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Tarik was a light sleeper. Many years of being sent on Greencloak missions made one hyper vigilant. But this mission was the most draining one he ever experienced. Emotionally.
He was awoken by being shaken by somebody and a young voice calling his name urgently. He sat up quickly, blinking away the heavy sleep from his eyes. His mouth felt completely dry and sandy. His knife was already in his hands, poised to attack in case of an intruder.
The cave he was sleeping in was pitch black. He watched in horror as a dark night had fallen. He was supposed to wake up in the evening, just before the sun set! Not at such a late hour. He berated himself for the folly.
"Tarik." The voice called again. He looked behind him to find a body sitting up behind him. The entrance to the cave was sealed by heavy vines, giving him a smidge of starlight to shine on young eyes with heavy eyebags. Rollan, with the way his voice was hoarse.
"Yes, Rollan?" The man replied, evenly. He could feel the tension in the boy's form. Could be because he was sleeping on rock. Or could be because se sensed something off. He had immense trust that Rollan could sniff out any trouble before it got to them.
"I can't see Lumeo outside. Keeping guard."
Tarik noticed the lack of presence in his soul. It was a sunny feeling right next to his heart. Which seemed a little far away. Lumeo was alright, he couldn't feel the distress. Maybe his spirit animal was out hunting. The otter was supposed to keep guard outside with Briggan.
He could hear the wolf shuffling outside and poking his snout in for a sniff. The large canine whined a little.
"Yeah, I'm awake." Conor replied with a small yawn. "I'll wake Irtike."
"No need. I was awake for a while." The young girl said from somewhere deeper inside the cave. Tarik couldn't see his three kids, but hearing their voices calmed him down.
"Creepy." Rollan commented. "Is the ugly thing awake as well?"
"Yes."
"Ew. Alright then, team, let's get crackin'."
Briggan took this moment to pad inside the cave and lick Conor's face.
"That's a good face wash. Woke me right up." The blond boy noted. Tarik hid a smile. These kids were funny. They could make light of any terrible situation. Like the current mission they were in, tracking the Nilo savanna to find Cabaro's talisman. Without Abeke and Meilin.
The thought of the two girls sent a sharp pain through his chest. Reminding him of the importance of speed in this mission. It was unfortunate he overslept. He tried quelling the guilt by reminding himself that the three kids travelling with him also needed rest.
"You three stay here, I'll go find Lumeo." Tarik said. He prepared to pick up his pack and try to hunt for leftover jerky to have as their nocturnal breakfast. Conor scooted close to the cave entrance and pulled apart the natural curtain to let more light inside. The dry vines cracked under the movement.
"We were asleep for a lot longer." Rollan said quietly as he chewed on his jerky. Tarik gave him a reassuring pat on his back.
"We need the rest for what is to come."
"We need some water, my animal senses a running source of water not too far from here." Irtike said. "It's down west, a little bit of a deviation from our path."
Rollan still didn't look convinced. Tarik did notice him chewing on his jerky with a frown on his lips. His curly hair had grown longer, almost covering his eyes. The man lightly pushed his bangs up his forehead, feeling the boy blink up at him. There was a silent dread in his brown eyes.
"Look at what Briggan is doing." Irtike piped up.
They looked up to find the big wolf panting in joy as Conor rubbed his belly fur.
"I wonder if he would like that." The girl said.
Rollan snorted. "That thing can bite. With those huge teeth."
The kids squabbled a little. Tarik caught Irtike's eyes and she gave him a small nod. He had noticed her little attempts at jokes once or twice. She was dry more often. But he also noticed her gaze look upto Rollan once in a while.
"Is Essix nearby?" Tarik asked.
He heard a shrill caw at the entrance. The bird would not come inside.
"Essix, keep a watch, I'm going out to find Lumeo."
The gyrfalcon blinked up at him with her amber eyes. She seemed to understand what he meant. He nodded once and walked out. He made sure to travel in well-trampled paths. Clearly taken by animal hoards all rushing to Cabaro's famed oasis. He hoped the scent would confuse the probable hunting dogs of the conquerors. He had his pack on his back, filled with the bare bone essentials, and most importantly, water canisters.
He walked down the path as it sloped, feeling the fresh wind on his face. Nilo was a beautiful place when the sun set. All sorts of tiny insects croaked in the night. The hot sun which beat down upon them disappeared and allowing the cool atmosphere cool down his skin. The moonlight shone bright, with no clouds marring his only source of light.
They had also stopped near a water source, allowing a small amount of plants to grow on the land. Not many, the grass was still dry, but it was tall.
Looking at the small pond, Tarik was acutely aware of his dry throat. It had been a few hours since the water canisters had anything in them.
