We Are People

Chapter 1. Danger in the Grasses

Chapter 1. Danger in the Grasses

'Run!'

There was a great sense of urgency in the concept projected by the young leader, which included an image of everyone in his group moving, and very quickly, away from the new thing that had intruded upon his awareness. He was glad he was in the habit of reaching out to check on the members of his group, and hoped that he had become aware of the strange beast before it became aware of any of them. His own short run through the tall stalks of wheat was initially without thought as he had automatically bolted away from the giant beast the moment he grew aware of it, just knowing it was dangerous. He wasted no time calling to his friends as he ran.

There was something new in the tall grasses with them, something hungry, something that would eat them if it could! The leader slowed, then stopped completely, reaching out with his mind to make sure everyone had heard him and was moving in the same direction. He had never been aware of an animal this big before, and the impressions he got from it scared him. He tried not to panic; the others depended on him!

He felt the reactions from the others as they became aware of their danger. He called to them again so they would follow him. He concentrated on pushing the awareness of himself outward so they would have something to focus on, only they were not the only ones that focused on him! He felt the beast's attention turn toward him as well.

His closest friend barked at the others, his mind also sharing his growing awareness of the looming danger and echoing the leader's demand for both movement and speed.

The smallest of them were getting scared by the thoughts of the bigger ones, and confused by the orders given to them. They were unsure of how to move that fast; they hadn't practiced this! Their minds reflected their confusion, gaining the beast's unwanted attention.

Their leader ran back to get them, swerving through the thick stalks, careful to avoid the beast.

Getting to the littler ones was a relief. They grabbed on to him, desperate to understand what was happening. He tried to calm them some, but finally had to push and shove them forward to get them moving. He opened his mind as they finally started running, showing them how to grab into the soil with their back claws, and push with their feet to launch themselves forward. He quickly pushed his new learning at them; how to curl their fingers in , so they could land on the outside, back part of their hands, how to propel themselves forward, pushing the ground with their hands to move forward with even more speed.

'Faster!' he urged them, adding a more desperate feeling to the urgency included with his images.

One of the smaller ones stumbled, getting his feet and hands tangled together in his haste. The leader caught him as he fell, pulling them together as they rolled a little with the force of the fall, before getting the small one set once more. The leader pictured his hands close together, shared how he spreading his legs out so his feet swung to either side of his hands. Bringing his own knees forward and up, he demonstrated so his small charge could see how to swing his feet up by his hands, digging his back claws in and pushing off the ground once more.

The smaller ones were scared, their eyes stretching wide apart. They were grateful he had come back to them. They tried moving like he showed them. He kept reinforcing their efforts with the memory of his own abrupt run. The leader was glad when they reached where the others of his group were waiting for him, unsure of where to go. The leader snarled, disliking their lack of motion. He directed them forward, away from the beast; it was as good a direction as any in the vast plain of wheat and grass, and an easy choice to make. Suddenly the group was moving as a whole, at least for a moment. The bigger ones soon outpaced the littler ones. He kept making the bigger ones stop and wait for the slower ones.