Oak at the age of sixteen had been determined that he needed to prove his valour and hunt down a terakian beast (a mutated creature that was either the product of the Devastation or one of the scientific experiments) he wanted to bring back it's skin to the camp, proving that he was the best defender they had. Pine, being a good sensible friend tried to talk him out of it but Oak was foolishly insistent. So, Pine said he would go along as a companion as he wanted to see this amazing spectacle for himself. Oak should have known then that he wasn’t thinking properly and was falling into the same mistakes that many years before had left the cities in dust–proving himself through pride. Now later, he knew that he couldn’t be like his forefathers, he had to be different otherwise they wouldn’t survive.
Oak and Pine travelled for two days enjoying each other’s company and regaling themselves with stories they’d heard from other defenders of the creatures that frequented their forest. Instead of making a camp (which was always risky) they slept high up in the trees, bracing their backs against the trunk and extending their legs upon the branches. They awoke stiff and stretched for a good long time under the trees. Then eating melini tablets they travelled on still trying to limber up their stifled bodies.
On the second day they found the terakian beast, they heard it before they saw it. The beast made its presence known by its loud disgruntled growls, the animal sounded displeased. Perhaps it had missed its prey and was angry at losing its meal. He was not sure but one thing he found out quickly was that the beast was indeed in a vicious and determined mood.
When they came upon it in a small clearing they drew back to the trees in surprise. They’d seen the beasts before but always from a distance as they normally took care to avoid them as much as possible. Up close they were even more frightening their size alone was intimidating (larger than one of their homes).
Its face had small black eyes, the skin wrinkled, ears that spiked up on top of its large almost square head and black nostrils that flared with every breath it let out showing the red inside. Worst of all was its mouth, it caused the most fear, the mouth never closed, as if the mass of large yellow serrated and pointed teeth were too many for it to ever shut. A huge black tongue lolled back inside and wagged from side to side in its present state of annoyance. They couldn’t have picked a worse time to come upon the beast for it had indeed been foiled of its dinner and it didn’t like the feel of its empty stomach.
It didn’t see them as quickly as they saw it but when it did, Oak could have sworn that the creature’s black thin lips curled into a smile. The huge mouth obscured the rest of its squat flat face. Its neck was thick and wrinkled, the body had no hair just a thick dark brown skin. Its shoulders were huge jutting out like massive boulders, leading to striated trunk like legs, the skin lying in thick folds descending to large clawed feet, the claws nine inches in length with six on each foot. Its body was surprisingly short and wide filling to a powerful hind end that looked ready to spring. A stumpy fat tail swung from side to side like a cat figuring out just what it was about to do.
It was only a short time that they stood staring quietly at each other. The beast sprang forward at the unprepared duo. Pine and Oak split leaping away from one another. Oak almost stumbled going to the right of the beast and Pine hastily to the left. It seemed the beast favoured its right because it pursued Oak with a voracious snap of its teeth as if readying itself for the rending of flesh. Regrouping, Oak found himself running as fast as he could. Although, his thoughts were disjointed he had the good sense to withdraw his sheathed sword.
The sword glinted from the sunlight slanting between the trees as he dodged between them and he wondered if he could temporarily blind the beast with its reflection. The beast’s tiny eyes he thought were probably weak and it wouldn’t prove to be an advantage. It was more likely used to hearing and sensing through smell to track and take down prey, so he thought better of even trying to make the effort.
He could hear the crash of trees and the splintering of branches behind him too close, much too close for him to be safe. He could feel the vibrations through the ground as the beast heavily leaped onto the earth. The disruption of the land sent tremors through Oak's body.
He was running full sprint, jumping over roots and fallen branches. His breathing was becoming laboured which was unusual for him. He knew it was fear that was making it difficult for him to breath. His chest had never felt this tight and he was sure he couldn’t push the air out that was in his lungs, it made him feel desperate. His heart was going so rapidly that he could hear it pulsing in his ears. It was making his head throb and he had to shake it to try and get his senses back. He’d only known such fear once and all he could think was what a fool he was. How ridiculous it would be for him to be remembered as the defender who took on a terakian beast on his own and failed.
