SAVAGE! - I

"Babe, I really hope we get this tender. It will put our company on the map, not to mention boost my career through the roof," said Max Elley into his smartphone.

"I'm sure you will. Everyone knows how reputable Elley Construction is," replied Penny Handy. "Hey, I've got to go. All the best; keep me updated. Love ya!"

Max hung up and looked around him. All he could see were expensive, tailored suits on the bodies of everyone who was anyone important in the construction industry. Big fish, Max thought, gulping. I'm just a small fry.

The atmosphere in the governmental office was so tense that you could cut the air with a knife. This was the biggest construction tender to be released in the Green City metropolitan area in the last ten years. It had been the talk of the town for months now, with construction companies all over Nation-X bidding for it. The project was said to last at least three years and would cost over fifty million NXD to complete.

"Ah, that's Barry Weasley from Weasle&Hardy Corp.," whispered Grant Elley, coming up just behind Max. He eyed a tall, well-built jaguar and smiled. "Of course, they're here. They're one of the best in the business."

Max nodded, feeling even more anxious. He wanted this contract so much—even more than his father—because it meant he'd directly oversee the project's designs and be working closely with other formidable people in the industry.

"We're not too bad ourselves," replied Max, trying to boost his own confidence with the remark. Either way, the tender's already been decided.

All that's left is to find out who's come out on top.

"That's why I said one of the best, son," retorted Grant. "We are the best."

"May I have your attention, please?" came a female mink's voice through a mic.

The room fell silent.

"Please take your seats in your designated places as we proceed to announce the awarded tenders for different expertise areas in the New Age Life Project."

The minister of construction, Eric Connors, made his way to the podium and cleared his throat. "Thank you all for attending today. I've been officially assigned to oversee the success of the New Age Life Project. As you all know, this is a mammoth of a project and is estimated to increase the metropolitan's revenue by five percent in the future. We aim to establish a safe, gated town community equipped with schools, a hospital, a high-

speed railway line, shopping centers, and various housing options for different socio-economic classes. Something you may not know, Green City has experienced an influx of people into the city in recent years due to the growing economy, which has put a significant strain on our available resources, specifically housing. The New Age Life Project will establish Little Green City to curb that, which will be under the jurisdiction of Greater Green City. I will now proceed to announce the names of the tender awardees."

This is it, thought Max, clutching the toothbrush in his breast pocket. The process was grueling for him as he watched representatives from noteworthy companies walk onto the stage and stand in full view of the audience with proud expressions on their faces.

"…The awardee for building material and supply for the NAL housing sector is Building Material Corp." Drax Elley walked onto the stage with a smug look. "Elley Construction has been awarded the tender for construction and design in the NAL housing sector."

Elley Construction? THAT'S US! We did it! Max shook himself out of his disbelief, gallantly walked onto the stage, and stood next to Drax as the announcements continued and neared its end.

"Maxie boy," whispered Drax through gritted teeth and a plastered smile.

"Looks like we'll be working together. How exciting." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, I guess we will be," replied Max, equally enthusiastic.

When the announcements were over, tender awardees were asked to sign off paperwork with the mink and met with Eric to finalize procedures, time frames, and upcoming meetings over the next two weeks. The expectation was to have construction begin in three months.

"Congratulations, buddy!" said Tim Foxe a few days later. Tim, Max, Penny, Monica Leap, and Amy Rubbert were having celebratory drinks at Monica's Bar. "I know how much you wanted this; it was all you spoke about for months."

"Yeah, tell me about it," added Penny, punching Max playfully in the arm.

"How's everything been so far?" asked Monica.

"Oh, fine. There's a lot of groundwork that needs to be covered before we can begin designing anything," replied Max. He sipped his beer. "In fact, I haven't been to the property yet. All I know is that it's five hundred kilometers southeast of the city and that there were difficulties in acquiring it; not sure what exactly. Honestly, I'm really excited about this; it's been a while since I've had something challenging and stimulating to work on."

"I heard they're creating affordable housing options for the working class," said Amy.

