Untamed Gift (Book One of the Items Trilogy)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  He finally made his way over. Alex hooked the scythe on one of the wires so he could speak casually. “You’re looking great this morning. How was it inside?” Like I really needed to ask? You look to be bubbling over with joy. I’m surprised you aren’t doing back flips or doing a jig. Your spirits are refilled, and being well rested helped you too. I know the feeling all too well. At least don’t start explaining everything too quickly like a child who’s eaten too many sweets. Alex thought wildly.

  Marlin stretched his neck while smiling. “It was wonderful to be inside a home once again. The beds were all stuffed with down feathers and it was paradise for sleeping. I haven’t slept that well in ages, least not since our journey began. And then there were two buckets and a mirror when I woke up this morn. I shaved and cleaned up. It is the simple luxuries you miss once you don’t have them.” He praised the hosts and the home for several more minutes before going quiet. His favorite subject was the home cooked meals that reminded him of his mother. It only served to remind Alex again that Marlin too has lost his family. Then Marlin scanned the surroundings. “Where is Shade?”

  Alex told him what Shade was up to and Marlin understood. He then asked “Could you give me a hand carrying these back to the wagon?” Pointing to the last three filled buckets.

  He said he would. Alex hoisted one bucket up and Marlin had a much more difficult time holding the heavy food, while walking through the mud. By the time he made it to the wagon Alex was already back with his second filled bucket. Marlin still needed help with lifting his load above the bed’s ledge.

  Marlin sat down and wiped his forehead. “What’s next, Alex?”

  “If you arrange the buckets, I’ll start gathering up the carrots.”

  He liked the idea and Alex walked over to grab the hoe.

  It was difficult to not to hear Marlin shuffling and sliding the heavy buckets into a reasonable configuration. While he did that, Alex began pulling up carrots with the hoe. The gloves protected his hands from the greenery that announced where the stems of the root tubers lay underneath the soil. Whenever one carrot was too stubborn to be pulled, the hoe was used to dig it out. When a bundle was large enough he’d scoop them up and place them inside the wagon.

  While his friend continued working Marlin walked over to check on Clift.

  It seemed Clift enjoyed his night as well, despite being in a stable again.

  Not long after Alex’s second trip of carrot carrying, he felt that someone was watching him. His stomach felt off and all of the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end to alert him to being watched. Someone kept staring at him, but there wasn’t any threat from whoever it was.

  He slowly turned around to see Lily watching with a curious expression. It was only an hour after the sun cleared the eastern trees when she came out. There was a faint breeze that shuffled her pure white hair. Her hair had also been cut, but was trimmed evenly to the nape of her neck. Her violet eyes seemed to be studying something odd about Alex. Her fair complexion, beauty and expression sent a chill down his spine. Still she wore his old clothes and they were still a little big on her, but they too had been washed. She was also given a new pair of leather shoes, but they were smaller than Marlin’s pair. Kallel and Mary were being so generous in their hospitality. Lily stood with a hand on each hip; and hanging to each luscious curve were her items. She couldn’t remember where she’s seen someone that holds such a striking resemblance to Alex. It was the first time she’s ever seen him without a shirt on and he was indeed built solid.

  Alex stood and her curious eyes followed the transition. He walked up close to her, smiled and then asked “Is there something on your mind?”

  Lily eyes narrowed slightly while looking at his torso. She spoke in an even voice, but he could hear inner frustration. “You are well muscled now, compared to looking like a skeleton upon our first encounter.” Then she looked at his face more closely and studied it almost in a new light. “You really look much like someone I know, but I cannot quite remember where I recognize those features… I can swear I’ve seen someone like you before. The two of you look so similar, but I cannot quiet place who the resemblance belongs to.” Then her voice turned to complete irritation. “This is frustrating…”

  A disarming smile appeared on his lips. “Does that mean he’s looks good too?” Lily’s face flushed, but she didn’t look away.

  She then changed the subject. “Are you finished loading?”

  “Almost, I just need to put this last bundle in the wagon.”

  “I will inform our hosts then.” Lily turned and walked back to the house.