That was only if Pine should survive and get back to camp. How could he be so stupid? He’d put himself and his friend in danger and would be remembered for it. All the other good things that he’d done to help others in the camp would be forgotten just because of this one instance–possibly the final part of his life.
This thought enraged him, drowned out the fear, made him angry but with anger came control. He’d always been good at controlling his anger. He’d lost it too many times as a child but he’d purposefully taught himself how to rein it in the older he became. Now through a mantra he’d made for himself he was able to quickly re-direct his anger into energy to help himself. Weaving between the burnt ochre trees speckled by the rays of sun, he listened to the crash of broken branches behind him whilst he repeated the words that he now lived by; anger is energy, I shall control my energy and not let it control me. His head felt lighter, a placebo perhaps, but he was breathing better, with deep breaths he managed to slow his heart rate and think more clearly.
He was still ahead of the beast as it hadn’t made up much ground but he was coming to another clearing. If he tried to veer left or right the beast would gain ground on him and he would be finished, if he went into the clearing his chances were only slightly better. The beast would pounce and he would have to hope that he could plunge his sword into the beast before its teeth tore into him. He drank a deep breath of air and leaped into the clearing.
Once he was well out of the trees he turned to face the beast behind him. It was too close, slimy; saliva slobbered from its mouth, its black tongue was darting from side to side in anticipation of the kill it was to make. Before he could ready himself the beast was already in the air, the huge body hurling toward him, the mouth wide open ready to take him down. He knew this was to be the end of his life as he stared into the black pin hole eyes rapidly descending upon him.
The high pitched yell seemed to come from nowhere but he knew it was Pine. How Pine had managed to get there so fast he didn’t know but he was most certainly glad. Oak concentrated on the beast knowing the distraction would perhaps be enough to save him. The beast turned its head toward the sound and Oak saw his chance. Quickly, Oak angled his sword to a clear area of the beast’s throat that was now displayed to him.
The beast was too late as it started to swing its head back to look at its prey. Oak already had a free site of flesh to attack. The massive animal came down upon him as he plunged his sword into its thick neck with all the strength he had. It gave a horrifying scream of rage and pain before abruptly falling upon him, knocking him to the ground, covering him completely. Only Oak's head was visible. Oak was panting for breath, his lungs hampered by the weight of the massive creature upon him. His body was numb but the blood coursing through him tingled with the relief of being alive.
As Oak lay there unable to move Pine looked down at him and cocked his head to one side, “Do you still want to tackle this beast alone?” Oak could see the smile wanting to form on Pine's lips as he said it and Oak swallowed his ridiculous pride and replied. “Indeed, I would greatly appreciate some help to get the creature off”. Pine gave him a huge smile and Oak smiled back. He knew his face was covered in blood and could tell how grotesque he must look with the dark purple fluid that was pouring from the creatures wound, by the look on Pine's face. He could feel it smeared upon his teeth but worse was the feeling as it dripped from his eyelashes no doubt looking like visceral tears.
“How did you get here so fast?” Oak asked looking at the smiling but concerned face of Pine.
“I cut through the forest when I understood which direction you were heading and ran parallel to the beast. I don’t know myself how I managed to run so fast, perhaps some invisible guardians were there to push me along?” His smile broadened upon saying the last words. Pine was not the fastest runner, with his big body he would sometimes crash through the bushes and branches rather than avoid them and they often slowed him down.
“I’m glad they gave you their assistance,” Oak replied, smirking himself. “Otherwise even more of the forest would have been destroyed.” His eyes glinted and he felt Pine's foot softly knock his head to one side. He knew Pine was still smiling as he walked away to tackle the task of moving the dead animal.
It took a long time to remove the terakian beast from Oak's body. Pine made a pulley from rope. He tied it around the beast’s throat and then around a tree from where he hauled in huge long strokes. The pulling on the rope caused the beast's wound to open more and Oak was bathed further in dark purple blood, his clothes soaked through to his skin.
