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Posted By: Gnollslayer Jan 12, 2005 - 06:18 pm

I recently finished this short novellette, set in a world I created for my sci-fi trilogy. It's long (about 9000 words). Let me know what you think.

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Senylu looked carefully at the track before his feet. It was shallow, but there was no mistaking it – this track belonged to one of the traitors. He signaled to the others waiting in the jungle and they emerged one by one until the entire patrol was out in the open.

“The traitors passed by here recently,” he growled, “the track still reeks.”

Nalailyn raised her snout to the wind and closed her eyes. Among the many scents traveling in the air, there was one that felt out of place.

“They passed to the north,” she said, “I do not recognize these ones.”

“I do,” said Karu, “one of them used to live in my village, before the Betrayal. These aren’t the type from Wurrabond that you’re used to dealing with. They are northern, and wild. They will put up a fierce fight if we catch them.”

Senylu’s eyes narrowed, “I do not care. Their kind must atone for what they did to the humans. We cannot let a single one survive.”

The other Allosaurs blinked their silent agreement, and they followed as he set out again upon the path of their enemies.

It was morning, and the air was alive with all the scents of this world. Senylu smelled fruit most heavily, as it was common to this region of the jungle that covered most of Athena. He also smelled wildfires to the north, less common than fruit but certainly not unheard of. Senylu smelled birds, and the sea to the west, and even the faint smell of sulfur from the volcanoes that lie behind him. One scent though, made Senylu’s blood turn hot in his veins. It was the scent of blood, wrongfully spilled; the Deinonychus carried it with them now wherever they went. It was why he could not forgive them.

And still, it was a mystery why they had turned against the humans in the first place. He had known many of them in the years before the Betrayal, and though they were fearsome-looking, they had always been civilized like the other races. He’d even seen them caring for the tender human young like they were hatchlings from their own nurseries. Their leader Keriker had been vital in setting up the Council in Wurrabond to govern the Empire.

“Senylu, we are drawing close. What plans have you for this conflict?” it was Salliru who spoke. He was younger than the other Allosaurs, but Senylu had known his father and had taken him into the patrol on a promise.

“You have been trained as a warrior of the Gathering,” said Senylu, “you will know what to do.”

The others of the patrol were already tense. Unusually tense. Senylu sniffed the air to see what it was that bothered them. He was surprised to find the scent of Deinonychus so thick.

“There are more than we expected,” Karu said.

“Good,” said Senylu, “it means more of them will be dead before night falls, and more human lives avenged.” And as he spoke, he realized what it truly was that bothered his patrol. The scent of a man hung also in the air.

“It’s impossible,” he said, shaking his great head, “their kind left this world fourteen seasons ago, destined for distant stars.”

“Not all of them left,” Nalailyn said, “some of those who survived the attacks and the sickness went into the jungle. I was there. They said that Athena was their home, and they did not fear the Deinonychus.”

“Fear them or not, the danger is real. We must find this man before the traitors do.”

“Does this mean we will postpone the attack?”

Senylu sighed. He knew that if they delayed too long, then they would have to fight the Deinonychus at night when they were most alert. “Yes,” he said, “this is more important.”

Nalailyn, who had the best nose for tracking, led the way. The scent of the man was still ahead of them, but it was farther east than the scent of the enemy, and closer. Looking ahead, Senylu saw that they would be re-entering the jungle. This pleased him. The cities and the open plains were not terrible places to be, but the jungle was better. He’d heard of a village starting up in the Caranon Basin that might suit him well. It was called Habbelan, and it was said to be more jungle than village. As soon as the war against the traitors was over, he planned to go there. But that day seemed a long ways off.

Still, there was joy to be had in the meantime. The joy he felt as they drew closer to the human was a strange sort, the joy of friendship mixed with reverence. It was the humans who had made this world what it was today, bringing the components of life far from their homeworld as they fled from their own sort of traitor’s war. Senylu knew that in a way he was a creation of mankind, for his parents’ grandparents had been hatched in one of the laboratories that now lay dormant in Wurrabond. It was the same with all other life on Athena. Some were fourth generation and some were fifth, but every sentient creature now left on this world could trace its roots back to the labs.

Except, of course, the humans.

Senylu ducked his head under a branch as he broke into the jungle. It was cooler in the shade under the canopy, and Senylu was glad to be out of the heat.

Apparently, the shade was popular with other creatures as well. Flocks of birds rose from the branches as the Allosaur patrol passed underneath them, only to settle down again when they were sure their roosts were safe. Senylu had tasted bird flesh before, and though it wasn’t the worst meat he’d had, there was far better on the far southern side of the continent. The cattle herds ranged there, remnants of the early days after Athena’s terraformation. They grew very fat on the grass of the south, and in turn, the Allosaurs had grown fat on them, until realizing that the herds were near extinction.

Senylu dreamed what it must have been like for his ancestors, whom the humans had released into the wild without time to grow. They had built a culture by themselves, had invented their own language and their own words for honor, for friendship. Consciously, they remembered nothing of the laboratories in which they were conceived; but the location was etched somewhere in the depths of their minds, for when they thought the cattle were gone, they began the migration to the place that would forever be their notion of home.

