Gonalona Pack

Silently, a young, yet full grown Mayur sat on the top of a rock, looking over a cliff. Below her she saw the dense jungle vegetation, like a blanket of green moss covering the world in soft waves of life. Everything seemed so small from up there. In the distance the white spotted jill heard thunder rolling and her ears twitched, then she turned her head. The great mother was calling her again, but as usual, she wouldn’t make it in time to answer her. The green Saliko got up and turned towards where the sound had been coming from. Sill, she had to try anyway. So the jill began sprinting right towards the storm.

«Heey, are you listening to me?»

«Hm?»

Cheondungchida was ripped from her thoughts and focused her eyes, only to see the face of another Mayur jill a whisker away from hers. The other one was of leaf green color, but her shadow mask was dark, with spotted edges and most of her face, as well as her whole throat and maneless neck were very brightly colored, almost white. Her grey gaze pierced right into Noeus yellow eyes and the younger jill looked away.

«Sorry, was thinking about something.»

«Well, we’re not here to think, we’re here to hunt! Get your shit together!»

Now another greyish green female walked up to them.

«Leave her be. Once she has sorted her thoughts she’ll be back with us completely.»

«But I’m hungry and I won’t drag you two through the jungle like that!»

«No one asked you to do that. Just go and hunt alone, we’ll meet here again later.»

The maneless jill snorted angrily, then stomped away, leaving the birdcatcher Saliko alone with the dark jill. The other ones face was graced with a large, dark gestirn-mask, as well as deep brown eyes and small, yellowish markings around the eyes and cheeks. She sat down next to her friend and looked at her intently.

«What’s wrong, Cheon?»

«Nothing really. Just thinking about my past. And what the future will hold for me. Also, I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick.»

«Can’t help you with the first two problems, but I know what herbs you need to stay healthy. We can go look for them. Majula will be fine on her own anyway.»

The younger one nodded and they left together.

As they were walking through the undergrowth, none of them were saying a word, but Octavia occasionally glanced over to her friend to make sure she was alright.

«You know, we’re pretty close to the territory of some friends of mine. If you want we can pay them a visit, might take your mind off things.»

«Yeah, but not today. I need to be by myself for a while.»

Octavia nodded and turned quiet again. This was just how Cheondungchida was sometimes, she is usually a friendly and excited Saliko, but from time to time it seemed as if she was using up all her energy for trying to cheer up everyone else, that it took her a while to recharge.

When the two had met for the first time, the grey-green jill had compared the birdcatcher with thunderstorms in leaf-fall. There’s a lot of energy and discharge for most of the time, but then again, there is this eerie quiet that lays over the land where nature breathes and prepares for what’s next.

«Here we go, see this?»

The gestirn Mayur pointed to some leaves on the ground, between the trunk of a large tree and the ground. There was a cluster of tiny leaves in bright green colors, with speckles and little white blossoms. Cheondungchida was sniffing the plants cautiously, but Octavia was already cutting some off with her claws and offered them to the jill.

«Eat it. It’s chickweed. Will keep you from getting a cough.»

The younger one shrugged her shoulders, trusting her friend blindly, and put the leaves in her mouth, chewing them hesitantly, afraid they would taste very bad, but it wasn’t as horrible as she had expected.

«Anything else you need?»

«My throat is sore. Any tips about that?»

«Uhmmm…honey I guess, just don’t know where we can get that.»

«Alright. I’ll deal with it. Let’s go get you something to eat.»

«What about you?»

«I just had a bunch of leaves, I’m fine.»

«You need something real, you’ll starve like this. Keep your eyes open for mangoes and other fruits, alright?»

«Sure.»

Just as they were about to leave, they heard a rustling in the bushes next to them and turned around. A hob came towards them, but didn’t see them right away. One of his eyes had been removed by what seemed to be sharp claws according to the scars that went through his face and the only thing left in his right eye socket were just those scars that reminded everyone of what had happened. He stopped before them and turned his head, looking at them with his other, bright green eye.

«Oh, Octavia, it’s you!»

«Hi Sage! Did we step over the border? I thought we were still a bit farther away from your territory.»

