The sun was far above the horizon by the time we took our next break. I was beginning to get hungry, but Ellie seemed more excited than fatigued. “I think we’re there.”
We had made it to a shallow pool filled with clear water. Its supply overflowed from the tiny waterfall that crashed into it, forcing a small creek to snake away from the pond. I dove my head into the liquid, disturbing the fire-red frogs that rested on numerous lily pads scattered throughout the surface.
We must’ve been far from Efaque city, because that area of the forest wasn’t equipped with the soft glow of the lanterns. Like Ellie said before, the hunters and gatherers never wandered off this far before, so there was no need for lights.
I sat up and took a deep breath, wiping my mouth with my silk sleeve, now matted with dust from the journey. “Tastes good.”
This time, Ellie didn’t smile. Actually, she seemed annoyed. “Yeah?” She began biting her nail as she glanced around the clearing. “Where are they? They normally come to drink at this time.”
I shook the water off my hands and lay back on the grass. “Huh?”
Before Ellie could even respond, a light thumping resonated from the right side of the clearing. It gradually increased in volume, indicating that a stampede was heading right for the clearing. An ear-piercing wail, a cross between the sound of a blue whale and a male lion, caused the birds in the surrounding area to flee from the treetops. They flew away, screeching in fear.
Then, all of a sudden, a mob of white furry creatures crashed into the clearing, nearly running over one another to get to the pool of water. I stood up instantly, ready to run as far away from the pond as possible. But before I could make one step backward, I felt something wet bump into my back, causing me to plunge into the cold water. It wasn’t deep – the bottom half of my body was the only part that was submerged. Unfortunately, that included my face.
I stood up, breathing heavily, partly due to the lack of oxygen underwater and the rest having to do with the wind getting knocked out of my lungs.
I was ready to scold Ellie for pushing me, but when I saw one of those big, furry creatures staring at me from the edge of the pond, my jaw dropped. It let out a grunt as if to say, sorry, but you were in my way, and began lapping at the water with its delicate tongue.
I could hear the soft laughter coming from Ellie’s mouth, but when she saw me give her a cold stare, she stopped. However, she didn’t bother to wipe the amused grin off her face.
Still standing in the middle of the pond, I took in every detail of the unusual creatures. Their fur was long and seemed to drape over their back, almost like the foliage on a willow tree. They had round black eyes, all containing a glimmer of . . . what was it? Intelligence? Almost like they belonged to some scientist who was in a continuous state of thought and reason. Hate to break it to ya, but reason won’t do any good here.
Each one had the long, curling horns of a Ram, a type of sheep that I would see at the county fair back in Arizona.
Ellie walked up to the one that pushed me in and gently patted its wide, dark nose.
“What are these things?” I gasped.
She looked up into the eyes of the creature and said, “Don’t know. Nobody in Efaque has ever seen one before, remember? They never go out this far.” She smiled. “This is my ‘special place’. Actually, its technically my father’s, since he’s the one who found it.” She walked backwards to begin stroking the long, pasta-like fur on its back. “But we call them Malko, a word meaning ‘ghost’.”
I waded through the ankle-high water to the beast that pushed me. I stroked the fur in between its eyes with a firm hand, hoping to get my message across. I’m gonna get you back. Not today. Not tomorrow. But I will.
Of course, the witty gleam in its eyes was too much to resist – this thing was instantly likeable. “Can you tell them apart from one another?”
Ellie nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve only given one of them a name.” She pointed to the one across the pool. This one by far was the most beautiful; her glossy fur shone in the morning sun, and her eyes, unlike the other Malkos, were devoid of crust. “I call her Uzmi.”
“Uzmi.”
“Yeah.” She walked up to Uzmi, who’s long, flat tail wagged at the sight of her master approaching. These animals were twice the size of an average horse, and the fact that one of these creatures could crush one of us was a bit unsettling.
With one, swift movement, she hopped on Uzmi’s back. Uzmi let out a grunt.
“What are you doing?” I asked cautiously.
Ellie smiled on top of the creature’s back. “Riding her, of course.” She pointed to the Malko that caused me to be dripping wet. “You can ride that one. He obviously has a particular attraction towards you.” I looked back at the furry beast. It looked up from its lapping and gave me another grunt. “Be careful, though,” Ellie warned, “he’s a bit . . . hectic.” When she saw the fear grow on my face she hastily corrected herself. “But he’s totally safe to ride.”
Good. The last thing I needed was to have my brain ‘think’ I was being flown off a gigantic animal. So far, it has been doing a good job simulating pain that is appropriate for the scenario that caused it, and the last thing I needed was to feel like I was breaking every bone in my body.
More importantly, I didn’t want my body to twitch as a reaction to the dream. I was still in surgery, and anything unexpected like that could throw the surgeons off. The thought of my leg being paralyzed filled me with fear, and I shook my head and backed away. “No.”
Ellie frowned. “What’s wrong.”
“I just . . . don’t think it’s safe.”
Ellie shrugged. “I’ve never gotten hurt on Uzmi.” She patted her Malko on the back. Uzmi seemed to nod in response. “See?”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’ll be more than happy to ride Uzmi, since she’s obviously good at riding . . . but him?” I pointed to the irritable beast behind me.
He let out another grunt.
Ellie shrugged as if it weren’t true. “Come on. You’re the only person I’ve told about this place. It was the only place my father and I shared privately.” She stared at me, almost like she was using some sort of x-ray vision. “Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to take you here?”
I sighed and looked at the Malko behind me. “What should I name him?”
Ellie smiled when she saw that I gave in. “Don’t know. He’s yours.”
I shrugged and looked him over, not knowing a suitable name. Dumbass seems suitable. He’s dumb . . . and an ass.
I snickered quietly and approached the Malko, who, by the way, continued lapping at the water. However, I could see it periodically glance at Ellie and I through its round, black eyes.
I needed a cool name – not some ordinary title you’d give a pet or a human being. Something like . . . like . . .
“. . . Aepep.”
