morgan; beginning

Chapter 13

It had taken Aran all of his strength to keep himself from storming into the camp after seeing his sister bound up like an animal. His fingers had turned white from where he was struggling to hold onto the branch and his breathing had become ragged. Teyla held her hand to his chest, she had moved quickly after seeing Morgan being pulled out of the cart and her reaction was the only reason Aran was still perched on the limb next to her.

Teyla had found out about her gifts at an early stage. Her mother had been away fishing on the shoreline near her home and like most of the children in her tribe she was left behind, watched over by a few wizens. The wizens had told them stories of the girl who would bring the world back from chaos and darkness. But after hearing the stories repeatedly for years some of the older children would go off into the surrounding grasslands and find something more fun to do with their spare time. It was a normal day like this when Teyla and Nunkya, both eight years old, had been chasing a sand mouse through the tall grass. The sand mice were a golden colour and they easily blent in with the long grass that surrounded their village. All of the children caught them and kept them as pets at some stage before they got bored and let them go, or the lucky ones managed to escape. Nunkya had trapped one of the grass mice by a small cluster of rocks, the little rodent had given the girls a good chase but now tired it awaited its fate as Nunkya knelt to catch it by the tail. Teyla was standing behind Nunkya when she heard the low growl a few feet away from where they had pinned the mouse, at first she couldn't see the large cat crouched in the grass but as the growl grew more intense she noticed the fierce eyes staring intensely at them.

Teyla had screamed for Nunkya to run back to the village but Nunkya stood frozen, fixated on the leopard as Teyla tried to pull her away. The large predator sprang towards them, its growl had formed into a snarl as it leapt from its camouflage and Teyla knew that they would both be dead before they made it even a few steps towards the safety of the village. Time seemed to slow as the cat leapt at them, its large teeth and claws bared.

Teyla held up her hands and screamed 'STOP!' as she prepared for the impact.

But nothing came.

When Teyla found the courage to open her eyes the leopard was sat in front of her, panting from its excertion in the mid-day heat. Its brown and gold coat covered in dust from where it had stalked Teyla and her friend. Nunkya seemed to snap out of her trance and ran screaming back to the village. Teyla was inches away from the cat, which sat still, staring up into her face. Timidly she held her hand out towards the animal and a warning growl escaped its throat.

'Do not hurt me.' Teyla commanded the leopard as she moved her hand a little closer.

Her fingers touched the tip of the cats ear and Teyla sighed out of relief of not being eaten. It let her stroke the back of its ear and as Teylas fear subsided she scratched behind its ear and down under its chin. A low purr had replaced the fierce growl and the leopard lay on the floor to try and keep cool under the burning sun. The cat had let Teyla stroke its fur and let her pick the ticks from its skin as it lay on the ground at an attempt to cool itself.

The sun had retreated and the moon had started its rise by the time the panicked sound of the villagers swept over them. Teyla demanded her new friend to run away from the angry villagers so that its life would be spared and she walked towards the group who searched for her.

It took Teyla six years to hone her skills to its now telepathic level. The wizens in her tribe had taught her the way of the old ones and helped her to practice with daily routines of fighting and the healing properties of plantlife and in some cases animals. The men in the village were instructed to teach her in the arts of hunting and tracking and they had found her presence strange at first, but as her skills grew stronger they accepted her and treated her like one of them.

Once she had turned seventeen years of age the wizens had called upon her to undertake the serious and possibly deadly task of finding and helping the young girl of their stories. She ws told to visit the lake in the mountains and to await her arrival in the village of Krell. Treyla had been warned that the girl and her sibling would be surrounded by darkness when they met and that the girl would undergo a great sadness in order to release her gifts. Once her gifts had emerged Treyla would then be needed to help guide and protect the girl on the long path that lay out before her. Treyla had accepted this task and had left her home the following morning, her mother and father had given her beads and what little money they had saved as they had waved her on as she left on her journey to Krell.

Her journey to Krell had taken three weeks from her village and she had arrived a week before the rumours of strangers in the village had started. The marketplace was a fountain of gossip and she had found out easily where the young girl and her brother were staying for a small price. By the time Teyla had reached the Inn the girl had already been taken, she had searched the room for anything that would help to track her, finding only footprints and hairs across the floor leading to and from the bed. Teyla had decided to wait until the girls sibling had returned and had learnt their names and about the men who had taken Morgan from the distraught waitress who was sobbing loudly in the kitchen. She had given the woman a mild sedative to help calm her nerves and had settled herself in the dining room after the waitress had slumped lightly snoring onto the kitchen table. Teyla had awaited Arans return patiently and as soon as he climbed the stairs to the sleeping quarters she had left to fetch the horses she had purchased and had then followed in his wake as Aran had ploughed through the marketplace.

Now, as she sat with her hand resting on Arans chest, Teyla willed him to stay calm and still. She found that her telepathic skill only brushed the surface of the gifted man that sat next to her and that keeping him under control was a lot harder than when she had encountered the leopard, even though her skills were now more advanced through her training Teyla had never practised her magick on another gifted person.

'We must wait for nightfall.' Teyla said quietly so that her voice would only carry across to Aran.

She felt him slowly begin to relax under her hand and she pulled her magick back away from Aran. The exertion had left Teyla drained and she settled back onto her branch as they both waited for the cover of darkness.