The Emerging Part I: Dream

“Pentad, on this Edge Run,” Rhino says to the Pentad the next morning, “merely enjoy yourselves. Allow the streams to cool you. The waterfall to cleanse you. The air to rejuvenate you. The earth to soften your steps. The sun to ignite the fire inside of you. Return after you have finished and we will discuss the answer to my question.”

The Pentad takes off on an easy pace, the healthy meal from last night providing much needed nourishment to their aching bodies, the fitful sleep allowing their muscles to fully heal.

They find themselves running the Edge Run with even more ease than yesterday. They glance at one another with the same thought upon their mind, but Hawk says, “Rhino must’ve known we’d grow so strong so soon, right?”

Santhemum and Fox shrug, but Desert and Pork nod in ecstatic agreement.

“We are strong, Hawk,” Desert responds, “even Porker here.”

Pork smirks at the degrading comment, bewildering Hawk entirely.

Hawk glances between Desert and Pork and feels a foreboding deep within his heart.

Hawk increases the pace of their jog and finds that Rhino’s exact words filter through his senses. He feels the copious amounts of streams cooling his body. He feels the air rejuvenating him with every step. He feels the earth cushioning every powerful strike into it. He feels the sun igniting the fire within him. And, when they pass through the waterfall, he feels renewed. He smiles widely.

Hawk’s thoughts turn to the previous runs, of how Rhino hinted at the fact that the answer to his question is related to how they finished the runs. He remembers the first time they ran the Edge, he was the first to cross, followed by Desert, Santhemum, Fox, and lastly, Pork.

Hawk then replays how they finished each time thereafter. He notices a pattern within his mind and smiles all the while. Santhemum to his right notices his wide smirk and raises an eyebrow, her deep panting the only sound emitting from her mouth.

Hawk merely shrugs as they continue their Edge Run.

Rhino holds an ice ball in his hand he conjured from the Lake just before him. He concentrates on freezing the ball then melts the ball to perform acrobatic twists and turns with the liquid water, then changes the water into an icy spear he heaves into a tree at the far side of the lake where he finally allows the water to return to the Lake.

He feels the Pentad returning behind him, the children’s panting breaths music to his ears. He smiles as he says, “Ah, Pentad, you have made a most wonderful time. You have made extraordinary progress, and so quickly as well. So now, any of you have an answer to my question?”

Pork attempts to answer, “The key to Rniti discipline is to always be stronger?”

Rhino remains a blank slate.

“No,” Fox counters, “the key is that Rniti need to know when to speak and when not to?”

Rhino blinks once, Fox deflates.

“The key to Rniti discipline is to progress oneself to the point such that your opponent can never defeat you?” Desert asks.

“That is merely Pork’s answer said with inflated language,” Rhino counters, forcing Desert to glance away, his head slung low.

Rhino then glances at Santhemum who merely points at Hawk.

Rhino looks to Hawk and asks, “Hawk, you have an answer?”

Hawk nods, “Yes,” he begins, “the key to Rniti discipline is to always remember that we Rniti are a Brotherhood, a Brotherhood that never succeeds or fails without the rest of our sisters and brothers succeeding and failing.”

Rhino nods and claps in appreciation of Hawk’s answer, “Correct, Hawk. The Rniti have existed for a thousand years and this has only been so because we each treat each other as our sister or brother. We never attempt to place our blame on another Rniti, we never attempt to degrade our sister or brother willingly, we never attempt to destroy our sister or brother as that is merely destroying ourselves.

“Instead, we focus on our penultimate Brotherhood, that we are all family and as family, that we always stand ready to defend our sister or brother, we always are prepared to strengthen our bond with our sister or brother, and we always respond to a sister or brother in her or his time of absolute need.

“We are a Rniti Brotherhood,” Rhino concludes.

Hawk, Desert, Santhemum, Fox, and Pork glance at one another, the trials of five Edge Runs weighing upon them in a way they each realize the same thought.

Santhemum’s silky voice rings the thought, “We, the Pentad, we are a family, but a smaller unit within the much larger family of the Rniti Brotherhood.”

