Dire

§ 2020-06-14 03:24:21

[03:24] Most kavkema of Sanctuary were sleeping when Taranidad returned with his disciple and their new recruit. The afternoon light drew the elongated shadows of trees across the alleged Nayabaru ghost town. Karodaga was exhausted – the excursion's excitement had worn off into bitterness for her, leaving her wanting of sleep, given how long she had been on her feet.

Gazhil seemed considerable less tired, perhaps because his sleep schedule had already been messed with by his supposed Nayabaru captors. It wasn't as though they had ever seen him do more than climb the facade of the building. He might never have been inside. Everything he said might be a lie – but to what end?

Intellectually, Karodaga wanted to expose the lies, but her exhaustion had drained her immediate care about it. Let Gazhil say whatever he wanted. She just wanted an excuse to sleep. She didn't quite have it in her to demand it, instead dutifully dragging herself after Taranidad in his wake, without really cognisant of that she was doing so.

With neither storm nor as much as rain in sight, the doors to the three building complexes were open, allowing the kavkema within an easy escape at a moment's notice. Still, no one was immediately visible from the outside – they were coming in at the wrong angle, with the common sleeping quarters at the far end of the largest complex as seen from their current position.

[03:25] Amansaa, their ryrhakenem, would be sleeping with the others. Sanctuary had no such thing as Watchers keeping a look out for Nayabaru at day – it was, after all, a sanctuary, with no need of such paranoia – so if anyone was awake and outside, it was of their own individual whim.

[03:30] And, indeed, there was one, though he was not immediately visible.

[03:35] As the three of them approached, there came from somewhere beyond one of the buildings an unsettling noise, a sort a deep, throbbing rattle or rhythmic growling, slowly increasing in volume. It was the kind of sound one might associate with a huge and increasingly annoyed beast.

§ 2020-06-15 21:42:11

[21:42] Taranidad's eyes were sore after a whole day outside. Taranidad's legs were sore after the ardous trek. Seemingly every last feather was sore and aching. Alas, no time to rest. Maybe he'd send Karodaga off to sleep, though. Yeah, Karodaga surely was tired as well. Would it make sense to offer some sleep to the new kavkem? Asleep he wouldn't cause any trouble. Taranidad knew better than to trust the new kavkem—or maybe it was just the tiredness talking?

Taranidad needed some rest to clear his mind! But more than rest, he needed to talk to Amansaa! He and Amansaa had their share of differences. He knew that Amansaa didn't fully approve of some of his forward-looking ideas. Despite that, he still had a great deal of respect for her. A ryrhakenem is a ryrhakenem after all. Should he wake her up? No, it would be more polite to wait until she wakes up on her own… And what to do about the new kavkem while waiting? Would the new kavkem be looking for trouble?

The growling noise stopped all these thoughts. Taranidad instinctively lowered his posture, tried to blend in with the undergrowth. Had the Nayabaru recaptured the Sanctuary during the day? Obviously no kavkem could produce such a terrible noise. If the Nayabaru had indeed recaptured the Sanctuary all was lost. All was lost. Suicide was the only option after all.

Where were the others? Right there, a few paces behind him. He motionlessly scanned the environment. His heart was almost as loud as the growling sound coming from somewhere behind the buildings.

§ 2020-06-16 21:41:56

Gazhil's two reluctant hosts had called this a 'safe place'; when the growling sounded, he allowed himself only a brief moment to be bewildered — to his knowledge, there was nothing at all on this planet, let alone this area, that made sounds like that — before he, too, flattened himself down and began to back out of the region, feathers bristling quietly, lips drawn back from his teeth, ready both to flee or fight if the situation demanded.

Karodaga's tired disgruntlement, on the other hand, switched over to an alert aggression. Feathers puffed out in a threatening display, she cautiously made her way to the source of the sound, fully willing to strike claws and teeth at any intruder that needed driving away. One might just get the wrong impression of her; she had no children to protect, but maybe her instincts wanted some practise.