That’s what the elders, who had been children at the time, told Senylu, and he had learned to trust their words. They had told him more, about the first encounters they’d had with other dinosaur species: the Iguanodons, the Centrosaurs, and the Camarasaurs – even the elusive Segnosaurs and the Deinonychus, who were now known only as traitors, though there had been good among them in those days. It was also the first time in his race’s memory that they encountered their human creators, who welcomed them back into their ranks.

The Empire had grown in the union of Athena’s sentient races; until the Betrayal. Senylu’s mind turned back to the Betrayal every day, many times more than once. It bothered him that any intelligent being could so easily throw aside its honor. But it bothered him more that the first to do so had been Keriker, whom he’d thought wise. Even after the first night of the Betrayal, the Deinonychus leader acted with great intelligence, trying to prevent bloodshed between the scaled races. But he had violated the laws, and could not be spared from justice, so he fled with his people into the unknown wilderness that had since been renamed Kerikau.

And Kerikau was where Senylu now walked, the land named for the traitor who ruled it. He did not know how any human could survive so close to the heart of the Deinonychus nation, but he would soon find out.

“He is not far ahead now,” said Kandanin, who was usually silent. She had only joined this patrol in the last month, after the rest of hers were slain by a larger Deinonychus force. Senylu worried for her, she always smelled very sad.

“Slow down,” Senylu ordered, “keep your eyes alert.”

The rest of the patrol slowed down and scanned the jungle.

Senylu spotted him first, sitting back in the crook of a branch. The man looked old for a human, with grey hair and a short beard. Senylu never did envy the humans of their hair, and he often wondered if it must itch.

He took a few steps closer to the tree and saw that the man was sleeping. Senylu gave a soft nudge on his shoulder and startled the human out of his dreams.

“Oh!” said the man, and he nearly fell backward out of the tree. Senylu backed away to assure the man that he meant no harm.

“Well,” said the man, “I suppose I was going to run into your kind again sooner or later.”
“What is your name?” Senylu asked. The others had gathered around in a loose semi-circle.

“I’m Phoenix,” said the man, “and who are you?”

“Senylu, from Wurrabond.”

“Wurrabond, eh. I used to watch embryos there, make sure no one messed with them that wasn’t supposed to.”

“You were alive in the time of the laboratories?”

“Yeah, and a good many years before that. I was with Dr. Tremmel way back in the early days, when we were still working on Earth.”

“But you must be more than a century old!”

“Closer to two,” said Phoenix, “and I’m not planning on dying anytime soon. Too many have died; it would be a shame to give up the gift they died for.”

“What gift is that?”

“Immortality. That’s what started the war back on our homeworld, and I suspect it’s part of what started the one you’re in now.”

“But how can you live forever? I knew many humans, and they aged just like any other creatures. What makes you different?”

“I was lucky,” said Phoenix, “Tremmel needed test subjects when he was developing the therapy. I needed cash. But you wouldn’t understand about money – you’re a dinosaur and no one on this world’s ever used it anyways.”

“If you think it best, I will stay my curiosity about money; but tell me more of this therapy.”

“If I knew anything, I’d tell you. It had something to do with genetic restructing or some garbage like that. They gave me a whole stack of papers to read before entering the experiment, but that was a long time ago and I’ve forgotten most of it. Now, could you help me down from here, I’ve got a long way to travel.”

“Where are you going?”

The man brought his bag down from the branch overhead and started rummaging through it. He pulled out a tiny rectangular plate with one side made of metal and the other side glowing with the shape of the world. It was a map of the world, with the one continent Senylu knew and two others he did not across the eastern sea.

“I’m going to that red dot,” said Phoenix, “and you’ve ever traveled across this land, you already know I’ve got a long trip ahead of me.”

Senylu nodded, “many weeks just to reach the coastline.”

Posted By: Gnollslayer Jan 12, 2005 - 06:20 pm

“It’ll take me longer than that,” Phoenix cackled, “I’m old, and a lot smaller than you. I can’t make more than thirty kilometers a day, and you can probably do that in just over an hour.”

The old man was right, Senylu felt obligated to help, “one of my patrol can carry you that direction if you wish.”

“I appreciate your offer,” said Phoenix, “but I think I’ll decline this time around. Maybe if we ever meet again I’ll take you up on it, but for now I’m content to walk. I may be slow, but I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“I am more worried for the safety of your life than the safety of your feet. There are Deinonychus all around, and I do not think they will abandon their hatred of your kind.”

“You are too right about that,” said Phoenix, “but I am more capable of defending myself than you think.”

Senylu’s chest rumbled with laughter, “yet I caught you sleeping on a tree bough?”

“If you had been an enemy, you would already be dead.” The old man patted his hip and Senylu noticed for the first time that he carried a pistol in a holster. He’d never seen one in use, but he’d heard that after the humans learned of the Deinonychus’ treachery they had fought back with the fire of the sun and left many foes dead. If such was the power that this man carried on his hip, Senylu had no doubt that he could protect himself.

“That’s not the only advantage I’ve got either,” said Phoenix, “but I don’t want to worry you with all the details. Just help me down and leave me be.”

“I will help you down, but I urge you to reconsider your path and return instead to Wurrabond. It would be safer there.”

“I won’t be safe until I reach that dot,” said Phoenix, “that’s where the men and women that stayed behind on this world have made their home. That’s where I want to be.”

Senylu noticed that it was getting darker now, “at least spend the night with us. You will be safer and it will not delay you long. As you said, you have all the time in the world.”

