Otherlander: Through the Storm by T. Kevin Bryan

Author:T. Kevin Bryan [Bryan, T. Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-28T22:00:00+00:00

Forty-Four

Forever Thomas would remember that night as one of the most bizarre, joy filled nights he had ever experienced. The great cavern was ablaze with torches. The eleven elders assembled, seated shoulder to shoulder in the front of the hall. There was barely room to move as snow-beasts filled the entire hall: adult male and female and their cubs of various shapes and sizes. There was a sense of excitement in the air, palatable to even Thomas and Fion. They had already consumed massive amounts of food as they feasted together with the beasts. Thomas was still chewing on his favorite snow-beast delicacy, spicy mystery meat. Around the perimeter, the youngest snow-beast cubs were playing some game not unlike chase or tag that human children would play. Thomas and Fion were bookended by Grome on one side and Pinkie on the other. The four of them sat in the seats of honor at the front of the assembly hall.

Suddenly, the sounds of drums filled the hall. From the wings in marched massive male snow-beasts each carrying a large drum hanging from leather straps across their shoulders. They beat the drums in rhythm until they reached the front of the hall and then gave one last pound that reverberated through the cavern. They stood silent and still as statues.

Then young snow-beasts came forward, and they treated the entire crowd to a reenactment of the Shadow hunter attack on Scar, Thomas and Fion, complete with costumes. Thomas was a little shocked by the smooth animal skins fashioned to make the Thomas and Fion actors resemble the human children. He even enjoyed the young snow-beast who dyed his white fur black to get into character as the shadow hunter. The smallest snow-beasts in the audience hid their faces when the shadow hunter character jumped out and slashed at them with his claws. The crowd cheered with growls and roars when the Thomas character defeated the dark assassin. Thomas and Fion applauded and hooted along with Grome and Pinkie.

Then the drummers gave another roll on their drums, and the audience hushed. From their left, a lone snow-beast entered. He walked with a slight limp, but he held his head high.

“Scar,” Fion smiled. “Good, old Scar.”

The Snow-beast strode purposively to Thomas. Grome pushed Thomas to his feet. The boy stood self-consciously as the bright blue eyes of every snow-beast in the hall watched him.

Scar reached and gently placed his hand on Thomas’s head and intoned again as he had in the healer’s den, “Brotar.” This time the entire company echoed him. “Brotar!”

Then Scar knelt before Thomas, folding his massive body down so that his huge furry head was below the young boy’s eye level.

Thomas placed his hand, which seemed so small, upon Scar’s head and repeated, “Brotar.”

Thomas looked around at all the beasts staring at him. He couldn't think of them as beasts any longer. No, they were no longer beasts. They were his friends.

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