The Lead Crown: Ch 2a, League of Leaves (Pt 2)
Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 2-2, League of Leaves
Kesst continued to trudge along at the rear of the party. Even if he put aside his concerns over someone catching sight of his wings the dragon still preferred to keep everyone within his field of view... and beyond that, it gave him a chance to keep his own council and listen to his own thoughts even while everyone else wiled away the hours of travel with everything ranging from banter, chit-chat, and even conjecture.
"So... who DO you think is responsible for that little spat between the navy and trade fleet?" it was a casual question from Theo, but it obviously rubbed Nicholas the wrong way based on his very heated answer.
"Does it bloody well matter?!?!" which he accentuated with a very gruff *hock-ptu* followed by a "If people'd start thinkin more on how to resolve problems instead of avoiding em we wouldn't have to walk on egg shells all the time the brown and blue mix with the pink."
"Technically," Tobias spoke up, "I believe it's Magenta."
"Magenta... scarlet... bloody vermillion... I'll leave the colors up to you book-y types. I'm a sailor... it's goddam pink."
"Vermillion?" Sanmer spoke up from the spot right in front of Kesst, "For not being an expert on colors, you sure know your hues, Nicky."
"I sailed on a ship with a pigment dealer..." the seaman immediately defended himself, "you can learn a lot about a lady's profession on a long voyage if you care enough to act like a gentleman."
"And I'm certain the most interesting thing about her was her 'profession'." Theo offered casually, though Kesst could tell there was a polite jibe to the ermine's comment. It managed to earn the scholar a couple of appreciative laughs.
"Aye..." Nicholas acknowledged with a smug grin, and he offered up a much less angry loogie, "She called her sheet's color 'Roseate'... got a good look at em too."
"Enarork..." Tobias called, the tone of his voice immediately identifying that he was changing the topic of discussion, "...we're a little far south, aren't we?" Kesst didn't miss that the antelope had been speaking much less of tribal tongue and much more of the common one at Nicholas' request.
"We are as far south as we need to be." the bear responded from his place at the front of the group, courteously speaking loud enough for the entire party to hear despite Tobias being right behind him.
"I thought most of the traders went past the Eyaruowa." the last word the prong horn spoke was obviously some kind of tribal landmark, but it was lost to Kesst.
"We cannot go to the Eyaruowa." the trader stated simply, "There are many men of the Symbol moving through the lands... we will have to cross the river instead."
Tobias fumbled with his pack and then nimbly pulled a metal device out of it. The drum-like canister was relatively small, barely more than the size of Kesst's two talons clenched side-by-side but, as the prong horn began pulling levers and twisting knobs, the mechanism increased its size two fold, and he pulled a small crank out of one end. Tobias then lashed a leather strap around his midsection so he could 'wear' the drum at stomach-height. The dragon sped up so he could watch the device in action.
Without pause, the scholar looked to Enarok, and began turning the lever with one paw creating the faintest of scraping sounds as he did so. The antelope then pulled a cord free from the canister and held it up to his muzzle, speaking at it. "The Eyaruowa, translated as 'The Cherished Mother', is a large, naturally occurring monolith south west of Vallara. It has long been known to be an important landmark for the merchants of the tribe lands when traveling between their camps and villages our settled cities."
"There is another path home." Enarork announced simply, Tobias quickly moving the end of the cord in the direction of the bear the moment he began speaking.
"Our guide, Enarork of the Valley Tribe, is concerned about the Church's riders in the area and has suggested we find an alternate route." the scholar noted, cord back at his own muzzle. "Enarork..." he continued turning the crank on the metal barrel, increasing his voice when speaking to the bear, "Why don't more of your people use this 'other path'?" he stopped turning the crank as he cleared his throat, then turned it in the other direction four rotations before flipping a switch on the side.
"Why don't more of your people use this 'other path'?" Tobias' voice came directly from the drum when he started cranking again. The antelope made a face, and then quickly cranked it in the other direction again, four more times.
"That thing captures voices, huh?" Nicholas questioned, "Makes me wonder how long til the Church says what you do is magic." and he spat into the grass.
"It doesn't 'capture voices'." Theo spoke up, "It repeats back sound... like a parrot."
"Hmmm." Sanmer interjected with a smirk, "The last time I checked parrots didn't use the exact same voice they heard... but I guess that's just nit picking now isn't it?"
"Shh." Tobias noted simply, and began cranking the lever once more as he held up the cord again to his muzzle, "I thought the lands near the river's flood plain were somewhere your people avoided." He then aimed the cord at the bear, holding it out with an extended arm.
"Yes." Enarork confirmed, "We do not go there because of the Kaumaka."
"What's a kow-mock-uh?" Kesst inquired.
"It means 'undesirable'." the prong horn replied, "So it's more a matter of 'who' and not 'what'."
