“You’re probably wondering,” Mhorik said, “what that was about.”

“I’ve learned a lot on this trip, and not the things I expected to,” I replied with more irritation in my voice than I had intended.

“Remember I told you that I hated magic at the start?”

“Yes,” I said, controlling my voice better.

“After a while, I accepted it. I reveled in it. I wanted to control magic as much as I could.”

I stumbled over a tree root, caught myself, then steadied myself on the trunk. I was captivated by his words and hadn’t been paying attention to my footing.

“I went on a small journey after I had learned the basics from the old wizard in our village. I found out how easily I could manipulate the magic, and how it flowed at my command. It was exhilarating to control the power so easily!

“I found this forest and found the spots without magic, and I decided I wanted to show off my mastery. I decided I would spread the magic from outside the forest into the areas inside the forest.”

Mhorik fell back against the trunk of a nearby tree and slumped down. His face looked pained. I didn’t move, couldn’t move if I had wanted to, I was engrossed in his words.

“The Lelra found me. They were not kind to my intrusion. I found out later what a terrible thing I was doing.”

Mhorik looked down, tears falling down his cheek. He sobbed quietly to himself.

“I didn’t know….”

“Know what?” I finally found my voice to speak.

“The spots with no magic are special to the Lelra. It’s where they store their ancestors.”

“What do you mean?”

“Where they put their dead.”

I was shocked at the words. “Store? Do they not burn the dead?”

“No. They bury their dead under the ground. But, they must do it in the special place as handed down by their traditions. If they don’t, and if magic infests the bodies, then they walk again.”

“Their ancestors come back to life?”

“No. They do not come back as they once were. They become hideous monsters. Mockeries of the people they used to be.”

A shiver ran down my spine. Mhorik had warned me that magic should not be used to explore death. He did not have to tell me, as it seemed obvious even to someone as reckless as I was. But, the dead bodies coming back to life because of magic? That was frightening.

“The Lelra that found me took me to their matron, and she kept me in her hall. I stayed there a few seasons, and she learned our language from me. Then she gave me the clay slab.”

“What was the slab? Some sort of symbol?”

“It was my punishment.”

“How?”

“Did you see the green wisp that escaped from it?”

“Yes.”

“That was an ancestor spirit. I was tasked with keeping it alive to prove I did not intend harm.”

My mind reeled at those words. Mhorik had a spirit with him all this time? Had he dealt with death using his magic?

“Wha… ho… uh…,” I stammered.

“I had to keep concentrating on it while I kept it. I let it use some of the magic. I kept it alive, as I was bound to do, until I returned it.”

“How long…?”

“I first met the Lelra when I was about your age,” Mhorik said, quietly. He sagged to the ground then, fatigue washing over him completely.

Mhorik rested for a bit as I got out and took stock of the supplies we had been given. The waterbags we had were made from some sort of plant material. They were a bit smaller than the bladders we used, but the seal was tight. I had turned one of them over again and again trying to find the spout. When I opened it and tasted the water, it filled me with life. I gave some to Mhorik, and he looked better as well. I looked at the food, and took a few small pieces of food out. It was pale, soft, and easy to chew. I ate the tiny piece and felt incredibly full. The taste was… how can I describe it? Like eating cooled sunshine, unforgettable.

We got up and continued on. Mhorik kept quiet, so I did the same. We were able to make good time and soon left the forest completely. Just before nightfall, we saw a small village near a clear stream. As we approached, the guards met us. It was a friendly greeting, and we were taken to the fire in the middle of the village.

The village was really small compared to ours. Only about six huts surrounded the central fire, and one was obviously a place for drying. A few men sat near the fire, fidgeting with a nervous energy. Hunting spears planted upright into the ground nearby. A large man sat a little ways away, surrounded by a few women and a large number of screaming and scampering children. It was a restless tribe that had finally settled down to form a village. The large man stood up to greet us.

“You are not Lelra,” he stated.

“No, we are travelers.”

“Not many out here. Where are you going?”

“We are wizards going to the convocation.”

The mood all around us soured in an instant. The guard’s eyes narrowed, the men near the fire sat upright and turned toward us, the women made quick noises that got the attention of all the children. There was a sudden and brutal silence.

“What do you want?”

“A place by the fire to sleep for the night is all we ask. We can share some of the supplies we got from the Lelra.”

“Our wizard has already left,” the man said flatly, as if that explained it all. “She will not be back for a while.”

“Who is your wizard? Perhaps I know her.”

The big man got up and walked away from us. The women were moving their children away from us, and none of the men relaxed.

“It’s cold here,” I said quietly. Mhorik only nodded.

We set up some sleeping hides near the fire, taking a lack of “no” as permission enough to share the fire. We broke out some more of the supplies, but nobody joined us. I felt too worried to say anything, so I just sat and watched the fire until weariness overtook me and I laid myself down to sleep.

It seemed like only a few minutes later when Mhorik nudged me and whispered into my ear. “We leave now.” he said in a tone that would tolerate no argument. “Grab your pack and furs and go.”

I blinked, confused to find it still dark. The fire was still going brightly, so it there had not been much time passed at all. I could hear Mhorik making small, precise movements getting his stuff together. I hadn’t really unpacked my pack, so it was easy to get everything together. I was rolling up the sleeping hides when Mhorik gave a shout. He bolted up and started running. I slung my pack across one shoulder, grasped the hides in one hand and ran after him. I was running nearly blind, just trying to keep Mhorik in sight. Behind me I heard the snaps of twigs as someone (maybe two people?) were in pursuit. I heard the whoosh and a thunk of a spear hitting a tree. A curse reverberated behind me, but lacked the force of magic to power it. I kept running, but the sounds of pursuit did not follow.

We ran and ran and ran some more, dodging around the few trees until we found a large clearing, lit by the light of the moon above us. Mhorik finally stopped and caught his breath. “I guess,” he said between gasping breaths, “they don’t like outside wizards.”

A Restless Tribe is a story from Restless Deep

One figure walked toward me, holding a club ready in his hand. He (I think it was a ‘he’) had rich, dark skin and impossibly green hair that came down to his shoulders. His clothes were simple, made from some sort of fine vine twisted upon itself and looked rather durable. I looked at his face and a sound like the rushing wind mixed with a babbling stream came at me from his mouth. Despite the panic that should have been overwhelming me, I felt almost passive.

My attention snapped to Mhorik who was saying something in quiet but quick tones. Even without magic, he still had an edge of authority to his voice. I glanced over to see him carefully take out something wrapped in an old hide from his pack. He put it gently down on the ground and unwrapped it, revealing a slab of dried dark clay. He picked it up carefully and handed it to the other figure standing near him. The figure looked at the slab, then turned to the other figure, making some noises that sounded more like speech, but nothing like actual words.

“Be still, Dorua. I have this under control.”

I tried to respond, but my tongue just wouldn’t move in my mouth. The figure near me turned away toward his companion and I felt a weight lift off of me. “Mhorik?” I managed to croak.

“Just be still,” Mhorik repeated. I shook my head and tried to regain my senses.

The two figures talked for a bit, then the one turned back to Mhorik and reverently handed the clay slab back to him. The strange person made some hand motions and turned away, putting the club away on his belt.

“Dorua, get ready. Don’t worry, everything is fine.”

I got to my feet and went to my pack. I quickly put things back in and slung the pack over my shoulder. Mhorik had put the slab back in its hide wrappings and put the bundle back into his own pack. He got up and put his hand on my shoulder. “We will go with them.”

“Who are they?” I asked, having completely shaken off the stupor from before.

“They are the Lelra, guardians and masters of this forest. We will see the matron.”

“Matron?” I asked, not familiar with the word.

“She’s the female that leads them.”

“Like a wizard?”

“No,” Mhorik said quietly. “Not exactly. All the Lelra seem to control magic in some way.”

I looked at Mhorik in shock. “All of them?”

“All I have met. Their magic tends to be more subtle, though. Do not try to use magic while we are here.”

We walked in silence as I let it all sink in. We took no discernible path through the forest, but the Lelra didn’t hesitate at all, merely walking through the area and turning at seemingly random times. I ached to reach out and see if there were some magic guiding them, but I didn’t dare go against Mhorik’s words.

Finally we stopped. One of them turned around and held out his hand.

“We wait here,” Mhorik said quietly. The figure turned and left.

I finally dared to look around, and it took my breath away. What I thought was a merely a dense forest turned out to be a small area full of… people… like the two that guided us here. Some carried baskets full of stuff, entering what I now saw as doorways into buildings made of living plants. They moved quickly, stealing glances in our direction. Looking carefully, I also saw a few small ones peeking out from doorways, eyes wide in wonder at the strangers.

My attention was drawn back to the figure who returned, stepping through what I now recognized as a doorway. He waved us toward him, and Mhorik put his arm around me and went through the portal.

We entered an impressively large room, the walls made of living leaves of nearby plants. There was a dim, green light infusing the area, and it took my eyes a minute to adjust. Mhorik had already taken off his pack and had taken out the bundle again. He was unwrapping it as he stepped forward.

Just as I thought I couldn’t be startled anymore that day, my eyes fell on the magnificence of the far end of the room. A lavish chair was fashioned from the living wood of a tree. It dominated the whole far side of the room, and upon it sat a dark matron, unquestionably powerful just by her mere presence. She sat upright, looking down upon the rest of the room and all the insignificant people below. Then she spoke.

“Mhorik,” she said, the words sounding odd on her lips as if she had never said the name before. She drew a breath and started again, “Mhorik, you are returned.”

“Yes, matron.”

“The cycles pass and time weighs upon you. But, my mind blossoms with joy that you have returned.”

“It has been so many seasons.”

“Yes. You have brought back the symbol.”

“I have. I have kept it all this time as you told me to.”

She reached out her hands, seeming simultaneously spry and supple like a young girl’s, slender and sleek like an old woman’s, and powerful like a man’s. Mhorik held the slab out and gently gave it to her. Her face lit up as she held it. The matron then blew on it gently, and the symbol glowed a bright green. She gasped, obviously surprised. She then grasped the slab and with great effort cracked it in two. A small wisp of green came out and floated away as she said something that sounded like the rain against a roof at night. She then looked at Mhorik.

“You have proven yourself powerful, dangerous, but kind. You have also proven some of our wisest to be wrong in their assumptions. As we agreed so long ago, I will give you one boon. Name it.”

“I only wish free passage through your domain, matron. Perhaps some supplies, if you can spare them.”

A laugh like the quiet ocean waves came from her. “Easiliy granted, wizard, for you and your companion.” She said something and two figures ran off out of the room.

“Tell me about your companion, Mhorik.”

“This is my apprentice, Dorua. I am teaching her the ways of how to properly control magic.”

“Dorua,” the matron said, feeling the form of the words as they left her mouth. “I like that name. I see she has part of your power.”

“Yes, it is as I had hoped. Our ways are not so different.”

“No, I see they are not.”

The two figures came back in, carrying a bundle of supplies with them.

“Take these with you. The water is from the sweet spring here and will give you energy. The food is nourishing and will clear your mind as you need.”

“Thank you, matron.”

“You know our rules, but I will explain them to Dorua,” and she looked directly at me. “You are under our protection in this wood. Stay to the path we will show you. Do not harm any living thing intentionally. Do not bring fire into our bounds. Leave the stone cairns as you find them. Finally, do not alter the balance of magic here. Do you understand?”

I had no choice but to nod. But, looking into her face I saw her mouth break into a smile. “Learn well, Dorua. Mhorik has proven himself a potent teacher.”

“Thank you, matron,” I managed to say. We then collected the supplies and prepared to leave.

A Dark Matron is a story from Restless Deep

By midday we were within sight of the restless deep, and were almost back on our original path. Something about the sea invigorated us, and we kept up a faster pace than we had the previous days of our trip. Things were going well over the next few days until we met the far river flowing into the sea and saw the bridge had been washed away by the rushing torrent of the river. Mhorik grumbled and explained that we would have to hike up the river to find a place to ford across.

That night I felt bold and tried to stir up some discussion to take Mhorik’s mind off the detour. “What was it like when you first touched magic?”

Mhorik blinked and looked away from the small fire he had been concentrating on to build it up. “Huh? Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking about when Moonwind asked about you taking me as an apprentice. It sounds like most apprentices are detected before they do something… something like I did.”

Mhorik frowned and look back at the fire. “I don’t know if that’s the case.”

“Did your master find your power before you tried to control magic?”

“Not exactly. As has been said, males usually don’t control magic well. The first few times I tried, our Wizard told me to stop almost scolding me. It was only after none of the females showed any ability that she agreed to help me harness my ability.”

“So you didn’t lose control like I did?”

“Dorua, you shouldn’t focus so much on that one event. I know you remember the horror of what happened, but you learned the most important lesson about magic that night: it is not a thing that is easily controlled. It is chaotic.”

“But…”

“I mean it. Some wizards never learn this lesson, and they don’t just hurt others, they destroy themselves.”

I sat in silence for a while, the words hanging over us. Mhorik finally broke the quiet, “There is no ‘normal’ way for people to discover their control of magic. We just do and we hope for the best.”

I murmured something in agreement and turned in for the night.

We continued on for the next few days. Mhorik resumed the magic lessons and I eagerly learned what I could. The lessons meant a lot more to me as I could practice them freely and try out new things.

We settled down one night, resting a moment to catch our breath before setting up camp, when Mhorik said, “I hated magic when I first learned of it.”

“What?” I said, surprised by this admission.

“I hated it. It made me different than all the other children. I didn’t want to be different.”

I sat, barely even breathing, not knowing exactly what to say.

“But, I accepted it. I learned the lessons and I can shape magic. That is what my early experience was like.”

“Oh,” I said, realizing how stupid it sounded only after I uttered the word. After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, I dropped off my equipment and went to gather some wood for the night’s fire.

I brought back the kindling and pieces of wood. I set them up in the stones that Mhorik had set up and tried to gather the magic to light the fire, but nothing happened. Frustrated, I reached out to the surrounding area and found no magic around.

“Mhorik. There’s no magic here.”

Mhorik looked around tried to reach out himself, and couldn’t find anything either. “I didn’t think we were that close to the sacred place of the forest. Be on your best behavior.”

The Rushing Torrent is a story from Restless Deep

With the questions in my mind put to rest for a time, we continued on. Mhorik and I talked at length about magic. He gave me a few more lessons, and I kept practicing them during our walk. I even started to use the energy rune carved into my arm so long ago, finally understanding what it meant after seeing Mhorik’s lightning display. The days flew by as we traveled along, and I settled into a rhythm. I didn’t notice the aches and pains so much any more, and event started sleeping as easily under the stars as I did back home in my hut.

We had stopped to gather up some more fresh water when a stranger stepped out. He had a spear in his hand, but didn’t carry it threateningly. The spearhead glittered in the sunlight, made of pure shaped flint. The figure said something that didn’t sound quite right to my ears, and Mhorik said something back.

“What’s going on?”

Mhorik gave me a quick look and went back to talking. The conversation got animated, with the stranger waving his spear around not exactly in a threatening manner, but not entirely friendly, either. He pointed to the distance and waved to follow him.

We walked for a while before I spoke up again. “What is this, Master?”

“This person is from a wandering tribe. Their wizard has left, probably to the convocation, and he says the elder has a problem that only a wizard can handle. He was very insistent that we come along with him.”

“His words don’t sound right.”

“He speaks a different tongue than we do. Related, but not quite the same.”

“You mean, he speaks like a kobold?” I said with a grin. The green skins were known for their gibbering and grunting that seemed to be their language.

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Mhorik said, giving me a scolding look. “I speak the language, just be on good behavior.”

We walked away from the sea that had been our constant companion since we had left the village. We went around a couple of hills and saw a small group of tents with a large fire burning in the middle. Spears were planted in the ground around the encampment, and several people were busy with daily life as we entered.

Now that I knew what to listen for, I could almost understand the language. Our guide said a few words that sounded like “old father in sleeping skin” and pointed to the large tent. Mhorik beckoned me toward him and walked to the entrance.

The inside was dark, hot, and smelly. The elder was an ancient man, covered in tattered furs in the corner. He blinked at the light streaming in from the flap and yelled something obviously unkind.

“Hunter talked old father has thorns,” It sounded like Mhorik said, speaking the other language.

“I have dry wizard smell,” the old man mumbled.

“No smell. What thorns when no smell?” Mhorik responded.

“White stones are hurt thorn, must be wizard smell!” The old man nearly shouted with his hoarse voice.

Turning from the old man and looking at me, Mhorik whispered, “Get out the numbing bark you packed,” then turned and yelled something out the door i didn’t hear. I unpacked a lot of items and found the long pieces of bark we sometimes hold against wounds when casting a numbing spell.

Mhorik took his ritual knife from its sheathe and sliced off a few pieces. A woman came in with a bowl of very hot water and put it down near Mhorik. He dropped the pieces of bark into the water. Mhorik gave me a warning look and I sat silently.

A low chant came from Mhorik’s lips, but he was saying nonsense. It didn’t even sound like the strange language this tribe spoke. He weaved a small amount of magic, summoning a few glowing motes of fire and let them burn out. Continuing for a while longer, the brew cooled down and Mhorik picked it, gave it to the elder, and mimicked drinking it. The old man looked at the bowl, then tipped it back gently and slurped up the water and left the piece of bark. Mhorik pointed to the bark and mimicked a chewing motion. With obvious hesitation, the old man finally did as instructed.

“Stay food and see when I eat,” the old man said as he waved us away. Mhorik got up and I followed.

“What was that about smells?” I asked when we were away from the tent.

“He thinks he was cursed by a wizard. He wanted me to remove the curse.”

“Was he?”

“No, he just had an ache in his mouth. The numbing bark should make him feel better. But, he doesn’t want us to leave until he can eat tonight. So, get comfortable.”

We found a place near the fire to sit and we watched the tribe wind down for the night. A large slab of meat had been placed near the fire, and it was cooking to sizzling perfection. After eating the dried food we packed, I was eager for some real food for a change.

When the meat was taken away from the fire, the old man was escorted out of the tent by two younger women. They sat him down and he mumbled something and pointed to the whole tribe. A slice of meat was cut off and served to him in a worn wooden bowl. He picked up the meat, took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.

“White stone fine, wizards can jump again,” it sounded like the demanding elder said.

“That’s our permission to leave?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“But, let’s wait until after we have some of that meat!”

“A wise decision,” Mhorik said, and we waited for bowls to be passed to us.

The Demanding Elder is a story from Restless Deep

“What did she mean when she said you were a ‘generous master’?”

Mhorik continued walking, different emotions playing across his face. He gave a small sigh and answered, “Some wizards aren’t kind to their apprentices. Some believe that hardship makes an apprentice more focused.”

He saw the scowl on my face and smirked. We walked on in silence as I thought about this. I never really thought about other wizards much, let alone apprentices. A thousand questions flooded my mind: Why was Mhorik generous to me? Was it because I was a girl? Was it because he thought I’d be too powerful for him? Or not powerful enough?

We walked on for a few more days while I was lost in thought. Mhorik seemed to understand I needed my distance, and we only communicated when necessary. I started going through everything in my head and questioning it. Was Mhorik a good teacher? Did he push me too hard? Not hard enough? Was he a capable wizard? Despite being male? Because he was male and had to work harder? More and more questions came to me with each passing day, but no answers.

I was broken out of my thoughts suddenly when we were walking along a hunting path one afternoon. Mhorik pushed me to the ground. “Shh!” he hissed into my ear.

I shifted around and looked just above the grass to see a small band of kobolds marching along the road ahead. They were armed with large clubs and crude spears, marching down the road in our direction. A marauding party looking for targets.

“Fight?” I breathed to Mhorik as I ducked my head down.

He sucked a bit of air between his teeth, poked his head up quickly, and then back down. “Yes,” he said decisively, his knuckles white gripping his walking stick.

My mind raced as I considered the magic I should wield. I felt Mhorik wrap some magic around us. “Protection,” he whispered.

