A Soldier's Secret

Part 9

(Hey, Just saying, there's a lot of foreign dialect in here. Translation can be found by putting it into the translator here: https://lingojam.com/Mandoa-EnglishTranslator

How did I know there were guns? How did I know that Rex went west an hour ago? Whatever. I'll watch them run around like chickens. Maybe they'll realise I might have seen him leave, and consult the tree master. Heh, I like that. Tree master, the best at climbing!

My mind drifted through the day before Error screamed at me via the comm, about whether or not I saw Rex. Called it.

"Yeah, I saw him. Went west about an hour ago. There were also guns" I added

Error cursed a storm and walked away, before turning around again "Cedar, scout ahead. You move faster than regular scouts"

"Fine" I grumbled, then scanned the trees to the west, looking for something to jump to. I scowled and got moving.

I leapt through the trees, hunting for Rex. He was still farther west, but he took a sudden turn to the south. I followed and came across an Umbaran camp.

Houses were placed in neat rows, and it seemed half deserted. The soldiers must be away at battle, I concluded. The only ones left were a splattering of guards and a few civilians. Like the one Rex turned into, a big cat napped lightly in the shade of a tree not far from mine. I leapt closer and crawled along the branch. He reeked of lies and the Umbaran people, and I knew I would have to lie too.

"Kebiin Solus" I hissed. Rex stirred lightly, and his great blue eyes opened

"Kurshi," He said "Ni ganar lied, kurshi. Val urmankalar Ni cuy' a god, tion'ad has payt a tsad called te ancestors. Val cuyir corrupt, Ni told them" He said. I perched in the tree

"Te ancestors cuyir displeased, Kebiin Solus. Val vercopaanir par gar at yaimpar. Cuun siblings Ke'pare"

"Gar kar'taylir tion'ad Ni cuy' then? bal gar kar'taylir te others sa pirusti?" He asked

"Ni was told, kebiin solus. Olaror, ra or'atu Kelir ram'or" I hissed

"These cuyir cuun faithful, kurshi. Ni ganar nayc excuse par leaving yet" He yawned

"Meh gar vaabir not, or'atu Kelir olaror. Error bal ornage Kelir oya'karir freely tonight" I began to prowl again

"Ni liser't ba'slanar burun! kaysh's Ner vod!" Rex cried out

"Val Kelir not baatir sa munit sa ogir cuyir ures gar! yaimpar, ra te faithful Kelir suffer, Kebiin Solus" I growled

A new voice joined us "Vod Gedet'ye, Ni Kelir mar'eyir a ara dayn." It said

"Burun Ni liser not ba'slanar gar!" Rex whined

"Slanar Gedet'ye," The voice said, but I was already leaving, Rex behind me.

It took us a few hours to return to the camp. I bounded my way through trees, Rex ran along the forest floor. When the camp was in sight, he returned to his human form and walked in. I stayed perched in the trees, and I watched Error freak out as Rex began an elaborate lie.

I stayed until nightfall, when a big red cat, a version of Rex, prowled toward camp. Furn was there, and unperturbed by the approaching cat, who shrank down into human form...Furn tackled the person, who wore ratty clothes and had long, infected wounds. I slinked down from the tree and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"How long have you been with them?" Furn asked

"I was with Krell for at least three years...I stopped counting" He hung his head

"Danger..." Furn hugged him. So this was Danger, the MIA clone from Light Batch. His dirty hair was a shade of red, and his eyes were a startling shade of green. His arms and legs were coated in cuts and wounds, but he didn't mind. He winced with every step, but he still walked away with Furn. They both talked like old friends, and I could only assume they were.

I waited until they had vanished from sight to climb down, and when I got into the barracks, everyone was hailing Danger as a hero. Four years MIA, and he returns. Furn played chaperone, making sure Danger didn't drink any alcohol, but he still partied.

I sat alone

Like always

No one pays attention to the tree-climbing scout

I sat on a window ledge and watched the sun sink

"You alright?" Furn asked

"Fine," I said and continued looking out the window. I didn't want to talk with a medic right now. Like after the gorge, after Benny. After everything. He smiled

"You act too much like..." He started, then made a face and walked away. I knew it. No one wants to talk with the tree-climbing scout. A moon was rising, and I tuned out the party. Something inside me urged to be released, an itch that I enjoyed and it made me seek comfort from the outdoors. I slinked outside and climbed into a tree, my fingers leaving divots in the trunk. I perched on a branch, balanced in the cold. I grinned and licked my teeth, feeling the barbed points of them against my rough tongue. I smelled Rex and Error coming toward me, and I leapt away, dancing through the trees, further and further. I moved faster than before, my balance impeccable. Two large cats ran below me, panting in the dark. I snarled at them and shot to the right, throwing them off. One was blue and reeked of Rex. The other, a hue of pink, seemed like Error. I kept moving, not wanting to talk with them.