Phoenix looked up through the canopy at the sky, in which the first tinges of orange and pink sunset already showed. He shrugged, “one night won’t hurt me, I guess, but I won’t be spending it in this tree.”

“Fair enough,” said Senylu. He bent his head forward and let the old man slide down onto his neck, then he lowered him to the ground.

When Senylu rose again to full height, the difference in their heights came into sharp contrast. But size rarely indicated worth, or even power. Humans were diminuitive physically, but in terms of vision they were giants. To them, Athena was only a small part of existence, a single colony amongst countless thousands.

That night, after the sun had sunk and the stars appeared, Senylu looked out at infinite space and wondered how many creatures were out there staring at the stars like him. He knew that any one of the stars might be a sun for some world, or for many. Which one of them was Sol, giving its light to Earth? There were too many to possibly count.

Faced with the truth of his smallness in the world, Senylu shivered from snout to tail; like all beings gifted with the ability to imagine he had brushed up against infinity. Like all of them, he retreated. It was not his role to think of distant stars, but only to do his small part here on this world. He could protect Phoenix for a night; what that would come to in the end, he didn’t know. But he would not throw away the chance to do what he thought was right.

A rustling in the ferns brought Senylu’s attention back from the stars. It was only Phoenix.

“I thought you’d be asleep,” said Senylu.

“Are you kidding? I slept all day until you came and woke me up. I won’t be able to catch a wink.”

They spoke quietly so as not to disturb the others who slept silently in the spaces between the tree-trunks.

“What is it like to be immortal?” Senylu asked.

“Mostly like being mortal,” Phoenix said, “but longer.”

“I wish sometimes that I could live forever; but I know that I won’t. The Deinonychus will have my flesh before I grow old.”

Phoenix kept his eyes downcast.

“But,” Senylu continued, “I do not regret my lot. I imagine I would grow tired of life if I had forever.”

Phoenix shook his head, “a lot of philosophers used to think that on Earth, but I’ll bet if any of them had what I have they wouldn’t throw it away. Sometimes I think I might be able to end it, but there’s so much that I’d miss if I did. And I don’t really want to die, not soon anyways.”

Senylu understood, “life is all that any of us know, but I do not fear what comes afterwards, even if there is only emptiness, and I do not think that will be the case.”

“Well, you’re braver than I am,” said Phoenix, “I’ll give you that.”

Senylu appreciated the compliment, “you have your own strengths.”

Phoenix laughed, “I don’t think anyone’s ever told me that and I imagine there’s a good reason for it! You don’t need to flatter me, I’m too old for it.”

They talked about many things before finally Senylu grew tired and drifted into sleep. When he awoke in the morning Phoenix was gone. He’d expected as much, but it still stung his heart a little. He had a feeling it was the last time he would see a human.

“The Deinonychus moved far in the night,” Nalailyn said to him, “their scent is thin now, almost gone.”

Senylu took a deep breath. He couldn’t smell them at all; only trees, birds, and the waning trail of a man, which he knew better than to follow.

The other Allosaurs were either awake already or were just pushing themselves off the forest floor.

“Nalailyn, start ahead while you still have their scent. We can follow you after everyone is alert.”

The eldest female of the patrol nodded and started off. Senylu followed her deft movements through the trees until she passed beyond sight.

The others readied themselves and set off on Nalailyn’s path. They caught up to her soon enough by following the sound of cracking branches. Senylu was worried, even after they left the jungle he could not smell the enemies.

“It is only the wind,” Nalailyn said, sensing his concern, “there is a storm coming in from the west and it makes scents harder to trace. Still, it takes more than wind and rain to confuse my senses.”

“I hope you are right,” said Senylu, “because the storm will be here soon by the looks of those clouds.” The sky in the west was not dark, but the first gray puffs lined the horizon.

“They will not reach us until we are in the rocks ahead. The wind is lazy today.”

After many seasons with this patrol Senylu had learned to trust Nalailyn’s judgment. When her mate had died, she had declined to take his place as leader of the patrol, choosing instead to grant Senylu the privilege. She had been right, of course, and he had proved exceptional at coordinating the efforts of those under his care. But even now with many seasons of experience, Senylu turned to her for advice.

Dependence was not weakness. He believed this fully, and he reminded his patrol of it daily. It was his duty to instill in them the values that he’d learned from eggshell. The young did not have the advantage of experience to teach them what happened when morals became corrupt.

And, as if at the mere thought of corruption, Senylu caught a whiff of foul Deinonychus odor that made the inside of his nostrils flame up.

“We are gaining ground on them,” said Nalailyn, “but I do not think we will catch them today. They know we are following, and they can flee swiftly.”

“But they cannot keep up the pace,” Karu grumbled. He was eager to have a taste of enemy blood.

“Be patient,” Senylu reminded him, “if Nalailyn says we will not catch them today, then it is truth.”

“I apologize. Seeing that man in the jungle yesterday reminded me why we are fighting this war. Every minute the traitors draw breath is an insult to those who made us.”

Senylu knew how this one felt. The same anger often brewed inside him. “It is not the insult that worries me, but the potential for harm. The passage of seasons have not taken the edge off of the Deinonychus’ claws.”

“No, but the passage over these rocks might take the edge off mine.”

The land underfoot had transitioned quickly from dirt to hard rock, and discomfort accompanied the change. Senylu supposed it must be harder for the younger members of the patrol, who had not spent as much time running on rock as he. He pushed aside sympathy with a casual grunt.

