Karr-chapter 6, Volian Clainer

Chapter 6
Volian Clainer

For the first time that day Daniel found he had time to rest, he also had time to think. So, he thought to himself with his eyes closed.
Before that day his life had been kind of dull, not that he was bored to death every day or that he wasn’t happy. In fact he might have been described as a happy kid, but mostly to Daniel it was the same routine that bothered him. Even if he did something else sometimes like a sports practice, or a field trip, it still didn’t make his day much more exciting.
But the part that made Daniel sad was that he was always told that his dad made things more fun and that made him wish more than ever that his dad was still alive. Daniel thought that what he needed was an adventure but he wasn’t sure if he wanted an adventure like this. If he needed something right now he needed help because he and John didn’t even now where they were.
Thinking of John reminded him that John was with him and he was about to see if he was okay but as soon as his eyes were fully open he became aware that he was…well, pretty much nowhere, especially nowhere he recognized.
What he saw were tall trees all over, trees green with needles, and trees whose trunks were tall and skinny but bushy at the top. Daniel also saw low shrubbery, mosses, and ferns. Large, spiky cones cluttered the ground beneath his feet and damp air brought beads of sweat down his face.
As soon as he had gotten up he heard someone call him, “I’m over here!” He turned to find John who was examining one of the many cone-like seeds. Daniel thought that John looked pretty sick. “Something’s not right,” John said.
“I know, I can tell by your face,” he replied as he spun around viewing the amazing landscape.
“It doesn’t fit, just like everything that has happened today,” John paused for a moment then continued, “This place is completely humid it seems likely that we’d be in some kind rain forest, but these trees have needles,” he exclaimed as he pulled down a branch of a tree, “and this spiky cone is from a cycad plant, that’s not right, this can’t be a rain forest,” he said, panting and holding up the seed he’d been examining earlier.
John sat down and caught his breath. Slowly he said, “The tides never would’ve carried us this far,” he said, “we would have drowned for sure…Daniel, I don’t know where we are, but were far from home and I don’t think this is earth.”
Daniel’s mouth gaped open. It wasn’t possible, he couldn’t believe it, or maybe he didn’t want to, but he trusted his friend, besides, after everything that had happened that day it didn’t seem so impossible, “If that’s what you think then I’m with you.”
John smiled, “Thanks, but I can hardly believe it myself, I wish I had more proof.”
“I just hope we can get home,” Daniel said sadly.
They both sat for a while trying to understand what this all meant but it was impossible. Daniel had read books, and seen movies, about worlds far from earth but he never expected it to happen to him. He was starting to realize that it would be a while before any of their questions were answered, maybe they’re whole lives.
Suddenly he noticed how thirsty he was and remembered seeing water, “Let’s go get a drink,” Daniel suggested, “I saw a stream nearby.” The two of them walked a short distance to the stream. In the open, the sun shone bright and glistened from across the smooth surface of the running water.
“Do you think other people live here,” Daniel asked, while cupping his hands and dipping them into the stream.
“I don’t know about other people, but with these conditions there’s sure to some form of life,” John said, while he too drank a handful of water. But Daniel was barely listening to his reply; he was staring hard into the water. He saw the water being moved as if someone or something were in the water. Daniel continued to stare harder into the murky depths but fail to see anything except for the water being parted by something that was moving slowly… towards them!
“John, stop drinking,” he commanded, as he backed away from the stream.
“What’s wrong,” John asked, then realizing that Daniel had seen something he glanced toward the water, and he saw it, but before he had time to turn and run, before he had time scream, and even before his fear and surprise had caught up with what was happening, it struck.
Sixteen feet long and six feet tall while rearing up, it bared its knife-life teeth and then let out a blaring roar that traveled high and far above the treetops. The creature’s huge body and fore limbs slammed down against the earth with enough force to knock John over, and it did.
It stood upon four legs, the back two being much thicker than the front two. It had ridges that ran from the end of its neck all the way to the tip of its tale. The skin of the creature was rough and it also seemed to be moving. But it wasn’t the skin that was moving it was the different blotches of colors that covered it that kept changing. All the colors of the blotches were dark murky shades of green, brown, and black.
Its massive skull loomed over John’s body ready for a meal. “Help,” came John’s troubled scream. Daniel did the only thing he could think of doing. He gripped tightly a heavy stone he had picked up and threw with as much strength and accuracy that he could muster. The stone easily hit its large target in the side of the head. Just as its gaze turned towards him he realized that the its skin was morphing color and although Daniel could tell its general location it was impossible to what he was doing until he moved and then it might be to late.
Right then a man came rushing out through the brush armed with a sword that he held back ready to strike but instead he ran past where the beast was standing. Daniel thought he just hadn’t seen it but the man had stopped and was waiting a couple yards in front of the beast. As soon as it began moving its shape became more visible because the colors of his skin couldn’t keep up as the colors of his surroundings were changing.
The man’s strategy became clear. As soon as the creature came near he could see it more before it could blend in again and he’d swing at it with his sword and then back away again, but he wouldn’t back up too far, because it seemed that it would rather ambush than chase its victim.
After the first few times that the man did this the creature was covered in wounds from the blade of the sword, it knew it was no match and it cautiously backed away, and just as its skin began to blend the creatures huge form sank back into the water.
Daniel and John were both too surprised to say anything, but they didn’t need to because the man was the first one to speak, “Do I know you,” he asked, pointing to Daniel. He didn’t say this in a confused way but in a way that sounded more serious and it seemed that the humans here had intelligence. “What is the name by which you are called?”
Slowly Daniel answered, “Uh… Daniel”
The man had an expression of surprise all over his face but he turned away and it was gone.
Daniel hadn’t been paying attention to what the man looked like but he could now see that had long hair that fell to his shoulders and was rather strong but looked as if he might be in his late thirties. He had on a thin dark brown tunic over a black short sleeved top and a brown belt around the waist. The tunic was tucked under the belt and hung down to just above his knees. He also had trousers, boots, and to finish it off a sheath to keep his sword. Not exactly royalty, but he wasn’t a caveman either.
“Can you tell us where we are,” John asked.
“You are in the land of Karr,” he said and then paused before adding, “I am Volian Clainer, I am one of the many outcasts here,” said Volian as he chuckled at the last part, “Truth be told we are more rangers than we are outcasts, you see?” “We wander protecting the kingdom from wild beasts such as the cronx like the one that recently ambushed you two, oh and I believe thou hast not mentioned thy name,” he asked John.
“Thy sir shall know me as John.”
Volian laughed, but he again looked at them with seriousness and said, “You two seem in need of some help, you should stay with me, my job is dangerous but I have experience. I can help you, please...trust me.”
John looked at Daniel as if to ask: should we trust him? Daniel didn’t know why but he felt that “Volian Clainer” was worthy of their trust so he answered, “You already saved our lives once, and I trust you.”
John followed through by saying, “Yeah, than you for saving us.”
Daniel thought to himself: finally, help has arrived.