Circe's Gifts

Chapter 11

The damn fool walked right out of the trees and in sight of the humans and stood --

Making certain he had their full attention before he ran back into the trees. Dylan did it on purpose. He would never have missed all the noise humans made, and he realized Kalliope, Tiernan, and Petkin were in danger. She wished him well as the people chased after him.

Soon the humans were far enough away that Kalliope stood and her companions did the same. Kalliope brushed at the folds of her tunic and tried to calm her sudden fears. She didn't want the others to see how badly this little encounter upset her. She hadn't known what to do when dealing with humans.

"You know he did that on purpose," Tiernan said, staring back through the trees.

"Yes, I realized it," Kalliope replied. Petkin looked worried. "Dylan can run fast enough, Pet. Those humans haven't got a chance, especially if he decides to change to get away."

"If they lose sight of him, they might come back here," Tiernan added. "Which way should we go? I don't want Dylan to lose us as well."

"Dylan can track us if need be," Petkin said. "Let's get off to the other side of the trail and follow the wagon for a while. We might still learn something from them. And besides -- if those humans are going to attack the wagon people, I think we should warn them."

"Why?" Kalliope asked, startled by the idea.

"Because we can save them some trouble," Tiernan said. "If we don't warn them, it puts us in league with those robbers. If we don't want to be like them, we must show actions that make us different."

"This is morality, isn't it?" Petkin asked, frowning again. "I have a whisper of what morality means from Lady Circe, but I don't quite understand."

"On the most basic level, morality is the difference between kindness and evil," Tiernan said. He looked back at Kalliope. "Sometimes you must act against your self-interest to be good."

Kalliope shook her head wondering if the others would understand the explanation. This wasn't something she understood very well, either. And she certainly hadn't seen many humans who practiced such deeds.

She might, however, expect it from Tiernan. The boy did look as though he wanted something good out of life and would act in a way to gain it.

They walked in silence again. Kalliope could still hear the sound of the wagon somewhere ahead. Then shouting and a woman's cry --

They all ran toward the danger. She hadn't thought Tiernan had that much energy, but he outdistanced Kalliope and Petkin, though perhaps only because they were still unused to their new bodies.

They quickly found the trouble. By the time Kalliope arrived, she had found a battle in full melee. A strange man was wielding a club to fight back the two soldiers, while a woman held a child in her arms and knelt beside Dylan who was down, his head bleeding.

Kalliope shouted with a sound that came out almost like a howl and charged. So did Tiernan. Petkin, on the other hand, went to stand guard over Dylan and the woman and child.

The soldiers looked startled at the sight of the three charging in. When Tiernan and Kalliope leapt at them, they began to immediately back away and soon charged off into the woods again.

"Damn!" the strange man said, the club still in his hand. A young man, and wary of them. "Where did you people come from? What is going on here!"

"We're just travelers," Tiernan answered. He knelt by Dylan and gently turned his friend over. Dylan's eyes blinked open, and he made a little hissing sound, even in human form. "Easy. We're safe, for the moment."