"I heard that's a title the tribals give to rapists and murderers and cannibals... really bad criminals." Theo volunteered.
"There's no such thing as rape among the people of the tribe lands." Tobias stated to the ermine, "And they don't think of murder in the same way we do." he had stopped turning the crank, "In fact, they don't have a word for rape."
"Unugha." Enarork stated flatly.
The prong horn glanced at the bear, "Unugha?" he asked.
The bear nodded, "It is our word for forcing uoahuh when it isn't wanted."
"What is 'uoahuh'?" Theo asked Tobias, resulting in a set of very red ears from the antelope.
Sanmer smirked, "I know what 'woah-ah-uh' sounds like." and the white fox thrust his hips in time with the syllables to accentuate his assumption.
"And they say sailors are crude." Nicholas followed up his comment with a roll of his eyes as he spat into the grass.
"So..." Theo spoke up, "The people who do unugha... they're the kaumaka?"
Enarork shook his head, "No... they must make right what they did... the kaumaka cannot... the spirits mark them for eating the flesh of Wenyah."
"Wenyah?" Nicholas questioned, "When ya what?"
"No..." Tobias shook his head, "Wenyah... it means The People."
"His people?" Kesst questioned, "There's someone out there that EATS Tribals?"
"Any reference to the Wenyah means all people... anyone." Tobias cleared his throat, "He means cannibals."
"Yes." nodded the bear, "That is the Stone Tribe word for him."
"Looks like those rumors you heard WERE almost right." Sanmer gave Theo a light elbow before moving to walk up beside Enarork, "So... I guess we have to worry about getting eaten if we're going toward the river?"
"I do not know." Enarork replied.
"Hmm..." the fox slowed slightly, stroking his muzzle in thought, "I guess it WOULD be asking too much for cannibals to have some kind of code... or consistency... or... sanity."
"What do you know of the Kaumaka?" Tobias began cranking on his recording machine again as he held the cord out in Enarork's direction... but it wasn't the bear who answered.
"I did hear a story or two about a northerner..." Theo announced, "Some trappers said they met a man not far from the river... a human."
"Northerner, huh?" Nicholas grunted, letting out another firm *hock-ptu*, "Soyrian, y'think? Some'a the ones I've met seem like they'd be up to something like that."
"I don't believe so, no." the ermine shook his head, "The human's name was Henry-something."
"Henry something?" chuckled Sanmer, "What kind of surname is 'Something'?"
"I don't remember it." Theo shrugged, "But I don't really think 'Henry' sounds very Soyrian... more likely--"
"Wyranese." came a gruff, but very prominent announcement from off to the side. Kesst halted immediately and spun back to face the speaker and everyone else likewise turned as a spindly bush uprooted itself from the ground. Arms, legs, and a head branched out from the very convincing camouflage and the painted face of a human became noticeable, "Henry Evans." he finished Theo's earlier thought.
"This guy's the Unclean guy?" Nicholas questioned, thumbing toward the newcomer. Henry looked perhaps just past middle age, though he was obviously healthy, and well-built. Kesst realized that, if the man truly were a cannibal, then he was probably VERY dangerous. What struck the dragon as odd, however, was that he didn't seem any different for it.
"undesirable." Tobias corrected the sailor, then glanced to Enarork and spoke something in the tribal tongue. The bear nodded, speaking back.
"Hmm... looks like ya know yer ways 'round the Wild Ones, eh?" the camouflaged human inquired of the prong horn.
"Is that a problem?" the antelope inquired, raising an eyebrow condescendingly.
"Nah." the human responded, "Just surprised someone ken get a word outta em... these boys usually avoid me like the plague."
"Hence the title they gave you, I'd bet." Sanmer added with a smirk.
"Eh..." Henry shrugged, "Never been much fer groups... Church don't much care for me... Wild Ones don't much care for me... Hell... even the damned navy didn't much care for me."
"Does anyone really get along well with a cannibal?" Theo questioned the man in so frank a manner that Kesst almost tripped over his own tail in surprise.
In response, the human simply started laughing. It continued for far longer than Kesst would have thought normal but, when he was done, the sound simply cut off, "Yea... I heard people say that afore... simple thing bout it is that people make up stories bout things they don't understand... y'see?"
"So... you're not a cannibal?" questioned Nicholas, a scowl of doubt on his face.
"I'm quite particular bout what I eat, mate..." Henry answered, "Don't plan on makin' any a ya dinner... so stop lookin like you're tryin t figure whether ya can outrun me or outfight me... cuz, honest, ya can't do neither... and ya don't have to... so still yer head-meat and relax a little... somethin tells me ya need more worry for the Church than me anyway."
The reassurance didn't particularly make Kesst feel that safe... especially since Henry didn't exactly answer the question.