Chapter 1A

Des

I am Des. I live on a world where humans are not the only intelligent race. This story is a true one that happened to me when I was just coming of age.

Up until I came of age, my life was as ordinary as any child's with very brown hair but grey eyes. The village I lived in was like any other on my world. Every family had their own lands but everyone worked larger areas as a community. This was so that as a community, the people could bargain better for things we could not afford on our own.

The one thing that made my village well known was a very special fruit and the wine that we make from it. A three-day ride from our village is a stand of trees that would grow nowhere else, even though several from other villages and from my own have tried. Every year my village would make a trek to the forest and harvest the fruits. The fruit from the trees were worth their weight in goods that we could not make or grow for ourselves and the wine was worth even more. There was one other thing that was different about my village that was different from others; my village was the close to the land claimed by the Wyrms. The Wyrms were large four legged creatures with claws, fangs, wings and tails. It was also said that they could breathe fire, but I didn't believe it. No one had seen a Wyrm for well over a century, if not two, and people were thinking that these great beasts had either left the area for better pastures or had died out but no one seemed willing to try and go to their lands to find out.

I had just turned 15 and was looking forward to the harvest this year. I had been allowed to join the harvesters the year before but I was too short to do much even though my height allowed me to climb higher into the trees. This year I had grown several inches and my arms had lengthened as well, but I'm still small and would be one of those climbing the trees for the better fruit. There was only one problem that year, Ren Sky. Ren Sky was a man known for his lust of young maidens and to my horror and disgust I had come to his attention during the winter.

So, on the morning of the trip, as everyone was gathering supplies, he tried several times to follow me and get me alone. After the first attempt, I made sure I was never alone. I also told my father and I hoped made it plain that I could not stand the man; my father in turn, told me not to worry, that he would talk to the Ren. After that, it was a matter of finishing with chores and packing, then meeting everyone in the center of the village.

Twice on the trip to the forest, Ren tried again to get me alone and was caught by my father on the second attempt. I could see that Ren was mad but he was not stupid enough to face my father, who was known to hit very hard. My father told me that if Ren tried anything again that I was to scream, kick and bite; and not stop until he got to me. After that, everything went fine for the rest of the trip.

We made camp at the edge of the forest and had started harvesting. It was two days later that my aunty, sister to my father, came to me and pulled me aside. "Des, I don't think you'll climb today. I also think you need to go back to camp and change your pants."

"Why? What's wrong with my pants? I haven't torn them have I?" looking around to see if I had.

"No, that's not why," and she leaned down closer to my ear, "My dear, I think you are becoming a woman. When you were sitting on the ground, waiting a moment ago I saw red on you pants between you legs. If you climb today without changing, everyone will know."

I was shocked and surprised to say the least. "Aunty, mother has told me that when it starts I would feel sick and have pain in my lower stomach. I have had none of those."

"Some women like your mother do have those, and your mother gets some of the worst. I myself feel only the lightest of flutters. Everyone is different and be grateful that you don't get them like she does. Now go back to camp to change your pants and in my things, I have extra liners. I'll tell your father." she smiled as I grimaced, "don't worry; I've done it before with our other brother when his eldest daughter started. While you're there, why don't you help with making the stew for the evening meal?" With that she gave me a gentle shove in the direction of the camp and slowly I walked away. I knew where my father was by the loud exclamation and growl that came from him.

My walk back to camp was uneventful, and I saw no one until after I had gotten the liner and had changed. There was always one person in camp if only to guard our belongings and to take their turn in prepping for meals. When she saw me, she was surprised but very glad. She asked me to finish what she was doing with the veggies but she needed to take a small rest before the others were to come back. I told her there was no problem and that she should rest because she was looking a bit pale, and with that, she left.

I was just finishing up when I heard a noise behind me and turned to see what it was; I wish I hadn't.

"So this is where you're hiding. I was hoping to work under you." Ren said with an ugly smile on his face.

"Go back to the harvest. There's nothing here for you and the meal won't be ready for a few hours yet."

"I didn't come looking for food. I thought we could talk a bit. You know how I find you impossible not to think about." As he was talking, he was stalking ever closer. I moved to keep the table in between him and me.

"Don't even think about it! Tara will be back any minute and then I'm going to tell my father what you have just said. You don't want to make him madder than he is already at you. Now get!"

"I don't ever worry about fathers. Now come here, I would whisper the reason in your ear."

