Warshaaree (Bk 1, Chapt. 2, Evelyn J. Steward [good books to read txt] 📗

Warshaaree

Book 1


Chapter 2

The Call.

The yellow-green light from Vaeden’s sun shone strongly down upon the calm crystal-clear gold-tinted waters of the Southern Sea. Two depths below the ocean’s surface a puttel was herding a shoal of large saufins. The fish were feeding on the surface-floating salas weed. It contained many nutrients essential to their diet and they were allowed to browse above as often as possible.
Salas weed grew randomly. It was a floater. Where it did occur, farmers made certain that all their shoals fed from it for as long as it remained in their area, particularly the saufins.
A farm that could count on the regular appearance of salas, increased exchange power at Time of Barter. More importantly, its appearance promoted the community's standing. The widespread farming community's profitability was enhanced immeasurably. A high yielding crop of saufins was a credit to the farmer and those in her sector. In any case, the saufins were safer up near the surface during the light-tide as their main predator, was the vicious and voracious jawker. Jawkers preferred to lie in wait lower down where the helk weed grew thick and tall, providing a curtain of cover to hide their predatory bodies. A fish that strayed from the shoal would be easier to catch in the helk's abundant blue-green stems and fronds.
Not that this particular puttel lost many of his shoal. He was diligent. An excellent herder, probably because he was a pet and friend of the only male member of his farm family. Most puttels were excellent at herding a shoal of saufin, but he was the best. He always circled his shoals regularly and kept a wary eye downcast toward his only source of worry.
As he looked down below, he glimpsed Sasshkaa, his master and friend, on the sea bed tending the crop of edible prash. Sasshkaa was a young boy whose supple body had really been filling out this last half season. Rippling muscles now replaced the gawkiness of youth, and a growing inner awareness was appearing in his decisions and actions. Puttel had seen it, had felt the changes now occurring in the young man. His mind was so in tune with the lad, he could feel the surges of inner passions waxing in a consciousness that knew nothing of them as yet. Puttel could also read Saleen's mind and knew that it would not be long now. Perhaps those changes hovering at the edges of her own consciousness were already taking place.
Sasshkaa saw the girls in the next field giggling as he turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of them. He took care not to let them see him watching or they would tease him even more. They had a habit of making him feel foolish even though he was almost grown. Their attentions often took precedence over their work just lately, he noted. Why was that? What was different now? Why did he have to be watched the whole light-day, especially when he worked the fields leading to the drop-off? Especially then. More rigorously when he worked those areas. Why?
Sasshkaa thought himself more than competent. He knew his job after all, he had been working the farm since he was old enough, ten cycles now. Currents pulled him thisa way and that. He was always aware of the currents but did not fear them.
Twice, when he was much smaller, he had slipped away under their very noses, collected a binding he had left hidden in a special niche together with a gleamer. He had tied the binding to a very strong-rooted helk so that he would not be swept away with the current. Tying the other end firmly about his waist in a strong knot, he slipped over the edge. His curiosity gave him a keen eye as to which spot would have the least undertow, and hand over hand, he climbed down into the chasm. He had descended about four body lengths when he discovered an opening large enough for him to enter.
Crawling over the lip, he shook the beamer into action. Its phosphorescent prinkles started glowing, illuminating a narrow ledge leading through the opening showing a small cavern. As Sasshkaa moved on along the ledge, the cavern suddenly opened up into a huge vaulted cave, too deep for the beamer to reach the far side. Afraid to go further, he stopped on the ledge and played the light over as much of the cave as the prinkles would reveal, checking for any of the fierce creatures that shared the ocean depths. He made some wonderful discoveries.
There were polyps of every shape, size and colour and as he played the beamer over the closer surfaces, the myriad colours were enhanced and seemed to glow against the dark of the cave. Shoals of tiny fish swam in and around some of the more open-structured polyps, moving with one accord as the strange light, unknown in their hiding place, picked out the glints of their scales. He saw fish from the open ocean using the cavern as a temporary resting place. Some of these fish, reticent by nature, approached the gleamer in Sasshkaa's hand, curious in the eerie green light. Nosing the beamer and the flesh of his arm, some tried to nibble making him almost drop the light-source as the nibbling tickled his skin.
There were shells stuck to the reef just inside the cave mouth. He plucked a few of the smaller ones and a piece or two or the prettiest polyps and hid them in the gather bag still hanging from his waist. He stayed longer than he meant, fascinated by the crawlers, some unknown to him, when his beamer started to fade. Only then did he realise how much time had passed. With not a little panic, he negotiated the cavern entrance and gingerly climbed back up the precarious reef wall.
The women were not far from the edge, searching for him, as he came over the top. They raced towards him and grabbed at him as he reached the helk weed to untie the binding Hands grabbed his arms and he was roughly held as they swam back home to Saleen.
At first he was examined to make sure that no real harm had befallen him, but when they found out that he was unharmed and had only been exploring, he was in big trouble. His punishment was severe the first time which only served to make him more determined to go again later in the season.
He succeeded in getting into the cave a second time but it was not long before his presence in the fields was missed. This time they went over the reef before they searched elsewhere, in their endeavour to find him quickly.
A punishment more severe than the first was exacted, and a lecture by every one of his sisters on the dangers he had exposed himself to. Of the pain his mother would be put through if anything had happened to him. This second admonishment stopped him wandering on his own ever again. For as the sisters pointed out, he had now seen one cave at that level and they were all the same, no need to be curious about them any more. Had he strayed any lower, then the pull of the current would sweep him to oblivion. Sasshkaa had no wish to admit his fear, but being swept away and having no control over going up or down did frighten him so he made his own constraints, and life returned to normal. At least, he thought so.

Publication Date: 04-15-2012

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