Chapter 17
Szhe’ka
Today’s travel has felt much easier than the other days; the weather is extremely nice, the tree seeds are sweeter than I remember and the gift of Red’s true name is fresh in my mind.
Ani. I had no expectations for what her name would be but I knew that it would suit her, just like red does.
It is not merely a note in the bright plumage that crowns her crest, not only a shimmer of hue that catches the sun.
It is a harmony that dwells in her inner weather as well.
The same tint that glows along her feathers sings within her spirit: warm as late-day thermals, fierce as a sudden sky-squall, and quick to flare like dawnlight upon the wing.
Despite being directed at me more often than not, I have grown fond of it. Fond of all of her, in actuality.
All of her great efforts to conceal herself from me have only found ways to make her more vulnerable and though we have not said much to each other, I have heard the songs her heart sings and they are beautiful.
She is walking beside me, her hair bouncing around her and her mouth moving as she throws tree seeds from her black pouch into her mouth.
Everything I have come to learn about her from my near constant observation has only served to endear her to me in the most curious of ways; I have come to enjoy the sound of her voice even when it is strained with anger at me, I appreciate the way the sunlight filtered through the great leafy canopy above dances on her soft skin.
She has all of my attention and I find it maddening; even such a simple act as eating a tree seed has a way of affecting me greatly. I start to recall the first time I had similar seeds; Nnaiv and I were adolescents with the bravery of an army.
Well, he had the bravery of an army, as he enjoyed flying off cliffs and the edge of waterfalls, things that were considered dangerous for our small forms. I never liked to follow him because I was frightened.
We already had to protect ourselves from danger and guard our new found aeries; I didn’t have enough in me to do that and live life so dangerously.
One day, he decided to explore a section of the jungle and I went along with him. We got lost pretty quickly when his wing rammed into a low hanging tree branch and fractured. It was the only other time I had been grounded and I had to take care of him.
He shrieked out in pain a lot and there was not much I could do but sing soothingly to him.
Eventually he fell asleep and I was able to wander off. Inquisitive and hungry, I picked curious looking seeds from a tree with green and brown leaves. I’m not sure what I expected it to taste like, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Nnaiv had some and loved them so much that he continued to recount the tale long after it happened, when we were safe back in our aerie.
Nearly all of our brothers at our aerie knew of it by heart.
The memory of my dearest brother is quick to sadden me as I recall that he is only that and I find my demeanor shifting.
My mind remembers the unfortunate incident of that day—his limp body, his death song, and the sticky odor of something else.
Still, it warms my heart to find tree seeds on this planet.
I wonder why they are on this planet?
They are native to my own, filling the jungle with a sticky, sweet scent when they start to ripen at the same time. The presence of them should bring some kind of warmth to my heart, a sign that the spirit of my brothers is here with me but it only makes my heart bleed.
I wish for a way to connect with them again, even if it is for a single moment.
I force myself to shake the thoughts away and glance over at Ani. She is fascinated with a short black stick that I’m sure she picked up from the ground and it amuses me watching her wave it around.
We have almost returned to where I must meet Ree and I am unable to shake the foreign stench permeating the air. Ani does not look bothered and I imagine that she cannot smell it and I don’t expect her to.
With a nose that small, I’m often surprised she can breathe properly.
I start to slow down, forcing myself to remember where I recognize the stench from and then I remember all at once.
The Hunters. They are here.
I cannot tell if they are close or have just passed the area but that does not serve me any kind of relief. If they are truly here, it will mean trouble for Ani because I am still wounded and I do not know how much I can fight to protect her in this state.
I have to be sure before I startle Ani but her steps are quiet.
My footsteps are a little unsteady but I make myself stop focusing on the pain.
Instead, I begin to look around me, straining my nose to see if we should be worried.
My species has impeccable smell and sight and although our hearing pales in comparison, it is still much sharper than other creatures I have come across.
They are just perks of being a creature of the sky, as we can smell the change of seasons before they come, to let us know when to migrate and see potential predators in the air before they see us. Although there are not many creatures in the air bigger than us.
“Szhe’ka, what happen?” Ani’s dulcet song startles me back to reality and I beckon her closer.
“Is all well?” she asks again, whipping her head to look around us and letting out a worried sound.
I open my mouth to speak again but she launches into a worried song hoping it is nothing to worry about. As much as I would prefer to validate her feelings this time, that is not the case.
“The hunters, they are close,” I sing low, my body crouching and my ears attentive.
Ani does not respond with a sound but shakes her head up and down again.