At length, he realized he was being followed. There were another set of light footsteps following him. He knew it wasn't a Conqueror or anybody with bad intentions. He spotted a smidge of a shadow in the sky. Swinging in familiar lazy loops. Essix gliding in the sky above him, as if to give him a silent heads up.
The children were good at being quiet, he could give them that. He decided to humor them by walking on as if he hadn't noticed. The palm trees grew tall around him, giving him furher conformation that there was water closeby. His guess was answered as he finally spotted a dip in the land and the sound of gently rushing water guiding his path towards the pond.
The pond looked beautiful in the dark. The circular moonlight shook in the water, disturbed by a presence in it. The presence was a long sleek body jumping in the centre of the pond. The creature looked small from a few metres away. It flipped over the water like a skipping petal. A shadow in the night performing underwater stunts just for the fun of it. The creature stopped suddenly and poked it's tiny head up the water surface. Beady black eyes noticed the man standing at the bank. Tarik grinned as the sunlight in his chest brightened as soon as Lumeo noticed he was near.
"Buddy, where have you been." He laughed as his otter quickly swam towards him, like an arrow shot straight to his heart. Lumeo wasted no time in crawling up his legs and right into his arms. His fur was dripping wet and slimy in Tarik's hands. The otter crawled to his shoulders and squeaked loudly.
"Yes, we do have company, you little show-off." The man laughed. He turned around. His nose felt a little tingly as his sense of smell hightened. He could smell his kids hiding behind a tall patch of grass. Especially Briggan. Smelling like he rolled in something.
"Good hiding skills, team." He praised. Conor popped his head up.
"Aw you caught us. Abeke would do this much better."
"I would do this better alone." Irtike said quietly, with confidence in her poise. Conor rolled his eyes and patted her head.
"Because I have the experience and a constant dread in my surroundings." Tarik said. He heard Lumeo squeak again in his ear, urgent. "Come here, I think this one wants to show us something."
The kids came out of their hiding place and crouched beside the pond with Tarik. They watched as Lumeo scrambled away, towards a patch of aquatic plants near the opposite end of the pond. Tarik rolled his eyes, thinking it was a hide-and-seek trick. He got to work pulling out the canisters and refilling the water. Irtike sat beside him and quietly washed her face. Briggan lapped up the water noisily, wolf ears perked in joy.
"Tarik, look what Lumeo found."
The man looked up to where Conor was pointing, the shady part of the grass. Where multiple otter heads poked up from the rippling water.
"Is that his family?" Irtike asked.
"That's not possible, Lumeo's a spirit animal." Rollan scoffed.
"Where do you think spirit animals come from?" She asked. The idea was absurd. Even Tarik had never thought of it before. The idea that Lumeo could be a normal animal before he grew into an adult? A little unsettling.
"I thought the animals come from the sky, like from stardust." Conor said quietly. It was a sweet thought. He likely thought of such things often, being a shepherd and counting his hours by looking at the stars. He had a reflective look on his face, which was highlighted by the gentle rippling water reflecting moonlight on his pale face.
"It could be likely, I don't know much." Tarik agreed. He cupped some water in his palm and used it to wash his arms. The three canisters were full and would last them atleast a day and a half. Irtike said that they weren't very far from the oasis.
"I heard from my mother that the spirit animals once had lives, but they died by an unfortunate incident as adults and get reborn to help the world side-by-side humankind." The girl said. Tarik hummed. She drank water directly from the pond and wiped off her mouth with her arm. Her movements were slow, she barely registered her small braids touch the water's bank. Getting a a little sandy. He placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to bring her comfort through the thoughts she might be having of her mother. An honorable Greencloak of the past, Chinwe, who had died because of the Conquerors.
His heart ached for her. He hoped that travelling with them gave her a sense of belonging, if only for a short while. Mulop knows how alone Tarik was in terms of family. He instead seeked family in his fellow Greencloak companions. Giving him a sense of belonging that rested on his shoulders at all times.
It was a comfort. And also a curse, because he had failed protecting two kids under his guidance. That was when the cloak got heavier to bear.
Meilin and Abeke.
He wondered if they were looking at the moon right then, and remembering that all hope is never lost. And that he and the boys always thought about them. They had a family waiting to get them back.
Tarik's gloomy thoughts were distracted by splashing sounds. He watched as dark shapes rippled across the surface of the water.
"Maybe it is his family." Rollan whispered in awe.
Tarik watched as the group of otters slowly approached closer to the riverbank. Still far away though, as they were wild and still didn't trust humans. Lumeo was the closest to the humans. But also had half his attention to the otter family in the water.
"I think they want to come closer.." Conor muttered. He sat still, barely moved his hair in the breeze. Like a statue.
Rollan and Irtike watched as the boy slowly brought his hand to the water, touching the tips of his fingers to make ripples on the surface. The small head peeked up, baby ones ith sparkling curious eyes.
