The Stars in Your Skin

CHAPTER TWO

The great black beast gives another roar before leaping toward their pali. The trio of pali take off at full tilt, away from the immediate danger. The palulukan  gives chase and for a moment Neteyam’s heart lifts. They would have to sacrifice a pali, but their lives will be spared. This all plunges to dirt when it stops, unwilling to expend the energy on the swift pali.

It looks over its shoulder at them as if assessing their potential as easy prey. Its lips curl over dagger-sized fangs. “There’s no way our luck is that bad,” Ha’ew mumbles. 

The beast turns on them, its eyes narrowing, lips pulled back over its teeth, a deep growl rumbling from within its chest. “It is,” he manages. He points his nocked arrow at the mighty beast. Yeah, like he would shoot a palulukan . That would definitely make it angry and his death swifter. He pushes away the fear rampaging in his system and thinks. There was no way they would make it up the tree in time to avoid being maimed. Running was not an option since it was nearly in striking range. He curses. No way was he dying before he completed his iknimaya.  

He takes a step back,slowly, feeling Ha’ew’s lanky frame behind him. “What the heck do we do? It’s a palulukan .”

Every instinct screams at him to run but he resists, knowing that if he turned it would be his end.  So he backs away, Ha’ew mirroring his every move. It stalks forward, rattling its quills. They were so dead. Then something strange happened and had it been any other situation Neteyam would have cracked up at the absurdity.

Something hit the palulukan  directly on the head, immediately followed by another one. It paused, as if confused. Then all of them, their aspiring murderer included, looked in the direction of the missle.  Naawri stood high in the tree with an armful of fruit, already preparing to throw another. She throws it as hard as she can, hitting it dead center between the eyes, staining its face with purple juice. 

It stops dead in its tracks.

She lets loose a steady volley of fruit. “What are you waiting for? An invitation? Run!”  She screams at them, the last of her fruity ammunition aimed at the beast.  

Angry beyond any reason the palulukan  roars its ire up at her, rattling its quills. It leaps onto the tree's trunk and begins climbing.

Neteyam pauses but Ha’ew is already moving. He follows running as fast as his legs will take him.  “What about your friend?” He manages between gasps.

“She’ll be fine!” The taller male says  over his shoulder.

Neteyam picks up the pace. He ducks, dodges, and leaps his way through the woody terrain, all the while his keen ears filled with the sound of the gaining predator. His heart pounds rapidly in his chest, his mind seeking any solution to this dire situation of their imminent demise.  Then he hears it as if it is a blessing from Eywa. The sound of rushing water. It was a known fact that palulukans were the masters on land but they were terrible swimmers. 

If they could make it to the river, they were saved. He says nothing, knowing his companion heard the river as well. With his heart pounding in his throat he pushes himself, scrambling up the slight incline at full tilt. And without hesitation he jumps over the ledge to the swiftly flowing river below. 

The cool water engulfs him and the undertow yanks him under, tossing  him around as if he were a feather.  He fights his way to the surface, gulping in air once he crests the water. He sees the palulukan  running along the ledge, determined to have them between its teeth. Ignoring the beast in favor of the relative safety he has in the river he scans his surroundings. There’s rough waters ahead and no doubt beyond that a waterfall.

He gasps when something grabs his tail. A second later Ha’ew’s head pops above the surface. After him, by some miracle, Naawri.  Despite being shoved steadily toward a waterfall, relief floods him. He wouldn’t have to tell Rayka that she was eaten alive by a palulukan . They hit rough waters and for what feels like years, all he knows is try not to drown or slam into any rocks or worse.  All the while, Ha’ew’ maintains his grips on his tail.