Chapter 2
Steinix walked down the corridor towards Kila's room. Its been five months since Kila first started going out to the field and Steinix had barely managed to convince her to come back for a few days every couple of weeks so he could tend to any injuries or infections she might pick up. So far she had been lucky, but every time he worried that something would happen to her and would never come back. He pressed the 'Call' button next to her door and prayed she was there. When there was no response after a moment, he pressed it again, getting worried. He was about to press it a third time when he heard her voice over the speaker.
"Who is it?" she said.
"It's me, can I come in?" Steinix said breathing a sigh of relief.
"Sure."
As he opened the door he braced himself for a wave of punk rock music to hit him, but thankfully there wasn't this time. He walked in, sighing in annoyence at the various weapons and punk rock items strung up on the walls.
"I still say you hang around those Interns too much." he said.
"Well that's your opinion." he heard her say in the next room.
Ah no, she's in her trophy room. he thought with a shudder as he walked toward the room. The trophy room was a room she set up to display the various items off her victems. Mostly it was some unquie articile of clothing, but sometimes she took body parts. He had wondered where some of his preserving jars had gone until he discovered she had started this collection. It sicken him to no end, but Larhik and his colleages encourged her to add on to it. He really hated them for turning Kila into such a monster. He took only quick glances about the room, most of the items were of mudokon origin, but there were some sligs ones as well. He spotted her at the far end, putting up her latest trophy; a huge tear dropped shaped mask.
"Let me guess, you got a shaman this time?" he asked, consealing his disgust.
"Yep, this one was a tuff one too. Give me a challege for once." Kila said with a smile as she turned toward him.
Steinix sighed, he had long ago given up on getting back the kind sweet Kila she used to be before she started her training. She had refused any notion of changing her ways. She was too set onto the path Larhik had chosen for her. He longed for the days before her training started, she had given him so much joy in his life. Seeing her as she is now filled him with dread.
Is there anyway of getting you back to the way you used to be Kila? he thought to himself.
"Ah another addition to your collection, excellent." they heard Larhik say.
Kila's expression quickly turned into one of annoyance.
"You came in here without my premission." she said.
"I do as I wish," Larhik said boldly, "Anyway it took me a while to get these, but I got some reference photos of Abe for you."
"About time." she said as she took the photos from the slig that handed them to her. As she looked through them she noticed that there were always at least two muds in them. One was Abe, the other was an oddity to her. "Who's the white mud with the ridiculously long ponytail?"
White mud? A Moon Child? I thought there were all wiped out. Steinix thought. Interesting.
"We don't know." Larhik replied,"We just know that Abe and this other mud has always been together for the past 16 yrs. Therefore it stands to reason that this one should get knocked off as well."
"Hmmm," Kila said looking thoughtful, "That ponytail would look good over the door..."
Steinix couldn't ignore the chill that went down his spine.
Chapter 3
Omi walked along side Cili in the forest, helping her gather nuts and berries. Like Abe, his mother was showing signs of age. Her skin was more gray then white now and the color in her eyes had faded. Though she had been living her life to the ut most, Omi could tell that the fact that no others of her kind had been found hurt her to no end. As a result, he always felt a hint of depression in her. The fact that his parents, for some reason, wasn't able to have another child, no matter how hard they tried, didn't help either.
"You know...," Cili said suddenly, breaking his chain of thought, "I've been wondering why you have been insisting on escourting your father and me lately. You never did before, expecially after you and your father had gotten through one of your debates."
"Um well..." Omi hesitated, he didn't know if Cili knew about the assassen or not, "I just wanted to spend more time with you that's all."
"You're lucky Squawks isn't here." Cili said with a slight frown, "Abe told you about the assassen didn't he?"
"Um, yes he did." Omi said, defeated.
"Abe," she said to herself with a heavy sigh, "I told you we shouldn't tell him."
"I would've found out about it sooner or later."
"I know, I just didn't want you to be putting yourself into greater danger for our sake."
"I can't help if mom. I don't want to lose either of you."
"I understand that son, but someday we will pass from this world, whether by an assassen's hand or not. And I want to ensure that our legacy will carry on through you."
"Jeez you as bad as father is on this." Omi said with a sigh, "I know all this, but what can I do to ensure it carries on after me? I mean, there aren't actually any other female mudokons out there that we know of." Cili got quiet for a moment and Omi knew he hit a sore point, "Mom, I'm sorry. I forget how hard it was on you."
"It's ok son, I just want to ensure that you won't feel as lonely as I did before I meet your father. Besides I know there's a female out there somewhere for you, I'm sure of it."
"Really?"
"Sure, I feel it in my bones. Anyway, we should be getting back." Cili said, "Abe is expecting these nuts and berries."
"Here let me take that." Omi said as he took the basket from his mother's hands.
"Really now Omi," Cili said with a mock look of annoyance on her face, "I maybe old but not that old."
"Only in your mind mom. Ouch!" Omi said with a chuckle as Cili playfully punched him in the arm. They both laughed as they continued on their way home.
Kila had only caught the last part of their conversation, but it was enough.
Heading back home to Abe huh? Kila thought as she followed them from a safe distance, How nice of you to lead me straight to him.
The grin on her face would have scared a scrab.
|