Eclipse Event Stories (NOT CANON)

The dispute «So? Answer us!» «I am willing to answer all of your questions as long as I don’t get attacked for it.» «Pfft I didn’t attack you, I was just…shoving you a little, that’s all.» «Sure.» The Mayur stepped closer to the blind Saliko until their faces were right next to each other. «But trust me, I can get a lot more uncomfortable.» Then with slow movements the dominant hob stepped back and left his opponent some space. «I’m Cuvrar. Now it’s your turn.» In response to his retreat, the Tatra sighed in relief and sat down normally, putting his tail neatly over his frontpaws. He was quite a strange sight: The mud had dried and made his whole right side look almost black and monstrous, while his left side was untouched by the dirt and showed light brown fur with large, bright markings. His eyes were of an orange-reddish tone and the blind pupil, staring straight ahead, was lighter than the iris. «My name is Minas. I come from north of here, where my tribe lives. We’re under the protection of the great mother and, in her name, seeking and reaching out all over Ibea.» «Seeking…what?» Koji was still suspicious. «That, my dear friend, is hard to explain. I could show you though.» A red glint sparked in his dead eyes, but as quick as it appeared it was gone again and the tabby was not sure if what he saw was true. The mayur seemed to have noticed it too though, as he continued to interrogate the Tatra. «So what about your eyes, huh? You got the birds eyes and don’t you dare lie to me about that..!» «I see…you mean the color, right? All in my tribe have red eyes, it’s normal for us but from what I’ve experienced before it’s quite unusual for others it seems, as everyone gets scared. Though I don’t know what it means to have red eyes, I’ve been blind my whole life. Just like all in my tribe. Now Koji and the mayur exchanged confused glances. A tribe full of blind, red eyed Salikos? How did that happen? A genetic defect? A curse? And how would a tribe be able to sustain itself without any seeing warriors that could defend it? Something fishy was going on and both knew that. «We do have birds at our tribe too, though I don’t know what’s so special about that either. Don’t you have trained birds?» «No.» «I see. Well, we grow up with them, they’re our partners! They helps us hunt and defend great mothers tree. We’re sure she’s the one who sent the birds to us as well.» Cuvrars shoulder fur was standing on edge, he was obviously getting more and more angry at the Tatra, who either didn’t notice that or simply didn’t react to it at all. He kept smiling and telling stories about is tribe like it was the most normal thing in the world. «So you do admit that you’re working together with the mad, feathered monster, is that right?!» «Yes, that’s exactly what I just said. But if you think they’re ‘mad monsters’ then I cannot share that opinion I’m afraid. Our birds would never hurt us, they take care of us and we take care of them.» Now Koji was joining the conversation, his facial features worried and serious at the same time, while is voice sounded final. «Nobody can work with them. The beasts are poisoned by something, they cannot be tamed. One of my tribemates has a strong connection to birds, he loves them more than anything, but even he has to admit they turned completely mindless. I’ve seen them fly against trees and rocks in blind rage, as if they just couldn’t help it. Like someone was telling them to do so. Mother nature would never allow such a self destructive development.» «Maybe you and your friend should join me and discover how we live. It might help you find the answers you seek. You could come with us as well if you like.» He nodded towards Cuvrar. «The great mother would welcome you with open arms.» His smile was twitching for a split second. «Alright I’ll join you, you little weirdo. I’m gonna find out what’s going on, even if it’s the last thing I’ll do.» Cuvrar said confidently as he stepped closer to the blind one. «Then so it shall be. How about you…? I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.» «I didn’t say it yet and it’s none of your business either. Now that you two have finally calmed down I need to remind you that you have both entered my tribes territory without permission. If that happens again I won’t hesitate to chase you off.» Minas’ smile didn’t cease, despite the clear warning from the experienced Tatra. «Oh we will surely meet again someday. Until then, take good care and don’t let the birds bite you.» He nodded towards the leader, then turned around and left the plains, the mayur shortly behind him. Koji watched them walk away until they were out of sight, then he proceeded to remark the territory borders. There was a large, dead tree branch lying on the muddy earth which he scratched with his claws to leave his scent behind. He would have to tell his tribe about these two so they could look out for them in case they came back. But for now he’d continue to hunt just as planned. The sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon by then and the nightsky started to show the first few stars. «Oh nightrunners, what shall I do? This is all so strange, I don’t know how to deal with this.» Silence. «I guess you don’t know either, huh?» He began patrolling the border once more, looking out for food. The hunger pains had stopped long before, as he hadn’t eaten for a long enough time not to feel them anymore. But he knew the whelps and apprentices needed more than him. After a while of walking he heard a slight rustling between the densely growing stalks of the reed. He immediately fell into crouched position and listened closely to the sounds. It was still a bit in front of him, but the smell told him it was some kind of turtle. He crept closer, knowing it wouldn’t be able to escape him, but careful not to alert it anyway. Being bitten by a turtle is just much fun as it sounds like. Looking through the plants he finally found it, slowly moving towards the small river that crossed with the large one and created a protective area around the camp. The tatra had to catch it before it entered the water or it would be gone, since it’s way faster swimming then walking. He prepared for the attack and pounced onto the creature, grabbing its head in between jaws before it can retract from him or defend itself with its strong bite. It made strange hissing sounds as it tried to escape his grasp, but after he quickly clenched his teeth, it stopped. Finally something to eat! The water was gathering in his mouth and again he had to debate with himself wether to eat it himself or bring it back home. With a sigh he buried it in the ground, so he could dig it up again on his way back to the camp. At least one more piece of prey he had to find before going back, so he went on and crossed the stream. An hour later he had actually caught two more creatures and took all three pieces of prey back to the camp, struggling to carry them all at the same time but he didn’t want to make two trips. His feet hurt and was getting tired again as it had been quite a long day. He returned to find Roscoe sitting guard at the entrance, welcoming him with a bright, warm smile and a polite nod. Koji carried the food over to the fresh kill pile and put it down, discovering that his tribemates had been lucky that day as well. He went over to the healers den and looked inside. «Galina, are you here?» «Yes Koji, come in!» The kupfer jill was lying in the back of her den, cuddling close to a little black furball. She looked up to her partner and lovingly touched foreheads with him as he bent down to her. Then the hob inspected the little whelp, sniffed and licked him carefully. «I heard he’s better, yeah?» «Yes, he’s over the worst. He’s a strong little warrior, you know?» «I’m sure he is.» He lay down beside her for a few minutes and told her about what happened that day. «Really? That’s strange. But I guess it’s possible for a whole tribe to have the same sickness. It might be their way of adapting to their surroundings, so maybe it’s actually helping them instead of making it more difficult. And Roscoe would definitely love having a bird as companion, right Pico?» Koji didn’t even notice Galinas catkin, which was lying behind her and therfore completely out of sight. But a quiet mew in response to the jill revealed it’s location. «Anyway, we should look out for them in case they return. I don’t want them in our territory.» «I’m sure everyone around here would agree with that.» «Oh by the way, have you eaten today? I’ll bring you something if you want.» «Don’t ask me, you have to eat yourself! I think Caliban will be able to drink again tomorrow and he needs milk fast, so you need to make sure you’re healthy enough to feed him. The herbal paste didn’t taste very well either it seemed. It was everywhere except in his belly.» She giggled to herself. But Kojis limbs were too heavy, so he couldn’t get up to grab some food for himself. He had almost fallen asleep when he noticed that Galina had gone and brought a Spike Tail Lizard for him. Gratefully he devoured it and then snuggled close to her and their whelp, then quickly falling into a deep slumber.