Chapter 8
CristOF paddled the inflatable boat toward the center island, which was actually a little farther away from the others. Sweat formed on his body from the effort of over an hour of paddling. He could have used the shuttle to move closer, but that risked giving away their presence.
It was dark, and fog blocked out much of the light from the Luna. With his heightened senses he could see the outline of the island ahead of him. The side of the island facing him had cliffs and rocky soil with few trees. It wasn’t suitable for setting up living quarters, but the other side might prove differently. He would land on the rocky side and make his way through the jungle part of the island.
As he approached the shore he got out of boat. The water reached his waist. He gripped the boat and pulled it up and over the rocks. After a brief search, he found some large branches to cover it wit. He glanced up when the Luna peered over the clouds for a moment. It reminded him of the dream he’d had when he was on his way to the Kiljorn prime city. He closed his eyes, and the woman’s image from the dream came to him. Now the image wasn’t a faded unknown female: it was his beautiful Tera.
Tera reminded him that he had something to live for. He was no longer alone; someone else besides the Kilorn people mattered to him, and hopefully he mattered to her as well. He needed to complete this mission and return to her. After only day spent in her company, he knew that she was meant to be his. He hoped that once he returned, he would be able to take the time to woo her properly and convince her to mate him.
The sound of birds nearby brought his attention back to the mission. Inhaling, he took in the fresh air mixed with the tang of salt water, the sand and dirt, the trees and the scent of wilderness. There was something else mixed in there, a scent that was not of nature.
He walked away from the shore and entered the wooded jungle part of the island. The trees were not quit as wide on the island as the trees on the mainland but he could still hide behind one easily. The smells of the jungle lessened his tension and helped him focus. He was most comfortable in this environment. He listened to his environment for clues or signs of disturbances. The wind brought scents to him leading him toward the center of the island. The further he went the fewer animals he saw.
A group of birds above him squawked and flew out of the treetops twenty feet ahead of him. He paused and waited where he stood listening for any unusual sounds. Footsteps crushing twigs clumsily alerted him that there was someone patrolling the woods not too far away.
Looking around, he searched for the tallest tree with limbs close enough together to allow him to climb. He found one and jumped, caught the lower branch, and pulled himself up. Then he began the long climb up the tree.
From his vantage point near the top, he could see much better. He spotted several males walking through the jungle; clearly they were doing a perimeter patrol, but none of them bothered to check the trees. Moving his glance away from the men below, he looked farther out, past the trees to where a clearing appeared about twenty feet ahead. Shifting his position so he could get a better look, he made out the shapes of multiple small structures. It didn’t look like any metal was used in their construction, so he assumed they were made out of the trees that had been cleared away. He could see people walking around the camp but he couldn’t see their faces clearly. The only people present seemed to all be male. He didn’t feel the need to move closer; it would be risky, and his presence might be detected. He just needed to watch long enough to see what they were doing.
He sat with his back against the tree trunk and watched for a while. Patience was key to learn everything he needed to before he returned to his team and called for re-enforcements. The males patrolling the area had a routine: Each one walked around the clearing in a different direction, and met back in the same location close to where CristOF was perched before repeating their walk again. It took fifteen minutes for them to complete one round of patrol.
CristOF had to get an idea of the number of males in the camp. He made his way down the tree. Once he reached the ground, he knew the males would come back to their meeting point; then they started on their next round, and he moved to get a little closer. He ran quietly and swiftly through the jungle, making sure to use the large trees to camouflage his body. Right before he reached the clearing, he found another tree that he could climb.
Climbing up to a good enough height in the new tree, he kept his body on the backside of the trunk and peered out. Males were jogging by in formation. There had to be at least twenty or thirty of them. To the right, other males were training, but for what? A male stood on a platform observing the warriors, and he drew CristOF’s attention more than any other. He had a shaved head, and wore a uniform unfamiliar to CristOF from that distance. It was the male’s stance, commanding and exuding power that made CristOF conclude that this was the leader of this group. He wished he could see the male’s face clearly.
Examining the scene once more, he finally understood what he was looking at. This was a training camp for the rebels. The boldness of these males to train right there on Kiljor infuriated him. How could they betray their own people in such a way? They had no fear of being found guilty of treason or of banishment. He might not always agree with his commanders, but he respected their efforts and trusted that their decisions were in the best interest of the Kiljorn people.
He sat with his back against the tree trunk and watched for a while. Patience was key to learning everything he needed to before he returned to his team and call for reinforcements. The males patrolling the area had a routine. Each one walked around the clearing in different directions and met back in the same location close to where he perched before repeating their walk again. It took fifteen minutes for them to complete one round of patrol. CristOF had to get an idea of the number of males in the camp.
He made his way down the tree and once he reached the ground he knew the males would come back to their meeting point, then they made to go on their next round and he moved to get a little closer. He ran quietly and swiftly through the jungle making sure to use the large trees to camouflage his body. Right before he reached the clearing he found another tree that he could climb.
Climbing up to a good enough height in the new tree, he kept his body on the backside of the tree and peered out. Males were jogging by in formation. There had to be at least twenty of thirty of them. To the right other males were training but for what? A male stood on a platform observing the warriors. That male drew his attention more than any other. He had a shaved head, wore a uniform unfamiliar to him from that distance. It was the male’s stance, commanding and exuding power that made CristOF come to the conclusion that this was the leader of this group. He wished he could see the male’s face clearly.
Examining the scene once more, he finally understood what he was looking at. This was a training camp for the rebels. The boldness of these males to train right there on Kiljor infuriated him. How could they betray their own people in such a way? They had no fear of being found guilty of treason or of banishment. He might not always agree with his commanders, but he respected their efforts and trusted that their decisions were in the best interest of the Kiljorn people.
He should make his way back to the shuttle and report what he’d found. There were too many warriors on that island for him or his team to take on alone. He would have to get back to his shuttle and call Commander TylOR to send more warriors. Just was he was about to climb down, shouting from the training camp caught his attention. He moved to get a better look and frowned at the sight of two men bringing a struggling person toward the leader.
The captive had a sack over their head, but he could tell the person was smaller than the males around them. The rebel leader jumped down from his platform and approached the captive. The leader’s back was facing CristOF, but he could see the prisoner and the warriors holding them. The leader reached a hand out and jerked the sack off of the captive with a flourish, tossing it to the ground.
Recognition made CristOF gasp and almost lose his balance. “Tera.”