§ 2020-06-17 22:52:55

[18:31] A short distance around the corner – though far enough back, at least, to avoid being immediately eviscerated – was something that was very clearly a kavkem. He had, coiled around him, a sort of horn fashioned out of wood; in some other place it might have been compared to a sousaphone in appearance. From the way the kavkem was blowing into it, it soon became clear to Karodaga that this was the source of the noise.

[18:39] The kavkem himself had a brown head and back, mottling its way toward white on the undersides, but his feathers looked like they'd all be plucked off and haphazardly glued back on; his plume and arm feathers, in particular, stuck out at unlikely angles. He was a known quantity, at least; Karodaga knew him as Szambatem.

[18:46] He stopped blowing as she approached, and, apparently ignoring her puffed-out feathers, fixed her with a look of slightly manic glee. "Very good, very good! Fear and alarm are the friends of the veil, but they did not trap you today!"

§ 2020-06-20 22:09:54

[22:09] In the corner of his eye Taranidad saw that Karodaga stood up and walked towards the buildings, despite the wailing noise. He noticed another kavkem emerging from behind a corner.

[22:10] Could the wailing noise be yet another Szambatem idea? This monstrous pipe thing?

Following Karodaga's example, he stood up. He was trying to exude calm confidence with his body language. – "You've woken up everyone, Szambatem!" – Taranidad yelled in Szambatem's general direction.

He gestured apologetically to Gazhil. – "It's ok. I know that kavkem. Just ignore him. We need to talk to the ryrhakenem."

[22:15] Karodaga's reaction to Szambatem was to growl threateningly, in disregard for any social niceties, her feathers only briefly beginning to smooth back down in relief, before puffing back out. "What," she hissed, clearly livid. "Do you think you're doing?" A subtle shaking of her shoulders suggests that Szambatem may have picked a poor time for a prank.

Gazhil meanwhile has simply thawed back into a relaxed posture, exuding curiosity and wonder. A kavkem drawing attention to itself like this was something he couldn't remember ever seeing – what kind of psychology leant itself to that?

"It's quite all right," he said, softly, approaching the plucked stranger. "Szambatem, was it?" he asked, gently, making no effort to conceal his curiosity. "I'm Gazhil."

[22:24] Szambatem grinned back at Taranidad. "You say to ignore me; but being able to wake everyone up makes that a little hard, now, doesn't it? Tough luck, eh? Ateheril hands out no warnings to the unwary, and neither do I!"

[22:29] Disregarding Karodaga's question, he turned his attention to Gazhil. "Szambatem, yes, that's me – nowadays, at least. My previous name ran away, and I haven't seen it since, poor thing." He cocked his head slightly to one side. "I don't think I've seen you about. Where did these two find you?"

§ 2020-06-25 22:01:03

[22:01] As Gazhil walked towards Szambatem, Taranidad just stood still. Weary and confused. Listless. Gazhil wanted to have smalltalk with Szambatem. Why shouldn't Gazhil want to have smalltalk with Szambatem?

A thought coallesced in his tired mind – "I need to find Amansaa."

Taranidad made himself walk towards the buildings, from which other kavkema started emerging. He had nothing to say to them about why everyone got woken up. He was looking for Amansaa.

[00:53] "We just happened upon each other," Gazhil revealed, minimalistically. "But please excuse my curiosity – you are quite bold to live here like this," he observed. "And you, Szambatem, are bolder still for making the amount of noise you do. Can you indeed make it without repercussions?" He sounded intrigued, not fearful, as though he found the notion that kavkema might have these freedoms deeply fascinating.

Karodaga hissed in disdain at Szambatem, but was clearly unwilling to puncture Gazhil's curiosity for the sake of a fresh social quarrel and kept her reaction to the sound of disapproval.

But Szambatem was quite right about having woken everyone. Cautious muzzles were now poking out past the edge of the main building, the three closest vertically evenly spaced, their expressions communicating a curiosity of their own. One of them yawned silently as nothing seemed to escalate.

