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To Otrindara – Chapter 19 Excerpt
Then it all
stopped. Dark dakas standing along the edge of the treewalk grunted loudly at those of us below. Moments later more grunting echoed out from all the treewalks around the clearing. Suddenly a dark daka went over the edge with arms flailing away. Falling
quickly it slammed into the ground with a thud. Then another fell down and then
another. Quickly each was silenced by a barrage of weapons fire raining down
upon them. Looking up we saw dark dakas grunting out
loudly as they turned and scrambled down the treewalks
to escape whatever had begun to attack them.
Friendly faces
now stood along the edge of the treewalk to replace
those of the dark dakas. Grunting out loudly they
swayed and slapped their chests in a celebration of victory over the others.
Grabbing vines to hold with their feet they quickly swung upside down. Lowering
downward to join us they held those who had been taken up by the dark ones. I
figured it was the daka gramps had come to know who
had shown up to drive the dark ones off.
Still hanging
upside down they released our friends before returning to the treewalk. Only one, much larger than the rest, stayed to
talk with Manduwah. After a few minutes of talking
with it Manduwah turned and said we should all take
to the treewalks for safety.
“Is that Oohree Daka?” I asked.
“It does not see good for me to name him,” replied Manduwah.
“I understand,” I
said, suddenly remembering Otrindara's rule about
being named.
“How does Reeshard see to know of that
name?” Manduwah asked with a curious smile that told
me that's just who it was.
“Only because of
my grandfather,” I replied with a smile.
Taking hold of
the vines everyone was slowly lifted upwards to the treewalk.
Following Oohree Daka and
his kind I received a lot of curiously strange looks from the daka. Walking down a few treewalks
we came to another large ovalon already set up with
tables and seats. Out of respect for the daka we just
plopped down on the floor along with them. Manduwah
asked in a whisper if anyone had brought a neylas of
the walk with them.
Pulling out a
string of washers from my pocket I handed it to Manduwah.
Nodding in thanks he showed it to Oohree Daka. Oohree Daka
took it and smiled at the reflectiveness of so many
shiny washers. After nodding his head and grunting an acceptance to Manduwah he held it up to show it to the others. Sliding it
on over his head he quickly hid it underneath his long hair. The other daka started swaying in rhythm and chanting “Oohreee Daka” in harmony over and
over. Manduwah smiled at me knowing I had provided
just what we needed when we needed it.
Pointing a hand
at me Oohree Daka grunted
something and Manduwah nodded his head lightly before
telling me Oohreee Daka
wanted permission to make meet the one. Nodding my head I moved over alongside Manduwah and directly in front of Oohreee
Daka. He stared at me with a look curiosity for a few
minutes at first. Then lifting a hand and pointing it at himself he grunted out
his name.
“Oohreee Daka,” he said before
slowly bowing his head to me in what I took to be a show of respect.
“Pointing a hand
at myself I said, “Richard.” before returning a slow bowing of my head to show
respect to him as well. Suddenly I was taken by surprise. Oohree
Daka grunted out loudly to the others around him and
quickly they all lowered their heads in respect to me. Again I bowed my head
and returned to them the respect they had shown to me. Oohreee
Daka cracked a curiously odd smile and grunted
something to Manduwah.
Looking at me Manduwah said, “Oohreee Daka wishes to know why the one true would see to bow his
head to ones much beneath him in being?”
With a look of
sincerity I replied, “No one is beneath me even if I am the one. No one should
ever be seen as less than anyone else.”