The Neo-Rakarr: Part One by shelleylow
--------
Related previous stories To
be a Master: Aihami's Initiation, To
be a Master: A Student Found, and To
be a Master: Hidden Powers.
The Beekadoodles were chirruping happily in the branches
of the trees, misty with sunlight and dripping wet with night rain, as the ground
dwellers foraged for breakfast among the dew-soaked undergrowth. The jungle
seemed so alive and awake at this time, and it was the day of the white-belts'
first test.
They gathered together, chattering excitedly
or whispering nervously, depending on their feelings.
"Quiet," rumbled Marko' voice. A hush fell over
the youngsters as Aihami and Kokyu strode in and started the test by making
them pair up and bow to their partners.
"Now," Kokyu called, "I want those of you facing
me to start by performing the Opposite Paw-Catch…"
A delighted smile spread across Aihami's features
as the white-belts began. They weren't performing with absolutely flawless skill,
but it wasn't so much the skill she was looking at as the gleam in their eyes,
the lifeforces shining clear in their bodies as coloured glowing orbs of energy,
strong and powerful. They were throwing it out, using it fully. And their precision,
their spirit, their suppleness and focus…that was what counted in their favour.
She was so satisfied she turned her head to
look out the window for a spell, and that was when it caught her eye. It only
appeared for a fleeting second and was gone in the blink of an eye, but it was
unmistakably a flash of blood red disappearing into the green screen of leaves.
Aihami's throat tightened. If those pets were here, were after her…who knew
what would happen to her students…
She had to do something about it, quickly. Looking
across at Kokyu and Marko, she saw they were still overseeing the white-belts,
but Kokyu's blue head suddenly jerked up and his eyes locked onto hers, questioningly.
He had caught her flash of fear and uneasiness.
Don't worry about me, she thought. Stay
with the white-belts. She poured energy into those words in her mind, keeping
her gaze on his. Then she turned away and went out of the door.
She had to keep those red-clothed ones away
from her students. She knew it was most likely her they were after, and if she
stayed it would mean they'd have to face off in the training hall, and it was
more than likely someone would get hurt. If she could lead them away from this
place…
She sensed a patch of tension and steely intent
behind her. They were coming; there was no time to lose. Silently she slipped
off among the trees.
She could feel the pulse of uptightness and
steely determination following her. She twisted and climbed through the branches,
trying to lose them. But they kept on her tail with remarkable tenacity, much
more than previously. There was almost a hint of desperation in them.
She was concentrating so hard on them that she
didn't notice the warning flare in front of her-or else it came too late. Before
she knew it she was hanging from the air, suspended by a footpaw caught in a
thick rope of knotted vines. A trap. Aihami's heart sank as she chastised herself.
How could she not have been on the alert in all directions?
The red-clothed pets surrounded her, jeering
and patting each other on the backs. Wait until they grab me, she thought.
Then I'll get free somehow. But then a thought struck her. If she didn't
go with them now, it would happen again, and again. She had sensed enough of
them to know they were intent in their mission. They would not give up until
she was captured. She couldn't risk her students' safety. Better to go with
them and find out what they wanted so badly of her; she could try and probe
for weak spots then.
It was more than likely the pets had expected
her to struggle and put up a good fight; they seemed rather surprised that she
gave no resistance at all as they trussed her, bound her paws and hoisted her
onto their backs.
"Neo-Kido," smirked a yellow Lenny. "What a
useless art! If this is what a Master is like when caught, then we got nothing
to worry about!" The other pets broke out into cruel laughter at that. Aihami
held her peace, breathing deep. Naro-Master had warned her some pets would think
like that. Fyora knew Marko had, when she first met him.
"Think of your students, think of your students,"
she murmured almost inaudibly to herself, as the heavier branches and vines
bruised her painfully through her uniform and red fur. Recite their names, now.
Marko, Aragon, Jitterbug, Emlyn, Teken, Manny… She was doing this for them,
all of them. "Think of Kokyu…"
***
Kokyu knew something was wrong. He had sensed
the flash of wrongness in Aihami's direction, and as he read her glance clearly
he thought he could guess the cause of the trouble. Nevertheless he had faith
in her judgment and abilities, and had kept on with the test, though he couldn't
keep back the nagging doubt that something wasn't quite right about her decision.
As the white-belts finished their test and settled,
exhausted, by the side of the training hall, Marko padded up quietly to Kokyu,
a serious glint in his tawny eyes.
"Where's Aihami-Master?"
Kokyu shook his head. "She went off in the middle
of the test…said something was wrong…"
"Aihami-Master's gone!"
The shout was from Keota, the Eyrie kit. Her
twin Koura started to clack her beak concernedly as the other white-belts began
to murmur among themselves. Aragon the Lupe cub and his friend Jitterbug the
Chia trotted up and tugged at Marko's and Kokyu's sleeves anxiously. "Kokyu-Master,
Marko-Senior, where'd Aihami-Master go?"
"I don't know, young ones," Kokyu said gently,
trying to push down the rising panic as he felt surer and surer of what had
made Aihami leave. He pulled himself together. He would have to, if no one else
would. As the most senior member of the training hall, he couldn't afford to
lose his calm. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he addressed his students.
"Aihami-Master has gone out into the jungle,"
he announced, hoping that the worry wouldn't betray itself in his voice. "Myself
and Marko-Senior will go and look for her. You must all stay here; on no accounts
leave the training hall. In fact, it would be safer if you were all in one room…
Raz," he broke off, turning to the eldest and most sensible of the white-belts,
a red Kacheek, "I'd like you to crowd everyone into the boys' dormitory…lock
the door and make sure no one leaves." Raz agreed, and began shepherding the
other white-belts, still wide-eyed and numb with shock at their Master's serious
demeanour, into the room.
Kokyu turned to Marko, seeing the same anxiety
he felt reflected in the Kougra's face. "Come on, Marko," he said. "We need
to hurry." The Kougra nodded resolutely, and after making sure the dormitory
door was firmly locked, he padded after Kokyu out into the jungle, seeking Aihami.
***
The red Aisha had leapt into the trees again,
as she had the previous day, and Kokyu and Marko didn't have a particularly
hard time following the trail of fallen twigs and leaves that her pursuers had
left behind. Then they came upon the slightly frayed vine rope, still tied in
its noose. Marko snarled softly to himself as he inspected the area around the
base of the tree with his sharp eyes and sharper nose.
"I think they've caught her, Kokyu-Master. And
I think she went willingly."
An icy, chilling fist of despair squeezed Kokyu's
insides hard. He knew of Aihami's great love of her students; she would put
them before her own safety. He was almost sure she had gone to protect her training
hall and its inhabitants from the red-clothed pets. It had been her they wanted,
after all. Now the training hall would be left in peace.
But Kokyu wasn't about to desert his friend.
He and Aihami had not met very long ago, but he had come to feel some sort of
understanding with her the short time he had known her.
Somehow, he had to get her back from wherever
she was.
"Come on, let's find out where they've taken
her," Marko called, breaking into Kokyu's shroud of determination fueled by
loss.
Kokyu straightened up and faced the Senior. "Right.
But after this you must go back to the white-belts, Marko. They'll need you.
I wish I had more Seniors in this training hall myself but we can't do anything
about that now."
Marko's nod reassured him. It was clear the
Kougra had been thinking along the same line. Together they set off on the trail
of the pets and Aihami.
They had not gone far through the clear spoor
of trampled undergrowth and torn bushes before it simply ended. There were no
more torn bushes or spots of bare earth to mark the way. It was almost as if
the intruders and Aihami had simply disappeared into thin air.
To be continued...
|