Wolf of the Emperor

Chapter 3

Seth was awakened by Marthag briefly touching his shoulder.  As he was waking he could smell the meat cooking as well as some sort of plant as well.  He assumed they were some sort of tuber since they were the type that was usually baked.  “Smells good.”  He mumbled as he sat up.  It was getting later in the day since the sun was starting to go down.  They had a good hour or longer before it would set.

Marthag smiled at him.  “It is smells nice.”  She had finally decided that as long as the idea of what she wanted to say got across she wasn’t going to worry about it.  She would practice the language and pick it up but if she really needed to get a concept to him she would tell Cleasal.  The other two Warblers were sitting close to the pod and Cleasal was up top and Kletharl was settled next to him.  Marthag had to smile at the almost domestic feel.  If it wasn’t for the teeth in the night this wouldn’t be too bad of a place.

Almost as if to teach her a lesson in the distance was a tremendous roar followed by several others.  She twitched and when Leosafr cringed and shrunk into Mendasol Cleasal hopped down and curled up next to her and started purring.  “What in the name of the dark lord was that?”  Her ears were up straight and pivoting to try and locate the source.

Seth didn’t even blink before he was standing with his pulse rifle raised and tracking around the forest.  He also called up his sensors and checked them.  The source of the noise was several miles away and didn’t seem to be moving but better safe than sorry.  “Get trays for food.  Go inside to eat.”

Kletharl was standing next to him and snarling quietly to herself.  *Heard noise similar last night.  Pod sensors off due to power status.  Turned back on.*  Her ears were twitching as well and her nose was lifted to see if she could catch any scents.  Chances were good she wouldn’t due to the direction of the wind and the distance but better safe than sorry.

Mendasol and Leosafr hopped up and hurried inside to get the trays he asked for.  While he and Marthag kept watch the other two carefully pulled all the meat and tubers out of the fire.  Once that was done Mendasol covered the fire with dirt and packed it down with one foot pad.  “Done, go in?”

Seth noted what he was doing and had to flinch when he used one foot to pack the dirt down and had to wonder just how thick the pads on his feet were.  “Go inside.  We follow.”  This was going to require some serious thinking about giving the Warblers weapons.  He didn’t like the idea but from what little he had seen of this place only having him armed was stupid.

Once inside the pod he felt his stomach rumble at the smell of the cooking meat.  On the table was a bowl of something that resembled a salad as well as the meat and tubers.  “Thank you.”  He settled down and carefully unwrapped the meat before handing it out.  When they passed the tubers he took one and started cutting everything up.

When he took a bite of the meat it was rather tough but decent.  He had eaten far worse over the years.  “Not bad.”  After a bite of the tuber he sighed since it was about as bland as possible.  He reached above the table and pulled out a couple of the seasoning kits and handed them out.  They had powdered butter flakes, salt and pepper, a few other spice and seasoning packets.  He flavored the tuber and it was better now but still pretty bland.

Once they had done eating and everything had been tossed in the recycler he stretched and yawned.  *Ask if they have any survey maps.*  As he was thinking at Kletharl he was using the table top to look for any survey maps the pod might have taken.  One problem he had to worry about was they were 70 or so years old and in a forest things change frequently. 

Marthag looked at Mendasol.  “He wishes to know if we have survey maps for review.”  To be honest she wasn’t sure what all information they managed to get off the ship before they had to leave.  The computer system was indicating that the ship stood a good chance of exploding which it did.  They had barely gotten far enough from the blast radius and that was when they lost the first of the survivors.