Meeting the New Enemy Ch. 04

'Let's pause for a bit to eat here.' Rafe said when they had walked for what he estimated two Earth hours. Days here were about one and a half of Earth's, but his internal clock still ticked on Earth time. He pulled out two dried strips of meat and chewed on one while Wendy chewed on the other. Iloma and K'Kess nodded in understanding and they sat down, taking some of the food they had packed out of their sacks.

They had dried meat but also small sheets of dark green material. K'Kess chewed on one and offered Rafe one. Rafe took it with a nod and smelled it. 'Smells salty.' he said, then took a small bite. It was stringy and he ripped a bit from the sheet with his teeth. Chewing carefully, he started to recognise the taste.

'Seaweed?' he asked, holding up the sheet.

K'Kess cleared a bit of ground, then drew a wavy line and several wavy lines underneath it. 'Vash.' he said, indicating the top line and gesturing in a wide circle around them, then pointed at the bottom lines and the sheet of food. 'Nusha.'

Rafe nodded. 'Sea.' he said, gesturing at the drawing. 'And seaweed.' He repeated the gesture. 'Vash, nusha?'

K'Kess nodded and smiled. 'Shea, shea, weed?' he tried.

'Sea.' said Rafe. 'Sss.' to emphasise.

'S, sea..' said K'Kess and Rafe nodded. He formed the word with his mouth, then said 'Seaweed.'

Rafe gave him a grin and K'Kess returned it. Rafe thought both sides had found new friends.

Wendy chewed on a piece of the sheet given to her by Iloma when she looked up and growled soft and short, her ears standing up and forward. They all looked at the same direction. Iloma hissed softly at K'Kess and he nodded, drawing his sword silently. Rafe looked at K'Kess, then at Iloma who held up three fingers and pointed at K'Kess.

Rafe nodded but wasn't keen on taking on anyone without knowing more about what they were capable of. Knocking those three out at the beach in the first place was lucky. He tapped on K'Kess shoulder and shook his head, then gestured to follow him. The three grabbed their bags quickly and moved as silent and fast as they could further downslope.

Rafe led them to a stream flanked by boulders and gestured for them to exactly follow behind him. He walked along the edge of the boulders downward first, then led them across the stream to the other side where they walked along the edge of the boulders again. When he was satisfied with the tracks he moved back onto the boulders.

'Wendy,' he said and pointed into the jungle with rocky underground. 'Make them think we went that way, then come back up to us. We go up the stream and head for home, okay?'

She murmured her confirmation and Rafe hugged her tight. 'Thanks.' he said, then kissed her muzzle. 'See you later then.'

She gave him a lick and moved away from the stream, breaking a twig from a bush on her way and stepping in a puddle of mud.

'Let's go.' he said to Iloma and K'Kess, gesturing upstream as he waded into the water, glad for the tropical temperatures and not having to freeze his feet in cold water.

After moving some distance beyond the point where they had first came to the stream, Rafe pointed at a couple of larger boulders at the side of the stream. Iloma and K'Kess nodded and they ducked behind them.

Rafe kept an eye to the left of the stream until he saw movement at the edge of the jungle. He gave a signal to the others to keep low while he peeked around the side of the boulder.

First one, then the two other lizards appeared. They seemed to keep silent, only speaking with hand gestures. The one who was probably the one who tried to rape Iloma gestured around, the other two spread out on both sides of the stream. A moment later one of them signalled the others who came to see what he had found. They spread around again until they found Wendy's tracks, then followed them into the jungle.

Rafe waited a while to make sure they didn't come back to the stream, then signalled Iloma and K'Kess to silently go further up the stream, taking up the rear.

Only when he was sure they had waded far enough to expect nobody to search for tracks did Rafe leave the water. He sat down and took off his leather footwear, pouring out the water. He'd have to go barefoot until his shoes were dry but he wasn't the only one. Iloma had the same problem, K'Kess walked barefoot.

'All right.' he said, pointing his thumb behind him. 'Let's continue.'

The three had trekked along the side of the hill with as few breaks for rest as possible until it became too dark to go on. A large trunk of a fallen tree provided some cover for the night with a large and thick bush growing at its side.

'I'll keep watch.' Rafe said gesturing at his eyes and himself, then around.

Iloma and K'Kess nodded and cut a few branches from the bush to serve as bedding and they all ate quietly before the newcomers went to sleep.

