She spent the day tending the fire, rearranging the strips of meat, and repairing her warning lines and traps. She hated to return to the spot where the cat had died, but she needed to see if she’d left any wire behind. The cat’s carcass had been cleaned, and she found no extra wire. She’d just have to make do with what she had. She recovered a tooth that was as long as her hand and tucked it in her pocket.
She spent several days repairing her tree-home and its defenses. She could only hope that she’d done an adequate job when the full moon rose. It was time to go see Skye.
10
Kala
Dawn began to leak into the sky, displacing the night. Kala rose in the dark and breakfasted on berries and eggs. She’d spotted the eggs in a nest from her vantage high in the tree the day before and boiled them for today. Kala freshened up, dropped her rope, and lowered herself to the ground. She stirred the embers of the fire and added several logs until it was once again crackling.
Armed with her bow, she began the trek back to the spot where Skye had suggested they meet. She would have liked to have headed out even earlier and met him closer to the village, but having to wait for dawn, the distance to travel simply precluded it. Still, she made what haste she felt safe making.
She arrived at the appointed spot without incident and before Skye. She wondered if he’d be able to sneak away and whether he’d be able to figure out the actual night of the full moon. Its waxing and waning were relatively gradual, after all. She debated moving closer to the village but feared passing him in the woods without noticing him and thereby missing him. She didn’t want to take that chance, so she parked herself between two dense bushes and scanned the woods around her.
She didn’t have long to wait before she heard crashing through the forest. It was too careless to be anything other than Skye. Sure enough, he emerged a moment later strolling toward her. She sat so still that he was almost upon her before he noticed her. He startled despite himself but recovered quickly.
“It’s not so scary out here,” he said by way of greeting.
“The moment you start thinking that is the moment you get yourself killed.”
He gave her a look that said, “Really? Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?”
She sighed, rose, rummaged in her pockets, and finding what she was looking for, tossed him the tooth she’d taken from the leopard.
He caught it, examined it, and whistled. “To add to your collection, I gather.”
“What do you mean?”
He pulled out her wolf-tooth on a string and handed it to her.
“Why do you have this?”
“It frightened your grandfather every time he set eyes on it. Finally, I just scooped it up and brought it with me. It’s your trophy, after all.”
Kala turned the necklace over in her hand.
Skye walked up to her, lifted her other hand, and placed the big cat’s tooth in it. “Now, it has company.”
She knotted the string around the leopard’s tooth, so it hung beside the wolf’s tooth but then tucked the necklace in her pocket rather than placing it around her neck.
“So, Kira, huh?” she asked tentatively.
“If you’re going to try something, go big. Plus, she’s not hard to look at,” Skye deflected.
“So is this flower!” Kala exclaimed, pointing at a purple blossom.
“Sure, it’s pretty.”
“It’s poisonous!”
Skye stared at her. “I know what she is. I just thought they’d listen to her.”
“So now you’re a thing?”
“You could say that, but she’s more concerned with looking like we’re a thing than actually being a thing. I think she just wants to win at everything. And your village has some strange ideas about kids not taking things too far before they’re seventeen, so I can live with playing a part in her show.”
“Doesn’t it feel like you’re being unfaithful… to your girlfriend back home, I mean?”
“Her father made sure that didn’t get too far either. I’m sure she’s enamored with someone else by now, and truth be told, I’m happy for her.”
Kala stared at her feet awkwardly.
“Shall we go?” he asked.
“Go? Go where?”
“Wherever you’re calling home these days.”
“It’s a half-day hike, at least.”
“Good thing I brought snacks,” he countered, turning so she could see his bulging backpack.
“That’s a lot of snacks.”
“I snuck some food for you. I didn’t think you were out here milking squirrels to make cheese. Have you ever tried to milk a squirrel? They bite!”
“Thank you, but you wouldn’t make it back before you’d be missed.”
“I doubt it. The beauty of the Kira thing is that she will think I’m with your grandfather, and your grandfather will think I’m with her.”
“It’s extremely dangerous out here and not that exciting.”
“Everything about you is exciting. You get into more trouble in a day than most people get into in their entire life. Nowhere could be more exciting!” He brimmed with enthusiasm.
In truth, she desperately wanted his company. She just didn’t want to be responsible for his life. Her need won out over her judgment, and she shrugged, “Your funeral, then.”
“That’s the spirit,” he grinned.
“Just keep quiet and follow me.”
Skye did as he was told and shadowed her reasonably quietly. They emerged at her clearing just as the sun was beginning to set. It was a beautiful red and gold, but they had no time to enjoy it. Kala tended to the fire while Skye marveled at her treehouse.
“Climb up the rope,” she suggested, “but stay away from the trunk. I’ve set traps.”
He hauled himself up and called down, “I love what you’ve done with the place.”
Kala took her turn climbing the rope to the tiny platform. She was fatigued from the day’s walk, but when she brushed against Skye, electricity coursed through her. She looked around at the smallness of the platform. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about company when I built it.”