  Once the wagon was completely loaded Kallel and Mary came out to see the finished progress and results of the morning’s work. His wife now wore brown pants and a brown tunic and so too did Kallel. Apparently they were aware that Alex completed almost all of the work by himself. They then walked over to the barn to strap their horses to the wagon. They asked where Shade went and Alex told them how he went out to hunt.

  Before he realized it, Mary was urging the steeds forward. Alex grabbed his tunic just in time before she left with the supplies. Kallel laughed when he voiced his opinion about her going alone to the market when there were so many hidden dangers. He then told Alex that her item could stun multiple opponents and she was more than capable of protecting herself.

  Once Mary rode out of sight, Marlin, Lily and Alex listened to Kallel. “… comes back you’ll get your money. While she’s gone though, how about we get started working on repairing my boat? I have some spare materials in the barn and once my wife comes back she’ll have more.”

  With four hammers, a bucket of nails, tar, and wooden planks they left the barn to begin another chore that would speed their progress. Clift was grazing over in the soft grass, not paying anyone any mind.

  There was a path to the lake, but it had been overgrown by the bushes. Kallel stated that he was sorry about not keeping things trimmed. Like shrubbery would stop us from continuing on? He didn’t know what they’ve been through nor did he know their capabilities. Alex walked right behind Marlin while carrying the heavy bucket of tar and the nails. Lily carried the hammers while Kallel and Marlin carried several of the planks together. It took several minutes to finally get out of the thick bushes and onto the trail that led down to the expansive lake.

  The sounds of the water splashing the shore became louder and the moist breeze calmed everyone’s mind and cooled the body. That was alright until they got a good look at the boat Kallel spoke of, if you could call it one. Alex couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming in a horrifying tone “That boat looks more like a barely floating log!” Marlin struggled not to laugh, but once Kallel started, he couldn’t stop himself.

  While they laughed, Alex turned around to look at Lily. She was peering over his shoulder and then she grimaced once she saw what he did. Her purple eyes shifted to meet his grey. Her understanding was an understatement. “We have a lot of work to do.”

  They continued walking down the trail that led to a dock, which looked to be in the same miserable condition. The dock rocked under foot and there were many missing planks, those that remained felt coated in slime. Alex’s toes didn’t enjoy the sensation. The wood was still slick from rain, which meant they all had to be more observant where they stepped. They continued walking until arriving at the end, where the ship was anchored and tied to the dock.

  The boat was battered and weather warped from neglect and inactivity. It was a moderately sized vessel that could carry all of them easily, but it would take some time to repair. The single rudder at the aft of the boat was barely connected to the ship by a single rusty hinge. Algae had encased the entire underside of the boat while the sides had dangerously warped wood that had torn the nails right out some of the ships ribbing. Then there was the two masts, they were each broken to a degree and the smaller forward one looked more like a sharpened spike because it had broken in half, the remaining rotten pole laid in the water.
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br />   Kallel picked up a wooden ramp and laid it across to the boat. He and Marlin then walked up the ramp and soon Lily and Alex followed. The deck was in the same, if not worse, shape than the outside of the boat. Many of the panels were warping up and some had rotted holes within the wood. On one corner was a dissolving sail that was completely unusable. A deformed steering wheel on the highest level at the back of the boat also needed repairs. There were only three wooden handles on a half ring that connected the wheel to the post. Alex didn’t even want to see the shape of the forward broken mast, that mostly lay in the lake, but the one that still stood could be repaired, without being completely replaced. It would be feasible to repair it. Then there was a hole to the lower level, because the door panel was also missing.

  This ship was pitiful to behold.

  The boat rocked with the lake’s waves as Kallel spoke. “We first need to fix the lower levels before anything else.” He then led the way down the hole.

  The only thing on the boat that was in modest condition were the stairs. On the lower level they all sighed in relief. There was only an inch or so of standing water and the lower level was lit from the holes and cracks on the top deck. The air was damp and musty, but bearable. Algae grew rampantly down here, but not enough to worry about at the moment.

