Shadows past: Nocturnal call (A story of Sashai and Tela)

With her hunt for a meal now premiturly over at the arrival of a wounded human, Both Sashai and Tela decide to help the both wounded and worried father to free his family from certain death.

Scene 1 :The encounter

 

     Desc:      With her hunt for herself and Tela's meal now premiturly over at the arrival of a wounded human, Both Sashai and Tela (with a fellow Windigo warrior named Blackstreak in tow) decide to help the both wounded and worried father to free his family from certain death at the hands of false Windigo.

     As Sashai spread her form out among the branches of a tree (her left hand grasping a thick branch to her left and her right hand held free, and with her feet planted on different branches beneath her) she sniffed the crisp cool air. It was the early hours of the morning (about midnight) and the scent of the Capybara had just made it to her nose. The scent was intoxicating, it brought an eagerness to the hunt that seldom peaked a Werecoyotes interest as strongly as it did to Sashai this night.

    

 Like the Werewolf, the Werecoyote seemed more at ease in the hunt for food (or any hunt for that matter). But unlike the Werewolf a Werecoyote was small in frame and build and much more agile. Consequently with their smaller stature and lighter build a Werecoyote ate far less than their Werewolf counterparts. A Werecoyote could sustained itself on lesser portions of food throughout the day and night, eating only as much as a human would.

    

     As her pupils enlarged to allow more light into her eyes; Sashai beheld the creature before her. The Capybara stood now no more than fifteen feet away from where Sashai held herself concealed in her hiding place among the branches of the tree she was in.

    

     As the Capybara relieved itself from its concealed position amongst the tall grasses fanning in the direction of Sashai's left (conceal completely as it was from initial observation by the tall grass) and walked slightly to Sashai's right the Capybara sniffed at the early morning air. The Capybara stood in what was for the land, a portion of land that was shaped like a bowl. A indent in the ground where the very tree that Sashai had concealed herself in overlooked.

    

     As the Capybara finally finished its sniffing of the air and tilted its nose to the grass at its feet, to nibble at the delicate ends of the grass (not knowing that it was preparing to partake in its last meal) Sashai thought sadly that this would be its last meal and that soon it would be a meal for herself and that of her beloved Tela.

    

     Licking her lips once, then twice, Sashai prepared to drop down from her concealed vantage point at the mid-point of the trees height  and gingerly descend to the grassy floor below. Then from there she would merely have to move in for the kill and dispatch with her prey quickly and mercifully. For the Capybara would be a full meal and would feed both herself and Tela well until the wee hours of dawn.

    

     As Sashai continued to eye the little creature (waiting to see its head turn away from her so it would not see her coming and then try to scurry away) Sashai became aware of more rustling in amongst the tall grasses on the opposite side of the of the bowl like intent of the land that the Capybara still stood in (the noise directly opposite the ridge and to the right of the tree that she was still concealed in).

    

     The movement through the grass sounded fast. Almost as if whatever was making the noise was running at a full sprint. Whatever it was it sounded to be two legged and not four, for Sashai could not hear the distinct sound of two extra foot falls on the grassy floor to indicate a four legged animal.

    

     Sashai sniffed the air then, all the while trying to identify if the scent was human, Werecoyote, or any other of the five known races.

    

     She could only make out the scent of human, and as she continued to sniff further (causing her snout to wrinkle at yet still further strong scents coming from the humans body) Sashai realized that the second of the three scents her sensitive nose was analyzing was a heavy scent of sweat mingled with (a very worried Sashai realized) was the scent of blood.

    

     As the Capybara turned its head in the direction of the sound coming towards it, the little creature itself sniffed the air once, then twice before it identified the scent as human, then the animal merely squealed and darted off deeper into the surrounding woods to its right. 

    

     "Great! There goes our meal",thought Sashai. "Humans have away of sometimes messing things up, such as this hunt. muttered Sashai under her breath.

    

     With their (namely Sashai and Tela's) food now gone and with an injured human rushing in Sashai's direction, Sashai descended from the mid level of the tree to the grassy floor below.

    

     As Sashai landed on her feet on the grassy ridge overlooking the bowl (only to immediately move to stand on all fours) she watched as the human broke from behind his cover and through the bushes that had held him from her view and stumble and fall head over heels and rolled down into the bowl shaped indentation, finally coming to a rest with his feet pointed in the general direction of Sashai.