“It’s cozy. I love it,” he replied and shifted over to sit down on the leopard’s pelt that she’d laid over the branches that formed the platform. He ran his fingers through the fur. “I’m guessing that kitty didn’t part with this willingly?”
“You’ve no idea,” she replied.
They sat snacking on the cheese and fruit that Skye had smuggled for her. She couldn’t imagine tastier food if her life depended on it. Skye rummaged in his pack and pulled out a small package wrapped in paper. “I think it’s a little crushed,” he frowned and unwrapped some of Lily’s scones.
Kala felt hot tears run down her cheeks. She just stared at the scones.
Skye moved closer and wiped away her tears. “If I’d have thought dessert would make you sad, I’d have eaten these on the way to meet you.”
She leaned into him, suddenly feeling somewhat broken. He rubbed her back and held her in silence.
“I miss her so much. And Cera. And even Meadow.”
“They miss you too. Lily gets blue, but Cera will have none of it. She’s convinced you’ll be home in no time. Did you know that she calls you ‘unkillable Kala’?”
Kala sniffled. “She’s so good for Lily.”
“Lily is wonderful too. She comes by to check on your grandfather. They have tea. It’s far too civilized for me. That reminds me, I brought you something else.”
Kala sat up and took a bite of a scone while he rooted around a bit more in his bag. He finally pulled out the dagger that she had hidden beneath a floorboard. She stared at him, open-mouthed.
“Can I help it if you have terrible hiding places? That board creaked to high heaven, and when I tried to fix it, I found this.” He handed her the dagger. “I figured you’d need it more here than at home. I guess it has some significance if you chose to hide it.”
“It does and thank you,
” she replied, looking it over.
They sat savoring Lily’s scones for several long moments.
“Your magic bag wouldn’t have any wire in it, would it?” she asked.
“Sorry. It’s out of tricks.”
“Too bad.”
“I’ll bring you some when I visit next time.”
It hadn’t occurred to Kala that there might be a next time, and the mere hope of it warmed her heart. All traces of the sun had fled, and the full moon peeked through the branches. They lay down beside each other on the cat’s fur and looked skyward.
“I had a roof once,” she sighed.
“What happened to it?”
“If I told you, you’d never sleep.”
“I’m not sure I could in any event,” he said, and his hand found hers and their fingers intertwined. They lay like that for a while, just watching the stars wink between the leaves. It was the most peaceful Kala had ever felt.
Kala recalled his note. “What was that in your note about the place you ‘almost’ shot a deer?”
“What about it?”
“You ‘almost’ murdered three trees and a rock. I think the deer felt perfectly safe.”
He chuckled and held her hand tighter.
She rolled toward him and lay her head on his chest.
He brushed the hair out of her face and held her close.
“If you hear bells,” she murmured, “we’re probably dead,” and drifted off to sleep.
11
Kala
At dawn, Kala slipped out from under Skye’s arm. He rolled over but didn’t wake. She climbed down the tree and relit the fire, which had gone out in the night. Skye woke to the smell of cooking and peered over the lip of the platform high in the tree. The disarray of his hair made Kala laugh.
“I’m a treat first thing in the morning, aren’t I?” he called down. He made himself presentable and shimmied down the rope. “Shouldn’t you tie yourself down when you go to sleep?” He gestured up to the platform, “I’m surprised I didn’t roll off.”
Kala smiled and handed him some meat on a stick.
He took a bite. “It’s good. What is it?”
“I call it ‘meat.’”
“You’ll have to give me the recipe.”
“Sure… Meat. Stick. Fire. Oh, and season with a little ‘will it eat me, or will I eat it?”
“Tasty.” Skye glanced about, and his eyes settled on the axe leaning up against the tree. He stiffened, suddenly wary. “Are you alone out here?” he asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m fresh. I have my ‘meat.’ I have time for a long story,” he said and leaned back.
Kala told him everything. Then, they just sat staring into the fire.
“We should get you back,” she said at last. “It’s a hike, and for me, it’s a two-way trip.”
They gathered their things and started back toward the village, careful to steer clear of predators and ever wary of being spotted by a party of the village’s hunters. They succeeded in both and found themselves in the trees near the fields that surrounded the village. It seemed safe enough to say their goodbyes.
“Please tell Lily that her scones saved my life.”
“I’ll make sure to do that,” he promised. He found herself staring at her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. Don’t do it, he told himself. Don’t fall for her. It’ll make it harder to leave.
They made plans for how many days hence to meet again at their appointed spot, hugged and parted ways.
Kala made her way back cautiously. She knew that she’d been lucky with the leopard and that probably the only reason she was still alive was that no other predator had yet taken over its territory. It was only a matter of time. She tried to concentrate on her surroundings, but Skye kept popping into her thoughts.
