Horizons

6 Messenger

Jarvis' shoulders had separated from their sockets hours ago and still the beasts lumbered forward, carrying him without concern. When they had first dislodged he had wailed in agony through the gag that the scouts had secured hours before. The monsters had appeared not to notice, keeping on with their march. After a few minutes of tormented screams, he had become dazed and began groaning his instinctual displeasure at hanging from his loosed shoulders. The tops of his feet and shins were shredded and dragged lifeless behind him, leaving a blood stained trail. He was too exhausted to care. Jarvis was no longer sure of anything, except that he wanted it all to stop.

His head lolled listlessly, until the creatures finally adjusted their hold on him. They had changed their posture, lifting him higher, so that only his toes dragged. The added weight caused a fresh jolt of pain, his head raised and he groaned long and hard until his head fell to his chest again.

The monsters were entering a camp filled with others of their like; they had changed their hold on him to show their prowess. The coo was theirs; they had found the carrier and now the wolf-men lifted him high while the black bear hybrid lead them through the perimeter, strutting ungainly. The bear's simple mind swelled with pride over his accomplishment. The company of abominations let out a chorus of guttural shouts. Several rushed in to smell the prey and look at this little, hairless thing that was causing all the excitement. The small party of victors marched through the massive camp to its center.

An army was encamped here. The valley was covered in small fires, surrounded by predatory creatures, all living together in some loose form of controlled chaos. The beasts were all variations of man and mammal. There were cougar-men on the outskirts staying to themselves, some sleeping, others watching. In the outer ring there were wolf-men, the largest contingent of this army, most were eating and fighting over the little food they had. This army lived off of the land it traveled and the land could not support a pack of predators this large. Around each fire pit circled by wolf-men, a single black bear-man sat supervising them while eating the lions share of the meat that was divided amongst them. Six or so massive brown bear-men lounged near a tent in the central position, comfortably feasting on a couple of fresh elk. They were set apart from the rest of the camp, it seamed that the rest of these terrifying creatures wished to avoid these massive scarred beasts and what ever was in the pavilion they guarded.

The party wove through the camp in a steady parade through the small sea of grotesque gawkers. They carried their prisoner to the innermost circle where the large tent was erected. They were greeted by the massive scar covered grizzly bear creatures who dropped their elk hocks, stood, and began to eye them challengingly. Letting out a confrontational growl the two wolf-men thrust their captive high, while their leader, the black bear-man stood proud between his formidable cousins and his smaller canine underlings. Resentfully the goliath bears stepped aside while they uttered their expectations to this trio of guests. The way clear now, the three visitors stooped and entered the tent. Inside a small fire glowed at its center and the smell of spiced incense consumed their senses. At its rear, on a wicker throne, sat their god.

Raider sat against a tree surrounded by dense foliage, he began drifting into a meditative state. He could sense the aura of the tree engulf his body, the rhythm of the landscape ebb through him and gently tickle his spirit. This practiced meditation was the same one he had learned almost twenty years ago as an apprentice, only now he used it as a tool to perform a crucial task. His spirit began to lift and free itself from its physical surroundings. It lifted high; he could see the forest below him, see the encroaching shroud of darkness to the West and sense the communities to the East. Soaring now he flew east, surrounded by clouds he could see the meadows, forests, and farmer's fields below him. Quickly he came upon Alexandria, passing over the brickwork city and through the walls of the council chambers where he found the totem. The landmark the council had placed hundreds of years ago for emergencies like this. His spirit hovered before it, before reaching out a hand, and touched it. He transcended to another place and time.

Now standing in a clearing in a massive redwood forest, the council was before him as stone monuments. The only things living on each member were their eyes. Eerie and bright they looked to him for answers. At the center of their semi-circular gathering was a marble orb placed atop a pedestal. Raider stepped forward and placed his outstretched hand on the orb. It became radiant as it reacted to his touch and it grew opalescent as his soul mixed with it. The events of the last several days, what he had seen, his thoughts and feelings, all poured from him and deposited into the radiant stone. He then disconnected from it with a shudder and stepped back waiting for the councils reply.

The old woman Nimera's statue came to life. The stone skin became lifelike and real. With a worried expression, she spoke. "Thank you Raider. Return to Shadyknoll and wait for further instructions. Stay safe."

Suddenly he was back, sitting against a tree in the dense temperate rainforest, feeling like he had traveled to a distant world.

The beasts looked at the ground and shuffled awkwardly in the sight of their deity. Jarvis felt like he could hear noises, noises like the grunts and growls he heard from the beasts outside the lodge, only it was more of a sense of sound. His trauma addled mind could not comprehend the what was happening around him. The beasts quickly dropped him, nodded submission as he let out another soundless wail. The bear-man ripped the gag from his mouth and left this warm dwelling with his subordinates.

'Jarvis.' A voice called to him, breaching through the veil of pain that shrouded his conscience.

'Jarvis, my son, wake and speak with me.' The voice was soft and soothing. The web of confusion began to untangle and he realized that he was not hearing this voice. The voice was inside him. It enveloped his thoughts and soon the pain left him and there was only the voice.

'Where are my books, Jarvis?'

'Wha...What's happening?' His mind was clearing, as if the slow torture of the past several hours was vanishing.

'You're home now Jarvis. I'm sorry my lesser brethren treated you so harshly, they are ignorant mongrels. Can you tell me where my books are?'

He began to remember. Alexandria, his flight, the scouts, and then the beasts. Fear rushed through him, his eyes snapped open. He was looking directly at a man, only not quite a man. His ears were large and pointed, his nose and brow were chiselled and feline. The eyes, they were captivating, reflective and golden. His fear dissipated and he began to relax. The events of the last few days suddenly seamed uneventful.

He looked contentedly at the stranger. "The scouts have them now."

'Scouts?'

"Raider and his companion, they found me and took the books you wanted." He gazed at this beautiful creature lovingly and found himself feeling completely comforted by this fawn mained wonder.

'What is a scout and how did they get my books?'

Howls could be heard outside the tent as the party of captors were ripped apart by the grizzly guardians of the god.

A pang of regret shot through Jarvis. "I'm so sorry. They are the guardians of the people. A shadow society who follow the councils orders, they stole the books from me. I'm sorry. Please don't be hurt. I will get them back."

Everything changed. A bolt of fear exploded through Jarvis as he realized this wonder was now furious.

"I promise! I'll retrieve them, I'm better than them! Don't be mad!" He began to panic. He would do anything for his tormentor.

One of the grizzlies entered the structure and slammed a fore-paw into Jarvis, sinking it's claws deep, and hauled him out of the hut. In his final moments, as he was being dismembered, as the beasts ripped his arms from his torso, Jarvis could only worry about how he had failed this golden eyed creature.

The two Scouts met again at their concealed campsite. "Did the council say anything?" Hawkeye asked nervous for the answer that might come.

"We are to return to Shadyknoll and wait." Raider was brief. After such a deep meditation he always felt disembodied, like something had changed in him forever. It was a strange feeling, but comforting. It felt right and it was a feeling he wished he could hold onto. He motioned for his younger companion to rest, the youth paused and then willingly obliged. Raider would not rest well that night; his mind would continually go over the sight of those monsters and their tracks.