Strange Happenings in the Woods - 3

They were so few in the beginning, they banded together against instinct. Their nature would lead them to be solitary hunters, but they knew they would find strength in number.
Bred for some dark, discarded purpose, left alone.

They named themselves the Ra’ku, and they found their own purpose.
There were three castes, the calculating Alphas, the violent Warriors, and the intelligent Muted Ones. Their bodies muscular, covered in dense grey fur, darker around their eyes, standing around 6 feet tall.
They dug tunnels to hide from those who might interfere. They had a plan, and by generations, they had grown to an unnumbered multitude.
Se’l looked down on the Thousand Generals from his high lectern in the great meeting hall.
It was a giant tubular room, which could hold many more than the Thousand Generals, whose numbers were far greater than their name might imply, and all their many attendants. It’s acoustics designed to carry sound from where Se’l stood to it’s furthest rounded corner.
Surrounding this room was a maze of tunnels leading to thousands of rooms for, housing of their great number, their large stores of food, and their many hoarded weapons.
From his high position Se’l’s voice boomed with a great amount of command, the Thousand Generals jumped to attention.
“WE WILL BRING THE HUMANS DOWN FROM THEIR HIGH PEDESTAL AND WE WILL FIGHT THEM ONE ON ONE! THIS WORLD WILL BE OURS!”
The generals and their many attendants gave an animal roar of approval. Stopping only when Se’l raised his hands, he spoke again.
“Soon my brothers, our plan will come to fruition, the dreams of our grandfathers achieved-“
Another approving cheer interrupted him. Se’l raised his hands for silence again and continued.
“You my precious Thousand Generals must be ready, our training must be intensified, and our weapons must be made sharp. Our thoughts, our breath, our blood focused on one purpose.”
The Thousand Generals and their many attendants yelled again, and Se’l looked down on them and thought about how much he hated the Warrior caste, dirty violent creatures bred only for violence. When this war was over, they would have to be dealt with, Se’l knew that for certain.
“General Vize will speak now; he will lay out our plan for the coming weeks. Only through following our plan will we succeed, that is what makes us stronger, better.” Se’l paused and drew a before shouting “Our unity!”
Se’l left his lectern to a wave of noise as General Vize took his place. One of the better warriors, Se’l thought to himself, he could almost pass for an alpha, his snout was to short though.
As he entered the corridor behind the great hall, Vex ran up to him.
“Another human came to the forest Se’l, he got away” Vex said hurriedly.
“What! How did he get away?” Se’l yelled angrily.
“I don’t know, the Warrior who was hunting him said it seemed like the human knew he was there.”
“What is this Warrior’s name?” Se’l asked with a barely hidden contempt.
“Bri’el, he’s impulsive, but promising as a young Warrior,” Vex said.
Se’l looked contemplative then said coldly, “See to it everything is made right, and see to it that he is punished.”
Vex wanted to say something, but stood silent and nodded.
After a silent between them over which, the chanting of the gathered multitude in the great hall could be heard,
“How is the devise coming along?” Se’l asked slowly,
Vex avoided his gaze and replied, “It is good; the Muted Ones have indicated that it will be done very soon.”
“Excellent, I will go inspect it.”
Hastily Vex said, “That’s not necessary, you know how the Muted Ones hate to be disturbed.”
Se’l stared at Vex hard; Vex was barely able to suppress a shiver.
“I will go inspect it,” Se’l said leaving the room, Vex followed on his heels.
Down dark, twisting tunnels, deeper and deeper into the Earth, Se’l and Vex walked a path they had gone down many times. At the end, they knew they would find the place of the Muted Ones, Ra’ku that could not speak, but had a way with machines that others did not. Compared to other Ra’ku the Muted Ones were smaller, their fur paler, with nimble fingers.
With scavenged pieces, they had built the device. Using the tools of the humans against them, they would level the playing field. In it’s present state, the devise could jam high frequency signals, but at full power it would blackout cities.
With one energetic pulse, they would gain dominance. Se’l looked upon it with awe for several minutes, and then the sobering reality of the dream came to his mind.
Communicating with the Muted Ones was a difficult process, their eyes staring seemingly in another place, they moved their mouths but no noise came out, there was no seemingly pattern, their hands gestured, but the message communicated was all in vague inferences.
One of the Muted Ones approached Se’l, he’d always assumed this was the leader, or at least their representative, as this one always acted as emissary. Se’l referred to him as el, a half name meaning ‘lost’.
el’s blank eyes met Se’l’s and a chill went down Se’l’s spine, el gestured first at the machine then at the ground. His mouth moving in silent mimicry of some unknown language, el pointed to the high ceiling, never taking his eyes away from Se’ls. el spun around in a circle, his tail hitting Se’l.
The message was not entirely clear to Se’l, but he estimated it’s meaning based on his long experience. “It would be done soon, but we needed more power,” they always needed more power, Se’l thought to himself, about where to get it this time, if they drew anymore from the humans grid they would notice, but their geothermal plant was already running at overcapacity.
el turned and walked away apparently finished.
Se’l gestured Vex to his side, “Inform General Vize to meet me in the war room, we need to find a way to increase our available power.”
“Right away,” Vex said turning and leaving the way they’d come in.
Se’l listened to the device’s dull hum and watched the Muted Ones work. Tweaking and adjusting, the machine as it grew bit by bit.
It was the plan and it was coming together.