A Nightmare's Point of View

Chapter 3

That day, the day he met the captain, changed something in his life. It gave him the sense that there was more to life than just sleeping, fighting, and seeking out creatures and eating them while they contemplate their death. Deep down, part of his nature, he had no problem with it; he had to eat something. The captain and he had decided to help him change his diet, maybe find out why his species' nature was the way it is. If it was their true nature and why. Embrance in his vast, lonesome thoughts, thought about this and why things were, more so after he had met the captain. The meat from the Craiith was, so far, a great alternative, which kept him full and not needing to hunt. Did he miss the hunt? Part of him did, but it was worth it.

He slowed his pace to a walk. Making his way around some large pieces of debris and jumping down from a small cliff, he made his way into the clan's borders. Passing a few boulders, he made it to the area where he lived in. Crouching near one of the cliffsides into the valley, he could see his cave in the distance. It sat just under some rocky ledges and inclines, partly concealing it. His cave sat on a plain at the far end of the valley. A few small caves and debris scattered the area. Hundreds of Atheireyn stood between him where he was going.

It looked like the hunting groups had started coming back and were socializing among groups of anywhere from ten to fifty, some sitting and eating or standing as they were mentally speaking to each other. Their minds were open to anyone who was interested in joining in on their mental conversations. Younger adolescent Atheireyn were running between the groups. Adults were telling stories about their hunt or what they found, before they separated and headed off to where they resided, to sleep for a few cycles or to train for the next hunt. He didn't feel interested in being social and was hoping to get to his sleeping area before anyone questioned where he had been, especially since he stayed away often. This last time had been for about two full turns of a cycle at the captain's hidden base and came back from time to time. If he could just make it to his cave, he could stay without food or water for those three cycles without being bothered by anyone. Interesting thing about Atheireyn was that they could go without food or water for fourteen cycles and anywhere up to ninety-three cycles, depending on how much they'd eaten and how long they had slept, which could be one cycle or up to twenty-one cycles.

One of the few rules of his species was that you were never to disturb those in their cave, unless for serious situations. Or unless you were a shadow traveler or doorway opener when a hunting party

was being created. You couldn't refuse those requests; once requested for one, you had to go. Plus, having these abilities gave you certain protection as well, such as not being murdered for being different at a very young age. Embrance was lucky on both accounts; being a shadow traveler and doorway opener, the clan's leaders left him be and only bothered him when he was needed for hunts. But the clan's leaders only put up with so much difference. If they ever found out about the broken rules, they wouldn't kill him, but he wouldn't be allowed to be left alone ever again; death would be a pleasant thought by then.

Embrance crouched at the edge of the last cliff before his ten story jump down into the valley. He scanned the crowd as though looking for someone. He crouched there, becoming increasingly concerned. What he was looking for was a certain someone, his brother Ullgrent—the one person he would like to avoid as much as possible.

The trouble was he blended in with the crowd so well and could easily mask his mind from anyone looking for him, namely Embrance. It became increasingly challenging for Embrance to find his brother after Ullgrent had made a journey away from the clan some time ago. So much had changed with Ullgrent when he had come back. Embrance decided to chance it; he jumped down, landing on his feet hard. Straightening up and looking at the crowd, hearing them mentally chatting among themselves and barely glancing at him, Embrance started making his way around the various-size crowds of Atheireyn, keeping his head straight but looking side to side with his eyes for his brother and any of his lackeys. Embrance called them leeches or parasites; they were made up of mainly Atheireyn without abilities, some with very weak ones and others just mentally off. They still had a function—or that was what his brother said. Oddities that Embrance thought were the nastiest, filthiest adolescents, and some that had survived to adulthood in the area would follow his brother. He couldn't fathom what his brother had promised them to get them to follow him, but whatever it was, they followed and obeyed him without question. Embrance shivered with disgust, keeping his brisk pace.