Their Call, Calico: The Series
Part Seventeen
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Based on Original Published Work by Author
☯ Legend on reading Calico’s Life:
☴ Indicator for dialogue: “ ”
☶ Indicator for thought and lyrics: Italic Font
☱ Indicator for action: Bold Font or wording with quotations.
☳ Poems and Songs [ are indicated ]
☷ Names : Bold Italics
☵ Setting set inside: Brackets: {SETTING}/{BOLD}
Gibansa:
“ Kasawbobo? ”
Kasawbo:
“ Yes, my grubby, I am here. Calico has given us time. If only we were there for Fawsamto… but the clannars would have taken any chance they could to maim the pure kinds.
The Forbidden tower is no more. They were planning our execution on arrival, and we all have Calico to thank, to prevent its occurrence. ”
Calico:
“ Now, the smell. I’m going to wash off on the edge of the stream. ”
Gammina:
“ In the darkness? ”
Calico:
“ They might still be able to track us.”
Their Maffa (whose lover committed suicide in the Temple flames) — now known as Qaulka:
“ Did I miss something? Are the clannars coming back? ”
Calico:
“ The tower took down the she-kind of the large clannars, and one that was involved in the funeral rite of Rendemra, and a few others… Our victory will be met with their need to avenge their death. ”
Qualka:
“ Chlorestigon’s light is growing, and it’s showing our way. Khoyah, is watching over us, my grubbies, Bulsarra and Messinaq.”
Calico:
“ While I can relate to that observation on a personal level, the flames of the grubby of Cholesto, are on our path going forward.”
Gammina:
“ Calico.”
Bulsarra:
“ He was selfish.”
Messinaq:
“Fatta was tricked into silence like Kasawbo, we all were.”
Gibansa:
“ Enough, we have lost everything. My Fawsamto…my Fawsamto!
No one is on our side, no universal beacon, and as I overheard one of Rendemra’s sermons: no flames of his mentioned defiant seeker! Oh, Calico, oh my Kasawbobo — if that is what you truly are? We are but tear drops, drops of blood; and they, just out of reach, can smell us conjunctively. ”
Gammina:
“ Calico, were there other clannars? ”
Calico:
“ We were on a ledge by a waterfall to avoid them as they came- ”
Gibansa:
“ You put my fatta in the way of his death? ”
Kasawbo:
“ Oh you speak of enough, Gibansa, but when it is you that act to it in contrary… ”
Gammina:
“ Where are the clannars, Calico?! ”
If this is victory, why is it fault that answers my efforts, first?
Calico steps back and bumps into Lemur, who wakes up.
Lemur:
“ Who’s there, is that you, Gibansa? ”
Calico:
“ Stop! Stop! We must stop talking right now! They might be heading this way as we speak. I have committed to seeking vengeance again, but in doing so the clannars will seek outwards… they will have to find us, like Chlorestigon. We are not safe, but we now have the advantage of distance.
These village walls are broken, and we are now of the kind lands. We cannot go back, even up these stairs.
There are tunnels here. Rendemra told me this is where the gorilla whores mined for gold. It is where Lemur was imprisoned… but I am at fault because I will do what it takes, so that we all may continue to live.
Nor can we walk the unknown together in darkness.
I realize now, our actions in the stream will be loud. So, we’re going to have to endure my deathly scent, our separation, and our state in the slow heartbeat of this cave. Silence, until we have enough daylight to continue. Gammina, Kasawbo, and I will listen for any movement.
Rest… in silence.”
The pandas settle into their space, and Gammina finds Calico after stepping on Fawsamto’s back. She knows where his presence lies in the far reach of the mine entrance. She licks his nose, and then slightly regrets it as something dangles off of her tongue in the darkness.
{ Their silence is interrupted every few minutes by the creaks of the stairs, water drips, and the murmur of crickets and flies. But after patterned repetition, the noises become one with the muted state of slumber. }
{ An overbearing echo of an infant’s first yell of thunder sends an awakening throughout the cavern. It turns out, all of the pandas fell asleep. }
Kasawbo sniffs the air, looks up at the metal stairs and to a sudden flash of lightning through the opening from the tunnel above.
{ A strong gust runs through the tunnel, and the sound of hail patters against this new atmosphere: a bleak plight into an ever-salivating jaw of instability.}
Kasawbo:
“ It is time to wake. Everyone, it is time to move ahead. Gibansa, Faws (he takes a deep breath of realization)…. Arima, Lemur, Kanzoko? It is time. ”
Gammina wakes up near Calico and sees that there is a piece of elephant cartilage on her nose and pulls it off. She eyes Calico’s fur covered with dried up blood stains and guts a plenty, and she begins to help him get the loose organic components off his body.