Rafe had hoped Wendy had joined up with them already and worried something might have happened to her. He took a deep breath and told himself she was a predator from this jungle and would be fine. Just like he was able to accomplish a long list of missions, several of them deadly. He chewed on another piece of seaweed sheet and wished he had something like the stimulants he used to boost his energy at times of long days and little sleep. He resolved to talk to the girls about it and see if there was anything here to turn into a natural stimulant.

Although the jungle was far from silent, the now familiar sounds would be something he'd miss if he and his Silth family would ever have to return to the society they came from. This was their home now and they would never trade it for all the luxuries in the world. Rafe, Naylee, and Tashee had talked about the possibility of setting up a transmitter and then wait for someone to pick up the signal but none of them really cared for it. Even if there was already peace between the Silth and humans.

***

Rafe's head shot up when he suddenly awoke. It was still dark. Something moved in the corner of his eye and he grabbed his knife only to see K'Kess sitting a metre away next to him. He was watching the night sky through the openings in the canopy with a serious look in his face.

Rafe sighed deep. He had fallen asleep. K'Kess nodded at him, then put his hand on his sword next to him and gave another nod towards Iloma. Rafe nodded back at him knowing he'd better get some more sleep. K'Kess would stand guard for the rest of the night.

He crawled towards the trunk when K'Kess suddenly sat straight up staring into the darkness. He reached slowly for his knife listening to the sounds in front of him.

K'Kess moved his sword in front of him, ready to stab anything that might come for him.

Rafe heard something move along the trees. A glance at K'Kess told him he had heard it too. Whatever it was, it was moving through a bush toward them.

Rafe and K'Kess tensed their muscles, ready for an attack.

A murmur and Wendy's head popping out of the bush made Rafe breath out quick in relief. K'Kess let out a long soft hiss and relaxed.

'Wendy.' whispered Rafe and sat back down.

She wagged her tail and hurried to him receiving a tight hug and licking his face.

'Are you okay, girl?' Rafe asked, checking her for any wounds. She murmured cheerfully and Rafe stroked her back. 'You managed to lure them in the wrong direction?'

Wendy grinned and nodded once, making Rafe grin. He saw K'Kess smile and nod at Wendy and grinned at him.

'Let's rest.' Rafe whispered and crawled back to the trunk where he soon fell asleep with Wendy snuggled up to him.

***

Naylee moved at a quick pace through the jungle since she had woken up early in the morning. She had made better progress than expected the day before and soon reached the bunker.

She knew where the entrances were, but still felt a little doubt looking at the thick bushes in front of her. Only when Nami's head popped out of them was she completely sure she was correct.

'Mom.' said Nami and beckoned her.

Naylee moved through the thick cover of leaves and hugged her daughter tight.

'Mom.' said Nami, hugging back tight. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' she said, stroking Nami's head.

'Where's dad?' she said looking up worried.

'We had to split up.' Naylee said while Tashee walked up to them. 'We saw a group of six arrive at the top of the hill, then saw a human woman at the boat. The lizards didn't seem friendly to her so Rafe went to check that out while I came back here to warn you.'

Tashee nodded. 'I saw him surprising them.' she said holding up the binoculars. 'Then he went back into the jungle with two others. That woman you mentioned and one of those lizards.'

Naylee raised an eyebrow. 'Oh?'

'The three left behind went after them as far as I could see and all else has been quiet since.' Tashee said. 'The other two groups have kept moving along the edge of the island.'

Naylee nodded. 'As far as I can tell they're good hunters. That means they're dangerous if hostile. And from what I saw earlier I'd say they are.'

'Let's hope we don't have to fight all of them then.' Tashee said. 'And Rafe will return safely soon. In the meantime, rest up.'

Naylee nodded and went to their bed while Nami returned to Mina who was watching one side of the island.

***

Rafe and the newcomers had continued their trek after a quick bite in the morning and he was glad they made good progress. The thing he worried about was the large group of lizards possibly reaching the bunker before they did. The one advantage he had was knowing the terrain better and being able to move quicker through it, so with any luck they'd get there sooner.

But there was no such luck.

Wendy halted and growled softly near the top of the hill. Rafe held up his hand and Iloma and K'Kess stood quiet. K'Kess reached for his sword and Iloma reached for her knife.

