The young experimental Triads are made up of the smallest
primate tribe of Humans – Oscar and Xiomara; the smallest canine pack of Kiiote
– six, pack leaders Qap and Xurf; and the smallest camelid herd of Yown’Hoo – a
prime eleven, Dao-hi the Herd mother. On nursery farms and ranches away from
the TC cities, Humans have tended young Yown’Hoo and Kiiote in secret for
decades, allowing the two, warring people to reproduce and grow far from their
home worlds.
“We had nearly fallen into stagnation when we
encountered the Kiiote.”
“And we into internecine war when we encountered the
Yown’Hoo.”
“Yown’Hoo and
Kiiote have been defending themselves for a thousand revolutions of our Sun.”
“Together, we
might do something none of us alone might have done…a destiny that included
Yown’Hoo, Kiiote, and Human.” (2/19/2015)
GURion refused to help me lead, it wasn’t like Retired. It
had its own agenda. So the departure of Group Three was sort of dark thing for
me. I’d be the last Human in the group with a robot, the Herd Mother Dao-hi,
and two of the youngest Herd members.
The only startling part was that Xio kissed me before she
left. Absolutely NOT like a sister. After we pulled apart, she also punched me
in the chest and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, ‘Car, but I’m pretty
sure you’re not my type.” She paused, “I might be interested in older men.” She
gave me a dirty leer, adding, “Much older men.”
Then she led her team up the tunnel to the surface.
Shaking my head, I said to the rest of the Triad – without
GURion or Retired, there were only me, Dao-hi, Lan-ma-ti, and Por-go-el. The
Herd Mother would take care of her Herd. All I had to do was give direction…
Dao-hi pulled her tentacles free, snapping them at me; a
Yown’Hoo challenge. There was only one thing she could be challenging, and even
though I thought it was a moot point, I had to respond.
She was challenging my leadership. I knew the signals; I knew
the stance, I knew what I had to do, even though I didn’t have tentacles. I had
arms and I had one pair of legs – and my two might not have hooves, but they
were ten times stronger than her.
I squatted, as if I was cowering, then throwing my arms into
the air, I raced at Dao-hi; either she would step back and I would win, or she
would stand her ground, fight back, and maybe shred my face with her saber-sharp
hooves. She could; but I was heavier and faster on two feet. I could swing
around, hop on her back…
Dao-hi gave ground, sheathed her tentacles, then keened –
more like a wolf than when the Kiiote gave praises to their Herd Mountain.
Every Herd had a place they claimed as their origin, the plain beneath a
mountain peak somewhere on their world. Their highest form of praise was to do
a song to the mountain; a song passed from the first Herd to become established
there. The size of the mountain had once determined the prestige of the Herd.
Obvious in ancient times – the biggest, oldest Herd had the best mountain
range, and the best feeding. Everyone else was less.
Dao-hi was giving me command of her Herd whether she was
there or not.
Suddenly she charged me, swinging her long neck and catching
me full in the chest. She knocked me clear across the tunnel and she reared
back, shouting, “There is no one here to protect you, small Human! No one here
to make me your equal or the Pack’s equal when I am the one who is superior!” I
staggered to my feet and she swung her head again. I didn’t move fast enough, and
I couldn’t believe what she was saying – she was betraying us! She was
betraying us to…
***
Her Human friend, companion, and Herd member slumped against
the wall.
She loathed herself for betrayal. Por-go-el, potential male,
and the potential intelligence Lan-mai-ti cowered as ‘Car had. He hadn’t
believed her deceptive action. It was uncharacteristic of her kind; among real
Herd, it might almost be deviant behavior! But she had learned from Humans and
Kiiote; her people had learned from the Kiiote the sometime wisdom of
committing a crime that would lead to greater good.
She leaned to sniff at ‘Car. He was alive, unconscious, and
might have even broken a bone – the scent was there, though faint. The
potential male and intelligence would soon discover if they were worthy of both
the Herd and the Triad.
Dao-hi, Herd Mother snorted them to attention and said, “We
must go!”
“Where Herd Mother?” the potential intelligence said.
To herself, she noted that this was a good sign. Out loud,
she said, “Question me not, Nothing!”
Both cowered. She regretted harming ‘Car, but he orders came
from a much higher power, so much higher that Dao-hi had first assumed it was a
Kiiote deception or a Human trick – the apes were masters at the trick;
sometimes not serious, sometimes worse that Kiiote deception. It was no wonder
the Mother-of-All had never known exactly what to do with Humans – were they
enemy or ally? Were they irrelevant or essential to the survival of Yown’Hoo?
She’d grown up with them, and even Dao-hi wasn’t certain.
But Oscar was part of her Herd and she still wasn’t sure how
to deal with this deception. She couldn’t philosophize any longer. She had a
mission. “We go!” she snarled, then tipped her slender head back and howled. A
moment later, she raced ahead, what remained of her Herd fast behind, at times
dodging between her flashing legs. A short distance, and she found the
abandoned branch of the tunnel and raced up the ramp screened by a holographic
image of a collapsed tunnel wall. Ten minutes later, they emerged into a partially
collapsed Human garage and after that, though an easily collapsed door and into
belly deep snow surrounding a Human forestry station.
With a flash of hooves, she broke through untouched snow to lead
her Herd into the dense pine woods.
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