Chapter 24 Ghrigri
GHRIGRI
Once our bellies were full and we relieved ourselves, the other hunters and I left our drowsy companions to carry out the sledge components Rimbet inspected earlier.
We took enough parts for three and carried them over to the hoist platform, then carefully lowered them down along with Hroash.
Once down on the ground, he began assembling the first sledge, and Rimbet went to begin rousing our companions.
I chuckled at the look of disappointment on their faces, but after conveying that they should slather more of the salve on their faces and hands, we got them to get on the hoist again, all except for Rah-bee.
No amount of coaxing was getting him back on, nor would he clamber onto my back so I could use the hand and footholds to climb down.
By the time everyone was back down and all three sledges were assembled and loaded, I realized the only way I was getting him down was to sling him over my shoulder and carry him.
So I smiled gently at him, and he happily went back inside the cave, where it was warmer, though the urns were now empty of fire and held only quickly cooling ash.
I put the hoist away, and while he looked mournfully inside one of the urns, I picked him up and tossed him over my shoulder, sprinting to the cave mouth.
”Hayyyyy!” he yelled, struggling to get down. His movements ceased as I began climbing down one handed. “Geezuhs mahree hand geehoesssofat!” he shrieked. “Weer gohna fahl!”
Thankfully, it was a short climb, only as high as three males, so it didn’t take long to get back down. Once we reached the bottom, I lowered him onto a waiting sledge and tucked his cloak around him tightly, settling his pack on his lap to help keep the edges closed.
“Aye hayt yoo riet nohw,” he said, his skin having an unfortunate greenish cast to it.
I didn’t need to understand his words to figure out he was angry with me, but I knew he’d understand that I couldn’t simply leave him there, and there had been no other ways down.
He couldn’t have climbed down himself, either, as the holds were made for an adult male of my species, so he’d have fallen short.
So I simply nodded my acceptance and took up the rope.
“We need to hurry, the clouds are heavy with snow and heading this way,” Hroash observed.
Rimbet and I nodded. We’d divided the passengers across all three sledges to make it easier to pull them along at a good pace, which we now put to the test. Even at our fastest, we were likely to find ourselves in the midst of at least the edge of the storm by the time we made it to today’s destination.
In addition, it would be nightfall, so hopefully someone would be there to let us enter.
We jogged across the tundra, aiming for the dark line on the horizon which marked the forest boundary.
One of the females began singing, ”Dahhhseng thru thuh ssnoe,” she warbled, and suddenly the others were singing along.
I winced, glad that there were no signs of predators about, though the closer we got to nightfall, that would likely change.
For the moment, though, the sounds helped set a rhythm that aided us in keeping up our pace.
Everything seemed to be going well until the wind picked up and the clouds began to scud across the sky.
When the wind calmed, Rimbet and I exchanged glances.
The sky was now completely silver, and while we were close, we were not yet at the forest’s edge.
He gave a nod towards the ground beside him, and I nodded in affirmation.
A stop here would be good, to relieve ourselves and catch our final wind.
“Ho!” he called out to our companions, who slowed to allow us to draw abreast. Once we were level, we came to a stop. “We should pause here, have some tea, and relieve ourselves before continuing on.”
Hroash agreed and quickly set about unpacking the tripod and some fuel we’d brought along.
“Whuhtz goeng ohnn?” Robbie asked me, looking worried as he glanced around. He pointed at the forest looming ahead. “Ahrnt whee goeng ohvuhr thehr?” he asked, pointing. “Feelz liek mohr snoh.”
I patted his arm reassuringly, then drew him along with me several feet from our sledges, and proceeded to take my cock out to take a piss.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, a look of understanding crossing his face.
“Pahtee brayk! Goohd! Ahm buhsten!” He began fumbling to expose himself to do the same, calling out over his shoulder.
“Eetz a pahty brayk!” to his friends, who all scrambled off to relieve themselves.
Except for the females, who kept repeating something about ‘whayteng fohr uh boosh’.
Soon, the tea was ready, and everyone so inclined had made yellow marks in the snow which we then buried under more fresh snow, just to discourage anything that might wish to track us as darkness fell.
Once we’d all fortified ourselves with a drink, we packed back up. A few stretches and then we were off once more. This time, our passengers did not sing; instead, they spoke in hushed tones, looking up at the sky and glancing towards the dark forest that loomed ever closer.
“Loohkz liek diemuhndz,” one of the women said. Then we were there, right on the edge of the crystalline forest, and a hush fell over us all as we came to a stop. Hroash and my other clan brothers turned their attention to me.
“Oh, it’s me who is going to call, is it?”
“You found Rah-bee first,” Rimbet pointed out.
That was a slim reason at best to put me in charge of this part of our journey, and they all knew it, but something told me it was right.
Rah-bee was my mate, and if I hadn’t found him, the others would have died there.
I was the unwitting cause of this entire series of events, or rather, as it pertained to our clan.
“Fine,” I huffed out and stepped forward to inspect the trees before us.
I had to go into the tree line to find what I was looking for.
Several paces in, stood a chieftain of a tree.
Its trunk was so wide, it would take Rimbet, Hroash, and myself to link hands to encircle it.
Its trunk was clear enough to see that the chambers within were nearly flawless, forming several unobstructed tubes that reached from sky to root.
The only thing marring it were faded markings painted on, using dyes that were weathering off.
That and a single bit of rope, which held a small hammer.
I picked it up and carefully chose a spot, and swung.
Immediately, a bell-like pealing rang out from the tree, and several around it began to chime, the sound spreading from tree to tree deep into the forest.
”Whoahh!” Bihl gasped, hands going up to cover his ears.
“Thahtz soh beeyuteefull!” Rah-bee said, doing the same, eyes wide.
The others quickly made sounds of agreement, hands over their ears as well.
The ringing stopped, then started again a moment later, this time originating from deeper within the forest. We’d been heard, and those who lived here were on their way to greet us.