And then Amansaa stepped out past them, holding her story staff much as one might a blunt weapon, although without obvious aggressive intent. The cosmetic markings on her muzzle made it clear she wasn't holding onto it for someone else. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked, her irritation mild but palpable, embedded in confusion.

Whether she was confused about Szambatem's antics or Gazhil's unexpected arrival was a different question, but her voice was deliberately clear enough to carry across the distance to all of the arriving trio.

[02:59] Szambatem eyed Gazhil upon his description of his meeting with Taranidad and Kurodaga, but chose not to press the point. Clearly, there was something interesting to be found there, but possibly there would be time later to try to discover it.

[03:13] "I am, perhaps," he replied modestly, "not so much bold as merely disdainful of repercussions. We shall see if there are any from my friends," he added, glancing at the curious faces now visible, "but if you mean from the Nayabaru: it is rather more unlikely here than most places. To call ruin upon oneself is one thing; to ruin others is something else."

[03:16] He turned to Karodaga as if to address her, but was interrupted by Amansaa's demand. He turned to face her, and asked politely, "Which thing would that be?"

§ 2020-06-27 15:17:31

[15:17] Taranidad barely registered what Szambatem was telling Gazhil. He was feeling very exposed upon curious gazes of his fellow kavkema. He scanned the muzzles, hoping to see Amansaa among them.

Here she was, holding her staff as a symbol of her inner wisdom and strength. He didn't want to answer her question right away, in front of everyone. – "We need to talk in private. It's urgent." – he leaned towards Amansaa and said quietly. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted Gazhil to be included in this conversation.

[16:18] "I hear a loud noise, and I see a stranger," Amansaa remarked, both without any particular venom, but brimming with confusion and curiosity, both. Somewhere between the lines, the attentive might find the question: Did you summon a kiikam, Szambatem? But her air betrayed just the same that she didn't think it likely, quite at ease but for her confusion.

As Taranidad approached her, her gaze relucantly drifted from the cluster of three kavkema that included Szambatem and across to him. She slid the staff to press its tip against the ground, shifting to hold it in her left hand only, regarding Taranidad with suspicion.

"Urgent?" Amansaa echoed, incredulously, but with a tone of reluctant acceptance. She was not in the business of denying any kavkem of their community their desires and those were not commonly frivolously requested.

Meanwhile some of the other kavkema were tucking their heads back into the building to resume their sleep, and others were beginning to file out in quiet curiosity, trickling toward the newcomer that now held their attention.

"What troubles you?" she asked with a sigh, gesturing for Taranidad to follow her to some distance.

Gazhil, having briefly taken note of the appearance of the ryrhakenem, was back to speaking to Szambatem. "'Unlikely' seems like a dangerous gamble all the same, but I notice it doesn't seem to be too big an issue, other than waking your friends," Gazhil took note of the largely peaceful curiosity in the eyes of those approaching them. "You live here? What is this place?"

"Aras'Viyanagiji," Karodaga interjected. She seemed to be calming down – as though whatever reprimand she had had in mind for Szambatem was now defused by merit of the social context they were in. A conversation was a poor point in time to wrestle someone into submission. "We simply call it Sanctuary. There are no Nayabaru here."

"...so that's what your friend meant when he mentioned a 'safe place'," Gazhil observed, gradually settling himself into a sit before Szambatem and his strange contraption, eyeing it with a second-hand marvel.

Then he glanced back into the direction they came from and flicked his muzzle upward in a succession of quiet dismissals. "It's too close," he observed, sadly. He glanced first at Szambatem, then at the others that were by now crowding nearby in curiosity. "This entire landscape is probably going to be very unhappy to hold you soon. Have you any belongings here?

"How quickly do you think we can we move?" he asked Szambatem, then let his gaze drift again across the others, in case one of them wanted to answer the question for him.

