A Whisper of Wings (27 page)
Read A Whisper of Wings Online
Authors: Paul Kidd
Shadarii shrugged; the jiteng game? Who knew? Who cared? She went back to gazing at Kotaru, her tail waving softly in the breeze.
Kotaru looked down at her, and she melted beneath his big brown eyes. The man softly blew a short phrase on his flute, exploring a gentle phrase of sound. Shadarii heard her own name lingering on his music as he played the song that he had crafted just for her.
Sha-da-rii…
Sha-da-rii…
This time it was played without sadness. She luxuriated beneath the soft caress of music, feeling him worship her with his art.
Sha-da-rii…
Shadarii opened up her eyes and blinked. Suddenly her mind snapped into crystal clarity. The girl quickly snatched a piece of paperbark, and with a piece of charcoal she began to hastily sketch down symbols on the sheet.
What-What if a word was divided into segments like the notes of Kotaru’s song? Word segments! Instead of using one picture to depict a word, she could use many! One for each sound. Make each picture an object who’s first word segment was the same as the segment being pronounced!
Of course!
Her hands trembled with excitement; Shadarii’s whole world suddenly centred on a tiny sheet of bark.
Sha - da - rii. Three word segments. Three separate pictures.
Sha - say “Shattra”, the full moon. That was an easy thing to draw. The girl swiftly sketched a great round circle on the page.
Da - The girl frowned unhappily. The choices were endless. Dapokuko were monsteria plants. Dadakanii were tasty river clams. Daka was an adze…
Dathra! A river rush. Why not? Sha-Da…
Rii? Riitra! Waterfall; a wavy line. And there she had it! Three word segments; three pictures. Place each one beside the others, like building a tune upon a music stick. Picture words! It was actually working! In a state of wild excitement Shadarii reached for another sheet of bark.
Kotaru. Ko-ta-ru. The mind simply had to sing the word - divide it into sections as if making notes to craft a song. She would have to get a flute to play the words out one by one. It would be a work of months, perhaps even years to unravel all the word segments used within the language, but it could be done. One day she would finally be able to write down words for everyone to see.
A dozen Vakïdurii gathered all around her. Tingtraka combed her long black pony tail across her shoulders, completely fascinated by Shadarii’s work.
“Shadarii, what are you doin’? Is it a picture?”
“A game? Maybe it’s a game board for playin’ Katakanii dak-dak¹?”
Little Kïtashii came wandering across from paddling her feet in the river. The girl came to stare intently at Shadarii’s page, seeming suitably impressed.
“Goodness, how elegantly simple! Did you really think of all that just then?”
Shadarii nodded eagerly. She began to point out symbols in the page, pointing at the dirt or river water all around them. Kïtashii and Kotaru watched her closely, while Jiteng players scratched their heads, utterly at a loss.
“What’s she doing? Is it a dance or something?”
Kotaru’s worshipful eyes never left Shadarii’s face.
“No. It’s beautiful! She-she says she’s making something new. Pictures that record words and sentences. Record them down forever!”
A huge Goal Guard slowly shook his head.
“I don’t see the sense of it! If you couldn’t talk (beggin’ yer pardon, my lady), then maybe there’d be a need. But if y’ can speak, why waste your time with pictures?”
Kotaru caressed Shadarii’s hair.
“Oh it’s useful. I know that now. She’d never create a thing that wasn’t needed.”
Shadarii glowed with pleasure; there was no one’s praise that she would rather have. She felt him twitch, his ears glowing as he saw her staring up at him in hope.
The moment was broken by a riotous whoop of laughter from the others. Shadarii irritably looked up to see Mrrimïmei staggering over to the river, her clothes dishevelled and bracken in her hair. Her legs were weak and shaky - a fact that was noted with hoots of approval by all her friends.
Kotaru thoughtfully stroked his chin, peering over at Mrrimïmei.
“Hey love, are you feelin’ any better this afternoon?”
The girl combed fingers through her hair, smiling down at all her friends.
