Page 17 of Shifter King

"What are you talking about?" WroOth scratched him between the eyes, but the bavril barely acknowledged it. Another long mournful call followed. Proteus shook his head.

Amelia looked in the direction he had focused, the same as the one the other creature had wandered. "I think there's something out there. He's bothered about it." But was it a bad thing or good?

"He does seem a little upset," WroOth said. "Maybe he's hungry." He passed the gourds to her. "I'll find something for him. Don't get near his jaws. All right?"

She nodded, but she was fairly certain that that wasn't what was wrong with Proteus. As WroOth disappeared into the forest, she turned her gaze to the south. The red-gold sunlight bathed the shorter grasses and shrubs in gentle light.

A long grey snout wrapped around one of the trees as a narrow head peeked around. Proteus lowed once more. He shuffled in place, then shook his head.

Amelia blinked. Oh. That was another bavril for certain. He didn't seem alarmed. It was as if he wanted to go. He cast a look in her direction, his eyes wide as he stamped his claws into the ground.

Had he found a mate? Why wasn't he going to her then?

She chewed on the inside of her lip. Maybe this was the real reason he had seemed so troubled earlier. Perhaps whatever Naatos had used to tame the bavril originally kept him from following.

With another plaintive call, the bavril flopped to the ground and buried his snout in his paws. A loud snort followed, sending up a blast of dirt and leaves.

The female bavril leaped away, disappearing into the trees nearer the mountains. She scratched him behind the ear, then stepped around him to take the gourds to AaQar.

Arms still folded over the gourds, Amelia returned to the inner camp. "AaQar," she said. "Whatever it was that Naatos used to tame Proteus, does it keep him from finding a mate?"

AaQar had nearly finished weaving the length of rope. The stew bubbled and boiled, sending up fragrant odors. "It can. Animals may override the commands with a fear or pain response if necessary. But usually the charm keeps them from leaving. And part of bavril mating involves very long treks."

She set the gourds by the fire. "Do you think he'd be all right with the Grey Season coming? Is he safer staying with us?"

AaQar bound off the end of the rope and then set it aside. "In some respects, he is safer, I suppose. The predators that would likely seek him out in an ambush would have to contend with us as well rather than only him. But as far as the Grey Season, nothing and no one is truly safe from that, little sister. Not even we will truly be safe when it is unleashed. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think he found someone. And he seems sad. Besides he doesn't seem to like the forest the bunker is in."

Smiling, AaQar picked up more of the fibers and began twisting them. "I should not be surprised. Well, as we do not have a functioning menagerie that can provide for all of their needs, it is not startling that Proteus would need to depart. He has served us well."

"How is Naatos going to feel about it?"

"This happens. It is far from the first time. And, so far as reasons go, I would imagine he will be especially sympathetic to this one." He chuckled. "Don't worry about Proteus. Nature has its course. Even if the Grey Season comes, he is likely to be happier going with this mate of his than if he remained with us."

"And Naatos is the only one who can release him?"

He nodded. Another plaintive call followed. He glanced back in Proteus's direction. "I wouldn't worry though. The female will likely stay around for a few days more. They tend to be rather tenacious." He twisted the fibers around and made a smooth knot. "It's interesting though."

"What is?"

"On Ecekom, something like this would be seen as a good omen. A promise of prosperity. Bavrils and their kind do not swiftly find mates."

"Hmmm." Amelia nodded slowly as she contemplated this. "Well, if there's one thing I could agree to more of, it would be good signs. I'll go get the rest of the gourds."

RELEASE

Naatos and QueQoa flung the mantis corpses into the fast-running river. The long legs and shining carapaces glimmered and bobbed for only a few seconds in the frothy white waters before the great bluish-silver jaws of some enormous fish seized them and dragged them down.

QueQoa wiped his hands on his trousers. "They won’t get much evidence there."

"No, they won’t." If AaQar was right, and Naatos had no reason to doubt him, that signal wasn’t set to go off for another hour or so. But the mere presence of these bizarre mantises had him concerned.

"What do you think their purpose is?" QueQoa gave him a cautious look.

Naatos cleaned his hands off with a papery seven-lobed leaf and then tossed it into the waters. For a moment, it bobbed and danced before spinning away in the curl of the rapids and out of sight. "Nothing good."

"Couldn’t be anything else, could it? Not in this place."