2-2-5

For a long moment, I stood frozen, unsure what to do and focused on the potential incoming threat. But I snapped myself out of it with a shake of my head. That was the lingering terror talking. I had no way to know if the scream had been heard so for now, I just needed to deal with what was in front of me. Everything else could wait until later. The first thing I needed to do was throw out a sound dampening field. A little late perhaps but better than nothing and it meant I could try and communicate without the complication of telepathy. It was a wonderful, rich form of communication and oftentimes times far more accurate and expressive but the down side is that it did take a little concentration and preparation that I couldn’t afford right now.

I carefully reached around behind me to pull at my pack, positioning the opening so I could easily reach inside. Once it was positioned correctly, I worked quickly, just in case I’d brushed against another Dew drop. The more you accumulated, the quicker they acted but I was almost certain I’d avoided them. I retrieved the sound dampening device and programmed it, flinging it into the air to hover above our group. We’d come to a stop clustered fairly close together so the device shouldn’t have a problem covering all of us, despite its limited range. It was, after all, only a basic portable version. I’d left most of my fancier stuff at the Capital. I waited, watching it hover when it sent out a pulse and the ambient sounds of the forest were cut off. It had worked and that was one less thing to worry about. But I couldn’t relax, next I needed to know how many had been affected. The Dew drops had had long enough to have a noticeable effect now so I called out to the group.

“Alright, try not to give in to the emotions. They are not yours and you can put some distance between them and your own mind. You’ll still feel it but it won’t be as bad. It will end, you have to remember that.” I’m not sure if I was helping but I couldn’t just leave them to deal with it alone. Fear and terror were much easier to deal with when you knew you weren’t alone. “Is there anyone not affected? Can any of you speak?” I asked, quickly followed by, “Don’t try if you think it’s too much. Focus of staying in control.”

I wasn’t really expecting anyone to answer, assuming they all been affected by Dew drops, and I’d deliberately avoided mentioning the dampening field just in case they thought it would be okay to give in. They could still go haring off, leave the range of the dampening field and get themselves killed or captured. So it was very surprising to hear a few voices.

“I think I’m fine.”

“I can feel some terror, but it’s not too bad.” A shaky voice mumbled through clenched teeth.

“I’m fine as well but I can’t move much. The Dew drops are everywhere.”

I searched for the source of the voices, and found the two unaffected ones in an area with less vegetation, much shorter than the stuff we’d been wading through. That explained how they’d avoided the Dew drops but I noticed that the one guard who had been able to speak despite being affected now looked very distressed, face grimacing and teeth clenched so hard I worried for his jaw. It was never wise to assume you knew how the Dew drops would work but I had a feeling her dose had been small. I’d keep an eye on her to see if she came out of this anytime soon. Out of the twelve of us, ten of us had absorbed the Dew drops and nine were still under their influence, leaving only two completely unaffected and in full control of themselves. I could work with that.

Reaching back into my pack, I searched carefully around by touch, searching for a stack of pots I knew were in there. As I searched, I explained to the two guards what we were going to do.

“Alright, stay as still as you can. I’m searching for a gel that you can rub over your skin and it will create a barrier that will prevent you absorbing the Dew drops. Once I have it, I’m going to demonstrate what to do and then I’m going to throw the pots to you, okay? I’ll aim for as close to your hands as I can, try not to move much but you have to catch it. Thankfully the vegetation near you is low to the ground so even if you have to stretch up to catch it, you shouldn’t touch any Dew drops. Once you have the pot, you need to shift to Resting Form. The gel doesn’t work as well with fur and the Dew drops can still easily reach your skin through your fur. Don’t worry, the pot looks small but it goes a long way so you can cover every bit of exposed skin. Once you do that, we should be safe to move around. We’re going to circle the others and put up a bit of a perimeter containment field and individual containment fields so that if they succumb to the terror and attack or flail, they won’t hurt themselves or others or leave the range of the sound dampener. Do you understand?”

“Yes Royal Sierra.” They chimed together, looking a little less afraid than they had moments ago. It always reassuring to have a plan to follow and someone else take control.

“Good.” I answered as my hand finally closed over the pots I’d been looking for. Each one contained more than enough gel filled orbs to cover the twelve of us so I slipped the top pot out and let my pack slide back down and behind me, hanging off of its straps. “We need to remain quiet and calm because the others will pick up on our emotions and we could disgrace them or overwhelm them, making them even more vulnerable to the foreign emotions. Understood? Stay calm, move slow and, as much as possible, keep you distance from those affected. Now watch me so you can repeat it later.” I instructed and made sure to stare into their eyes, making my point with a firm look.

Once I was assured that they understood and would follow my instruction, I turned to the task of protecting myself. Before I shifted to my Resting Form, I opened the pot and took out two orbs which I held, one in each hand. My clothing did a good job of covering most of me so the problem areas would be my face, neck, forearms and hands. I was used to spending more time in my Resting Forms but the Icanthie, who preferred their Warrior Forms, usually wore less to aid in easier shifting, so this would be a littler easier for me. I closed the pot lid and cradled it in my arms, too nervous to attempt to put it down or return it to my pack. As ready as I could be with my plan made, shifted into my Resting Form.

