The Creature Talker - Chapter Three

The light hours, and her departure, arrived far too soon for Khea's liking. Word had spread through her village as quickly as the fire that cracked across the sky during a storm. Many of her tribe sisters delivered food for her to take on the journey as well as weapons made from sharpened rocks in case she needed to defend herself or cut a path for safe passage. The generosity came as a surprise to Khea who always believed she could disappear into the murky waters without a person taking notice. Their acts, and chants of safety, gave Khea an encouragement and the first sliver of hope that she might actually return.

The Silvers granted her some time to convene with the local creatures before she left. Khea knew leaving them would cause confusion, and possible panic, as they often relied on her to help settle disputes, air concerns, and for general company. Khea gathered all she could reach with her gift and spent much of first light attempting to explain why they would not be able to sense her for many sun rises and sets. Most could not grasp the concept given that her ability did not give them human understanding and only opened a gate between the different beings for communicating. She sent images, which worked as the most universal language, out to them illustrating her absence from the area and her trek to the land beyond. Many flooded back images of them joining her but she insisted they wait and greet her upon her return. Their help could aid her greatly but the thought of any getting hurt, or even killed, on her behalf caused her great anguish.

While they agreed to stay behind, the creatures followed Khea back to her dwelling hoping to get a few more moments in before her journey. Most of the village already returned to their daily tasks by the time Khea returned to her home. While their support was appreciated having the time to herself as she completed her final preparations came as a relief. Since she received the news, Khea barely had a moment to process and she needed to clear her head before her feet touched unfamiliar ground. In her empty dwelling, expect for Peck who perched quietly atop her bundled food and who understood any disturbance would cause a rock in his direction, Khea sat down to meditate.