(7)The Qystr

Both Wy and Dwy were high overhead when the final arrival bounded wearily over the lip of the hill and took his place in the circle surrounding Anjeliqua and her parents. Anjeliqua's curiosity was waning as hunger and fatigue tugged at her attention, but she dared not complain or twitch as the twenty or so Qystr silently encircled them and their Dwyld. The solemnly assembled Qystr were all sizes and shades of greens and purples. There were six young, of varying ages all of them watching Ajeliqua closely but also without moving. Except for the occasional twitch of a tail or rustling of weight slightly shifted the silence was profound.

At last an extremely small Qysld stepped painfully into the centre of the circle, bowed politely to their Dwyld and slowly turned around completely taking an enormously long time to look intently at each Qystr present. Anjeliqua knew the thoughts passing between them had to do with her, but she did not understand why. The wizened elder, whom all addressed respectfully as "The Old One", appeared pleased with the answers of all but one Qystr - a large female with bright green spots covering her haunches. Her tail swished unpleasantly during her conversation with The Old One, but at last she too bowed to The Old One's wishes.

When The Old One's gaze fell on Anjeliqua, she was stunned by how strongly the elder's thoughts impacted her mind. "We welcome you, Anjeliqua." At this the Old One stepped up to Anjeliqua and nosed her on the top of her head. She smelled dry and Anjeliqua could see her eyes were slightly cloudy. "We have waited for you and are glad you have come to us, Anjeliqua. I am old and will be taking the long walk home soon. I have worried that the Qystr would be left without a leader, that you would not arrive before I had to make that lonely journey. But my worries were for nothing" The Old One paused, shaking her head slightly, amused at her own foibles, the Dwlyd nodded leafy boughs seeming to whisper in agreement, as if sharing the joke. "As they usually are. Still, we have little time left together, my child." A fit of coughing stopped her thoughts and she sat down. In a moment her head bowed her eyes closed and sleep overcame her.

Anjeliqua felt something momentous was about to happen - all weariness fled and she sat motionless, eyes fixed on the Old One while the hazy afternoon lingered on, hardly aware that she was surrounded by others, equally still and waiting.

With a start the Old One finally roused, looking up, clearly embarrassed by her impromptu nap. "Harrum, please excuse my lapse, now, where were we?"

Later, much later, it turned out that where "we were", was really where Anjeliqua and the Old One were. For, the purpose of the meeting was to determine Anjeliqua's fate. Was she the Next One, or not? The Qysld seemed to think so. When the Old One looked at her, Anjeliqua felt strange stirrings, memories of odd places and experiences that must be dreams. The Old One simply nodded, as though she understood,had seen it all, while the others surrounding them watched with varying degrees of curiousity, incomprehension, boredom and jealousy. Regardless, they all agreed in the end that Anjeliqua would go with the Old One to her lair to learn from her the ways of the Qsytr.

As the twin suns set, Anjeliqua curled up in the den, hungry from a day of fasting, but exhausted. She fell asleep to the rumbling snores of her father, and the rasping breath of the Old One. Her mother sat silent, silhoutted at the mouth of their den, silently watching the night, keeping company with sorrow and pride.