“Who me? Aaaah there’s nothin’ wrong with me that my Totoru can’t cure! T’was just an upset tummy at breakfast time, is all.”
“Sick again this morning? Have you been eating ought that we’ve all missed?”
“Nothin’ I can think of. Don’t matter! The game’s not until tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be over it by then.” She grabbed Kotaru’s nose and gave it a friendly waggle. “You worry too much about us all. Just get us on that field tomorrow! We’ll win for thee, never fear!”
An indefinable air of something blazed in Mrrimïmei’s aura. Suddenly Shadarii knew a secret; she sat up to clap her hands for joy, and all eyes turned to look at her. Mrrimïmei laughed as she saw Shadarii’s smile.
“Oh ho! So you’ve somethin’ to tell us all, eh? Well out with it! Don’t keep us in suspense!”
Shadarii pointed at Mrrimïmei and stroked her own soft belly. The other girl blinked in puzzlement, trying hard to understand.
“What’s this? You’re hungry?”
Shadarii frowned and shook her head in annoyance; she patted at her belly and then cradled an imaginary something at her breast.
“You want a cuddle? We’ll I can’t help you there, love. This dopey man’s been missing every hint you try to give him!”
Shadarii’s ears blushed; she hastily waved her hands and tried again. Mrrimïmei and company shook their heads in confusion.
“Shadarii love, I just don’t understand you!”
“She says that you’re pregnant, you dizzy female!” Kïtashii stamped her feet. “For Rain’s sake! Can’t any of you understand the simplest little thing?”
Mrrimïmei’s smile froze on her face; the other players blinked and looked at her in wonder. From somewhere in the back a voice sang sweetly through the ferns.
“Ooooh Totoooo-ruuuu! Are you still lying down? We have a little surprise for you…!”
Mrrimïmei gave a nervous titter. Her hands drifted down to touch her abdomen.
“You - uh - you can’t really be serious…”
Shadarii gave an eager nod, beaming happily up at the mother-to-be. Oh to know such joy, such happiness! To feel the wonder that Mrrimïmei must be feeling now!
Mrrimïmei staggered.
“Totoru!”
Someone caught her. Shadarii blinked in confusion and tried to puzzle out just what was wrong. Didn’t Mrrimïmei want a baby? Why ever not?
Kotaru looked up at Mrrimïmei and numbly shook his head.
“No, she can’t be!” The team captain looked around himself in horror. “She just can’t be!”
Kïtashii planted her fists upon her skinny hips and glared.
“Mrrimïmei is pregnant. If Shadarii says she feels the baby then she feels the baby! Haven’t you learned anything?”
She was right; of course she was right. Kotaru hung his head while the whole team erupted into an excited babble. Totoru burst from the bushes, bracken still clinging to his fur. Mrrimïmei went to him and whispered urgently in his ear. The two of them clung tight together as they tried to make sense out of their future. Totoru suddenly laughed aloud, then picked his lover off the ground; Mrrimïmei threw back her head and gave a wild whoop of joy.
Kotaru looked at Mrrimïmei with lost little eyes, desperately running fingers through his fur.
“But-but what about the game?”
Everyone jerked to a halt. Mrrimïmei dragged a piece of bracken from her hair.
“What? Well why is there a problem?”
“B-because you’re up the duff, you dozy female!”
“I’ll be fine! T’weren’t a problem yesterday. Didn’t slow me down in this mornin’s practice. I’ll be fine!”
Kotaru staggered to his feet.
“You’re joking girl! Did you see the way they played out there today? Did you see those animals rippin’ into one another?”
“Oh bosh! Kotaru, you sound like you’re my mother!” The girl suddenly slapped her hands against her face. “Mother! My stars, she’s going to kill me!”
Kotaru began frantically pacing back and forth.
“Mrrimïmei, I just can’t let you risk yourself. Think of what could happen!”
“Oh Kotaru, you’re very sweet!” She kissed him on the nose. “There’s no need to worry, love. I can take good care o’ myself. Everything’s going to be just fine.”
Kotaru kept up his pacing, his tail switching back and forth behind him.