Qualka:
“ Bulsarra, Messinaq, we must awaken to the blessings. Oh, there is… we are not in the village. ”
Arima:
“ I am hungry, maffa, I could go for a persimmon piece or bamboo. ”
Gibansa:
“ (she awakens) Arima, go tell your brotto, that he needs to wake up, the day is new, and he must be ready. ”
Arima:
“ Maffa! ”
{ Arima’s eyes begin to water with the sound of another break of thunder, and a flash from up above. }
Gibansa:
“ Go and tell your brotto to awake! Tell him his maffa has a surprise persimmon, the best in the bunch today. Oh, he will love it. ”
Kasawbo:
“ That is enough! ”
Arima:
“ Yes, maffa. ”
Arima goes and passes by the other pandas who don’t know whether to stop Arima or call out to Gibansa or Calico.
{ Arima sees that there are antwons crawling into Fawsamto’s left ear, nostrils, and mouth from a line coming down the stairs. }
Arima:
“ Brotto (she begins weeping)…I am here…you can wake up. Maffa has a persim…wake up, Fawsa. ”
Gammina:
“ That was cruel, Gibansa. ”
Gibansa:
“ Hush, Gammina! You are more at fault than anyone here. You fell in love with Calico, you could have shunned him away from your house. You are the greatest whore on this brother planet, and now everything you have done has led to our loss. ”
Calico:
“ Do not talk to Gammina like this. It is not her fault, I sought her out. She is the reason that we are here, we have survived, and we will learn to be stronger. Without Gammina, our death would be imminent. ”
Qualka:
“ Arima, come to me sweet mountain flower, your maffa is not well. Yes, you can leave your brotto, his energy is no more. ”
Gibansa:
“ Don’t you lay your tongue near my grubby. For the follies, your lover walked into fire, it’s only a wonder what you will do. ”
Qualka:
“ We will survive, that is what we will do. ”
Gibansa:
“ I have nothing to live for, show me the stream for I must drown myself! A long slow death would be the best. ”
Lemur:
“ I lost everything. Giba.
I lost everything. I actually didn’t want Rendemra to give me the pieces to eat. I could have stayed in these caves, but I was given a chance to find something even if I couldn’t leave what was behind me. Giba, you are something to me: something to Arima and Kanzo..ko? Something to me, that is all it takes.
Am I something to you? ”
Gibansa is overcome by Lemur’s honesty, and collapses. She cries and her body quakes.
Lemur goes to put her head on Gibansa’s neck, but Gibansa lifts her body angrily to push Lemur off. Lemur is hurt, and begins to whimper. She tries again to put her head on Gibansa only to be knocked off again.
Gammina, who has just finished pulling off pieces of the elephant’s brain on Calico’s backside goes to Lemur to comfort her.
Lemur tries a third time, and Gibansa growls at her.
Gammina takes Lemur’s lead and goes and places her head on Gibansa. Gibansa releases a low murmur.
Soon, Qualka, Bulsarra, Messinaq, Kasawbo, Calico, Arima, Kanzoko and six other pandas have piled on by leaning their heads against Gibansa.
Gibansa slowly stops crying, as her last tear hits the earth. She takes into account her crying grubby, tired-eye Kanzoko huddled by Lemur, and looks up at her fatta, and back to Fawsamto.
Gibansa:
“ I am…(she pants heavily, and then closes her eyes)… I am home, I am at home with all of you. Maffa is home, Arima and Kanzoko. Lemur, I am home. Chlorestigon, take care of my Fawsamto, that is all I ask.
You birth them, and you want them to live longer than you to love the days, and the day of them.
Chlorestigon, Fawsamto-”
Gibansa slowly gets up, and the pandas back away. She walks to Fawsamto’s corpse. She sniffs him as if to prepare him for the world, as she did when he was born. Nudging his eyes to close as best as she can, Gibansa bows to her fallen grubby, and looks up to the sound of rain from the tunnel.
Gibansa:
“ Fawsamto, my grubby, you have been found. If you see your fatta, Kiokuno, I forgive you for leaving us for another lover. May Chlorestigon share him to you, too.”
Gibansa, goes over to Fawsamto and places her head on him. She turns to Lemur.