§ 2020-06-30 21:09:07

[21:09] Taranidad trotted right besides Amansaa. Her dignified demeanor gave him some sense of strength and reassurance. Where to even start explaining the situation? – "This stranger kavkem, well, he… uhm… we found him when he escaped unscathed from the Nayabaru. He says that he knows that the Nayabaru will destroy this whole land in just a few days. There'll be this splinter, it's hard to explain. The Sanctuary will be destroyed. We have no time, we must escape and save everyone. There's no time…" – he ran out of breath with this frantic rambling. He looked up towards Amansaa's muzzle, with genuine trepidation in his eyes.

§ 2020-07-03 22:48:58

[22:48] Szambatem was not, these days, the kind of person to be easily derailed by surprise, but Gazhil's words caused him to look blank for a few seconds. Taranidad's words extended this state for another second or two.

[22:55] Finally, he said, with a sort of verbal shrug, "I imagine we can get going within a few hours, if we have to." He looked at the contrivance coiled around his body with a slightly regretful air. Taking it along during an evacuation was, even to his mind, an unwise move; the mirage only tolerated so much pushing back. He'd have to make another one later.

[22:56] The untidy-looking kavhem started unscrewing pieces of the device – innocuous-looking enough when separated – and throwing them off in different directions.

[23:15] "You may have to," Gazhil urged, gently, addressing now not only Szambatem, but the gaggle of curious faces that had settled on him. "There is something that is anchored to the core of the planet," he began to explain, bringing up his hands to gesture a fist with one and stretch his other flatly from the wrist, resting said wrist against the other bunched-up hand. "Which always points toward the midnight sky.

"There are efforts underway to stop its circling – indeed, I have reason to believe this step has already happened – and then use it as a kind of... hook or grapple, with which to move the planet away from the sun..." — He gestured to the sun hovering just above the canopy of the trees. — "...and to a different star, as this one you have grown so used to is being turned into a weapon against you as we speak."

He squinted briefly toward the sun, a worried but not panicked expression in his bones, as though he believed it to be a true threat but had some trust that the problem would be resolved... or that their deaths might at least be swift if it was not.

"But as you know, if something rests inside another thing – a metal mesh, perhaps, in a piece of flesh – and you pull on it suddenly and quickly, you not only cause the other thing to move, but you damage it, also, predominantly where the thing within it resides. And this sanctuary of yours... is close to where part of this planetary grapple must come to rest for the rescue of this world to work."

Kavkema were not the type to start nervous whispering – even here, the rule still was that one preferentially spoke only when one considered it strictly necessary, but the people who looked at Gazhil visibly stirred at the strange narrative, unsure what to make of it.

Amansaa, who might have guided them through it, was by now out of comfortable hearing range, speaking to Taranidad, hearing his version of the same apocalyptic tale. "Do then the Nayabaru know of this Sanctuary?" she asked, bristling slightly with concern, mistaking Taranidad's prophecy as one particular to their region, rather than one that would coincidentally befall them by merit of insufficient distance to the epicentre.

§ 2020-07-04 18:33:58

[18:33] "Well, we have no reason to believe that they know that we're here. This is not about The Sanctuary. I mean, this is not about directly The Sanctuary." – Taranidad paused to briefly consider all that he knew about the Nayabaru flaming objects flying in the sky—which arguably was not all that much. His mind was exhausted. He couldn't put all the thoughts together.

[18:34] He nervously ruffled his mane, as he always did when feeling unsure of what to do. – "Let's talk to the new kavkem. His name is Gazhil." – In all his exhaustion and uncertainty Taranidad at least understood that Amansaa needs more understanding, and for better or worse Gazhil is the one who knows the most about this newest threat.

They turned back, and saw that Gazhil was becoming the centre of everyone's attention.

§ 2020-07-11 01:15:08

[01:15] As Gazhil's description of the upcoming events continued to unroll, Szambatem's expression conveyed what was perhaps the first sign of actual discomfort since he'd put in his appearance. He idly ran a claw along a particularly irregular growth of feathers. "An object pulled through flesh – yes, I know quite well."

[01:22] He tossed aside the last piece of his device, and glanced up at the sky, which always before had seemed such a predictable part of the Mirage. Perhaps even that had been too great a conceit, too complacent. If Gazhil was correct, was this then an object lesson?