It was a few moments until a single little one came closer, trusting. Lumeo took this opportunity to dip under, reappearing with the baby on his back as he swam towards the shore.
"Oh." Conor gasped a little as the kid was deposited close to his hand. The wet fur on his fingertips. It lightly nipped on the skin, making the boy giggle slightly .
"You're awefully good at this, were you a trainer in your past life?" Rollan asked.
"All they need is patience?" The blond boy answered. He sounded unsure. But Irtike nodded.
Tarik watched as the tension drift off the kid's shoulders. Rollan and Irtike put their hands in the water. The girl brought out her mole rat in the water, keeping her hand shallow. Lumeo swam away and came back with another baby otter and brought it near.
"Oh is the rat better at baby otters than I am?" Rollan asked. He watched as the baby otter touched it's nose to the molerat's nose. Lumeo made a twittering sound as if to make fun of Rollan. Which was fair. His hand was shaking slightly, he couldn't keep it still.
"Meilin would think this is a bunch of dung." Rollan said. His smile faded a little. His heart constricted in real time, showing on his face. It was a rare moment to notice, because the boy kept his emotions hidden more than necessary. Was extremely hard to get him to talk about his troubles because he kept plastering smiles in an attempt to keep the rest of the team's spirits up.
Tarik wanted to comfort him, but he seemed to be too far away. He risked disturbing the baby otters with his sudden movement. He caught Lumeo's eyes and saw a touch of sympathy.
There was a screech in the air above. The otters scrambled into the water. Lumeo grabbed the babies and brought them back to the reeds.
Essix fluttered down with a flap of her magificient wings. She settles right beside Rollan, dipping her beak into the water for a drink.
"Terrible timing, girl." Rollan teased. Conor agreed with a huff.
"You really have no companionship with your animal." Irtike noted.
"I can train her just fine." Rollan defended.
"Train? I never said train, I said companionship."
"There is no difference."
Irtike looked up at Tarik, a little confused expression on her face. He tried reassuring her with a light shrug. She was right, in a sense. Lumeo curled up on his lap and made his pants wet. 'Train' was not the right word, but...
He was getting a sense that Irtike knew a lot more than they gave her credit for.
"Oh look, Lumeo got me a little otter too!" Rollan exclaimed, a little too loud. Tarik watched as a dark shape bobbed it's head to lightly skim the waters. "Oh no it isn't."
He couldn't see much in the dark, barely lighted by the moon reflecting off the water. But Rollan did, he had a good vision.
With a sudden splash, Lumeo pounced out of the water and sprayed water on Rollan's face. The boy gasped and spluttered. Conor laughed, Irtike snorted.
"Ugh this is what I get for trusting an otter." Rollan sighed.
Tarik gave them a few more minutes to coo at tiny mammalian bodies and even tinier snouts. The baby otters had claws which scratched but at this point in their adventures, it felt like pinpricks. Tarik kept his hands busy, cupping water in his hands and splashing some on the kid's faces, much to their protest.
But he needed to get them a little bit clean, they had been walking through sand for miles.
"We should go." Conor said, a form of protest against Tarik trying to clean his cheeks. "The sun had long set, we must get going."
Lumeo stopped to give a last longing look to the lake before they left. He didn't go back into the water. Like he already dreaded the place. That it might make it harder to leave if he got one last touch.
Little otter heads poked from the water surface. The beady eyes shone in the moonlight like little shiny pebbles. They twittered and squeaked, like saying a goodbye. Lumeo chirped back, in his little otter tongue. The baby otters squeaked the shrillest, sitting on other adult otter's backs.
There was a common belief that wild animals differed from spirit animals mentally.
The animals connected to the human soul were stronger, faster, wiser.
Tarik himself believed that otters were smart.
But now as he saw all the goodbyes the wild otters gave, he realized more and more that there were some secrets Erdas didn't hide. They just got overlooked and she didn't try to magnify them.
Tarik hustled the kids together as they followed Irtike into the last limb of their journey. Lumeo kept shuffling around Tarik's shoulders, scratching up his cloak. It was an anxious sort of shuffle.
"Was she right, buddy? Was that your family back there?" He asked. Lumeo made a small whining sound deep in his throat, it made the man's heart twist. He brought his fingers to the otter's wet fur on his neck and stroked soothingly.
He knew what missing family felt like. A crack in the heart and a bone-deep ache in his soul to have one more moment to sit with his sister's laugh...
"Don't worry, after this mission, we might have some time to come back." Tarik reassured. Lumeo lightly bit the shell of his ear, he grinned at the gesture.
Yes, they would return to the lake after this. Maybe after defeating the Devourer, even Tarik would go back to find his own family.