I pulled aside my sleeve and looked at my rune scars. Fire, ground, wind…. Wind! I did a simple counting spell to count the number of short spears in the group. Five came to my mind and I nodded to myself. “I summon wind,” I whispered. “Then fire.”

Mhorik looked at me, thought a moment, then smiled. “Good,” he said as he nodded approval.

We sat for a while longer as Mhorik stole glances at the approachcing group. “Fifteen,” he whispered into my ear. “Ready?”

I swallowed hard and nodded. He tapped me on the shoulder, once, twice, three times….

On the third tap, we sprung out of hiding and into the open. The wind spell on my lips as we stood, causing the air between us and the group to churn. One kobold shouted in alarm, and a few hurled their spears at us, but they were knocked aside by the wind.

I concentrated on my next spell, tracing the rune on my arm. I didn’t really need the rune to summon the fire, but I did need it for control. I planted gouts of fire all around the enemies, discouraging their advance without trying to kill them all. One of the kobolds went into a frenzy and charged through the blaze, catching fire and consumed in flame before he even took five steps beyond.

A few more spears came toward us. My wind spell was weakening, but still potent enough to knock the short spears aside. I concentrated more fire around the group, trying to force them away from us. I inhaled deeply, concentrating hard but feeling the strain of the magic. I took a moment to look at the field, and noticed that Mhorik had not cast any magic at the group. What was wrong?

As if on cue, Mhorik uttered a final word of power. It shook the air around us as a bolt of lightning struck the ground near the kobolds. The explosive force drew in the fire and then expelled it in a wicked blaze of destruction. Bodies hit the ground, and the others went running off the path, into the tall grass of the planes and away from us.

I sat down hard, letting my concentration drop. A few flames still burned, sustained by the kobold bodies instead of my own will. The smell was terrible, but I was too tired to care. I pulled out a bit of water and drank deeply. Mhorik reached down and I handed the skin to him.

Then I laughed. Had Mhorik been a good teacher to me? The fact I was still alive to ponder the question after that answered it quite decisively for me.

A Wicked Blaze is a story from Restless Deep

“What?” I asked slowly, not sure what was suddenly on his mind.

“Some wizards believe in true names.”

I looked at Mhorik with a puzzled look on my face.

He chuckled and explained, “They say if you know the true name of an item, you can gain control over it.”

“Like, rocks?”

“Something like that. If you knew a rock’s ‘true name’, you could control it easier.”

“That’s silly,” I said, “How could you find out a rock’s name?”

Mhorik shook his head. “They also believe it applies to people.”

“Oh.”

“And some believe that using your true name as a wizard is a sign of weakness.”

“But, you don’t believe it.”

Mhorik turned to me and planted his staff on the ground. “Mhorik is the name given to me by my mother. You know it. Do you think you could cast a spell that I could not deflect?”

“Heh, no,” I chuckled. One time long ago I had cast some magic at Mhorik, but he easily turned it away and it struck me instead. All my hair fell out and wouldn’t grow back for a week.

“Exactly. But, as you will learn, appearances mean a lot to wizards. So, when we meet other wizards, do not use my name. You should call me ‘master’. I will call you my apprentice.”

It seemed odd to me. Mhorik had always just been Mhorik. Now I had to call him a formal title.

“But, we won’t see any wizards for a long time now.”

Mhorik laughed. “We will see another wizard in a few days, actually. A cousin of mine that goes by the name Moonwind.”

Two days later we arrived in another village by the sea. It looked like our village, but the buildings were all in strange places.

The villagers greeted us warmly, but the whole village was abuzz with questions. “Long time, Starwise!” “What news of the world?” “Who is that girl, wizard?” Mhorik answered their questions in a friendly tone as we walked to one of the larger huts in the village. The villagers fell silent as Mhorik rapped on the door with his staff.

A tall, dark woman dressed in luxurious furs opened the door and stepped out. Her eyes blinked in the sunlight and she saw Mhorik. “Cousin!” she said as she hugged him.

“Well met, cousin Moonwind. I’ve come to visit.”

“Come in. Heading to the convocation?”

Mhorik stepped into the hut and motioned me to follow. “Yes. It has been too long since I was last at one, and my apprentice must be presented.”

The wizard turned around and faced me. “Apprentice? Oh, a female! Good for you.”

Mhorik grimaced. I might have seen him roll his eyes.

The two wizards sat and swapped information. Mhorik acted casual, but I could tell he wasn’t completely at ease. Moonwind teased him quite a lot, taking pains to point out that he was a male and praising me for being female. It got tiresome, but I sat quietly and listened.

Later some villagers brought in food and we ate.

“Tell me about yourself, apprentice. How did Starwise find you?”

There was an awkward silence as I chewed and hastily swallowed the large bite I had just taken. “Mh…my master found me after I had tried to control some magic.”

Mhorik shot me a look as he caught my mistake.

“Oh. He didn’t detect your power before it manifested?” Moonwind asked.

I gave Mhorik a questioning look.

“My apprentice didn’t show any signs, and the proper rituals did not indicate anything at the time of her birth.”

“Oh, a shame. Did you light someone on fire, then?”

My face burned as I stammered, not knowing how to respond.

“She did try to control fire, but it didn’t harm anyone,” he covered with a little lie.

The wizard nodded. “You are lucky. You have a very generous master who treats you well,” Moonwind said as she smiled at me.

I mumbled some sort of thanks, not quite knowing how to take that statement. The two talked late into the night, but sleep overtook me not long after the meal and I slept soundly until the next morning. We set out early the next morning, and truth be told, I was glad to be away from that place.

A Generous Master is a story from Restless Deep

The light grew around us as we trudged on in silence. Some of the morning birds began to sing in response to the sunlight, and that helped put a spring back in my step.

“How many birds are around us?” Mhorik asked, breaking our mutual silence.

“Uh,” I stammered, “I don’t know.”

“How could you figure it out?”

I thought for a while while walking, considering magical and mundane ways to do it. Suddenly, I had an idea.

“A counting spell!” I said, triumphantly.

“Good. Try it, but don’t stop walking.”

I concentrate as I keep going, reaching out with my mind while tracing the scar-rune of counting on my arm and reciting a syllable for birds quietly to myself. I find I can’t sense very far, and can’t precisely detect the nearby birds.

“I can’t reach very far.”

“And why not?”

“Dunno. Harder to concentrate while walking,” I said, with a bit of frustration edging into my voice.

“Remember, the more specific you are, the easier crafting magic is.”

“But, I do not know what types of birds are around.”

“Well, what distinguishes a bird from other things around?”

“Uh, feathers?” I guessed.

“Yes, but how many feathers on each bird?”

“Oh.” Then, I have it, “Beaks!”

“Exactly. Try the spell again, but count beaks.”

I trace the scar-rune again, I reach out my mind while repeating the syllable for beaks, and I find my reach extended.

“Fifteen within sight of us,” I report.

“Good. Now you have learned another trick to help you cast better.”

We continued walking into the evening and Mhorik took time to point out interesting plants and animals from the area that I had not seen before. We talked about magic and he gave me a few more lessons. We set up camp at night and I slept soundly, the fatigue of the constant walking helping. This continued more days.

We were breaking camp on the fifth day after leaving the village when my curiosity got the better of me. “Mhorik?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you… why are you male?” I blurted out, realizing how stupid that sounded only after I had said it.

Mhorik looked at me, then laughed. “You mean, why am I a Wizard, despite being male?”

My cheeks burned hot and I nodded. “You said it’s mostly females who are wizards.”

He finished throwing dirt on the fire and got up. “Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean all wizards are female. Some males show some talent with magic. Just few of them become wizards of a village.”

“So, why are you a wizard of our village?”

“Simple enough reason. No females my age showed any sign of power. Usually that’s a very dire sign for a village, as being without a wizard means not having access to magic. So, the previous wizard trained me as her apprentice. I wouldn’t say she hated me, but I think she was not as happy with me as she would have been with a female apprentice. I was the last wizard in the village.”

We walked on a bit in silence. “But, you are a powerful wizard, Mhorik!”

“Well, I’m a capable wizard. But, there are others that are more powerful. You’ll meet some of them.”

“Do the other wizards accept you?”

“Some do, some don’t. Some think it’s a mockery that a male should be treated as a wizard, or that males cannot control magic as well as females can. Many do give me the respect due to a wizard, though.”

I felt that he wasn’t telling me everything, but I let the topic drop.

“A few more days and we should be to the next village,” Mhorik said, and we continued walking.

The Last Wizard in the Village is a story from Restless Deep

The whole village was there that last night to give us a grand farewell. The fire was stoked high after the ritual, and had to be kept burning while we were gone. A villager would be assigned to tend the fire every night, and many villagers would need to go gather more firewood. Mhorik and I invested part of our power into the fire, a tiny bit of ourselves left behind to protect against magical danger. The villagers used the fire to cook the last meal we would share together before the trip.

Still, the villagers worried. “Is there no way to delay this, Mhorik?” “You are growing old, wizard, you should not go.” “What if an evil wizard douses the fire and enslaves us?” The questions became more and more worried sounding, fear feeding upon fear.

At last, Mhorik stood up and pounded his staff against the ground. Using a little bit of power, he amplified the sound to give it weight and draw all attention to him. “My friends!” he shouted, “My friends, I hear your worries. And, I share them. But, it is necessary for me to go. Young Dorua must be presented to the other wizards of the convocation. I must go to talk with my peers and find news of what goes on beyond our village.

“Remember the stories of the walking dead: how the slain did not rest and moved to send others to the darkness. I go to find if a threat like that challenges us in these times. If we are fortunate, there will be no news. But, if some danger prowls the land, I need to find out from the other wizards what we must do.

“The fire ritual has given everyone our protection. No, I will not be here to ward against wild animals or natural curses, but any evil magics cast at the village will fail. As for the other threats, our warriors are strong, brave, and proud. They will be able to fight off attackers or animals while we are gone.

“Do not fret, my friends. Look to the sun being swallowed by the sea as we speak. Does the sun abandon you forever? No. Every morning the sun jumps out from behind the moutains and brings the light and life back to the lands. We, too, are not abandoning you. Yes, you must endure a bit of night, but we will still come back from over the mountains.”

We all sat in awe after his speech. Most people sat in awe of his inspiring words and the courage he lent them. I sat in awe of the way he masterfully wove magic into his words to give them power. There was murmuring in the crowd, and finally someone shouted, “Go, Mhorik, and bring light and life when you return.”

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. Our friends came up and wished us well, gave us small gifts to take with us to bring some comfort on the road. Sama brought me some dried leaves to make into a soothing tea she knows I like. I hugged her and thanked her for her gift. I was a bit disappointed when Balar was not with her, though.

Finally, we set off to the hut. The first villager sat near the fire while two others slept nearby. Mhorik went on ahead while I took a stroll around the village one last time. I traced steps I had gone so many times before, but they felt more vital to me knowing that I wouldn’t see them for many months.

“Dorua,” the voice started me as I was lost in my reverie. I looked up to see Balar step out onto the path.

“Balar,” I said, trying not to show how spooked I had been. “What are you…”

He stepped forward and put his arms around me. My inpulse was to step back, but I fought against it and stood where I was. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Come back safe,” he whispered into my ear.

I put my arms around him and held him close to me. We stood there in the moonlight in silence. Finally, we broke apart and left our separate ways without saying a word. I practically floated back to the hut, and it took me a long time to finally settle down to sleep.

That night my sleep was filled with strange dreams. Rocks that talked, animals that followed us in the distance, trees that blocked our path I didn’t know what it it all meant, except that I was tired that morning as we set off. But, I trudged on down the path with Mhorik, looking forward the adventure but looking forward even more to the time I would return.

A Grand Farewell is a story from Restless Deep

“What are you doing?” Mhorik asked when he saw me carring a pile of clothing around.

“I need to prepare for the trip!”

“And take all that?”

“I’ll need fresh clothes,” I started.

“You can barely carry those. You still need to carry some food, camp gear, and ritual items. A very long distance.”

I sat down, exasperated. “All that?”

“Let’s go take a look at what we need to pack.”

We went into the sacred hut and a few hours later we had worked out a list of supplies we should take along. Mhorik left me a lone to pack whatever ritual items I thought would be important. Looking through all the items in the sacred hut, I felt like I was trying to create order from raw chaos. What was important to take?

In the end I packed herbs for protection and healing, a fire twig to focus energy into making a small fire, some stones to bring luck in hunting and foraging, an amulet of power, some divination bones, and a ritual knife. I packed them in a lightened carrying basket and set them aside for now.

Evening was approaching so I went outside to get some food. A stew was steaming in a large cauldron over the fire, and I got a bowl. The meat was a bit tough, the last of the stores from the long, cold season, but it still tasted good. Sitting on the ground in the last of the sun, a few friends came over and sat down beside me.

“Where have you been?” my best friend Sama teased. “In studying magic all day? It was so beautiful out!”

I smiled and shruged. “Busy,” I said simply. I was too busy glancing at Sama’s brother, Balar. Every time he’d look up, my eyes would dart back to my own food and I’d take a small bite.

“Dorua!” Sama yelled, grabbing my attention.

“What?”

“What were you doing all day?”

“Mhorik is taking me to the convocation.” As I said that, I noticed Balar suddenly look up at me.

“Really?” Sama gasped. “When?”

“Two weeks. I was packing some supplies.” Balar’s eyes dropped and he stared at his food, concentrating on eating.

“Wow. So exciting! How far away is the convocation?”

I shrugged. Glancing at Balar, but he didn’t look back up. “Far away, I guess.”

Sama laughed. She saw some of the other girls and waved them over. “Dorua’s going to the convocation!”

The other girls surrounded me, pelting me with questions. Balar looked uncomfortable and eventually got up and went on his way. I talked to the girls, but I really didn’t know the answers to the questions they asked. It felt weird to talk to them for so long, usually the ignore me since I spend so much time studying magic with Mhorik.

Night fell and I said my goodbyes, giving some excuse about having to study more magic that night. I walked around in the cool night air looking for Balar, but didn’t see him. I sighed and walked back home. Why did he act that way? Was he jealous of me heading on a trip?

I got back to the hut and tried to go to sleep. But, the excitement of the trip and my questions about Balar kept me awake. Morning seemed to come a bit too early.

Order from Raw Chaos is a story from Restless Deep

A moment later, the knock of a staff against the frame of the building brought me out of my stupor. It could only be Mhorik daring to want to enter the hut after the rebirth festival, and he would be sorely disappointed if he saw the ceremonial clothing scattered on the ground. I got up with a grunt of effort, pulled up the clothes and hastily placed them on the pegs on the posts. I wrapped a sheet around myself and fell back down on the rug

“C’min,” I mumbled. The entry cloth was pushed aside and Mhorik came in.

“A wonderful ritual, Dorua,” he said as he smiled. “The tree tenders said they have high hopes for the season’s blossoms after that performance.”

I looked up through half-closed eyes. “Drained, tired,” I manage to form the words.

He looked down at me and frowned. “You pushed yourself too hard. Rest, my girl, and we’ll talk a bit later.”

I nodded, slumped down, and fell asleep almost immediately on the rug.

***

I awoke sometime later, wondering how long I had slept. I caught the scent of burning herbs, probably placed on the fire by Mhorik. The pungent smoke made the scar runes on my arm itch as it always did. I thought about tracing the flame rune to calm the fire, but decided that wasn’t a good idea when I’m still groggy.

I stood up with the sheet still clinging to me. Clearing my head, I heard the festival still going on outside. Guess I didn’t sleep that long….

Stumbling outside, I saw everyone from the village around. Some were drinking the last of the burning ice drink. Others were feasting upon the remaining scraps left from the giant hunk of meat that was roasted over the fire all night. One was dancing around wildly, letting the energy of the festival that I unleashed overtake him. Another couple were using the energy in the traditional way, hoping to be blessed with a child that year. A few others noticed me and waved, but gave me space. They feared me like they didn’t fear Mhorik, because I’m a girl.

I found the old wizard sitting just outside the range of the firelight. I might not have seen him but the light of the large moon was shining off his pale hair. He had grown so old in the years since he first took me as an assistant. He tried to deny it, but the white hair on his head told the truth where he wouldn’t.

He murmured a welcome as I sat down next to him. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw that he was looking up. Using the end of his staff, he was measuring something.

“Where is the Wizard at?” he asked suddenly, turning his gaze to me. I looked up and found the familiar cluster of stars that form the end of the staff as quickly as I can. Followed it down to the base and over. “Near where the sun rises,” I half guessed.

“Right. So, it is time.”

“For what?”

“For the convocation I’ve told you about, Dorua. This year I feel I must go. And, you will go with me.”

The news shocked me. To the convocation? The meeting of the wizards?

“Wh… when?” I stammered out.

“In two weeks. Get some supplies together tomorrow. It will be along trek.”

With that, Mhorik got up and walked off toward the sacred hut. I sat in the gloom for a moment, my mind racing around and around at the news, before physical fatigue hit me and I went off to go to bed.

The Rebirth Festival is a story from Restless Deep

“Which group is that?” the wizard asked, pointing to a cluster of stars near the horizon.

“The wanderer,” the girl answered. “It represents focus over distance.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means… I don’t know what it means,” the girl answered after a moment’s thought.

“It means focusing on a location not near you,” the wizard answered.

“Like at another hut?”

“Something like that. Or even further away. Watch this.”

The wizard chanted familiar syllables under his breath and pointed. In the gloom, the girl followed the direction he indicated and saw a flame bobbing in the distance.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “The flame is over there! You summoned it?”

“Yes,” the wizard explained. “I use the aspect of the wanderer and I generate the flame over there.”

“How far away can you do that?” the girl asked excitedly.

“Me? Not very far. Other wizards can sometimes focus their magic at places they can’t even see. They call me weak because I cannot do that.”

The girl sat and thought for a bit, concentrating on the flame in the distance. On a whim, she created her own flame and tried to send it into the distance. The flame unexpectedly flared into the dark night. The girl was spooked and lost her concentration, causing the flames to fall to the ground and start burning the nearby plants.

The wizard gave a sharp syllable and his own tiny flame in the distance winked out. He said a few more words of power and gathered up the fallen fires, rising them above the ground and letting them die.

“Careful!” the wizard rasped, catching his breath. “You control a force you don’t understand! Do not be so careless with such destruction.”

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes as the words sunk in. The fire had come to her so easily after that one day, scaring everyone around her. She remembered the cries of the burning animals from the time when she was showing off; they still haunted her dreams. She had hated the fire!

The wizard stepped toward her and hugged her close him. “Oh, Dorua,” the old wizard said softly. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault Let me teach you to control the magic. Make it a tool to serve you instead of something you fear. Do you want to become my apprentice?”

Dorua looked up into his eyes. Eyes that glimmered in the night with secret magics. Dorua wiped away her tears, sniffled, and nodded. “Yes,” she said in a quiet voice.

The wizard stepped away and smiled. He held out his hand for her to grab, and they walked together back to the village and to her new life.

Starting Out is a story from Restless Deep

Some comforted her, some asked her about her dreams, but it was Han who had asked, “You make fire again?” The question confused Sen, but in the sleepless haze she agreed. The next few hours she stared at a bit of dry wood to summon the fire, but it didn’t come. Until she fell asleep, and saw the fire in the distance. Again she called up on the fire to warm her in the dream and it came easier this time. Shouts woke her up and she saw the bit of wood was ablaze. Han was holding her by her shoulders and telling her what a good job she had done.

The rest of the season she spent focusing. At first, she could only really make the fire when she was sleepy and thinking about her dreams. She started with a piece of wood she was touching, but eventually she could set fire to something across the cave, but it was tiring. As she practiced, however, it was eaiser and easier to summon the fire.

But every time she called up the fire, she remembered the death of her parents and everyone she had loved. Even Nif’s tender concern couldn’t ease the pain. It was like ripping the scab off a wound that you couldn’t allow to heal. Yet, she couldn’t stop. Any time she stopped summoning the fire, Han would come along and ask her, or even beg her, to continue to work on it. He showed so much pride and love when she summoned the fire. It became a great honor for her to relight the fire at the mouth of the cave every night.

