Chapter 23: CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Chandrha had given the cub to Rheôvhan earlier in the morning. While she enjoyed Mykharha in her chamber, there were times when she felt a little relieved not to have her pulling the teat. She preened herself, using the special oil from the oil gland at the base of her tail. Rheôvhan had watched her, wondered what she was thinking. He could have asked but he didn’t want to bother her. The humans, most likely, who had come here to make a movie, who had changed everything in the village. Most kept to themselves, maybe afraid of the Tereskàdians, others exhibited a healthy degree of curiosity, and a few had that sinister scowl in their eyes, and it reminded her of Alharhanians she had come across, a species that reminded her of these humans, a species that liked to flaunt their intelligence, their superiority.

Nothing ever changed. Millions of light years from their world, prejudice toward them still reigned.

She finished grooming herself, walked over to the table where Rheôvhan was sitting. He had eaten breakfast, a chunk of moose meat, as soon as he had risen, but now he just sat there and watched her. Dharhonha sat beside him, regarded the tail curled around her. She wished he’d get up and go somewhere, maybe in the forest to get some more meat. An elk, a deer, anything would be inviting right now.

“Talk to me,” she said.

“I was thinking of my parents.”

“They’re dead.”

“I know.”

She wished he hadn’t mentioned his parents because she thought of her own now. Murdered in the village on the island of ‘Hănharys (Yah’ nah richs Note: The closest English approximation of the ch sound is the start of the word hue) where she was born. She closed her eyes, told herself to think of something else. Jhevharel tried to calm her fears, tried to settle her back in the present. He knew what she was thinking, felt what she was feeling.

Let’s go out and fly, he sent.

He’d be the one flying, but she could watch through his eyes, see the village below and the forest stretching into the distance, and the myriads of lakes and rivers dotting the landscape like splotches of paint on an artist’s canvas.

“Jhevharel and I are going out,” she said. “Where are Lhorhanha and Ad‘herha?”

“They told me they’d visit some of the cubs.”

“And you let them go?” Her ears went back, although the tail remained still.

“I thought it’d be ok,” he said. “If there are any problems they can contact us through Chenharhel and Rivenhar.”

“That’s not the point, Rheôvhan. There’s a human here from the United States of America, an officer with the Air Force. He wants to take us to his country, and if he has a chance, he’ll start with the cubs.”

“I just thought...”

^Lhorhanha.^ Jhevharel relayed the message to his son, Chenharhel, who passed it on to Lhorhanha.

^Yes, Mama?^

^Where are you? Is your sister with you?^

^We’re with Adremhar (Ah’ drĕ mahr) and Vilhenha (Vĭ lee’ nah) and Emrhan (ĕm’ rahn) and Jestherha (Zhĕ stee’ rah). We’re at Adremhar’s parents’ home.^

^I want you and Ad‘herha to... No, you stay right there. If anything happens, you contact me, do you understand?^

^Yes, Mama.^

Had she done the right thing by telling her daughters to stay with her friends?

That’s where we have the advantage over humans, he sent. If anything goes wrong, we have instant communication.

They walked to the edge of the village, approaching the forest rather cautiously as if at any moment one of the predators that lived here would bound out of the forest and head straight for them. Not that she was afraid, not with the deadly poison in her claws.

Jhevharel flapped his wings, lifted off. A moment later he was in the air, circling above the forest. He was flying above one of the small lakes in the area, his mind on fish. While she tolerated fish once in a while, she had no taste for it at the moment.

Someone’s at the lake, he sent.

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Can you get a little closer?

I don’t want to get too far away from you.

See what’s going on. Don’t be too long.

It’s that human from the United States of America. Westwood.

What was he doing at the lake? Memories flooded through her mind again, memories of a lake and Alharhanians who had poured something into the lake, something that made Tereskàdians susceptible to Alharhanians’ sexual advances.

She thought of death and destruction, tried hard to wipe the thought from her mind.

Through Jhevharel’s eyes she could see Colonel Westwood kneeling down at the edge of the lake, his hand sifting through the sand. What was he doing there? He had something planned, she was sure of it.

She turned around, shut out what Jhevharel sent her. The director of the film that didn’t seem to be going anywhere walked up to her. She wanted to turn around, rush back into the forest, but it was too late now. She didn’t like this arrogant human who spent most of his time yelling at his subordinates. She didn’t know where the film was in terms of completion, but she’d be grateful if they finished it soon.

“Hello,” he called, raising his hand in greeting.

She didn’t say anything, waited until he had come closer.

“Are you Chandrha?”

“We all look alike, don’t we?”

“You don’t have those hairs around your ears,” he said.

“So you figured I must be a female.”

“Are you Chandrha?” he asked again.

“Yes.”

“I have a part for you, and a few other... Tereskàdians.”

“We don’t act.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” he said, his voice full of enthusiasm. “All you, and about four or five others have to do is lead a group of actors through the forest. They’ll do the acting.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s in the script.”

“That’s not a reason.”

“Because... I don’t know.” He covered his mouth, made irritating humming noises. “There’s a treasure somewhere in the forest, and it’s worth a million dollars.”

She regarded him through narrowed eyes. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Sen Creighton.”

“I’m improvising, all right?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, leaving him standing at the edge of the village.

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