As a famous ancient once said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy”. As soon as I shifted, my balance wobbled horribly, probably from maintaining such a rigid, frozen posture for even that short amount to time. I thought I was going to fall face first into the Dew laden vegetation in front of me but I tightened my stomach muscles and bent my knees a little, stabilising the wobble. By the time I’d regained my equilibrium, I was breathing hard and just breaths away from a Dew drop right by the back of my hand. Slowly, making absolutely sure I was in complete control, I pulled back and returned to my original position, mentally checking for any sign that I’d absorbed another Dew drop. No moisture on my skin or clothes, no resurgence of terror. In fact, the lingering echoes from my first experience had dropped down to just murmurs now.

“I think I’m okay. Point to note, you may be a little stiff from staying so still. Try to be aware of that when you shift.” I blew out a breath, gently so as not to rustle the foliage around me. Slowly, I crushed the gel filled orbs in my fists and started smearing it over my skin as I juggled the pot, starting with the backs of my hands, moving up my arms and gradually gaining confidence as I covered my face, neck and head. Two was a bit much but with so much Dew in the area, I’d rather be safe. Once I had a complete coating on all of my exposed skin, I started to move a little more naturally and made sure that any possible part of me that was vulnerable was covered in the gel layer. Finally, I was safe.

I looked up at the two guards and saw they had been watching me intently. “I should be safe now so I’m going to throw the orbs to you. One should be enough but we’re going to use two each, just to be safe.”

One of the guards, who looked a little more nervous than the other, blinked at me me, his eyes wide. “W-w-why can’t you just bring them to us? You’re safe now and we might drop them.” He stuttered as he asked.

“True, but I could also accidentally get Dew drops on you both as I moved through the foliage. I might have one clinging to my skin or clothes because it can’t be absorbed. Until you are both safe, I can’t risk contaminating you.” I smiled as reassuringly as possible at them. “Try not to worry. I have plenty of orbs and a good aim. Even if you don’t catch it, it will probably break as it hits you and you can begin smearing it over your exposed skin okay?” They both nodded though the nervous one still looked reluctant. “Alright. Catch it first, then shift and begin applying the gel. If you have questions or concerns, ask. We need to get this done so we can help the others. Okay?”

I waited just a moment to make sure they would keep calm, then gently threw the first orb to the pair. They were quite close together and I realised that the best strategy was to throw the orbs to the more confident guard, who passed them carefully to his friend. This way, none of the orbs broke and the two were quickly shifted and covered in the protective gel. Once I was sure they were safe, I made my way over to them in the shorter vegetation. I took a few moments to check them both over, reassure them and praise the good work they did. Now that he was safe, the nervous one was calmer and back to his professional self.

“Right, next step. We need to erect the perimeter containment field, ideally so it matches or lies just inside the sound dampening field. Then we can erect personal containment fields around each of our team. Here,” I handed them the Relay seeds that would mark out the boundary of the field I wanted and produce the strong filaments that would work together to hold against almost anything. “I’ll project an image on the ground of where I want the boundary. Plant the seeds at about this depth and cover them but DON’T push down the covering dirt. We’ll need sixteen to complete the boundary but any more than that will add strength so don’t worry too much about the spacing. Any questions?” I asked after relaying introductions. They shook their heads. “Okay. Go, work as quietly and calmly as you can.”

I took a moment to project the boundary line I wanted them to plant but quickly followed their lead and worked my way along the line. The ground was a little firmer, obviously having been a enough time since the Deluge had come this way to dry out a little, but it was still easy enough to make a divot at the right depth and drop the seeds into place. In no time, we’d finished the ring and, after a quick check on spacing, I sent the signal to activate the containment field. We were inside with our comrades as the green filaments pushed their way out of the ground and rapidly tangled together to create a net-like dome over us. I’d opted for a dome because the Icanthie are great climbers and I didn’t want to risk them going up when they couldn’t go out. I could begin to let the relief seep into me now, knowing they were all contained so if the worst happened, at least I wouldn’t lose them. As long as no one spotted the dome, we were safe from outside forces but now that I had a moment to think about it, I really should have applied a camouflage to the dome before I grew it. Oops. Can’t change it now so let’s move on.

“Good work. Now we just need to confine the others individually. I don’t want to use seed because we need to be able to able to release them quickly and I don’t want them bound too tightly.” I explained as I assessed the still figures of my teams. They sort of brought to mind the old life-like statues because they stayed so still but as soon as you looked closely, you noticed the occasional twitch and the minute movements of their chests as they breathed rapidly.

“That leaves a box field or old fashioned restraints that will cuff and hobble them.” The older of my two helpful guards said. He too was carefully watching his fellows, both distressed for them and wary. Frankly I was impressed that none of the had succumbed and started acting out, either vocally or physically. I wouldn’t blame them. They were remarkably well trained.