One day, Han was getting the hunters ready for a trip. As they were packing supplies, Han approached Sen.

“Sen, you come, too.”

“Why?”

“Hunters need fire. You help.”

Sen frowned, but gathered up supplies. Han had been very nice to her lately, so perhaps this would be a good way to show her appreciation.

They set off and took the path away from the sea. They kept a fast pace, but Sen was able to keep up easily enough. Night fell and Han asked Sen to set the fire. The hunters all laughed and clapped when she did it. Gao told her that it took a long time with kindling and flint to start the fire. They ate some dried rations and settled in for the night.

The next morning was overcast but dry. Han set off at a fast pace. Some of the hunters seemed confused and worried. They talked to Han in low tones, but Han responded by laughing and smiling.

“We go where we used to hunt. No problems,” he would always say. The other hunters cast looks at each other, but followed on.

That night the mood was a lot quieter. Han asked Sen to create the fire, and she did so. Gao still laughed when she did it, but Gar, Bo, and Jor were quiet. They ate quickly and went to sleep under the open stars.

The third day was still overcast. Rain threatened, but didn’t appear all day. The clouds broke around noon for a little while, but they closed up and hid the sun from the hunters. They were still traveling fast when Han gave a shout. Sen looked in the distance and saw some dark figures on the horizon. Han broke into a run, and the other hunters reluctantly followed. Bo looked at Sen, frowned, then continued to run.

Sen saw it was other humans as they approached. The hunters in the other group were dragging a sledge full of hunted animals behind them, but left it where it was when they noticed Han’s group approach. One of the hunters hunched under a cloak. She could smell something strange about him, even from a distance… he smelled of death.

Han slowed down and started walking as they got close to the other group. The other group started laughing and yelling, shouting nonsense at the hunters. Sen looked over and saw that Han had a wicked grin on his face.

The other kept laughing as the hunters came close. The strangers brandished their spears, knocking them together and swinging them slowly at the group. When they got close enough, the leader of the other group threw up his hand and stepped aside. The stranger in a cloak stepped forward and looked up. He threw open his cloak, and Sen was knocked back by the scent of death.

“Fire, Sen! Do fire now!” Han yelled. Sen’s eyes watered, but Han’s voice cut through and she obeyed. She thought of her father who fell quietly behind her. She thought of her mother who gave her final strength to tell Sen to keep moving. She thought about the life-giving fire, and summoned it to do her bidding.

Then the others started screaming.

Sen wiped her eyes and saw the cloaked stranger engulfed in flames. He dropped a blackened lump at his feet and fell backwards. The fire jumped to the enemy leader with tremendous force. His skin bubbled and peeled, exposing his flesh and finally his bone. He fell over with a silent scream contorting his melted face. Fire had caught on the sledge, burning the flesh of the animals and adding to the scene. The enemy hunters dropped their weapons and simply ran as fast as they could away from the fire.

Chaos ensued. Gao and Jor started running away from the scene, back the way the group had come. Gar stood there, watching with unblinking eyes. Bo buried her face in her hands, not wanting to see the horror in front of her.

Han’s reaction was the worst. He fell to his knees and let out a horrible wail. Tears streamed down his face as he faced what was happening. The weight of his decision bore down on him, and he felt crushed.

Fatigue washed over Sen and she fell over, exhausted. Her eyes were fixed on the two charred lumps of what used to be humans. Tears flooded her vision and washed away the world as she wept.

Exacting Revenge is a story from Restless Deep

The tribe dragged the sledges with the wrapped bodies of the fallen tribe at a slow pace. Prin had babbled directions to the nearest sacred space and Tama got the tribe to move toward that destination. They did their sacred duty with or without Heena leading them.

It was the fifth night when they stopped to make camp that Heena went wild. She screamed at the top of her lungs and ran toward the sledge calling her sister’s name. “Dees! Dees! I won’t leave you!” she screamed, fingers tearing at the careful wrappings on the bodies. It took Tama, Duni, and Wod to pull her back and hold her down, so great was the frenzy that overtook her. When she realized the futility of her struggle, she went limp and simply started sobbing. The sight of it shocked Tama and Duni, not accustomed to seeing their leader break down. Wod laid down next to her, holding his body close to her and making quiet, comforting noises. After a moment he waved the others away, who went to find wood for a fire.

Night fell and Heena finally found sleep. She clung to Wod as a newborn clings to her mother.

The morning sun came, but Heena seemed more withdrawn tha before. She refused to move until Tama came along and helped her, having to treat her like a child. She helped Heena wash up and get into fresh clothes. When the tribe was ready, Tama made sure Heena moved along with the group. Low whispers were shared between the tribe, wondering if Heena could recover from the tragedy.

At the end of the tenth day, they had found the sacred space. Prin had taken the lead, directing the group the last little way without hesitation or error. The tribe was glad to finally be able to put the disfigured bodies properly to rest. Heena still sat passive, not participating in the ritual, so Tama lead it to the best of her ability. Her words were clumsy and awkward, but she knew the important part was bringing the bodies to the sacred space.

After the grim work was done, the tribe collapsed, exhausted. The trip and the rites had taken a toll on them. Some started to set up camp lacking any other plan, planning to just rest for a little while.

Prin still felt like an outsider. The tribe had taken her in after finding her, but she felt alone and adrift. The finality of putting her old tribe mates into the ground sank in, and she just felt tired beyond understanding. She wandered away from the bustle of the camp absentmindedly, wanting quiet not not quite wanting to be alone with her thoughts.

She saw Heena sitting on a log, her dim eyes staring off into the distance at nothing. Prin sat down next to Heena without a word, staring off into the distance. Finally, Prin broke down and started crying, the frustrating and pain hitting her all at once. She doubled over, tears streaming from her eyes onto the ground.

Heena seemed to come to her senses and looked over at the weeping figure next to her. Perhaps it was motherly instinct, or a mutual understanding of two people in deep pain, but she reached out and held Prin close. Heena cried as well, expressing her wailing grief. Some of the tribe checked on them to make sure they were okay, but mostly left them to their grief. Time passed as the two sat huddled together, hugging each other close and sharing their mutual loss. They spent that night in deep slumber after the catharsis.

The next morning Heena was up and about as the sun rose over the horizon. Tama went over and gave her a strong hug, welcoming her back. When everyone was up, Heena called for attention.

“Thank you, my friends. You cared for me when I did not, and you kept me going when I could not go on. I cherish you.” Heena smiled.

“Let us also welcome Prin into our tribe. She has also suffered great loss but has shown strength in leading us to the sacred spot. Truly the spirit of Bralla lives on in her.”

The group came together and embraced. They fixed a meal and ate together, things almost feeling like normal.

But, in the night, the disfigured face of her sister shambled in Heena’s dreams. She talked to Prin, who shared the same dark dreams, and they formed a bond that lasted for the rest of their lives.

Moving On is a story from Restless Deep

The animals were also curious about the group. At a rocky outcrop, one of the animals had used her claws to carve out part of a figure that looked like the hard one. The group made the pleased noise as they looked at it, and the animals seemed to enjoy the company of the rocky ones.

Instead of seeking the quiet of a cave, the group had been sleeping in the open with their new friends. There was a vein of rock that was exposed to the open air, which gave them some comfort. But the night in the open brought new sounds.

A new noise cut through the air that night, a loud piercing sound, that made all the animals sit up alert. The bigger animals grabbed the smaller ones and put them in a central location on the small table of rock, then formed a tight circle around them. The leader was making loud noises and searching around as one of his partners stood guard over the little ones.

There was a crashing through the brush as a small cat figure emerged into the open, chased by two small green creatures making the screaming noise. Their sharp claws swiping to try to catch the young one finally caught him on the side, sending him tumbling with a yell. The leader looked in the direction of the yell and dropped to all fours, running to his little one, but could not make it in time.

The hard one moved faster than anyone could have anticipated. He swung his harm and connected hard against the side of one of the beasts, sending it sprawling. It made gasping noises and red fluid flowed out of its side. The other green monster ran into the hard one and bounced back, but made an even louder screaming noise. It dove toward the fallen green beast and bit at it, tearing chunks of meat from the fallen. Suddenly a small pack of the green ones leaped out of the bushes and decended on the fallen one. In short order, there were only broken bones and a splash of red where the body had been and the group turned their focus to the group.

The fast one and the hungry one had joined the hard one, forming a wall between the green monsters and the animal friends. The leader had grabbed his little one, leaking red fluid on his side as the green monsters had, and put him with the rest. The leader took his place in the group, facing the monsters and preparing for an attack. But, the group had decided to protect their friends and stood close, blocking the direct approach. The whole group were standing together by now, even the timid small one. They made an aggressive sound together, which made the green ones hesitate slightly before one launched an attack. Where one went, the rest followed.

The group were swinging their arms, crashing them down on the heads of the green monsters. More of them poured out of the underbrush, but the wall formed by the group held firm against the incoming tide. Any that got through were met by the small one who could still deal significant damage with his blunt arms against the soft flesh of the green ones. But, the wave of monsters kept coming. Some would throw themselves at their fallen kin, devouring them in large chunks, while others would throw themselves against the group. The green ones could see the animals in a group behind the rocky wall and charged to try to get to the prize.

It happened so suddenly that nobody could react. A particularly large green one hit the old one while he was fighting another and pushed him aside. Through the temporary breach that large one and five others rushed through before the old one regained his balance and closed the gap. The small one moved to block them, but they proved too much for him. The smaller ones tackled him and knocked him over. They set upon him, digging their claws deep into his stone and pulling at his arms. The large one lumbered up and raised its foot, stomping hard on the small one. The force drove the small one into the ground with a crunch as splinters of rock flew everywhere. The large green monster pulled his foot back and howled in pain, but only a bunch of broken rock remained where the small one had fallen.

A cry came from the animals as the leader and a few others ran forward. Their claws dug into the flesh of the large green one, and it was brought low with repeated blows. The smaller ones were too quick, and dodged past the attackers to run toward the group. Murder was in their eyes as they ran forward, claws slashing the air and teeth biting the air in anticipation of more flesh. Just as the pack of green ones almost reached the group, a cry of surprise came from the small animals in the middle.

Leaping out from the group was the small one! He had used the carved rock of the outcropping to form a new body. It was more refined than his old body, taking on some of the form of the partially carved figure. But the rest of the group immediately recognized him. He swung his new arms in the air and brought them down hard on the green monsters. He crushed their bones and knocked them aside. He went back to the wall, catching any of the green ones that had broken through. Eventually, as suddenly as it started, the green ones started to run away off into the gloom of the darkening night. Their mad screams fading into the night.

The animals stood at the ready for quite a while longer as the group gathered together to examine the small one. They went to the nearby water source to wash off the red fluid that had covered them. They went back and saw the animals starting to wind down and try to get some sleep. The large white one came forward and made the appreciation noise. The group returned the noise and spread out. They were energized by the fight, and would spend the night on the watch for the green monsters, but they did not return that night.

The group stayed with the animals for a little longer, but the green ones didn’t bother them anymore. Eventually the group decided that they would move on, leaving their animal friends for a while. But, the friendship between the animals and the group endured for a long time afterward.

The Defense is a story from Restless Deep

“Cold, ma, cold!” she cried. Her mother looked down and said something, but she still couldn’t quite hear what it was over the howl of the wind. Strong hands held her from behind and pressed her on despite her protests. She moved forward, as she had to, but she couldn’t feel anything.

In the distance, she saw the glimmer again. The fire seemed so far away as it flickered. No! she thought. Warmth and safety would not escape her this time.

She stopped and concentrated on the point in the distance. She focused on the small flicker of light and wouldn’t let it die this time.

The group of people stopped and turned toward her. Their faces were shrouded in shadow and the smell of death was about them. They could not avoid their fate, but she did not want to go through the old motions and repeat the old pains. This time she wanted it to be different. “Fire,” she said as she changed direction toward the glimmer she had seen. She kept her eyes on the bright spot in the distance.

Sen noticed something change as she went off the path she had traveled so many nights before. The wind was changed direction, blowing against her, challenging her and hindering her movement. It stung her face, tearing at her exposed skin. She had never felt it this bad, but she had made up her mind and pressed on toward he spark.

The gale finally blew her off her feet. Snow caked her face and slipped into her furs that had fallen open. The cold penetrated into her body, chilling her to her core. She struggled to keep her eyes open and on the flame as the wind whipped around her. She slowly got to her knees, concentrating on the fire she wanted so badly.

“Come, Sen,” her mother finally said, bending down near her. “We must walk other way.”

Sen looked at her mother. She could hear her voice clearly despite the fierce wind, when the voice had always been lost before. “Come with,” her mother repeated as she held out her hand. Sen slowly reached out to the little comfort she knew in the cold night, almost turning her head away from the fire.

“No!” Sen screamed as she got to her feet, keeping her eye on the fire. The wind renewed its fight against her, and she fought her way toward the bright spark she had seen in the distance. It glowed a little brighter as she struggled towards it.

The other people spoke to her, discouraging her from going toward the fire. “It not there,” one said. “A trap!” another cried. “We cannot reach it.”

The wind finally stopped. Sen wiped her eyes and blinked for a moment.

“Too late, fire is gone,” her mother finally said.

Sen blinked her eyes clear and saw that the life-giving warmth was gone. She was in the middle of the frozen wastes, abandoned to the fate of the others.

“NO!” she cried one final time. The hope had drained out of her, she collapsed on the snowy ground and started to sob, wet tears falling into the snow. The smell of death started to close in on her as the cold seemed to reach into her soul.

“Fire,” she whispered. It was all she wanted, all she could think about. She imagined the fire in her mind, the life-giving essence of heat and light helping her survive. The fire in her mind became brighter and brighter, filling her with light and giving her a small amount of warmth. She heard the roar of the fire, smelled the ash, tasted the smoke, and felt the warmth on her face. The light flickered just beyond her half-frozen eyelashes. She wiped the melting tears away from her eyes and saw the fire roaring in front of her.

Slowly, the shades around her started to fade. One by one, they joined life-giving flame. The man was the first one, then his mate holding their dead child. Next came her father, then the old man, then the other young girl, then the others. Sen’s mother looked at her and smiled as she joined flame. The flames circled Sen and warmed her. She felt the heat through her frozen furs, felt it spreading through her limbs and warming her very soul.

Sen finally understood the sacrifices they had made. She was special, that they were giving their lives to give her the chance to understand her destiny. The warmth filled her mind and she understood what the dream meant.

She opened her eyes and sat up in her sleeping furs. The whole cave was ablaze with fire, burning everywhere.

Sen screamed.

Bright Wishes is a story from Restless Deep

“Good?” Leader asked, not taking his eyes off the group of creatures.

Help just grunted in response, getting to his feet but obviously in pain.

Leader was truly afraid for his pack. Help was easily pushed aside and wounded, and that wasn’t even the largest of the creatures before them. If they attacked, would it be anything but a slaughter? He didn’t worry about himself, but for his mates and his cubs. Without him, they could survive. Without them…. He didn’t want to think about it.

On top of it all, he was tired. They had traveled for many days, away from the spot where the Old One had left them. Leader didn’t want the bad luck to linger around them, and a long trip took their mind off the loss of the Old One. Many still mourned, including Leader, but the daily activities of keeping the cubs moving kept them in the present instead of lingering on the past. Yet, the trip had taken its toll on the pack.

Had the bad luck followed them? What manner of creature looks like rock but moves like like a creature? What did they want, and why did they come straight toward the clearing?

Leader’s noticed a noise in the bush the three of them had been hiding. A small head popped out and made a small roar. Leader glanced down and saw his own Big Cub. Why did he follow them?

Suddenly, the smallest rock creature moved away from the other group and directly toward Big Cub. The creature was making a low, slow noise of rock scraping against rock. It stretched its arms out, reaching out for the cub.

Leader’s protective instinct kicked in and he jumped between the rock creature and his cub. He turned in mid-air toward the rock beast and brandished his claws with a warning growl. After the attack by the green ones, he was taking no chances with anyone or anything getting too close to his cubs. The smaller rock creature backed off then ran toward its group. The largest rock creature moved forward in what might have been a protective gesture.

Growl and Help moved into place behind Leader. He could feel Help’s unsteadiness and fear contrasted with Growl’s cool determination and confidence. Leader tried to take strength from Growl’s stance, but his heart was racing with fear for the pack. Puffing himself up, Leader hoped that he could scare off the rocky creatures as he had when the small one went toward his cub. He stepped forward with a roar, swiping at the large rock one and connecting his claws against unyielding stone; his only reward was pain as the claws scraped against the rock creature. Giving an involuntary yowl of pain, Leader stepped back to his other two members while holding one paw in the other.

The two groups sat and watched each other for most of the day. The rocks collapsed into what looked like piles, while the three crouched low or sat with their legs ready to spring. It was late when the hunters arrived back to the clearing, carrying chunks of fresh meat from the day’s kill. The smell of food caught the attention of the three after the long day’s standoff.

“Hungry,” Help said quietly, not wanting to show cowardice.

“Yes,” Leader said. “Rocks not leaving.”

Growl exhaled loudly. “Let’s get food.”

The three moved backward as a group, keeping the creatures in sight as they went to eat with the rest of the pack. Once near the rest of the pack they sat down, still keeping the rocky creatures in sight, and ate with everyone else.

One of the rocky creatures then made an unusual chattering noise. It started to move toward the group while making another strange noise. Leader’s mate stood up and growled at the approaching figure, wary of the group that had hurt her mate. The creature in front made the chattering noise again while pointing toward the meat.

“Rocks eat meat?” Growl said, amused. Help carved off a small bit of the meat and threw it at the rock creature. It picked up the meat and put it near its head. No obvious mouth opened, but the meat eventually disappeared and the creature maked a chirping noise. Other pack members nearby watched the rocky creatures.

“That good?” Scar asked. Help just shrugged and cut off more meat to throw toward the rocky creatures. The rest of the creatures picked up meat and ate it as well.

While they were eating, Help stands up. “Trying something,” he says, then mimics the chattering sound the rock creatures made earlier by biting his teeth together. He indicates the meat with a paw.

The rocky creatures stopped what they were doing and looked toward Help. He looked at the rest of the pack, then repeated the noise. One of the rocky creatures made a chirping sound then the whole group made a lot of noise.

“What is that?” Leader asked, looking at Help.

“I think it’s their word for food,” Help said.

“How do you know?”

“Same way I learned to say ‘food’ after meeting the pack.”

“Huh,” Leader said. “Maybe they not so bad.”

As the light faded, the pack gathered together to sleep for the night. The rocky creatures collapsed into their individual piles near the bush, a little ways away from the pack. Overwhelming curiosity drew some of the cubs and pups near, despite warnings barked by parents. Big Cub lead the way and went over to the smallest rock creature. After sniffing at it, he then curled up next to it and promptly fell asleep. A careful rocky arm reached out and stroked the little one gently before making a quiet noise.

Not so bad after all, Leader thought to himself as sleep overtook him.

New Friends is a story from Restless Deep

At last, they came to a large forest. The trees loomed overhead, the last leaves of the season clinging to the almost bare branches. The small one backed away as the others entered the forest. He made the negative sound, then made an unusual sound.

The old one moved over and put his hand gently on the small one. He made the comforting sound, and pointed to the forest. The small one slowly moved forward, staying within the protective aura of the old one. The hard one followed behind the two, lending his comforting presence to the small one’s courage. The small one stepped within the line of the trees and after a few moments moved slowly forward.

Already the ground was covered with dull leaves fallen from the trees. The hungry one scooped up a handful of leaves and munched on them. Every once in a while a hand went down and grabbed a few more to eat. The small one timidly picked up a leaf and tried it. He dropped it after eating only half of it.

