Read AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) Online

Authors: Samuel Jarius Pettit

AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) (6 page)

The people of the tribe were busy with the midday occupations of preparing food, basket weaving and minding the children.

The children, some naked and some not, were the first ones to notice a stranger in their midst. They stopped their playing as they walked by, jaws gaping while whatever games or small fights they were involved in were forgotten.

Soon the adults began to take notice as well.

Conversations stopped and tasks put aside in order to stare at this alien that walked among them. Many of the older tribesmen and women knew of the Sky Tribes, so there was no question that he was from one of them. But, to see one was so rare, everything else was put on hold.

Gar smiled awkwardly and waved. The motion sent a flurry of whispers among the crowd that was now gathering.

Tyro led their group confidently, and the others flanked Gar on all sides. Kai stayed close.

If he hadn’t known better he would have thought he was a prisoner. And there was still no telling whether or not he might end up becoming one.

He felt nervous and although he was loath to do it, he reached out a thought to Kai. He’d never done such a thing before and the experience was unsettling.

What’s their problem?

Don’t blame them for being curious,
Kai responded.
It’s not often they see a person from a
Sky Tribe. There are a lot of questions about
where you come from and a lot of stories and
legends about it, too. Just try to relax. We’ll get
you to…

But, before Kai could finish, they heard a sharp female voice cut though the crowd from up ahead. People parted way for the speaker.

“What’s going on here?!”

Tyro and the group stopped and the woman with the demanding voice burst forth. This woman was dressed like Cho except for her hair, which was worn in the style of the men. Her height matched that of Cho’s brothers, and she was intensely muscular for her sex. Her manner said immediately that she was not a person to mess with. She appeared to be very annoyed by the appearance of their fishing group.

Vol’zhal,
Kai’s voice crept into his head.

Lead warrior of our tribe
.
Let Tyro do the
talking.
Gar felt slimy every time Kai’s voice slipped into his brain, but he let this go since this mental coaching was keeping him calm. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation.

“No, no, no,” she berated their group. “You are not supposed to be back for two more days.

Can’t you do anything right? The Beloch only mate for one week. Now we’ll miss the best fish of the season!”

Tyro began to explain. “We had to return…”

“I’ll bet!” Vol said with a hard laugh. “Did someone stub their toe?” It was that moment that she finally noticed Gar. She took him in very slowly from head to toe then leaned towards Tyro.

Her expression was one of distaste “Sky Tribe?” He nodded.

“Other?”

Tyro’s answer was neither a positive or negative one.

Vol walked to Gar and got very close, still examining him. She was several inches taller than he was and certainly much stronger. Her scrutiny set him on edge. He wasn’t a piece of cattle for inspection and such an examination was highly offensive.

“You’re

short,”

she

said,

with

a

disapproving tone.

“Stare at me for that long and that’s all you can figure out?” Gar said flatly.

There was silence in the crowd. His comment took a moment to register, but once it did, she began to swell up. Before she could lay into him, Tyro put a firm hand on her shoulder.

“We need to see High Mother
now
,” he said with a note of finality.

She seemed to respect Tyro, but took a moment to back down. Gar did catch her glance at Kai with the same distaste she had been lavishing on him.

“Go,” she muttered and stormed off.

“Who shoved a spear up her backside?” Gar scoffed.

Tyro whirled on Gar, The warrior brought his face so close to the haughty prince it was only an inch away from his. The tall tribesman’s mass greatly overshadowed him.

“Don’t say anything to anyone else!” he said, and that was an end to any more of Gar’s sarcastic outbursts.

He motioned and the group headed for one of the great stairways. None of the crowd followed them.

Gar bit his lip. No one ever spoke to him like that.

As they climbed the long stairway, people were leaning over the railings of the platforms to catch a glimpse of Gar. Word had traveled quickly among the Aklesh that a visitor from the Sky Tribe was in the keep.

Cho and the twins took the fish and the supplies and separated from the group at the first platform. From there Kai, Tyro and Gar had continued on, going up another stairway to the second platform.

Gar could now see the Aklesh living arrangements from a much closer perspective.

The hut structures were cylindrical and framed with sturdy poles. All the walls were plastered with mud and straw and worked till they were smooth, like clay pottery. The roofs were made up of pieces of bark. These were light brown and grey and laid out like shingles. Sticking out of each rooftop was a pole that came out of a small opening in the center. On the poles were more shingles that fanned out like small umbrellas. Gar figured it was some sort of chimney.

Many living quarters were made up of more than one hut. They were attached at the sides.

Every single dwelling had at least one small window and doorframe. Hung in each door was either beading or a red sort of straw curtain.

The prince assumed finding a good mattress was going to be a hopeless cause.

Many of the people, old and young alike, were standing in the doorways and windows staring in wonder.

Gar could only imagine how these primitive people would react if they knew the galaxy was crammed full of countless humanoid variations, some of which were quite alarming. And some of which were barely human at all, having evolved so differently from their common ancestry.

Tyro and Kai took him to an out-of-the way corner of the platform where there was another raised balcony accessible by a short ramp. This little area leaned out from the tree a bit and had four huts on it, two separate ones and the two that were connected. Kai and Tyro led him to the smallest one farthest from the left. Tyro pulled aside the straw curtain.

“Stay here,” he said. “We will come for you in a while. There are other matters that need attending.”

Gar sighed. “So, I just wait.”

“Yes,” he said simply, then motioned for him to enter.