[01:24] "The Nayabaru are capable of many things, but this seems rather... beyond them," he mused aloud. "Who, then, would be doing this?"

[04:44] Gazhil's gaze followed Szambatem's gesture to the feather tuft, expression darkening slightly but unmistakably, like someone partaking in the silent judgement of those who might inflict such a thing on another without their consent. He hadn't lived through such treatment himself – the worst the Nayabaru had done to him was to isolate him – but the authors were quite clear.

In a gentle gesture, he reached forward with one paw and touched the back of his hand against the patch in non-verbal acknowledgement.

When he spoke, it was back on track with the conversation, however: "The Karesejat, primarily." A pause, forepaw lingering near Szambatem's feathers. Then the paw withdrew, allowing Gazhil to adopt a posture of humbled introspection. "And my brother, who understands the threat."

The word Gazhil had used, baru, did not rule out a biological relation, but made it clear that whoever he was referring to was dear to him on a more spiritual level. He had not said amanat, however – there was some distance. A human picking up on all connotations might judge the relation as one of 'professional but deeply mindful interest'.

[04:45] Most strikingly, the conversation implied that this brother of Gazhil's was likely in the same place Gazhil had escaped from, still some kind of captive of the Nayabaru, yet Gazhil was plainly not distressed about this – mildly worried on some opaque axis of care, but no more.

Amansaa had begun to approach, quietly observing the bold, earnest stranger. The word 'brother' had reached her ears. She paused, thinking to herself about it, as though for the moment unsure whether to discuss the matter further with Taranidad or to mingle with the crowd, then decided for latter, the story staff conveying authority.

Gazhil's attention crept up to her, expression one of idle curiosity, as though she were any other kavkem he might encounter – not a ryrhakenem.

"You are welcome here should you mean us no harm," she said, softly, encouraging despite her obvious wariness. "You seem unusually eager to speak, yilu'ita. Are you, too, mindful that words are a precious commodity and others who listen treat them with the weight that implies?"

Despite the scepticism inherent to the question, there was no scolding undertone – more of a curiosity, as though she could imagine either answer and perhaps even a legitimate reason for both stances. "Forgive me, I have missed most of this exchange so far, so I must ask some basic questions:

"Is it true, then, that you are asking us to give up the Sanctuary that Za'alseki created for us over many months of arduous effort?" – Gazhil swerved his muzzle in silent acknowledgement. – Amansaa tilted her muzzle. "I do not doubt that you mean well, but if we were to return to nomadic wandering, it would be a great loss, so I must ask: What is the source of this information?"

Gazhil caught Karodaga's glare – unlike Amansaa, she was not willing to be charitable about it. He stared at and through her for a moment, trying to sort his thoughts, then glanced back at Amansaa, representing the entirety of Sanctuary as she did, and addressed a question at the whole group. "Do you believe in the Taaravahr gods?"

He did, of course, have reason to believe the answer was 'yes' – Karodaga, Taranidad and he had spoken of Tkanetar once before. But even in one group of kavkema, acceptance of the pantheon could vary greatly, and it was best not to assume.

§ 2020-07-15 21:58:47

[21:58] Taranidad forgot about all his bodily exhaustion and eagerly wanted to add all his useful additions, clarifications, explanations, and generally be useful in facilitating this exchange. He was practically bouncing on his paws, all the words bubbling inside him, waiting to be spoken, if only he could find a moment when it wouldn't be rude to interrupt their ryrhakenem.

[21:59] And then Gazhil asked about the Taaravahr gods.

And all the words evaporated in a blink of an eye. Gods?

[22:31] Szambatem found the question odd. Was Gazhil intending to claim some form of divine revelation? ...Come to that, he sort of hoped that he was. That would be an amusing twist to the narrative.

[22:35] He took it upon himself to speak up. "We tend to hold that the gods are... there, but only in a sense. They do not walk among us, we cannot speak to them or see them working at a purpose. They are the actions of the world, part of the Mirage. Why?"

