148 -- A Stampede of Priestlys

Ilax and Kyrus stood on the sand, let their disturbed birds settle, looking back at the small rock fall behind them.  “Well, now we know what upset the flocks of priestlys.”

Kyrus managed to get his bird to be still enough to pull a bright red little carcass out of the back pouch and feed it to his bird.  Given something to focus on other than its momentary fright it threw it’s head up and tossed the feathery lizard up in the air so it could catch and swallow it head first.  Ilax’s bird was suddenly not only calm but trying to steal the other bird’s treat.

“There.  That should take their pee brains off rock crumbles.”

Ilax sighed and pulled down hard on his bird’s head as it threatened to start a fight with Kyrus’s mount.  “Hold still you stupid thing!”  The men had a half dozen of the tiny feathered lizards that had poured through the wadi in a panicked stampede the night before.  The war-birds had gorged themselves and people had laid about themselves with sticks to keep from being over-run.  It was one reason that the birds were less fractious today, being so full fed, and on meat instead of roots.   

He managed to feed his bird a treat as well and then he and Kyrus stood looking back at the mess all over the road, right where it spread out and down the hill.

“It was endarkened stupid for the both of us to be scouting,” Kyrus said.  “But I had to get away from the boy before I strangled him!”

“He’s a good boy.  It’s just normal, inam. He’s a teenager and you can’t say that he hasn’t taken all these changes well in stride.”

“I suppose.  I... feel badly about it.  I didn’t even know I was a father and suddenly I’m presented with a nearly grown son, a husband, a new career and life and the most frightening grandfather on the planet!”

Ilax laughed hard.  “And you’re taking it patiently and ducking when the blows get too wild, like any good teacher with a new war-student.”  He shaded his eyes and looked up and down the road, at the green terran plants intermingled with the orange and yellow ones as they all battened on the water by the road.  “You know.  This is odd.  There isn’t a flying thing in the sky and I haven’t heard anything cheeping or skreeking at all.  No shriekers, no buzzkillers, no ants, no moths, no shitflecks.  Nothing.”

Kyrus nodded and threw his arm around Ilax as they stood at the limit of their reins and let their birds calm down a bit longer. “You’re right,” he said, without looking around.  “I saw priestly tracks all around before something made them stampede.  Usually there’s bones and feathers around their burrows.  They were all clean.”

They stood and looked back at the rock-fall.  Kyrus waved as if he were remonstrating to Ilax about having to clear the road, or something.  “It’s so strange,” Kyrus said.  “Even in ten years this road shouldn’t have crumbled so badly.”  He shook his head and leapt back onto his saddle.  “There’s something badly wrong here.”

“Well, the way water moves every year,” Ilax said as he checked his bird’s breast strap before mounting. “I suppose we should expect it.  You’re right.”

They half opened the bridles and let the birds pace back down the road away from the frightening rock-fall and toward the wadi.  “I don’t know.” Kyrus said.  He whistled idly through his teeth.  *Stinks.*

Without looking around Ilax nodded as if his lover had said something that needed an answer. He reached up to scratch under his veil.  *Enemy ground* he whistled/hissed back.   

Kyrus nodded.  “We should get back to everyone else.”

“Damn this road being blocked.  If we can’t unblock it we’ll be months getting to the city.”

“Or have to cut through the badlands and we might not make that at all.”

“Clearing the road it is.”  *What do you think?*

*Don’t know*