The Ashes of Allmau: The Orfolk of Allmau

Chapter 2

Flexing his toes he grasped the damp, compact earth and embraced the cold of morning. He spared a look upwards at the belly of Apia, there wasn't much to discern from this angle until another orfolk fell from the shadows. He rolled across the dirt and leapt onto his feet in front of Kydd.

"You're full of energy," Kydd commented.

"Still waking up?" asked his friend.

The pair were typical young orfolk. A little lanky, still growing into their adult form. Where they differed was in their patterning. Kydd was white with black and brown patches and a lick of hair above his brow. His friend was a tabby mix of sandy, dirty fur with a flush of hair at the end of his tail, more in line with the majority of orfolk of Apia.

With a stretch, his friend spoke, "Come on, let's get moving." He fell onto all fours and ran for the twisted brittle undergrowth surrounding the road.

Kydd limbered up. He took an extra moment to fasten a cord around his waist. The cord tied in place his lucky charm, a momentum from his lesser-known earlier life. Seen by most as a pet rock, 'Rune' held much more power over him than he cared to admit. A small grey grain ornately carved with wrinkles that folded over one another like a dried prune.

He secured Rune, then started his morning by calling, "Dyll, wait up!"

The pair were not alone combing the undergrowth. The rest of the scavenger team had been sent out ahead in search of any hidden treasures that emerged after the night's rain. They called and whistled to one another through the aether.

Kydd dived in after Dyll. Twisted, brittle brambles with tiny, serrated thorns, waxy thistles of mute colours and offensive scents and herbs that made the eyes cry all waited in the gardens of Allmau. Populated with paralyzing parasites, sly spiders, and a host of other insidious invertebrates, this wasn't a job anyone usually volunteered for; yet Kydd felt quite comfortable here.

"Do you smell that?" called Dyll from...somewhere, "I think there's some bulbs about."

Kydd paused for a moment. The dense undergrowth made it difficult to see anyone at all.

He frowned, "Where are you?"

"Seriously?" Dyll sighed, "You can't get lost this fast."

"Uh..." Kydd looked about, determine not to be shown up, "No, I've got this."

In the mixed shadows of the undergrowth came some guidance in the form of an Allmau ember. Bee-like critters of black, orange and red. They carried their own lanterns in the form of a glowing rear. The ember was silent as it crawled toward him. As subtle as the sun in a clear sky, Kydd saw it instantly.

"Hello boy," he held out his hand, the creature came close.

It felt his paw with its antennae, then crawled onto his upper arm. These fantastic little creatures were the symbol of Apia, sharing the home with the orfolk. Kydd held it up, its crystalline wings flickered, and it hovered before him.

"Where are you?" called Dyll, impatiently, "You're defiantly lost."

The ember moved at a slow pace, leading Kydd through the underbrush to a small trough below the bows of an old bush where he found Dyll. Job done, the ember corkscrewed up into the air and returned to watching over the scavengers.

"Thanks!" Kydd waved the creature off, "See you later!"

"Saved by a bug, again."

He chuckled, "I do owe those guys a lot."

"Help me out here!" Dyll cried, stepping aside to reveal one of the tart-tasting bulbs known to bring much needed spice to a bland breakfast.

The bulb was just visible beneath the mud. Wrapped in a papery outer layer, a long, tapering-translucent shoot shot from the top and coiled around a low hanging branch.