The fast one made the warning noise, catching everyone’s attention. The group stopped and fell silent, watching the fast one for any information. The fast one pointed at a clump of bushes in a clearing ahead and motioned for the rest to say there as he moved forward into the clearing. He crept forward, careful to make hardly any noise.

A flash of white came from the bushes and crashed into the fast one, knocking him to the ground. Over him towered an animal that looked different than any the group had seen before. It like one of the wolves they had seen, but it was much larger with longer, thicker legs. The fast one threw the attacker back with one arm and stood up. Two other animals came from behind the bush to stand next to the white one on the ground. The rest of the group rushed forward to stand next to the fast one, watching the opposing group carefully.

Suddenly, a small cat head popped out from behind the brush. It made a noise at the group then looked at them. The small one broke ranks and moved toward the small cat, making the comforting noise. One of the other large ones jumped forward, landing between the small one and the bush. It brandished its claws as the small one made the warning noise and moved away quickly. The animals advanced on the group, moving behind the hard one who blocked the path.

The cat animal that threatened the small one made a fierce noise at the hard one. It stepped forward and swipes at the hard one, connecting claws to hard stone. The animal gave a shout and moved back behind the others, holding its claws tenderly. The two groups stared at each other for a long time, neither moving. The group simply sat down and watched the animals as the sun travels down toward the horizon.

In the gloom, two other animals came into the clearing carrying large chunks of meat. The three animals looked away for a moment, then make soft noises to one another. They backed away as a group to join the others while casting sideways glances at the group. The group watched as many other animals come out of hiding and into the clearing, including many small ones, all tearing into the meat and eating.

The hungry one made the hungry noise, much to the amusement of the rest of the group. The hungry one gave the beckoning noise and moved ever closer to the meat.

One of the cat animals made a fierce noise and stares down the hungry one, who stopped where he was. He pointed at the meat, making the hungry noise again. The animals looked at him and made noises at each other, then looked back at the hungry one. Finally, one of them tore off a chunk of meat and threw it on the ground near the hungry one. Scooping it up, the hungry one nibbled on the chunk of meat. He, of course, made the positive noise and consumed it entirely.

The animals continued to throw more chunks of the meat at the group, and all of them tried a bit. Even the timid small one finds the meat to be very pleasing. But, the whole group stopped eating when they hear something they never would have expected: one of the large animals making the hungry noise!

The group stared at the large white one, the same that tackled the fast one earlier in the day. The white one looked at the other animals, then made the sound again while pointing at the meat. The old one made the positive noise, and all agreed.

The day’s light faded and fatigue overcame all. The fast one made the tired noise, and the group agreed. They decided to sit down into resting positions near the brush in the clearing, preparing to sleep for the night. A few curious small ones went over and made happy noises near the group. The small one was surprised when one of the small cat ones flopped down next to him and curled up into a small, furry ball. Reaching out a careful hand to stroke it, he made the pleased noise quietly to himself.

The Other Animals is a story from Restless Deep

Walking over to Prin, Heena put her hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “I am sorry, Prin,” she said, trying muster patience and understanding for her. “I wish to find my sister and make sure she is okay.”

Prin swallowed hard and nodded. Heena stroked her tangled hair and pulled her close into a sisterly embrace. “I need you to find her.”

Wiping her eyes, Prin stood up and nodded. “I am so scared,” she said, sniffling. “But, I will go on for you and for Dees.”

Heena nodded and went to collect her pack. “We run again!” she yelled, prompting her tribe to pick up their gear and get ready.

Prin moved slowly to the front, taking deep breaths to steady herself. She looked around, taking in her mental map, and then pointed in a direction. Heena nodded then started the run as Prin had pointed, the young girl following close after.

Heena slowed down from her run when she recognized the precise location Prin described. She moved to the side as others came along and stopped nearby. The group dropped their packs and caught their breath.

“Here?” Tama asked, looking around. Prin nodded.

“I found blood,” Wod called out, crouching near the ground near a bush. Heena rushed over and saw the traces of dried blood on the vegetation in the area.

Prin shook as she fought back tears unsuccessfully. “Oh, Bralla,” she cried, falling to the ground as the strength left her body. Sobs racked her body as she could do nothing else. Heena dropped down beside her and lifted Prin’s head to her chest, making made quiet, comforting sounds.

“No bodies?” Tama whispered in Heena’s ear from behind.

Heena shook her head, but then said, “Dees must have taken them to a sacred place.”

Tama stood and walked off to talk with the others. Heena just held Prin close, letting the grief wash over her. “So sorry,” she whispered. “So, so sorry.”

They sat next to the bush for a long time as the sun moved down to the horizon. Heena heard the rest of the tribe setting up camp behind them, but didn’t move until Prin finally sat upright and wiped her eyes.

“Hungry?” Heena asked. Prin nodded, so the two stood up and went to the fire to get some food.

The meal was simple and quiet. Something wasn’t right for Heena. Even as the others went to sleep, she got up to walk around.

“Cannot sleep?” Wod asked as she walked near where he was keeping watch.

Heena looked at the moon and nodded. “I wish Ree were here,” she said quietly. “She would be able to comfort Prin better.”

Wod gave a quiet laugh. “I think you give good comfort.”

Heena shrugged. “Maybe.”

“The girl is scared,” Wod said, the mirth leaving his voice. “She should be after what she saw.”

Heena nodded and shivered. “Let us go nearer the fire,” she said as she got up to move. The fire warned her body, but the growing sense of unease was not dispelled by the heat or light.

They sat in silence for a good part of the watch. Near the time of the deepest night, Wod went to get Skiro and wake him up for his watch.

After the old man had gone to relieve himself, he came near the fire to warm up and wake up. He saw Heena sitting there and grunted a curt greeting. Heena just nodded.

Wod was just about ready to go to sleep when he heard something. “There!” he whispered, pointing beyond the fire. He took a spear and went around the fire to the other side. Skiro grabbed his spear and went the other way, while Heena moved back and to the side.

She heard the sound of footsteps clearer now, most likely the sound that Wod had heard. The moonlight showed a figure moving in the night, heading toward the camp. Heena squinted and moved away from the fire, trying to get a better look at the figure. Hope welled up in her as she saw what seemed to be a familiar figure.

“Dees,” Heena gasped, tears coming to her eyes. She jumped up and started to move toward her sister. But, then, something in her mind started screaming in fear.

The figure had finally come within the range of the fire light. It was Heena’s sister, but it was not really Dees anymore. The face was frozen in a mad expression, her face a pale mask of flesh that once belonged to Dees. The thing faced Heena, blank eyes not focusing on her, but the figure still shambling toward her.

“No, no, no, no, no, no,” Heena cried. Not Dees!

Then the creature opened its mouth and screamed. It screamed for an eternity, leeching out all hope. Darkness swallowed Heena, blocking out the light of the fire and the moon. She felt as if she were falling in endless space. The darkness surrounded her, suffocated her, squeezed the life from her. And, as quickly as it began, it had ended.

Heena caught her breath as she saw Skiro standing where the thing that had been her sister was. His spear had pierced through the thing’s body, and the stench of rotting and death filled the area. Heena doubled over and retched the contents of her stomach to the ground.

Wod gave a shout as other figures appeared in the night. The rest of the tribe was rapidly waking up and leaping to action. The two men barked orders as the others grabbed spears. In the distance, she recognized the forms of others from her sister’s tribe: Erdt, Natik, even Bralla shambled in the darkness toward the camp.

“No, no, no,” Heena sobbed, the acid taste still in her mouth. She fell to the ground in mindless fear as shouts and screams came from all directions.

Broken Spears is a story from Restless Deep

Dees lost the last of her self-control; seeing Shae fall to the beasts was too much. Not even her consort Natik’s death had touched her so deeply. But Shae, her sister in all but blood, fell to the ground and was savaged by the frenzied green swarm. Her vision darkened as grim reality set in. The jeering green beasts were all around her and she became a spirit of death.

Dropping her spear, Dees took up two stout clubbing sticks and ran toward the body. Swinging with reckless abandon, she caved the skulls of two of the green ones. Another jumped back out of range, then leaped at Dees in a vicious attack. She easily side-stepped the attack and then brought one of the clubs crashing down on the creature’s skull. It fell to the ground and twitched a few times before finally expiring.

The body was still there, blood still weakly gushing out of the gaping wound in the neck. A blank eye stared upward at nothing; the other burst in it socket, pierced by a claw scratching at the face. She would have been overcome with grief it the battle rage hadn’t taken control of her. A scream of another green one charging drew here attention away from Shae’s body.

She spun around and flung out her leg in a savage kick, catching the green one in the face and throwing it to the side. It landed rough, but gained its feet quickly and jumped at her almost instantly, only to catch a club on its shoulder and crumple to the ground. Dees stepped forward and crushed its neck under her foot.

Looking up, she saw two other green ones near by. Their bloody mouths showing that they had been gnawing on the fallen. Her eyes narrowed and with a shrill battle cry she charged toward them. One fell as she beat it against the side of her head, but the other dodged out of the way and ran off. She gave chase, her long legs allowing her to outrun her small green prey. Raising her club over her head, she swung hard and brought it crashing down on the back of its skull, dead before it even reached the ground. The body tumbled a few times then landed in an ungraceful heap.

She looked to the left to find other prey as another green one crashed into her from the right. It pinned her arm against her body, claws digging into her ribs. She swung wildly with the other club, but the awkward angle made it difficult to hit the beast. It grasped tightly, digging claws deeper as she fell over on top of the creature. She jammed her shoulder into the creature, crushing it beneath her as it dug its claws in one last time before going limp.

Dees stood up and looked back to where she had last seen the others, but nobody was there. She started to run back, but a pain in her side slowed her down. Panic built up as she didn’t see any of the rest of her tribe near the area she had left them.

Behind a bush, she finally found what was left of her tribe. Erdt was slumped on the ground, a pool of blood all around him in addition to a pile of green corpses. She heard Prin sobbing and followed the sound to the other side of the bush, where the young one was bent over. The body of Bralla with dark stains over her clothes finally brought Dees to her knees. The battle frenzy had worn off, and the horrible truth finally sunk in.

Dees tried to speak, but couldn’t get enough air. She felt as if she were drowning in the middle of land. Dropping one of the clubs, she grabbed Prin’s clothes and yanked around to get her attention.

A tear-stained face met her gaze. “Dead, they’re dead,” Prin wailed. “Oh, why?”

“Prin,” Dees said, finally finding her voice. “Go to the Slow Fishers. Find my sister.”

Prin blinked, then muttered, “Heena?”

Dees nodded. “Go!”

“The bodies! We must go to a sacred place!”

Dees shook her head and coughed. Pain shot through her side and she heard an unnerving crackling noise from inside her chest. “No, go. I’ll do it.”

Prin just looked at her, then looked down and turned pale. “Dees, you’re….”

A scream announced the arrival of a new group of green ones, cutting Prin off. “Go!” Dees said with all the force she could muster. Prin stood, grabbed a spear, and started to run as fast as she could.

Dees leaned over Bralla’s body and whispered a word for the dead. “I will see you soon, wise one.”

Grabbing her club, she struggled to her feet and faced the direction the scream had come. Let them come, she thought. Let them come and meet their doom with me.

Surprised is a story from Restless Deep

Morning arrived to the cave and the tribe stirred from their slumber to start the day. The watchers out front went in to get some food and a short rest.

Gar set his spear against the cave wall and walked toward his mate. Lena was already sitting up and playing with their son Tal. At two months old he was growing quickly. Mother put the baby to her breast and fed him his own breakfast as Gar went to get something for his family to eat. He came back shortly with wooden plate piled with steaming mash.

“Gris, food,” Gar called to his father. When he did not stir from his sleeping place, Gar went over to nudge him awake. He turned his father toward him and saw the old man’s ashen, sunken face. Getting up quickly, he went to get one of the wise women.

It was young Vel that he found first and beckoned over toward his father. “Gris sick,” Gar said, his flat voice betraying no emotion. Vel left the food she had gotten for old Nef and went with Gar.

Lena had a worried look on her face as they returned. She glanced over at Gris and then at the two approaching. “Gris good?” she asked.

Gar said nothing and Vel went over to lay her hands on him. She felt his skin and looked at Gar with troubled eyes.

“Gris good?” Lena repeated, looking at Gar then at Lena.

“No,” Vel said quietly, looking at the floor. After a moment, she got up and went back toward the fire.

Gar went back to his father and carefully touched his clammy skin. Gris moaned softly, his eyes flashing open for a moment, focusing on nothing, before closing again.

The plate with steamed mash was ignored.

Five days passed as the cave took on an eerie quiet. Gris had not moved from his spot. He ate nothing and only took a bit of water that was poured into his mouth. Gar was silent through this time, as he usually was, and did his work although he got very little sleep. He spent his nights awake, watching his father.

It was the evening of the fifth day when Gar noticed the ragged breathing had stopped. He looked at the old man and stared for several moments while his mind finally grasped what had happened. He laid his hand on the old man’s cooling hand and sat quietly a while, wishing his father peace.

Gar got up to head outside. He saw Sen sitting a short distance away from his father’s body, hugging her arms to herself and sobbing softly. Gar stopped and looked at her as she looked up at him. “I smell it,” Sen said. “I smell him gone. So sorry, so sorry,” she said between sobs. Gar looked away from the girl and went toward the fire where everyone had gathered.

Lena turned away from the crowd of women still admiring little Tal and saw Gar approach; one look and she knew exactly what happened. Tears welled up in her eyes as the women asked her what was wrong.

Gar went to the chieftain Zun and said simply, “Gris gone.” The tribe fell silent as everyone realized what they had just heard. Zun reached out his and and squeezed Gar’s arm.

“Good man. So sorry,” Zun said, quietly. Murmurs from all around echoed the sentiment in their own words.

Gar went to his fellow hunter Han. “Help me send him?” Gar asked.

“Yes, friend,” Han said and followed Gar into the cave.

They walked past Sen still sitting by herself. She had started humming something, staring at the body wrapped in the furs. Gar paid her no notice, but Han looked at her as they walked by.

Wrapping the old man in his sleeping furs, they lifted him off the floor and carried him out of the cave. They walked past the fire slowly as people lined up to watch the procession. Some murmured farewells and touched the wrapped body as it went past. Han stopped and grabbed a burning brand from the bonfire, holding it high in a free hand to light their way in the dimming light. They took the old man down the narrow path toward the beach a fair distance away from the cave.

Gar sat with the body while Han went to collect some of the driftwood on the beach. They piled the dried wood and then placed the fur-wrapped body on top. Han gave the brand to Gar who set it on top. The fire caught quickly, spreading over the old furs. They watched the fire flare up, burning as brightly old man had lived. The two sat there in silence for many hours as the flames continued to burn, keeping watch over the old man’s pyre. In the morning, the rising tide would take the ashes to sea.

In the distance, Lena saw the fire flare up and burn. She held her son close to her.

“New life and old life,” Nif said, standing next to her. “Old ones leave, but more new ones come.”

Tears came to Lena’s eyes and she wept. She cried the tears she knew that Gar would not.

Sadness is a story from Restless Deep

It was near the middle of the day when it came crawling out of the water near the cave moving on all four appendages, differently than the others they had seen. It made a loud noise which they had not heard before The loud, broken one then moved away from the water to the cave across the sand.

The old one made the warning noise and ducked down into hiding position, the others quickly doing the same. Together, they felt fear rising as the broken one crawled into the cave. They had never seen one of the not-tall fleshy ones so close before! He looked at his lower appendage, touching it tenderly and making a sudden noise. The broken one then looked around for a while, before lying flat and remaining motionless for a while, as if resting.

The fast one overcame his fear first, feeling restless as always. He moved slowly toward the mouth of the cave, seeing if the broken one would stir. He moved along the wall, careful not to touch the broken one, and then slipped outside. The rest remained where they were, watching the newcomer for any reaction. After a while they started to move toward each other. The small one made the warning noise, and the hungry one agreed.

They all froze when the broken one started moving and making a strange noise. The group dropped into their hiding postures, fearing that the stranger would see them. Sitting up and looking around quickly, he seemed to be searching for something. He might have noticed them! They worried about the fast one, who had gone outside but not returned yet. What if he returned while the broken one was awake and moving around? The broken one then moved out of the cave and into the early evening sun’s light.

The fast one saw the strange one come out of the cave and decided to huddle down into a hiding position. The broken one went to the river to take some water and do something completely inexplicable. After finding some plants and putting them into his head, the broken one then stood tall against a nearby rock and looked at something in the distance.

Picking himself up and moving slowly, the fast one showed amazing restraint and crept toward the broken one. The broken one stopped moving and glanced over toward the fast one. Again, the fast one huddled into a hiding position and waited for the broken one to ignore him.

But, he didn’t. The broken one moved quickly away from the fast one and bumped into a pile of ordinary rocks. He then pushed off and landed in a heap on the sandy area near the water. The broken one made a loud noise as his lower appendage hit the ground.

Taking a risk, the fast one started moving cautiously toward the broken one. The broken one turned on his side to face the fast one’s approach, and had one of his arms up in the air, reaching toward the fast one. The fast one was confused about what the broken one was trying to communicate, so he moved slowly forward and made the soothing sound. From the cave behind the broken one, the hungry one was repeating the soothing sound. The fast one then got within range of the figure on the ground and waited.

The broken one reached out a hand to touch the fast one. Calming his fear, he let the broken one touch him, feel the delicate warmth of flesh against his rough exterior. The fast one reached out his arm to touch the end of the broken one’s arm and notice the gentle hand at the end. The fast one considered his crude fingers for a moment, looking at the differences.

Leaving the cave, the small one took in the sight of the two near the broken one. He made the warning sound, but they were watching the newcomer too closely to notice. After a while, even the small one became entranced with the stranger and watched him interact with the fast one.

The hungry one went to the cave and grabbed one of the pieces of wood it had been eating earlier in the day. The hungry one dropped the bit of wood near the broken one as an offering. The broken one picked it up, looked it over, then put it down. The small one also went back into the cave to gather some of the mushrooms he had been eating earlier in the day, and took them over to the broken one. Once again he picked them up and then put the mushrooms in his head. He made quiet noises and seemed to relax a bit.

The fast one made the appreciative noise, and the others joined in. The hard one made the warning noise, then the negative noise. All agreed that the broken one was no threat to the group so far. The hungry one even reached out an arm to try to touch the broken one, but drew back at the last moment.

The fast one then made the beckoning sound and they all gathered around the fast one holding up an arm. After a few moments, he formed the end of his arm into something resembling the hand of the broken one. The hungry one made an appreciative sound as the rest examined it closely.

The small one then made the quieting noise. They all listened and heard something in the distance making a repeated sound. It was another of the broken one’s type! The hard one made the warning noise and the small one made the agreement noise. Only the fast one kept his attention on the broken one, who seemed to be listening for the sound as well. The hard one was already moving away, making the beckoning noise to lead the others away. The old one, who didn’t care get too close to the broken one, got up from his hiding place and followed the hard one as he went along the water’s edge. The others decided to follow, leaving their cave and the broken one behind.

The last of the sun’s light faded away, leaving only the moon to light their way. They decided to stop for the night, huddling between some stones to get some rest. The fast one didn’t feel much like sleeping, he used his new hand to pick up small rocks and plants in the area.

In the morning, the group got together. The fast one held up his hand and showed off the second hand he had made in the night. Making the appreciation noise, he showed the others how he could pick up small things easily and manipulate them.

The old one made the positive noise and held out his arms. He shaped the crude ends into hands just as the fast one had done. Then the others concentrated on their arms and did the same thing. They spent the rest of the day testing the use of their new hands.

The Broken One is a story from Restless Deep

He cried out, but the hunting party didn’t respond. How far had the river taken him? It seemed like merely a moment that he was in the water, tumbling through the fast current.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he took stock of his surroundings. Behind him he heard the rushing water of the river that had swept him away from the group. He saw a small cave in front of him. Jor got to his hands and knees and crawled toward the cave, making sure he didn’t aggravate his sore ankle.