"Yeah. The budget for those homes isn't as much as I'd anticipated. We do have a huge budget for a luxury development community, though. It feels like a deurbanization move to me—"

Ring! Ring! Max looked at his phone screen: Unidentified caller.

"Hello," he answered. There was silence and then deep, heavy breathing like someone was struggling to breathe. "Hello?" Max felt a shiver run up his spine as the breathing continued. The caller made exaggerated suffocating sounds that sounded all too real. "Is this some kind of prank?"

No answer.

Max cut the call.

"Who was that?" asked Amy.

"I have no idea."

Over the next two weeks, Max received similar calls to the first, to the point where he completely stopped answering phone calls from any private number. Then he started receiving calls from various untraceable numbers, and the same twisted sounds would be heard.

"Yeah…aha…so we'll be going to the site in two days?" Max spoke into his,office phone. He was working later than usual tonight, finishing up paperwork on a newly completed project. "Finally. We really need to get this project off the ground. All right, Dad. Yeah, I'll go home soon. It's just me here and security."

Max cut the call and sighed. I need to finish up everything else so I can focus completely on NAL.

He walked into the reception area for some coffee, mug in hand, and froze dead in his tracks, gaping.

Written on the wall very messily in what looked like blood were words he'd never forget.

NAL Is Hell.

Leave Them Alone"I heard Elley Construction's been a bit chaotic recently," said Drax.

"After the whole blood-writing-on-the-wall incident."

"You could say that," replied Max. "It wasn't real blood, though. Security was breached, and our security cameras didn't get enough evidence of the perpetrators, so everyone's been on edge. I heard you guys have had issues of your own."

"Yeah, it seems like someone doesn't want the NAL Project started and is doing their best to scare contractors out of it." Drax adjusted the construction hat on his head. "I can't be scared out of anything! They'll have to do better than that. Come on. We need to get down there. Your dad's probably waiting for us with the others."

Max and Drax made their way down a pathway into what appeared to be part of a tropical evergreen forest. It was beautiful. The air smelled of soil, tea leaves, and citrus, with canopies of trees towering above them.

I see why they had difficulty in wanting to develop this land, thought Max.

The environmentalists must have put up a huge fight. I don't blame them.

He felt a sliver of guilt and pain rise in his tummy but shrugged it off and looked ahead at his father and three giraffes as they came into full view.

"Nice of you boys to join us," said Grant, smiling. "This is Geoff Monty and his team. They're responsible for clearing, leveling out, and preparing the land here."

Geoff nodded at the two younger Elleys. "The land to the east of here's already been cleared."

Everyone turned around as they heard the grating sounds of tractors and excavators approaching from the distance.

"That's probably my men," said Geoff. "We're expecting Eric Conners to join us as well."

The men spoke a bit more about the NAL Project and the construction industry, then began their walk to the edge of the forest to meet the rest of the team. Something about the walk felt ominous and decaying, and Max couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He looked up into the large canopies, the guilt creeping into his belly again.

Eric was waiting for them with the excavating team. He looked like he was dressed to attend a charity gala, albeit with a construction hat, safety goggles, and earmuffs around his neck.

"Time to get this party started!" said Drax.

"Precisely my thoughts," said Eric.

Geoff beckoned the group to move out of the way and into the cleared area on the side. Eric nodded toward Geoff, who gave him a thumbs-up, and indicated that everyone put on their safety gear. Geoff walked in front of the land clearing machines and raised his hand to signal his team to begin their task.

At that precise moment, a thud on his helmet bolted him forward, causing him to lose balance, and he crashed onto the ground. Geoff looked wildly all around him, fear deep-seated in his eyes. Then there were stones and rocks raining down on them coming from the trees.

"What the hell's going on?" spat out Drax as they all ran into the distance.

"It's those savages again," replied Eric.

"Savages?" repeated Max. "Again?"

Before anyone could answer Max, four jaguars and three pumas with tattooed faces ran out of the forest. The pumas carried wooden carved spears and axes with them, and the jaguars had slingshots in their hands.

The alpacas in the tractors and excavators jumped out of the machinery and ran toward Max's group. The tattooed people began a massacre on the machinery, damaging them as much as possible—slashing tires, breaking the driving components within the drivers' cubicles, and smashing the windscreens.