***

Gar was certain he’d been in the hut for at least two hours. He could tell because the light that shown from the little window had moved across the floor a good two feet.

The living space he found himself in was humble but serviceable. There was a cot on the side large enough for one person, or two if they were side by side and very close. It was covered with a pelt of white fur, like the kind he had seen adorning some of the native people. He had found his way to the bed almost immediately. Surprisingly, it was soft.

There was no telling the next time he would be able to rest, so the prince took full advantage of the opportunity. It was the first time he had been able to lie down on something resembling a bed for more than a day.

By the cot was a large woven basket with clothes as well as a small table next to it. The small pieces of furniture were roughly hewn.

Woodwork was not a very common thing to see on Orestus. The table had some wooden bowls and a pitcher with water on it. The center of the small living space had a circle of rocks and was obviously meant to hold a cooking or heating fire.

There were various red woven mats that covered the dusty ground.

Although the place smelled of grasses and clay, it was clean. Gar was not put off by his surroundings, quite the opposite. He enjoyed ambassadorial visits when he was required to go.

It was a royal duty he could actually stomach. Not the politics at the center of it, but the traveling and experiencing of other cultures. There was such richness to the universe and each wondrous place was so different from the every other place. When he visited a new world, he lived as its citizens lived. It was proper etiquette, although as royalty, he did receive the best they had.

And each place always had something that resembled a bar -- among other things.

There was a soft rustling as the red grass curtain in the doorway was gently pushed aside. Gar had been lying on the cot and letting his mind wander.

The shape in the doorway brought him crashing back into the world.

A lovely woman stood in front of him.

She held a basket on her hip that contained bread and strange fruit. Her white hair was braided back on the sides but was left loose on top. It gently cascaded down her back. The native wore the same kind of dress that he’d seen on the other young women of the tribe. Her breasts and hips were full and her frame was smaller than that of Cho and Vol. In fact, she was their polar opposite. Where they were more masculine and aggressive, this new female was the epitome of femininity. She had a small mouth that was contrasted to large grey eyes with heavy lids. Her voice was gentle when she spoke.

“I am Seema’shal. I’m joined with Tyro,” she said, introducing herself. “You are called Gar?” As she spoke the prince noticed another pair of grey eyes, just like woman’s but smaller, timidly peering around the side of the entryway.

“Yes,” replied Gar, warming to the sight of the little child. “Who is your friend?”

She smiled down to the young boy who could not have been more than four and was now clinging to one of her legs, staring at the stranger in wonder.

“This is Tilo, our son.”

Gar smiled. He liked little kids. They never had hidden motives beyond basic youthful pursuits.

And their opinions could be trusted since they usually lacked the ability to conceal their thoughts.

“Hello, Tilo.”

The little boy giggled.

Gracefully, Seema entered the hut and went to the table. Once there she drew out a cutting implement made of bone and began to slice the fruit and bread. The child followed her and stayed close by his mother’s side, not daring to be any nearer to Gar than she was.

“You must be hungry,” she said.

Seema presented him with some fruit, nuts and bread on a stiff, red woven mat. Then she poured water from the pitcher into a clay mug for him. She and her child sat on the floor. The little boy had gotten over his initial shyness and now rested in her lap and played with his toes. She waited quietly as Gar ate, a patient smile on her face. Her gaze was serene. If his strangeness to her was at all off-putting, she showed no sign of it.

The Aklesh female had been right. He was famished and eagerly ate the food she’d offered.

“This is very good,” Gar said, indicating the sweet, blue fruit in his hand. “Thank you.”

“It’s sical. Abundant this time of year. Would you like more?”

Gar had just taken a large bite out of the dry bread. His mouth was full so he shook his head in response. He could see the little boy looking at the last piece of the sical on his mat, so he picked it up and offered it out to the child.

The little boy instinctually pulled back. His face was a mix of want for the fruit and a desire to not get too close to Gar. He looked at his mother who nodded encouragingly. When she indicated it was alright, he tentatively took the offering. Once the fruit was in his grasp he nibbled on it and giggled.

“So,” said Gar, his manner inquisitive, “You and Tyro are joined. What does that mean exactly, joining?”

Her smile was sweet and soothing. Seema was so soft and easy in her movements it seemed perfectly natural that she was a mother.

“Joining is the combining of two people who wish to be together till the end of their days. There is a ceremony with the two families and the tribe.

Then the couple presses their yanath together,” she said, indicating the small protuberance on her forehead, “And, they share.” She seemed to have trouble finding the right words to correctly explain. “They share everything. They become united. Two people and one person at the same time. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s horrible,” said Gar. Even though Kai was nowhere near him, he could still feel him. The unpleasant feeling made him give an involuntary shiver.

“It’s natural,” said another voice from the doorway. “Every creature on our world is telepathic to some degree.”

Standing there was an old woman whose many years were written across her face. A wrinkled smile went from ear to ear, and there was a twinkle in her eyes. Her body was stooped and her hair was arranged in two long braids that practically went to her feet. Due to her short stature, though, that wasn’t too far. She wore several bead necklaces and a large gnarled staff that she leaned upon.

Tilo immediately went to her.

Seema made the introduction. “This is Zaela‘vhal. She is the healer of our tribe.” The old woman tilted her head up and observed Gar. Her inspection of his person wasn’t like Vol’s had been, full of distaste and fear. This woman’s scrutiny was laced with an unbiased, but intense, interest.

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