Rhino smiles widely, “Exactly. Pentad, you have performed very well today. Have the rest of the day for yourself. I would recommend eating a healthy meal and retiring for bed early tonight.”

Rhino vanishes in a blue light as the Pentad smiles at one another then jump into the Lake with splashes and cries of glee. Passing Rniti smile at the Ummkoniyos and feel a yearning to join their new sister and brothers, but continue on their way.

Uxxok follows his target more closely tonight, hoping to hear or see how the man enters the hidden door. To his dismay, the man does not return to the hidden door. Instead, the man goes left at the same intersection.

Uxxok watches at the corner and watches the man disappear inside a tavern. He smiles feeling his target is cornered. He walks into the tavern and notices the bare tables, the nearly empty chairs, and the aged tavern keeper behind the bar hunched over, cleaning the same spot of the bar over and over again.

The tavern keeper turns and sees Uxxok standing just beyond the threshold and speaks, “Ah! A newcomer! I haven’t had a new customer in years. Please, come, come, what wouldja like?” the tavern keeper asks gesturing for Uxxok to come forward and sit.

Uxxok nods in the tavern keeper’s direction. As Uxxok walks across the expanse to the bar, his head is on a swivel for his target. All he sees is an aged woman, possibly the tavern keeper’s wife, sweeping the floor, and a few middle-aged men enjoying a few drinks before heading home.

The tavern keeper watches Uxxok carefully, “I’m afraid we don’t get many ladies anymore.”

Uxxok gasps taken aback, “What?”

“Well, I saw you looking about, only coulda guessed at what you were looking for.”

Uxxok smiles, “Oh, no, that ship has sailed long ago.”

“Ah, such a pity. If not you coulda had something like that darling over there,” the tavern keeper points to the woman sweeping.

“Your wife, I take it?” Uxxok asks.

The tavern keeper nods with a toothless but friendly smile. “Yep, been goin’ on forty years now. I don’t know where the time’s gone.”

Uxxok merely nods.

The tavern keeper blinks and shakes himself. He looks back at Uxxok and says, “Well, you ain’t just sittin’ there for nothin’. What wouldja like? Finest ale in town.”

Uxxok smiles. “Alright, I shall see to that.”

“Excellent!” The tavern keeper grabs a mug from under the bar and goes to the giant barrel behind him. He turns the spigot on and fills the mug. He hands the mug to Uxxok and announces, “Three penoc, please, good sir.”

Uxxok places the bronze pieces next to his mug. The tavern keeper swipes away the money quickly. Uxxok takes a drink from the mug. The warm, smooth, caramel liquid flows down his throat and he feels the alcohol filter through his body.

He drains the mug and asks for another. He drains the next one as well and requests a third. This time, he waits as the effects of the drinks take their toll on his body.

He lifts his mug for another drink when just at that moment, he sees his target reappear stepping down the staircase. He looks to his mug. He hears the man walk across the nearly empty tavern, his steps echoing off the walls. Soon, the sound of his footsteps stop. Uxxok dares a peek. He sees his target sitting by himself against the far wall, gazing darkly around him.

Uxxok watches as the tavern keeper’s wife approaches the man and walk away. The wife walks to the bar and tells her husband, “One ale, honey.”

“Right away, dear.”

The tavern keeper turns around and sets to fill a mug.

The wife glances to see Uxxok staring at her. “May I help you?” she asks without hesitation.

Uxxok blinks, “Yes, can you give that man a message for me?”

The wife appears wary but says, “Of course, what would you like for me to tell him?”

“Tell him, ‘Knowledge is a strange creature left open,’” Uxxok says.

The wife blinks at Uxxok with confusion. “Very well,” she says just as her husband hands her a mug of brown liquid.

“Oh, I love that woman,” the tavern keeper says more to himself than Uxxok.

Uxxok smiles and nod, “I can tell. After forty years and you still ogle her as if she were a girl.”

The tavern keeper blushes, “Well, can you blame me? I saw her for the first time forty five years ago in a tavern much like this and couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Its like it was destiny or some-”

Uxxok stares at the tavern keeper with disbelieving eyes as he watches the old man jump over the bar, clearing it completely, drawing a knife from under the folds of his apron and charging to the table where the man sits.