“I cannot allow you to play. I’m sorry, but there’s more at stake than a silly game of jiteng. I’ll not risk your life or your wee one with Zhukora.”
“No!” Mrrimïmei clawed Kotaru’s fur. “I can play! Don’t do this to me!”
“I’m not doin’ anything to you. I care for you too much to let you risk yourself. Totoru, I expect you to back me up on this!”
The huge guard took his lover in his arms. He unhappily tried to calm Mrrimïmei down.
“He’s right, love. One good tackle and the baby’s history.”
The girl wept in anguish.
“No! You can’t do this to me! After all this work, all this struggle!”
“We made a wee mistake, my love. T’will all turn out for the best. There’s a baby for us now, eh? We can play jiteng another time.”
Mrrimïmei wrung her hands.
“But we’ll lose the game! There’s no reserve players. Who can you possibly find to replace me?” The other players stared around in shock. Kotaru helplessly shook his head. Where could they find a replacement? The game was as good as lost.
Shadarii dropped a jiteng helmet on her head; it was at least four sizes too big for her, and only the tip of her snout protruded. The girl tugged at Kotaru’s leggings, peering up at him from the helmet’s shadows.
Kotaru looked down at her and felt his ears stand high in surprise.
“What? Oh no! Shadarii, you can’t be serious!”
Shadarii nodded eagerly, the helmet slipping down across her eyes.
“Oh my love, you can’t even play the game. You haven’t practised!”
A ball rose up from over in the grass, hovered before Kotaru’s nose and then drifted down into Shadarii’s lap. Kotaru rubbed the back of his neck, loving her for her loyalty.
“What if your sister sees? T’will mean trouble for you.”
A mask joined the vball, hovering in the air.
<
“You have two other assets that are a wee bit harder to disguise.
Shadarii peered down at her huge round breasts and shrugged, folding her arms in tight.
<
“I don’t want you to be hurt!”
<>
Kotaru was reluctant; he loved her for it, but all his instincts told him no. Finally he reached down to take her hands.
“Alright, my love, alright. But we’ll go and practice now. There’s much work to be done before tomorrow morn.” His voice dropped down to a whisper.
“You rescue me again, my lady. Bless me but I love thee…”
Shadarii gave a little gasp and clung on tight. Finally held in Kotaru’s arms, she never wanted to leave his grasp again.
Everything would be alright; after all, jiteng wasn’t really dangerous. Who’d ever gotten hurt over a silly game?
***
Two lovers walked hand in hand along the riverbank, listening to the slow play of the wind. There was no rush - no need to hurry; beneath the drowsy summer sun, love seemed slow and wonderful.
The breeze moved slowly through Shadarii’s orange fur. Kotaru drank in the sight of her as though she were a vision from beyond the sky. She looked coyly sidewise at him, her long lashes fluttering in embarrassment as she saw him catch her gaze.
Kotaru coughed and spoke into the nervous silence.
“I don’t like the idea of you playing with us tomorrow, but I thank you for the rescue. You risk a lot for me. I don’t quite know what the future holds for us, my love. I just can’t seem to see…”
The future? Shadarii stood posed by the riverbanks and felt the ïsha stroke against her soul, while Kotaru stared down at the ground and gave a troubled sigh.
“Aaaaah Shadarii, I just don’t know anymore. My heart fights my head. Where are we going together, you and I? I wish I could tell.”
Shadarii held up a finger, then turned and led Kotaru over to the riverbanks. They sat down together on the rocks above a deep part of the stream. Kotaru watched in confusion as Shadarii settled him in place. With a long, slow sigh Shadarii bowed her head above the waters.
Kotaru blinked; when Shadarii raised her face, she was lost in utter concentration. The ïsha began to throb as Shadarii’s hands poured light across the riverbanks. Far beneath the surface, something began to swell and grow.
Movement swirled in the deeps. Light gleamed from two enormous saucers that stared up at Kotaru in cold appraisal. The hunter gave a croak as a vast catfish surfaced from the murk.
