A HENRY STORY 2: Trials Of The Fallen Prince

XXXI. Homecoming

"The river should come out on a clearing, somewhere ahead; I can already hear it." Henry made his way back to where he had left the sleigh with Thanatos and pulled it along.

Thanatos nodded, desperately clinging to the edges of the construction as they emerged from the dense foliage and at last caught sight of the shimmering water. They had agreed that it may be best to follow along the river's course if they had no other direction. So, they had traveled for two days without running out of sustenance or water and clung to the hope that it might lead toward the nibbler colony's hot spring.

On the clearing, they settled to eat and break, as Thanatos still insisted that Henry should not strain himself too much yet.

"I should swap out our bandages," pondered Henry. "It is so obnoxiously hot." He poured the contents of his freshly refilled water bag over his head, then filled it up again. "Think you we may reach the edge of the jungle without notable complications altogether?"

"No," said Thanatos sourly. "Because I call that ambush of hoppers yesterday a complication."

"Oh please." Henry waved dismissively. "That was merely an invitation to have one of them for dinner in place of the fish. You know, perhaps Hamnet was onto something after all when he deemed the jungle a suitable place to settle down."

"I am not settling down in the jungle."

"Take ease!" Henry laughed. "I am not suggesting that. I merely meant that a prolonged stay may not be so—"

Their heads shot up in unison as Henry's mind was jolted by a sharp alarm. He scowled and attempted to make sense of the disorienting image his echolocation was transmitting, but then he already sensed a surge of warm breath on his back . . . They were surrounded.

Ever so slowly, he inched around, hand on Mys' handle at all times, and stared into five pairs of yellow eyes.

"What seek you in our land?" The largest hisser stepped forth, his colorful ruff twitching. Henry staggered a step back and watched him sink back onto all fours; even like so, he was taller than Henry.

Then he screamed when something poked him in the side. He had not paid attention, and . . . "You friend?" Henry stared down at the round, bright red face of a baby hisser around half his size, who playfully poked him again. "Friend?"

"We are friendly," confirmed Thanatos, dragging himself closer to the adult hisser. "Pardon our intruding, but we are merely passing through."

Five adults had now emerged into the clearing, and although none of them matched the size of the presumed leader, they all had their ruffs open. Their bodies glimmered in a variety of colors, ranging from yellow to orange, green, and blue. Among them, he caught sight of more young ones, who were now poking their heads out with curiosity.

Nervously, Henry's gaze met that of Thanatos. He had never engaged with the hissers, except for Frill, and their conversations had been brief and superficial. Yet, Hamnet had assured him that she shared his pacifist ideals and even encouraged them. And so Henry forced himself to release Mys' handle. I have a talent for talking my way out of nearly anything. Was it now his time to act on his claim?

"My flier is injured, and we . . . are lost," he admitted after a brief moment of hesitation. "We are hoping to find our way to the nibbler colony that lives near the Vineyard of Eyes; they are our friends. But we have little idea as to where to go. If you would point us in the correct direction, we would be grateful."

"Far off track have you wandered if that is your goal," said the blue hisser, slowly putting on his ruff. "Nibblers live much further south. We see your injuries and your distress, but also your sincerity." He turned to a deep red hisser with leaner, softer features who had stepped at his side; the pup who had greeted Henry earlier capered toward who he presumed was his mother to hide between her legs. The two exchanged a few words in their language, then the leader turned back to him. "We may take you to the nibblers. The path is dangerous for one unfamiliar with the land."