[Veltzeh]: 39.The Heritage of Humankind.Tales from Kyerrion.9

Krezagon wept the morning the two squads packed up their stuff, got organized and moved out of the camp. Ey sat up in a tree and watched them march away. Ey had thought of asking permission to go with the two squads but was sure that Tegafel would only think of em as a creepy stalker who was in the way. Tegafel deserved a real partner and not some scrawny ancod who thought too high of emself.



Still, almost two frindos later, Krezagon was still thinking about what had happened to Tegafel and eir squad. The ancod decided to find out, and surprised one of the sergeants one night.

Ey sneaked up to the gewacod sergeant and said: "Excuse me, sogewa!"

The gewacod startled slightly and turned. "Well, haven't seen you in a while. Ease. What?"

"I was wondering... Have there been any news about the two squads that left two frindos ago?"

"Neret's squad and that visitor squad? ...Just why do you care?" The gewacod was fairly suspicious.

"Uh... I knew the wacod in Neret's squad, I've just been wondering what happened to em."

"Oh, the wacod. Tegafel, right? I haven't heard any news. There should be some eventually. Just how did ey get to know you anyway? I thought you just sat in the forest all day doing woodwork."

"...Ey walked around. Can I ask you to let me know when news arrive?"

"No." They stared at each other for a moment. "You didn't really answer me."

"...Tegafel wanted to apologize for the behavior of some people from eir squad."

"I see. And you thought it was heroic or something that someone would apologize to YOU? You almost had me believing you weren't nuts there for a moment!"

Krezagon frowned. "I am not crazy, sogewa. May I go?"

"Sure. Dismissed, nutwit."

Krezagon swallowed eir pride and insults and walked away.



Over a week later two people came to the camp and it caused a bit of ruckus around. There were rumors and suspicion around, but Krezagon naturally heard none of them, ey just saw that the camp was agitated. Therefore, ey had to ask. This time ey talked to the gewacod who took care of the inventory, since ey was the one who usually managed to talk to the ancod without excessive insults. Of course, Krezagon had a legitimate reason to talk to em anyway, since ey gave eir bolts to em.

Therefore, one day after the messengers had arrived, when Krezagon had given the bolts to the gewacod, ey asked: "What's going on in the camp?"

"Hmh... Some news came from Adenelihe, about those two squads that left two frindos ago. Now I think the lieutenant and sergeants are sending another squad to meet with more people from Adenelihe so they can sort it out."

"Really? What kind of news was it?"

"They're saying the two squads were slain." Krezagon went paler and the gewacod raised an eyebrow. "Hmh? Strange to see you interested."

"Uh... it's just that the wacod who was in Neret's squad... I mean, I kind of knew em, so I'd like to know."

"Oh. Well, that's what I know. The lieutenant and sergeants probably know more but I bet they won't go telling it."

Krezagon was idle for a moment, but then said: "Thanks, sogewa." Ey left.



The next day, Krezagon kept a closer eye on the people in the camp and tried to listen in on any information, finding out that there was indeed a fairly believable rumor circulating that the two squads had been killed. The lieutenant was sending one third of a squad to join with people from Adenelihe to confirm the news. Krezagon, having been fairly depressed after Tegafel had left, thought that there would be nothing to lose, especially since they all had probably died, and decided to request permission to go to Adenelihe.

Ey went to see the lieutenant immediately; there was still a few days before the small squad was scheduled to leave. Ey entered the room, stood to attention and greeted the lieutenant. "Greetings, lieutenant." The lieutenant's two assistants glared at Krezagon.

"What's your business?"

"I request permission to go to Adenelihe with the inquiry team, sogewa."

The lieutenant frowned. "What for?"

"A person I knew went with the two squads two frindos ago and I wish to find out what happened to em."

"They're dead. The team we're sending will just be there to establish relations with the party who killed them and search for the bodies."

Krezagon was struck silent. "They killed our soldiers and now we'll 'establish relations' with them?"

"Should I have you whipped for insubordination?" The assistants looked quite wishful.

Krezagon was suddenly slightly frightened and gulped. "No, sogewa."

"Good. Do you still want to go?"

"Yes, sogewa."

