The Hooman Saga - VII

So far: Escaping from certain danger from a feral wolf pack, Sue and her rescuer Tig now find themselves exhausted, but surrounded by his own pack, which consider Sue and her kind enemies...

Robert C. Worstell

Dec 07, 2024

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VII

TIG AND SUE WERE SURROUNDED by wolves all out of Tig's pack.

Sue still had her arm around Tig.

Both felt exhausted from fighting the wolves from the feral pack.

Although Tig was painted in blood, none of it was his.

Snarl, leader of the hunting party, challenged Tig. "It looks like you have something to explain."

The wolves were growling to each other. They were both afraid of and hating this hooman.

"What's this? Why do you let it have an arm around you?"

At that, Tig shrugged. Sue dropped her arm to her own side.

Her hands were both bloodied. Her silvery suit was ripped and torn in many places. They'd gone through hell that day.

"What's this, a pet?"

And Tig sent, "That would be one name for her. I will bring her to the Teacher. She needs a probe."

With that, Sue looked up at Tig.

And Snarl realized she'd heard and understood what was being sent. So he narrow-sent to Tig, "She's not feral?"

"No Snarl, She's been hearing and understanding everything we send. She's like no hooman you've ever met or ever appeared in stories you've heard."

That moved the whole hunting pack away. Their growling quit, replaced by amazement at the thoughts they received.

"This is why Teacher needs to probe, to find out what she knows. To seek facts from her origins." finished Tig.

"How did you find her?" asked Snarl

Tig replied, "She came down with a meteor, only it wasn't a meteor. I don't know what it was. I went to go check out a fire when I left you. It's taken me ever since until now. We had to shake off that pack of ferals. "

Snarl narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did you just do that. Just the two of you? There must have been four dozen ferals there."

Tig replied, "Well you see those two on the ground. And the rest got a little bit afraid of fire."

Snarl sent, "That doesn't mean the two trees that are just smoking would have frightened the band of rabid ferals.”

Tig replied, "No, you wouldn't think so. That's not what I saw. It's what they saw."

And Snarl remembered his sight when he first arrived. Two wolves in the middle of massive flames. He didn't send this, but Sue was looking into his eyes as he thought. And she knew.

"And so we're supposed to help you get this hooman back to the valley? Oh no, that's up you." Snarl sent.

Tig replied, "I don't think those ferals will come close for a while, even if they trail us. She's in no condition to make any great speed."

Snarl counted up, "She will need a guard all the time. She will need a watch. We don't know if she will get infected with those cuts. And I'll be danged if we will work up a travois like some mangy dog. Not just to get her back into the valley. Not just to cure her. All if she doesn't die on us.”

Tig sent, "I'll be the one to get her there. You don't have to worry about feeding her, I'll take care of that, too."

Snarl replied, "Well then, maybe we ought to get back on the trail. We've got hours to go before we get anywhere near the camp. Daylight's fading fast. Still, we'll leave a few of our hunters on your back trail. Just to make sure no ferals creep up on us to get their honor back.”

Tig looked at Sue. "OK. We must go. Are you ready?"

Sue looked at her cut hands, and her torn boots and suit. "Well, I won't be any more ready than now."

She rose and wiped her bloodied hands on what remained of her suit.

Snarl snorted at the scent, wheeled, and led the hunters out of the canyon. He stopped later by the pillars at its opening and left sign. A warning to other sentients of the trap. That would tell the ferals to not try that again. A reminder of what they saw, what it cost them.

Without the ferals blocking them, it was almost straight downhill, which Sue was relieved to find.

At this pace, Tig could drop back to run by her side.

And while it would have been too much to talk at that pace, sending and receiving thoughts proved no challenge.

Provided she watched her step. But they were on an established trail, one used more by sentients.

This close, they could send to each other and discuss many things. Tig knew she wouldn't stay safe if she remained ignorant of this world.

He also wanted to learn more about that craft she came in. They thought it was a meteor. He knew no meteor had a hatch that opened out. Or held a hooman inside.

They traveled in quiet for a while and Sue had to ask, "Why does Snarl think I need a guard?"

Tig's first response was "All hoomans need guards."

And then he added, "Not only from other wolves attacking them. but also to protect them from things they do not know." Without senses tuned to this world, it was impossible for them to know.

She caught that. "How is it you feel humans cannot learn?"

And he sent, "You must forgive me. I've only dealt with feral humans to this point. We have, years ago, tried to bring smarter and less fearful humans to a location where they could be probed. Never bringing them to the valley. That would be too dangerous."

Sue interrupted, "Then why are you bringing me to your valley? And why would it be dangerous?. Why did you try to probe these other humans?"

Tig sent, "I'll take one of those questions. Because you aren't like the other hoomans. I've never seen the like, and never heard the like. Nothing of what you've just presented us. No hooman we've ever met has been able to send. They've all been closed-minded.

"As for those other probes, it was because we thought they might have the ability to send. They might be able to receive. But what happened? They either went crazy or got too sick. Either way we had bring them back through the ferals, close to a human community, where they could be found. And then see that they were found.”

Sue sent, "What did the hoomans in their settlement do with with them after that?"

Tig replied, "We don't know. We couldn't stay. Ferals surround the communities.

Yeah, I picked that up earlier," replied Sue. "So have I got this right? You actually herded the ferals to surround the human settlements?”

Tig answered, "Yes, that was an agreement the ancient sentients set. It was long before my time. Hoomans are dangerous things. The ferals were less dangerous. Sentients separated their packs from humans, putting ferals between them."

Sue asked, "Are there other sentient species besides wolves?"

Tig replied, "Sure. Some in all species are sentient. Not all. That's one reason we want to probe. We need to learn more about this. The Clan needs to learn this. The Tribe needs to learn this."

And with that she understood the pack to be his immediate group. The clan to be a wider group within a larger area. The tribe represented all sentient wolves on the continent.

But when she thought that idea, Tig sent to her. "So there's more than one landmass? How big is this world?"

And she replied by sending him visions seen from space while coming in for their landing. Then images from her school books.

The data was flooding his mind. At last, he sent, "Enough. I don't need all that right now." They were silent for many more paces. It was Tig's turn being awed by a flood of data.

We’re now well into a new serial.

Now our hero and heroine have escaped certain danger, only now having to earn the trust of Tig’s pack - and reveal what she knows to them - as she travels to undergo a mysterious “probe” in the secure wolf valley…

Of course there are some 27 chapters after this. But you’ll have to stay tuned until next week to see how they get out of this…

For now, set your calendar to keep track of these new adventures. Every Saturday.

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