Coming over a rise, Senylu saw a narrow path ahead between two crumbling mounds of rock. A single Allosaur could pass through, but the sharp inclines left no room to turn around in an attack. Senylu ordered his patrol to slow down.

“Salliru, go the top of the left bluff and keep watch there. I don’t want to be caught by surprise when we pass through here.”

Salliru hastened to obey, and a small avalanche of loose shards broke away behind him as he scrambled to the top of the hill. Senylu watched him patiently until he gave the signal that all was clear.

For all his worries, the narrow path provided no difficulty at all. Once on the other side, Nalailyn turned west on the trail of the enemy. They were still far off, but closer now than they had been. The Allosaurs knew that their quarry’s endurance was tapering off.

The stormclouds that had moved farther inland suddenly broke loose. The ground became even more treacherous now that it was slippery, and as much as Senylu hated to do it, he gave the order to move slowly. A fall in this terrain could result in a broken leg, which meant death out here away from civilization.

“Be careful where you step,” he said, “there’s no one here who can heal you if you fall.”

A little bit of resentment showed in Lalailyn’s eyes and Senylu remembered that she had learned a little of the art of healing in the city of Dathelas some seasons ago. But Senylu would not rely on her skills at medicine out here.

The rain grew stronger; torrential. Water pooled about Senylu’s feet and with each step he took it drained between his toes like a small waterfall. The others slogged along behind him.

“Do you still have their scent?” he asked Lalailyn.

She paused and closed her eyes, searching through the rain with practiced patience. “Yes, but I will lose it within the hour.”

“We should keep moving as long as we can. The Deinonychus are small and the waters will stop them before stopping us.”

A young, feminine yelp pierced the storm behind him and Senylu turned to see Kandanin splashing one foot against the flood; a log pinned the other one to the ground.

“Are you hurt?”


She whimpered and continued to splash. Thin tendrils of blood flowed in the current behind her ankle.

“Nalailyn, lead the others ahead while I free her. Look for shelter.”

Karu and Salliru followed the elder female into the curtains of rain as Senylu splashed back to where Kandanin was trapped.

Posted By: Gnollslayer Jan 12, 2005 - 06:21 pm

It looked bad. The log was heavy, and the root of a branch had gouged into Kandanin’s ankle above her middle toe. Kandanin’s whole body quivered.

“Will you be able to walk if I can free your foot?”

“I think so,” she whimpered, “but not far.”

Senylu bent down and clamped the end of the log in his jaws. He pulled on it and Kandanin ground her teeth together to keep from howling. The wood came free of the wound, rolling a little in the current before sinking back to the bottom. Kandanin stumbled forward a few steps.

“Let the water wash the wound,” Senylu advised, then move up onto the slope so I can take a look at it.”

She kept on stumbling against the flow until she fell against the side of the hill. It was a slow enough fall to not break any bones, but hard enough that she roared when she hit. Senylu splashed after her.

The tips of her toe-claws hung limp in the water, with tiny v’s trailing in their wake. Her head was against the rock uphill of the rest of her body, with water coursing down all around her. Each breath she took was shallow, but Senylu held onto hope. The gouge in her foot wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d suspected. More grief could probably be attributed to her sensitive nature than to the wound.

“Kandanin,” he said, “I need you to get up. I know you’re hurt, but it will be worse if you stay here.”

“I know,” her response was cold and meek, “but I can’t make it without help.” She rolled down the hill until her good foot caught hold and she could use it to push herself away from the slope.

Senylu steadied her with his snout. “I can help you. Just put your chin on my back and we can walk together.”

She draped her head across his shoulder and they took the first awkward step. She was heavy for her age, and the rain made everything worse. Senylu wondered how far ahead the others had gone, and if Lalailyn had found shelter.

When he came into the human village, he knew. The others were cowered in the leeward side of a blackened wall that offered little protection from the storm. When they saw him coming with Kandanin they rushed out to help.

“She is badly hurt,” said Senylu, “I do not think we can continue.”

“Let me do what I can,” said Lalailyn.

Senylu lowered his head and Kandanin slumped to the ground. The others stood around and watched as Lalailyn stooped beside her to examine the wound. It was much deeper than she had the skill to heal.

“You are right,” she told Senylu, “we will have to wait here until the storm passes. Only time can heal her now.”

Kandanin stirred on the ground, but already she was drifting into hazy sleep. To others of her kind, the wound would only be painful, but she was fainter, and it was affecting her far worse.

Senylu looked around at the dilapidated buildings of the village. They had been burned recently, even in the rain his nose detected the remnants of ash in the air. The work of traitors.

“Is there anywhere else to pass the night?” he asked, “somewhere drier?”

“I don’t know,” said Lalailyn, “when we arrived we were too overcome with sadness to search. We went behind the wall to get out of the wind, and we waited for you in silence.”

“Can you tell how recently this village was burned?”

“Nearly a week ago,” she answered, “death still looms here.”

Senylu paused and bent down to turn over a fallen section of wall. There were human things there, lying in mud, for which he’d never bothered to learn the name. They were pots and pans, and mixed in with the cookware were the remnants of children’s toys.

“I think this was Phoenix’s home,” he said turning to Lalailyn, “he must’ve escaped before the Deinonychus came.”