Gibansa:
“ Thank you. ”
Calico:
“ The weight of what we keep locked. ”
{ Kasawbo, Arima, and Kanzoko walk by Gibansa’s side as the group begins to venture into the mines, leaving behind Fawsamto’s body. }
{ The morning light fans into the cavernous archways. It is more visible to Calico now, as he no longer is being dragged around. Several bats fly through the cavern from up ahead. Bulsarra watches them in wonder, but gets jolted by Messinaq to keep up with the group.
The sound of the stream is up ahead.}
Calico:
“ I was wrong, you do know about water, Lemur. I guess I had lost my way.”
Lemur:
“ I don’t know how to swim, but I made it to you. ”
Gibansa:
“ And that is all that matters. ”
Calico, then spots his dried-up blood paw prints in the lighter limestone cave flooring, as does Gammina.
Gammina:
“ I was strangled, but the torture you endured… When we are through, I will find as much bamboo as we can eat, and persimmon juice to wipe your paws.”
Calico:
“ When we are safe, Gammina, all that I want is you. ”
Gammina’s ears perk up.
Lemur slides to Calico’s paw prints to compare her paw size to his.
Calico:
“-and for our family to be together. You’ve got some growing to do, young grubby, I’ve done my fair share. ”
Gammina:
“ There’s still always room to, Calico.”
Calico’s eyes get some pep as he looks back at hers.
Calico:
“ But we might need a little space when we’re talking about size. I mean, if we’re talking about from here to there. ”
Gammina:
“ I think if the space is close enough. ”
Calico:
“ But, who is going to manage outside the space? ”
Kasawbo:
“ If this flirting of the acts continues, we’re all going to be spaced out. Easy, you two. ”
Calico:
“ Just discussing the journey. ”
Gammina:
“ Yes. I mean, how long are we talking about here, Calico? ”
Kasawbo:
“ Calico, might I have a word? Gammina, I think Qualka could use some help with Bulsarra and Messinaq (he eyes Qualka’s attention).”
Calico:
“ It won’t be long, my love.”
Gammina:
“ (she sprays a bit of sass) Don’t leave me disappointed (she goes and urinates a bit, and carefully walks away, distancing herself from Calico. Her eyes are still as close to his heart.).”
The scent drifts to Calico. He begins to push his claws into the rigid cavern flooring. His tongue droops off of his teeth, and he begins panting.
Kasawbo sees the brotto indicator, and immediately lets out some gas.
Gibansa rolls her eyes, and the grubbies smirk and walk away from Kasawbo.
Kasawbo:
“ Always a silence starter.
Calico, I hate to break it to you, you’re going to want to save the acts until we make it to safety. I know you want to champion the moment, but this is not a celebration, it’s a migration. Once we arrive to our home, you both can start a family.
You’d make a good fatta.”
Calico:
“ Kasawbo, Gammina won’t be act-ready for far too long. Look at what she has gone through, what I’ve gone through?! ”
Kasawbo:
“ Yes, yes, Calico, you are right. But, you’re going to have to separate your pull for Gammina. How many days has she been in her earth glow? ”
Calico:
“ Whenever I fight, kill, protect, she is always in my eyes: my reason to live. I need it…”
Kasawbo goes to the side of the cave with Calico, and indicates Gibansa to move the pack just a bit ahead.
Kasawbo:
“ I can try to help you, but you need to stop communicating with Gammina. Your attraction is going to grow beyond what is manageable until her glow has faded. Do not sleep next to her, either. Take deep breaths, Calico. ”
Calico growls as his frustration sets in. Kasawbo growls back.
Lemur runs back to them thinking something is wrong.
Kasawbo:
“ Lemur go back to Gammina, it’s a matter between brottos. ”
Lemur:
“ Don’t hurt Calico. ”
Kasawbo:
“ He is fine. ”
Calico:
“ Out of my way, old fatta, I am seeking my lover. ”
Kasawbo:
“ Here we go again. Calico, you’re going to have to kill me to seek Gammina.”
Gibansa walks into view to find where Lemur ran off to.
Lemur and Gibansa:
“ What?!”
Calico’s eyes wander ahead of Gibansa, and he begins to grip the surface harder. A crack runs up one of his front paw nails.
Gibansa:
“ Calico didn’t complete the acts?! Lemur, go back to Gammina, right now! The rage he felt with Rendemra, oh Cholesto! And you knew this, Kasawbobo? ”
Kasawbo:
“ He can manage this; you do not know what Calico is capable of. He saved your life! ”
Gibansa:
“ Now, go ahead and offer yours, Kasawbobo. Lemur, leave, now! ”
Lemur, reluctantly walks back towards Gammina with her head down.
