Chapter 9
Benham
I lie in my furs, the dark sky still holding onto the last remnants of the night before the sun crests the horizon and replay last evening. Nothing surprised me more than Maeve tapping on the entrance to my tent. Except her asking me to go on a walk. I have never walked anywhere without purpose before. Although I suppose the purpose of this one was for her to…. Actually, I do not know her purpose.
She does not have to tell me she does not want to be my mate. I already know, and despite her courage walking with me, there had still been fear in her eyes. It was in the way her gaze darted to me often as though keeping me in her sight. It had also been in the stiff way she held herself. And yet, she did not outright reject me.In fact, she talked of fairness. As if that is important to her. But what is fair of forcing a mating with someone who fears you?
No prayers to Deeka have passed my lips since the Krijese killed my baba and nene. What goddess would allow that to happen? Perhaps this is my punishment for forsaking her. Giving me a mate who rejects the bond that is supposed to bind us for life. I have never had the desire for a mate. Even less so after being orphaned. I have been a I fool to not understand the power of the bond and how a single touch changes everything.
Growling, I throw back my furs and rise. After quickly washing and donning clean leg coverings, I exit my tent and head for the central fire. Today, I join the hunters, instead of training with the other warriors. Zydon can take over for me unless he and his keeshla are heading out as well. Few tribespeople are out this early. Only hunters who are gathering weapons from the stores before they leave.
I serve myself a helping of oriz. While it is similar to kokrra, oriz is made from a different type of grain with a richer taste and texture. Both are filling and easy to prepare for the number of tribespeople those working the fire have to serve. Kokrra was my nene's favorite meal, although she sweetened hers with shurup nectar. She once said it was comfort food and reminded her of her own nene, and she would eat it every morning if she could. Perhaps she is who I get my love for it as well, although every morning is more than I would like to eat it.
I take my regular seat and eat. The scent of the fire fills the air, but beneath it is a hint of cold dust. There is still half a lunar cycle before it should start falling and blanketing the planet. More hunters slowly arrive for food, finish quickly, and sets off for the front gate. If I don't want to be out there past the midday meal, I should also get going.
After I discard my eating vessel by the fire, I walk back to my tent for my weapons. I place my belt around my waist, slide my sword in its sheath, and attach several daggers. Instead of my spear, I slip a satchel containing arrows onto my back and carry the bow outside.
Around me, tribespeople are spilling out of their tents. I pass one on my way to the front gate and Talek comes tumbling through the entrance of his. He runs over and walks beside me with the kind of excited, restless energy I associate with him.
"You are going hunting, Benham?"
"Aye."
"My baba said I can go with him today. May we join you?"
I have a fondness for Talek. My apprentice reminds me of him with her incessant chatter and endless questions. Similar to her, the kit asks important ones that will help him improve as a warrior and a hunter.
"Get your weapon."
Despite my gruffness, he grins broadly and rushes back into his tent. Several moments later he steps out with his spear. Following him is Samik, who has a sword slung across his back and a matching, but much larger, spear in his own hand.
"Greetings, Benham. Talek has said we will be joining you on your hunt today," he says with caution in his tone as though gauging how I will respond.
I nod. "Greetings."
The three of us pass through the front gate, guarded by Evren and Rojtar, who salute us on our way out. A swift breeze rustles the bari filled field before us and the branches of the forest trees sway and dance. With it comes the sweet scent of lulebore and the occasional sound of small ground animals rustling through the brush and the snap of a twig every so often.
"What are we hunting today?" Talek asks keeping his usually loud voice tempered.
"A sizable herd of dhibani on a hillside not far from here," Samik replies with a swift glance in my direction.
"Then let us search them out."
We head in the direction of the hills. Talek follows in his baba's exact footsteps as we make our way through the tall bari field he can barely see over. I keep my eyes on the trail along the base of the hills, watching for any sign of the Krijese who have made their home within the trees that climb up the side of them.
"Is this where our enemies live?" Talek asks.