The inside of the cave was damp, but the darkness helped sooth Jor’s nerves. Rolling over onto his back, he used his good foot to push himself to a sitting position against the wall. Examining his sore ankle carefully, he found it to be swollen but not bleeding.

Jor took a deep breath of the cool air in the cave and considered his options. Water was in abundance outside the cave, but he still needed food. He had lost his spear in the river, so he would have to make another weapon. The river did flow toward the sea and therefore near their home, so the hunters might follow the river to find him eventually.

Looking around the cave, he didn’t see anything of particular use there. The small cave had smooth walls and lots of rocks scattered about the inside. It was large enough to hold a few people for a short period of time. It would be a fine place to rest, protected by the elements.

Fatigue finally overwhelmed him and Jor laid down on the hard rock and let sleep take over.

*****

A sudden, strange sound woke Jor out of his uneasy sleep, setting his hunter’s senses on alert. As he sat up, he heard the sound of falling rocks from the back of the cave. He scanned the cave, but just saw the assorted rocks he had found when he entered the cave. Something set his senses on edge, though.

He took a quick look at his ankle and noted that it was still swollen. Shifting around carefully, he crawled out of the cave into the dying light of the day. He pulled himself up on his good foot and looked around. In the far distance, he thought he saw a fire on the bank, upstream of the river. Perhaps that was the hunting party camping for the night. It was too far away for him to travel with his sore foot.

Dropping back down to his hands and knees, he went over to the river to get some water and to relieve himself. He then went a bit upstream and found some edible plants for a small meal. The bitter, chewy roots weren’t all that appetizing, but they took the edge off his hunger.

It was as he crawled toward the cave that he finally saw the moving pile of rocks.

He blinked a few times, making sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him in the dusk’s light. The pile of rocks suddenly collapsed on themselves, forming what appeared to be a small pile. Jor rolled away from the pile and into another pile of rocks nearby. He panicked and tried to roll away from those but ended up sprawled out on the sandy riverbank.

In his peripheral vision, Jor saw the first pile pick itself up and move toward him. It was shaped sort of like a small man, with a body, head, and arms made of dark rock. The figure was easily visible, even in the evening’s light, against the sand. Jor rolled over on his side, facing the figure, ready to repel an attack.

The figure moved slowly toward Jor, and started rubbing its arms together slowly making a strange noise. From behind him, he heard the same sound from what was probably another rock creature near the cave. He watched as the rock creature got closer and closer while making the grinding noise.

When the figure got close enough, it stopped moving and just remained where it was. Curiosity finally overwhelmed Jor and he reached out to touch the creature. The creature stood still for a bit, then it took its arm and touched Jor’s hand. The ends of the rock creature’s arms were blunt with crude fingers.

Another rock creature came up and stood by the first one. It held a stick of wood between an arm and its body and dropped it on the ground nearby. Picking it up, Jor turned it over and looked at it; it appeared to just be a normal piece of wood. He set it down again, and the second figure backed off. Then another creature came up and dropped some food mushrooms that Jor recognized. Brushing off the sand, Jor nibbled on the mushroom. He didn’t taste anything bad, so he ate it. The figures made different types of noises as he ate.

Jor sat upright, avoiding putting pressure on his foot and looked around. There were four different rock creatures around him. Two of them were touching him, running their blunt arms along his skin. One tried to touch his ankle, but Jor swatted the curious arm away.

Suddenly, the group fell silent. Jor looked around and saw all of them circling the first creature Jor had seen. It was holding one arm in the air and all were looking at it. The arm shook for a bit. Then the rock broke apart and formed into four fingers and a thumb similar to Jor’s hand. Wiggling the fingers, the figure waved the arm around to show everyone.

The smaller rock creature then made a strange, quiet grinding sound that made the others stop and pay attention. Jor strained his hearing and heard something in the distance, a voice calling something out. Perhaps someone from the hunting party was coming!

The rock creatures started making sounds again, much faster and more frenzied than previously. After a few moments, they all went off away from the sound, following the river bank downstream. Jor watched silently as the creatures left him alone in the darkening night.

“Jor!” he heard the voice call again.

“Here!” he shouted, drying to draw attention to himself. The voice got closer and Jor recognized the voice as belonging to Gao. “Gao!” he shouted. Joy overwhelmed him when the young man finally got close enough to see in the last light of the day.

“Jor, you good?” Gao asked, dropping supplies on the sand and then setting up a crude camp.

“Foot got hurt,” Jor replied, quickly adding, “Cave there.” Gao gathered up some of the supplies and moved toward the cave. Jor crawled over and into the cave. Feeling around, he noticed that the rocks he had seen in there previously were no longer to be found.

Dragging in sleeping furs, Gao set it up for both of them to sleep. “Han got hurt from animal that pushed you in river. Not bad, but moves slow,” Gao finally explained as he finished laying out the furs. Jor replied with a simple grunt of understanding.

“You see anything?” Gao asked after dragging all the gear inside the cave.

Jor sat in the darkness, fatigue coming over him again as the throbbing in his ankle started to subside. “Yes, but tired. Tomorrow,” he answered Gao as he drifted off to sleep.

Lost in the Rocks is a story from Restless Deep

Sitting in the sun, Bo looked up as Gao stepped into the light. She gave a slight smile as the young man shuffled slowly away from the darkness into the daylight.

“Cold,” Gao complained as he sat down hard next to Bo. He rubbed his arms in a feeble attempt to drive the cold away. Bo simply nodded; she had felt it, too.

“Feels like being chased when sleeping,” Bo finally said, looking over at Gao as he sat looking at the ground.

Gao nodded. His nights had been filled with visions of being chased by a predator, of running for his life. It was the same thing he had felt when that evil man took the skull out from under his cloak.

“What happen?” Gao asked Bo directly.

Bo furrowed her brow and finally shrugged. She looked away into the distance, lost in thought. Gao sat quietly and let the sun warm his skin and drive some of the darkness from his mind.

After a bit, Bo patted Gao on the arm and stood up. She went to get a basket and went down the path away from the sea to do some chores. Gao sat for a while, listening to the sounds around him. The crashing of the waves seemed to sooth his troubles.

He grew listless, got up, and walked down toward the sea once he felt warmed up enough. Down by the edge of the sea, Han stood with a fishing spear, trying to hunt fish but having little success. Gao watched him move slowly along the edge of the water, thrusting the spear into the water but come up empty each time. Han retreated from his task and took a seat on one of the large stones away from the water. Gao went down and joined him.

Han didn’t acknowledge Gao’s arrival, he only stared out into the distance over the water. They sat in silence for a while as the sea breezes came in from the water, bringing the sharp, salty scent with it.

Gao finally broke the silence. “The dreams…,” he started, his voice trailing off.

Han only grunted in response.

“What happen?” Gao asked, looking at Han.

Han frowned deeply at the question. He kept staring at the sea. After a moment, he stood up.

“Busy fishing, Gao. Go,” he said brusquely. Han picked up his spear and walked back to the water’s edge.

Gao felt the wind had been knocked out of him. He stung with hurt and rejection. He watched Han walk away, not even bothering to look back. Gao turned and ran up the path toward the cave, then controlled himself to walk and forced the tears away. As he approached the cave, he saw the Kel and Will near the entrance of the cave. The two old men were talking, but stopped when Gao came nearby.

“Food?” Kel offered Gao some leftovers from breakfast. Gao took some of the cooled meat, and sat and forced himself to eat the food he didn’t feel hungry for. The two old men watched him a moment, then went back to their conversation. Gao’s mind couldn’t focus on their words and gestures, he was concentrating on eating, chewing, and swallowing the food before him. When he was done, he stretched out on his back and let the sun shine on him for a while. He started to enjoy the warming rays as he dozed off.

“Gao!” the shout startled him out of his nap. Jor stood above him, looking down.

“What?” Gao mumbled, rubbing his eyes to wake up.

“Come help,” Jor said as he started to walk off.

Gao scrambled to his feet and took off after Jor. They walked down the path away from the cave.

Gao looked at Jor, who just kept walking. Gar held his tongue as they walked together.

They came to some thick bushes where Bo was working. When she saw them coming she stood up and waved, then walked back to the cave. Jor walked to the bush and pointed at a basket sitting on the ground.

“Pick fruit.”

The two went to work, finding the small, dark berries and harvesting them in the surrounding bushes.

Gao almost jumped when Jor finally said, “What happen?” Looking at the Jor for a moment, he finally responded, “Don’t know.”

“Large cat chase us,” Jor said, looking squarely at Gao.

“Something chase us,” Gao agreed cautiously.

“Man hide large cat under cloak.”

Gao thought for a bit. How could someone hide a large cat calmly under his cloak? Something didn’t make sense. But, Gao just nodded. “Yeah,” he said without much conviction.

Jor nodded and went back to work picking the berries. Gao sat and thought; the more he thought about it, the less Jor’s explanation made any sense. But, Jor seemed to want to believe it, so Gao said nothing. He went back to work as the sun got lower in the sky. After a while, one of the young girls walked down the path toward them.

“Food soon,” Sen said as she approached the two young men working.

“Thanks,” Jor said as he stood up. He picked up the basket and looked at Gao. “Go find Gar,” he commanded as he carried the heavy basket back toward the cave.

Gao looked around, not sure where to look. He saw Sen standing near, smiling.

“I know where we find Gar,” Sen said with a sly smile.

“Go and I follow,” Gao said. Sen set off walking and Gao followed.

Sen started humming as they walked along. Gao smiled despite himself as he listened. Even with the sun starting to dip below the horizon, he felt warmth finally start to displace the chill he had felt for many days.

“You have bad dreams?” Sen said suddenly, stopping her humming. Gao was confused for a moment, then understood her question.

“Yes,” he answered quietly.

Sen nodded. “I have some, too, but different. A cat chases you.”

Gao looked at Sen, who kept walking forward. “How you know?”

“The smell when you sleep. I smell the cat and the darkness and the fear.” She stopped and looked at him. “I smell it on all the hunters.”

Gao closed his eyes and felt the world threatening to spin out of control around him. How could she smell things like that? Being chased in his sleep wasn’t real, but she could smell that?

A hand touched his shoulder and his eyes flew open. Sen was standing in front of him, humming once again. The sound calmed him, drove away the dizziness. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder and steadied himself.

“I don’t know,” Sen said, smiling, answering his unasked question. “Come, Gar is this way,” she said as she held out her hand.

He took her hand and started running together. The exhilaration of the run and Sen’s touch helped drive most of the remaining chill from him. As they rounded a rock, they found Gar sitting and painting his body with dark pigment.

Gar looked up as they came around the rock. He nodded and went back to his work.

“Food,” Sen said as she watched Gar paint dark lines on his arm. Gar grunted a response without looking back up. Sen shrugged, waved at Gao, then ran back toward the cave.

Gao watched Gar as he marked thick lines on his arm. He dipped his fingers into a small pool of black pigment near his feet. He had a sort of rhythm as he dipped his fingers in the pigment, painted a few lines, and then repeated the process again and again.

“What that?” Gao asked when Gar took a break.

“Strength. When young, I do often,” Gar said. He beckoned Gao over toward him with one hand as he dipped the other in the pigment. Gao stepped toward him hesitantly.

“The cat chases you in your sleep,” Gar said, taking Gao by the arm. “It chases us all.”

Gao nodded but said nothing.

“This line is the cat,” he said as he painted a thick line with all four of his fingers. He dipped his index finger in the pool again and marked other lines across the first. “These are obstacles in his path. He can never catch you now.”

Gar looked down at the black lines on his skin and felt an extra warmth from him. He felt good, better than he had in many days.

“Wow,” Gao said in a hoarse whisper. “Strong.”

Gar nodded and stood up. “Come, Gao, let us get food.”

The two hunters walked toward the glowing fire guiding their way back to the cave.

Respite from the Darkness is a story from Restless Deep

Most huddled in the lee side of boulders and rock outcroppings. Some huddled in small burrows dug out to avoid the downpour. Shadow had been flooded out of her den and was staying with Leader, his mates and cubs. The mud and the rain had turned her normally bright red fur into a depressing brown color. All her old tricks to make the weather clear up were ineffective.

It was the Old One who suffered the most. Her wounds refused to heal and angry, oozing wounds matted her fur where she had been hurt. Even in better times the occasional night of rain made her legs hurt bad enough, but she was in continuous pain in the current weather. She hadn’t eaten in several days, and even Help bringing her some of the meager hunt didn’t encourage her to eat. Huddled against the boulder that blocked some of the rain, she slept or whined quietly in pain.

The only time she even looked at anyone was when Leader came by to see how she was doing on his evening visit of the pack. She would open one eye as he approached and ask how the young ones were doing. Leader would share an amusing story about one of his cubs. Sometimes she would smile at the story, but she often dozed off while he was telling it. This continued for many nights, the same routine in the same chilly dampness.

Growl came along one evening to visit Leader. “The Old One…,” he started, voice trailing off.

“I worry about her,” Leader said. “She keeps to herself, but she is part of pack.”

Growl sat and looked at the cubs playing at his feet. “I think she is dying.”

Leader sighed heavily. The two sat together silently, watching the rain fade from sight in the oncoming gloom of night. Leader got up to go on his rounds, and Growl went along with him. When they came to the Old One, she barely stirred. The two looked at each other quietly.

“You good?” Growl asked quietly.

The Old One opened an eye and exhaled. “Not dead yet, Growl,” she said, quietly.

Growl got up and sniffed at the Old One. “Soon,” he said.

“Yes, very soon. Soon for you, too,” the Old One shot back at Growl.

Growl gave a snort and walked off into the rain toward his sleeping area.

Leader approached the Old One and sniffed carefully. He wasn’t as adept at smelling the differences in the wolfen ones, but he detected a scent he had rarely caught before. He sat down next to the Old One and put his head down next to hers.

“All good,” the Old One finally said. “I am old, it is time to leave.”

“I will miss you,” Leader said, not looking at her.

“Heh. Perhaps you will.”

Leader sat by her for a little while longer as the light finally faded completely. The rhythmic wheezing let him know when the Old One was fast asleep. He got up, stretched, and left to get his mates while the Old One slept. He ate, played with the cubs, checked on everyone one last time, and went to sleep for the night worrying about the Old One.

During the night the rains had finally stopped. The morning was bright as the sun was able to shine across the lands for the first time in a long while.

Leader woke up and looked over to where he had left the Old One last night, except she wasn’t there. He got up and went to find Growl.

“The Old One?” Leader asked when he found the grizzled wolfen one chewing on the morning’s breakfast.

“Gone?”

“Yes.”

“She found the strength to go on the final hunt,” Growl said. He looked at where the Old One had been the previous night.

Leader sat down and looked over at the empty space as well. He fell silent as he remembered the one who had saved his cub’s life and was now gone.

The Passing of the Old One is a story from Restless Deep

Something bothered Hunter. A sense of unease that kept him pacing around the area when the pack was digging in for the night.

“Problems?” asked Leader as Hunter came pacing near.

Hunter sat down and exhaled. “Something not right,” he said, looking around with his ears standing straight up.

Leader pricked up his ears and listened as well. There, in the distance….

Hunter and Leader stood straight up as Fangs’ roar and Growl’s warning howl sounded from a short distance away. It warned that band of green ones were coming this way.

Leader ran toward his mates to help them gather up the cubs. They were already settling in for the night together near a low stone outcropping, so it was easy to get into a defensive position. Leader gave a quick growl of warning as he ran by. He went to move all the mothers and young ones together and organize the defense by the fighters. All were quickly organized into a defensive position.

“The hard part was the waiting,” Leader mused as his eyes searched the distance for movement. The low light of the setting sun was perfect for his eyes. Long moments passed as everyone sniffed the air and scanned the distance for the inevitable arrival. Leader looked to both sides at the line of eight other defenders of the pack, ready to meet the onslaught.

It happened suddenly. In the distance movement burst forth in a great surge of bodies. The screeching and screaming that accompanied the green ones on their hunts were clear now, unhindered by distance or obstacles. About two dozen of them were running at full speed, digging and clawing at the ground with frenzied speed.

Leader had a shameful feeling of elation as he finally saw the enemies; the waiting was over. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the seething mass running toward him. Giving the horde a few seconds to close the distance, Leader then stood up and gave a roar. Towering over the small green ones by almost twice their height, he felt powerful. He then crouched down and lept forward into the surging mass of bodies.

Claws extended from his paws and slashed at the mass. He felt his one hand connect, the sharp claws digging into vulnerable skin and ripping deep gashes. Bits of green skin clung to his claws as he used his forward momentum to crash into two other enemies. He tumbled forward and used the hind claws to disembowel one of the enemies.

He twisted to get up when he felt a pain in his leg. The other green one had bit him deep, and he felt blood splattering on the fur of his thigh. He reached down to beat the head of the green one to make it let go. Sharp teeth dug in, threatening to rip off a chunk of flesh, but eventually the grip went slack with enough vicious blows.

Leader was in a wild frenzy, his vision filled with the red haze of fury, and he attacked without hesitation. He lashed out at the nearest target and ripped the small green head from the body. He was fighting for his life, for the life of his children, for the life of his whole pack.

It was his favored mate’s scream that brought his focus away from the scattering enemies. Wiping the blood from the fur around his eyes, he saw one of the green ones had broken through the line of defense, dodged around the mother’s snapping jaws, and snatched one of the young ones from the group. Leader realized in dismay that the young one in the green one’s claws was his own Young Cub. He moved to leap toward the thief, but his legs were tangled by corpses and he fell hard on the ground. A yell of fury directed at the green one was all he could do.

A savage growl from the far side of the battle gave notice that another fighter had seen the green one’s attack. A streak of pale gray fur moved toward the offender; Leader was shocked to see the Old One moving faster than he thought possible. Her bloodied jaws snapped shut on the arm of the green one, yanking it savagely. Young Cub dropped to the ground, dazed, as the Old One whipped her body around and yanked the green monster off his feet and away from the cub.

But, a grasping green hand had found her fur and dug in as it swung back around. It pulled its own sharp teeth toward the exposed flank of the Old One and bit in deep. A yelp of pain came forth as she opened her mouth and flailed around to try to dislodge the attacker. Leader found his feet and ran toward the Old One. With a powerful leap, he closed his jaws around the neck of the green one and bit hard. The body went limp and the Old One’s thrashings finally dislodged teeth from her flesh.

It took leader a moment to collect his wits. Looking around, he saw bloodied bodies everywhere. The green ones had been killed or driven off, and other pack members were catching their breath. As some started treating wounds, Leader went over to where the Old One had finally collapsed in fatigue.

Leader gave a low, calming purr as he inspected her wounds. She had a few scrapes, but the last green one had opened a large wound on her flank. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow, punctuated by an occasional whine.

“Calm,” Leader said as he started licking her wound clean. “Rest.”

“Young one safe?” the Old One asked after a moment.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Young ones more important than old ones,” she muttered, laying her head back down and closing her eyes.

“Old one important to me tonight,” Leader said as he saw his mate carrying Young Cub back to a safe location. He then continued to tend the Old One’s wounds.

Surviving an Onslaught is a story from Restless Deep

It was Gao’s first time out hunting with the group. The first day had been great for him; he killed a number of smaller animals and they had cooked and eaten one of them that night. Today, however, he was growing more frustrated with the lack of prey just as all the other hunters were.

“Why no animals?” Gao asked Jor, the hunter who was training him that day. Jor just shrugged as he looked around.

Something nagged at Han. Something in the stories that old Zun had once told long ago. He was distracted while they traveled along the hills, trying to remember the stories. When animals disappeared….

The hunters stopped for a small meal. Meat cooked and lightly smoked the previous night was passed around and cool, clear water from the nearby stream helped calm some of the frustrated hunters. Gao wanted to ask questions, but nobody spoke as they ate so he kept quiet.

Jor jumped up suddenly and shielded his eyes against the sun, peering into the distance. Han got up and stood beside Jor, trying to see what he was looking at. He saw a faint dust cloud and a few sparkles near the horizon.

