The Way of the Beast

***

  Stenhelt woke to a brisk, foggy dawn, roused by a dream of Annori. He liked the girl, but wasn't sure if he loved her. He wasn't even sure what the word 'love' really meant. His heart would lift when he saw her, and the girl's looks certainly kept his lust at the ready. Was that love? The question might've been for naught if he finally returned home and found that Annori had changed her mind about him. With the newly formed plans Sten had for traveling, he doubted she would have the patience to wait for him anyway.

  "Good morning, Khoveyo," Chohla said sleepily, interrupting Sten's thoughts. The traveler was still curled in his blanket and kept his eyes closed, but continued to speak. "See to your needs. We'll have a cold breakfast; fire won't serve our purpose this morning."

  After returning from the stream, Sten came back to camp and sat back down. "Are we not trekking today, master Chohla?" he asked before biting into a pear.

  "Later, perhaps," Chohla answered as he sat up. "For now, I want you to get comfortable and finish your fruit." When the pear core was thrown into the ashes of the fire pit, Chohla continued. "Now close your eyes, Khoveyo. Ignore the sound of the water. Listen past the ducks flying overhead. Listen to the forest. Fill your mind with only that."

  While Sten did as he was told, Chohla moved off to the stream. He spoke to the water, giving it a message to any of his ancient people who might notice. He could have sent a message through a pond - it would still reach all the waters of Ethion and beyond. The message was that there was a new traveler among them, and to receive him well if they crossed paths. When Chohla finished, he returned to camp and found Sten as he was before. "What do you hear?" he softly asked.

  "There is a squirrel on the ground near the large oak behind me," Sten responded simply. He could hear it scamper occasionally through fallen leaves, imagining it to be foraging for nuts in preparation for the winter.

  "Hmm... a squirrel," Chohla said with a hint of disappointment. "I was hoping for something bigger. Ah well, it'll do. Now, Khoveyo, focus only on that squirrel. Listen to its movements, its breathing. There is nothing else. Let your mind be one with it."

  Chohla sat back down and watched with interest as Sten concentrated. His breathing, slow and deep at first, soon became rapid. His body slowly, almost imperceptibly, made slight alterations. His nails grew and curved as they thickened. His nose broadened and twitched. He absently kicked out of his leather boots and deerskin pants, leaving only his poncho to cover him as his thighs and calves swelled with muscle.

  As the young man transformed, the squirrel he was attuned to scurried into camp next to him. It hopped onto Sten's lap for a moment, and then bound away to grab up an acorn. Sten's eyes opened; the whites were nearly gone, replaced with huge irises of a murky green color.

  In one of the ancient languages of his people - Locan, as known by Sten's - Chohla whispered the question, "What do your senses tell you?"

  Sten turned his head about with sudden, jerky movements. "There is food on the ground. A hawk soars further upstream. Rain is coming."

  The words satisfied Chohla. Sten was using the animal's senses along with a man's reasoning; a squirrel wouldn't know the predator in the distance was a hawk, or what 'upstream' was. He would not lose his sense of self while following a lesser creature's instincts. Chohla whispered again in the ancient tongue, "Run, Khoveyo. Join the squirrel for a while."

  Sten rose and stepped away from camp, and then abruptly ran off into the foggy woods with amazing speed. He was chasing the squirrel, matching its movements. He sprang over the leafy ground and scrambled up tall oaks. During his play, Chohla noticed a finely-furred wide tail that grew from under the back of Sten's poncho. It was used for balance when the young traveler began to make breathtaking leaps from one tree to another.

  A short while later, Sten walked back to the camp. He had returned to normal, excepting his nails and eyes. With an arm across his stomach, he sat back down across from Chohla.

  "Did you hurt yourself, Khoveyo?"

  Sten shook his head. "I ate too many nuts, I think. They aren't sitting well." He looked at Chohla and added, "If I ever bond with an elk or deer, remind me not to graze."

  Chohla couldn't help but grin. "I think you'll remember on your own." With a more serious tone, he said, "You've taken a long stride forward here this morning. Instead of letting your inner beast be influenced by nearby animals, you sought out that rush of life and took it in. You've learned some control." As he spoke, he saw Sten had fully returned to his normal self.

  "Not as much control as I wanted," Sten lamented, "or else I wouldn't have a sour stomach."

  "I said some control. It will take practice. As we travel, attune yourself to the land around you. As you did with the squirrel, let your senses tell you of what lives there. Your hunting skills will strengthen from it. Soon it will become easy." Chohla then began to rummage through his large bag. As he did, he asked, "What else did you learn while running through the woods?"

  "There was a bush with small yellow berries that I think would cause sickness; my nose was stronger and caught a bitter scent. Also, there were no tracks of any sort near to it."

  "Ah, good," Chohla said as he continued to dig through his bag. "What else?"

  Sten thought for a moment. "I learned how to be lighter on my feet, and maybe a way to send out a feeling... Does that sound right? Send out a feeling to tell an animal it can trust me?"

  "Creating an aura," Chohla casually replied without looking up. "But that cannot be done with deception in your heart, to lure an animal close. They'll sense the truth of it." Sten nodded his agreement. Chohla finally set his bag aside. "I don't have anything for your sour stomach. I'm sure there's some mint mixed in with the clover and moss around some of these trees; just pick some leaves and chew on them. That should help. If you feel well enough to move along soon, we might yet escape the rain you predicted."