For a moment things seemed normal, then Rafe gestured for the others to stay low while he and Wendy moved carefully forward.

'Mom!' said Nami in an urgent whisper. 'Wake up!'

Naylee blinked. 'What?'

'Shhh. They're here.'

Naylee rubbed her eyes for a second thinking she meant Rafe and Wendy but then Nami wouldn't have whispered like this. 'Those lizard folk?'

'Yes.' whispered Nami. 'They're in sight. Mom said to keep as quiet as possible since they might be able to hear us.'

Naylee nodded. It was better to take no chances.

She got up, stretched quickly, and hurried to the room where Tashee and Mina were looking at the strangers coming out of the jungle.

'Are they?' whispered Tashee.

Naylee nodded. 'Red tunic probably leader, brown second in command.' she whispered.

Tashee nodded and observed as each one moved closer. Despite a seemingly casual way of moving she noticed they were alert. The way their eyes scanned their surroundings, the way they held their weapons, ready to use at a moment's notice, even the way their feet touched the ground, long toes first to feel the solidity of the ground they stepped on. She hoped the camouflage was good enough to keep them hidden from this lizard folk.

The one in brown tunic said something and the others spread out surveying the area. The one in red spoke briefly to the one in brown, then sat down on a rock where he could look out at the sea. Tashee tapped the shoulders of Mina and Nami and gestured for them to keep an eye on the others. The girls nodded and hurried silently to the other side rooms.

Rafe cursed in his mind when he saw what he had suspected, the lizards moving around the top getting a feel for the area. The way the one in red looked around gave him the idea that he knew what the strategic advantage of this place was. If they were planning on staying here or returning later to the island this would be the place they'd set up camp.

He looked into the direction of the bunker, glad to see it looked like one giant impenetrable bush. But now he also had no exact location on where to get through to an entrance. And if one of the girls doesn't spot them they might find themselves in front of a closed door.

He shook his head mentally. They would keep an eye on those lizards as much as possible so they would most likely be spotted when they got close. The question was how to get close without getting seen by the others.

Rafe looked at Wendy who lied next to him watching everyone. She could distract them but the risk of getting shot by one of them when they were with so many was too high. He needed something better.

He and Wendy snuck back to Iloma and K'Kess. Iloma held op six fingers and Rafe nodded. He cleared a bit of the ground and drew a square, indicating it was home, and six dots for the lizards around it. K'Kess moved his finger at different sides inside the square looking at Rafe. Rafe crossed the lines of the squares where there was an entrance, then drew a curly line around the square, pointed at the bush next to them, then held open his palms gesturing at the curly line that he didn't know where he could through.

Iloma frowned and K'Kess nodded. Rafe drew a stick figure inside the square and help up two fingers. Iloma pointed at him, then behind him and held up two fingers, the question on her face. He nodded, pointed at the square and at himself, then held up three fingers. Both Iloma and K'Kess nodded with a little relief on their face, glad Rafe was not on his own here.

K'Kess suggested he'd take a look and crawled carefully with Rafe to the spot he used before. K'Kess looked worried when he saw his former leader waving his arms around while talking to his second. K'Kess tapped Rafe's shoulder to show him they were planning to set up camp next to the bunker. Rafe frowned, they'd never get inside unseen if they were here.

Rafe pondered of a way to get them to leave, or at least be distracted for long enough to get to the entrance. K'Kess waved with his hand at a flying black insect buzzing in front of him. There were a few more flying around and Rafe stared at them for a moment, then looked up at the trees until he found what he was looking for. He nudged K'Kess and directed his gaze at a light brown elongated sphere hanging on a branch close to where the leader stood, then pointed to the insects and poked with a twig in his hand.

K'Kess understood, looked around, gestured at a lone lizard carrying a bow on his back and suggested using it to shoot down the hive. Rafe nodded and pulled back with K'Kess.

Ragg, one of the better hunters of the group heard something crawl through the bushes nearby. He pulled his bow silently and kept his eyes on the open space between the trees and the bush behind it. With a little luck it was the same prey as they had shot the day before and he'd get praise for providing the meal tonight.

He heard more rustling getting closer and got ready to shoot. At any moment the prey would show itself.

A sudden growl to the right startled him before darkness took him from the world.

K'Kess put away his sword with which he had knocked out Ragg. He had no regrets sneaking up behind him and hitting him since Ragg was a cruel hunter, making the prey suffer more than needed before killing it when he felt like it.

