“It depends on who’s wielding it. If it’s my mother, then yes.”
That woman had the precision of a sharp shooter when it came to throwing her chancla.
“I will keep that in mind,” Orsu chuckled. “Come, Julie, we will be safe.” He beckoned me to follow him, which I did.
I was happy to see him walking without a limp despite the large gash he had acquired last night. I wondered if a Sirret’s ability to heal was more advanced than a human’s.
The peaceful quiet of the morning didn’t last long, though. Orsu was a talker. He peppered me with questions about my life on Earth and showed special interest in my stories about being a chef and how I developed my recipes. It was nice. Talking about cooking got my mind off things such as the predators who roamed this forest.
I was in the middle of a story about how a customer sent back their nearly-burnt bacon for being too soft when Orsu suddenly stopped.
“What is it?” I asked as I nervously looked around.
“Jagwas; a strong scent is being carried on the wind. There might be a herd of them nearby. We will have to take the long way to the den.”
Orsu got down on one knee and said, “Come, ride on my back. I do not wish for you to get tired or to damage your mighty chanclas by wearing them out. You might need them to defend yourself later.” He flashed me a teasing smile that was impossible not to return. His joy and levity was so damn infectious. Even on this dangerous planet I found myself at peace when I was around him.
“You’ll be sorry about all your teasing if I ever throw my chancla at you,” I teased.
“I’m sure I will. How could I stand against such a mighty weapon?”
“Will your leg hurt if you carry me?” He wasn’t limping, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t start once I got on his back.
“You weigh less than a sietling. Come, brave Julie. I am happy to carry you,” he grinned up at me.
“A sietling?” Another word that didn’t translate.
“That’s what we call our young, a small Sirret, or a sietling.”
“That makes sense.” I found myself wondering what a young Orsu would have looked like. I bet he was nothing but chubby cheeks and fat legs from the time he was born.
We continued on our walk and I found that Orsu had not been kidding about taking the long way. The sun was starting to set and we still weren’t at the den.
During our long walk, I had learned that the small structure we’d found yesterday wasn’t actuallyhis home. It was more like a hunting cabin. His real home was inside a mountain with the rest of his dekes.
“How far away is the mountain from your den?”
“It is a half a day’s walk,” he admitted.
“Half a day? Why so far?” Was the hunting better out here?
“Um, well…” he went quiet for a long moment before he continued. “When the big moon is full, I am forced to shift into my bear form. I cannot help it. So I stay away from the mountain so none of the non-shifters will come to any harm.”
Harm? Orsu wouldn’t harm anyone. He’d been in his bear form when he protected me. Even when he had kidnapped me, he seemed more driven than feral.
“Have you harmed anyone before?”
“No, never,” his tone was serious. “but when me and the others first shifted we were only thirteen seasons old. We struggled to control our beasts back then. It became tradition to leave the mountain during the full moon for the safety of the elders.”
“Why do you keep doing it if you’re in control of your beast now?”
“I…” he trailed off as he thought of his answer. “It is hard to break with tradition.” That wasn’t the full answer I’d been hoping for, but it would do for now.
Orsu
I had been happy to answer all of Julie’s questions all day, but now I was grateful that she did not ask more about my shifting or my den. I did not feel ashamed as I had as a young hunter, but I had grown so used to leaving the mountain on the full moon that I hadn’t questioned why I kept doing it. None of us questioned it. Perhaps it was time for us to reevaluate that tradition as a dekes.
Night had fallen and I could still scent the jagwas nearby. I had suspected they’d been following us since early this afternoon, which was why I kept our breaks short. I couldn’t lead the pack to the den and endanger the other females, so I kept widening our circle around the den.
