《Soladis》 Food - Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Her dark hair flowed behind her as she ran on the wooden bridge stretched over a deep ravine. Her feet, accustomed to rushing through the crowd, easily avoided the numerous people walking in the same or opposite direction. Many were startled by her sudden appearance but they just smiled and greeted the familiar face. She returned their greeting as she ran passed, not even waiting for to let her seventeen year-old body rest for she knew she was late. The foraging had taken more time due to a small skirmish breaking out between the gatherers. She who was nearby was called in place of the chief to settle the fight and thus she was late. She got off the bridge which was embedded into the side of the rocky wall of the cliff and ran up the stairs in the middle of the large wooden platform. The heavy colorful curtain was tossed aside as she rushed in. On the other side, a large man stood with his back facing the door with a large and dignified hawk perched on his left shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late Father¡±, she said in between gasps. The man turned his head full of short black hair that grew longer as it approached the back of his neck. Both the gazes of he and the hawk on his shoulder fell upon her. ¡°I have heard what happened from Aderyn. You handled it well, Circe.¡± He said smiling through the wrinkles that creased beside his eyes. Finally catching her breath, she returned the smile and entered further into the large wooden building. Several windows made up the walls with nothing obstructing the outside with the inside of this room. Colorful woven carpets and quill given by the villagers decorated the wall along with small trinkets carved out of wood and animal bones. At the back of the room was a large table stacked with paper and parchment, tanned leather and large leaves. Before this table filled with various documents stood several men, one of them facing the young woman that just entered. A deep scar spread across the right side of his face and smaller scars made up the rest of his deeply tanned body. The hawk whose claws dug into the furred leather attached to the man¡¯s shoulder stared at her with its dark eyes. She stared back, only for a second with a sense of longing before turning her attention back to her father, Tehuti. Like her father, she too had deep dark hair but hers fell over to the middle of her back. He light brown eyes, so light that it sometimes looked under a certain light, was the opposite of her father¡¯s darker eyes. Although her skin was the same characteristic tanned color as the rest of the villagers, it wasn¡¯t as dark as her father¡¯s or the other men gathered here. She looked at each individual¡¯s face, all of which she recognized, and greeted them with a smile. After giving instructions to the other men there, he went through a door at the back and Circe followed suit. ¡°Circe.¡± ¡°Yes, father¡± she quickly answered after hearing the severity in his voice. ¡°¡­I¡¯m putting you back on the hunting team.¡± ¡°¡­¡± For the past two years, Circe has switched back and forth between different jobs, learning the tasks each group is responsible for as the next leader and the hunting team was the first group she was assigned to. This means this time, it isn¡¯t to learn the duties of a chief. ¡°You know why I¡¯m putting you on the hunting team again.¡± ¡°¡­¡±she looked down on the floorboard, ¡°because I have yet to find my soladis¡± she muttered amongst her disappointment and shame. Soladis. A person¡¯s, a human beings non-romantic life partner in the form of an animal. It is said that each human being has been partnered with an animal the moment they were born but don¡¯t find each other until later on in life. They share a special bond with their partner. The animals with normally shorter lifetime, shares the lifespan of the human partner while the human benefits from the help of their anime partner in their daily lives. They share their knowledge, their power, their experience with another. And without one, a person is regarded incomplete. Gannet¡¯s Roost, a village built on the side of a cliff with scaffoldings and wooden platforms over a deep ravine with a shallow river extending at its bottom. Soladis of different species lived in this village although most of them were of the bird species for some reason. But more importantly, most of the villagers found their partners by the age of twelve. And Circe is seventeen. ¡°The hunting team explores a wider area than the foraging group or any other group for the matter. That is why, I want you to go with them from now on. Go and find your soladis.¡± Or without one, I cannot make you the next village chief, she heard her father¡¯s unspoken words. She looked up to see Shae, her father¡¯s hawk, his soladis. She had no such partner standing by her side. No such being to support her when she¡¯s down or when she had lost her mother. And she desperately longed for one. Circe closed her eyes for a brief second. Of all the jobs she was assigned to the past two years, hunting was the one she excelled in. She opened her golden eyes with renewed determination. ¡°I understand.¡± Circe settled a few things from her previous job and relieved her task to another individual within the few days she had before the next hunt. She also took the time to renew her hunting equipment. Even though her old ones were still useable when hunting, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. It was still dark, quite a bit before daybreak that she left her house; a bag on her waist, a bow on her back and a spear in her hand. Circe jogged out of her house through the morning chill and jumped onto a wooden glider fastened with ropes and wooden poles. She slid across slid across the rope, holding her spear horizontally, onto another platform and without having both her feet on it, flung herself into a large basket. She used the momentum she gained to pull down the vines next to the basket and pull herself up the cliff. Being the only one in the basket-lift, she easily and quickly pulled herself up to a higher platform and jogged up the stairs to another slider that led to another lift always staying amongst the middle platforms as she made her way up to the edge of the cliff. Some of the hunters were already gathered at the edge of the cliff while others were still not there yet. She greeted them with a nod and they did the same as not to disturb the rest of the sleeping villagers and preferring to keep the energy for the hunt than useless chatter. When everyone gathered among whom where older and more experienced men and women, the small cluster of people moved away from the edge of the cliff. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The sky was dark and filled with fading stars; the long grass wet their moccasins with morning dew, their senses were vigilant as they walked the earth. Many soladis took to the sky. The eagles and hawks, used to hunting from birth, soared further above and away from their partner in search of live food. The smaller birds, packed with a loud cry, kept an eye out for any carnivorous danger in the far. And the nocturnal animals, both birds and rodents, look danger more close by. Without her own soladis, Circe walked behind the group of hunters keeping her eyes on the surrounding as she adjusted to their pace. The chilled wind slowly settled as dusk broke in the horizon as they moved towards denser patches of trees, moving further away from the cliff¡¯s edge. According to the hunters from the previous hunt, they approached the last feeding ground of the herbivores. They slowed their pace before coming to a stop. Their eyes were vigilant for any sign of movement but none of the hunting birds had come back. Their prey weren¡¯t nearby. But where to move next? Moving to any given direction would be a waste of time and effort without knowing if their prey was up ahead or not. So they waited. Some sat down; preserving their energy, some fed their soladis, some even kept look out for any sign of the hunting birds even if they weren¡¯t theirs. The sun took its rightful place in the sky during this time, heating up the chill left by the night. Circe was among those that were sitting on the ground but she restlessly looked around for any sign of animals, any sign of a partner. Of course, she didn¡¯t let it show on her face ¨C so as not to bother the other hunters ¨C but she also didn¡¯t want her worries to distract her from the task at hand as she felt it bubbling deep in her subconscious. So she sat. And she quietly looked around while others awaited the return of the birds. The soladis finally returned when the sun was high in the sky and the heat was at its peak. The birds rested on their partners¡¯ shoulder as they ate and drank food before several among them took flight once again. The hunters rose and followed the birds which were flying slower than when they first took flight. They walked at a steady space, drinking water at regular interval. The hunting birds took turns leading the way and resting their wings alongside their partner. It was a long walk, much longer than Circe had remembered from her previous experience. It made her confused and she unconsciously abandoned the task of scouring the field of long grass and small shrubs only to pay attention to her group and their hunt. It was only after several hours of walking that the birds ceased advancing. Instead, they circled an area a bit further ahead, hidden by a handful of young trees. The hunters stopped walking and undid the latches on their bags. They sat down and ate. Readied themselves with a light meal, enough to fend off hunger but not weigh them down. With dried fruits in her mouth, Circe checked the condition of her bow, strung the cord to make sure it was fitted nicely. She checked her spear, its sharpness and whether the hilt was solid or not. She finished her meal of dried fruits, nuts and a few strips of dried meat before settling behind the lead hunting group. They crouched down close to the ground as the birds disappeared from the sky in order to not seem suspicious to their prey. The leading hunters hid behind the nearby trees and watched a mother deer and its fawn. The other deers were too far away. Getting the ones in the furthest back would be difficult Circe had concluded. Before even getting any precise hit on them, the whole pack would have run away. It was better to focus on the mother and the fawn that were close. As Circe drew her conclusion, she looked behind her. The backup group kept an eye out for everyone¡¯s bag and equipment and the surrounding. Although they weren¡¯t fighting, they still steeled their weapons just in case they needed to take action. Beside them, everyone¡¯s soladis rested keeping a conscious eye on the hunt but also awaiting their return trip home. Soladis. Circe felt no such special bond amongst the prey before them. As she turned her attention back to the deers, her eyes met that of the hunting group leader; an old friend of her father¡¯s. She shook her head at his questioning gaze and he nodded his head. The man in his late thirties raised his hand with visible scars; several arrows were nocked to a bow and aimed at either the mother or the fawn. The hunters silently watched their movement. Something¡¯s definitely weird, Circe thought. The leader was taking more time than necessary to signal the attack. Was it because I¡¯m here? Thinking it might be because she was in search of her soladis, she quickly shook head. I already signaled him that it wasn¡¯t among them. Then¡­what¡¯s wrong? The leader finally swung his hand forward. Several arrows flew. Two struck the fawn and all the arrows that were directed at the mother were knocked back. Before even seeing if her arrow hit the target or not, she abandoned her bow and rushed with her spear. The deers having heard the bows¡¯ release began escaping but Circe wasn¡¯t the only one to charge. Lead by their leader, they attacked the mother and her fawn letting the other deers escape. Her target in front of her, she dismissed all surrounding noise and ran forward. Spears flew over her head which led to blocking the deers¡¯ escape route but she didn¡¯t stop or slow down to see where they