«No no, don’t worry, I’m here to check what herbs we have outside of our tribe, just in case we need anything someday, so we know where to find it.»

«Ah, I see. Well, I just found chickweed if you need that.»

She pointed at the cluster.

«Oh, are you girls sick?»

«I am.»

Sage turned towards the jill with the white spots and underside.

«We haven’t met before, have we? I’m Sage, nice to meet you.»

«Cheondungchida.»

«Chew…»

«Just call me Noeu, that’s fine.»

He nodded and smiled.

«I’m a healer, anything I can help you with?»

«She said she has a sore throat, you got any honey around?»

«Sure do, follow me.»

They walked for a short while, Octavia and Sage exchanging small talk and kind interest in each other.

«Oh, I’d love to meet your whelps! How old are they?»

«Well, Tengu is about three moons old, Hinami probably four.»

«Probably?»

«Hinami isn’t our pup, we found her when she was still little, no parents around. Phyra and I said we’d take care of her. She hasn’t been with us for long and she still hasn’t opened up yet, seems something had terrified her so much that she’s still in shock. But I’m sure with time she’ll get better.»

«Yeah, I’m sure she will too.»

«What about you girls, already have a family?»

Octavia laughed, but Noeu remained serious.

«No time for that, we’re always traveling around. Except the occasional flirt, no, nothing.»

«I’ve never had a partner, not even for a fling. And I don’t like whelps, like, at all.»

Sage was taken a bit aback by the youngest ones harsh words, but he smiled nonetheless.

«That might change when you get older.»

«I don’t think so.»

After they had stopped at a beehive, which was dropping the liquid gold onto a rock below, Cheondungchida licked some of the honey up and immediately felt better. Octavia told the hob she might check in on his tribe in a few days, then they all said goodbye and parted ways again.

«Do you know what happened to him?»

«You mean his face?»

«Yeah.»

The grey-green jill nodded sadly.

«I was there when it happened. It was a large, blood-red mayur with full mane and green spots. He has the mask of a devil and if you see him, you better run for your life.»

«Why'd he do it? Did they argue or fight for a territory?»

«No nothing like that. They're brothers. And for what I know, the red one is just plain crazy, hurting and killing others for fun. You know me, my warnings are never to be taken lightly, so please make sure you'll avoid him at all costs.»

Cheondungchida was curious, but believed Octavia and nodded, swearing she would make sure never to linger around that hob if she'd ever cross paths with him.

When the two jills returned to the place where they had been before, they found Majula gnawing on the bones of her prey, trying to get every last scrap of its meat. Next to her was a dead fish and the jill pointed towards it.

«I already thought you two would show up empty handed so I brought you some too, O.»

«Thanks.»

Octavia smiled and went over to grab the fish, then ripped pieces of its delicious flesh out to eat. Noeu in the meantime just sat there and watched them patiently, her paws burrowed under her chest.

Majula threw the bone away and looked at the birdcatcher, her eyes curiously widened.

«So tell me again, 'cause I really don't get it, do you just not like meat or can’t you eat it at all?»

«I don’t wanna hurt innocent animals.»

«But we’re meat-eaters. And if they’re too slow so we catch them, then that was natures plan. You gotta be fast or you’re dead.»

«Wish it was that easy.»

«It is though. Anyway, sorry I was so mean before, I was just hungry. You don’t know me very well yet but I’m sure you’ll get used to my moods.»

Cheondungchida nodded approvingly.

«It’s alright.»

«Sooo…what were you two up to? Took you a while to get back.»

«We met an old friend of mine, his tribe is close by. I told him I’d check on his group in a few days, you two can come with me if you want to.»

«Yeah, alright. Got nothing better to do anyway.»

«How about you, Noeu?»

«Depends on how I feel that day. If I really DO get sick, I’d rather stay here.»

«Seems reasonable. They have two little whelps, don’t want to pass it on to them too.»

As the three jills sat there in the waning light of the evening, Cheondungchida recalled how she had met the two and smiled to herself. She would've never expected her life to turn out like this, but she was very glad it did...