    

     Seeing then how much pain the man must be in and how injured he was. For she could see with her far superior Werecoyote night vision the man's face as he grimmest with pain and the long claw mark that ran from his left collar bone to just below his right breast. She knew immediately then what had left their mark on the man's skin, and that was Werecoyote. For the claw mark was not as deep or as wide as that of a Werewolf claw mark; and it was not nearly as deep or as wide as that of a Elder claw mark would have been. No. It was definitely the mark left behind of a Werecoyote. The question was the mark of who? Sashai thought as she tilted her head to the star speckled night sky and let out a coyote howl that she knew would bring her mate and the only other ally that they had who was nearby, a call that she knew would bring them  to her side.

    

     The howl that Sashai let out and that echoed through the small indent in the land before her set the man's heart to fear. For as she brought her head back to bare in the direction of the wounded man she could see on his face the fear most vividly itched. And as she gazed from afar into the man's eyes a look of...defeat and of loved ones lost, of loved ones most dear.

    

     Sensing then the wound that must be in the man's heart for him to show such utter defeat and lose in his eyes (not to mention the wound on his chest) and at she the mark on his body, Sashai decided to move to the man's side and find out if she could help.

    

     Moving then on all fours down the ridge overlooking the man, Sashai moved with a deliberate and slow pace to stand by his side. A deliberate and slow pace so as to not cause even more fear to build inside the man. As she drew nearer to the man, which was measured in a few short strides (a few in this case being four to five) she saw in the man's eyes and on the man's face as if the man was resigning himself to a fate he thought would come, but a fate that Sashai knew herself would never come (at least not at her hands).

    

     Moving to the man's right side Sashai then stood up on her feet, then she immediately knelt down beside him. Taking his right hand into her hands she looked into the man's eyes and tried to show with her's that she held no malice towards him. And then speaking calmly she spoke in the language she knew was most widely used in the area and as such was the language he most likely used (and that language was Guaraní). Sashai then said,"My name is Sashai and I am a friend not an enemy. I see by the wound that your chest bares that it is a wound inflicted by one that is of my kind. Tell me please who has done this to you and why?"

    

     As she waited for the man to speak she could hear the sounds of her beloved and their friend Blackstreak approaching, and by now Sashai could pick up the scents of them as well. For a light breeze was now blowing from the west to the east bringing their scents to them. A pleasant smile then appeared on her face, partly for the man (To give him comfort and to put his mind at ease) and partly for the smell of her beloved wafting in through her nostrils; for such was the power of her Tela's smell that could draw a quick and easy smile to her face.

    

     As her mate Tela and her friend Blackstreak crested the ridge to their west (the same one from which Sashai had just come herself from) the man spoke. His words coming as a surprise to Sashai, For as she had expected to hear his explanation to come in Guaraní, it did not but come in the form of Sashai's own Werecoyote language.

    

     "I am a father and husband" said the man. "Me and my family was sleeping when members of your kind seized our home. It only happened a short while ago. I had heard sounds of someone walking around outside our dwelling and went to investigate the sounds when I was attacked by a Werecoyote. He had lashed out with a right hand and caught me with a claw. The claw racking me from left collar bone to just under my right breast. I would have been done for if it had not been for my daughter coming out of our dwelling to see what was the matter. She got their attention almost immediately and the two Werecoyotes moved to force her back into the dwelling." the man then paused for a second while trying to move past the pain caused by his wound before continuing.

    

     "I knew I had no chance against them and instead decided to go for help." the man said before he was interrupted by Sashai.

    

     "How did you know you could find help, and how could you leave them when your family needed you." asked a shocked Sashai of the man.

    

     "I knew I could find help because I had seen your group encamped just several hours before. And I knew you wouldn't have gone to far because I have lived near Werecoyote communities all my life and know that outside your communities you travel only short distances everyday before you camp for the night." said the man in response to Sashai's question.

    

     "I ask you now, please help my family. My home is no more than a half hour away from here to the east, There is three of you" said the man as he eyed the two newly arrived Werecoyotes that now crouched on the ground before his feet,"and only two of them. Surely you could save my family and dispatch those beasts." finished the man with a look of pleading in his eyes.

    

     "Has this ever happened around here before tonight" asked Sashai all the while trying to more understand the situation.