Gibansa:
“ He is going to break, and he will end up killing one of us. We don’t have persimmons to weigh his stomach down for the next glow season. At least Rendemra figured how to balance this rage. ”
Calico:
“ Rendemra would have killed you on a whim, you filthy whore! ”
Gibansa:
“ It’s happening, Kasawbo. Either he mates or he’ll tear us apart. I know because my lover left me at this exact point in time. ”
Calico:
“ You deserve that loss, Gibansa! ”
Gibansa:
“ Do I? ”
Gibansa backs up and sits down. She feels all her pain returning all over again, and begins to cry.
Kasawbo is losing control as his eyes go back and forth between his grubby and Calico’s growing hunger lust.
Calico roars.
Calico:
“ Bring Gammina to me. I am your leader! Be of use to me!!! ”
Gibansa then collects herself. She realizes that her fatta will sacrifice himself for Calico to share in this love of brottos. It is up to her to make the next move.
Her anger accelerates as Calico’s claw slashes into Kasawbo’s oscillating stare.
Calico:
“Then, it is your death day, Kasawbo!”
Gibansa, has had it. She goes to Gammina’s urine stain and sprays her every last drop onto it. As she finishes, Calico begins to get confused and looks into Gibansa’s eyes.
Kasawbo:
“ Gibansa! What have you done ?! ”
Gibansa:
“ Come here, you big grubby, Calicki. I might be a maffa, but the glow is all here in season. ”
Kasawbo:
“ How could you?! ”
Gibansa:
“ I have had enough of you, Kasawbobo.
Oh, you have had enough of him, too, you sweet grubby. Give me some sweet persimmon love, you Calico grub. ”
Gibansa gracefully turns around. Her tail begins to wiggle, and her rear begins to jiggle. She knows how to lure.
Gibansa:
“ Like Calico says, Kasawbobo, I am saving your life.
Come here, you sweety, you sweet sweet misty leaf. ”
Calico:
“ (in a lustful daze) Can I be at home with you, Gibansa? ”
Gibansa:
“ At home, you mean all life, don’t you, Calico? ”
Calico walks over and begins to sniff Gibansa.
Kasawbo:
“ Calico, stop and think what you’re doing. You’re going to lose everything you fought for. ”
Calico:
“ But, I earned this. I saved all of you. ”
Gibansa:
“ Yes, you did. Yes… you did. Enough talking, get on here you big grub. ”
Gammina roars as Calico mounts Gibansa.
Gammina runs and pounces on Gibansa and bites down at her throat.
Arima followed by the other pandas run back to the lustful ambush to watch Kasawbo slowly get up with blood drizzling off his face.
Kasawbo:
“ You destroyed our leader, Gibansa. You destroyed our fate. ”
Arima:
“ Maffa! ”
Gibansa rolls away from Gammina.
Gibansa:
“ Stings, doesn’t it? ”
Calico breaks out of his lust for Gibansa, and is pain stricken by Gammina’s. An ever-falling curtain of shame and humiliation shatters him.
Calico paces back, and then drops down as if shot by a piercing bullet through his side. He begins weeping.
Calico:
“ My… love, I betrayed you. ”
Gammina enraged by what Calico has just committed rushes to ram over Gibansa, and immediately claws her side.
Arima and Kanzoko:
“ Don’t kill maffa! ”
The panda families are in a state of chaos as some run up ahead, others go and protect their grubbies.
Gammina pulls her claw back, and Lemur runs in Gammina’s way in an attempt to solve things. Gammina slashes into Lemur’s face, and her body is flung across the ground towards the pandas.
Calico:
“ Lemur! ”
Lemur whimpers and drags herself back toward Qualka and her grubbies.
Kasawbo goes to her fallen Gibansa, while Gammina, boiling up in aggression, slits the ground redirecting herself to her lover’s path.
Gammina goes next to Calico’s right ear and roars. She roars again until her larynx leaks into wailing.
Calico quakes and quivers in pain.
Kasawbo:
“ (coughing and spitting out blood) Everyone go back! Arima, help me with Gibansa.
It turns out, I wasn’t a good fatta, nor a good unculla.”
Gibansa:
“ Well…(she pants)…At least I know where I get my sense of risk from. I don’t know how long I can take this. ”
Kasawbo:
“ You and me, both. ”
Gibansa barely gets up and falls over onto Kasawbo.
Kasawbo:
“ Keep trying, Gibansa. ”
Gibansa:
“ That is all I’ve ever done. ”
Gibansa stands up again, and fights to remain stable.
Arima goes underneath her maffa’s chest to hold her up. She and her maffa walk as one.