"Permission granted. Take with you your tent and your tools. The departure is in three days."

"Understood, sogewa. Th—"

"Tomorrow morning, wait by the storage and one sergeant will bring you someone you can teach to make bolts."

"Yes. Thank you, lieutenant."

"Dismissed."

In the morning, Krezagon loitered around the storage until one of the sergeants came there, a niwacod with em.

"Attention!" said the sergeant. Both Krezagon and the niwacod stood to attention. "Krez, here's Redfel Togertel. Teach em how to make bolts. Dismissed!" The sergeant walked away.

Redfel looked at Krezagon somewhat condescendingly.

"Follow me," said Krezagon. They walked away and Krezagon showed Redfel the places where ey had been making the bolts and during the two days of time ey had, gave the niwacod a quick, thorough course in bolt-making.

In three days, the small team left. The team comprised a newly promoted sergeant, Derekl Turinel, and five other people besides Krezagon: Riyhneon, a gewacod; Leitsel, a nigecod; and Freppet, Sorifel and Pouttel, nicods. Krezagon got no help in carrying eir load which was larger than what the others had, was often close to being left behind and even when they camped for the night, got no praise for eir skills in setting up the camp. As usual, ey also slept alone.



After the first day, Krezagon had been considerably behind, and when ey caught up with the others, ey just flopped down on the ground and lay there, breathing and resting. The sergeant Derekl did not approve of that—straightforwardly ey just hated the ancod from the bottom of eir heart. Ey walked next to Krezagon and lightly kicked em on the side.

"Lazying around. That's a good way to be in the army, Shynderfolter." Derekl had also taken to the habit of calling Krezagon by eir unfortunate family name after seeing it on eir contract.

Krezagon startled and rolled on eir stomach. Eir whole body ached and ey just wanted to lie. "Mhmh..."

"Mumbling now?" The nicod got more aggravated by the second and ey just wanted any reason to start yelling. Ey kicked Krezagon again. "Get up, you worthless piece of meat! I'm not going to watch you lie around idling!" ey raged, and Krezagon got up. "You're a stupid, useless undeveloped BRAT! Now move and do some REAL work for a change! You're WASTE OF SPACE! Not to mention food!" The other team members eyed the screaming a bit, three of them snickering and grinning and two seeming a bit long-faced.

Krezagon got to work and started setting up the tents, then looked for firewood and finally set up the campfire. Ey was exhausted and could barely eat, and after ey had eaten, ey felt excessively sick. Ey could not set up eir own tent, so ey just lay down on it and fell asleep, not hearing Derekl's insults anymore.



In the morning, ey woke up to yet another sharp kick on eir side. At least ey did not feel sick anymore and the food had stayed down.

Derekl looked down at the ancod. "Sleeping ON your tent? You're one incompetent nutwit." The sergeant had an evil idea and stepped on Krezagon's crotch. Krezagon let out a short groan and waved eir arms around a bit. Ey was still fairly groggy. "USELESS!" Derekl pushed down with eir foot and Krezagon spent a few seconds clutching eir crotch after Derekl had stepped off of em. "Get up!" Krezagon staggered upright. "Take off your clothes."

"...What?" mumbled Krezagon.

Derekl smacked the ancod across the face. "TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES!" After that, Krezagon did not waste time and took off eir clothes. After ey was done and had dropped the clothes on the ground, Derekl stared at em with a mockingly amused expression. After a few comments about how sick, disgusting and deformed Krezagon was, the nicod said: "There, you can walk the whole trip today just like that. Naked and displaying your uselessness to the whole world!" With that, ey picked up Krezagon's clothes and took them away.

Krezagon felt disgustingly humiliated, but it was yet another thing ey should not care about, so ey tried not to. After packing up eir tent again, ey moved closer to where the others were eating. Derekl, however, said:

"Stay away, Shynderfolter. You're not going to ruin my breakfast with that revolting corpse of yours."

Krezagon was angry. "YOU took away my clothes, soni!"

"Silence, Shynderfolter! Don't try to come nearer!" The other team members reacted much like last night: three of them giggled and two were just quiet.

Krezagon was annoyingly helpless. Ey knew ey would not make it if ey did not get even that little bit of food that ey needed. Ey sat down, leaned eir arms on eir knees and eir head on eir arms, staring at the others.

