THE NINE WHO WALK NORTH
1706 Words
Chapter Thirty-Six
⸻
Morning mist clung to the untouched northern jungle.
Towering trees stretched so high that their crowns disappeared into clouds, shutting out much of the morning sun. Thick vines hung from ancient branches like living curtains, while enormous ferns covered the forest floor.
The air itself felt different.
Heavier.
Older.
The songs of the southern jungle had disappeared.
Instead…
The expedition walked through almost complete silence.
Only the steady sounds of boots crushing leaves…
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
…and the distant trickle of unseen water broke the stillness.
Gorak raised his remaining hand.
“Hold.”
The nine travelers stopped immediately.
He looked over his shoulder toward the group.
“We’ve been walking together for hours.”
His deep voice echoed softly through the trees.
“But we still know very little about one another.”
Kaela nodded in agreement.
“In the south, your names carry reputations.”
She looked around the group.
“Out here…”
“…reputation means nothing.”
She smiled faintly.
“Trust means everything.”
⸻
The six chosen warriors exchanged glances.
Gorak rested his hammer against a fallen tree.
“We may be together for days.”
“Perhaps weeks.”
“Only the gods know.”
He looked each warrior in the eye.
“If one of us falls…”
“…everyone feels it.”
He folded his arms.
“So let us know who stands beside us.”
⸻
The first to step forward was a Gorilla warrior.
He stood almost as tall as Gorak, though leaner, with dark gray fur across his shoulders and powerful arms covered in old scars.
His beard had been braided with small wooden rings carved by Gorilla children.
A heavy stone axe rested across his back.
He struck his chest with a closed fist.
“My name is Brakus Ironroot.”
“My father taught me to split trees before I was old enough to carry an axe.”
A few smiles spread through the group.
Brakus continued.
“I’ve served beside Leader Gorak for nearly fifteen years.”
“I’ve broken enemy shield walls.”
“I’ve defended villages.”
“And I’ve survived every campaign I’ve ever marched into.”
He rested one hand on the haft of his axe.
“My greatest strength…”
“…is endurance.”
“I don’t stop.”
“If someone needs carrying…”
“I carry them.”
“If something needs breaking…”
“I break it.”
“If danger stands in front of this team…”
“I’ll be standing in front of it first.”
Gorak gave him an approving nod.
“I’ve seen him do exactly that.”
⸻
Next stepped forward a Panther warrior.
She moved almost silently despite the weight of her pack.
Her dark hair was braided tightly behind her head, and pale markings framed her golden feline eyes.
Twin curved knives rested across her back.
She bowed respectfully.
“I am Lysa Swiftstep.”
“My gift isn’t fighting.”
She smiled.
“It’s finding things.”
“And making sure nothing finds us first.”
Several warriors chuckled.
“I’ve spent most of my life scouting cliffs no one else dared climb.”
“I can follow tracks days old.”
“I notice what others miss.”
She looked toward the dense forest.
“If something is watching us…”
“I’ll know.”
Kaela nodded proudly.
“Lysa has saved entire patrols simply by noticing one broken branch.”
⸻
Another Gorilla stepped forward.
Unlike Brakus, he wasn’t enormous.
Instead, he possessed broad shoulders and intelligent brown eyes.
Leather pouches filled with herbs hung from his belt.
He carried a spear instead of a hammer.
“My name is Eron Mossbinder.”
“I trained as both hunter and healer.”
He gently touched one of the medicine pouches.
“I know plants.”
“Poisons.”
“Venoms.”
“And the medicines that fight them.”
He smiled softly.
“I’d rather keep people alive than bury them.”
Zahren studied him with interest.
“A useful skill.”
Eron nodded politely.
“I certainly hope so.”
⸻
The fourth warrior was another Panther.
Tall.
Athletic.
A long scar crossed his nose.
He carried an elegant bow carved from black jungle wood.
A quiver filled with feathered arrows rested across his shoulder.
He spoke quietly.
“I am Riven Ashclaw.”
“I prefer solving problems before they reach us.”
He tapped one of his arrows.
“My strength…”
“…is distance.”
“If I do my job correctly…”
“The enemy never gets close.”
Kaela smiled.
“He rarely misses.”
Riven shrugged.
“I don’t enjoy missing.”
⸻
The fifth warrior stepped forward.
A Gorilla with lighter brown fur and countless tiny scars covering both forearms.
Instead of heavy armor…
He wore climbing harnesses and rope.
Coils of vine rested across his shoulders.
“My name is Talok Vineclimber.”
He grinned broadly.
“I climb.”
Brakus laughed.
“That’s all?”
Talok laughed with him.
“I climb better than anyone you’ve ever met.”
He pointed upward.
“If there’s a cliff…”
“I’ll climb it.”