Although he was sore and hurt, he wouldn’t admit this to Pine. Not even when Pine cleared the creature's body from him and asked. “Are you hurt?” He’d looked up at his friend's hand, grasped it tightly, grimaced as he stood up, and with his own hand waved him away.
“I’m fine, thank you.” His friend smirked at that, knowing full well that Oak was hurting everywhere.
He thanked Pine for saving his life whilst he pulled his sword from the severed flesh of the animal and slipped it back into his sheath with the intent of cleaning it later. Heavily, he sat down and placed his head into his hands. Pine joined him and the two silently rested. Quietly, they both went over the events that had just occurred. They hunched over feeling tired from the drop in adrenaline, as their sympathetic nervous system gave way to the parasympathetic to take their bodies back to a normal state.
The beast's blood had dried onto Oak's clothes becoming a black tar giving him a strange arrangement of stripes and blotches. They sat cross legged beside the creature and ate melini tablets whilst Pine watched Oak to see how badly hurt he really was. After a period of about twenty minutes Oak carefully arose and suggested that they skin the beast. The job was difficult and took several hours but they were rewarded with the tough hide. They wrapped a rope around it and Pine tied it to Oak's back where it stayed until they returned to camp. Here Pine helped him remove it and Oak showed it to the other excited clan members.
Oak glowed at the oohs from the girls as they looked upon him with admiration. The boys patted him on the back and said “well done!” Oak smirked happily at them. He noticed Pine about to leave and grabbed his friend back into the middle of the crowd exclaiming, “But Pine is a hero! If it weren't for Pine I wouldn’t be here, this defender saved my life!” Pine received many pats on the back from the boys and the girls hovered over him with wistful smiles, for heroes were much more exciting than hunters.
The hide was made into clothes for Oak. He offered Pine some of the leather but Pine replied, “I’m happy with the saros leaves that my clothes are made out of and I wouldn’t want anything of that vile beast upon my body.” He went on to say with a smirk, “Since you’ve bathed in the beast's blood and probably absorbed part of what the beast was, it would suit you better and it’s about time that pretty boy face of yours became uglier!” Oak gave him a feigned look of anger and then the two of them roared in laughter until there were tears in their eyes. The leather proved to be hard wearing and reminded Oak never to be foolish again.
**********
That had been two years ago, he’d been their leader for one of those years and still the skins he wore (even though faded) showed little sign of wear. As much as he regretted his rash behaviour he didn’t regret the clothing it had afforded him. The leather was waterproof, warm and the bugs couldn’t bite through it. He could sit in a tree, watching for hours without the downpours bothering him. He had four sets of clothes made from the hide for all the seasons of the year. At present it was summer and the leather was sticking to his skin in the heat. They were close fitting so they didn’t catch on branches and they were warm to sleep in at night.
He wished he didn’t have to wear the long pants for every season but legs and feet always needed to be covered. Even baring arms was a risk, bugs could be lethal. There were many dangerous creatures in the forest especially the bescens–annelids; a type of leech that had mutated and survived. Many insects, though they were now mutated and more dangerous had also survived. The bescens were the size of a human finger and lived in the long grasses waiting, wavering in the breeze for whatever passed through.
One end of the bescen suctioned to the stem of the grass the other moving from side to side trying to find something to latch onto. Its aim–bare skin, once latched they would suck as much blood from you as they could gorge on without exploding. These leech like creatures not only sucked your blood but left your blood unable to clot even after you had pulled them off (which in itself was very difficult) the blood would continue to trickle out from the finger sized hole that the creature left behind. Without action the bleeding would never stop.
A simple small lime, a hardier variation than the ones they’d eaten growing up, was carried by all defenders. If a bescen attached itself to them they would squeeze the juice onto the creature, this would immediately cause the creature to release its hold and drop to the ground. The Almist also gave all his defenders a good supply of niaphron root powder to pour onto the wound to help the blood clot again and heal. Everything other than their sword was carried in the small woven bag that sat on their hips. A rope was tied carefully around their waist above the bag that hung on a belt next to their short sword, sheathed but ready to protect them when required.