He tried to grab me, but I was faster than he was and ducked under the table and out the other side. Ren was determined to catch me and I was just as determined not to be caught. Tara must have been very tired not to be coming out to see what was going on. Ren grabbed up a bench and threw it at me, catching me in the legs and I went down. As I tried to get to my feet, he knocked them out from under me again and was trying to turn me over. I knew there was only one thing I could do; I filled my lungs with air and screamed. Did I mention that I had very strong lungs? I didn't stop screaming until I felt his hand hit me across the face. But he got up from me and went running off. Tara came staggering out of her tent to find me on the ground crying. When she came and knelt next to me and was able to see my face, she could already see the bruising of both my check and eye.

"What the hell happened? Des, who did this to you?"

"Ren Sky. He followed me back from the forest, waited until I was alone, He tried..." I started crying again.

She jumped to her feet, ran to the alarm bell and gave it several good hits, then came back to me. With in moments the harvesters came back, led by my father. I knew it wasn't the alarm bell that had got them running back to camp.

"Tara, Des, What is..." my father stopped talking and came to me. He lifted my face from Tara's shoulder. And used only one word, "Who?"

"She said it was Ren Sky. I saw him running that way when I came out of my tent." while with her arm pointed the direction.

"Des, what did he do? Tell me." and with a look to Tara to keep quiet, he looked at me.

"Tara was resting; she said she didn't feel well. I was just finishing the veggies when he came into camp. I told him to leave and rejoin the harvest, that the meal wasn't ready. He told me he wasn't looking for food but for me and wanted to have some fun with me. I tried to get away from him but he threw a bench and hit me in the legs, then he was on me. I screamed and he hit me, but Tara came out of her tent and he ran off."

"Des, I swear to you, I shall have his head on a pike by the end of the day." He got up and turned to the others in the camp. "You've seen and you've heard what Ren Sky has done. He has been tolerated for too long! He has been bothering our girls for years and getting worse with every year and with every rejection. I claim the right of justice on him for this insult. I go to find him. I ask who will stand with me?"

"Aye!!!!!" came from every man and woman in the area.

"I would make one request; would two of you take my daughter home?"

Two of the men stepped forward. "Father no." I spoke up. Then got back onto my feet to look at everyone better, "The harvest is too important to the village, to everyone. I am fine. Ren will return to the village to pack and leave, if he's smart. He's too much of a coward to stay and face you, father. I'll stay here in camp and help with the meals. Everyone, please, go back to the harvest. We can't let our families down."

Everyone looked to their neighbor, "Cal, your daughter has more brains than all of us. She will be fine here. She is also right, the harvest is too important, even though I stand with you about Ren." said one of the other village elders. The last came out in a growl.

"Cal, I'll stay with her. Go and vent your anger by picking every bit of fruit you can find." assured Des's aunty.

Everyone looked at each other again but still didn't move, until my aunty made up their minds. "All of you get back to work, or I'll take after you with a switch." That got them going, they all knew she wasn't kidding and would go after them.

Aunty Kim never left my side that day and by the time everyone came back for the evening meal, I had a very lovely bruise on the side of my face and around my eye. Over the next several days, I started out staying in camp then rejoined the harvest because I was just too bored.

Delinsilversworth

I am Delinsilversworth; this is a true story of my youth when I was near my ninth decade. I live in a world where Wyrms are not the only thinking race. Our world has several large islands and one very large continent. My people can be found on all of the landmasses and on the largest, we inhabit two-thirds of it. The humans however keep multiplying and spreading, so that a number of my people have chosen to move to one of the smaller landmasses.

My clan and I lived in an area near a forest where at one end of this forest was a grove of trees that produced a very tasty fruit, once a year a group of humans that live a half day or less, as a Wyrm flies, comes to the forest and take all of the ripe fruit. That's fine, the trees are on their part of the continent and we have many such groves.

When I was very young, only having learned to fly the year before, I started meeting with others of my age group to learn the knowledge of other languages, peoples and places. Unfortunately for me, this was to be a very trying time. You see; I was somewhat of the runt of the clutch. My sisters and brothers being taller than me by a neck length, loved to pick on me and so it would seem that as we met the others they did too. After several years of being picked on and getting into lots of fights, the others finally came to realize that I might be small but I was not to be messed with and I applied myself to learning all I could. By the time I had reached the age of consent, I had the education of a scholar. This had the effect that when someone needed to know something they came to me to get that information.

