Chapter 17p3 – Treacherous Humans
By Tim Sevenhuysen
Posted May 24, 2012
303 words
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Chapter 17p3 – Treacherous Humans
Elder Aidoan guffawed, his laughter sounding like an avalanche. “Humans, what has shocked you so?”
Milly blurted out, “You just swallowed a Gortinawa seed!”
“How are you not disintegrating from the neck down?” said Overard.
“We yetis,” Aidoan mused, “have very strong stomachs.”
“Maybe the acid inside the seed didn’t get released,” said Overard thoughtfully. “If the digestive fluids didn’t eat through the seed’s outer shell…”
“That is one possible explanation,” admitted Aidoan. “Regardless, to the yetis, the seeds are a special treat, though it has been decades since last I had one.”
“Where did you get them?” asked Overard. “Non-military possession is illegal galaxy-wide!”
“Our kind grew the Gortinawa plant, once,” said Aidoan. “We ate its seeds, and its leaves make strong medicines.”
“But you don’t grow them anymore?” asked Tic.
Elder Aidoan shook his shaggy head. “When the first humans arrived on Yaddock, it did not take them long to discover the seeds’ more… aggressive use. But the plants grow only on the mountaintops, and we would not surrender our land, so they declared war on us. No planted seed lasts to fruition anymore. Now they seek to kill us all, and they carry away the corpses of our fallen brothers to dishearten us.”
“That’s terrible!” said Milly.
Overard stared at the floor in grim introspection.
Tic addressed the room at large. “Why are you helping us, then? Aren’t you worried that we might be more treacherous humans, here to kill you?” A tense hush fell. The hair on the back of Tic’s neck stood on end.
“We have hope, human. Hope for both our kind and yours. Hope that we may yet find an ally among our enemies. But should you wish to initiate hostilities”—Aidoan flexed his enormous paw—”you are welcome to.”
How soon do the humans want to leave the yetis and renew the attack on Dunter?
- In two or three days. (38%, 3 Votes)
- The next evening. (50%, 4 Votes)
- The next morning. (12%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 8
Loading ...About Tim Sevenhuysen
Tim Sevenhuysen writes sci-fi and other genre fiction. He is a microfiction expert, having written over 600 fifty-word stories. He is also a noncertifiable lunatic.All content released under a Creative Commons license unless otherwise noted.