Dreams of a Lost Tribe by Vicky Seleya

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Dreams of a Lost Tribe (Part 6)
by Seleya889

"They'd been through so much... They heard about us from some of the tribes we have encountered. That's why they allowed us into their territory in the first place. All they were looking for was a frame of reference and a reason to learn to trust humans again. Their loss, their grief... how we cope with our own. They seemed content with how our meeting went but they had a problem with the group. Most of what they sensed from the camp was negative. Fear. Distrust. Agitation. They aren't comfortable with the fact that we are all alone in our thoughts. We all act and think totally independently in their eyes. They trusted me because they dreamed with me. You can't lie on the dream plane, at least I couldn't. I told them that I trusted you as much as I trusted them." he looked away apologetically and continued, "When they still didn't believe that you all should be trusted, I told them I trusted you with my life and encouraged them to put us all to the test if that would help." He shyly glanced back to Julia who sat staring at him, bewildered.

"They weren't punishing you, they were testing us?" she asked. "If it makes you feel any better, you passed the test." "You almost died. As it is, you're going to require some time to recover." she stated sternly. "By the way, what did they do to you?"

Alonzo shrugged slightly. "I don't remember much of that. They blew some dust in my face and then there was a bright flash and my head was on fire. Next thing I knew, I was in the med-tent with you."

Julia regarded Alonzo silently. He grunted as he shifted to a more comfortable position. As he settled, he grinned innocently at her, his eyelids heavy with sleep. She returned his smile with a resigned sigh.

"Julia?" Devon's quiet voice cut through the tent. Julia turned and invited Devon into the tent. "Is everything all right? How is Alonzo?" Devon asked. Julia turned back to find the pilot sound asleep. "He just fell asleep. He wanted to talk. Is everyone still at the campfire?"

"Except for the children, yes." Julia slipped her dia-glove back on and scanned the sleeping pilot. As she rearranged his blankets, she addressed Devon, "Good. There's something I think they should hear."

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Alonzo thrilled at the sheer joy of existence as the earth's energy washed over him. He swam through the earth, his staff as natural an extension of his arm as a ship's controls, the earth as natural a medium as the vacuum of space had always been. He felt the Terrians all around him, heard their trilling in his head. He shot through an underground stream, emerging wet, with a happy grin from the other side.

The Terrians, as fresh from their winter's rest as the pilot, observed his pleasure with interest and reflected it back to him. They took him deep into the mantle of the planet, showing him the 'glow stones'. He heard and understood their true name but recognized he could never translate it into spoken language. 'Glow stones' would have to do. He mimicked the others as they each gathered an armload of stones and rose toward the surface, depositing them at specific intervals. He marvelled at how he could hold them and feel their power, yet not be burned by their fire.

They travelled on, enjoying the hemisphere's rebirth with the spring. He shot out the side of a mesa into thin air, the ground hundreds of feet below him and momentarily panicked. A rough hand covered his eyes, a mind joined with his, and the panic subsided. He gratefully acknowledged the help and concentrated as the ground rushed up to meet him, the air whistling in his ears. He let loose an exhilarated shout as his body sliced neatly into the ground and he and the tribe swam on.

They burst through the ground onto a great plain. In the distance, Alonzo could see a wall stretching from one side to the other with a tremendous mountain range to the right. Alonzo realized that they were standing on the plateau Eden Advance had so recently visited. He watched, respectfully, as the Terrians paced around him in an ever increasing circle. More Terrians appeared from different tribes to join in the circle. The trilling and murmuring in Alonzo's head intensified, becoming almost too much for the human to bear. Just as Alonzo thought he could take no more, a lone Terrian broke from the circle to face him. The murmuring ceased as the Terrian trilled the tale of the lost tribe. Without conscious thought, Alonzo echoed the Terrian in his own languages, the Terrians listening intently and exhibiting their approval.

When the story ended the Terrians disappeared into the earth, leaving Alonzo and the storyteller behind. The storyteller beckoned the pilot to follow and they wandered the plateau in companionable silence. As they neared the center of the plateau, the storyteller paused and pointed ahead of the human with his staff. Alonzo walked ahead, carefully watching for whatever the Terrian had indicated. As he spun around for more guidance, the pilot tripped over a stone. He grunted as he landed hard. Looking up, he found that the Terrian was gone.

Alonzo briefly glanced around, accustomed to the Terrians' tendency to appear and disappear without notice. The Terrian was nowhere in sight for now. Alonzo rose and dusted himself off. As he bent for his staff, he spied brilliant green off to one side amongst the drab yellows and grays. A small bush grew tenaciously in the midst of the devastated plain. New shoots and buds sprouted from the plant in every direction. Alonzo knelt to feel the supple leaves and smell the delicate aroma of new life. He started as two pairs of incredible eyes peered back at him from within the bush. As he sat back in surprise, the bush rustled and a family of kobas waddled from their nest under the bush.

The two larger kobas stayed near the bush, sleepily blinking at Alonzo as their four kits tumbled up his legs and into his lap. He scratched them under their chins and tickled their bellies as they purred ecstatically. Alonzo laughed out loud at the kits antics, each trying desperately to wrest the human's attention away from its littermates.

Alonzo looked up to find the Terrian next to him, watching the human interestedly. "This is what you wanted me to see. The plateau is regenerating, isn't it?" he asked.

The Terrian trilled to Alonzo as two of the kits raced through its legs and back to the pilot who scooped them up and dumped them back into his lap.

"Yes." the pilot agreed. "I could feel the energy in the earth. It's weak here but real. I understand now. This is why the tribe stayed, to make the earth whole again."

One of the kits had climbed onto his shoulder and was examining his nose in fascination. Alonzo gently returned it to his lap, then looked up to find the Terrian gone. One of the adult kobas dug some roots out of the ground which the kits snatched eagerly before scampering back to the pilot. They each found a comfortable spot on top of Alonzo to contentedly gnaw on their meal. Alonzo blissfully leaned back to watch, enjoying the tranquility.

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Julia returned to the tent to find Alonzo sleeping soundly, his covers bunched at his waist. She watched as his hands kneaded the blankets, his eyelids quivered and he occasionally twitched in the midst of a deep breath. Scanning him with her dia-glove confirmed that he was dreaming again. She eased the blanket from his grasp and drew it to his chin, smiling to herself how his totally peaceful and relaxed expression took additional years off his deceptively young face. Julia scanned Alonzo again, more thoroughly, noting the optimistic results and logging them on gear, then turned to prepare for bed. She returned to Alonzo to find his covers once again at his waist. She lifted an extra blanket from a crate and spread it over the sleeping pilot, carefully tucking it around him. He shifted his weight and a contented smile lit his features as he settled. Julia sat to watch Alonzo for a little while. Eden Advance was not travelling tomorrow. They had decided to stay in this beautiful place one more day to allow Alonzo time to heal before returning to the rigors of travel. Julia was glad. She was looking forward to showing him the lake.

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Alonzo sleepily watched the clouds drift by. The kits had long ago fallen asleep, nestled against him. In the far distance, he could see the Terrians standing watch atop the northern cliffs. From above he felt the healing rays of the sun. Underneath, he felt the living earth...

-The End-

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