“If there’s a tree…”
“I’ll climb it.”
“If one of you falls into a ravine…”
“I’ll come get you.”
He winked.
“Eventually.”
The group laughed together.
Even Gorak smiled.
⸻
Finally…
The last Panther warrior stepped into the center.
She was the youngest among them.
Quiet.
Observant.
Her gray cloak blended almost perfectly with the surrounding jungle.
Most hadn’t even noticed how silently she moved.
She removed her hood.
“My name is Sena Hollowshade.”
“My greatest strength…”
She looked around calmly.
“…is disappearing.”
She drew a small throwing knife.
Before anyone could blink—
Thip.
The blade buried itself into the center of a distant tree nearly thirty yards away.
She smiled slightly.
“I gather information.”
“I infiltrate.”
“And if necessary…”
“I remove problems quietly.”
Kaela crossed her arms.
“She has never failed a reconnaissance mission.”
⸻
When everyone had finished…
The group naturally turned toward Gorak.
He looked around at every face.
Warriors from clans that had once sworn to destroy one another.
Now…
Standing shoulder to shoulder.
He smiled.
“Good.”
He slowly picked up his hammer.
“You all bring something different.”
He looked toward Brakus.
“Strength.”
Toward Lysa.
“Awareness.”
Toward Eron.
“Knowledge.”
Toward Riven.
“Precision.”
Toward Talok.
“Adaptability.”
Toward Sena.
“Stealth.”
He turned toward Kaela.
“And leadership.”
Then toward Zahren.
“And answers.”
Finally…
He rested his hand against his own chest.
“I bring experience.”
He looked around once more.
“But none of that matters…”
“…if we forget one thing.”
Silence filled the clearing.
“We are stronger together.”
His voice deepened.
“If one of you falls…”
“We all stop.”
“If one of you is wounded…”
“We all help.”
“If one of you becomes surrounded…”
“We all fight.”
He looked directly into every warrior’s eyes.
“There will be things in this northern jungle that have never seen our clans.”
“Things that do not care whether we worship Mbaga…”
“Kal’Zar…”
“Or Zahkul.”
“They will simply see prey.”
He raised his hammer.
“So make me one promise.”
The six warriors answered together.
“What promise?”
Gorak smiled.
“Watch each other’s backs.”
“No matter what.”
Brakus struck his chest.
“You have my word.”
Lysa nodded.
“Mine as well.”
One by one…
Every member of the expedition agreed.
Even Zahren quietly spoke.
“So do you have mine.”
⸻
The expedition continued north.
Hour after hour…
The jungle became thicker.
Roots twisted across the ground like giant serpents.
Towering flowers larger than shields opened beneath shafts of sunlight.
Bright insects drifted through the air.
Unknown animal calls echoed in the distance.
Occasionally…
Lysa would kneel beside enormous tracks crossing their path.
Sometimes clawed.
Sometimes hoofed.
Sometimes unlike anything any of them recognized.
Each discovery reminded them…
They were no longer in familiar lands.
⸻
By late afternoon…
The heat had become exhausting.
Sweat soaked their clothing.
Their packs felt heavier.
Even Gorak’s steady pace had begun to slow.
Kaela pointed ahead.
“I hear water.”
Moments later…
The dense vegetation opened into a small crystal-clear stream.
Fresh water flowed gently over smooth stones.
Tiny blue fish darted between submerged roots.
The air felt noticeably cooler.
Gorak smiled.
“We rest.”
No one argued.
⸻
The warriors knelt beside the stream.
Some removed their packs.
Others refilled water skins.
Eron immediately examined nearby plants, smiling as he recognized several useful medicinal herbs.
Talok climbed onto a fallen log overlooking the area to watch for danger.
Riven quietly scanned the trees with an arrow already resting against his bowstring.
Lysa studied fresh tracks in the muddy bank.
“Something drinks here regularly.”
Brakus looked over.
“What kind?”
She frowned.
“I…don’t know.”
The footprints were enormous.
Each print possessed four massive claws.
Far larger than any panther.
Far larger than any bear known to the southern jungle.
Kaela crouched beside them.
“Fresh?”
Lysa nodded.
“Very.”
⸻
Gorak stood and surveyed the surrounding forest.
“The sun will set in a few hours.”
He looked toward the thick jungle beyond the stream.
“We’ll continue a little farther.”
“Then find a place to make camp.”
No one complained.
The first day had gone well.
Almost…
Too well.
Somewhere beyond the trees…
Something unseen let out a deep, resonating call.
RRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH…
Every bird in the forest exploded into flight.
The expedition members instinctively reached for their weapons.
No one spoke.
Whatever had made that sound…
It was enormous.
And it was somewhere ahead.
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