I ran most of the day, stopping every so often to refill my water skin whenever fresh water presented itself. Like most N’Akron, I did not need much water to function, but it was a scarce resource so it was always best to have more than needed in case I could not find some. The pack I had slung over my shoulder had travel rations and more leathers, because I was not wearing much more than a loincloth despite the cold. Running like I did kept me warm, and I would only resort to those when I stopped for the night.
It was exhilarating, going out into the wild with just my spear, water skin, two knives, and the travel rations I had bargained on my back. I kept one knife on me at all times in case of predators, but the rest was tied to me. It reminded me of my coming-of-age ritual. Among N’Akron males, when we fully develop the brow ridges that mark us as adults, we are sent out into the world with a knife and a spear and told to survive for a month without coming near another N’Akron. Males doing their rituals at the same time were not to meet up, to share resources. It was our proof that the male was ready to ascend to adulthood and contribute to the tribe.
The travel rations wouldn’t last long, but I wasn’t particularly worried. Once I got closer, I could start to set small traps whenever I stayed for more than a day, try to catch, skin, and cook some of the prey that frequented this area. There were none of the juicy [goats], just the sleeker [rykon] and even smaller [notrats].
It took a full menlin before I caught sight of our trail where we had fought the Caterri and saved the Setti not far from Kohta itself. The Caterri had clearly been in a great hurry and had not bothered hiding their trail, because their strange, bug-like feet were easy to pick out among the damp dirt. There was also the smaller print of a human, and a quick flick of my tongue confirmed it was Dana. Her scent was many cycles old now, but it was there.
Wherever Dana was, she had been here at one point. Alive, too, since I smelled no blood spilled. She also wasn’t worth much to her captors dead.
Another day brought me to a cold fire pit surrounded by the vague imprints of tents that had been there once upon a time. It was clear it had been abandoned at least two cycles ago, but it was proof that I was behind them. It made tolerating the nights easier, the frigid chill that got in my bones no matter how many layers I put on. Sometimes I skipped sleep and just kept running when it got particularly bad.
I didn’t need sleep, not really. Rage and worry and hope fueled me, letting me dig deep into energy stores and run many hours without stopping. It also let me deal with the setbacks that were unavoidable in any tracking. I came to a forked path, where it was clear the Caterri had split into two groups. Yet both had a faint scent of Dana, while neither showed human footprints.
Growling, I crouched down closer to the imprints. It was not possible Dana could have gone on both paths at the same time, but that was what my tongue was telling me. I hissed my frustration, though no one could hear me. I had to find her. I had to.
Except I chose wrong. After a handful of hours racing down one track, it had cycled back to the original trail, leaving me no closer to Dana but a lot more exhausted. I sank down onto the ground with a frustrated hiss. I was maybe a handful of [distance] away from where the trail had split off, but the tracks were still visible. Somehow, they had managed to get Dana’s scent on both parts of the trail.
Seeking the reassurance only her smell brought, I flicked my tongue out to taste her and recoiled. It was clear the Caterri had started wafting something in the air, some foul-burning plant to destroy my senses. I clutched at my face, my scales feeling like they were drying off. It was not an herb I had experience with, and it was one I never wanted to see again, but it was important that I got a sample to bring back to N’Akkar with me. The healers would need it to see if there was anything that could be done to balance its effects.
A quick glance at the sky told me night was starting to fall, and between the trail being obscured and the quickly darkening surroundings, I knew I had to give in and take a break. It was the last thing I wanted, but I was not at full strength, and I would be no help to Dana if I got taken out by a [bigthing] before I reached her to rescue her.
A small cave provided a place to stay, and I used some chunks of rocks and remnants of trees to block the wind some. The cave was circular enough that my body heat was warming it, and without the outside air causing havoc, I could almost breathe easily. I downed the last of my travel rations, making plans to hunt in the morning. If properly cleaned, most catches could last long raw in the Thoherian weather due to the frigid cold. It would be an easy thing to catch, clean, and then hook some creatures to my belt for when I