Oak's defenders went through rigorous training when not on the duty of patrolling the forest or on assignments to see what was going on in the city. The defenders never went into the city as it was too dangerous and unnecessary, but they’d brought back interesting information about what the Citans were doing. Such as; repairing wind turbines, using solar panels, they now had vehicles that could go short distances. They were also ploughing the land to grow food. Oak was glad of this, it meant the Citans had no need to come into the forest. They kept themselves busy and Oak knew as long as they were busy the Woodlanders were safe.
The defenders had a special clearing in the forest, it was not a large area but big enough that they could practise grappling, wrestling, and practicing choke holds and sweeps to take down their opponents. They also practised boxing and the use of their feet in defence, mixing as many protective and evasive moves as possible. They fought with wooden swords on these training days, performing blocks, attacks and disarming moves. He chose the most agile defenders that he knew would do well with the tasks and always stopped fights before any broken bones or other injuries occurred, although sometimes they couldn’t always be prevented.
His home guard also trained hard, they had to be fit because they were the last line of defence should the defenders be beaten. They trained with the defenders and also learnt to climb up and down trees very quickly. This was of great importance for the sentinels, as they were the watchers; they were the caretakers for the camp. Oak sat with them and told them how important they were. Some would complain that they were not out in the forest with the other defenders. He emphasized that the whole camp relied on them, that the Woodlander clan relied on them, they were their only hope should an enemy get through.
Although, his defenders trained hard and were tough, he knew none of them were killers. He wondered if it ever came down to having to fight for their lives if they would destroy another person. He sincerely hoped that it would never come to that. His were a kind, gentle people, and a people that had left the ravages of war behind. Knowing that the clan’s mandate was peace, he was unsure that they should even have defenders. After considering this he knew that it would be unwise not to have them. They couldn’t allow cruelty to rule them again and they should and would fight for their beliefs.
If evil came to them, they’d all sacrifice themselves rather than become something that they hated so much. His mind’s eye could see the camp, the girls collecting fruit, the boys working on repairs and rebuilding homes that had been damaged by storms. Would he let them be cut down and destroyed if the outsiders attacked? His body steeled at the thought and he knew that even though he was opposed to battle, he wouldn’t let the Woodlander camp become a wasteland like his own home had become. They would fight for what they loved and the life they believed in.
Within the main building, reflecting on this Oak noticed that Pine was smiling. Not to be outdone he’d rested his hand upon Oak's shoulder. Their closeness gave the impression they were about to dance. “All will be well Oak. I don’t think these Citans are looking for us and if they are, then they have been given very poor directions.”
Oak dropped his hand and his gaze to the floor for a moment. Slowly, raising his head, catching Pine's eyes once more he replied, “Thank you my friend. Let’s be positive for sure, no matter what, positive energy will get us through whatever we’re to face.”
“I agree,” replied Pine. His face became concerned. “Oak, why do you think they come out of the city now?”
Oak was thoughtful, “The sentinel said that they don’t seem to be searching for anything? They’re not looking around, other than to see if they are being watched. They keep to one direction. Depending on where they’re going it could take weeks, months but their food supplies don’t seem adequate. This makes me think that their journey will be short. Whatever, they seek; I don’t think it is us.”
They stood quiet for a while and both dropped their hands back to their sides whilst they went through their thoughts. The Citans arrival bothered Oak. There was no clear reason for them to be there. He was sure they had no interest in the camp. Why would they? What interest would the camp hold for them?
Even though it made sense that the Citans weren’t looking for the Woodlanders it still left him uneasy. Pine moved forward a little and glanced at the door, then back at Oak. Oak realized they needed to prepare to leave and he was delaying Pine.
Pine was twisting his body toward the door once more. “Excuse me Oak, I must give Lily a long kiss goodbye, as she has much to miss in my absence, and will pine for her Pine.” He smirked.
“Yes, Pine you believe that! Since, I know that Lily will be glad of the peace and quiet and the chance to get many things done!” Both were laughing as they exited the main building.