Chapter Twenty

The changing colors of the sky had set the creepers off, causing them to hoot wildly and scamper among the underbrush in seeming panic. DeepRoot and ClearSky simply stared up the changing sky for a moment and then began to herd Devon and the others out of the clearing, deeper into the woods.

Jacinda gave Devon a questioning look and then gestured at the sky.

Devon Shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe that is why we crashed.”

The three friends followed DeepRoot and ClearSky out of the clearing. The creepers moved very quickly through the dense bushes and trees. The foliage almost seemed to part for them, opening a path wide enough for the children to follow with ease.

Devon could felt a sense of urgency in DeepRoot and ClearSky. Something about the way they were moving made him think that wherever they were going was important. He only hoped that he could figure out what the creepers wanted from them.

They climbed up hills and down ravines, scurried across meadows and slogged through a gloomy swamp. All the while they watched the shifting colors of the sky.

Devon was not sure how much time had passed since they had gone with the creepers, but it seemed like hours. He was getting very tired and was not sure how much farther he could go. With just a look, he could tell that Jacinda and Merrell were feeling the same way.

DeepRoot suddenly stopped. ClearSky turned, motioning for Devon and his friends to stop as well. Devon had a chance for the first time in a while to survey their surroundings. They stood in a dense stand of trees that resembled bamboo, but a thick as his waist. There was a brisk breeze blowing trough the trees, making them sway. They gave off a soft creaking sound as the moved with the breeze.

Devon began to hear another sound above the sound of the trees swaying. Just at limit of his hearing he heard what sounded like some sort of grunting. DeepRoot and ClearSky also heard the sound. DeepRoot held up a cautioning hand, cocking his head as if to hear better.

The grunting grew louder, coming closer. It almost sounded like pigs, but with shrill yaps between the grunts. The sounds were making Devon nervous. Whatever was making them sounded big, and in a jungle like this bigger usually meant trouble.

The breath caught in Devon’s throat as four huge beasts ambled into view. They looked like huge, bristled-haired wolves with long tusks jutting out from their lower jaws. They tested the air with their fleshy noses every few feet. As they came closer Devon realized that these things, whatever they were, were more pig than wolf. But that did not make them any less dangerous. He knew in his heart what these must be.

Devon looked back at Jacinda and Merrell. Merrell looked worried, but Jacinda looked on the edge of panic. Her eyes went from the creatures to Devon and back again. He mouth moved as if she was trying to speak, but nothing came out. Merrell sensed Jacinda’s panic and drew him into his arms. It seemed to help. She shut her eyes tightly, shutting out the sight of the creatures.

Coming from a mining colony on an asteroid, the biggest animal Jacinda had ever seen for real was a large cat one of the workers smuggled in. Of course she had seen vids of the creatures of old earth, like elephants and horses, but seeing a picture of one and being confronted with creatures this size were two different experiences.

“Bowzers,” Jacinda muttered under her breath.

At the sound of her voice, the head of the largest bowzer snapped toward their hiding place. It squinted at them with its small, piggy eyes, sniffing the air greedily for any scent. It moved closer, led by its furiously working snout. It stopped for a moment as if analyzing a new smell.

The rest of the beasts noticed that their companion was on the trail of something. Interested in sharing in any hidden morsels, they turned as a group and began to follow him. All of the bowzers sniffed the air in excitement. They soon caught the scent of the children as well. They squealed in excitement and rushed toward the group of hidden creepers and children.

DeepRoot stepped out from his hiding place, putting himself protectively between the bowzers and the children. He let out a deep, rumbling hoot and the bowzers stopped in their tracks, but still pranced nervously. DeepRoot hooted again. ClearSky joined in and began to hoot in a sad harmony. Their hoots mingled together, almost sounding like a song. This seemed to calm the bowzers, who began to mill about, sampling nearby foliage. Soon the bowzers lost interest in the children and simply wandered away from the clearing.

Devon realized that he had been holding his breath. He let it out with a rush, then sucked in a deep breath. He looked over at Merrell and Jacinda to make sure they were alright as well. Merrell had released Jacinda, but still stood very close to her. Jacinda was back to normal. Gone was the look of terror and the familiar look of determination had returned.

DeepRoot and ClearSky turned to each other and clasped hands. Devon wondered what they could be talking about, if that was they were doing could be called. They must be communicating. They stood that way only for a few moments but a decision had obviously been made.

ClearSky motioned for Devon and the others to follow her. DeepRoot turned and strode out of the clearing. Devon could see DeepRoot disappearing into the trees, a purpose in his stride.