One day a group of the others came to me and asked, how much I knew of the humans and where they would be. They of course had no interest in seeing them but they, "wanted to know where to stay away from." Like an idiot, I told them and then one of them turned and asked if I thought it would be safe to have a look. "Of course it would be okay, the humans aren't there right now to get the fruit because the fruit isn't ripe. I know what your game is; you're going to dare one another to spy on them. I see it happen every year. Or at least they all claim they've done it and tell strange stories to try and convince the rest. The humans are nothing but small breakable things that can hardly take care of themselves. Why bother, it's a waste of time."

"Oh really, have you ever seen them? Have you ever observed them in their native habitats?"

"No and I don't feel any great need to do so."

"You're just scared you'll get caught. That's all." said one of the others, the one with the nasally voice.

"You can't catch what you can't see and you all know I have mastered the art of concealment. And if I ever do go to observe it will be with full permission so that I can get credit for it by giving a report about it."

"Then if you think you're so good, go and get that permission and we'll see who has the right to talk." the young Wyrm turned to walk away but stopped, "Ah, what time of year was it that the humans gather the fruits?"
"Late fall." This fool was so stupid he didn't even realize that I had changed the time on him. But after that, the others walked off and left me alone to think. 'Could I do it, could I stay in hiding and observe the humans as they gathered? I know I could give a report about it.' There are several moons until the humans are due to gather the fruits. It wouldn't be that hard to find a spot and just wait and watch. I thought to myself. Why not?

So I asked and of course, I was told that I was not yet of an age, even with all of my mastering of different arts, I was still just too small. I resigned myself not to worry about it or dwell on the subject but every time I turned around, I came up with another way to do it.

When summer was just about to finish, I decided that I would go and see the humans for myself. I knew I would have no trouble because I had mastered several more of the different arts and magics. Boy did I have myself fooled. So one night I snuck down to that end of the forest to test the fruit and found them almost ready and returned home with none the wiser that I had been gone. A week later, I snuck out again and went in search of a good place to watch and listen to the humans. I of course, knew where they would camp, for they have used the same spot every year for more years than I myself had been in this world. And so I waited.

Almost a week had gone by and the humans had not come but just as I was going to leave their wagons arrived. It was an amazing sight. Six wagons, box like things on round things and pulled by either oxen or horse. It was hard not to want to jump out and take one of those, that's for sure. Shortly after, the camp area was set up and all but one went off to gather the fruits. It was the most amazing thing. I could almost identify each one by their scent but they gave off several scents at once. The group that had gone off was a mix of both male and females, contrary to the records; which stated only the men came to gather. I longed to go and ask them when they started having their females help them with it, but I stayed. I was tempted to move farther up to where the fruit was when I saw a young female come back into the camp. She had a very strange and unusual scent to her. As I watched, the female went into one of the interesting dwellings then came out and went into another. When she came out again she was wearing different skins on her legs and went to a bucket of water, washed something and put it on the roof of her dwelling. There had been one female in the camp and she smelled of being with child; most beings and animals have a very similar scent when in the family way, and after a few moments she went into another dwelling and didn't come back out.

The female that had come back to camp, took up where the other had left off, I guess, with some kind of food preparation. The sun had moved but not by much when a male from the group came back to camp. I could see from his movements that he was trying to get in without being heard and it looked like he almost had. The female turned and saw him, the male stocked forwards in an attempt to, what appeared to be, to mate with the female. She was having none of him and kept trying to get a way. The male picked up something and threw it at the female, hitting her in the back of the legs and she went down; then he was on her.

I will tell you, I found this very disturbing and I almost left my hiding place to go to her aid. I found it even harder a few moments later when she gave out a scream that was so close to an alarm call of my people that I found my leg muscles tensing to leap into the air. I was sure the call could be heard for leagues and was quite surprised that none of my people came to see what was happening and why a Wyrm was in such distress.

The female continued to scream until the male pulled back his hand and hit her in the face. By then it was too late, the other female that had gone to the dwelling came running out and the male took off running. Moments later all of those out gathering the fruit came back like a pack of dogs. There were many words exchanged but I was too far away to hear them. Then one of the males, a big one and clearly the sire to the female began speaking but after a moment the Female herself spoke and the scent of anger diminished in all but the sire. Then all but one other female, a relative by the look and scent of her, left the camp to resume gathering.