[22:43] He failed to speak of Tamachelu. He had not seen her himself, but he had nonetheless heard, from others, that sometimes Tamachelu had been seen. Quite what he should make of this, he'd never been sure, but it had always seemed best to him to reserve his judgment, at least until he saw her for himself.

[23:12] Gazhil seemed to think for a moment, as though trying to determine what framework to use for what he was about to say. Then, with the same gentle confidence of before, the air of a teacher, he addressed the kavkema of Sanctuary: "There exist creatures of great but not immeasurable power, some of whom have shaped the past of this very planet.

"Some of these creatures have had fragments of their stories woven into what you all know as Taaravahr: Tkanetar, Tamachelu, Garukaron. These are people and they exist. For each you know a facsimile of, there exists another. And Tamachelu, who still remains on this world and does what she can to help you, has been asking those others for help.

"One has come – and he has died. But even that which remains of him now, a tiny fragment of his soul, is helping the Nayabaru to save this planet from the cosmic threat. His name is Valcen and as of yet, you tell each other no stories about him. Perhaps you never will.

"But it is he I take my information from. It is he I take my information from, and I take my information from Tkanetar also, who accompanied Valcen to protect him from the dangers of this world, who failed in protecting Valcen from those dangers, and who is now, as we speak, hoping to put an end to this world by turning the sun into a weapon that will erase it."

At no point did Gazhil's voice change into the sound of a dramatic tale – the cautious, matter-of-fact air remained, at odds with the mythological underpinnings he was invoking so casually. "I heard Tkanetar speak of his disdain; I know it was his wish to put an end to this entire world if Valcen failed at his plans. And I know that Valcen intends to stop him and has the means to, with the help—"

And here Gazhil paused, perhaps realising that he was on the brink of saying something that would earn him only outrage if worded quite in such a manner. "—with the help of the Nayabaru," he ended, preferring it to another mention of the Karesejat.

"Surely if the world is to be erased, it will not matter where on it we are?" Amansaa asked, sceptically, tipping her staff to gesture toward the sun without casting as much as one glance toward it herself.

Gazhil swerved his muzzle in assent. "Of course," he confirmed. "Indeed, if Tkanetar succeeds, it does not matter where we die. But if what remains of Valcen succeeds, there will still be substantial damage – it's a desperate move, frantic, attempting no elegance. It might tear this world apart; it will surely tear this Sanctuary of yours."

§ 2020-07-18 22:18:45

[22:18] "Whether the Nayabaru work with or on behalf of Tkanater, they know how to use machines that fly into the sky with great flames behind them. With an all-out effort they might cause a massive firestorm or, who knows, maybe even an earthquake. Gazhil has valid reasons to believe that this place faces imminent danger. We need to move higher into the mountains, where wel'll be safer." – Taranidad tried to sound as calm and composed as Gazhil. With each sore his body felt. He was counting on Karodaga voicing her support. He knew that she was very smart. He had heard her talk with Gazhil at length just hours before. If anyone, she'd be the one to support him. This would speed up arriving at the decision. It was crucial that they didn't waste any more time on discussions.

§ 2020-07-24 23:05:29

[23:05] The gods as real beings, with some yet unknown being claimed to speak? Tkanetar returned, to complete the cleansing interrupted so long ago? A desperate attempt to thwart divine wrath? An abandoning of their Sanctuary for a new and untested place? It all seemed nonsensical – even mad.

[23:11] As he listened, Szambatem grinned with increasing delight. He had never heard of a Christmas morning, but he had the sense of having been given a truly wonderful gift. It was at moments like these, when the Mirage stopped being quite so comfortable and familiar, when the absurdity stood out in such stark relief, that it became impossible to ignore what it truly was, and leaps toward the truth could be made.

[23:13] "I'm inclined to agree, I think," he said aloud, supporting Taranidad. "If nothing else, no one would just make up a story like this and expect to be believed."

[01:06] Somewhere in Karodaga's mind, an alternate theory coalesced, more mundane but darker than the picture their strange guest was painting.