landed. With nowhere to run, the female deer rampaged. Circe shifted her body weight to the right, forcing herself to turn without decreasing her speed. Having dodged the deer¡¯s hoof, she didn¡¯t wait for it to position itself and thrust her spear forward. The sharpened rock thrust deep into its neck and after a few spasms and the last bit of its adrenaline burning out, it fell motionless. She pivoted in place taking the speak head out and used the momentum to aim at the young fawn only to find it lying motionless on the ground already. Circe stared at the two dead bodies, the blood trickling down their wound. She let out the breath she was holding in and noticed a wetness over her brows. She swiped her forearm over it noticing it was only sweat. Looks like I was more tense than I thought, she thought to herself. Food - Chapter 2 There''s no North, East, West or South in this is fiction. Instead it''s: -North = direction of the night -East = direction of the rising sun - West = direction of the setting sun - South = direction of sun''s peak ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 2 ¡°¡­I¡¯m wondering if I could get some leftover meat from the previous hunt.¡± ¡°Nnn, I¡¯m sorry Cee, there¡¯s none left. Oh but, if you wait, I could give you some of this deer meat.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll come pick it up later. Can I have some dried fruits instead?¡± ¡°Sure. Be back in a sec.¡± No more meat? Wasn¡¯t the previous hunt two days ago? ¡°I¡¯m ba~ck! I added some freshly picked veggies in the mix.¡± ¡°Thank you Aderyn.¡± Circe smiled for her friend¡¯s generosity. ¡°You should probably get back to work. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Aderyn bid her farewell before returning to her job. Circe on the other hand stared onto the fallen dusk and the lanterns illuminating the edge of the platforms. Something doesn¡¯t feel right. She started to walk towards her home taking the rarely used stairs and slopes instead of the sliders and the baskets to make her way home. The meat shouldn¡¯t be this scarce. The previous hunt was two days ago. And the deers¡­that wasn¡¯t their usual feeding ground. Circe actually didn¡¯t need to get any meat today. In fact, she didn¡¯t need to replenish their provision at all as two people and a soladis go through them quite slowly. She went to the food storage to ascertain something she noticed during today¡¯s hunt. Eventually, she reached the furthest platform where her home was. As she moved passed the curtains hanging over the doorway, she saw her father sitting at one end of the table, several parchment sprawled over it and, at his opposite end, a cooked meal. A wry smile spread over her lips. ¡°I¡¯m back father¡±, she greeted before hanging her tools and weapons near the doorway and storing the platter of food in the kitchen. ¡°Welcome back Cee¡±, he said in return as she sat down in front of the bowl. ¡°So how was it today?¡± ¡°It was okay. I was slightly nervous since it¡¯s been a while but that¡¯s all¡­I still didn¡¯t find my soladis though.¡± Although she was worried about not finding her partner, something else worried her as well. ¡°¡­Did something happen?¡± Her father stopped writing and looked deep into her eyes. She put her spoon in the bowl and was about to say something¡­But I was mostly distracted today. She spent most of the hunt trying to find her soladis then focus on the hunt itself. And I haven¡¯t been part of the hunting group in a long time. The deers might¡¯ve changed hunting grounds during my absence she though and closed her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s nothing father.¡± ¡°¡­If you say so.¡± There¡¯s no hunt tomorrow. The leader of hunting group said so himself. And either ways, there was never several hunts scheduled one day after another. I¡¯ll go look around tomorrow. Early morning of the next day, she prepared her satchel with some dried food. Her father had already left for work at the meeting hall and, with a bow and arrows on her back, she went there as well. The meeting hall took up the space of a whole platform and was located just above their house and in the middle of the village. Circe jumped into the basket between the two platforms and pulled herself up as she watched the birds fly pass her and the people with morning duties slowly making their way to work. ¡°Father¡±, she called as she entered the meeting hall. He sat at the desk where parchment and papers were organized into a pile with Shae perched on the wooden handle near the desk. Her father¡¯s eyes landed on the bow on her back as he greeted her. ¡°I¡¯m going above cliff for a while. I¡¯m not planning on going too far.¡± Circe noticed her father¡¯s brow creased a bit in displeasure. ¡°What are you going to go do up there?¡± ¡°Nothing father. I¡¯m just going for a stroll.¡± ¡°My hard working daughter who doesn¡¯t take a break even when told to, going on a stroll?¡± Circe stared back at her father, determined to go. I need know what¡¯s going on. For the sake of the village. ¡°Fine but Shae is going with you.¡± She smiled and nodded a ¡®thank you¡¯. ¡°Let¡¯s go Shae.¡± The bird flapped its wind and flew out the nearest window and Circe left through the doorway. They both went their separate ways but met up above cliff. The hawk was the first one to arrive there and as soon as Circe stepped onto the grassy plain, Shae swooped down and perched on her shoulder. She flinched as her claws dug into her shoulder but didn¡¯t shoo her away. They walked along the grassy plain toward the small creak towards the direction of the rising sun. Again, along the way only a few animals appeared, all small in size and capable of disappearing within the tall grasses. Fallen grasses, sign of passing of larger animals were spread out but, for some reason they all seem to be heading in the same direction. It¡¯s as if they were fleeing something. But what would cause them to flee. Circe stopped in her tracks. The surrounding was quiet. The only sounds that can be heard are the chirps of the insects. Could there be a foreign predator she surmised. But, although the chances are not