"NO!" exclaimed Geoff. "Those machines cost a fortune."

"This is the last bloody straw!" added Eric. "These barbarians need to be dealt with once—"

Before Eric could complete his sentence, one of the jaguars walked up to the group and pushed a spear toward them.

"We do not come into your homes and break everything," he said, a menacing look in his eyes. "Do not do the same to us. Leave us alone."

With that, the jaguar backed up, still facing the group. When he was far enough away, he began running into the forest, followed by the rest of his clan.

NAL Is Hell. Leave Them Alone.

Max rubbed his temples.

We do not come into your homes and break everything. Do not do the same to us. Leave us alone.

Max shook his head, wishing he could shake his thoughts away. "Urgh!"

he exclaimed, throwing a fist down on the coffee table.

"Max," said Penny, putting a loving hand on his shoulder. "Are you OK?"

"I just can't stop thinking about everything that's happened these past few weeks. I've waited for a project like this all my life, but now it feels…wrong."

"Are you feeling this way because of your run-in with the Abori?"

"I, I don't know. It's just everything, I guess. Yes, I knew they existed, but I had no idea that areas of the NAL Project were seeping into their territory—for goodness' sake, that part of land we were about to clear that day is sacred to them! They use it to perform burial rituals and bury their distinguished leaders there. I only found out after…"

Penny poured Max a cup of chamomile tea and sat next to him on the couch again. "You can't blame yourself for not knowing, Max. Most of us don't know anything of substance about the Abori people, yet they're indigenous people of that part of Southland. No one even understands their culture. There's an intern in the office who has very distinct features of the Abori. She even has a part of her neck tattooed in their tribal markings.

Many of them have chosen to assimilate into our modern society, whereas others remain in their homeland. Sadly, those who choose to come to the cities for 'better' lives aren't received well."

"I know. Eric referred to them as savages and barbarians."

"He doesn't seem to like Ari too much either, to be honest," said Penny.

"They're a dying people. I've heard horror stories from Ari about how her people were forced to conform to colonial demands after the civil war.

Many left their homes, came into the cities as manual laborers, and never returned. They weren't allowed to perform rituals, practice their traditional customs or pray the way they had learned as it was deemed 'uncivilized.'

And because of that, so much of their culture and traditions were lost."

Max seemed to be deep in thought. The ugly feelings he'd experienced recently were resurfacing. All I've ever wanted is to build this world with my own hands, and NAL is the perfect place to start. He cupped his head in his hands in anguish. I shouldn't be feeling this way.

"Why don't I set up a meeting for you with Ari?" offered Penny. "Her internship with us ends in a week. She's extremely friendly and has grown up in Green City. Even so, she's very in tune with where her grandparents have come from, and she has been to the Abori homeland many times. I think speaking to her may help you make sense of what you're feeling."

I guess it wouldn't hurt, thought Max. "Sure. And thanks for staying over this weekend. I really don't think I could bear being alone with my thoughts any longer."

Penny snuggled up against him and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"I'm always here for you."

A few days later, Max found himself sitting at an antique café in the city,

sipping a latte, awaiting Ari Adobe's arrival. He checked his watch; he was early. No sooner had he looked up and saw a petite jaguar walking into the café.

That must be her, he thought, noticing the tattoo on the right side of her neck. Ari tipped her sunglasses on the bridge of her slender nose and surveyed the café for a corporal-looking elephant. She wore a blood-red pencil skirt, a white blouse, and stilettos and had her hair cut in a short bob.

"You must be Max Elley. I'm Ari Adobe; pleased to meet you," she said, taking her seat opposite Max.

"Likewise."

The two exchanged pleasantries and spoke about Ari's internship at the minister's office before Ari smiled boldly and said, "Penny tells me you're interested in learning more about my people?"

Max nodded, and Ari's smile widened. "That's not something an Abori hears every day. What would you like to know?"

"Everything."

Ari spoke and spoke. She told Max about the Abori celebrations, cuisine, dance, music, rites of passage, and traditional hobbies the young and old engaged in. Max was fascinated; he'd never heard someone speak so passionately about their heritage. It made him feel as if he was missing out on something.