Thoughts of the old man out there now in the storm made his heart turn weak. Humans were such small and fragile creatures, and the storm was driving down so hard. If the flood was as bad in the jungle, Phoenix must be nearly drowned.

But Senylu knew better than to trust this logic. If humans could conquer the stars and all the worlds that orbited them, they could handle a brief period of hard weather.

Immortality, he thought, a gift beyond any he’d ever imagined.

Looking back at Kandanin stretched out in pain on the rainsoaked ground, he felt his own mortality more than ever. She wouldn’t die from her injury, not even come to death’s brink. But just the thought that she might was enough to start his mind down the spiraling path that leads minds to contemplate their own end.

Already, Senylu began to have a picture of how that end might come. It would be by the claw, and there would be no trees to conceal his defeat. It was a grim thought that passed in a moment, and he came back to the present.

The need to get out of the rain drove him closer to the heart of the village, where some of the buildings were more intact than others. They were taller, more resembling the laboratories from which his ancestors had come than the smaller dormitories where the humans lived. It occurred to Senylu that that was why these buildings were not burnt. It hadn’t been the Deinonychus who charred them, it was the humans with their weapons of the sun. He wished he could have seen them.

Before him stood a tall warehouse with the door standing open. Water pooled on the concrete floor, but only close to the door. Beyond this everything was dry. Senylu stepped inside, reverently letting the water drip from his sides before stepping onto the dry part. Large machines loomed on either side of him. He remembered stories from his childhood of great metallic things that the humans had used like extensions to their body for building and traveling between places. Though these machines looked nothing like a human body, he could see through the fronts of them to small seats upon which humans could sit, and he imagined the humans controlling these wheeled things from inside, plowing through jungles and uprooting trees with more strength than befit them. It was how they’d come to be the worldmakers that they were.

One of the larger machines looked like a great earthdigger. Others often told him that earthdiggers were used to carve out the foundation of Wurrabond. Now he regarded this one with fascination. It bore some resemblance to a Camarasaur, except that the long neck was folded back on itself so that the head rested against the breast. And the head didn’t look well-suited for chewing tree leaves.

It didn’t smell right either – not dead, but not alive either. It was very easy to hold in contempt. Was this why the Deinonychus had betrayed the humans, their lifeless technology? If so, it was not a very good reason: lifeless things were better to endure than the death that followed the Betrayal.

Outside, the others were calling for him. Senylu cursed his own stupidity, he should have at least told Lalailyn where he was going. Out in these territories the threat of Deinonychus attack was too real, and they were probably worried. He wished the rain would die down so he could smell outside.

“I’m here,” he rumbled, “inside the warehouse in the village center.”

Karu came around the corner of a dome-like building across the way from the warehouse. He saw his leader standing beside the earthdigger and bounded in out of the rain.

“Lalailyn said to find you,” he said, “she smells Deinonychus nearby.”

“They must have smelled Kandanin’d blood through the storm. Come, we must bring the others here.”

They left the cold machines to stand in darkness while the rain pattered outside. Lalailyn was still with Kandanin behind the wall, stooped over to keep her head out of the rain.

“Senylu, we must move her, the Deinonychus are very close. The wind hid their approach from me until a short while ago.”

Senylu nudged Kandanin’s shoulder. “Can you stand?

She worked her jaws as if to speak, but only pained breath escaped.

“There is no time for this,” Senylu said, “Karu, Lalailyn; help me move her.”

The three of them pressed their snouts against Kandanin’s side and moved her up the road away from the wall. The ground was soft and slippery from the rain, making their work easier. Salliru walked along beside them watching for movement among the stolid buildings.

They were almost to the warehouse when a small silhouette darted across the empty street before them. Senylu stood and his muscles tensed in preparation for an attack. Karu and Lalailyn turned around and Salliru came up beside him so that they formed a protective circle with Kandanin in the center. They would not let any more harm befall her.

“Come out,” Senylu grumbled, “do not hide in the shadows if it is a fight you want.”

One small creature darted out into the center of the road, accompanied on either side by slightly larger beasts, but they all shared the same loathsome design. They resembled small Allosaurs, except that their arms hung too low and they held their heads too high. Their feather crests and sickle claws also set them apart.

The small one hissed and stepped closer, confirming Senylu’s suspicion that it was the leader.

“So, this is the patrol that has been following us?” it asked, “is I had known your sorry state, I would not have fled.”

“Spew your insults while you can, traitor,” Senylu growled, “you will die soon enough.”

The small creature’s crest bristled, “we did not come to fight, as you may think. We came to parley.”

“I do not parley with nameless beasts,” said Senylu.

“I have a name! It is Karakrang.”

“That is not your true name. You lost that when you chose to betray our creators.”

“I am better off with my old name rescinded. This new one is stronger and truer.”

“It is a filthy noise from a traitor’s tongue!”

“You do not even know what you speak of. The humans deserved their fate.”

Senylu’s blood burned against the walls of his veins, “I will kill you if you speak ill of them again.”

“I will say whatever I want of those soulless creatures. They were not worth the meat on their bones.”

Senylu lunged and snapped, but he caught only air. Karakrang’s guards stood ready to attack, but their leader called them off. Senylu charged the Deinonychus as they fled, but they were too fast.

“You would be wise not to follow us when the storm abates,” Karakrang called back through the rain, “else you will join the humans in death.” And then he was gone.

