Mikali : Part 2

Arrival on Kaiana

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Some time later, Grekath and Ocha were ready, packs on their backs and standing in front of the portal they had created on one of Tym's full-length mirrors -- one he wouldn't care if he lost, he assured them. It had taken forever to find the little planet Grekath called home, and in the end they had had to resort to contacting Earth to find where they had established their intergalactic criminal outposts. It made Grekath none too happy to be reminded of how he'd basically been forced to come to Star City to begin with -- human fugitives and the native badger tribes did not exactly get along -- but that was behind them now, and here they were, ready to see what had become of the situation. Grekath looked at Ocha, both gave a nod, and off they went...

A few brief, stomach-churning moments later, both were crawling from the rippling pool of water that had led Grekath to Star City, and, as then, both were remarkably dry as they picked themselves up. Ocha shook herself a bit, then looked at the pool with wondering curiosity.

"I thought we targeted the shoreline, so we wouldn't surprise anyone?"

Grekath gave the pool a thoghtful glance. ``This is a sacred area to our tribe. We believe it is a spiritual focal-point for the planet's energies. Perhaps... the planet picked our destination for us.`` He didn't need to mention the sudden rush of spiritual energy he felt returning to his being; it was quite the comforting feeling, and Ocha felt it just as much as Grekath, along their bond. The planet, at least, was apparently welcoming him back.

Ocha seemed content with that, and they proceeded through the forest, at first foreign to Grekath as his vision was blurred when he first was led to the cave, but soon more familiar. They made good time to the edge of the western tribal regions, and Grekath quickly proceeded to one of the main meeting areas. With a sigh, he noted that it was empty... something that didn't surprise him.

Ocha shook her head a little, coming into the clearing to investigate. "Deserted. What do you think? Did they back off, or were they --"

Her question soon answered itself, as a deafening bang issued from the forest in the direction of the human establishments, and the bark and wood from the trunk of a tree near Grekath suddenly shattered to bits. Grekath growled, pulling his staff quickly from his pack and sending a disorienting blast of energy toward the only human he saw. The human fell back, unharmed, but completely lost now as the forest changed shape around him, in his mind.

Ocha was ready to drop her pack and spring to action, but Grekath grabbed her arm. :: No! We did not come to fight them. There are other places we can look. Come! ::

Her protest was broken as more humans clattered into the forest, each seemingly armed and shouting something in a foreign tongue. It was unintelligible to her, but the point was evident from their gestures: 'one of those badger-folks' had returned. :: You can hold them off, then? ::

:: Of course. Come! :: They turned and ran through the forest in the opposite direction, Grekath working with the planet to morph the forest behind them. They ran for perhaps a mile before Grekath slowed down a bit, listening for further pursuit. Hearing none, he began to take a more guided path through the forest, still hiding their trail, but now searching for the inner tribal areas, those that had been more sparsely used by the tribal council once the humans first began arriving on the island.

They had been walking for another half an hour when Grekath stopped and lowered his pack, motioning for Ocha to do the same. Ocha tensed, sensing that her bond felt something amiss, and they waited, both perfectly still, watching, listening...

Ocha saw movement in the forest ahead of them, and she leapt in that direction, ready to subdue whatever it was, if necessary. To her surprise, she found herself being caught from the air instead, grasped tightly by furry paws. The badger-like face stared up at her, its eyes piercing hers and searching...

``You are not one of them. What--``

``Mikali! Mikali, she is safe. Please release her.`` Grekath strode forward, giving thanks for good fortune. Mikali was a trusted friend of his, one that he had studied with for some time. He was fiercely loyal, as most of the tribe, but he had always quietly resented the council's treatment of Grekath as a junior or inferior member, despite his skill.

The other badger's eyes widened, and he did indeed set Ocha down. ``Ah... pardon me, then. I thought we were being invaded again.`` He turned and immediately grasped Grekath's paw, tapping their staffs lightly together in customary greeting. ``Grekath! How in Kaiana's name did you make it back here? Qenacor would say nothing of what had happened the day you left, only that you need be tested further.``

Grekath frowned. ``Of course he would say that, would he not? Yet he gave me this.`` He drew a cord from beneath his robe, revealing the amulet that marked a true master of spiritual connection with the planet. The planet gave them their power, and this mark was the last step to becoming a full member of the tribal council.

