(4) Food

Daily Anjeliqua felt herself strengthen, within a week of her first outing she was able to clamber out of the den without her mother's help. Her experience with the Ulxtds had made her cautious so she did not leave without Mother. Restive, Mother's absences were torturous and her sweet liquid was less filling. So, Anjeliqua was thrilled when, one day, after Wy, the first sun, had set, and Dwy, the second sun, was past its zenith, Mother indicated that she should accompany her on an outing.

Once out of the den, Mother turned and sat back on her haunches, closed her two eyes and looked intently at Anjeliqua, "Many dangers, stay close, do not wander, we look for food."

Anjeliqua, barely able to contain her excitement, met her mother's gaze - "Yes, I am ready, I understand." Her tail betrayed her mood and whipped furiously behind her.

Amused, but satisfied with her response, Mother, nodded assent and turned to communicate with the Guardian. Anjeliqua padded up and sat beside her, trying to make out the conversation. Words she still did not understand passed between them, Lwold, Pzadl, Cwilz, Psft. She supposed they were names of prey or, and she shuddered, other Eaters, like the Ulxtds. Mother bowed slightly, her tail lightly touching the dwyld's trunk, signaling her thanks. Anjeliqua, did the same and felt the Guardian's good intentions envelop her.

Off they went, weaving their way past the sea anemone swyllm. Anjeliqua had learned early on to be careful, even the small ones stung you if you stepped on it. Happily she followed Mother over the edge and onto one of the paths worn a lighter brown in the moss like ground cover. Soon they were descending into the valley.

The air in here was thicker, and it was hotter. They wended their way through stands of ulxtd none of which were as tall as the guardian, still Anjeliqua could sense their whisperings as she and Mother passed through. There were small clumps of swyllm and outcroppings of the coral-like dwyld as well as other creatures moving between them. Groups of irridescent shelled things with many stilleto like feet skittered in unison, separating like a sea around her. She had to jump to one side when a single pink ball almost her size rolled in front of her across the path. It's surface, when she nosed it, felt smooth and rubbery. At her touch, it quivered and a yellow rod shot out to push itself out of her way and send it careening into a stand of ulxtd.

Mother blocked her path, and looked at her with the third eye, "Dangerous - no touching strange things!"

Anjeliqua put on a cowed look, then questioning, "What was it?"

"Psft - not dangerous, but might have been. This side of river, safer. Other side very dangerous."

As Dwy's ray's lengthened, the valley cooled slightly, and they came to the side of the emerald green river. Growing along the banks grew tall stalks, like bull rushes. The tallest heads waved four meters above them, five to ten stalks of lesser heights grew from the same spot in the ground. Mother nodded to Anjeliqua to sit and watch.

"Food" she said simply then lept high into the air grasping the tallest stalk half way up, her weight bending it over so the head touched the ground. Gingerly, Mother walked her way to the head. Close up it looked like an orange sack. Mother, bit into it and a deeper orange liquid oozed out which she began to lap up. "Lwold", Mother looked, and nodded to Anjeliqua who bounded over curiously. Copying her mother, she began lapping up the oozing juice.

It was cool and sweet and filling. Anjeliqua was full after the first one, but Mother caught two more to finish her own feeding while Anjeliqua lazed on the bank. It was still warm and the idea of immersing herself in the liquid below her came from a distant memory. Without thinking further she clambered down to the river's edge and put a paw into the liquid streaming past.

Immediately she withdrew it for it was hot and cloying, like tar. She tried to flick it off, but found that green droplets of it clung to her fur, dissolving it and burning holes in her skin. Mewling in pain she did not notice the eel like arms that reached out of the water in the spot where she had broken its surface. One encircled her right fore paw and would have dragged her into the searing liquid stream if Mother had not picked her up by the scruff of her neck and wrested her away.

Mother gave her a good shaking, then flung her down. "Do not move!" she ordered, turned and began to dig furiously. Once she'd accumulated a pile of fine greenish brown dirt, Mother grabbed Anjeliqua and flung her into the hole, covering her body with the fine dirt. Shocked, but motionless, Anjeliqua began to relax and stopped mewling as the dirt's properties eased the burning.

It was dark as they wended their way back to the den. Mother made Anjeliqua follow the path ahead of her, nosing her often as she began to slow her pace. "Hurry" was all she'd say, slacking the pace only when they had breasted the rise where the Guardian stood. They paused before it, Anjeliqua sensing Mother's relief and the dwyld's kindly reproach, as though it knew already all that had happened to her.

Breathless, they collapsed on the den floor. Mother then proceeded to lecture her about her carelessness, growling at her and nipping her frequently to emphasize the point. Anjeliqua was duly repentent, mewling and trying to touch Mother's paw, until finally Mother relented and began to lick Anjeliqua's burnt skin. Finally, exhausted, sore and forgiven, Anjeliqua nestled into Mother and fell into a fitful sleep.