The Huntress of Iyhiri

Chapter 19

"Do they all look like that on the inside?" Agnez asked as they walked, following the trail of the small monster they left in pieces near the lake. She didn't expect an answer. She just needed to say something about what they found.

"I would guess so," said Yaalon. "Where did Rockdog get himself to?" he asked, looking around. Agnez and Rajhani looked around, checking the horizon to the left and right. No sign of the wolf. Yaalon put his thumb and forefinger in his mouth and let out a loud, high-pitched whistle. Then three short whistles followed. "He'll be along. Let's keep going."

The trio continued.

"So, how do we use what we learned back there?" Rajhani asked.

"Well, now we know it's something built and not something living. Maybe there is a way to keep them from working," said Agnez.

"And we know that water dissolves its skin, if skin is what you call it," added Yaalon.

"And that it won't burn us once it's...dead? I don't know what to call it," said Rajhani.

They walked in silence, each trying to come up with a way to use what they had learned.

A loud bark broke the silence.

"Rock Rock!" yelled Rajhani excitedly. A tail-wagging Rockdog ran up to Rajhani and threw his weight into her, knocking her down.

"Ra!" exclaimed Agnez, turning back and reaching down to help her up. "Are you okay?"

Rajhani laughed as Rockdog licked her face.

Yaalon stepped up to the wolf and Rajhani and bent at the waist, putting his hands on his knees. "I'm here, too, pup."

Rockdog kept licking Rajhani's face, who continued to laugh and hug the giant wolf.

Yaalon looked up at Agnez, "It's fine. Not like I saved him as a pup or anything," he said with a flick of his hand.

Agnez stood back up, leaving her little sister and the wolf to their greeting.

"Well," said Agnez, "they're happy right now. Let's leave them to it."

"You're right." he replied. "Walk a bit?"

"Sure," Agnez said, nodding and stepping away from her sister.

"What happened back there, Agnez?" Yaalon asked once they were far enough away that he thought Rajhani wouldn't hear them. "If your sister didn't know you so well, we wouldn't have had time to make that wall and trap it. And you could have gotten seriously hurt."

"I know, I know," said Agnez. "I just thought about everything that has happened and I got so angry. It goes against all my training." She listened to herself as she spoke, once again surprised that she was able to open up to someone she had known for such a short time.

"Well, I'd guess your training didn't include what to do when people come from other worlds and try to destroy yours."

Agnez chuckled. "Well, that's true."

Agnez looked back and saw Rajhani on her feet, jumping back and forth while Rockdog jumped with her. "I can't get over the two of them."

"I think Rock is happy to have another friend. It's always just been the two of us. He's never had anyone else to play with."

"He clearly has someone to play with now. I just never imagined that an Iyhiri wolf would be friends with my sister. It's ludicrous!"

"A lot has happened that I never expected, too. New friends, laughs, adventures."

"Saving the world?"

"Yeah," said Yaalon, looking down at Agnez. "Saving the world. Thank you for saving me back there."