Senylu padded back to the others. Lalailyn, who saw the fury burning in his eyes, tried to comfort him.

“We can do nothing until Kandanin is well again. Save your fury for when it will help.”

The fires inside him died down. “We should move her inside where she can rest,” he said, “I do not think any of us will do the same tonight.”

After they had brought her to the far corner of the warehouse where the floor was driest, Senylu stood by the others and looked out into the storm.

“How long will the rains last?” he asked confident that Lalailyn knew the answer.

“They will spend themselves within a day,” she said, “but other storms may follow. It is the rainy season here.”

Posted By: Gnollslayer Jan 12, 2005 - 06:22 pm

“Then we may never find Karakrang again.”

“Do not despair, the rains do not last as long here as they do in Wurrabond. And do not fear for Kandanin. She possesses more strength than she believes; she will be ready to walk again soon.”

Senylu looked back to the corner. She seemed so frail; a different kind of frail than the smallness of humans and Deinonychus. It was her meek spirit, never healed from the death of her old patrol.

“I wish she did not have to see battle again,” he said, “she does not seem made for it.”

“Perhaps not, but the elders gave her the choice to remain in Wurrabond after what happened to her. She wants what we all want: justice.”

“Do we really want justice, or just vengeance?”

“A little of both, I think.”

“After we’re finished here I’m taking Kandanin back to Wurrabond. She doesn’t need to fight this war. I don’t need to fight this war either.”

“You’re quitting?”

“I had a thought after I talked to that human Phoenix. I don’t want to die fighting these monsters, not when there’s a life worth living elsewhere. On our last day in Wurrabond I heard rumors of peace in the Caranon Basin, and a village in the jungle near the river.”

Lalailyn looked closely at Senylu, “I’ve known you for a long time and I never thought of you as anything other than a fighter. I am glad to see the part of you that wants peace. And I hope you get it.”

The rain never ceased throughout this conversation or throughout the night, but huddled inside amongst the machines, the Allosaurs didn’t care. Even stormy nights could be beautiful.


Morning came and the rain continued. Senylu waited inside. Hours passed, and the clouds began to falter. By noon they were spent.

The air smelled clean in the wake of the storm. The reek of the Deinonychus was gone, the smell of ash dampened, and the memory of the previous night’s encounter somewhat faded. It would have been a joyous day if not for Kandanin’s wound.

“Can you stand today?” Senylu asked, bending over the young warrior in the light that filtered through the window above.

“I can try,” she said. Shje wriggled around to get her feet underneath her then pressed herself away from the concrete with all four limbs. Senylu helped steady her until she was on her feet. Dried blood crusted around the gouge on her ankle.

“Try taking a step,” Senylu said. Karu and Salliru watched hopefully from the doorway.

Kandanin shook as she removed the weight from her good foot. She quickly set it back down.

“It hurts.”

“It will for some time. You can’t get around that.”

She tried again, this time stepping with the injured foot and limping forward quickly before her weight came down on it. She limped a few more steps before stopping.

“Keep coming,” said Karu, “you’re almost outside.”

“No,” Senylu cautioned, “the ground is still slippery. You’re going to stay in here for awhile.”

“What about food?” she asked, “it’s been too long since I last ate. Since any of us did.”

With the question of food raised Senylu began to worry. Prey was sparse in these parts; most patrols relied on the fish-filled rivers and birds to sustain themselves – and the flesh of traitors, though this was not mentioned to the other races in Wurrabond. But Kandanin could not feed herself with her injured ankle.

“I will send Karu and Salliru out to hunt.” Senylu knew it was a wasted effort, but if the prospect of food could keep Kandanin’s mind off of her injury he was willing to send the others out.

“Stay together,” he said to them when he was sure Kandanin couldn’t hear, “there is little meat to find here, and I do not want you hurt as well. Stay especially alert for Deinonychus. You two don’t have the experience that Lalailyn and I do in battle.”

Karu nodded, but Salliru protested, “we are both strong warriors. You do not need to worry over us so much.”

Salliru’s words proved true when he and Karu returned unharmed the next day. As Senylu had predicted, their expedition was fruitless; also as he’d predicted, Kandanin’s condition was improving.

She now limped freely around warehouse and the nearby streets. He always kept an eye on her to make sure she didn’t wander off and get into trouble. Under his caring supervision her recovery progressed quickly.

By the beginning of the fourth day Kandanin’s injury ceased to bother her. The rest of the patrol celebrated; not only for Kandanin’s health, but because they were hungry and could now go in search of food.

“We found a river to the north of here when we were hunting,” said Karu, “it was wide and deep, and likely home to fish.”

“How far is it?” asked Senylu.

“We can make it there by the end of this day.”

“Good. Lalailyn, do you smell anything?”

“Not Deinonychus, if that’s what you mean. We will be safe.”

“Then let us begin the journey.”

They traveled north out of the village, wishing that they could stay, but paradoxically happy to leave. Reminders of death lingered too thickly in vacant rooms; reminders that the Betrayal was not over yet, and that their actions in this war might yet save human lives. Immortal lives.

Senylu had noticed the unnatural longeevity of some humans as he grew up in Wurrabond. Some of them never seemed change at all. But he never suspected they could be truly immortal.

