Chapter 6- Episode 16-...one with nature...

ejaredallen (60)in #story • 6 years ago

One with nature...

A fidgit bounded through the forest trees, around the camp Khali and Duto had made the night before. The curious creature with its beady eyes and bushy tail couldn’t refuse the enticement of something new and brightly colored, such as Khali. She spotted the fidgit in the trees, scampering its way over branches and down trunks, even across the open ground toward their makeshift camp. Khali smiled. Fidgit’s were funny creature, with buck teeth in and stubbly horns behind the perked ears. The little beasts collected nuts, got into fights with birds, and avoided the ground and the man serpents which roamed forest floors.

But curiosity killed the fidgit nine times out of time. The little monsters could resist something new and something shiny. They were attracted to bright and colorful things, like Khali’s bright red hair. She always had a friend in fidgits.

Khali resumed her work, which was the making of breakfast. She had sent Duto out to a stream nearby to fetch water and he had been gone several minutes. She expected him back any time now… but Duto could look after himself. Even so, it was hard not to treat the little man as a child since he was often mistaken for one anyway.

The fidgit pounced his way over roots and branches to the side of a tree trunk. It’s chest beat heavily with many repetitive breaths. The eyes of the fidgit darted every which way several times to ensure the coast was clear before it bounded its way nearer to Khali, curious as can be. Khali smirked and pretended not to notice the little fellow.

The fidgit seemed to be stopped several yards away, unable to make up it’s mind if he should get closer still or scamper off into the woods. Khali turned slowly to look the little beast in the eye and knelt with her hand out.

“Come on deary.” She called softly, “don’t be feared of me, love. I won’t hurt you.” Her voice seemed to calm the little beast as it moved to makes its way down from the tree trunk and onto the ground, keeping a watch on Khali and eyeing the woman with a head tilt and cock-eyed stare. “That’s it. Don’t be scared, little one.” The fidgit took several quick scamper steps and stood a safe, but close distance away from Khali’s outstretched hand, trying to make up his mind about the woman. Was it safe? Was she a good creature or bad? Fidgits were easy to fool, being as curious as they were, but they were also extremely suspicious and cautious when they chose to be.

The fidgit was the most paranoid of all beasts, yet for some reason Khali could speak to them, coax them, and calm them in a way she could not with many other beasts. Which was another reason people called her a witch. Apparently speaking to animals was not natural and caused you to be possessed by an evil spirit.

Khali made a shushing sound like the wind with her lips as if to quite an upset child, the fidgit relaxed his gaze and stepped close enough to place its tiny paw into Khali’s hand. Furtive glances shot this way and that as the fidgit twitched its bristly fur, which stood on end, against every sudden, soft wind current that whistled through the leaves. The skyless cloud was rather foreboding and set the creatures of the woodland on edge, but Khali closed her eyes and spoke words of another language: the tongue of the woodlands. The fidgit chattered something in return which Khali chuckled at, the fidgits were always remarkably witty for such dim-witted beasts.

Khali had been able to speak to creatures for as long as she could remember. It was something like a gift, but one she felt rather than learned. It was in her blood she supposed. Being adopted by James Savoor at a young age, she’d never known her real parents, or much of anything about her past. The farthest her mind would take her was back to the earliest memory of James and the other four children. She stroked the side of the fidgit’s face at it leaned into her warm hand, but her mind was off in thoughts; thought’s she couldn’t seem to think about yet knew they were there…

It was almost like God, something you knew that you knew but couldn’t comprehend or explain, as if He was a memory buried deep: He was there, but how do you explain what your mind can’t comprehend?

“It’s there… I know it’s there,” Khali verbally thought as the fidgit stared. She half imagined the creature shrugged at her as if to say, “that’s your problem sister”. Khali rolled her eyes at the snarky little beast.
“Oh, hush.” She smiled at the thing and thought she saw a glimpse of smile on the fidgit’s little face.

The brush line behind the fidgit rustled and then split as a wolf-like beast leapt into the camp. Khali hissed as the frightened fidget scampered off hurriedly. Khali noticed the size of the animal and its red hot eyes filled with a fury and lust for fresh blood. A fire fox: so they did exist. She thought to herself as she sized up the overfed beast. The monster was furred in raggedy brown hair with a patch of hair along its back that stood above the rest and practically glowed crimson. Its catlike face with red eyes and long muzzle along with the pointy, red tipped ears were what set it apart from the wolves of the woods.

The fire foxes were said to be born in the flame pits of the Deeping Wood in the far middle of Kodaia. A terrible breed of animal, from the depths of the lowest point on the highest place in the Sorem mountains where the witch king Agva made his lair for a long and blood reign of the surrounding foothills and valley lands.

The fire fox began to circle Khali, slowly, intentionally. Its footfalls precise and its red eyes fixated upon fresh meat. Khali moved her hands slowly, rhythmically into her cloak to grasp concealed weapons and brought them back out empty. The fire fox stepped in closer and made as if to pounce. Khali challenged the beast by taking a half step forward. The fire fox bounced back and continued the dance, circling Khali.

Khali moved her feet to continually position herself before the fire fox, never allowing the animal to flank her. A fire fox had the speed of the wind and the swiftness of a rushing stream. Position once lost was devastating when facing the legendary beast. The fire fox bared its teeth and leapt toward Khali. From her seemingly empty hands, Khali flung a powdery substance that exploded into a cloud of smoke. As the fire fox lunged, Khali side-stepped and threw her palm into the side of the animal’s head.

The fire fox fell out of the lunge and landed on its side with a yelp. Khali backed out of the cloud of smoke and waited for the creature to emerge. She waited until the smoke cloud cleared and saw the fire fox laying, unconscious on the ground in the center of the camp. A symbol on its paw caught her eye: it was the sign of Agva. This was a hunting beast… and it wasn’t alone.

Thanks for reading episode 16!

So, I know it's day 17, but I got back so late last night that I didn't want to post this until this morning. However, I'm not going to fall behind, I'm going to get episode 17 out tonight so be on the watch for it! Upvote, share, comment, all that jazz:) you're epic!