After a moment, Riyhneon, the only gewacod in the team spoke: "Permission to give food to the ancod."

The sergeant was quiet for a moment. "Granted." The gewacod started piling up food on Krezagon's plate. "That's enough." It was just a bit over half of a proper portion, but the gewacod did not start arguing. Ey did, however, put in the spoonful ey was already holding, though Derekl had not meant that to be added. The nicod did not say anything, though.

The gewacod turned then and walked over to Krezagon. Ey gave the plate to the ancod. "Hold." Ey then scooped most of the food ey still had on eir own plate onto Krezagon's plate.

"Thank you," whispered Krezagon. Ey ate the food and did indeed march the whole day with only eir cruddy shoes on.

In the evening, ey went through another load of insults from the sergeant, but this time managed to set up eir own tent at least. Some time after ey had fallen asleep, one of the team members poked inside Krezagon's tent and shoved eir clothes in eir face.



When the morning came, Krezagon was woken up by the sergeant yelling general orders. Ey dressed up and got out of the tent to eat. However, the sergeant started again insulting em and this time concentrated on how Krezagon was slowing them down by walking always so slowly.

Krezagon listened to the rant and let it go out of eir other ear. When ey thought Derekl was done, ey said, with a slightly faltering voice: "May I say one thing, soni?"

"...What, worm?"

"Your loads are barely more than half of my load. I've been able to keep up with you even though I walk behind."

Derekl smacked Krezagon in the face again and then slapped em on the chest, shoving em forcefully backwards. "Insubordinate stinking useless corpse, Shynderfolter!" As soon as Krezagon regained balance, Derekl caught em by the arm, pulled down eir suspenders and almost made eir pants drop. "Lift your arms!" Krezagon did as ey was told and Derekl pulled off eir shirt, tearing it a bit in the process. Having done that, the nicod caught em by them arm again and swirled em toward a tree. Krezagon ran into it and was about to turn, leaning on the tree. "Face the tree and lift your arms!" Derekl turned to the closest soldier. "Find me a whip, Pouttel."

"Yes, soni."

After a while, a whip was found. Krezagon had already prepared for it, but the sharp pain always struck hard and ey could not help whimpering. Derekl only whipped em thrice though. Krezagon cowered and shook for a while as the others went to have breakfast, but got then dressed again and moved toward the others.

"No food for useless nutwit idiots!" shouted the sergeant.

"I will not —!" started Krezagon, but stopped then. Ey figured ey could only make eir situation worse, so ey just walked away and went deeper into the forest, off the path, to find something to eat.

A moment went while the others ate. The gewacod spoke again: "Permission..."

"Denied."

Riyhneon was quiet. Instead, they all took even more food for themselves. Riyhneon took more than ey could eat on purpose; ey was planning on saving it for Krezagon.

The sergeant felt mean again and commanded the gewacod: "Wash the plates."

Riyhneon was not too enthusiastic about the command, but thought it gave em a fairly good opportunity to give the food to Krezagon.

Krezagon had returned and was eating an assortment of half-edible plants ey had found in the forest. Riyhneon went up to em and gave em the plate. Krezagon ate and gave the plate back.

"I'll take some of your stuff off your backpack. Derekl's not rational."

Krezagon just sat there, feeling helpless and yet somewhat grateful. Ey looked down and whispered: "Thank you, sogewa."

"No problem, uh... er, soan." Riyhneon seemed amusedly weirded out. "That sounded weird..." With that, ey walked off. After the inquiry team members had packed their stuff, they started moving again. This time, Krezagon could keep up fairly easily, though ey still walked last. Derekl of course praised eir own threatening skills for the ancod's achievements. They arrived at Adenelihe by night.



The small squad spent a few days in Adenelihe—it seemed there were discussions going on and there was some dishonesty involved. Apparently the homehans had lied that all femehans in the battle had been killed since one body was missing. Krezagon asked to know who it was, but ey was not told.

After two days, the small squad and some soldiers from Adenelihe left to the homehan settlement. They were led by one of the captains from Adenelihe and they had among them more sergeants, two negotiators and a medic, at least.