Chapter 51 - The Strelok Storozha
General Summary
Fearing they have already tarried too long, Vasilisa wants to lead a foray to the Strelok Lodge. The rangers are probably aware of her presence, and it would be impolitic to not say hello. On top of that, the rangers may have useful information about the cat, which the Yokels have undertaken to deal with.
The ever-cautious Chonkorchuk chooses to stay behind in Sobolevo so as to keep an eye on the waystation, and to see if any of the people or creatures associated with it tail the Yokels, or report their move toward the frontier. The rest of them accompany Vasilisa to the lodge. Prior to departing, Vasilisa scours the woods for a new companion to replace her fallen wolf. The new one is a large elk, which she mounts and rides to the lodge.
The lodge about 15 versts from the village. It is a small, but walled compound with several guard towers. The Yokels arrive to find the gate closed. Vasilisa calls up to the tower and declares that she has returned with some companions, and seeks admittance. A storozh named Feodor orders the gates to be opened, and the Yokels are admitted inside. Vasilisa introduces her companions - Biggy, Sasha and Plamen as associates of her family, each with unique skills that are necessary for their trip north. Feodor invites the wife of his old comrade Cheslav to share in the rangers' hospitality, and ask her about her travels, and the purpose of their trek north. Vasilisa is somewhat evasive, but offers that she needs to wrap up her family business, and means to retire back to this area once her mission has been accomplished. She retells the story of the capture of Oniric Shadow, and says that he comes from a norther city inhabited by the Chud' and the Kuz'. Feodor corrects her - as far as he knows, the Chud' build no cities, but live in mountainous or underground hideaways, while the Kuz' beyond the frontier are reindeer herders.
Sasha questions Feodor about the cat, and he tells her that it is adept at putting people to sleep, and has razor-sharp claws that can tear a heart out of a chest. Watching this has given him nightmares ever since. But generally, Feodor seems uncomfortable talking about the cat, and eschews sharing details of the encounter. She also notices that he avoids looking at Vasilisa as he is speaking. Sasha confronts him privately and asks about his own evasiveness. He replies that he is uncomfortable because he thinks Vasilisa may be holding a grudge against him and the other rangers because Cheslav was lost while on an expedition beyond the frontier. Vasilisa disappeared shortly thereafter without saying goodbye (she was in fact taken by Baba Yaga along with her prisoner Oniric, but the rangers know nothing about this, and suspect more prosaic motives). Sasha shares her suspicions with her companion, and Vasilisa assures Feodor that she holds no grudge against them, but was simply called away on business.
Toward evening, Snezhana - the leader of the storozhi and Gennadi's sister returns from a hunt. She interviews Vasilisa about her travels and plans, and is confronted with more questions about the cat. Snezhana suddenly becomes wary, and looks at her comrades, who all place hands on the hilts of their weapons. Snezhana asks whether Vasilisa has brought this band of desperadoes here to kill the rangers as revenge for her husband's death. Vasilisa denies this, but Snezhana demands that she swears on Cheslav's name that she has not come to harm them. Vasilisa does so, and Snezhana then reveals the truth: Cheslav did not fall in a fight against the Kuz', but was in fact part of an expedition to learn about the cat, which had recently arrived in the area, and had put an end to the fur trade with the Kuz'. The cat could take control of people's minds, and in fact, caused several of Cheslav's companions to turn on him and kill him. The rest barely got out with their lives, crossed the Brus'na back into Nor', and returned to the lodge. There, they buried Cheslav and two other rangers, who had all been killed by their comrades under the cat's influence, and decided to tell everyone that they had fallen in battle against the Kuz' tribespeople. She says that she is happy to finally tell Vasilisa the bitter truth, and that she regards Cheslav's widow as an honorable person. Vasilisa bristles at being so labeled, but offers that there is nothing to forgive. She is now committed to dealing with the cat, and the conversation turns to specifics - how far the cat ranges, what it eats, what harms it (normal weapons don't, as Snezhana and Feodor have it). One thing the rangers keep stressing is how the cat's singing and storytelling has haunted their dreams ever since.
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Report Date
06 Mar 2021
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