Warrior's Heart

War Party

-James-

Arek and I returned to the center of camp. I was a bit preoccupied with the upcoming attack, however. Arek had been appointed as my war general, hence the red war paint. The next day he would begin preparing for our attack. I trusted him to organize the warriors and lead them well. Even so, I had no intention of staying behind.

"I know what you're thinking," Arek said, "You can't come."

I laughed, "You can't tell me what to do."

"Jamesarek, you are our leader. As such, you need to stay behind. You are the heart of the tribe and therefore cannot die," Arek gave me a look, knowing what I was about to say.

"Why should I ask others to do these things if I myself am unwilling?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "The tribe knows you are willing. It does not make you less of a man to do this. In the long run, you staying behind and staying alive is what is best for the tribe."

I growled, gritting my teeth together. I knew he was right, but I hated for him and his men to go without me.

"Trust me," Arek pleaded, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, then pressed my forehead against his, "I do, Arek. I just don't want to see you hurt. You're like a brother to me, after all."

"And you to me," Arek grinned. "Come on. When was the last time you've eaten?"

***

Merun stayed in Arek's hut that night, under guard from both my second and an added guard. I was still upset with the hunters for neglecting to give him food and a blanket, as I had asked, but I let it go. There were a lot more pressing matters on my mind at the moment.

After meeting with the war counsel once more and strategizing the attack, Arek insisted I take a break for lunch. So, I decided to take some food with me and go visit our strange new friend.

He was sitting on the blankets, reading a book. When I saw the book, I couldn't help but get excited. He was from an intelligent civilization if they had books. That meant he had a capacity for learning, so we could learn to communicate with one another.

"You can go grab lunch," I told the guard, clapping him on the shoulder. He nodded, disappearing. I approached Merun, offering him the food. He took it, smiling. I didn't understand what he said, but I thought perhaps he was thanking me. I sat down across from him, watching as he began to eat. Once he was through, I stood, motioning for him to follow me, "Come." He shoved the book into the back of his waistband, getting to his feet and following as I had asked.

I wanted to show him something, and maybe find an easier way to communicate.

-Merun-

I followed James to the top of the hill, near where the big hut was. He was smiling, and his eyes were bright. There was a large pecan tree at the top of the hill, and he sat beneath it, motioning for me to do the same. I did as he asked, both of us facing the village.

James took a long stick from beneath the tree, handing it to me. Then, he pointed to the book I had with me and did a writing motion. He wanted me to write.

I wrote my name in the dirt beneath the tree. "Merun," I motioned to myself, then spelled his name, "James."

His eyes grew wide as he inspected the letters. He grinned broadly, grabbing another stick and tracing the letters several times, as though attempting to memorize them. He tried writing them on his own, and actually did surprisingly well. Then, he wrote a new set of symbols out below them. There were two unique symbols. He pointed to each and said our names. I traced each of them, then attempted to write them myself. The runes they used were complex, and it took me a little while to get them.

We sat at the top of the hill for several hours, grasping the language and writing styles. His language was made up of complex runes, and it was much harder for me to understand them, but he seemed to quickly catch on to the Estraleon symbols I used. One afternoon wasn't enough to solve our language barrier, but I certainly did understand much more. And I had some vocabulary, as he had pointed to a lot of things and said their names. I found that James was extremely intelligent, learning my language more quickly than I expected. I liked that he was willing to try, and spent so much time trying to communicate. I hoped that soon he would be able to tell me where I was and help me get back on track to finding Airum.

James got to his feet a while later, helping me up and chattering good naturedly. He repeated some of the words I had taught him, his accent somewhat adorable. "Tree, village, people," he pointed to things, seeming excited to know their name. "Sky, cloud, grass."

I paused, grabbing his hand before we went back down the hill. He looked at me quizically, his large brown eyes gentle. I smiled, "Thank you for this."

He just grinned, seeming to understand but to not know how to respond. I chuckled softly, nudging his shoulder and continuing down the hill.

I returned to the hut, a guard coming back to take James's place. It was much more lonely without him, but at least now things were on the right track.

***

Some hours later, I could hear the steady beat of a drum within the village. It sounded ominous, unlike the music I had heard the night before. Arek came back to the hut. He looked solemn, his red war paint having been repainted. He had even more beads around his neck, more feathers in his hair, and more weapons on his person. He noticed me staring at him and raised his eyebrows. I wanted to know what was going on, but wasn't sure how to ask. Arek simply nodded and waved for me to follow.

I got to my feet and was led into the center of the village. There was a band of warriors painted with red and armed to the teeth. They were mounting horses that also had red paint in their manes and tails. James was among these warriors, embracing each of them and looking very serious. When he saw Arek, he approached slowly, reaching out to embrace him. They pressed their foreheads together, closing their eyes. After a moment, they pulled apart and began to speak quietly to one another. I didn't understand much of what was said, but I caught the words 'village' and 'people.' Others were weaving among the warriors, looking proud and worried for their friends and family. A woman approached Arek, and they embraced. James came over to me, allowing Arek and the woman a little privacy.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Sekize ros dok ceas od dikiem." He said. I recognized the phrase he used before, now also understanding the word for tribe, 'sekize.'

I still didn't understand, though. I frowned. "I don't understand." I shook my head, touching my hand to my face.

"Tribe," he managed. He passed his fingers down his cheeks, like tears.

"Sad," I supplied, mirroring the motion.

He nodded, "Tribe sad. People," he motioned slit throat.

"Dead?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Tribe sad, people dead," he motioned to the war party, "Rak."

He didn't have to translate the last word. I understood.

"War."