Maybe Keriker knew when he betrayed them, maybe it was the reason for it. Envy could motivate even wise creatures to do foul things. Somehow though, he could not believe that envy alone caused the Betrayal. He intended to ask the next Deinonychus he met about the matter before he killed it.

“I need to rest,” said Kandanin. She was limping again.

“Of course,” Senylu answered. It was hot out, and even he was panting.

They waited until Kandanin felt ready. They didn’t break their pace again for the rest of the day. By the time they came to Karu and Salliru’s river, the sun hung low on the horizon and dusk settled about the opposite edge of the world.

Kandanin sagged down on the river’s bank and dipped her tongue lazily into the flow. Karu and Salliru splashed into the water, making waves that pulled in whole clumps of the eroding banks.

“If there were any fish here you probably just scared them away,” Senylu joked. Fortunately, he proved wrong on this count.

Whatever river this was, fish lived in it that he’d never before encountered. Their toothy jaws and large dorsal fins reminded him of the stories his mother told him when he was young to keep him from playing in the Naladu. River sharks. He’d never believed in them before, but now he understood why parents would fear them. Their size and disposition made them more than a small threat to a juvenile, and Senylu worried that Karu and Salliru might hurt themselves if they kept up their fishing too long.

In all they pulled four sharks from the river, each one a suitable meal for one. Senylu and Lalailyn opted to share one of the fish so that the younger Allosaurs could have full bellies. It was sweeter flesh than Senylu had tasted for a long time, and he could’ve eaten himself sick on it had there been more to go around.

But having food in his stomach made him weary, and the effects of sleep deprivation wore on him. Lalailyn offered to keep watch this night and Senylu did not deny her.

She woke him up before the sun rose.

“Do you smell it?”

“Deinonychus,” he frowned, “how close are they?”

“Not far, they are moving east.”

“We cannot let them go in that direction. Wake the others.”

Karu and Salliru came out of sleep easily, and Kandanin was not much harder to wake now that her pain and hunger were abated.

“What are we going to do?” asked Kandanin.

“Head them off among the rocks.” He pointed with his snout to the tallest rock on the hills across the river.

They moved slowly on Kandanin’s account, but fast enough to reach their position before the Deinonychus arrived. As they drew closer to the rock, a sense of dread filled them. Viewed from the river it had seemed like a tall spire, from the new angle they could discern the familiar, sickening curve of a Deinonychus’s killing claw.

“Not a good place to meet them,” Kandanin said, shaking her head. Her limp returned.

“There is nowhere else,” Senylu said. He shared her uneasiness.

They came around the back side of the claw-shaped rock and stopped in its shadow. The Deinonychus reek filled the air, and beyond the next hill they could all hear the brisk clip of treacherous feet.

Senylu looked at Kandanin; she would be a liability in this fight. He would not fight this battle at all if the Deinonychus were not moving east. East. Why did it have to be east? They could pick any other direction and Phoenix would be safe. But not east.

“Stay close to me,” he told the others, “our strength together exceeds our strength apart.

Kandanin huddled closest. She was held in the clutches of fear now, pinned against the brink of madness.

“Caya! Lekanu!” she cried out the names of the fallen from her previous patrol. Her eyes were closed.

“Shut her up!” Lalailyn whispered, “she’ll alert the enemy.”

Senylu butted her in the shoulder, snapping her out of the memory.

“What have I done Senylu?” she asked. Her eyes flickered with confusion.

“Just keep quiet.”

And she did. The scrabbling sound of claws moved closer. Rocks tumbled down the other side of the hill. A shadow played in the sunlight. The Deinonychus were here.

Posted By: Gnollslayer Jan 12, 2005 - 06:23 pm

Senylu roared and charged into the pack, bringing down one Deinonychus in a strom of dust and splintered rock. Lalailyn was in beside him, adding to the fray.

The advantage did not belong to the Allosaurs for long. Their opponents outnumbered them by a factor of three, and were brutally efficient at exploiting this. Three circled around behind the tightknit group, and when the Allosaurs tried to form a defensive circle one would break off from the main body of the pack to dart between them.

Only Senylu and Lalailyn were not confused by this tactic. They lunged away from their circle, counting on Karu and Salliru to protect Kandanin in the brief absence. Two more Deinonychus fell into gaping jaws. Two less to carry on the fight.

Kandanin howled as one of the attackers hooked into her left flank with both foot-claws. Senylu turned around, bending low to sweep over an enemy with his tail before charging in to tear the creature from Kandanin’s side. Twelve Deinonychus remained.

“Retreat to the rock!” Senylu ordered, and the group moved back with him.

The three that had circled around behind them scrambled to avoid being crushed underfoot. One kicked across Senylu’s scout as he passed, and as the razor claw passed before his eyes he imagined the horror of the Deinonychus Betrayal inside the dormitories in Wurrabond. The humans had no claws or teeth to defend themselves with.

Rage worked itself up in Senylu’s chest and hhe released it in a roar that smelled of day-old shark flesh. The Deinonychus relented, stepping back in fear.

But they did not step back far enough. Two steps carried Senylu past them and he wheeled to charge at the Deinonychus’ backs. They did not turn to face him as he’d hoped, but dashed forward into the rest of the patrol. Dashed straight for Kandanin.

Karu and Lalailyn tried to close the gap in front of her, but it was too late. Lacerating claws dug into her flesh she screeched agony to the high sky. Then she toppled.