“I agree. I really want to use box fields but I don’t have any. You?” I asked, a hopeful pitch to my voice.

But my hopes were dashed when he shook his head. “Alright.” I dug back into my trusty pack and brought out lengths of synthetic rope, handing them off to the others and pulling out more. “Old fashioned way it is. We take three each, quick as we can, your touch might cause a reaction.”

All went smoothly and soon we had nine restrained Icanthie elite warriors within a sound proof dome. I’d spoken quietly to them as I’d worked, just to let them hear my voice, as gentle as I could make it, just in case they were aware of us. All we could do now was wait. Already, some of them had shown signs of their battles, small sounds or movements that were aborted but we really couldn’t tell when they might come around. I could take this time to go meet my contact alone but, one, I’d promised not to go alone and two, I couldn’t leave them. Who knows what they were going through. Now that the immediate problems were dealt with, I let my mind return to the terror that had briefly visited me. I didn’t want to and my mind felt raw and bruised but if I didn’t, the healing couldn’t begin. It would be so much worse for the others and they would need care after they finally broke free from it. Just the memory of my experience caused me to shake a little, the visceral reaction intense even just thinking back. I was quiet as I tried to work though the memory, hoping to find meaning in it but it was most likely a defensive mechanism, considering how close to the nest we were. The Itbit that secreted these drops probably felt this terror at some point and was rescuing it now to protect its home and family. The thought helped a little to try and rationalise it like that and I consciously unclenched muscle that had tightened up again.

Needing something to do as I mentally worked through my responses, I took out some containers from my pack and started to gather the Dew drops in it, clearing a path out of the area. I wouldn’t take them all, that would put the Itbit nest in danger until the little critters could reapply the Dew drops that would have a different effect. It was better to do that as well than rely entirely on the gel when we left. It was too risky to try applying it to my team when they were like this so at least I could remove the drops from around them and prevent any prolonging of the experience. The gel lasted for a full rotation no matter how much you tried to wash it off but I had no way of knowing when the others would recover. Even as I thought it, movement caught my eye and I found Mathias looking at me, tears glistening in his eyes. I don’t know what form his terror had taken, whether it had dug up old memories or invented horrific scenarios, but I could see the toll it had taken on him. Before I’d even thought about it, I had my arms wrapped around him, rubbing my head under his chin and doing everything in my instinct to offer comfort to my kin in pain. When he realised I was real, he hugged me back fiercely.

It was a little while before any of the others stirred from their terrors but by then we’d worked out how we would help them when they were in control again. Mathias didn’t want to talk about it but he helped us prepare for the task of caring for the others and the next leg of our journey. Frankly, I thought it would be best to get to the proposed camp site and settle everyone down so they could rest before I left. I’d have to see what state Kaylor was in to know if he could accompany me and when he’d be up to it.

It took most of the rest of the morn for the Dew drops to release their hold. As each one of my team regained their faculties, we’d make sure they were in control before removing their restrains and using our covers to wrap them up and offering whatever comfort they’d accept, whether that be words, hugs or other physical contact. In this case, the highly tactile nature of the Icanthie was a natural benefit and we could help stimulate their recovery simply being close to them. Mathias was back to himself, which made me question how much he hid under his stoic facade, but he was very helpful in dealing with any outbursts or problems that arose before the others could regain control.

When I thought they were all somewhat functional, I decided that we needed to leave this place. Not only would it help us all distance ourselves from the terrifying experience but we also needed to find the camp site we were aiming for. A safe place would go a long way to help recovery and ideally I wanted our camp set up and secured with more seeds before I could even think about leaving the others to get in touch with my contact. Luckily, the deadline for the meet-up wasn’t imminent, we’d made good time despite our run in with Itbit Dew, and had factored in delays when I’d made the original comms to set our meeting up.

I removed the perimeter barrier and the sound dampener, performing a brief but thorough reconnaissance of the area, before leading my exhausted team towards the marker flashing on my map. Ironically, it wasn’t far to our haven, just enough to get there well before the light faded and well away from the Itbit territory we’d stumbled into. I’d have to make sure I marked that on the Myath network, it was already firmly on my personal map programme, but I was surprised neither myself nor any of the Myath communities had encountered it before. This was a well travelled and recorded area and a nest territory that size would not have sprung up so quickly. Something must have broken down somewhere for something so dangerous to have been missed.

By now, the camp set up was routine, which made it quick and easy despite our fatigue and battered minds. I programmed the seeds to create a barrier this time, without a roof so it was more like a cylinder than a dome, and remembered to add in the camouflage too. Considering we were all in desperate need of sleep, I decided to use sentry roses instead of shift for the night. They grew quickly but would never be as effective as proper guards, however, for one night, they would do. Everything was as secure as it was going to get. I checked one more time on everyone, all of whom had crashed into deep sleep, then decided to join them. It had been a long, long rotation.