Illiya - Taylor Neeran Chronicles #1

Chapter 17 - Hunter Moon

Mouse catches hunter

"Wake up. Taylor, wake up. It is time."

"Huh? What?" she mumbled, then stretched. Her knuckles bumped into something. Rough, hard. Tree root. Her eyes popped open.

"Mouse will be in the sky soon. Time to wake up."

Taylor yawned and pushed herself up off the ground. She hadn't remembered Char putting a blanket on her. She let it fall to the ground beside her baseball cap. "Okay, so what do you want to show me?"

"Shh," said Char. "You must be quiet. Many animals come tonight. Come to Asook."

Taylor's eyes opened wider. "How many animals?" She was suddenly very nervous. She had seen few animals over the past couple of days. It was unnerving to think of a herd of wild animals walking right by her. She moved closer to Char.

"Maybe two hundred, large clearing, many Asook. There may be... fighting."

"Any... meat eaters?" she whispered.

"There will be a few. Most eating plants, like Illiya. But I do not know this place, maybe more meat-eaters will come."

She clung tightly to Char's side.

"Aren't you scared?" she whispered.

"No. Sacred time. Animals will ignore you unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you interfere."

"Well, I will try not to do that, then. Interfere."

"Good."

"Um, interfere in what?"

"Mouse catch hunter."

"Uh-huh. What?"

"You must watch, patience. The animals gather."

Around the clearing Taylor could see the glitter of hundreds of eyes beneath the forest canopy.

"You see them."

"Yes."

"Good. Quiet. It will begin soon."

She heard snuffling to her left. She looked into the eyes of a large, six-legged beast standing right next to her. Urlock. It was nearly as big as she was, its back level with the middle of her rib cage. Just like the dream.

A snuffling sound as another beast, slightly smaller than the first, came up beside its larger companion. If Taylor wanted to, she could reach out and touch the larger Urlock. It sniffed the air in her direction, then turned away to stare at the Asook.

Taylor started trembling.

"Good you have had a bath, yes? No stink."

"Y... y... yes," she managed. "Thanks for that."

"Do not worry. Eats plants."

"Okay, it's still huge though."

"It begins," he pointed up at the sky. The hunter moon was touching the edge of the mouse moon.

As if on cue, a dozen larger beasts of different shapes, sizes and species moved slowly towards the Asook. The first beast to reach the vines sniffed, then delicately stepped between the resting vines. Nothing happened.

"Just like my dream," she whispered.

Six more beasts navigated the tangle of vines and stepped through onto the hard-packed dirt in the centre. The first beast already had its prize, a large black bulb caught between its teeth. The nearest Asook lowered another bulb from the folds of a broad leaf as it opened. The first beast cleared the vines and trotted back into the forest, followed by another. "Its mate," she breathed.