The two sat and ate in companionable silence, each bound up in their own thoughts. Taerre worried about her human friend, it seemed so unfair that he must die in order to save everyone else. Darius thought about getting Taerre to his grandmother’s cavern, wondering just what waited for them there.
After dinner, Darius started repairing the one decent pack left while Taerre cleaned
their dishes and inventoried their supplies.
"There isn’t much left," she said. "No more meat, and only a few
spices."
Darius looked up for sewing the pack. "That shouldn’t be a problem. You just
might be the best bow hunter I have ever seen."
Taerre smiled at him. "Thank you. But we still have to find game, and I don’t
know how long that might take."
"I wouldn’t worry about that." Darius replied. "There is a herd of
deer just north of us, less than two miles away. We will pass through their territory tomorrow,
one the way to the cave."
"And just how do you know that?"
"I can smell them, or at least I could until the wind changed."
"What?"
"My sense of smell remains acute, even in human form. Somehow, I can retain
some of the instincts and senses from being an animal."
"Oh," Taerre said, thinking. "What’s it like? Being an animal, I
mean."
Darius shrugged, returning to his work. "Depends on the animal, is there any
particular one you would want to know about?"
"How about the cat you were earlier?"
Darius stopped and looked up, his eyes far away. "The cat. Well a mountain cat
is powerful. He can leap great distances. His paws are strong enough to knock down small trees.
His claws are intensely sharp, coming from scratching on things, which strengthens them as well.
His sense of smell is acute, he is agile, fast. I would enjoy being a cat except for one thing,
he is alone too much."
Taerre listened raptly, wrapping her thoughts around the being of a cat as Darius
had described it. "What is your favorite?"
"I have two. Wolf and falcon. The wolf is a fantastic animal; swift, strong,
stealthy, and even better, it is a pack animal. Wolves live with and for each other. The falcon
is a strong compact bird; fleet, powerful, smart. Of all the animals I could be, I enjoy these
the most."
"What is it like to fly?"
"You launch yourself from the ground, your wings beating the air, first in a
struggle to overcome it, then in concert with it. Soon you become one with the wind, using the
warm air to create lift, easing the work your wings must do. You use your tail much the way a
boat uses its rudder, to steer. Soon though, the mechanics are left to instinct and you just soar,
rising high above the land, leaving all the earthbound below you, until the time has come to land.
Then you return, and become again a part of the earth. Knowing that soon, once again, you may
return to the skies, free, unfettered, flying."
Taerre sat staring at the sky, envisioning flying free. "Just once, I’d like to
experience it, flying that is. Darius, have you ever tried being something other than a
predator?"
"Many times, I’ve been a deer, squirrel, as well as a few others. Why?"
"I was just wondering. Everything you described seemed to be aimed at hunting.
I just wondered if there was any limitation to what animals you could become."
"Well, there are some that I haven’t tried. I’m not interested in becoming a
pig, for one."
Taerre laughed, then thought. "What about a horse?"
Darius looked at the elf sideways. "Looking for a free ride?"
"Well, I was just thinking." Taerre said.
"Sorry, but no. I tried becoming a horse, once," Darius said, standing
and walking over to the stream.
"What happened?"
"I’m not sure. But, it didn’t work out right. I almost felt horse-like, but
not quite. Something felt, I don’t know, off, different, like I was some other animal, but what,
I don’t know. The feeling was so strange that I never tried again."
"Well, so much for that thought," Taerre laughed. "The pack looks
good. Who’s going to carry it?"
"Well, since the pack is rigged to be easily dropped, I’ll carry it. That way
if we see game, I can drop the pack and change to wolf. You will have an easier time drawing your
bow and notching an arrow. Just do me a major favor."
"What’s that?"
"Don’t shoot me. I object to that."
Taerre laughed. "I promise. Maybe we should get some sleep. I’ll take first
watch. I have a lot to think about."
"Alright. Wake me about midnight."
"Sleep well, Darius."
As Darius slept, Taerre drew her sword and a sharpening stone and slowly started to
work the edge of the blade. The whisper of stone on blade helped clear her thoughts and allowed
her to think clearly. The revelations about Darius explained a lot. It wasn’t the humans that had
rejected him, he had kept away from them, hoping to avoid hurting anyone. He had only sought her
out to fulfill the prophecy but his very nature helped them to become friends as well as partners.
He had told no one of his ability, his gift. Only the spirit of his long dead grandmother had
kept him anywhere near people. Taerre, figured that without the prophecy, Darius would have changed
and roamed far from populated lands.
Taerre turned as she heard a whimper. Darius was shaking his head back and forth,
crying softly. She quietly stood and went to sit beside him. Laying a hand on his shoulder to
calm him, she decided, then and there, that it didn’t matter what he was, he was her friend. She
settled herself to sit with him and stroked his hair as he quieted and fell back to a deep sleep.