A Meeting of Minds
Beyond Reach a MGTraveller game A Meeting of Minds
The akhuaeuhrekhyeh, the Rite of Passage, had reached its Zenith. Now would the young Aslan face the tests of strength, of detrmination and of courage. Wu stood in the arena, as did hundreds of his fellow initiates. All who had passed the tests of lore, of history and of morality. Now each clan would stand together and hunt as one, taking game fresh for the clan to eat. Clanleader Leon [he spared them his full Patronymic] and his wife ushered the ambassador and his family to their couches. The young Aslan was nervous...this was his first time alone with only a junior wife to see to protocol. He had come along on this duty of his wifes as she should not enter the arena alone, without a male to accompany her. More and more humans were fascinated by Hredur culture in these days, as the 400 year old treaty of technological limitation was discussed, pondered and slowly whittled away in the high courts of the Core. The ambassador from Saurus was here to discuss hunting preserve contracts with his clan...very important, as they drew rich Aslan from as far away as the Hierate. He was fascinated too. His wife arranged a corporate box. He was home until his hip and thigh healed, an Imperial medal on his chest, so he escorted her.
The tests began. Pride after pride faced a predetermined amount of Uoskyu, local omnivores about half again the size of a youth. The object of this test was to render the cretures helpless without harming them...while they tried to kill you. It was a test of teamwork and strategy as much as physical skill and was practiced by no other clan. Visitors from the Hierate found it fascinating, spontaneous drama, if a little non-traditional. Casualties were inevitable, but anyone wounded with honor here had earned his place in the clan and would not face a champion for that right.
The youngers were doing well, wild lariat swings, feints to confuse the foe, leaping takedowns to hold the beasts still while other rushed in to bind and tie. The Uoskyu were leapers, prone to sudden bursts of agile speed, their mouths a snapping blur of short, neat fangs, row upon row. Here and there an Aslan flew aside, Medical drones on them in seconds, while their clanmates drew the beasts attentions. Very rarely, an Uoskyu would fall and the offending youth was forced from the test, failing. Then it was clan Esuaheakhahryoyulr's turn. This would be a fine match for viewing as it was occuring at the foot of their seating. Leon turned to the man at his side and felt the peculiar double vision his kind needed when dealing with Humaniti engage, for the warrior was coddling a child, his//her daughter. She stopped moving when she saw his eyes, put her toy monkey knife in her lap. Leon ignored her presence. "Sir Anders, you have retired from the Navy, my wife tells me. How do you serve your family now?" The man put the cub on the seating next to him and touched an emblem of a pair of wings on his chest. "I breed and train Dragonnels, Lord Leon. Some of them are excellent racers. My speciality is the aerial hunt, however..." This novel and pleasureable discovery engrossed Lord Leon so much that he missed the opening release and the first few minutes of the test - a minor breach of protocol, but permissable under the circumstances. The pup had gone back to playing in her toy Aua-leather armour, miming the actions she witnessed below.
Then there was a roar and cries of surprise. An Uoskyu had bounded free of a bungled tie, gather all of its legs and leapt up the wall in a bid for freedom. It scrambled over the wall, teeth clashing, clawed paws scrabbling on the balustrade as it gathered itself. There was a cry from below and a youths claw grabbed at the rails, an initiate desperately trying to contain the beast.
Leon released his claws and sprang up but was entangled by the seating and the humani rancher. His wife had pushed the ambassador behind seating and was dragging their first son away from the panicking Uoskyu. It rear, snapping its jaws and then lunging forward at the Abassadors husband as he staggered and fell.
Several things happened all at once. The youther Wu slung his fierah-lariat expertly about the things jaws from the side and leapt onto its back, between the foreshoulders. Leon drove his dewclaws into the creatures neck, paralyzing its forelegs while his breastplate turned its head. The ambassadors husband fell back on the flooring and the cub...the cub leapt between her sire and the creature, childish monkey knife raised against the Uoskyu's tangled snarl.
Then it shuddered and the life passed from it. Leon withdrew his claws and the beast slumped slowly to the ground. The youther and the human child looked at each other over the body, both as surprised as each other. Leon raised his arms as Aslan poured in from all across the stands, ready to aid or fight.
"Be calm, citizens. The beast is slain, this youther here has kept his rites in all good intent, binding the creature only whilst I struck to save our guests. Honor is kept, so I say by my clans oath."
He helped the rancher to his feet as escorts arrived to clear away the body. The man snatched up his son, held him close.
"Your son has honored you today, sir...as this youth has honored us all. Your dimunuitive, youth?" Wu stood formally, dragging his eyes away from the humani cub. "Wu," he replied. "You handled yourself well and kept honor, youth. You have my gratitude and my debt."
The humani cub squirmed to look at Leon again, wide eyes staring. "But sir, I am a girl, Sir." The huge Aslan leaned in closer to her, filling her vision. His eyes were golden. She felt her father tense. He reached out a hand and patted her head, ignoring his wifes gasp. "Not for today, little cub."