It took effort for her not to simply speak it, but she carefully ran her mind over the words: Option two: Gazhil is an agent of the Nayabaru, explaining how he could escape from a Nayabaru facility on his own, pandering to our mythological understanding to drive us not only from our Sanctuary or discover its whereabouts, but into a well-prepared trap.

If true, they had erred in bringing Gazhil here and the correct response was to kill him without further hesitation. A compromise might be to watch him closely and prevent him from signalling someone outside Sanctuary. It might be best to recruit others to help her in private, rather than blurting out any accusations here, where the more rosy-eyed might take issue.

"My only concern," she lied. "Is that we are a very large group, as our Sanctuary has soaked up many wary travellers. It may not be safe to move this many kavkema in the same direction. I would feel better if we split up and went separate ways." She stared at Gazhil as though daring him to object, but harvested only a confused expression, no verbal response.

§ 2020-07-29 21:23:13

[21:23] Taranidad slowly closed his tired eyes and considered her words for a moment. "If the Sanctuary falls but a single kavkem escapes he will carry the Sanctuary within himself; he will be the Sanctuary" – Taranidad thought to himself.

For now it was the most important to get moving, get some momentum. He himself wasn't exactly sure where exactly to go. Prioritize and execute.

– "The Nayabaru settlement that we found is roughly northeast from here, so we have to go in the opposite direction. We need to pack food, and figure out what other belongings we can carry."

He closed his eyes again. He felt the refreshing damp grass touch his feet. Will he miss this sensation? The Sanctuary was not to stay.

§ 2020-08-06 21:03:09

[03:56] Szambatem eyed Karodaga. Was that suspicion, there?

[03:59] Aloud, he said, "If we are to split up, is there an area we can arrange to meet in? ...I recall, from when I was much younger, that in that general direction there was a mountain with a hooked summit, a distinctive landmark."

§ 2020-08-11 23:28:25

[23:29] There was some risk in letting the groups flow back together in the end, as long as Gazhil knew of their destination – but since it was Szambatem to suggest the location, at least they could be sure that their destination wouldn't come pre-embedded with traps, as long as they left as close to now as possible.

She lodged no objection, instead glancing to Amansaa, awaiting the ryrhakenem's judgement.

Amansaa still seemed sceptical. Perhaps that was to be expected – their Sanctuary was quite an achievement and the prospect of leaving it for something that felt so abstract, so unlikely, only kindled emotional resistance.

Nonetheless, the responsible thing was to yield to the request.

"Then let us coalesce at the mountain's summit," she said. "I suggest we form groups of no more than six kavkema – four is best. Speak to Szambatem if you need instructions as to how identify and reach the mountain. Take what you can; Taranidad can assist you in choosing your inventory if you are uncertain what to leave behind. And when you leave, be sure to tell whoever remains behind where you are going, so that we do not take the same paths by accident."

Oblivious to Karodaga's wary stare, Gazhil, by way of acknowledging the plan as sound, said: "If I can be of any assistance in carrying belongings, speak to me – I have no belongings of my own to weigh me down and offer my full strength toward helping you retain as much of what you have laboured so hard to obtain as possible."

§ 2020-08-19 21:20:50

[21:20] Taranidad felt an impulse of pride and pleasure upon hearing his name. Obviously, it didn't cancel all the tiredness in his body. He put his thoughts back on the task at hand. How can he be of assistance to his fellow kavkema and organize this grand evacuation?

[21:21] He searched for Karodaga in the growing crowd of kavkema – "Thanks for helping us come with the plan. Gazhil says that it is important that everyone gets going really quickly. It was a good idea that everyone can split into small groups." — Karodaga gave him a strange look, most likely because she was as tired as he was.

[21:22] He walked towards the nearest building and thought aloud – "There are many creeks in the mountains, fresh water will be easily available. It's more important to bring plenty of food. There won't be much time for hunting or foraging… And how to decide how to split into groups? We'll need to figure out what to do with the younglings too…" – There was so much to take care of. Some lesser kavkem would probably start to consider a suicide just thinking about how many things there were to organize.