Storm Season | Shelha Series 2 | ✔

River of Grass

The next day dawned bright and quiet, and as chilly as the last. Sethral emerged from the back tunnels to find creatures gathered in the main hall. "Southline time?"

Silversand nodded. "We were just waiting for you and Wing."

"Should I go wake him?"

"Don't wake him, but you're usually up at about the same time," said Fletch. "You could go see if he's awake."

Sethral could feel Ryatzi's eyes on her as she made for the Stormhole entrance. She didn't look over.

Wing yawned and stretched as Sethral descended the stairs. "Am I the last one up?"

"Is he awake?"

The mutt looked down at Jay, tucked against his flank. "Yup. C'mon, faker. Up you get."

The flank gave a small hiss.

Wing chuckled. "Southline day, I'm guessing?" he said to Sethral.

"According to everyone else, yes. They're just waiting for us two."

"Excellent. Time to find out how these new enemies of ours are acting, and why they're acting so strange. Alright Jaybie, I need my flank back. Up."

Jay uncurled and lay flat on the ledge, letting the mutt get up from behind him.

"You should come," said Wing. "You need to get out."

'I know.'

Wing stopped and waited. Jay put one paw off the ledge, then two. When he stood, Wing was ready to catch him, but he stayed steady. He took off up the stairs on his own. Wing touched noses with Sethral, who was still waiting.

"I think that's a record," she said with a weak grin. "What, forty heartbeats? And only one hiss? I'm starting to think it's reciprocal. He actually listens to you."

Wing swatted her, blushing. "I'll dump you in the pool. Go on; we're keeping the others waiting."

The 'others' barely acknowledged Sethral when she emerged from Stormhole. Sethral wondered if Silversand had told them what had happened yesterday, or if her own expression was keeping them quiet. She had long ago noticed that creatures gave her her space when she was upset, but she had never attempted to figure out how they knew. She was starting to regret it.

Whipper hopped on Wing's back for a hug and stayed there. Silversand was looking very much like she wanted to hug Jay—lying nearby finishing off a small pile of food the twins had brought for him—but an apprehensive look from the Raindai stopped her. Fletch licked her on the head and the hug was successfully redirected.

Between boredom and the safety of numbers, everyone had decided to come along on the search. Ryatzi fell into step behind the group. Sethral knew she had to talk to him. She had spent most of the last night thinking about what he had said, and a desperate need to let him know that was consuming most of her mental faculties. Ryatzi looked over as she fell back to join him. His face had been becoming more readable to her now that he had been with the renegades a three-quarter moon, but this time he truly was impassive.

"Listen, I... I'm sorry."

It just kind of slipped out. Sethral looked at the ground. What else did she want to say? What else could she say? She was sorry. Sorry for falling into the role trap of his initial behaviour, sorry for letting herself interpret her own superiority in his failure to understand basic things like trust or play, sorry for thinking that she was the one with things to teach him, and not the other way around. None of this came out in words; her tongue had jammed. Ryatzi, though, seemed to understand. He gave her an almost-smile and flicked a thanks, then walked away.