I am no longer confused at this gesture, as I assume it is agreement.
It seems I am right because she walks close to me, placing her hand on my arm as we walk.
The sound of crunching leaves in the distance to my left alarms me and I stretch my neck through the trees to see if I can find out how close they are.
The trees in this area vary in height and my vision is thoroughly obstructed.
“Stay close,” I all but whisper and pick up speed.
It does not do much good as the bruises on my legs have been joined by new ones and they have all been cut by all the walking. It hurts too much for me to carry all of my body weight for this long without sufficient rest times.
Still, I push myself and pick up my speed to a brisk jog, Ani running quietly beside me.
She wraps her red threads behind her head as she runs and I cannot help but think about how beautiful she is, even in this moment when we are trying to escape hunters that want to do nothing but destroy us.
There is an awful clucking sound from before us that makes Ani and I screech to a stop. I pull her into me when a hunter floats unsteadily into our view, pink oozing out of his ashen skin. Ani shrieks in fear.
I open my mouth to assure her when the hunter points his weapon at me and starts to speak in a language I cannot explain.
It seems like she can understand him right away, given the horror on her face. She makes a move to respond but cries out in pain again and her hands fly to her throat.
I call out her name and throw myself forward to hold onto her but a crackling sound buzzes past my ears, followed by a sharp pain that spreads all over my shoulders.
There is a bellow in the air that I recognize as my own when I start to stagger to the ground.
Ani screams out my name and I feel her hand on me at the same time that the hunter makes sounds, undoubtedly trying to communicate with her. She makes a pained groan and screams something at him and I try my best to look for her.
The world around me is spinning and I know I cannot stand any longer, so I collapse and sit with my back against the nearest tree. My weight falls on the tree and there is a recoil but I cannot bring myself to move.
“Szhe’ka!” Ani calls tearfully from around me, her small hands grasping onto two fingers from each of my hands.
“Stay,” she begs, starting to sob. “Will get help, please.”
Her song is broken and I can feel the pain in it. Her pain for me.
It almost hurts more than the wound from the hunter’s weapon and I move my hand to hold her.
“No, not leaving,” I assure her breathlessly because I know the wound is not fatal enough to kill me off so quickly. However, I am already injured and weak and that does not give me a great advantage.
The hunter yells something at Ani and she groans before turning around to respond to him.
It may not be my language but I can tell that she is angry. I can feel her body vibrate as I hold onto her and I squeeze her softly to stop her. Confrontation is not the best solution right now and knowing these brutes, they will kill before they give you a chance to hear your name.
They are not the bargaining sort.
As Ani is exchanging words with the hunter, she resists my attempts to move her farther behind me. I don’t know what he is telling her but it is some kind of command and his short hands keep gesturing away from her, like he is referring to other people.
Then I remember what Ree said. He is not going to kill her. He is just a messenger, sent to retrieve their precious goods. Anger pulses through me. Anger at the beasts for hurting innocent females like Ree and my dear Ani.
Anger at myself for not being able to protect her better.
If only I wasn’t so weak and unable to keep even myself out of danger. Maybe Ani had every reason to dislike me from the onset; she probably knew that I would be inefficient at taking care of her and natural selection was only taking its due course.
I don’t notice that I’m waddling deep in the sea of self pity until I feel Ani’s hand shaking my head and it brings me back awake.
My vision is blurry but I can make out her bright hair and matching eyes. As it clears out, I hear her calling my name and begging me to stay with her in a mournful song.
“Am here. With you always,” I assure her breathlessly and she lets out a sound that I cannot tell if it is a laugh or tears but it is still endearing.
“Hunter cannot kill. Wants you back,” I say again, even lower, because I don’t know if these creatures can also understand my language.
It is unlikely, but these things are not as stupid as they look and sound.
She sings back fiercely and raises a hand to wipe the new wetness off her eyes. “No, he cannot. You will be better.”
When she looks up at me, I see that some of my blood has smeared on her face.
“Your hands,” I heave.
She looks down at them and then up at my fresh wound.
I cannot see it because turning my head in that direction feels like a sharpened stick is being driven through the entire surrounding area of my neck and shoulders.
“Oh no, Szhe’ka, my regrets. Please,” she sings out brokenly.
I try to calm and comfort her but it makes no difference as the hunter is coming closer to us, his gun waving around.
He looks angry and Ani looks scared, turning around to answer him in more hushed tones. I don’t know what they are conversing about but Ani is more scared than angry this time and that does not bode well for either of us.