"Until they prove otherwise, the Krijese who reside within the hills are not our enemies. They are merely people seeking a new life where they will not starve." Not once in my entire thirty-eight warm seasons would I have thought a peaceful tribe of the people we once called enemies could exist. We will remain cautious and vigilant in any encounters we may have with them, but for the moment, there is a peace between our tribes.
"Katem said he overheard Zydon report there are kits in their village. I have never seen a Krijese kit before. Are they as ugly and fearsome as a grown warrior?" Another question from Talek.
I breathe in patience. "I have never seen one of their kits either, so I do not have an answer for you."
"Do they have mates like the Tavikhi?"
Samik and I exchange a glance, and he answers his kit. "They do not mate in the same way we do. The gods they worship do not provide them keeshlas as Deeka provides us."
Talek appears thoughtful while we travel the path. His baba has moved to the back to keep the kit between us. My gaze shifts from the trail in front of us to each narrow passageway that splits the hills and travels upward as we go by it. I do not want to get caught unaware if we are attacked from behind, although I trust Samik to guard our backs.
"Why have we not celebrated you and your mate, Benham?" Talek says. "Ow. What was that for?"
I glance over my shoulder. The kit is rubbing the top of his head and looking back at his baba who stares fiercely in return.
"Because my mate hasn't accepted the mating bond between us." The fact stings a little, and I do not understand why.
"How can that be? Your mating marks appeared." He sounds genuinely confused.
Samik glances at me with a hint of worry and an apology in his eyes, as though he fears I will sharply reprimand the kit. Talek has never heard of such a thing before. Only the stories that have been passed down from ancestor to ancestor about how a single touch triggers the mating bond between two Tavikhi. About how the bond is so strong that one can not live without the other. It is not easy to understand why the same doesn't happen between a Tavikhi and a human.
I stop on the path and turn to look down at him. "A mate is not something to be given like a possession. Mates are a blessing. They are two beings brought together through fate. Except that humans do not feel the bond the way Tavikhi do. There is no soul light that shines from within them guiding them to us. We must find a way to share our soul light with them, which isn't always possible."
His small ridge brows shift together. "Do I have a soul light?"
"All Tavikhi have one," Samik responds. "It is ignited when Deeka places your keeshla in your path."
"What if my mate doesn't have one?"
That would only happen if his mate his human, and just a small handful of human kits live in the village. All but one of them is male. It is possible Talek might have a mate amongst the few female Tavikhi kits, but there is no way to guarantee it.
"If she does not, then you will find a way to share yours with her."
"But what if it isn't possible, like you say? Does that mean that I will have a mate, but she will not accept the bond?"
I lay my hand on his shoulder. "I do not have an answer for you."
With nothing more to say, I walk away while Talek and his baba continue talking. It does not last long and then all is quiet. I have my doubts that this will be a successful hunt. Not because there is no game to find, but because my mind is not where it should be. Three of our fiercest warriors have all managed to share their soul light with their mates. Would it really be impossible to share mine with Maeve?
"Benham," Samik says quietly. "There. Along that cliff, where the trees thin."
I lift my gaze toward the hills and spot what he has. A small herd of dhibani grazing in a narrow clearing, their hide helping them to almost blend in with the trees surrounding the area. We will need to pin them between us before they scatter into the trees or farther up the cliffside. Their feet allow them to climb the rocky surface and stand on narrow ledges that would not hold a warrior.
With a few hand gestures, Samik and Talek break off from me while I continue forward to cut the dhibani off on the far side of the clearing. I make my way up one of the passageways between the cliffs and navigate through the trees, taking care with each step, until I locate where the dhibani still graze. I mimic the call of a mellenje and Samik echoes it.
Just through the other side of the trees, I spot the other warrior and the kit at his side who holds his spear at the ready. Being careful of any noise, I slowly withdraw an arrow from my satchel, nock it to my bow, and draw back the sinew cord. I take careful aim, breathe, and release it. Just as it hits its target, Rasik and Talek rush from their spot with a war cry. I drop my bow and unsheathe my sword as I charge forward to join them.
