Chapter Eleven

Ula-em (again)

"Ula-em !!" Ïsale screamed from afar off.

We had been made.

Ula-em was a Tupaqis word used to signal people of impending dangers or attacks.

I struggled to my feet uncontrollably as the vibration from the earth-quaking eruption swayed me from right to left. I walked in the same manner towards the still laid down Vire.

"Are you alright?!" I asked at the top of my voice turning her over.

Sitting up she answered at the top of her voice too after checking and crosschecking her body for injuries whatsoever "I'm fine!"

I guess the explosion had given our ear drums a shock as mine rang vigorously at an astoundingly high pitch.

"We need to reconvene with the others!!" I told her whilst lifting her to her feet.

This was the cave of imponu, they said it was hidden, how then was it found? How then do we explain this attack?

"Sorcery"

Came Vire's already stiffened voice, this made me look her in the eyes. She was angry, very angry and it showed not only by the glimmer in her eyes but by the lines that had formed from her eyebrows to the long and yonder of her face.

A large rock came crashing towards us but before it made contact, it had disseminated into nothingness.

"We have no time to waste," Norii said.

"Where's Ïsale?" I asked once we had neared him.

Norii pointed with his large cane to his left where the attack was supposed to have come from "causing disruption".

The sounds of pain and gnawing of teeth began to fill the air, I wish I could see but the dust from the explosion only allowed me vision of my nose at the moment.

"Call to them"

Norii told Vire and calmly she raised her left hand in the air, palm facing backwards and with an ethereal feeling concentric circles began to form from the tip of her fingers to her elbow glowing.

"What the" I began but cut myself short as light spectrum emerged around the hand. Then came the noise.

Roarrrrrrrrrr!!!!

It was loud enough to leave one paralysed, what was this? Everywhere became quiet, everyone trying to realise what noise that was.

Roarrrr!

Came a second cry.

And another Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Made my bones quiver behind its muscles.

Vire opened her eyes and was launched into the sky towards the noise.

"Where is she-"

Norii lifted his right hand to silence me. "Wait for it"

...

"Wait for it" Norii's voice echoed in my mind over and over in an unending echo of boredom.

...

...

"..."

...

Just when I was beginning to slip out of patience the giant-sized vimiar leapt over our heads and landed a meter away from us.

"Ausus!!"

I had no control over the excited echo laced with fear that slipped out of my mouth. Now I understood why I heard three roars. There were three vimiar standing on all four of its paws right before my eyes.

It was beautiful, 'they' were beautiful.

Looking at them at that instance made me forget the chaos going on around me. All I wanted to do day long was gaze at these furry magnificent beasts.

"Amakinja!" Vire snapped me out of the trance I had engulfed myself in. From the look in her eyes, I could tell I wasn't the one who engulfed myself in the trance.

Seconds later out of thin air Ïsale grew large and stood before us, the vimiars began to snarl one after the other. Oh no, I thought as the snarling intensified.

Vire leapt off the back of the largest one she was on and immediately the moment they rushed at Ïsale. "No!!" stole it was out of my mouth.

Laughter?

Ïsale was laughing?

I looked closely and saw the feline licking and playing with him, 'so they knew, and they made me freak I thought.

Vire tapped my shoulder as she said, "You need to relax". Yeah, right nice.

"she's grown," Ïsale says chuckling as he rubs the vimiars' back while the second nudge him from behind and the larger one stands a distance gazing.

"We need to move to a different location," Norii says lifting a bag and climbing one of the vimiar, same with Ïsale and Vire.

Stretching her hand to me Vire quips: "ride with me"