Rafe gave him a thumbs up and he picked up the bow, aimed an arrow for the string the hive hung from, took a deep breath, held it and concentrated, then let it fly.

The hive came down close to the leader and burst open on the ground. Within a few moments he started shouting and the rest of the lizards ran towards him.

Rafe beckoned to Iloma and Wendy and they hurried to follow him and K'Kess to the bushes surrounding the bunker. Rafe hoped one of the girls had seen them and was relieved to see Tashee's face popping out between the leaves and creating an opening.

They hurried to it, Rafe waiting and keeping an eye out for the lizards while Iloma, K'Kess and Wendy crawled inside, then followed them in and closed the gap behind him. A short crawl led them to the entrance where they could stand up again. Tashee beckoned them all to the room where they could see the spectacle unfold outside.

The lizards moved away quickly, cutting branches from bushes to swat at the insects.

'They will come back.' said Rafe. 'They'll find out about our new friends gone missing and me. And let's not forget we knocked one out back there, although he shouldn't have seen us.'

Tashee nodded. 'At least they don't know about us, probably.'

'Yeah. I doubt they do, but I wouldn't count too much on it. If they're smart enough they'll assume there's more than one of me here until proven otherwise.' he said, then turned to Iloma and K'Kess. 'Anyway, let me introduce you to our visitors.' He introduced everyone and gave a quick recount on how he attacked the lizards on the beach who tried to rape Iloma and his escape with her and K'Kess who was at her side.

'It's getting dark now.' said Tashee. 'We probably won't see them coming back tonight so let's eat and find a place for our guests to sleep.'

Naylee agreed and took Mina and Nami with her to prepare a meal. Rafe beckoned Iloma and K'Kess to follow him and they all went to the living room to get comfortable.

Iloma saw Tashee sitting close to Rafe and the way she smiled softly as she looked at him. He took her hand and squeezed it softly.

Tashee saw the puzzled look on Iloma's face and understood when she looked at her hand in Rafe's. She nodded and laid her other hand on top of Rafe's.

Iloma's eyes went wide. 'Mayune?' she asked, gesturing at Tashee and Rafe.

'Mayune?' K'Kess asked who had been looking around at the room.

Tashee pointed at Rafe and herself and nodded again.

Iloma spoke rapidly to K'Kess who looked at Tashee and Rafe in surprise.

Naylee came in with Nami and Mina and put down a plate with various meats and vegetables. Tashee pointed at her and Rafe and nodded again at Iloma.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. K'Kess nodded and Tashee suspected he was used to seeing men with more than one wife or lover. Iloma gestured at Nami and Mina.

Tashee indicated Nami belonged with Naylee and Mina with her. When Iloma pointed at Rafe with unbelief in her eyes she chuckled and nodded.

Iloma spoke rapidly at K'Kess again while Rafe grinned. 'I can't help but feel proud to impress others when they find out I'm the lover of two beautiful creatures.'

Naylee chuckled and nudged him. 'We can always explain you're only good for breeding.'

'Like that would diminish anything.' Rafe chuckled.

'True.' said Naylee and stuffed a piece of meat in his mouth. 'So let's not inflate your ego even more by keeping you from talking.'

Tashee stood up briefly to get a small whiteboard that they had salvaged from their rescue pod years ago. Iloma and K'Kess looked in wonder at the clear white board in front of them, then even more when Tashee drew on it and erased everything easily with a piece of cloth.

She drew in simple figures how her and Rafe's race fought each other, although she used swords, bows and boats instead of the real weapons and technology to not confuse them, then proceeded to tell their short history.

Iloma and K'Kess nodded in understanding after she had finished. Tashee offered them the board and pen to tell their story. Iloma drew with the help of K'Kess and explained how she was part of a tribe called Menuik and were attacked by the Eshe, K'Kess' race. The Eshe were in larger number and captured some surviving Menuik as slaves. Iloma was the only one who was taken by K'Kess' unit and they were on their way back home when they detoured because of a big storm and spotted this island.

K'Kess explained his race was spreading out and exploring and conquering recently.

'Expansion of territory.' Rafe said. 'The usual reason.'

'Yes.' said Naylee. 'Which means there's a good chance we'll see more of them in the future. Certainly when this bunch tells others at home about us.'