At first, Loganoh thought the voice was a dream. Except for the occasional Knoght with a gruff command, no one had spoken to him since he had been banished. He looked up and realized that a female was actually talking to him. Loganoh assumed the worst.
"I'm only on the herd rim. I'm allowed to be here."
"I know you are." she smiled at Loganoh. She was a very old female.
"I know you." he said. "You were at my trial."
"Yes, I was. Do you know my name?" she asked. Loganoh shook his head. "It's Dicrostonyxo."
"Dic... Dirco..."
"Yes. It is a very old name. Call me Nyxo. Come walk with me, Loganoh."
Loganoh was shocked to see Nyxo saunter outward. Mamas seldom strayed from the herd core let alone away from the herd. Loganoh scampered after her.
"Is this whelp troubling you, ma'am?" huffed a Knoght. A trio was just returning from an outward patrol.
"No, I'm fine. I'm just teaching this one the finer points of banishment. You can carry on." she said.
"We encountered no predators out this way. But I can't say that will remain the case, ma'am. We will escort you." The Knoght and his two counterparts took positions in front of the Mama.
Nyxo looked up into the air and then said, "There are no predators around. I won't need your escort. Continue your duties, Knoghts."
The Knoghts
stopped and exchanged concerned glances.
"Are you
deaf?" asked Nyxo, twitching her whiskers.
"No Ma'am." And the three Knoghts were gone.
Loganoh was puzzled. How could a lemming know whether there were predators or not? He looked up and all he could see was a gull. This Mama was powerful. And she knew things; things that Loganoh didn't understand. Could she possibly have the answers Loganoh sought? This would have to be handled delicately. Questioning Mamas was not polite. He had hoped that she would begin a conversation, but Nyxo did not speak for some time. They were well out of sight of the herd now. Loganoh was becoming discouraged. He decided to throw caution to the wind. He was already banished. How could it get any worse?
"Please, ma'am. Can you tell me what Herd Crime is?"
Nyxo hummed with amusement. "It's a crime against the Herd."
Loganoh had heard this too often. "I understand that part. I just don't know what it is I've done. I can't see my family or my herdlet anymore. No one has spoken to me for I don't know how many moons. And nobody can tell me what I did."
"That's not entirely true is it? You know what you did. You just don't know what you did wrong." She replied.
"The Great Run." gasped Loganoh. "Miriao thought I was talking about the Great Run. What is it? Why is it bad to talk about it?"
Nyxo looked up at the gull again. She looked disappointed and sighed.
"We don’t have enough time. There’s a predator close by. Let’s head back to the herd." she said as she turned herd-ward.
Loganoh's heart leapt and he looked up expecting to see an owl. He only saw another gull. Or was it the same gull?
"Do you like being alone, Loganoh?" Nyxo asked.
Loganoh did not know how to respond to the question. Admitting it would be tantamount to admitting you were a deviant. But lying to a Mama was always a bad choice. Could she already know? Was the question some kind of test?
Loganoh looked at Nyxo and saw that she was smiling at him.
"Yes. I like it too." she said. "But the herd doesn't like to see such behavior in a Mama, so I don't get to enjoy it as often as I'd like."
Loganoh couldn't believe his ears. Could it be that there were others like him?
"Maybe I should get banished too?" Nyxo laughed.
"No Ma'am." And the three Knoghts were gone.
Loganoh was puzzled. How could a lemming know whether there were predators or not? He looked up and all he could see was a gull. This Mama was powerful. And she knew things; things that Loganoh didn't understand. Could she possibly have the answers Loganoh sought? This would have to be handled delicately. Questioning Mamas was not polite. He had hoped that she would begin a conversation, but Nyxo did not speak for some time. They were well out of sight of the herd now. Loganoh was becoming discouraged. He decided to throw caution to the wind. He was already banished. How could it get any worse?
"Please, ma'am. Can you tell me what Herd Crime is?"
Nyxo hummed with amusement. "It's a crime against the Herd."
Loganoh had heard this too often. "I understand that part. I just don't know what it is I've done. I can't see my family or my herdlet anymore. No one has spoken to me for I don't know how many moons. And nobody can tell me what I did."
"That's not entirely true is it? You know what you did. You just don't know what you did wrong." She replied.
"The Great Run." gasped Loganoh. "Miriao thought I was talking about the Great Run. What is it? Why is it bad to talk about it?"
Nyxo looked up at the gull again. She looked disappointed and sighed.
"We don’t have enough time. There’s a predator close by. Let’s head back to the herd." she said as she turned herd-ward.
Loganoh's heart leapt and he looked up expecting to see an owl. He only saw another gull. Or was it the same gull?
"Do you like being alone, Loganoh?" Nyxo asked.
Loganoh did not know how to respond to the question. Admitting it would be tantamount to admitting you were a deviant. But lying to a Mama was always a bad choice. Could she already know? Was the question some kind of test?
Loganoh looked at Nyxo and saw that she was smiling at him.
"Yes. I like it too." she said. "But the herd doesn't like to see such behavior in a Mama, so I don't get to enjoy it as often as I'd like."
Loganoh couldn't believe his ears. Could it be that there were others like him?
"Maybe I should get banished too?" Nyxo laughed.
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