Mimetic | Tsu'tey

IV

The sign
Aungiari
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Looking at Riley now, the woman was silent. She gave a small regard of acknowledgment, but she seemed stubborn in not speaking.

Instead, Riley only offered her thanks.

"Your reasons are your own. Thank you for saving our lives." Riley thanked.

"Yeah, we would've been screwed if you didn't come along-" Jake said, settling into a squat next to Riley and the woman.

She began to walk away.

"Hey where are you going- just- hey slow down-" he reached for her, "I just wanna say thanks for killing those things-"

Jake made the mistake of grabbing her arm. She spun and struck him hard in the face with her bow. She pointed at him with a frown.

"Don't thank!" She said in a warning tone, "you don't thank for this!" She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"This is sad. Very sad only." She said, still pointing her bow at him threateningly.

"Okay- okay, I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry." Jake said backing up.

The woman almost looked like she was going to leave but then she looked back at him and scowled.

"All this is your fault. They did not need to die!" She said with a hiss, her hand motioning out towards where the dead nantang or viperwolves were.

"My fault? They attacked me, how am I the bad guy?" Jake asked, like he wasn't the one who goaded them on earlier.

"Your fault! Your fault!" She said, punctuating her words with a threatening step forward, "you're like a baby, making noise, don't know what to do!" She said in a flurry of frustration.

"Fine, fine." Jake stated, "If you love your little forest friends, why not just let them kill my ass? What's the thinking?" Jake asked, getting to his feet.

"Why save you?" She asked. Both Riley and Jake had asked it now. She might as well clue them in on her speculations.

"Why did you save us?" Riley asked over Jake's shoulder.

The woman paused, gathering her reasons.

"You have a strong heart. No fear." She motioned to Jake and then to Riley, "You See more." She said before glaring at Jake.

"But stupid! Ignorant like a child." She said before turning and storming away, yet she glided through the forest with the grace of a deer.

But Jake was persistent, and Riley was nervous.

"Well, if I'm like a child, then-" he struggled over a root and caught up with her, Riley was close on his heels, trying to avoid the makeshift spear he made. "Then maybe, you should teach us!" He tried to persuade.

"Sky people cannot learn; you do not See." The woman responded, moving gracefully over the terrain.

"Teach us to see things your way. I'm sure the trading of information could be mutually beneficial!" Riley called from behind Jake.

"No one can teach you to See." The woman responded.

The root they stood on gave way to a cliff that had an entire lower level of forest beneath it. It was lucent and dense.

"C'mon... can't we talk?" Jake tried, "Say, where'd you learn to speak English? Dr. Augustine's school?" He began to stumble as his spear caught the edge of a vine.

The woman noticed and grabbed his arm. She was annoyed.

"You are like a baby!" She hissed and released him, "Faysawtute!" She sighed with exasperation.