“What there?” Han asked.

“Other hunters,” Jor responded quickly.

Han’s eyes went wide. Of course! Other hunters in the area would scare the animals. Nobody had seen any other hunters for a long time. Now he remembered the ending of the story Zun told: it is important to scare off other hunters to preserve hunting areas for the tribe.

“Shining spears?” Gao asked. He had heard stories about the tall hunters, but few had seen them.

“Shining spears, yes, but not tall. Like us.”

Han frowned. Other hunters had shining spears? Only the tall ones knew the secret of the shining spears….

“Listen,” Han clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “We scare other hunters. Protect our hunt for our tribe.”

The other hunters nodded. They understood the importance of keeping their hunting areas reserved for themselves. Allowing another clan to hunt would hurt their tribe during the times when the hunting was hard.

The group quickly packed away the food and filled some skins with water. They took their spears and started running in the direction that Jor had seen the others. They ran hard and fast to cover as much ground as possible, to establish a larger boundary for their hunting area. Pain was growing in Gao’s side, but he ground his teeth together and kept running with the group.

The sun was approaching low to the horizon by the time they could see the other group clearly. One from the other group turned and pointed a shining spear toward them. Gao saw that they looked like they did, not tall and thin like the stories said the shining spears were.

Han motioned for the group to slow down as they approached. They took a moment to catch their breaths as to not appear weak in front of the other group. As the two groups approached, they noticed that the other group didn’t quite look exactly the same. The other group looked pale, and some of them had reddish skin or hair. A few of them wore leather clothes, even in the late season’s heat, and one even had a heavy fur cloak wrapped around him. The one that strode forward as they approached was tall like Han, but with pale, almost white hair and skin. The other hunter and Han stared each other down.

It was Han who finally made the first move. He held his spear over his head and yelled, “LEAVE!”

The other hunter raised his spear and swung it over his head. He yelled something back. The other group of hunters started repeating the yell. Jor started yelling back, “LEAVE!” and the rest joined him.

The two groups lined up with their leaders. They shouted and yelled, jumped and swung spears. Only the one in the heavy cloak from the other side stood back, his face turned away from the groups. Eventually some of the hunters of the other group started jumping toward Han’s group, brandishing their spears before returning back to the line.

“Be ready!” Jor said to Gao. “When they come, use your spear.”

Gao looked at Jor in disbelief. Use his spear on another person? That could hurt the other person, Gao thought. He looked back at the other group, gripped his spear, and hoped that he wouldn’t have to.

Suddenly, the other leader gave a frightening yell. He barked some sounds and the other hunters stepped back, grinning. Han looked at the other leader, trying not to show the confusion he felt. Han’s hunters started murmuring as they stood, low and ready for an attack.

It was the figure in the heavy cloak that finally turned toward the groups. He walked toward the leader with unsure steps, stopping and finally looking up.

Gao gasped as he saw the disfigured face. One half of the face was a dark, mottled color. The mouth on that side was twisted into a mocking grin, and the eye was missing entirely. None of the other hunters flinched; they held their ground.

The man then threw open his cloak. He gave a fierce scream as he lifted the animal skull above his head. Bits of rotted flesh still clung to the gruesome trophy. Large teeth grinned as the dark eye sockets stared out in death.

It was at that point that all hell broke loose

The man’s scream seemed to change into a fierce roar, and the skull seemed to glow with unnatural life. The eyes burned with a feral fury, and seemed to leap out toward the group. The hunters turn and ran for their lives.

Gao’s mind told him that a fierce feline had leaped out of the cloak where the man stood. He only knew fear, and that had to run for his life. If the beast caught him…. He ran in a wild frenzy, not looking where he was going.

The sun had set before the hunters had finally all gathered back together. They spotted each other in the distance, then found each other by calling out to each other in the gloomy, fading light. Everyone was together, except Gao.

It was fully dark when Bo heard the crying in the bushes. She gave a yell as moved toward the place where Gao was cowering. He sobbed quietly in the bushes as Bo moved to pick him up. She carried him out to the open where the other hunters were waiting.

“It eat me… It eat me…” Gao just kept sobbing.

Distant Strangers is a story from Restless Deep

“Cold, ma, cold!” she cried. Her mother looked down and said something she couldn’t quite hear over the howl of the wind. Strong hands held her steady from behind and pressed her on despite her protests. She moved forward, but she couldn’t feel anything besides the biting cold.

In the distance, she saw the glimmer as she always did. The fire seemed so far away as it flickered then disappeared behind the blowing snow. “No!” she screamed silently, wanting to point and direct the group there. Warmth, safety, life was so close, but nobody else saw it. She turned to say something to mother, but no words came out of her mouth.

They continued walking, as they always did, under the dark sky. They kept going despite the cold, despite the fatigue, despite it all. Stopping meant freezing to death, but it was becoming impossible to continue. The man in front of her was the first to collapse, as always. His mate stopped and cried with grief. She dropped the baby she was carrying, the one that had stopped crying two days ago. Her body sheltered him from the wind as she shook him. He didn’t respond at all to her shouts and shaking. Sen smelled the scent she recognized, the one that came when spirits left the body. The others told the woman to get up and keep moving, but she wouldn’t listen. Tears froze on her face as the rest started moving again. Her cries were drowned out in the distance, lost in the howling winds.

She knows now that her father was the next to fall, although she never saw him. She only understood this after she realized the hands prodding her forward were gone. Only mother’s reddened eyes gave any hint that anything had happened. Mother never looked back, not once, after that time. They pressed onward, the only thing they could do.

One by one, the others fell or gave up and stayed with their loved ones that had fallen. Sen’s mind and soul had become numb as her body was; she took almost no notice of the death around her, only noticing the strange smell she would understand only after this horrible experience.

In the end, it was only her mother and Sen left. During the darkest part of the dream, her mother fell and gave a cry of pain. Sen stopped and touched her mother. Looking up with pain in her face, Sen’s mother set her face and stood up again. “You must live,” her mother said, struggling to her feet and pushing Sen onward.

The sun was just rising over the mountains by the time they saw the sea. The unfreezing waters were moving, flowing, roaring as they walked closer. When the sun’s light finally touched them, it was too much for Sen’s mother. Falling without a sound, it was the last time she would move.

Sen was now alone, all alone. The light of the sun could do nothing to help her. She was cold, hungry, sleepy, and exhausted. She then felt an overwhelming heat flood her, as if she were on fire. She fell to the ground, desperately yelling as loud as she could manage.

Luck was with her that morning so long ago. Nif was out, her old bones aching too much to sleep and her thoughts too restless to sit in the cave. One of the hunters, Jor, was with her; he was up early in restless anticipation of the day’s activities. He heard the little girl yell and they both went to investigate.

When they found her, they approached carefully. Nif made some comforting sounds, and Sen looked at the old woman as she approached. Frowning at the mother’s body, Nif picked Sen up and wrapped some of her warm furs around her. She said some words to Jor as she walked back to the cave quickly. True warmth flooded Sen’s body and she started to shiver violently. Fatigue overwhelmed her and darkness followed.

Her eyes opened and she was on the rock floor outside her sleeping furs. Nif stood over her. “Sen, calm. It’s good, it’s good,” she said in a soothing voice, stroking Sen’s hair. “Only a dream.”

She looked around. It was the cave she knew as home, five winters later. She looked up at Nif.

“The bad one,” Sen said. “So cold.”

“Get warm,” Nif said as she prodded Sen toward her furs she had ripped off herself during the dream. “You are good.”

Sen snuggled into her furs and shivered involuntarily as she closed her eyes. Thoughts of her new family and the comfort they brought her finally eased her troubled mind until she finally fell back to sleep.

Bad Dreams is a story from Restless Deep

Heena sat up and heard the heavy breathing in the darkness. She sensed the bodies around her, already moving.

“What?” Heena said, looking around at the shadows moving around her. Was it still dream, or was she finally awake? She felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder.

“It is Ree,” Tama said quietly. “She is restless, but not awake. Wod noticed first.”

Heena sat for a moment, pushing the haze of sleep out of her mind. Ree and the plant. Something she should know.

“The baby!” Heena finally said. “It comes.”

Tama counted quietly to herself. “No… too soon…,” she said with concern.

“The baby thinks different,” Heena said, standing up. “We must do the ritual.”

Tama stood up with Heena, but hesitated. She look at Heena in the darkness, then slowly turned to get everyone ready.

Heena strode over toward the sound of heavy breathing. She went to the sitting shadow closest and leaned down toward it. “Wod?” she asked.

“Yes, dear. I am here.”

“Ree’s child is coming. We must do the ritual.”

His head turned in the dark, the moon’s light shining in his eyes. A sharp inhale of air showed he understood. “I will get her ready.”

“There are trees toward the mountains,” Heena said. “We will go that direction.”

The camp exploded with movement once the decision was made. The tribe gathered their items up as quickly as possible, although Skiro grumbled a bit about being woken up in the middle of the night. In a few minutes everyone was ready. Wod and Tama supported Ree between them as they set off in the direction of the mountains. The tribe moved quickly to the trees Heena remembered.

When the arrived, the tribe moved with a purpose to get ready. Ree was sat against a tree as Wod went to make a fire as instructed. Heena went through her pack and found some of the dried herbs she had in a satchel. When the fire was built up, she put the herbs on to burn. The sweet smell quickly filled the immediate area.

Heena went to where Ree was sitting against the tree. Everyone else had moved off, assumed their positions guarding the ceremony. Heena sat down next to Ree and took her hand. She matched Ree’s breathing, deeply inhaling and exhaling in time. Ree’s eyes fluttered open and she turned to look at Heena.

“He comes,” Ree whispered.

Heena nodded. “I know. We are near trees now. It will be fine.”

A hint of a smile crossed Ree’s face, then she closed her eyes and concentrated. She clenched her teeth together as the spasms started in force. Heena gripped her hand tightly in support.

It wasn’t long before the green motes of light finally appeared. They were small and few at first, slowly accumulating around the tree that Ree was sitting against. Heena looked up and gasped in wonder; even the first motes were so bright at night. The motes grew larger and brighter and more numerous as the time passed. Ree’s breaths became deeper as the lights drifted downward, circling the tree. When most of the lights had settled near the base of the tree, they floated around Ree.

Heena shifted into position to guide the birth. Heena heard Ree grunting and gasping, fully in the grip of labor. With a twitch, Heena saw the head come out. She stroked the wet head of the newborn, giving it the first sensations of life and encouragement to come out. As the time passed slowly and the motes danced around her, Ree continued to push and the baby continued to move outward. With a last, muffled groan, the baby came out completely

The motes of light started to fade away. Heena heard them whisper a name, “Laen” as most of the light faded, leaving only a soft green glow mingling with the orange glow of the fire.

Heena picked up the baby boy and put him in her arms. He looked around, bright eyes taking in the beauty of the motes still left. He reached a hand to clumsily touch a mote as it floated by.

It was another minute before Ree’s eyes opened. She took a deep breath and looked up at Heena. “A boy,” she said with a smile.

Heena smiled and nodded as she handed the baby to his mother. “His name is Laen,” she told Ree.

The mother held the baby in her arms as the last of the motes faded away, leaving only the flickering fire and the moon to illuminate the area.

Spout of New Life is a story from Restless Deep

“You no leader! So weak!” Fangs growled, looking down.

Leader stared the other in the eye. “You fool, Fangs! We need wolfen ones and they need us.”

“They grow stronger and you look away. Coward!”

Fangs jumped forward and tackled Leader. Twisting his body and aiming a kick, Leader pushed Fangs to the side then rolled back to a standing position. They faced each other with cold stares.

To either side, the mates were watching. Leader’s mates sat close to each other and guarded their children. They had confidence in their mate, but Fangs may try something desperate and attack the cubs. Fang’s mate sat quietly, not looking at the fight. She was always quiet when challenges happened.

The two males stared each other down, trying to stand taller to look down at the other. Fang’s stature let him stand a bit taller than Leader, but Leader didn’t crouch into a defensive posture. He maintained his fierce gaze into his opponent’s eyes.

“You afraid of green ones! You let cubs starve!” Fangs spat down at Leader.

“Young ones not dead,” Leader growled, his voice low and menacing. “Your children still healthy.”

Leader dropped his shoulder and rushed at Fangs as he was opening his mouth to reply. The attack caught him off guard and knocked him to the ground.

The wolfen ones were standing in a pack, watching from a distance. They were usually surprised when Fangs would try to challenge Leader, seemingly for no reason. As a whole, they supported Leader and saw no reason to challenge him since he had been keeping the pack safe.

“What happen?” Help ask the others.

“Beta cat fight for position,” Scar said.

“Why disrupt order? Leader is strong.”

Scar just shrugged, then got up to move toward the fight.

Fangs got back on his feet and gave a savage yell. Leader’s eyes remained locked on Fangs, not even blinking during the yell.

“Give up! You cannot lead,” Fangs yelled as his eyes narrowed, staring at his opponent. Leader returned Fangs’ gaze, ready to attack at any moment.

It was the series of short barks from behind Leader that made Fangs look away. As his eyes widened, he saw a majority of the wolfen ones sitting patiently in a line, all looking directly at him. When Fangs looked back at Leader, he saw the look of supreme confidence.

Fangs dropped down to all fours and looked up at Leader. With a scoff, he walked over to his mate. She stood up and prodded the little ones away from the scene.

Leader’s mates walked by and gave him a quick nod of support, then went off to feed the cubs.

“Everything good?” Hunter asked as he walked toward Leader.

“Yes, still strong,” Leader said in low tones. “Fangs makes sure I still strong.”

Challenged is a story from Restless Deep

They had spent many days digging out the rock to form a small cave. It wasn’t large, but it suited them well enough. They slept quite a bit and listened to the sea. The hungry one even went into the waters to look for new types of food and found some strange, shimmering creatures there. The fast one was the only one that dared to follow even part way, the rest decided to stay away from the large body of water with seemingly no end.

The fast one was moving around the cave, back and forth in a show of restless energy. When the others were finally getting up and around, the fast one made the beckoning sound and moved toward the cave. The small one moved eagerly to follow. The hard one also lumbered toward the cave entrance, leaving the last two in a quandary. They really didn’t feel the need to get up and go, but the group had never been separated before. In the end, the hungry one decided it was time to eat and the old one followed in order not to be left alone.

The fast one was pleased at being able to lead the others for a change. The old one was a good leader, but a change of pace was good. The group traveled away from the sea, toward the tall mountains where they had found each other. It was the fast one that had found them back then, gathering them together and forming the group. Since then, the group had always been together.

They had been traveling for a while when they stopped near a stream. The hungry one made a noise and went off in search of something new to eat. The old one sat still, concentrating on the sound of the stream as it ran over some rocks. The low water made little noise, and the old one thought about how the water sounded different than the sea. The others wandered around, taking in the sights of the area and finding things to taste.

It was the small one that noticed the spots on the horizon first. He made the warning sound and the others stopped what they were doing to look around. They all stared at the fast approaching creatures. They sat down and hunched over, disguising themselves like the rocks in the area. They kept careful eyes on the strangers, and watched quietly as they ran near then stopped. Members of the other group were putting down items they had been carrying.

They were tall and thin, and most of them had long pieces of wood tipped with stone. One was leaning against a tree when another approached. They made a series of sounds to each other, similar to the way the group communicated, but with more variation. Others drank from the stream and made quiet noises as well. After a short while, the group picked up their items and started running off in the same direction they were heading before.

When the last one left toward the distant horizon, the group stood up and looked after them. It was the fast one that moved first, making the beckoning sound again. The group started to follow, moving in the direction the strangers had run, if not quite as their rapid pace. The sounds had interested the fast one, and he wanted to know more.

It was late at night when they saw the other group again. They had set up animal hides over wooden poles and had built small fires. The old one quietly made the pleased noise when he saw the bright fires. The others echoed the noise, and they settled in for the night, watching as the tall ones went about their nightly chores before settling down to sleep. The group decided to do the same a short distance away.

The morning came before any of the group decided to stir. The other group had already left the area early. The group went over to look at the place they had stayed. They noticed that small piles of fresh dirt covered many areas, including where the fires had been. They found other signs as they looked around the area.

It was the old one that first noticed the pile of stones nearby. He made the beckoning sound to draw everyone over. Everyone stopped and looked at pile; as quiet descended on the group, they felt the one thing they had all shared but never felt since….

They felt the force that had given them life all around the area.

Sacred Stones is a story from Restless Deep

“No movement!” Bo hissed at him from beside him. The lithe woman had been sitting silently as long as Gao had, but she was still as stone except to point out something Gao had done wrong. “Movement scares them.”

Gao was irritated about getting scolded again. He had not seen any animals all day, and only had sore muscles to show for his time spent. They hadn’t even taken time to eat anything, either. He didn’t think hunting would be quite so painful.

Bo moved her head close to his in a deft, fluid motion that didn’t disturb a single leaf. “How many animals you seen today?” she asked, her voice barely a breath on his ear.

“None!” he said a bit too loudly showing his irritation.

“Quiet!” Bo hissed. “You don’t see. Look right, twenty strides away.”

Gao strained his eyes to count out the strides in his mind and finally saw it: a light green lizard about the same color as the grass. It was a common animal brought back by the hunters, providing both meat and tough skin. He would have missed the slinking lizard without Bo pointing it out, and he felt a bit embarrassed.

“Wait,” she breathed into his ear. “Wait until I move.”
“And, you learn to make spear. Your weapon very important.”

Gao gripped the spear laying on the ground, ready to spring into action. He felt Bo move to sit up straight and grip her spear. A small, involuntary shiver went down Gao’s spine as he prepared for the sudden speed that would be required very soon.

The lizard moved slowly in the low grass, occasionally swinging its head around to look for any danger. After a bit, it found a slab of rock it climbed upon to enjoy the rest of the sun. When it finally put its head down, Bo gave a sharp exhale, leaped from the bushes, and ran toward the lizard.

Gao was stunned, unable to move. He had been concentrating so hard on the lizard that he didn’t realize it was time to move. He stood up quickly but forgot to grab his spear. Bending down to grope for it, he finally grabbed it but snagged it on the brush as he tried to pick it up. After struggling with it for an eternity, he freed it from the brush and ran after Bo.

He got to the rock to see Bo staring down the lizard. She was waving her spear around, swiping its dark point at the lizard’s head. The lizard was taking angry bites at the air around her spear. Gao held his spear at the ready, but didn’t know what to do.

“Strike, Gao!” Bo yelled, as if reading his mind. He moved to what he thought was a better angle, took a deep breath, and struck at the lizard’s side.

The events seemed to slow down in Gao’s mind. First came the sharp shout from Bo an instant before his spear struck. The spear hit the lizard’s side, but bounced off the thicker hide to no effect. Gao had gotten the lizard’s attention, however, and it turned toward him faster than he imagined possible. Its head snapped back and forward as Gao stared at it, dumbfounded.

The spittle hit him in the neck. He fell backward with the surprise of the blow and dropped his spear. As his senses came back to him, the burning sensation made him scream and start clawing at his neck.

Bo gave a sharp shout and a quick thrust of her spear and the lizard slumped down. She ran to Gao and sat on top of him, grabbing at his hands. When she caught them, she pinned him to the ground.

“Stop! Stop!” she shouted. “You spread it!”

Gao struggled and screamed, the burning sensation had spread to his chest. Bo kept yelling until he finally calmed down; all he could do is breathe heavily and stare up at her.

“No touch. Stay!” she barked as she leaped up and went to the bush they had been hiding in. She grabbed the pouch of water they had brought and ran back. Pouring a bit of water on his neck and a bit of leather, she started wiping away the spittle and easing his pain. He laid there, whimpering softly to himself.

“Sit up. No bleeding. You good,” Bo said gently. Gao sat up with her help and grimaced with the pain.

He looked over at the lizard and saw Bo’s spear pierced through its neck, blood seeping out of the wounds. Gao got to his feet and went over to look at the dead animal.