"Ari, I have to ask…what's the whole situation with the Abori and The NAL Project?"

Ari sighed. "It's more complicated than it looks. For years now, the government has been trying to get the Abori to relocate, offering them money and subsided housing because of this stupid NAL Project. They even went as far as saying they'd give them housing in NAL when it's complete so that they'd still be where they want to be. But it's not the same! They just want them out of there because having indigenous people in such close proximity to high-end housing could possibly decrease the value of them."

"How so?"

"The Abori are one with Planet-X," Ari explained. "We believe we're protectors of nature; what you put into her is what you'll get out. Continue destroying every forest there is to accommodate an increasingly demanding population, and you destroy yourself. It's that simple. We need to conserve what we have, respect those different from us, and appreciate everything for what it is."

Tim thought for a moment. "How can people appreciate something they don't know about and have never experienced first-hand?"

"Wait," replied Ari. "I'll show you."

"GET OUT! Leave—NOW!"

Max and Penny had wooden spears shoved into their faces.

"How dare you bring these people here?"

"Waru, they're my guests! This isn't how we treat guests. What are you doing?" Ari ran back to Max and Penny and pushed the pumas with the spears out of their way.

"People who wish to destroy Planet-X and do not respect us have no place here."

Max craned his neck to the side to see who was speaking. It was the jaguar from the week before.

"They have no intention of doing anything of the sort," cried Ari desperately. "Behaving this way—"

"That man," interrupted the jaguar, "was standing and watching them about to destroy the forest!"

"Yes, that's true," said Max, stepping forward. "I was there that day, but I'm here now. I'm not sure why, but I want to learn more about the Abori."

There was a brief silence. "Do you think this is some kind of circus? That our people are on show? Why you—" The jaguar walked toward Max and attempted to throw a punch at him when Ari came between them, pushing the jaguar back.

"Waru, STOP! I understand you're angry and that these past few months have been most hard on you, but Max is here to learn and understand more about us. We're dying even without the NAL Project. Being gatekeepers of our culture won't save it; people knowing who we are—why we are, just might."

The jaguar's eyes softened for a moment, and then he shook his head. "If anything happens to our people because of their visit, their blood is on your hands." He walked away and signaled for the pumas to follow him.

Max and Penny were shaken up. Ari took them into a stilted building made of timber with a thatched gable. The building had two totem poles at its front, large glass windows, and was adorned with beautiful, handcrafted furniture inside. Max looked around the room curiously, noticing the shades of red on the walls, carved wooden objects, and traditional paintings. They were seated on simple linen cushions atop straw-woven mats.

"These are fantastic," he said. "I never imagined that an Abori village would have windows or that the architectural designs would be like this.

There's definitely a thing, or two us modern architects can learn here."

Ari smiled and handed them a traditional Abori drink. "Many of the people who left the homeland would visit and bring ideas to 'improve' or better 'safeguard' the village—like the addition of glass windows." Ari gestured around the large room. "This is the meeting room. It's where we traditionally bring guests to meet with our leaders or where families

gather. It's also where important discussions occur regarding village matters."

"Who's the leader here?"

"You've already met him," replied Ari sheepishly. "Waru. Please excuse his behavior. He's the youngest leader we've ever had but has also had the biggest responsibilities. He's been putting up a fight with a government for years now. The destruction you witnessed that day, Max, was the last straw for our people. It's as if the government will stop at nothing to get us out of here. The people in this village have been called savages, barbarians, stupid, backward; I could go on."

Max nodded as the atmosphere seemed to become heavy and his throat dry.

"Ari, this is delicious!" exclaimed Penny suddenly. "I've never tasted coffee like this, ever."

"It's not exactly coffee; it's more of a coffee-tea concoction. The coffee-tea ratios are the secret to the blend. The coffee beans are grown around here, and we buy the tea leaves from another Abori village."

"There are more villages?" asked Max.

"Of course! They're more to the east of here. Even so, the people who identify as indigenous Abori has dwindled. There are only fifty thousand of us left throughout Nation-X."