Talek's small spear pierces the side of one and it stumbles. Samik is there to quickly end its pain with his own spear. One of the largest dhibani with thick horns barrels toward me with his head lowered. I spin out of its way, but I am not fast enough to avoid the tip of its horn as it jerks his head. It slices me across the leg. Blood runs, but I ignore the pain. With a quick twist, I manage to ram my sword into the dhibani's side. I withdraw my weapon and stab again making sure to aim for its heart.
The beast collapses at my feet and doesn't move. Sounds of fighting have ceased, and I turn to search for Samik and Talek. The herd of dhibani have scattered and all that remain are the three we have taken down. I lower myself to one knee beside my kill, ignoring the stinging pain in my leg, and bow my head.
"Thank you for the food and warm hide you will provide our people. We honor you."
I rise and perform my prayer ritual for the other two beasts. Samik and Talek approach.
"Excellent job with your spear." I nod at the kit.
"Thank you." He points to the ground near the fallen dhibani. "Why did you kneel?"
"The dhibani do not choose to be killed, so I thank them for their unwilling sacrifice to provide meat and a warm fur for our people." I hoist the animal over my shoulder. "Come, let us take our bounty to the village."
Samik follows my lead, and although it is nearly too big for him, Talek does his best to carry the third. I limp back into the trees to retrieve my bow, and the three of us make our way down the hill toward the village. The temperature has fallen significantly in the time we have been gone and our breath smokes the air. We have to stop many times when the kit's load becomes too heavy, but he brushes off any attempts to take the animal from him. I do not blame him. When I was his age, I too wanted to prove myself as a hunter.
I tune my senses into our surroundings. The air around us is quiet. Too quiet. We reach the path at the opening of the passageway. There are no sounds of footsteps, but my back tingles as though someone is watching it. I remain on alert as we walk the path and then cut through the bari field, but everything is still. A flash of metal near the closest hill catches my eye. I stiffen and concentrate on the spot. Finally, I spot a lone figure in the shadows.
He's unmoving, and from this distance I cannot tell if he is Krijese or not. The only other people on this planet are the Njeri. At least that we have encountered. If he is one of them, he is a long distance from his village. I keep my eyes on him as we exit the field and enter the forest that leads to our village. Even though he made no aggressive moves, my instincts are telling me not to trust him.
Samik gives a mellenje call, which is echoed back, and we finally leave the forest into the open field before the main village gate. With each step we take I become more aware of the pain in my leg. It is not the first time I have been injured, nor will it be the last, so I continue ignoring it.
"Come, let us take these to the tanning tent so they can be stripped."
Several kits come racing over to inspect Talek's kill. Excited chatter comes from them all as he relays how we brought them down. Several females and one of the lesser injured warriors greet us and we pass off the dhibani to be cleaned.
"It might be best to see the healer about that cut." Samik gestures to my leg. "You have lost much blood."
"I will take care of it." I leave him and head for my tent.
It is within sight when Maeve approaches. Her eyes travel down to my wound and her face pales. "Are you okay?"
"I will be fine."
She falls in line beside me but maintains more than an arm's length distance between us. No matter the distance between us, my mating marks grow warm and tingle along my skin. It is a somewhat unsettling sensation.
"That doesn't look fine. There's a lot of blood. Don't you think you should go see the healer?"
We reach my tent, and I pause in front of it. "Thank you for your concern. I will clean it and apply some of the healing salve I have inside."
To my surprise, she lifts her chin, looks directly at me, and straightens her shoulders. "I'll help you, but the hide flap has to stay open."
"You do not have to do that." It is clear she is uncomfortable with her offer.
"Please let me before I lose my courage."
She is brave, my little mate. I still have not discovered what the ‘bad shit' of her past is, but someone has hurt her. I draw back the hide that covers the entrance and tie it so the interior of my dwelling is entirely exposed. First, I remove my arrow satchel, and next, my sword belt. With both in hand, along with my bow, I step inside and cross to my weapons chest. I do not ask Maeve if she is coming in. It will happen in her own time.