Before the Deinonychus could inflict further damage Senylu returned, tearing them from the fallen warrior and tossing them aside like leaf-bales during harvest season. Her wounds looked less serious than he’d feared, but still dire.

“Lalailyn, see if you can help her!”

And the chaos of battle enveloped him again. He saw Salliru fall, and the Deinonychus swarmed him. Three fell to Senylu’s jaws, and two more by Karu’s, but their damage was done. Salliru breathed his final breath in agony and his chest stirred no more.

His was the only life the Deinonychus would claim. With their numbers worse than halved, they retreated. Senylu chased after them for awhile, bellowing his fury and forgetting the civil tongue of the Imperial races for a more primal language. It was no use.

Senylu returned to sights of sorrow. Karu stooped over his fallen friend cursing at the injustice of life and war. Lalailyn was beside Kandanin, and she was shaking her head. Senylu could see the deep gashes from a distance.

“Is she alive?”

Lalailyn looked up, stared straight at him, “she is. The wounds are not as deep as they might have been. Unlike Salliru, she will survive.”

Though the sun shone freely in the sky the day was darker than the worst hour of the recent storm. Senylu sat in the shadow of the claw, mulling over the grim topic of death.

Immortality was paid for with many lives, Phoenix had said. Today it was paid for by one more. And the old man did not even know, probably did not care. What was the difference between blood spilled through soft skin and blood spilled through scales?

Senylu’s mind paused on this question. What was the difference? And yet, without knowing he had made the decision to trade the life of his friend for the life of an old human he hardly knew and would never see again. He regretted the choice now, but only a little. The teachings of human superiority still gripped his heart, having worked in through long seasons good and bad. He still revered them, and before long any reason not to passed from his mind.

“The traitors have taken much from us today,” said Karu, stalking up beside the older warrior.

“But we have taken more from them,” Senylu said, “they had names once, before they fell into madness. They have names still in their own tongue. And they have families that will never see them again.”

“I cannot feel pity for them. Nor do I want to.”

“I have known this feeling. Time will change you.”

“I hope not.”

“Karu, hope for better things than a hard heart.”

“I do. I hope for Kandanin’s healing and an end to this war. But I hope that it ends with every traitor dead, and their bones scattered before their dens. Then I hope they are forgotten so their foul memory will never plague the minds of decent creatures again.”

“If the Deinonychus pass out of memory, the ones they slaughtered will fade from mind as well. Do you want that?”

“No. I want Salliru’s name to live on.”

“It will, when we return to Wurrabond and tell them what happened here.”

“When will that be?”

“As soon as Lalailyn nurses Kandanin back to health.”

“When do you think that will be?”

Senylu didn’t know. They waited until that night and Kandanin did not improve. She could stand, having not suffered further injury to her legs; but the grievous cuts along her side worried Senylu enough to delay the journey south to the homeland.

The wounds started to scab over on the second day. The healing process continued rapidly thanks to Lalailyn’s expert care. But the wounds were deep and needed more than primitive caretaking to mend. Lalailyn knew of a plant that grew sparsely in these parts whose roots could aid the wounded. The Segnosaurs called it the Worla plant, and had described it to her once when she was with her patrol in Dathelas.

She set out to find it on the morning of the third day, leaving Karu and Senylu to tend to Kandanin in her absence. It took her many hours to find the small plant growing onm the open hills, but she did return with a small mouthful. Grinding them the way the Segnosaurs had told her proved difficult with her carnivore’s teeth. After a long time spent shredding she smeared the bitter paste around Kandanin’s most grievous wounds and gave time for the medicine to work.

“I hope she is well soon,” Lalailyn said, “I smell traitors’ reek on the wind.”

“Are they moving this way?” asked Senylu.

“It is hard to tell.”

Time passed. The scent grew stronger. All doubt vanished that the Deinonychus were bearing down on the stone claw.

“Kandanin, can you run?”

She nodded, “it does not matter if I can. I must.”

“Good. You will go with Lalailyn now.” He turned to the elder female, “take Karu and Kandanin with you. Make for Wurrabond, and move as fast as Kandanin’s injuries will permit you. I will catch up to you when I can.”

Lalailyn looked into his eyes and understood what he meant to do. If dinosaurs could cry, she would have now.

“Goodbye,” she whispered, and she turned with Karu and Kandanin to flee.

Senylu watched them fade into the distance, then turned back to his fate.

The Deinonychus came over the hill to the west, and from the moment he first saw them he knew that Karakrang led this patrol. They stopped fifteen paces short to mock him.

“You are pathetic,” Karakrang jeered, “sacrificing yourself to protect the others. Do you think your actions will amount to anything in the end?”

“If I delay you ten minutes it will be enough.”

“You will not last five!”

The talking was over. Karakrang screeched and dashed forward. The thirty others at his command cracked across the short expanse like lightning. Before Karakrang even reached the spot where Senylu stood, his underlings had finished the work. Senylu toppled. His last thoughts were of Phoenix and the others of his patrol. Life was a gift for them, paid for with blood. A brief immortality. But Senylu had attained his own kind of immortality, for after the Deinonychus caught up with the three others, they left Kandanin alive to carry the message of this defeat back to the elders in Wurrabond, and she told them of Senylu’s bravery. Thereafter, the rock was called Senyludwaru, which means Senylu’s Pride. But to the Deinonychus it would forever be remembered as Karakrang’s Toe.