Thanks to Raikuni for permission to use her powerful image, “Seedeater 1”!
A boodhin emerged from the brush
on the far side of the clearing, swinging its head side to side in broad swipes
and spearing the ground with its thick claws at each lumbering step. It stood
twice as tall as any hunter; its leg muscles bulged, each ending in four long,
curving claws the size of Keffen’s hand. Its head was long and narrow, and it
looked armor plated, as did the heavy scales that made up the thick ruff around
its neck and mane that stretched down its back to a clubbed tail.
How could they possibly hunt this
thing bare handed? Surely it would kill both of them in quick swipes of those
massive legs and claws, or a snap of the heavy jaw that ended in a rough
beakish point. Keffen smelt the sour scent of urine. He looked down and blushed
to see he had dribbled onto the sanguot tree branch, leaving a blue trail where
it ran over the bark and dripped down to the leaves below.
Rappeh nudged his attention back
to the boodhin. Watch.
It sniffed the air, and Keffen’s
heart pounded – had he revealed their position high on the sangout branch? No,
the boodhin focused its tiny eyes on the bushes where it had entered the
clearing. Keffen recognized the clusters of unripened sweet ghang berries, shining light
green against the darker hues of the leaves and branches. The boodhin swung
around and settled down, leaning to its side, exposing its smooth plated belly.
It reached up and with unbelievable delicacy, picked several berries between
its long claws and reached down to its side.
A tiny yellow beak squirmed out of
the boodhin’s belly. Keffen stared wide-eyed as the boodhin patiently held a
berry while a tiny black tongue licked it and finally wrapped around the berry,
pulling it into the open yellow beak. The boodhin started a low rumbling, that
Keffen realized was like a khayt’s purr. Another yellow beak peeked out next to
the first, and the boodhin held a berry for it too. Keffen turned to Rappeh.
“It carries its babies? That’s a female?” he whispered.
Rappeh nodded and leaned back on
the sangout branch with a smile. “Not all monsters are monstrous, young hunter.
Though there is no more dangerous foe than a boodhin mother protecting her young.”
He motioned down, and Keffen
watched the boodhin, who now fed four hungry babes peeking out of her belly
pouch. Rappeh continued, “If we killed her, we would eat well. But having killed
her and her babes, what would we eat next year?”
He smiled, “You must also learn to
see past the hunters’ tales. Fierce as they look, the boodhin is a seedeater.
Not a predator. Aside from the mothers, boodhin are some of the most peacable
creatures in Andoshen’s great kingdom.”
Rappeh He rested his head on his
arms. “Get comfortable, young hunter. When she is gone, I will show you a
nesting colony of heesim.”
Keffen felt his mouth water at the
thought. His mother made the best heesim stew in the village. He vowed to bring
home enough for everyone. For now, it was enough to settle back on the sangout
branch and watch the tender boodhin, and ponder how different things could be
from what they seemed.
Dogs in house
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Houdini, Maize
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Time writing:
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September word
count:
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