{ It is the late morning, Gammina is pacing back and forth eying Calico. Calico has continued staring down onto the earth in all its cracks and movements. The cavern continues to leak and creak. It has been over an hour of painful silence, and intensity as to who will strike first. }
Calico:
“ Gammina. ”
Gammina, suddenly picks up her pace and runs by Calico’s side. She slams him over. She roars within a few centimeters of his nose. The ground reverberates, as do their hearts. As Gammina straddles herself to stand, she claws dust into his face.
Gammina:
“ Get up you weak… animal! I know that term, and it describes the filth that lays before me. I loved you! ”
Calico gets up. He keeps trying to peer deep into Gammina’s eyes, ever searching for the love that keeps his body warm.
Calico:
“ Out of all the torture, this is… you are my weakness. I could be mauled by the clannars, running naked with a thousand chains digging into my neck. No, I would not falter, I could not falter.
But for you, just getting to you, did I reach my complete annihilation.
I love you, Gammina. I will always. I killed, and I was maimed, and you, you, you, you ( Calico’s tears pour out down his face ), you are the reason I exist. You, my Gammi are the reason I endure misery. I would rather have died in those flames than to have committed what I just did. ”
Gammina:
“ I don’t recognize you. Covered in the blood of those who died before you, and why would I expect your words to be as cleansed? ”
Calico:
“ I know you will not forgive- ”
Gammina:
“ Forgive? I gave you everything. My fatta, my life, my home, my village! Oh, but that was not enough! ”
Calico:
“ I didn’t know how to love before I saw you.”
Gammina:
“ You just wanted a way out…an easy way out. That is what I was to you.
Here is an easy truth for you, I gave myself up to you because I thought you would do the same. That you, you, you, you (she spits) would love and recognize me! ”
Calico:
“ Gami- ”
Gammina:
“ You needed assistance. Oh, how much have I been a whore for you. My ways are different than your own, you zoo animal! You were right, you are too young for me. I need a true pure kind brotto, not a lame gimp of a panda.
Oh bathe me, Gammi, bathe me Gammi! ”
Calico’s pain becomes his torment, and his emotions spark.
Calico roars, and lunges towards Gammina, and then stops. He forcefully restrains himself. She slugs him in his ear. Calico jostles to the side.
A persimmon won’t cure Gammina’s pain.
Calico swallows. He begins to hold his ground and takes the slam of another swipe from Gammina on the other side of his face, and falls to the side. He gets back up and tries to find her eyes again.
{ To Calico, her growls and roars murmur out. Each slash hits him with just enough force to remember the best moments of his life with her. He remembers being lost in the forest before all of this. He remembers when she pushed him off the great bonsai. Another slash topples him over. }
Gammina:
“ Hit back, my love. ”
Gammina slashes at him again, but it is much weaker. Her paw stops on Calico’s blood-dripping face.
Calico:
“ If this is my life, I will take this to the end. As long as you have me, and I, you. ”
Gammina catches her breath and falls back. She sits and stares at Calico.
Moments pass.
Calico, then pushes himself to stand up and shakes away the dust, and his bloody saliva confettis across the ground. Gammina keeps watching, wondering if he will run away and never come back. { She sees herself dying alone in this cave being cornered by the clannars.} She looks down at her paws with Calico’s and Gibansa’s blood on them.
Calico walks a bit away, and Gibansa’s heart starts beating more.
She lets out a whimper.
Calico turns around and begins to recite in the stillness of the cave.
Calico:
“ We’ve long… we have long started before we have met in our initial trail towards one another. ”
Gammina gets up and looks over Calico’s injuries and back at his eyes.
Gammina:
“ And over the bridge, I have waited for you to complete your trail. ”
Calico walks slowly towards her.
Calico:
“ And each day, learning the Pure Kind way, I move closer to our true purpose and connection, and still you wait for me. ”
Gammina:
“ And still I will wait for you always from the sun’s earliest rise to the darkest regions of our beings. I will wait. ”
Calico:
“ And I will long to meet you in your eyes. ”
Gammina:
“ And I, yours. ”
Calico:
“ And by our connection to the Great Chlorestigon, we complete our bond and work together to give purity endless life. ”
Gammina:
“ And by Chlorestigon, I will wait. But not anymore.”
Calico:
“ Whatever my Gammina wants. ”
Calico and Gammina complete the acts.
END OF PART SEVENTEEN
Including Content from the original story published in the author’s work
The Trails To Attrition © 2007, Wasteland Press, Inc.
ISBN-13: 9781600471520© 2024, Their Call, Calico: the Series
Wasteland PressAdam Mullin (a.k.a. Good Day, Adam)