impossible, it is highly unlikely. No, it is too early to conclude that. Let¡¯s not be hasty. She started moving again. After walking for a while, the sound of water came to her ear. I that same instant, Shae flew off of her shoulder towards the direction of the creak. Probably surveying the area, she thought to herself. Being a source of water, the area around the creak was a gathering of many different animals both small and large. It was a good hunting spot because of that, but it was also necessary to be cautious in order to not get trampled on. But this time around, the creak was devoid of any beast. Circe furrowed her brows. Now she was sure that something was wrong. But what? Footprints of animals were too faint to make out. This hasn¡¯t happened just overnight. This has been going on for a while. ¡°Rawk¡± The calling of a hawk snapped Circe out of her thoughts. She looked in the direction of the sound to find Shae perched on one of the small trees surrounding the creak. She stared at the animal as it stared back. Circe had no way of understanding Shae as it wasn¡¯t her soladis but her father¡¯s. But Shae was always there as she grew up and she came to somewhat understand the bird in her own way. So Circe sighed as she stopped staring. ¡°Alright, you win Shae. Let¡¯s return to the village.¡± Back at Gannet¡¯s Roost, Circe didn¡¯t have time to relax and think about her findings. As the chief-to-be, she was immediately put in charge of several tasks at her return. Shae on the other hand left for her partner¡¯s side. In the end, she wasn¡¯t let go until late into the night where she made her way home with the help of the surrounding lanterns and spend her remaining time preparing her satchel and her weapons for tomorrow¡¯s hunt before going to sleep. The hunting group was standing in the same place they had where they hunted the mother and her fawn. On their way there, Circe made sure to pay close attention to her surroundings. The deers seem to have moved even further than the last time. When she asked the leader of the group, he said that last hunt was the first time he saw the deers in that area. The hunting birds¡¯ behavior from few days ago also confirmed that. But, that was not normal. Changing feeding grounds so quickly wasn¡¯t normal at all. None of the soladis are acting up so it can¡¯t be the sign of a coming storm or disaster. Circe pondered as she kept following the group. The area doesn¡¯t show any sign that a disaster already happened. They came to a stop in an area further away from their last hunt. The deers were surrounded by thicker forest trees as they rested and fed. The hunters did the same before steadying themselves for the hunt. That would leave a group of foreign hunters as the cause. A loud growl and the scream of deers pulled her attention to her surroundings. Everyone stared wide-eyed as the frantic deers ran into the thicket of trees while the remaining deers fell prey to the jaws of the grey beasts. Everyone from the hunting group was made aware of the situation by their soladis who were also in a state of panic. Only Circe remained, watching the scene unfold. One of the beast, the leader of the group, stopped and directed its gaze towards a thicket of grass and bushes where the hunters of Gannet¡¯s Roost were hidden. Everyone fell into panic and cold sweat poured down their backs as they gathered their stuff together and fled the area according to the assistant leader¡¯s instructions. Even with the numerous sound of panic surrounding her, Circe stayed still. Her eyes met of the golden eyes of the beast as they stared at each other. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Circe, Circe!¡± She snapped out of her daze and saw the leader calling for her from a distance with her satchel in hand. She took up the spear lying on the ground and ran, just like the rest, towards the cliff. A crowd formed on the platform of the meeting hall after seeing the panic-stricken hunters coming back early from their hunt and empty handed. Meanwhile, the hunters stood quietly behind their leader, assistant leader and Circe as the former two re-told the events of the day. The chief of the village listened attentively in his seat. ¡°¡­I understand¡±, the chief replied to their story. ¡°Is there anything else to report?¡± ¡°No, chief¡±, the leader answered for his comrades. ¡°Then the rest of the hunters may leave. The leader and assistant will stay.¡± The hunters nervously looked at their soladis and each other before glimpsing at their leader. After getting their leader¡¯s approval as well, they slowly left the meeting hall. When all the hunters had left and ignoring all the noise outside, the hunting party¡¯s leader was the first to speak. ¡°Sorry about the trouble chief¡±, he said with a melancholic grin. The chief sighed, his left hand now pressed against his forehead. ¡°Tell me about it!¡± He sighed again and stared passed the three people in front of him; towards the curtained doorway. ¡°Will your hunters be okay?¡± The leader grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯re a little spooked, that¡¯s all. Come tomorrow, they¡¯ll be rearing to go back up top again.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief, and not. Access to the above cliff is forbidden from now on until this problem is solved. The hunting party will be temporarily dissolved. Instead, starting tomorrow, I want the members to accompany the foragers and the fishers outside. Only those two groups, no one else, understand?¡± The chief glared at both the leader and his assistant. ¡°¡±Yes!!¡±¡± They both replied. And they left to tell the chief¡¯s verdict to the rest leaving Circe alone with the chief. ¡°Good. Hunting right now is too dangerous but we can¡¯t go completely without any food. But we also can¡¯t leave the wolves alone.¡± The chief sighed again as he talked to himself. ¡°Circe, could you spread the news to the rest of the villagers.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± Circe turned around and walked towards the curtained doorway. Just before she was about to leave, her father called out to her. ¡°Cee, did you¡­¡± she stopped and stared back at her father. ¡°No, nevermind.