpen, who held his sword still in its scabbard. He brought the flat side of the blade down on Drindl's bandaged hand and he screamed with the pain. "Musth or no musth," he barked. "Young or old. You endanger my eggs, my partner. You're lucky I don't cut your hand off."

Drindl bent forward, holding his injured hand, and turned away from the group. Blood trickled from the bandage that covered the now reopened wound. "All my good work," Alithea said to Alpen. "It's just a few more days."

"If he doesn't get us killed," Alpen said as he set the sword in its place on the travois.

Fade To Black

Later that night they roasted a piece of Sprint leg. It was too chewy but it did taste like the meat from a tik-tik bird. "A story we will tell other warriors," Alpen said as he clapped Drindl on the back. "A warrior, by himself, took down a Sprint."

"A bantam warrior and a bantam Sprint," Fallon laughed. "Made for each other. A rendevous with destiny!"

"How did you learn to throw a flechette like that?" Alpen asked. "What a clever idea with the sword. Did you see someone else do that?"

"I guess. I don't know. It just came to me," Drindl said. "My dad made me practice with the flechette. I think it was mostly to keep me occupied when I was younger. I got real good. What about the sword?"

"The sword that you put into the pincer of the Sprint," Alpen said. "Brilliant idea. Then that damn creature stabbed himself with it. A master stroke!" He patted Drindl's shoulder as a compliment.

"The sword," Drindl said. "Yeah, the sword. Where is my sword? It was on your travois." His voice drifted away at the end. "The heat of battle, I suppose."

"It's still there," Alpen said. "You used Fallon's sword."

Alithea spoke up from the other side of the cooking fire. "Drindl, how did you cut your hand?"

Drindl looked down at his hand. "In the river, I think. The river." Again, his voice faded away. Alpen turned to him in disbelief.

Alithea shook her head at Alpen. "The memory is already fading." She stood up. "Drindl, let's check your bandage and maybe see if you can get some rest."

"Yeah, that would be good," Drindl said and stood up.

When Alithea returned, Fallon and Alpen were already in a spirited discussion. "I have seen lots of warriors in musth. We talk about the battle. We commemorate their courage. They remember what they did!" Alpen insisted.

"Alithea says they don't," Fallon argued and turned to Alithea. "Tell him. You're the doctor."

"Yes, for a time after the battle, they remember," Alithea said. She reached out to Fallon, who gave her the egg pouch. "When they come in to see me the next morning to have their wound checked, they don't know how they got their wounds."

"But we talk about it for days, weeks, months," Alpen protested. "I have my own stories." He turned to Fallon, who agreed.

"Those are the stories you learned from the other warriors," Alithea said. "You become convinced that it is your memory because it is your story, the story about you." She stopped suddenly and held up her hand in the firelight. "Movement!" She pointed to the egg in the pouch.

Fallon was surprised. "I was just holding it and felt nothing."

"First kick is always with momma," Alithea said. Bebe laughed. "Come on, let's put this fire out and get some rest. We've had a harrowing day."

Battle at the River

The others looked to Fallon who pointed to a tree along the riverbank. It was an adolescent Sprint, the ugly bulbous red head and black pincers emerging from the leaf canopy as it stepped along the riverbank. As Fallon turned toward Erthen, he saw Alpen upended as Drindl threw him off. Bebe and Alithea, both carrying the egg pouches broke away from the river and the Sprint and out into the open meadow.

Fallon grabbed Erthen off the travois and hurried after Bebe and Alithea. To his side, Drindl emerged naked from the water and moved toward the travois. Fallon looked back and saw Drindl take his sword from the travois and the pouch of flechette stones. Fallon turned to the river to see Alpen spluttering as he emerged onto the riverbank. Fallon yelled at him and pointed to Drindl, who had already tied the hunting pouch around his waist.

"Aaaaaeeeeaaahhh!" came the battle cry from Drindl as he ran from the travois to the Sprint. The boy who had frozen in catatonic fear at the sight of a Sprint was now a blood curdling warrior in full musth. Alpen would not get to him in time to stop Drindl's rush toward the creature.

How many inexperienced warriors had Fallon seen cut down by the barbed leg hairs  of a Sprint? Too many. This one was not fully grown. It's waving leg hairs were only two feet long, but still long enough to cut through skin and flesh. A warrior might stumble at the first deep cut, then the scissor-like pincers would come down and behead him. Fallon had seen a severed head fall to the ground, its mouth open in full scream, but silent, the breath still imprisoned in the body now parted from the head.

