Kinderling 13

 Before long, all three of us made our way to the top of the stairs, carefully watching the Gorf from behind the protection of the no-see-me.  The Gorf was more and more frantically searching the shoreline, diving deeper and deeper into the water.  A few times I was afraid he was going to drown.

"What odd behavior." Uncle Zon whispered, "I wonder what it could be looking for?"

"Normally I would say it was food, but I've never seen a Gorf this fixated on anything.  Even when they know there is food somewhere, they usually lose interest before too long if they can't reach it."  I replied.

"You sound far too much like you have experience with Gorfs for my comfort young lady." interjected Father, a little louder that was wise.  We both shushed him, and I was instantly ready to flee for my life.  Giving away your position, especially to an obviously agitated Gorf, was not something that anyone who cared about a long life did.

But the Gorf didn't even seem to have heard us, and continued on with his searching.

"Tadius, you know I love you, but I would also like to remind you that if that thing comes after us, Tandy and I don't have to outrun it.  We just have to outrun you."  Even knowing that Uncle Zon meant it as a joke, the reality of those words chilled me like being in a damp old cavern couldn't begin to.

That's when I noticed something floating in the water not far from the landing on our side.  It was similar to something I once saw when I accidentally stumbled too close to a Gorf encampment while in the Forrest.  Gorfs, surface Gorfs anyway, usually live in caves.  Not in deep caverns like their Deep Gorf cousins, but rather in caves closer to the surface.  However, not even Gorfs can spend all their time in a cave, so their settlements usually spill out of the cave mouth in an unorganized mass of Gorf activity.  It was fascinating, if incredibly dangerous, to watch.  While I was watching that day, I noticed that a couple of the larger Gorf males - in spite of them being very different from Kinderlings, it's easy to tell which are male and which are female - started fighting over a stick of wood.  It was brutal, and I was worried that one of them would be killed.  I didn't like the Gorfs, but I didn't particularly want to see one killed.  Then in the middle of the fight, a tiny Gorf female sneaked in and stole the stick right out from under them.  She planted the end of the stick in the ground and let out a loud, garbled proclamation.  I have no idea what she said, but the tone of voice said "cut it out!" and the two combatants instantly stopped fighting.  I didn't see what happened afterward, because I carefully backed out of there as quickly and carefully as possible.

I hadn't thought much about that day for some time, but seeing the stick floating in the water brought it back to me in detail.  

To Uncle Zon's surprise, and Father's absolute shock, I put my pack down and started stripping off the outer layers of my clothes.  Not all of my clothes, of course, just the outer layers.  If everything went according to plan, I would definitely want something, at least somewhat, dry to put on in a few minutes.

"What are you doing young lady?" Father exclaimed.  Although at least he remembered not to do so out loud.

"I have an idea." I whispered them, "give me a moment."

I watched for a moment, looking for a time when the large Gorf was moving away, still searching.  I quietly slipped into the water.  The water was colder than I expected, and also much deeper.  The cold nearly stole the breath from my lungs.  Fortunately, I'm a decent swimmer, and my goal wasn't far.  

I soon had the stick and returned to the others.  We made our way back down the stairs far enough that our little glowing buttons wouldn't be seen from across the lake, and inspected my find.

The stick was both smoother than I expected, and rougher.  It was more a rod than a stick, with a point at one end, and a cap of some kind of black material at the other.  The material seemed to be some kind of metal.  The body of the rod was smooth, but also carved or engraved with an intricate pattern.  It was beautiful.  As beautiful as anything made by Kinderling artists.  We all silently stared at it in awe, and more than a little confusion.  The Gorfs made this?

"I believe this is a Gorf King's Rod."  Uncle Zon quietly broke the silence, "When I was a boy exploring the caverns, the Deep Gorf boys that my friends and I would play with often joked about using a King's Rod to get Gorf girls to... um... do things with them."

"Like what Uncle Zon?"  I played innocent, but I had a good idea what he was talking about.  I've been watching Gorfs for some time, and I've seen their mating practices.  Although, none of them that I ever saw included anything like this Rod.

It was fun to see Uncle Zon's discomfort.  He still thinks of me as a little girl, although I guess that can be excused.  I am a little small for my age, getting my height from Father and my build from Mother, who is probably still at her age the most beautiful Kinderling in the village.  Or maybe I am biased since everyone says I look just like her.  Father finally came to Uncle Zon's rescue.

"Tandy, quit being mean to your Uncle."  Father fake-hissed.  "He's old and not comfortable talking about such things around young ladies!"  I started looking around as if I was looking for a "young lady".

"Just what use is this thing going to be anyway?"  Uncle Zon had regained his composure and, with military precision, put the conversation back on the right path.

"Well, I would be surprised if this wasn't what our large friend over there was looking for.  I've seen one of these before, and if it is powerful enough to allow a small Gorf girl to order two Gorf males to stop fighting, and powerful enough to get a Gorf girl to... do things... with one of your gorfy friends Uncle Zon,  Perhaps it's powerful enough to get us out of here."

I didn't know for sure if a Kinderling with the Rod would be obeyed.  To tell the truth, I didn't even know for sure that that was what the Rods were even for, but it made sense, and I was just about to test that theory.

"Not on my watch young lady!"  Uncle Zon whispered while deftly removing the Rod from my hands.  "If anyone is going to use this thing, it isn't going to be you."

"I agree." Father said.  "And as the surviving member of the Village Council, that task falls to me."

Father tried to take the Rod from Uncle Zon as deftly as he had taken it from me, but to no avail.  Uncle Zon was clearly stronger and more athletic.

"Not happening Tadius.  As a Capitan of the Militia, it is my duty to keep you, the one surviving member of the Village Council, as you so helpfully pointed out, safe."

The two Kinderlings looked at each other like each knew their own argument was the better argument, and weren't going to back down.  The look was mildly intimidating on Uncle Zon.  I say mildly, because I don't intimidate easy.  Someone, anyone, else would have probably already fallen into line.  Unfortunately for Father, that look just made him look adorable.  I just wanted to give him a hug.  If this is the look he gave Mother all those years ago...  Well I was going to say that I understood why she fell in love with him.  Except this is Mother we're talking about, and not even I could really understand her feelings.  I mean, I know she loves us because I figured out the signs.  You know my Mother cares about because she, sometimes brutally, takes care of you.  You have a Dirty face?  Somehow my Mother always had a washcloth handy, and wasn't afraid to use it.  Nobody my Mother loved was going to be allowed to walk around with a dirty face.   Need stitches?  Whip whip, done.  Broken bone set?  DONE.  Got a sniffle?  Medicine and ordered to bed.  Need a hug because your feelings are hurt?  Mama ain't got time for that nonsense, that's what Father was for.  What an odd time to find myself contemplating my parent's relationship dynamic.  They completed each other.  Wow.

Now, since I was solving all my life's mysteries today, how was I going to get Father and Uncle Zon to admit that the only one of us with a chance of surviving trying to use this King's Rod, if that's what it even is, on that enormous Gorf over there to get us out of here, it had to be me.