She made it back safely and spent the next few days ringing her tree with sharpened stakes as a deterrent to all but the most determined predators. It was getting noticeably colder at night and even wrapped in the cat’s fur, she shivered. She dreamed of sleeping by the fire but knew she couldn’t risk it. Every morning she had to coax her stiff muscles into action.
Days passed, interspersed only with Skye’s occasional visits. Kala didn’t feel safe talking as they walked through the forest, leaving them precious little time to really connect when they arrived at her treehouse.
He marveled at her work on it, calling it ‘fortress Kala.’ He complained once about her repaired roof’s blocking out the stars, and she swatted him.
“Visit during the rain then, you idiot.”
He pulled her closer into his arms. “We’d have to spend all day cuddled up for warmth.”
She didn’t tell him that she looked forward to his body heat as much as anything else about his visits. She never woke up cold after a night he’d spent with her.
Skye recounted the goings-on of the village while twisting her hair around his finger as they lay close. He brought her candles and while she protested that they would draw predators, he lit one anyway.
“I love your face in the candlelight,” he told her. “It’s beautiful, and the darkness steals it from me.”
She didn’t know what to say to that and just wished he’d kiss her already. Lying so close was torture. No matter how free Skye was with his feelings, she knew they both felt that this was something special. So why was there this invisible wall between them?
He was quiet for a long while, and she wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep when he said, “I can’t stay.”
“Obviously,” she chided.
“I mean that I can’t stay in your village. I have to find my way home. My mother is all alone, and my village is not charitable.”
They were both silent for a while. Skye thought about his mother and felt ashamed that he’d felt content while he had no idea what she was going through without him to look after her. The people of his village were not charitable, and he worried about her.
“Come with me,” he said finally.
“I don’t think we’d make it on foot, even if we knew the way.”
“I don’t mean by foot. We need to travel by air.”
“It doesn’t work that way. We can’t just commandeer an airship. They go where they go, and there’s only room for one person on board and even then, not always. It’s just a dream to fly off into the sunset together. A beautiful dream sure, but still just a dream.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth. She rolled over so that he couldn’t see her silent tears in the moonlight.
He moved closer and held her without speaking. They both knew there was nothing to say. Savoring the moment was all they had.
Skye breathed in her smell. Her neck lay tantalizingly close to his lips. It took almost more effort than he was capable of not to kiss it. He could see the rhythm of her heart and it beat it sync with his own. She was the world, and he couldn’t have her.
When they woke, Kala vowed not to be melancholy. Their time together was a gift and she’d just have to content herself with it. They chatted as they warmed themselves by the fire. Skye told her that Lily had brought Meadow to her grandfather’s with the odd request that she stay with them a while.
“Meadow was excited to stay in your ‘room.’ She idolizes you. She loves Lily and adores Cera, mind you… no offense.”
“None taken. I love Lily and adore Cera too.”
“…but she idolizes you. Grandfather kept telling her stories about you when you were her age. She soaked up every word. You really had to be rescued from the top of the tree in the village square?”
“Not my finest moment.”
“Meadow is a lot like her sister, but with a fire in her. She’s a treat. I take her on patrols.”
“Patrols?”
“Among other things, I’ve taken to ensuring the safety of the village. I walk the tree line every day to make sure that nothing threatens the village. I’ll be damned if something random occurs, and they blame it on Kala’s ghos
t.”
“You take Meadow to the tree line?!” she asked, shocked.
“She’s not afraid.”
“She should be,” she huffed.
“Your grandfather told me a story about a girl her age staring off into the trees.”
“That’s different.”
“No, it’s not. Living in fear is no way to live.”
“Fear keeps you alive.”
“If you respect it and embrace it, yes, but not if you shrink from it. If you do, your world becomes small.”
“You sound like my grandfather.” Kala sat silent for a moment mulling it over. “If anything happens to her, Kala’s ghost will rain fury on your sorry ass,” she concluded.
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Kala glanced at the rising sun and got to her feet reluctantly. “Time to go.”
Skye, too, loathed their parting, but he got up dutifully, and they began the trek back to the village. Once at the tree line, they stopped to say their goodbyes and make plans for his next visit.
“I’ll meet you here in five days,” he suggested.
Kala thought that he was risking discovery by coming so frequently, but she needed his visits to give her hope. The third full moon couldn’t come soon enough. She just needed to hang on that long. Before they parted, Kala pressed her necklace of teeth on him.
“Show this to Meadow. Remind her that the forest is not to be taken lightly.”
“I will,” he promised, looking her in the eye. She couldn’t hide the sadness she felt at their parting and her vulnerability stabbed Skye in the heart. He stared into her eyes.
“What?” Kala asked in the prolonged silence.
Skye’s resolve wavered, then collapsed entirely. He surprised her by leaning in and kissing her lips.
Her initial shock gave way to an explosion of warmth that coursed through her and wrapped around her, blocking out the world, until the universe spun on an axis centered on his lips.
Raven's Wings Page 9