Again Mikali's eyes widened. ``The mark of the council! How could he not bring you back for full initiation? Why send you on some other quest? ... and ... why did you bring this ... woman back with you?``

Ocha let out a slight 'hmph.' This Woman, eh? Just 'cause his fuzzy little paws stopped her strike...

Grekath had to send a smirk along their bond. :: He means nothing by it, only that to our knowledge, we are the only native sentient race on this ... island. :: He hesitated to say 'planet' at this point, for he felt that they knew very little about the actual planet itself, now that he had seen Atu and its host of civilization. There would be another time to answer those questions, though, and he addressed Mikali again, Ocha turning on the pocket translator just in case.

``Mikali, this is Ochasmatia Terrena. We are spirit-bonded, for lack of a better explanation.`` He waved past Mikali's surprise, not wanting to stay where they were much longer. ``I will explain later. She is perfectly safe and has been a tremendous asset to everything I have done since I left. Ocha, this is Mikali, a great friend and incredibly loyal to our tribe and its advancement.`` He again waved Mikali's response away. Yes, Grekath knew he was rather humble as well, he had no need to display it just then. ``Mikali, this is important. When we arrived, I returned to our meeting place to find it --``

``Overrun, yes. Grekath, your illusion failed as soon as you disappeared. The humans found a child, and they accused us of killing it. With no way for us to prove otherwise, the humans refused to negotiate and attacked as soon as they had viable weaponry. If my ears did not trick me, I believe you have witnessed their handiwork.``

Ocha gave another quiet 'hmph' in response, and, taking that as a yes, Mikali continued. ``Illusion and wooden staves could not do much once they had rushed into our encampment with weapons that tear through whatever they touch. We escaped with our lives, mostly, but otherwise have only managed to keep the humans from penetrating the forest completely. They have taken the entire southwestern half of this island. We are not safe, even here.`` He paused, letting out a sigh. ``Nobody has said it directly, my friend, but I get the sense that some are blaming you for our defenses' failure. Qenacor is not necessarily among them, but neither has he come to your aid.``

Grekath carefully masked his reaction. It figured, didn't it? Nobody knew the true story, thus they assumed they had been abandoned, and without support from the elder last seen with him, there was no second thought. Even as Ocha gave him a little mental brush to help calm him, though, he knew one thing: It was no reason to turn back, and there was still plenty that could be done.

``Fine. Let us proceed to the northern tribeland, then. I assume this is where you have settled?``

``Indeed, it is. You plan to march straight into the fire pit, then?`` Mikali's concern was evident, but Grekath did not seem bothered.

``What else am I going to do? We cannot deal with this situation by ourselves, and my entire reason for returning was to see what has become of our tribe. If they hate me, so be it. I will not be the first they have ostracized for reasons unknown.``

Mikali's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. Grekath was as loyal as he, but had always been a bit less fond of the way the tribe and the council had handled things. Mikali was not quite so skeptical, as long as their methods seemed to work. Then again... their methods seemed to have put them in their current state. ``Very well, but I can promise nothing. I will do my best to speak on your behalf. In the meantime, I would recommend you be prepared for any response they could give, positive or negative.``

``Of course. Well, then...`` Grekath nodded to Ocha, who, after another long look at Mikali, strode back to collect her pack with her bond.

:: Grekath, I don't like this. The entire forest feels so tense it could crack. This could be nothing but trouble. ::

Grekath paused, regarding Ocha quietly. :: I have considered that. You would do anything other than move forward? ::

:: No. :: She threw both pack-straps over her shoulders and turned back toward Mikali. :: I just want you to watch your back. ::

:: ... and I think you read too many suspense novels, my dear. ::

Ocha turned halfway back to treat Grekath with a look of surprise, but then she saw the little grin on his badger face. She relaxed a little and smiled back to him before walking to Mikali again. Maybe he was right... but she still wasn't dropping her guard.

(The Northern Tribeland...)