¡± The news about the wolves spread like wild fire and so did the restriction to journey above cliff. The two went hand in hand as they spread fear and panic. Later in the evening, a council was called in order. The chief of the village along with the leaders and assistant leaders of all the groups all came together in the second room of the meeting hall. They argued into the night as Circe ate and went to bed without waiting up for her father. Morning soon came and she greeted her father. ¡°Tired?¡± The chief sighed. ¡°Yes¡±, beside him Shae was dozing off on the back rest of an unused chair, basking in the morning light of the sun. ¡°Sorry Circe, I need you to take care of a lot of things for me.¡± ¡°No need to apologize father.¡± With that said, Circe spent her days settling fights that have been brought up from strained nerves, mistakes and small disasters caused by the lack of sleep and any trouble ignited by the villagers fears. But the villagers weren¡¯t the only one suffering. The stress of their partners was making even the soladis nervous. Because of that, she also had to go looking for missing soladis which made their partner panic even more which created more mishaps. In the end, she went back home very late in the night, tired and hungry with no sign of her father in the house. Tehuti was probably busier than she was so, without complaint, she ate her share of cooked vegetables and left a plate out on the table for whenever her father returned before going to bed. Sleep quickly took her to dreamland as she dreamt of a pair of golden eyes watching her as she watches it. The next morning Circe woke later than she normally does, still feeling those pairs of eyes on her. Her father on the other hand had long gone to work leaving behind a plate of breakfast. A bitter smile swept her face. It was only her and her father now, her mother died a long time ago. Having only each other left in the family, it was an unspoken promise to sit at the table together as least once every day but they hadn¡¯t done so in the last few days and, it seems today as well. With a sigh, she quickly finished her breakfast and readied herself for another busy day. But as soon as she left her house, she felt something was amiss. The surrounding platform, including the one which held their house, was too quiet. No birds, whether soladis or not, where to be seen. Just then, in the corner of her sight, she sees Shae soaring in the sky towards the above cliff. Circe didn¡¯t stop to think; she immediately followed after that hawk taking the only basket-lift on this platform up towards the upper floors. She barely landed before she ran towards the slider. In a hurry and without stopping for a breath, she made her way all the way to the top. A crowd of people surrounded the second topmost platform. Circe stood at the edge of the crowd, scanning it to find her father. When she didn¡¯t find him nor did she spy Shae, she instead found Aderyn. With no one better to ask but her closest friend, she pushed her way through the crowd to her. ¡°Aderyn!¡± ¡°Circe!? Where were you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important right now. What¡¯s happening? Where¡¯s the chief?¡± She asked while looking into Aderyn¡¯s nervous dark circled eyes. ¡°W-wolves¡±, her gossiping friend stuttered. ¡°One of the wolves is up there. Your d-dad went there with Shae.¡± ¡°Did anyone else go with him?¡± ¡°N-no.¡± No!? What is father thinking! ...Wait, just one wolf came¡­ ¡­ Circe drowned out the sound of the crowd as she looked towards the lift. ¡°¡­Aderyn.¡± She spoke without looking at her friend. ¡°Have everyone return to work. Much time has passed since the day has started; they have no time to waste.¡± Aderyn nodded in response and opened her mouth to day something but Circe didn¡¯t wait to hear her and pushed her way to the lift. With practiced movements, she pulled herself up to the top most platform against the crowds surprise and protest. There she saw the hunting leader and assistant leader were waiting on stand-by along with their soladis. Greeting them but ignoring their protest, Circe made her way up the ladder. The broad back of her father came into view with Shae perched on his shoulder. He doesn¡¯t turn to look at her but a quick shuffle of his head showed Circe that he knew of her presence. Taking a deep breath, she quietened her beating heart which was in a fury since this morning. She looked passed her father¡¯s back to where his gaze was directed and as soon as she did, her eyes met a par of golden eyes similar to her own, similar to the one from her dream. The silver-grey beast ignored Tehuti and kept staring at her. She stared back as her heartbeat quickened. Tehuti, finding the wolf¡¯s reaction weird, frowned as the leader of the pack ignored him. ¡°Father.¡± The calmness in her daughter¡¯s voice made Tehuti, the chief, question the situation he was in. Even though before, the thought of looking away from the beast in front of him was impossible, now he turned to face Circe. ¡°I think¡­I just found my soladis.¡± Food - Chapter 3 There''s no North, East, West or South in this is fiction. Instead it''s: -North = direction of the night -East = direction of the rising sun -West = direction of the setting sun -South = direction of sun''s peak ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 3 Several days had passed since the incident with the wolf leader. With the voice of their leader, the other wolves backed off of Gannet¡¯s Roost hunting ground but didn¡¯t completely leave the surrounding area. The leader of the pack was the only one that stayed behind as it roamed around the village while using the narrow stairs as his go-between the different platforms. Finally having found her soladis, Circe went back to her previous duty of doing odd-jobs in order to learn the different tasks of her community. Her father also started teaching her more of the duties of a chief. But not everything went back to normal after the incident. The animals living in the plain surrounding the cliff of Gannet¡¯s Roost had not yet returned to their former habitat but that was only a matter of time. The biggest and more serious change was the constant fear in the villagers¡¯ eyes. Sure they treated Circe the same as always. She grew up in this village after all and everybody knows her. But her soladis was a different story. She could see the panic in their eyes whenever she walked around with Aatu. Many went and hid their soladis Aatu approached from fear of them being eaten. This repeated for weeks without end, day after day, week after week. Finally, one night Circe waited for her father to return home from work. Aatu, her wolf, lay beside the chair Circe occupied, his muzzle on the ground as faint sound of breathing filled the room. She watched lovingly as her soladis slept before turning her gaze to the front doorway at the sound of parting curtains. ¡°Aderyn, you¡¯re still awake?