Wickaninnish � A Traveller�s Beginning

I’m reposting this chapter after some copy editing and one major alteration. I realized after I posted it that Antilles needed a sex change for reasons that will become obvious in a later chapter. Antilles may appear again later.
This chapter is rated R for drug references.

The Sun Canoe

Kit hurried across the spaceport tarmac to join the other two members of the reception detail. He could just make out the wedge shaped ship descending out of the afternoon sky towards the landing pad.

After being released from the hospital in Potlatch he was assigned to the diplomatic office at the spaceport. He had jumped into the job with both paws. Not only did he get to met many unusual aliens but being able to work after so many months of idle recovery finally helped to ease the mental scars of Mitten’s death.

Kit greeted Takodah, the human head of the Spaceport Diplomatic Office, who were already waiting at the pad. This greeting party had been pulled together quickly do to a mix up in diplomatic office. Word had come of the Scout’s visit but the information had been misplaced and had only been found in the panicked scramble when he entered the system and contacted the spaceport for landing instructions.

As they waited Kit was distracted by a cawing sound. He turned and saw a raven sitting on railing behind him. The birds were one of the few imports the human settlers had brought with them that not only survived the transition but actually thrived. The Istaqa had come to revere them as the spirit Raven was the other form of the Trickster in the old legends. Raven was also Kit’s guardian spirit. The bird was preening its feathers and as Kit watched one came lose and drifted toward him. Carefully so as not to spook the bird that watched him closely, Kit retrieved the feather.
“Thank You for the gift, Great Raven.” He said bowing to the bird which just stared back at him.

The spaceship dropped closer, the whine of its gravitics growing louder. Kit looked up the sound but it was difficult to see the ship as it came in with the sun behind it. It settled on the pad and the whine died. After a moment a hatched opened on the underside. A duffle bag dropped out followed a human in standard ships jumpsuit. Takodah greeted her.

“Welcome to Istaqa. I am Takodah representative of the Council of Elders.”
“Hello,” the human said shaking Takodah’s offered hand. “I’m Tallia Dranow of the Imperial Scout Service.”
“We have prepared a room for you at the Starport Lodge. Is there any baggage you need unloaded?”
“No,” Tallia said patting the duffle slung over her shoulder. “I travel pretty light. Thanks.”

“Very well then,” Takodah said and turned to Kit. “Wickaninnish, please have Scout Dranow’s ship refueled.”
“At once, Takodah,” Kit said and started up the stairs to the terminal on the observation platform overlooking the pad to order a refueling crew; that done he looked down on the pad to see Takodah leading the Scout towards the Starport Lodge.

“CAW”
Kit turned to look across at the top of the Scout Ship which was level with the platform. The raven from earlier had landed on top of the ship’s hull and was pecking at the Imperial Sunburst painted on the hull. Almost as if he wanted to point it out to Kit.

Kit found himself short of breath and he had to grasp the rail in front of him to maintain his balance. He stared at the Scout Ship and the sun emblem.
“The sun canoe from the stars,” he whispered to himself.

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When Takodah returned to his office he found Kit anxiously waiting outside his door.
“Wise Elder,” Kit addressed him formally has he followed Takodah into his office. “Have you assigned a guide to Scout Dranow yet?”
“No,” the human answered. “Why do you ask?”
“I want to be her guide.”
“That’s most irregular Wickaninnish; you have no training in being a diplomatic guide. You are the most junior person I have.”
“I know but I can do it, I promise you.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“It is a matter of my personal quest.”

Takodah looked that the excited young coyote for a few moments. He had developed a real liking for Kit. The boy had suffered much in the recent Vargr attack. He remained in a mostly depressed state and this was the most excited and alive he had seen him since he arrived.
“You really feel this woman is connected with your destiny?”
“Yes.”
“Very well, you have the assignment and good luck on finding the Spirits path.”

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Kit spent the next few days showing Tallia the city and the spaceport. Part of the Scout’s mission was to update the survey information on the spaceport. The other part was to meet with the planetary government to pave the way for an Imperial delegation to visit next year.

Kit also spent every minute he wasn’t sleeping, eating or helping Scout Dranow; researching everything in the library databanks on the Imperial Scout Service. By the day that Tallia’s appointment with the Council of Elders came up, Kit felt he had found the path the Spirits had set out for him. Now if he could just convince Tallia.

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Tallia sat in the room working on her report on the Council meeting and swatting at the annoying flying merphlies. She wasn’t sure what was in that ‘peace pipe’ the Council of Elders insisted she smoke as part of the meeting but she was sure it was probably a little hallucinogenic. She based this on the fact that small furry merphlies were not native to this planet, did not have wings and most definitely did not have blue fur with pink polka dots. She decided to add an addendum to the report stating representatives coming to negotiate with the Istaqa should be prepared to deal with less than ideal mental states.

She looked over her report and thought it looked good although she suspected she might feel differently when the merphlies were gone.
‘Did I just giggle?’

The chime to her room door sounded and Tallia went over to answer it. The merphlies, apparently unhappy with her moving, started lining up in regimental attack formations. She opened the door to find her local guide, Wickaninnish, standing in the doorway.
“Hello Kit,” she said motioning the coyote in. She closed the door and turned to face her guest just as the first squadron of merphlies attacked.

Kit watched as Tallia suddenly ducked and swatted at something only she could see.
“Can I help you?” He asked the weaving Scout.
“Well if you could get these merphlies to behave themselves that would be a help.”
“Oh yea, vision root has that effect on off worlders,” Kit said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two tablets.
“Here take these and the merphlies, whatever they are, should go away in a few minutes.”
“Thanks,” Tallia said going over to the desk for her glass of glenow to wash the pills down.

She invited Kit to sit down and took seat opposite to regard the young coyote. She was having a hard time suppressing a giggle as two merphlies landed on Kit’s head and started dancing a tango. She was fairly impressed with Kit. The coyote had been very eager to please, going very much out of his way to serve. Despite the fact that he was just a little taller and probably very much stronger than Tallia, the Scout found herself having to resist the urge to reach up and scratch his ears when he displayed an almost manic excitement that reminded Tallia of a puppy dog.
But she had also noticed the boy was very sullen and withdrawn when he thought Tallia wasn’t looking. She had found out from Takodah about the tragedy that had befallen the young coyote so she felt she understood what was going through the boy’s head. Tallia had certainly gone through enough tragedy and combat in her life to relate.

Kit seemed to like Tallia as well. While it was not unusual for an Istaqa Vargr to keep his childhood name as a nickname it was only shared with family and close friends. Thus, Takodah had also passed on how significant it was that Wickaninnish had asked Tallia to call him Kit.

“So Kit, to what do I owe the pleasure of the late visit, other than the medicine that is?”
“Well…” Kit started nervously. His tail twitched erratically, another trait that had endeared Tallia to the boy. While most Vargr still displayed some of their emotional state through tail movements most learned to suppress it. Kit was not one of those, a sign of someone who was very open and honest with their emotions and themselves.
Then she saw the look in Kit’s face.
‘Oh, oh the puppy dog eyes’ Tallia thought. ‘He wants something.’

“I want to go with you,” Kit said at last.
“What?”
“I want to go with you when you leave Istaqa. I want to join the Scouts.”