“Always the neck,” Bo pointed. “Sides hard, but neck soft.”

He looked down at the animal, then at his ineffective spear off to the side. He slumped down on the ground as tears welled up in his eyes. He felt so useless and worthless and in pain.

Bo went over to him, squatted next to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. “Be calm,” she said.

He looked at her through his watery eyes and took a deep breath. “So useless,” he said between sobs.

“No, just learning,” she said. “Takes time to learn. I took long time.”

He looked at her and swallowed his sobs. He wiped his eyes as Bo nodded and showed him her hand. Small puncture wounds could be seen along the part near the thumb.

“When I was learning, animal leaped at me and bit hard. It hurt!” she said. “But, I learned animals move fast, and better if they watch spear not me.”

Gao swallowed, enduring the pain, and nodded.

“Now, you learn,” Bo said. “Next time you see this lizard, remember pain in neck.” She pointed at his neck. “Then, give him pain in neck!”

Gao gave a small laugh despite himself. It hurt, but it was not a lesson he was likely to forget soon.

Inexperience is a story from Restless Deep

Han found Gao wandering aimlessly outside the cave. He was too old to join in the childish games of his younger friends, but he didn’t have a job to do that day, either. He was old enough to start his training, Han decided.

“Gao, come,” Han said simply, and the boy followed. Han picked up a small bag and started walking away from the cave. They walked in the grasslands away from the sea as the sun rose high into the sky.

“Where we go?” Gao finally asked.

“You learn hunting.”

Gao fell quiet again as they walked toward a small group of trees. He looked around, never straying this far from the cave before.

Han indicated a tree with small clusters of round, dark red fruits. “Remember this tree. Good fruit.” Gao nodded and looked around to get his bearings

Han then pointed at the ground. “Find sticks. Some for fire. Find big one for spear.” They started to collect fallen branches and put them in a pile. Gao found a few larger sticks and brought them to Han, but none of them had whatever it was Han was looking for.

Finally, one of the larger branches pleased Han. “This good. Now, find another like it.” Gao’s pleasure faded as he went back to work gathering wood.

The sun had started to descend in the sky when Han called Gao for a break. They had a small lunch from dried meat from the bag and some fruit they had found nearby. Han showed Gao how to spit the seeds as far as possible. Gao was enjoying the game when Han told him it was time to continue working.

The sun was had gone halfway down the sky by the time Gao found another large stick that Han approved of. They gathered up the sticks and headed back to the cave.

“It late. I no learn to hunt?” Gao said with obvious disappointment in his voice.

“You learn important lesson. I show you where food tree was. Food not always easy to find when hunting.”

Gao shrugged.

“And, you learn to make spear. Your weapon very important.”

Gao didn’t look happy the whole trip back. By the time they returned they fire at the mouth of the cave was built high and bright, guiding them back home. After they put the firewood aside, Han took the two larger sticks and motioned Gao toward him.

“First, we make beast spear. For hunting in grassland. Watch.”

Han took the more tapered end of the large stick and rubbed against the rough cave walls to make more of a point. He then took a half-burnt piece of wood from the giant bonfire and started a smaller fire off to the side. After it died down to coals, he put the end over, but not touching, the glowing embers.

“No burn, just get warm. Here, you hold.”

Gao took the stick and held it. His arms got tired, but Han scolded him every time the end of the stick got too close to the embers.

“Now, rub on wall again,” Han instructed, helping Gao scrape off the charred bits, exposing the darker wood underneath. Han took a look at the point and said, “A bit longer.”

Gao held the stick over the flames and concentrated hard on keeping the wood away from the few flames that occasionally flickered up. Han had him scrape the end against the wall again.

“See hard point? Good for hunting.”

Gao grinned proudly. He had made his first weapon!

“Now we make fishing spear. Watch.”

Han took the other stick and hit it hard against the floor of the cave. Crack! He pounded it fiercely until the stick started to split on the end.

“See crack? This good,” Han said has he pried his fingers into the crack, widening it. When the splits were big enough he gave the stick to Gao.

“Now, harden the points with the fire.”

Gao understood what to do this time. He held the points near the fire and scraped them carefully against the rough wall. When he was done, the end of the spear was suitable for catching fish.

Han looked over the work. “Very good,” he said. “Better than my first spears.”

Gao grinned with pride. Perhaps it wasn’t what he considered real hunting, but he had accomplished something important.

The New Hunter is a story from Restless Deep

The stranger had started learning their language, but he was hesitant to use it. He clung to his animal nature and used body language to communicate most of the time, only using a few words to get someone’s attention. But, he had worked hard to become part of the pack and become known for helping others.

One time while Scar was out on the hunt, Scar Mate did not feel well. She had lost her small meal and wanted to rest quietly. But, Pup had other ideas and would not leave her alone. It was the newcomer who had come along to entertain the young Pup. Scar Mate still kept an eye open and watching Pup during the time, but she got several hours of respite while she recovered her strength.

Another time the heavy rains caused the Old One pain in her legs. She often misses meals in weather like that, not wanting to endure the pain and the wet to get food from the hunt. But, the new wolfen one was along to share some food and some quiet company. It seemed that he could even get along with the Old One, which many considered something of a miracle.

But, not everything was wonderful. One time he got a bit too nosy about Shadow when she did one of her rituals. She swatted at him ran off for a few nights. Those nights were filled with more distractions and strange sounds than usual. Everyone was happy when they saw her red fur and bushy tail once again, having rejoined the pack one night without anyone really noticing. “Perhaps there is something to her little rituals,” Scar said to Growl after she returned.

Through it all, one thing was certain: he had formed a strong bond with the Help. Young Help had taken a particular interest in the new one and they were often working together. She followed him around most of the time, even after he was no longer viewed as a threat. She seemed happy to be with him, helping out the rest of the pack as they could.

The sun was shining brightly down on a particularly hot day when Leader noticed the white one nearby. He got up from his sunny spot to head over and chat. “You good?”

The new one ducked his head in submission as he noticed Leader approach.

“Use words,” Leader commanded.

“No… like words,” the new one spoke quietly.

“Words faster. You use words, you get faster.”

Eyes looked up from the ground with worry in them.

“Relax. We all happy,” Leader said carefully, trying to reassure him.

“I am… pack?”

Leader finally understood what was troubling him; the wolfen ones needed to belong. The newcomer was worried about his position and security.

“Come with me.” Leader commanded as he walked toward the pack. The white one followed.

“Listen!” Leader called for the attention of those enjoying or trying to avoid the heat of the day. “Decision! Is white one part of pack?”

Leader’s two mates bowed their heads to him, letting him know that they would agree to his decision. The other felines were mostly indifferent, not eager to get involved in the wolfen notion of the pack. Shadow also knew better than to stick her nose into the issue, so she went back to a hidden burrow to cool off.

The wolfen ones looked at each other and gathered into a tight group. Quiet words were spoken while they glanced at the new one and Leader. After a moment, Help went to stand by the new one while the others approached Leader.

“Yes, he will be part of pack,” Growl said as his role as elder of the wolfen ones. The new one and Help came to take their place in the circle. “His name is Help. His mate is now called Helpmeet.”

Leader looked at the pair. The relationship had grown over the months, and it was now recognized by the others.

“Good,” Leader said. “This is good.”

Helpmeet nuzzled her mate as he held his head high. He knew his position in the pack, had a mate, and was happy.

Leader stood up and walked back to his sunny patch to snooze the rest of the warm day away. There were a few less things to keep him busy.

Help’s Welcome is a story from Restless Deep

It was during an evening patrol that he found a problem. His nose had drawn him to the base of the tree, and the scent there told him of a recent visitor. “Hunter,” he called to his companion, “come here.”

The sleek gray beast moved to meet Leader. His nose picked up the scent almost immediately. “Another one. Wolfen, like me.”

“Trouble?” Leader asked, flicking his feline ears back in agitation.

Hunter cocked his head and gave an uncertain look. He couldn’t tell anything from the marking. “We go get Growl?”

“Not yet. Follow.”

The two dropped low and moved quickly on all fours. They sniffed the air occasionally and changed directions as their senses detected their quarry’s path. Slowing as they reached a small group of trees next to a stream, Leader shot a look at Hunter and they circled the area. “Here,” Leader said in quiet tones.

The sun had set and the light was fading, but the smell was unmistakable; it was a wolfen one, certainly. They approached the stand of trees, Hunter a bit ahead of Leader and ready to handle the situation.

A thump from between the trees and the movement of a shadow between the trees made the two freeze in place, ready for action. They waited for several long moments before slowly creeping toward the trees again. A white furred head poked out from behind a tree and looked at them. Hunter stood upright and looked directly at the stranger in a show of confidence. This was their territory, and they outnumbered him.

The stranger looked at both of them. Upon seeing Leader, he bared his teeth and gave a quick growl. Leader backed off slightly as Hunter stood his ground and watched the stranger. Slowly, the white furred one emerged from the trees and approached Hunter.

The two sniffed at each other from a short distance away. Muscles were tense, but no overt aggression was displayed by either one. After a while, the white stranger dropped to all fours and looked downward in submission in front of Hunter.

Leader exhaled his held breath. There would not be a fight tonight, and it was time for them to go home. “Let’s go.”

Hunter took a few steps back before slowly turning and dropping to all fours. He kept his head high and dominant, glancing two more times over his shoulder at the white one. He turned toward Leader and they set off home.

It was only a short distance later when they noticed the white stranger following after them. They stopped and watched as he carefully approached. Hunter stood up to his full height, but the white one stayed low.

“What now?” Hunter asked. Leader had to make a decision.

“Problem?” Leader asked. He was cautious not to make any assumptions when dealing with unfamiliar wolfen ones.

“No. He respects me.”

The stranger looked back and forth as the two talked in quiet voices. He did not understand the language.

“Then, let him come. See if the pack accepts him.”

Hunter took a step forward and looked down at the young stranger. After a moment, Hunter turned and dropped down in front of Leader. Leader stood up on his hind legs and looked down at Hunter, establishing his position of authority. The white one slowly moved forward and stayed low in reach of Leader, maintaining the hierarchy. Leader bent down and licked the new one a few times on the head, getting a sense of him as the feline ones do. If this upset the white one, he didn’t show it.

Leader dropped down and turned toward home. Hunter followed behind him and the new one trailed behind a prudent distance. After a while they approached the pack’s place. Leader gave a short bark to announce themselves and the night watchers came forward out of the gloom and met them.

“A new packmate,” Leader said as the others approached. They kept their eyes on the white stranger as the three approached and stood their ground. It was the young Help that finally moved forward and sniffed at the newcomer. She gave a short bark and moved away from the pack, leading the white one to a place he could sleep. She would watch over him to make sure he didn’t do anything to threaten the pack.

“Huh,” Hunter said as Help and the stranger moved out of sight.

“What?” Leader said, not completely understanding the body language between the wolfen ones.

“Help is happy,” Hunter commented as he head toward the pack and to sleep.

Leader looked at Hunter, then looked in the direction the two had gone. “Oh,” he thought, finally understanding.

Newcomer is a story from Restless Deep

As they traveled into unexplored territory, both groups went to work. Old Bralla and her apprentice Prin were remembering the lay of the land they had not taken time to explore before. Heena followed her senses and tried to find new sacred places, but none had been found so far.

“Why do you still search for the sacred places?” Dees asked one morning as they were eating breakfast in the dim light right before dawn. “Mother told us about the sacred places, but we only put the dead to rest there.”

Heena sat and concentrated on the point at the horizon where the sun was about to appear. “She told us to find them. I can sense them so strongly, so it fell to me to find them.”

“But, you could do so many other things! Exploring fills me with more excitement than trying to follow a feeling.”

“The law is that we must put the dead in the sacred spaces,” Heena said, repeating what their mother had told them many times. “Without sacred spaces, we would not be able to give them proper rest.”

“But, there are many sacred spaces,” Dees countered. “All the tribes are within a day’s journey of sacred spaces. Even explorers like us try not to stray too far from them.”

Heena shrugged. “With mother resting in a sacred place, there was nobody else to carry on the work.”

Dees just shrugged and let the topic drop. The sun came up over the horizon, sending rays of light across the plains. The sisters sat in silence, watching as the light chased away the darkness, announcing the start of a new day.

“Where are you heading next?” Dees finally said as she had enough of the sun’s spectacular arrival.

“Bralla mentioned some areas to the north that may contain sacred places. There are areas we have not seen yet up there.”

“Yes, some beautiful lands near the mountains,” Dees said, smiling at her memories of the area.

“We have some maps Bralla described for us,” Heena said. “And, you, where will you go?”

“We will go exploring!” Dees said with a smile. “The western areas are unknown to us. So, we will take Bralla and Prin there to remember the areas.”

“No other tribes have been there yet?”

“Not that I have heard. Bralla has no memory of those areas, and has heard no stories. So, we will go explore.”

“Perhaps find other tribes?” Heena said with a chuckle.

“Who knows? We may even find those other tribes from campfire stories.” Dees said, smiling. “I think they are out there.”

“I know. Do be careful, sister.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we can handle ourselves. It is our job to find the unknown!”

“Stay close to the sacred spaces. I think they can bring peace,” Heena’s voice trailed off.

“Bralla will keep the sacred spaces in her mind as we travel, and she will not let us go too far.” Dees playfully grinned at her sister.

“Perhaps I am worrying too much again,” Heena said, giving a half-smile in response.

“You are,” Dees said, standing up. She leaded over and gave her sister a kiss on the forehead before moving off to join her tribe.

Heena sat in silence for a little while longer. She closed her eyes and let the sun’s light warm her for a few minutes more.

Familiy History is a story from Restless Deep

Heena and her sister Dees had spent the days together, catching up and reliving some of their old adventures. They decided their two tribes should travel together for a bit. Heena would show wise old Bralla where the sacred places were so she could remember them for her maps. Dees’ tribe would show the others around some of the newer areas they had explored.

“What bothers you?” Dees asked after they had been hiking for part of the day away from the sea. “You have been very quiet.”

“I worry about Saska,” Heena admitted.

“Sister, you always worry too much. She is staying with the Slow Fishers, nothing will happen to her there.”

“It is not that she is in danger, but I worry that I give her too much responsibilities.”

Dees scoffed. “She does not look unhappy to me.”

“What if she pushes herself too hard to please me?” Heena said, looking at her sister. “What if she thinks I expect too much from her?”

“I think you are being too protective.”

“Can a mother really be too protective?”

A silence fell between them, guarding them from going too close to the uncomfortable topics they preferred to avoid. They continued for the rest of the day in silence. Near sunset, the two tribes stopped, setup camp, and shared a simple meal of dried fish and water.

“I’m sorry about before,” Dees said, finally breaking the silence between the two sisters.

Heena looked up and took a deep breath. “No, I understand. You might be right.”

“I see that Saska is happy. I don’t think there is a problem.”

“I still worry, though,” Heena said, her voice trembling.

“Because you are a good mother.” Dees embraced her sister. They sat together watching the sun set, then they went off to find their places for the night.

The next morning it was decided that they would run to the closest sacred place. Everyone gathered up their pack and set off in a long line. Heena lead the procession, following her senses and her memories of where the sacred places are. The fast pace meant that there would not an opportunity to talk, so Heena had to take a clear path and make decisions about when to stop to take breaks. She pushed the group far and fast, stopping after a while to make sure that all were okay. The sacred place was still a distance away, but they could cover that easily after a break.

“Heena,” the older voice came as Heena was leaning against a tree and drawing some strength. She looked up to see Bralla approach and embrace her.

“Bralla!” Heena exclaimed. She forgot to talk to the older woman before they had left. “It is good to see you. I heard about Moun…”

“He rests now,” Bralla said with sadness in her voice. “But I miss him.”

“Do not fear, he rests in a sacred place. He is at peace.”

“Yes. I remembered the place you had shown us before. Moun said he found the place to have a certain beauty, so we took him there.”

“The place by the stream in the mountains? With the field of flowers?”

Bralla smiled slightly. “Yes! I didn’t think you would remember.”

Heena laid a hand on Bralla’s shoulder. “I remember all the sacred places. They are important.”

“I remember them, too. It’s my job.”

“You do it well. Nobody can replace you,” Heena said while smiling at the older woman.

“Not true, Heena. Prin has been learning everything I know and remembering all the new places. She will replace me sometime.”

“Not for a long time, I hope!” Heena said. She was a bit taken aback by Bralla’s attitude; did losing Moun turn her thoughts so dark?

Bralla just nodded quietly.

The group was starting to pick up their packs again and get ready for another bout of running. The sun was reaching the top of the sky by the time they stopped near a small cairn of stones near a copse of thin trees. Heena sat down her pack at her feet and breathed deeply. She could feel the sacred area, the energies flowing all around.

“We are here,” she announced. Many were already sitting down and catching their breath.

A young woman approached and waited patiently as Heena lost herself for a moment in the sacred place. She finally looked over and caught her breath. “Prin, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Heena,” the young woman smiled shyly. “This is the sacred place? The pile of stones….”

“Yes, that is the marker. I wish you could feel the essence of this place.”

“I feel… something. Perhaps it is more than just the fresh breeze from the sea.”

Heena smiled. “An explorer that can detect sacred places? That would be a blessing.”

Prin gave a quick laugh and smiled. “I am happy learning to be an explorer. I do not think I need more work!”

Heena laughed as well. “I value what you do. Learn well, Prin.”

Prin nodded and went to talk to Bralla. The two women, one old and one so very young, talked and pointed out different landmarks they could see from the area.

Heena watch them for a moment, then closed her eyes and let the sacred place wash over her once again.

The Sacred Places is a story from Restless Deep

“Two tribes?” she echoed. “Are you sure?”

“My eyes are still strong, beauty, and I can count,” he said with a mocking grin on his face. He leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “We should go meet them.”

“Yes,” Heena said. “It will be good to see the children again. Go see how Ree is doing; perhaps the baby will come while we are with the Slow Fishers tribe.”

Heena started packing away her items as Wod ran off to see his current consort. Saska sat quietly nearby, watching her mother packing away the sacred items.

“Still no sense of any sacred places,” Heena said as she continued packing. Perhaps the young one had sensed something she missed.

“Nothing since we met the Green Hunters tribe,” Saska said quietly. She was still preoccupied with the defiling of the sacred place.

“We will find something soon,” Heena said absently. She wasn’t sure she believed it.

The tribe had gathered up their gear and were ready to set out for the last leg of their journey. Heena lifted the pack to her shoulders and secured it. “Which way?” she asked Wod, and then led her tribe in the direction indicated.

The sun had passed the top of the sky when they came upon the dual encampment. Two tribes had indeed met and set up camp the previous night. The sound of children made it clear that one tribe was the Slow Fishers, and when she saw the members of the other tribe her paced quickened.

“Sister! What a pleasant surprise!” a voice called out from between the tents of the Slow Spears tribe. Dees walked out to meet Heena’s tribe as they approached. “Acti said you were due for a visit.”

Heena stood for a moment, overwhelmed with joy, before dropping her heavy pack and moving to embrace her sister. They held each other her tight for several minutes. To most, they appeared almost identical to each other even down to their matching pale green eyes. “It is a good to see you. I am glad to see you well.”

“Of course, I am well. Did you have another bad vision?” Dees said as she frowned. “You think too much on bad dreams.”

“I worry about you,” Heena admitted. “Especially with the green ones and the Green Hunters tribe in the area.”

“You met up with them?” Dees asked. “I have not seen them for many seasons. How is Illis?”

“Same as always. Only caring about her hunt of the green ones and never about the sacred places.”

Dees nodded. “Let us get some food. Desso still has a talent for filling his nets to providing food.”

Heena’s tribe had already started unpacking necessary things while the two sisters were talking. Saska was fidgiting impatiently nearby as the two talked.

“Go,” Heena told the young one to her obvious relief. “Find your friends.” Saska ran off to meet with the children from the Slow Fishers tribe.