¡± Tehuti said in a tired voice. ¡°Father, I¡­we need to talk.¡± Tehuti¡¯s eyes rested on his daughter¡¯s firm gaze before drifting towards Aatu who¡¯d woken up as soon as Tehuti and Shae entered. He sighed, stretched his arms before saying ¡°Alright, I think I can make some time to talk to my daughter¡± with a wry smile. He took his seat opposite of Circe on the four corner table and waited with Shae perched on the wooden perch. ¡°I¡­¡± Circe opened her mouth to say something. She knew what she wanted to say but didn¡¯t know how. She breathed in; the silence of their home filled her with doubt and made her waver. Was this right, she thought while looking at her tired father. But one glance at the golden eyes of her partner blew her doubts away. ¡°Father, I will be leaving Gannet¡¯s Roost.¡± A frown dawned upon Tehuti¡¯s face. ¡°No. I see no reason for you to do such a thing.¡± ¡°But father, you¡¯ve seen¡­maybe not seen but as the chief, you should know how the villager¡¯ been treating Aatu, my soladis.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Aatu¡¯s existence is¡­foreign to these lands. It will take time for our people to get used to him.¡± ¡°Father-¡± ¡°This does not entail you to leave!¡± Tehuti yelled. Silence filled the room as both stared at the table¡¯s surface. Both hawk and wolf watched over their respective partner in silence, well aware that it was not their battle to fight. ¡°Father.¡± Circe tried speaking again, softer, gentler, ¡°Father, you know better than anyone in this village about how I¡¯ve longed for a soladis, for a partner to call my own. I can¡¯t simply turn a blind eye when he¡¯s being treated as an object of fear and hate. Some of the youngest even goes about trying to harm him. Father, I don¡¯t want to come to hate either the villagers of Gannet¡¯s Roost who are as good as family to me or the life-long partner I¡¯ve always wanted and waited for.¡± Tehuti¡¯s lips were pressed together into a thin line. Seeing her father¡¯s hardened expression, Circe spoke again. ¡°Father, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m abandoning my rights to the next chief. I will return. I¡­we just need some time.¡± His voice hoarse and tired, tinged with a hint of sadness, he spoke ¡°¡­when are you leaving¡­¡± ¡°At dawn.¡± She answered deciding to keep it short. ¡°That soon¡­¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. She nodded. Not sure if her father saw it, she replied, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to alarm the rest of the villagers and¡­¡± I don¡¯t want to prolong my decision¡­she thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared everything I might need for the journey and some dried meat and fruits for the first few days.¡± Silence filled the house. Circe stared at her silent father who still looked down at the table. Minutes seemed like hours as both tried to find words to say. Without speaking, her father rose from his seat and Shae stretched her wings before flying to Tehuti¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m retiring for the night. Wake me up before you leave.¡± Circe stared at her retreating father¡¯s back. ¡°¡­yes father.¡± That night, after a long struggle of tossing and turning, Circe fell into a restless sleep where she dreamed of a lurking shadow in the direction of the night. She woke to a light nudge and a pair of golden eyes staring at her. ¡°Good morning Aatu¡± she smiled through the sleepiness before looking around her room. She¡¯d be leaving this familiar abode in a matter of minutes. The familiar wooden platforms, the worn out lifts and swings, the almost unused stairs and slopes would all be replaced by vast unending wilderness. A sudden surge of dear took root only to be replaced by a gentle softness nuzzling up to her right hand. She looked at her companion and caressed him behind the ear. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on.¡± Her fear replaced by her partner¡¯s reassurance, Circe didn¡¯t wait any longer to change out of her one piece night gown to her dear leather pants and loosely fitted shirt with short sleeves. She donned her best shoes, the one she always wore whenever she¡¯s out on the hunt and parted with her bedroom. Behind the curtained doorway, she spies a bowl already readied with food. Surprised, she looked around the main room only to find it empty. Without a word, she sat down and ate quietly thanking her father in her mind. As soon as she had cleared the table, her father came out. Without sparing a glance in her direction, her walked to the main doorway. ¡°Let us go see your mother.¡± They stood before a grave at the very edge of the village; the sky still dark, the village still asleep. Only a small glimmer of light shone in the horizon marking the coming dawn. ¡°Mother, I shall be going. But don¡¯t worry, I shall return.¡± Circe proclaimed to the gave before her. ¡°Circe, Cee, take this with you.¡± Her father handed her a necklace woven out of rope and decorated with animal bones and colored cloth. ¡°I received this amulet from your mother in hopes it will protect my soul. Now you take it and return home with it.¡± She tilted her head forward for her father to put the necklace over her head and around her neck. ¡°Thank you father.¡± She smiled slightly before turning to leave. ¡°Circe!