"Where's my travois?" Alpen asked as he hurried to Fallon's side. Fallon pointed to the travois two hundred yards away. Alpen cursed in frustration. "Where is your sword?"

"That's it," Fallon said. "Drindl has it."

Alpen turned in the direction of his travois. "Drindl is done. We need to protect our eggs and the others. There's nothing we can do."

/////////////////////

Alpen was right. Fallon had a duty to get Erthen as far from the Sprint as possible, but backed away slowly because he couldn't take his eyes off Drindl. The young warrior was screaming at the Sprint. Fallon couldn't make out the words but he could hear the anger in Drindl's voice. Not fear. Not anger. Rage. The purest rage. Then the Sprint returned Drindl's scream with its own and Fallon covered Erthen's ears. An Alsace bird issues a paralyzing kill scream as it attacks. This was like a hundred Alsace birds and Fallon's head hurt from the intensity of the sound.

Alpen paused on his way back to the travois. Alithea and Bebe were already far away but they turned as well to the scream that caused a person's soul to turn to jelly. Fallon expected Drindl to continue his rush, brandishing the sword, rage driven by the musth. Drindl paused outside of the circle of the Sprint legs and pincers, then reared back and threw one of the flechettes. The sharp stone sliced into one of the Sprint's eight eyes. The creature screamed again, but Fallon knew that this would barely disable the creature.

Drindl threw another stone and it cut into the joint of one pincer. It was a throw of remarkable precision and now the creature could not close its pincer. Emboldened by those two strikes, Drindl charged into the circle of the Sprint's reach. Its legs did not move but still the barbed hairs waved like deadly cutting wires.

Drindl screamed his rage at the Sprint and waved the sword. The creature brought its other pincer down to attack Drindl and closed the jaw of its pincer around the sword. Drindl pushed the sword's blade into the joint of the pincer, cutting his hand as he forced it hard into the crevice of the joint. Blood splattered from the hand but Drindl's musth and battle rage had numbed him to pain.

He reached into his hunting pouch, removed a flechette and threw it at the creature's eye. Another scream and the Sprint brought its pincer to its head to protect itself. With that gesture, the creature stabbed the blade into its head and again erupted into a scream that caused Fallon so much pain that his head seemed to split apart. Then the creature backed up to the tree where it became entangled in the fork of two branches.

Exhausted by the effort and his rage, Drindl sank to his knees. Alpen rushed past Fallon and toward Drindl. The trapped Sprint frantically waved its legs but Drindl was out of reach. Alpen lifted up the bantam warrior, grabbed Fallon's sword and together they stumbled through the tall grass back to Fallon's travois. 

Time Out

Fallon and Alithea stayed out in open, but kept an eye out for movement in the trees. Alpen had taken their egg and Alithea enjoyed the single minded focus of pulling the travois, like a meditation. She paused to adjust the harness and looked back to check on Erthen. "Drindl!" She shouted. Alpen and Bebe turned back to see Drindl, who was slightly behind the group and throwing Erthen up in the air. It might have been fun but clearly Erthen was agitated. "Fallon!"

He turned back. At first glance, he didn't understand the problem. Drindl was playing with Erthen. A second later, he became alarmed as well. "Drindl!" he shouted. "Alpen!" he called for help. Fallon shrugged off his harness and ran back. Alpen was already there, trying to talk Drindl down. The short hair on Drindl's forehead was soaked with perspiration and his eyes had a peculiar glaze. Had he taken the rest of the energy? Fallon wondered.

He held out his arms and coaxed Drindl to give him Erthen. The small boy was clearly upset and held onto Fallon who cooed the soft sounds of a Burble bird to the boy until he calmly laid his head against Fallon's chest.

"We were just having fun!" Drindl protested.

Alithea came alongside. "We need to get him to the river. He is overheating." Fallon and Bebe stayed with Erthen, while Alpen and Alithea accompanied Drindl to the river. Standing out in the midday sun, Fallon and Bebe thought the shade looked inviting. Bebe couldn't tend her two eggs and pull a travois, so they left her and Alpen's travois while Fallon pulled the other. Fallon could see the other travois from the river and who was here that would take their belongings? He tied Erthen to the travois and they followed the others to the river. As they neared the river, Fallon pointed at the river and laughed. Alpen was sitting on Drindl's shoulders to keep him submerged in the water. He waved his arm as though riding an Ibik. Certainly this would cool Drindl off and tire him out at the same time.

To his right, Fallon saw what looked like a moving tree. He let the harness relax and paused to take a second look, then screamed at the others when he realized what he was looking at.