Tama, Heena’s assistant, had gone off with Duni to go make a formal greeting to Acti, the leader of the Slow Fishers tribe. Duni ran back to tell Heena that the requests for hospitality were granted; it was a formality, but still important. Heena thanked the huntress, then walked with her sister toward the cooking fire near the beach. Taking some of the roasted fish, they went off to sit and talk together.

“How is your tribe?” Heena asked as they sat down.

“Not bad. Shae has kept me out of trouble, as usual,” Dees chuckled as she ate. “Natik is still opinionated, but I still enjoy his company.”

“What of Bralla?”

“She is still as sharp as ever. A strong mind in a strong body despite her age. She has remembered all of our travels and has made a few maps.”

“I should get some of those maps. I have had a hard time finding new sacred spaces. I can also show her where some of the recent ones are.”

Dees nodded. “But, she lost Moun. He passed during the last cold season.”

“I regret the loss,” Heena said, putting down the bit of fish she was eating.

“We took his body to one of the sacred places and prepared it properly,” Dees said. “His body rests peacefully now.”

“That’s good,” Heena said quietly as she made a promise to herself to talk to Bralla. “And Prin and Erdt?”

“They are fine. They are visiting their daughter with the Slow Fishers. She is old enough that she might join us soon.”

The two ate quietly for a few minutes. “And your tribe? How are they doing?” Dees finally asked as she took a last bite of the fish.

“Saska still has her talent for finding the sacred places,” Heena said with a bit of pride. “She is more sensitive than I am.”

“It is good that she takes after her mother.”

“Tama and Duni are same as always. Ree, however, is pregnant.”

“Who is the consort?” Dees asked with a grin.

“Wod! I cannot imagine Skiro being her type,” Heena said, smiling.

“Ha! How is that old man?” Dees asked after they shared a laugh.

“Cranky. He does not hunt well, and I think he does not enjoy being with us.”

“Too bad. He does not know how good he has it.” Dees took a drink from a skin and passed it to Heena.

“Enough talking, let us go see the children!” Heena said after drinking deeply.

The two got up and walked toward the sound of children splashing in the water. The sun had set into the water as the children played together. Saska was laughing and splashing around with the other young girls when Haanu started calling them in before the night fell completely.

“So,” Dees spoke quietly as they watched the children put on dry clothes. “Wod is now Ree’s consort?”

“Yes,” Heena replied. “They are happy together.”

“Will you consort with him, too?”

“No,” Heena shook her head. “I don’t think I need another little one to look after.”

“You’re lucky,” Dees said, looking over the children settling by the fire. “I wish I had a little one to look after.” Heena reached out and squeezed her hand.

Bralla’s strong old voice rose up and demanded attention as she entertained the crowd with stories. The two sisters sat quietly together and listened to the stories they had heard together many times before.

Seeing the Children is a story from Restless Deep

It was right after breakfast when Lena’s mood changed. She happily talking with Gar and the children when she stopped suddenly. Her stomach gripped her tightly, and she knew it was time. Gar went to fetch Nif and watched as the two women talked. As Lena and Nif focused on the birth, Gar started to pace around the cave more.

The fire was built high and hot at Nif’s request, throwing shadows all around the cave as people moved in preparation of the birth. The stoic hunter was torn between wanting to support his mate and not wanting to face the actual birth. Gar could barely stand to watch the pain he saw his mate have to endure, despite surviving intense pain himself.

Han came over and laid a hand on Gar’s shoulder. “All good,” Han said. “Another strong child.”

Gar nodded, glancing just beyond the fire and then at the mouth of the cave. He gave Han a quick smile then continued pacing, inching closer to the cave entrance with every step. After few more passes he glanced outside, but then turned toward his mate and walked over.

Nif was soothing Lena, who was sitting back and sweating in the now hot cave. Gar stood quietly off to the side, watching everyone move around with a purpose. Nif stood up to make sure the cleansing water was being heated. She looked at Gar and nodded as she passed.

“All good. Just like others,” Nif said.

Gar stepped closer to his mate and squatted down, taking her hand gently in this. Her eyes opened up at the touch and she smiled.

“I love you,” she said before closing her eyes again. She squeezed his hand hard as the pain took hold.

“Love you, too,” Gar replied, enduring the discomfort of his hand without showing it.

Nif came back over, followed by a few people carrying the heated water. “Need room,” she said and Gar moved out of the way. She laid her hands on Lena’s stomach and closed her eyes. Lena squirmed a bit and gave a short gasp as another contraction hit.

“It is time,” the old woman pronounced. A few moments later, Lena’s water wet the furs she was sitting on. Lin, who had been sitting nearby, gasped in surprised then got up to tell Han and the other men the news.

Lena squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Gar stood, staring, almost frozen as he stared at his mate finally giving birth. After more breathing, concentration, and pushing, the top of the head was visible. Lena gave a small shout as the others encouraged her.

It was just too much for Gar. As much as he loved his mate, he couldn’t take the situation. He turned toward the mouth of the cave and walked outside into the bright sun.

Gar walked around outside, trying to find something, anything to distract him. People walked by and said comforting words to him, but he wasn’t paying attention. His mind kept wandering back to his mate and the tiny bit of the head he had seen. He stopped and stretched his arms high to the sky, stretching until his muscles ached and his mind cleared. He sat down without opening his eyes and let the crash of the waves down at the beach calm him.

It was the piercing cry of a newborn baby that broke the silence and made him open his eyes. His hunter reflexes had him on his feet and moving toward the cave in a heartbeat. He slowed down and took a deep breath as he reached the cave entrance. He took measured steps inside, toward the crying and toward his mate.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Nif spitting on the ground and tying the cords. Vel, Nif’s apprentice, was wrapping the infant in soft furs after just washing him in the water. She handed the dark bundle to Lena, who held it close and smiled at it.

“A son,” Nif said.

“Our son,” Lena echoed. She looked up at Gar and smiled.

Gar walked carefully over to Lena and saw his son. He tenderly touched the child, running his finger along his slick skin. “Our son,” Gar said. A tiny hand reached out and grasped the hunter’s finger tight. Gar smiled.

It was only when Gris hobbled over that Gar finally took his eyes off his child. “Pa, my son,” he told the old man. The baby was quiet at his mother’s breast.

Gris nodded. “A strong son is named Tal,” the old man mumbled as he smiled his toothless grin. “Strong son.”

Gar looked back at Lena as she was stroking the child’s head.

“Our son, Tal,” she said, smiling at his little face.

Happiness is a story from Restless Deep

The creatures seemed to move around a lot more now that the others had returned. They had the bright, hot fire burning well into the night, which made them much easier to see as they moved around. At one point the small ones started making a new noise, pleasant and kind of like listening to the sea with a certain rhythm and flow.

The old one made a pleased noise. The small one echoed the soft noise immediately, as usual, and the rest followed suit. They carefully backed away from the edge as to not attract attention and found a group of nearby boulders to sleep against.

The next morning, the fast one was the first to awaken. He looked around to make sure there were no threats nearby and went off to explore a bit. Far away, near the far edge of the sea, there seemed to be a rock outcropping that looked promising. As the others woke, the fast one circled around them as they woke up and then lead them toward the outcropping.

The sun was high in the sky as they approached their destination. As they turned the corner, they saw a bunch of the violent green creatures. One of them turned and bared its teeth, waving its claws in front of it in an aggressive posture. The hard one advanced on it, making a low, rumbling noise to warn the creature away. It swiped its claws but they did little damage to the hard one’s rocky body. He started to push the green ones away forcefully, and eventually they took the hint and turned to leave. After getting a short distance away, the biggest green one turned and yelled harshly at the small group, then ran off into the distance.

The fast one moved to the outcropping and made the questioning noise. The old one approached and looked around. After a bit, he made the negative sound; the rock would not be good to create a hole to live in as the other strange creatures had done. The small one made the disappointed sound as the group continued along the coastline.

After a bit, the hungry one stopped the group to try to find something to eat. There was very little soil here, only sand that did not taste very good. The hungry one found a piece of wood to satisfy his hunger while the rest nibbled on nearby things. The water did not taste the same as the other water they had enjoyed before, but it helped cool their bodies down a bit. After everyone was done eating, or trying to eat, the group moved on.

The darkness came again. The old one wished he could make the warm, bright fire like the other creatures did; it gave him a comforting feeling to remember it. The group found some rocks to sleep between until the light came again.

The small one was the first to awake the next day, but he froze when he saw one of the large animal creatures prowling around. The prowler seemed interested in the group’s location. The small one made the alarmed noise and woke the rest of the group. They stood motionless, hiding between the rocks while keeping an eye on the furred one. It got close to the small one and the hard one was ready to make a move, butl the old one made the negative sound to stop the conflict. This sound startled the creature, causing it to retreat a distance, look worriedly at the group, then run off away from the sea. The group got together and continued to travel along the coast.

Four more days passed uneventfully until the group found another promising outcropping, this time noticed by the hard one. The group approached carefully, looking for any dangers in the area. After searching around a bit, the old one made a positive sound, and the whole group joined in. They had found the site of their current home. Now, they had to form the cave they would live in.

Finding Home is a story from Restless Deep

“When we move and hunt?” was the question on everyone’s mind, but the Leader wasn’t giving an answer. He had rested in the shade most of the day, but now he was stirring to take his watch during the night with some of the others. He stretched his long, feline body as he stood up from his rest.

Scar was ready to rest for the night, but it was his Mate that pressed the issue. “The Pup hungers. When we hunt food?”

The leader looked at her with tired eyes. “You know can’t hunt when green ones near. Kills cubs and pups.”

Scar Mate softly growled and fixed her wolfen eyes on Leader. “And, if my Pup starves?” she asked. The others made small noises of agreement.

“Soon. All want to eat, but must be safe.” Leader walked away, working out the last bits of sleep from his body.

Scar licked the Pup quickly as he moved to take his position inside the circle for the night. The green ones had been cruel in killing all of Pup’s siblings, and Scar worried about him being alone. He knew that Mate was conflicted between safety and food.

The parents were starting to grab their young ones and get them ready for sleep. A few protested, but eventually all settled down into a quiet slumber. Shadow performed her nightly ritual of circling her sleeping area seven times then twitching her bushy red tail before laying down; she claimed it made her, and by extention the group, harder to find in the darkness.

As the last bits of light faded from the sky, the watchers turned all their senses to watch the surroundings. The light of the moons was bright this night, so all movement on the plains were easy to see with their watchful eyes. A gentle breeze brought the various scents of the area to them, letting them know that nothing unknown was nearby. In the distance, sensitive ears picked up the rolling of the waves through the night in addition to the typical noises in the area; noises that might be prey, or that could be predators.

Suddenly, after many hours of quiet, something crashed through the brush a small distance away from the group. Leader’s ears pricked up and he glanced that direction. The old wolfen one, Growl, stood up and took a slow breath to focus himself. He looked toward Leader, who nodded and motioned toward the sound. Growl crouched down and moved silently toward the brush and blended into the night.

With a quick sniff of the air, Growl caught a familiar scent that he couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t one of the pack, or an animal, but something he had scented before…. As he crawled around the bush, he saw it: a creature putting rocks together in a pile. He watched quietly for a short while. As the figure stood up, Growl jumped slightly and got ready to pounce. The figured looked up and opened its eyes wide as it recognized the sleek form before it.

They both stood there for a while, both keeping careful eyes on the other and tensed up to counter any sudden move. It was the bare one that took the first careful step backwards. Then another, and some gentle sounds. It held its hands in front of it, protecting itself from any sudden moves. Growl took a few steps backward and relaxed a bit. The other figure slowly got down to the ground, touched its head to the ground, then crawled backward slowly. It was out of sight before Growl turned around and headed back to the group.

“What?” Leader wanted to know when Growl returned.

“A tall, furless one, but no hunting stick.”

“They hunt green ones?”

Growl nodded as he took his place back in the circle and turned his eyes outward. The rest of the night passed quietly as Leader was left with his thoughts.

As the sun rose, the group started stirring. Sleepy adults were starting to wake up and prepare to take their place on the watch. Leader decided it was time to share the news.

“Pack!” the Leader yelped, getting everyones attention. “The tall ones who hunt the green beasts have returned. Our cubs are safe.”

Small noises of joy echoed through the pack. Finally, they would hunt!

Protecting the Pack is a story from Restless Deep

In the distance, barely audible, the vicious scream of one of the green ones was cut off suddenly. Realizing the problem, Heena opened her eyes and said, “Our kin, the Green Hunters tribe, is near.”

Her tribe shouldered their loads again and made ready to move. The meet of the tribes wasn’t for a while yet, but when two tribes were so close to each other it was proper to meet with each other. Even if the other tribe were the crude Green Hunters, those that use their weapons to kill others instead of for hunting food.

Ree looked concerned as she laid her hand on Heena’s shoulder. “We don’t have to go.”

Heena looked down at Ree’s large belly. “Can you not make it?” she asked with concern. The pregnancy had lasted since the last summer season, but she had not complained yet.

“I can go,” Ree said defensively. “I know you don’t like them.”

“They do not respect the work. Our sacred ground.”

Ree nodded. “So don’t go.”

“No, we must. They know we are near and won’t forgive the insult.”

At her sign, the tribe started running in the direction Heena indicated she heard the sounds. More violent screams filled the air as they got closer and closer. Outside a narrow cave they saw the Green Hunters tribe and a pile of the small green bodies of their victims. Heena frowned and almost spat a curse when she saw one of her cairns had been knocked over.

“Hail!” Duni shouted in her role as leader of the hunt. “The Sanctifiers meet you.”

Only one of the five hunters turned to notice. The others stared at the cave holding spears with shiny stone spearheads and heavy clubs at the ready for any of the green ones that dared get too close to the opening. Illis backed two steps away from the cave and the rest shifted position to block any way out of the cave.

Illis planted her spear in the ground and started unwrapping the blood-stained, supple leather that served as padded armor. Taking some water, she hastily washed off blood that had soaked through and gotten on her skin.

“Hail, kin. The hunt is good, see?” She showed a savage grin.

“You disrupted the sacred site,” Heena said without formality.

“I didn’t notice,” Illis said, her grin fading from her face.

“The cairn,” she pointed to the rocks, “the sign we agreed on.”

“It was the green skins,” Illis shrugged. “They came here first and we followed.”

“Their blood fouls the area. You shed the blood.”

A sudden scream pierced the air as a small green blur rushed from the cave. The hunters moved as one force: a step here, a dodge there, a brilliant spear thrust then the sudden end of the scream. The green one convulsed on the end of spear then fell limp.

“Spoiled, spoiled, the sacred place is spoiled,” the young Saska moaned from the back of the group.

“Ha! The young one should learn to hunt, not pile rocks,” Illis said as she looked back at Saska.

“She recognizes sacred places better than I,” Heena said. “She has a talent.”

Illis shrugged and looked back at her tribe. They were putting away their weapons and unwrapping their padded armor as well. Some remembered the courtesy of quickly washing away some blood before meeting with their kin. Only Sana stayed back, taking ears from the corpses as trophies for their accomplishments.

“I see the useless tribe is here,” Tanham said as he approached the group with a mocking grin on his face.

Illis’ hand struck his face with a blow that made Heena wince. “Respect, Tanham.”

“Yes, leader,” Tanham mumbled through his clenched teeth. He bowed low before Heena and backed away.

“Sorry, my kin. I do not approve of speaking insults to other tribes.” Illis frowned and glanced off to the side.

Duni broke the awkward silence, “Any news, Illis? Have you been as far as the sea yet?”

“Yes. Saw a tribe of cave dwellers, the hairy ones, over toward the sea. Saw them hunting.”

Heena’s attention was focused on that. “Did they fight with you?”

“No, they hunted the animals and left.”

“Oh. Can we reach the sea and not see them?”

“Not sure. Probably.” Illis shrugged. “You do like the sea.”

“It is calming,” Heena said. “You should join us.”

“No, we cannot stray. Other green skins are on the move. What news from you?”

“We saw some of the walking animals the other night. They were huddled together in the darkness as we traveled.”

“They do not fight us,” Illis said. “They do not pose a harm like the green ones.”

“They seemed… scared….” Heena started. “They are not like other animals.”

“Things change, Heena. But, now we must go. Good travels, kin,” Illis said as she started to gather her gear together.

Heena nodded without smiling. “You, too.” She motioned to her tribe and they continued their trek toward the sea.

A Meeting of Tribes is a story from Restless Deep

Gao was the first to meet them. He was almost ready to go on the hunts and had that mix of excitement, anticipation, and terror that most of the hunters remembered so well. They grinned as he drew near and huffed, out of breath. “Good food tonight!” Han shouted as they passed Gao. The boy stood up and ran back down the hill ahead of the group in excitement.

Gao passed a woman walking up the hill toward the group. Even in the dim light everyone recognized Mo heading up the hill toward them. “Many spear holes this time, blind hunters?” she shouted. She covered her eyes with one hand and pretended to stab a spear wildly with the other.

“Maybe no food for you tonight, Mo!” Han said as he got close.

“Maybe I use hides with holes for your clothes,” she said with a smirk, getting a close to look at the animals. She ran her hands along the skins as she walked along, nodding and murmuring to herself. The group carried the bounty into the cave and it down in Mo’s work area. Using her cutting stone, she cut the hides and started separating them out from the meat, putting the skins aside to treat them later. Kel hobbled over and helped cut up some of the meat to put on the fire to roast for the feast tonight.

Han went to see the chief while the rest were taking care of the meat. “We bring much meat,” he said to Zun, seated near the entrance of the cave.

“Yes. Soon my son Gao will go, too.” It was a statement, not a question posed to the hunter.

“We saw tall ones with shining spears,” Han said after a silence. “They hunted the wild green beasts while we hunted animals.”

Zun gave a little grunt. “Maybe it is good. The green ones attacked in the past.”

Han nodded. “I stay away, like you say. No fights with the shining spears.”

“Good. Now let us enjoy the night and the meat.”

The two men stepped outside the cave to the light of the giant fire and enjoyed the warm brilliance. Kel was tending meat cooking in the fire while others were busy preparing for the fast. Even the children had gotten together and started singing a little song about eating meat as they ran around playing. Gao was obviously torn, wanting to be near the hunters to show he was becoming a man, but also wanting to join in with the singing fun the children were having. Han laughed and went to join in the children’s song, showing Gao that there is no shame in having a good time.

More people came to the mouth of the cave as the meat cooked. Young Sen stood near Han after he had left the children to their games and songs. She looked at the fire and then said, “You saw the tall ones again.”

“Yes,” Han replied. “How do you know?”

“The smells. The way they smell.”

“How do you know their smell?”

“Don’t know,” she said quietly. She wandered off, deep in thought. Her behavior often confused Han, but he just shrugged it off as always.

Han wanted to watch the sea for a bit while the tribe celebrated the meal. He sat on a stone next to Gar’s father, Gris, facing out to the sea. The old man smiled his toothless smile at the hunter. “Meat,” the old man mumbled.

“Yes,” Han replied. “Gar hunt good.” The old man smiled to himself and watched the sea quietly with Han.

Han stared off into the sea for a while as the activity of preparing the meal happened around him. He watched the waves crash against the beach in the dimming light. Even when the sun had set and the dark twilight hid the ocean from view, he still listened to the crashing of the waves in the distance.

About the time the smell of the cooking meat was driving everyone crazy with hunger, Kel started taking the meat from the fire and placing it in the wood bowls. People gathered near the fire eagerly when Zun clapped his hands loudly once, twice, three times for attention. Everyone stopped and looked at the leader.

“Hunters bring us food, and we feast with them. We thank the hunters as we enjoy food.” Everyone murmured in agreement as the hunters smiled.

Han took a bowl with roasted meat and some mashed roots and sat on a stone near the fire. He looked around and saw the people enjoying the food he had helped bring back. Han smiled, proud of his ability to bring such life to the tribe.

Hunters Return is a story from Restless Deep