¡± her father called out stopping her in her tracks. He walked up to her and cupped her face into his two large hands, roughened over the years of work. ¡°Circe, my dear daughter, take this one piece of advice from your father. You¡­have a great ability but you seem to question it, which is not wrong. As a chief, one must have proof before declaring certain things but¡­trust your instincts. It is not wrong. And it will help you more often than you think.¡± She felt like she didn¡¯t understand what her meant by those words but he made a point of not speaking anymore. They both headed to the entrance of the graveyard where both their partners waited before taking the long way to the above cliff. ¡°Where will you be heading?¡± Tehuti asked while watching the brightening sky. ¡°I¡¯ll head in the direction of the rising sun. See where that will take me.¡± Tehuti didn¡¯t say anything; just nodded before looking at the wolf beside her. ¡°Aatu, I¡¯ll leave my daughter to you.¡± Aatu confirmed with a growl. With a quick hug, one returned to his duties; the other started her adventure, each with their respective Soladis. --------------------------- To Vaevicti, the reason my chapters are so short is because these 3 chapters are actually part of chapter 1. But I''m a slow writer and it doesn''t help that I always seem to write only during my breaks. Water - Chapter 4 There''s no North, East, West or South in this is fiction. Instead it''s: -North = direction of the night -East = direction of the rising sun -West = direction of the setting sun -South = direction of sun''s peak ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 4 The sun was high in the sky and brightened it to a light blue. Tall grass swayed to the gentle wind with the only trees in the distant horizon in the direction of the night. Several different sounds resounded in the vast plane; subtle sounds, ones that could be missed if not focused on. A quick rustle ran through the tall grass towards where a group of foxes ran and played. They stopped as the rustle got nearer. They surveyed with their eyes and their furry red ears towards the direction of the sound but didn¡¯t see anything above the tall grass and only the sound of singing bugs came to their ears. Just when they were about to turn around, an arrow cut through the grass and sank into the neck of the nearest fox. A low growl soon followed along with the sound of jaws snapping at broken bones. Panicked at the death of two of their brethren and by the sudden appearance of the wolf, the young foxes ran towards their burrow. As the wolf kept massacring their friends, another figure jumped out from the tall grass blocking their path of escape. With a spear in hand, she charged at the now snarling young foxes spearing the closest one. One of them jumped at her while another charged at her. Without withdrawing her drawn out weapon, she flung it left, hitting the leaping fox with the hilt of the spearhead before pulling her weapon out of the previously pierced fox and piercing the one now at her feet. A satisfactory growl came from her left and when she turned to look, the wolf already killed the fox she had flung to the side. With a light smile, she spoke to the wolf, ¡°Thank you Aatu.¡± Aatu growled back and then they waited, looking in the direction of the burrow of the young foxes. There was sign of movement in the burrow but nothing came out. Looks like they¡¯re staying away. ¡°Let us leave.¡± She said giving one last look at the burrow before turning to her partner and smiling. ¡°Help me carry those foxes, will you?¡± It¡¯s been two months since Circe left the comfort of her home and began traveling with her soladis Aatu. The various food she brought along with her had finished up in the first several days slowing down their previously fast pace as they had to hunt and forage for food along the way. Sleep was in shifts as one of the two played look out while the other slept but very few approached them what with Aatu being a wolf and all. The rest of the time was spent walking still in the same direction but taking detours many times. They rested whenever either of them felt tired but the weariness hit both of them at almost the same time. Circe and Aatu walked next to the shadow of the small hills, ones that barely came up to Circe¡¯s knees; the cliff far out of sight. They stopped when they were a fair way from the foxes burrow. Aatu dropped the red-furred animals from his back to the ground as Circe reached around to her small leather pouch attached to her hip and took out a stone knife. She crouched down, laying her spear and bag on the ground and started on the closest fox in front of her, flipping it onto its back. Her knife pierced the fox¡¯s neck making its way down the animal¡¯s stomach with a shearing motion. She pulled out the blood-stained stone knife putting it to the side as she pulled the cut open with her bare hands. She cut out the intestines, the stomach, the liver, the lungs, and the heart and tossed towards Aatu for him to pick through them. Circe took up the knife again now cutting through the fine line between skin and flesh without getting any of the blood on the fur or on herself. She set the fur aside, away from her so as not to get in the way of her work as she went onto cutting the meat around the bones. She threw some of the meat towards Aatu while she covered the rest of it with salt and other spices she¡¯d gotten from her backpack that she had made out of dead branches and ropes before wrapping them in a large clean leaf for drying later. She did the same for the rest of the foxes before starting a fire to cook the last one. Small smoke fumes rose into the blue sky. Shades of yellow and pink tinted the edge of the sky meeting the forest trees in the distance. Circe watched Aatu chew on the leftover bones while she used the rest to fuel the fire. She ate some of the small fruits she picked up on the way as she watched and smelled the meat roast. A chilling wind blew calling out to the oncoming night. Although she felt no shiver thanks to the fire¡¯s warmth, Aatu stood up and wrapped himself around her. She felt through the warmth on her back the rise and the fall as he breathed. Indigo filled the sky by the time the fox meat was done. Circe cut off part of it and ate slowly as she waited for stars to fill the sky. The slight char on the meat added more flavor to it but the spices hadn¡¯t permeated deep enough and soon a bland taste devoid of any saltiness took over. She frowned slightly but didn¡¯t complain. She knew she didn¡¯t let the marinated meat sit long enough. Hopefully the meat set aside to be sun-dried would have more taste but she also needed to get used to the blandness. She was almost out of spices. Circe stomped out the fire and stored the rest of the cooked meat for breakfast tomorrow before curling up to the already sleeping Aatu. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The first rays of sun stirred her sleep. Unwilling to wake up, she nuzzled Aatu and buried her face into his grey fur falling back into a light sleep. The rays kept spreading across the land heating up the cold air. This time it was Aatu who stirred awake. Feeling the gentle weight of his partner on his back, he turned to face her and licked the side of her temple. She groaned but turned towards his muzzle and opened her against the ray of the sun. ¡°Good morning Aatu.¡± He growled. Circe stretched herself before shifting towards her handmade bag getting off of Aatu at the same time. She got out one of the furs from yesterday and threw it in Aatu¡¯s direction before reaching for a leather canteen. She licked the water droplet on the entrance and tilted the canteen brought from home to let through a few gulps of water down her throat, washing the morning grime in her mouth without wasting the little water she had left. She cupped her right hand and poured some of the water there as soon as Aatu finished eating his breakfast. He came up to her and lapped the water in her hand down to the last drop. ¡°We really should find a source of water by the end of today.¡± Her hands stoked his neck. He raised his head to let her stoke him, closing his eyes and letting out a low comfortable growl. She then finished the leftover from last night before moving on. Morning dew wetted the tip of her pants as Circe and Aatu walked through low grasses. Grass slowly became sparse as more rocks appeared in between. Animals appeared and fled at the sight of Aatu. Small in size; rodents, ground hogs, prairie dogs; larger animals seemed to disappear with the fading greenery. Circe wondered if they should try heading the direction of the night where the sight of distant trees was still visible. Maybe they would have a better time finding water there. At the thought, a dark shadow appeared in her mind following by a chill down her spine and a sense of dread. She shook it off. A dream had nothing to do with their situation. She took a deep breath to calm her nerve. ¡°Where do you think we should go Aatu?¡± Aatu didn¡¯t say anything. Wondering what was wrong, she looked towards the wolf only to find him staring in front of him, at something in the distance. That something gleamed in the sun, grey in color but not exactly. It wasn¡¯t something Circe ever saw anything like it near Gannet¡¯s Roost and it seemed to stretch for a fair amount of distance from what she can see. From behind it, smoke rose like dense cloud into the sky. There weren¡¯t any forest in that direction so forest fire seemed unlikely to be the cause for the smoke. Must be man-made¡­she assumed. This time it was Aatu¡¯s turn to call out to Circe. She placed her hand on top of his head as she stared at the unknown in front of them before turning to the wolf. ¡°Do you want to check it out?¡± Aatu let out a low growl. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m curious about the shiny rock-like thing.¡± She said while looking off into the distance. Aatu tugged the hem of her shirt with his teeth. She turned her attention back to him. ¡°We¡¯ll approach until we get a better view and slow down when we¡¯re closer to gauge the danger.¡± Aatu stared at her. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Giving up on his partner¡¯s persistence, Aatu moved forward with Circe following closely behind. ¡°Thank you Aatu.¡± As they walked, Circe wondered if the people behind the fire were also responsible for the shiny rock. The smoke kept on rising, never stopping making her frown with curiosity and suspicion. The two companions were taking their time to reach the area as they scouted their surrounding but never once did the smoke stop. Back at Gannet¡¯s Roost, fires were lit for short amount of time; either to cook food or burn bones, the latter taking the most time. But the one in front of them just kept burning. Could there be another settlement up front? Several questions passed through her mind but before she could process any of them, they were steps away from their destination. A tall wall made of flattened grey and earthen-colored rocks gleamed in the sun. The wall seemed to surround something large as the edge of the wall bent towards the back. Sounds could be heard from beyond, a variety of sounds, none she recognized. And the smoke, it did not smell of cooking meat, nor of burning bone. It didn¡¯t even smell of burning wood. Without knowing it, Circe stopped in her steps and just stared at whatever it was in front of her. Aatu, standing a couple steps ahead, watched his partner¡¯s stunned silence, awaiting her decision. Before either the young woman or the wolf could make heads or tail of the situation, a loud creaking resounded through the air. Aatu immediately stepped back to stand beside his partner and Circe immediately brought up her spear. The tall wall separated into two, vibrating the air with a screech. The door opened wider and wider and soon, the screech stopped along with the changing wall. From the gap, mice, rats, moles and ground hogs scurried out followed by strangers walking on their two feet and chatting amongst themselves. Someone shouted something and pointed to the front. The crowd followed the direction and looked in front to find a wolf and a single woman with a dumbfounded look on her face.