Journey's Dawn

I needn't have worried about sleeping out last night. I think even if an armada of killer ten foot alien biting insects had descended on me I wouldn't have noticed. All the excitement over the meteor shower had kept me up watching them until late, and then that big meal really started to hit me and I was done in. I can technically digest and extract nutrients from Minervan foods, but a lot of it seems to be more energy intensive than its Earth counterparts. At least to me. The Azus snark it down without batting an eye. Hopefully my body will eventually be able to generate the necessary enzymes and find a proper stomach pH to digest a big meal without making me go into a food coma.

We got a very early start this morning. So early that Nandi actually came and woke me up. I had gotten used to their habit of skulking outside until I came out of my tree tent. Apparently you're fair game if you don't have some kind of walls around you. Heh. At least he didn't dump water on me. I’m never going to get used to waking up to a muzzle in my face, though.

We started just as the barest hint of sun was creeping along the horizon. Both moons were still up; big Arachne was a fat, waxing gibbous while smaller Tiresias, a bit higher in the sky was a thin, waxing crescent. It was actually really pretty. The sky was a cool blue-green in the predawn light, and the clouds crossing the slowly growing sunrise flared yellow and orange in a few places.

Everyone was already mostly gathered by the time I Nandi and I got there. The Azu-nah have few possessions, and it really showed now. Most of the packs were water skins, then some sacks of dried food. Many individuals had one small satchel of, I presume, personal belongings. One or two had larger case-like objects. But for the most part, they seem to travel very light.

Kohric came trotting up and greeted us both. I was glad to see him. I feel safer with him around to explain things to me. The cluster of Azu-nah was surrounding three individuals. One was the Kan. His many elaborate tattoos made him distinctive even if I hadn’t remembered what color he was. The other two were not individuals I recognized. One had a high collar of multicolor beadwork around his neck, with thick metal bangles around his wrists. The third was tall and wiry, but otherwise looked a little plain next to his two neighbors. His one adornment was a delicate tattoo that began along the top of his muzzle and wrapped down around his eyes. It made him look very predatory, like a hawk or an owl.

Kohric caught me staring and tugged on my shirt until I bent my head closer. "This one," he pointed at the one covered in beads, "Is Aket-oizo." He gestured to the taller hawk-faced Azu. "This one is Sa-kudayu." He gape grinned up at me. "Tee-tee could not know alone?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. This was his favorite of the human gestures I'd taught him. Azu-nah tongues have a tiny tuft if bristles at the tip, a little like a cat or a parrot’s tongue. So having one blow a raspberry at you is… odd.

I turned my attention back to the leaders of D’Keda. The Sa-kudayu was speaking and holding a long belt-looking object that appeared to be incredibly intricate woven beadwork. It vaguely resembled the Native American wampum I’d seen in history books. But this was far, far more intricate, and oddly random-looking. Tassels of beadwork hung off the main portion here and there, with no discernable pattern. Perhaps it’s was a symbol of office. I asked Kohric.

He paused, and I knew he was having difficulty finding enough English vocabulary. “It is.. a story. Of D’Keda. It is a telling from long behind, to this day.”

So today I learned the Azu-nah, or at least D’Keda’s people, keep the history of their tribe in an intricate code of beadwork. I wonder if all their language is written in beads.

There was very little ceremony to leaving. When the Sa-kudayu had finished his few words, the Kan drew their star symbol in the ground with a twig. Then he and the other two clan leaders turned and simply began walking out into the open grassland. A line of two or three Azu abreast began to grow out of the assemblage behind the clan leaders, and so began our long journey.

The young Azu-nah were quickly shuffled to the center of the travel muddle. Nanahan and a few others chased and corralled the youngsters toward the middle where, I’m assuming, they could keep a better eye on them. To my utter disgust, though, Nanahan soon came and began tugging on my arm.

”You must come to the center,” she said firmly. “Come.” I had to go or she was going to rip my arm off.

So I went to sit at the kiddy table, so to speak. It ended up not being so bad. The youngsters are cheerful and curious. I even managed to make friends with them after a while. I had, without thinking, pointed to a particularly brightly colored tree on the horizon to ask what it was, only to have a sudden tugging on my pant leg.

“I cannot see,” said a solemn little voice. Their eyes are huge as youngsters. So I heaved him up so that he could see at my eye level. He was absolutely delighted. He squeeked and shouted happily, saying how tall he had become. It was really cute.

I really should learn to be more discerning, though.

“Me!” came a new voice, “Tee-Tee make me tall next!”

”And me!”

“No, me first, Oshtik next!”

My arms weren’t going to be able to handle hauling nearly thirty kilos of flailing Azu kids up and down for the rest of the day. So I made a deal. They took turns carrying my pack, and I took turns carrying them. They had great fun taking turns “being tall.” It was really cute.




I just know I’m going to be aching tomorrow.

---

The new update day is officially Tuesday. Thanks for the feedback, guys!