    

     "No. Not here. Though I've heard talk that a band of Werecoyotes lead by one named Stashen had been laying waste to human communities and eating everyone whole. They have even been rumored to even kill and devour any Werecoyote caught helping the humans. I don't know if any of this is true, but I still plead that you help me and my family, for there is no one else that can."

    

     "We will I promise." said Sashai. "We know of the Stashen. For he was once, a long time ago, seen as a honoured member of the Windigo clan. Before he betrayed us and eventually threw in his lot with my father. We have others of our kind nearby. Blackstreak with take you to them and he will enlist their aid for our hunt. And we will purge this area of any foul Werecoyote and make this land easy to live in again for your kind. I promise."

    

     "No doubt you have felt beyond the pain a strong burning sensation." inquired Sashai of the man.

    

     "Yes. I am dying" said the man while trying to show a brave face.

    

     "No you are not." said Sashai with a reassuring smile on her face. "The wound is not that severe, and the burning that you are feeling is due to the severe infection that the Werecoyote transmitted to you. The infection is the same one that transforms one into a Werecoyote. I do not know how long it will take for the transformation to complete itself, but I would wager that with such a severe infection that the transformation should complete itself in about two to three days."

    

     "I have always had a deep respect for the Werecoyote race and as such shall accept this transformation with a happy heart. I also know that the two Werecoyotes that attacked me and my family are lost ones and as such must be dealt with. I will pray for them and for your safety and success in the hunt." said the man with a sincere and thankful smile showing on his face.

    

     "Blackstreak." said Sashai as she continued to hold onto the man's right hand in her own hands.

    

     "Yes" said the bulkier and darker furred of the three Werecoyotes.

    

     "I want you to take this man with you and go for aid and summon the rest of the group. We do not know how many lost ones are out there and therefore will need the entire assembled group to help deal with them." said Sashai as she turned her head to face him while letting go of the man's right hand with hers (but still holding his right hand with her left hand).

    

     "And the two of you while I am gone?" asked Blackstreak of Sashai, no doubt inquiring as to how they intend to go it alone and go on the initial hunt themselves without any immediate backup.

    

     "Meanwhile both me and Tela shall take up the hunt and go after these two Werecoyotes and attempt to rescue this man's family members." said Sashai with the look of confidence showing on her face and in her eyes (no doubt as to try to alleviate some of Blackstreak's concern for the risky hunt).

    

     As Sashai finally placed the man's right hand on top of his stomach she stood up and stepped away from the man's body. And as Sashai stepped away Blackstreak moved in. Slipping his left arm beneath the man's back and his right arm beneath his legs Blackstreak gently lifted the man off the ground and into the air. And as he did this (namely lifting the man into the air) blackstreak looked at Tela and said,"Guard her well. For Sashai, as you know is leader of our clan now and as such goes the destiny of are clan with her."

    

     "Reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible, but until then be careful and safe." finished Blackstreak just before he set off west in the direction of the rest of their party.

    

     "We will" said both Sashai and Tela in unison.

    

     With Blacksreak now breaking into a somewhat face paced stride heading west (the stride being somewhat slower due to carrying the man) Tela stood up and put a right hand to the lead bladed dagger strapped to her chest and while looking at Sashai said,"Lets do this. Lets make a quick end to this hunt and end these lost ones lives as fast as we can and free the man's family."

    

     "Agreed" said Sashai as she let her own right hand move to the hilt of her own lead bladed dagger.

    

     "He said his home is east of here. No more than a half hour away from us. We best set out immediately and with any luck we can dispatch with these lost ones before they harm the man's family." said Tela to Sashai.

    

     It was rare for Tela to take charge and take the lead of anything when Sashai was present. For Tela always deffered to what Tela always thought was Sashai's natural leadership and sound reasoning. But tonight was different. For tonight the two of them would be going sole on the hunt. With no chance of backup for quite sometime. And with the strong thought that tonight she could lose her beloved (as no doubt Sashai's thoughts were of her) the need for protection of her mate was made all the more vital.

    

     "Agreed. We set out now." said Sashai. And as the two of them moved east (while their companion Blackstreak and his cargo cut a long path moving west) the situation of the two groups and their diverging paths were obvious to all. One group (namely Blackstreak and his precious cargo) moving west towards reinforcements, and the other (namely Sashai and Tela) moving east towards danger and the inevitable outcome of battle, all in the hopes of rescuing a family from certain death.

Author's Note

Please review. I would like to know if my writing is getting better. I promise to review in return. Thank you.