ClearSky motioned again for Devon and the others to follow her. With a sigh, he turned and followed her into the darkening forest. The sun was going down, but he no longer feared the bowzers. The little demonstration made it obvious the creepers knew how to handle them. Devon felt much more hope for their survival.

***

Their spirits buoyed by their successful encounter with the bowzers, Devon and the others walked with new enthusiasm. Most of their tiredness had fallen away and their steps were lighter. ClearSky sensed this and picked up the pace.

The trail began to slope gently upward. The change was small, but Devon’s legs began to tire. Jacinda and Merrell also showed signs of tiring. Devon gave a sigh of relief when he realized that they were at the top of the slope. The sigh caught in his throat as he crested the ridge and saw what was on the other side. He heard Jacinda gasp as she saw as well.

The forest ended abruptly at the peak of the ridge. The far side of the hill had been torn away. With no canopy above, smoke filled the sky over the valley beyond, if it could be called that. The valley looked more like some mythological leviathan with an unquenchable hunger for dirt and rock had fed for days. The valley was now a great wound in the earth with small pools of molten lava dotting the floor like the oozing blood of the planet.

Devon, Jacinda, and Merrell stared down at the destruction in utter disbelief.

“This isn’t natural,” Jacinda said.

“What? How do you know?” Devon asked.

“Believe me, I have lived in and around mines all my life. I know what natural rock looks like. Someone did this on purpose.” There were tears in Jacinda’s eyes.

Merrell shook his head. “Who would do something like this?”

“Probably the same people who attacked the creepers,” Devon answered.

As if on cue a small ship passed overhead with a roar. Jacinda gasped.

“I recognize that ship from the vision ClearSky gave me. It is the same kind of ship that attacked the creepers.”

They watched the ship descend into the valley and skim the lava below. It slowed and then began to hover in the shadow of a steep cliff. It swayed in the roiling updrafts from the surrounding lava, slowly descending. With a start Devon realized that the ship was about to land on some sort of structure sitting near a large pool of lava.

“Do you see that down there?” Devon asked the others.

“I sure do,” answered Jacinda. “That looks like some sort of mining platform.”

Devon looked confused. “Mining? What would they be mining, lava?”

“Exactly. I have read a lot about it. The miners pump lava in and filter out all of the heavy elements from it. They pump the rest out as slag.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Devon said.

“It is,” Jacinda nodded. “If you make any mistakes it can be deadly. That is why they only do it on dead worlds. It is just too dangerous to do on inhabited worlds. The mining can cause lots of problems with the air.”

“Like pollution?” Merrell asked.

“Yes, pollution, and worse. I don’t understand how it all works but I think that to the get the most valuable stuff, which is heavy, they have to stir up the lava. I have heard that they use big bombs or other really destructive stuff. That’s what makes it so dangerous. On a dead world there is nobody affected by the earthquakes or new volcanoes that pop up.”

“How could they do it here? They are killing the creepers.” Devon’s voice filled with anger.

“My guess is that these are outlaw miners. Not much better than pirates.” Anger also showed in Jacinda’s voice. “I bet they figured that Forrestal was a backwater that nobody would care about. The creepers were an unexpected problem so they just decided to blast them. People like this give all miners a bad name. Jacinda and her family were happy to be miners, but they knew that a lot of people looked down on miners. Many people saw them as uneducated and simple, unable to make a living at anything other than digging holes. Jacinda’s father always joked that the family all had dirt in their blood and that they were part badger and that was why they liked being miners. He had instilled in his children a deep pride in the hard work of being a miner. This pride drove Jacinda to make herself a silent promise that she would stop the outlaw miners, no matter the cost.

Merrell stepped forward, his fists clenched. “So, what do we do? We have to stop them somehow.”

Jacinda nodded, wearing a determined look. “We owe it to ClearSky and DeepRoot. Humans are messing up their planet and humans should put a stop to it.”

“So do we all agree; we have to try and shut down the mining operation?” Devon asked.

The three friends clasped hands, sealing their decision with the squeeze of their hands.

Devon was the first to let go. He watched curiously as Merrell and Jacinda seemed to share something a bit deeper for a moment. Merrell sighed and put his other hand on Jacinda’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Devon shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do. He felt awkward interrupting his friends’ moment, but time might prove to be very short. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“They probably don’t have any idea we are here, so that gives us an advantage.”

His words startled Jacinda out of her reverie. She dropped Merrell’s hand and gulped.

“Oh…of course…an advantage. We need that…” Jacinda backed away a step, making Merrell’s hand fall from her shoulder.

“You bet we do,” Devon responded, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. “These pirate miners sound like very bad people who wouldn’t think twice about hurting a few kids if they got in their way. We need more than a little luck to pull this off.”