3 days later, they arrived at the base of a large cliff with a tall waterfall nearby. It was a beautiful sunny day and people hadn’t been able to wash themselves in some time, so they decided to stay here for the day, even though it was early.
The small pond that had formed at the base of the waterfall was perfect for bathing and swimming. Even though the water was quite cold, everyone found that they wanted to do it.
The women went there first, creating a barricade with large sheets around one side. While they were bathing, the men went around to find some firewood for their meal.
Ning finally saw Umad leave his carriage after 5 days. He had left his carriage before, but Ning hadn’t been there to see it. He always kept to his men and didn’t show up for the commoners. With the waterfall, he seemed to have been wanting to bathe for a while now.
Ning helped gather some wood, but he wasn’t made to carry it. The people knew he only had a single arm, so a few willing men helped carry his share. Even if Ning could carry it himself, they wouldn’t let him.
By the time they returned, the women had all bathed already, so it was the men’s turn. The men let the women handle the fire and went to take a bath as well.
Ning felt the cold water jolt him awake as he entered it. He had never felt cold like this before in a long, long time, so he found this a unique experience.
He had some fake memories of him doing so, but those weren’t real enough for him. This experience was.
He cleaned up nice and well before returning back in time to eat a proper hot lunch to warm himself up. Once they finished eating, they sat in the meadow, under the sun, where they enjoyed their time just talking.
It was hours before sundown, so they had a lot of time in their hand. They had already decided to stop here for the day, so this was one of the more free days they had.
After a while, Ning and Shara went to train with Dema following them. There were a few kinds in the caravan that gathered to watch them train now, each one excitedly asking if they could train too.
Dema had prepared some wooden staff with the timber he had found to create a makeshift spear for them with which they couldn’t harm themselves. They weren’t taught specifically, but they were allowed to just move around by watching how they trained.
Dema trained under Ning, understanding the intricacies of spear fighting that he had never even realized was there. He knew how to fight with a spear, but one never really fought with a spear. They fought with their entire body.
Where they held the spear, how they stood, where their feet were
everything mattered in
the end and Dema was learning that more and more in the last few days.
Shara was getting much better at handing the spear. Her hands were beginning to callous from how much she trained, but it was good for her right now. She needed to be stronger.
Ning moved away from teaching her just how to handle the spear and began to teach her how to fight as well. It was a slow teaching, adding one small thing at a time, but he had begun to do so.
Shara was more than excited to learn more.
Once night fell, they sat around to sing and dance once again or play some games. When it was late at night, they returned to their carriages to sleep.
Ning and Shara went to their carriage at the back to sleep as well. They fell asleep not long after.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ning was tired from the day’s work, but even so, he woke up in alertness as his Life Sense showed a few converging lights around their place. And from the blobs of light alone, he could tell that these were not people.
Ning slowly got up, sending the blobs, following where they were going. They were at the edge of his senses, so he slowly stuck his head out from the cart to see if he could see them.
The moon was out, but there wasn’t much he could see even with it. The constant noise of the waterfall in the distance made it hard to hear anything as well.
Still, the way the animals moved together, he had a feeling that they were wolves.
Ning slowly pulled the spear out from the cart and walked outside. If these wolves attacked the horses, they would be in trouble.
He needed to notify the night guard that something was up. Hopefully, they had noticed it already, but just in case, he walked toward the main carriages to alert them of it.
As he walked, he noticed that the blobs were getting closer and closer toward him. ‘They can see me?’ he thought, realizing that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed them.
He couldn’t go all the way over there. He needed to alert them now.
“Wolves!” he shouted. “Wolves are here.”
Immediately he could hear a commotion from the caravan, with people getting up as they heard the cries.
Ning continued sensing the blobs of light get closer toward him and then he saw them in the dim light of the leftover fire pit. He saw the glistening eyes first and then the black fur.
He heard the snarl next and then the beasts were revealed to him.
These weren’t wolves at all. These were…
‘Oh shit!’ Ning realized. He was in greater trouble than he had imagined he would be in right
now.
“BLACK MOUNTAIN LIONS!” he shouted. “Not wolves. These are mountain lions.”
He could finally see the feline creature and recognized them. And then, the very first one lunged for him, swinging with its giant claw toward him.