  For the next few hours they patched the small holes with the planks that were below the water line. Then there were several wooden buckets down here, which they used to scoop the water out and dump the contents back in the lake. Once most of the water was bucketed out, they watched where the water trickled in through small cracks; they were then plugged with the sticky tar. They continued patching every other hole with the dark putty because the planks were all used. There weren’t any more visible leaks below the water line just as the sun began to hide behind the trees.

  Kallel called their work to an end, for the day.

  When the group returned back to the farm, Mary had returned and so had Shade. The wagon sat by the barn and was loaded with more repairing material. Lily about lost it when Kallel saw what his wife was doing. He went sheet white again at the sight because she was petting Shade, smiling tenderly.

  Shade sat on his haunches while Mary reached up to scratch his head, especially behind his ears to make his foot thump. He towered over her, even as he sat. She looked like a small toy doll comparatively. It was a welcome and innocent sight. His golden eyes were closed and his head was down because he enjoyed the attention and all the affection. His sabers were touching his chest and Alex could actually hear him rumbling in pleasure. She had on a childlike grin as she gave him even more interest by cooing sweet nothings in his relaxed ears.

  Kallel’s voice quivered as he asked “My love, what are you doing?”

  She stopped scratching as she finally noticed their arrival. Shade lifted his head and grinned. “Did I do something wrong? He arrived here a few minutes ago and he allowed me to come up and greet him. He looked lonely and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a Shadow Fang, let alone pet one. He seems so calm and gentle that I just wanted to try. Come close, his pelt is so soft…”

  Lily, Marlin and Alex shared a look and began laughing.

  Later that night, Shade said that all of the wild game in the nearby area was either too small or too young to be worthy of his time. Alex was proud that he will only hunt those who have lived a full life.

  As for the evening meal, Mary declared that everyone would eat together so they moved a large table outside, but behind the house just incase someone dropped by. They all sat together and ate in a pleasant atmosphere, but Shade chose to sit with his newest friend. Mary kept openly feeding Shade pieces of her meal, they were becoming close.

  Chapter 16

  It has taken close to a month and a half to get the boat in a relatively safe working condition. It has been no small task for anyone. During this time The Pack had made some decent money. They would give supply requests to Mary and she would go to town for them and get what they needed, without asking many questions. Knowing that since Lily’s escape, she and the rest of them could be easily recognized by any Guards, and detained, if they remained in Greeton for too long so they never ventured into town again. They didn’t wish to be around any dangerous situations they could avoid with any certainty. With the money earned from harvesting and the meat Shade brought in from his extended hunts, they were able to easily purchase what was needed and pocketed only a minimal amount of money for later. Who knew when our travels would finally end for us?

  Alex bought three new pairs of clothing that were all the same as what he usually wore. It reminded him from whence he came. He received several bars of new soap along with a new collapsible knife made from a non-item blacksmith, which was rare because Greeton was under the king’s ruling and a person’s trade was only allowed per the item they were born with. Kallel was told the story as to why they didn’t want an item forged knife and he knew the perfect horse seller who worked secretly as a blacksmith.

  He had also bought Shade a new brush, and one for Marlin to give Clift, but it was designed for a horse. It was the size of a person’s palm and had thick and sturdy bristles. Lightly brushing his fur was the only option because Shade’s innate armor allowed something foreign only so far in. Shade didn’t have single knot or snag in his fur to begin with, but his coat looked even glossier once the strenuous and time consuming task finished. Shade paraded himself in front of everyone to see his new look. He grinned the whole time.

  Marlin also bought new clothing that had only half sleeves and new boots. He favored light blue tunics.

  Alex about choked on his tongue when he first saw Lily’s new attire. She had discarded his spare clothes, but they weren’t meant for her specifically. Her new leggings were contoured to fit her shapely muscles and womanly hips. Her tunics were all sleeveless and comfortable against her torso. She favored the lighter red or white colors and whatever she wore made his heart skip a beat or two. She didn’t like showing off the impressive scars on her arms to her friends, but to would-be assailants they were a necessity. They were a real threat display to her strength, but there was a darker meaning about them that she never revealed to anyone. Her defensive item couldn’t be seen through the tunic, but Alex knew it was still there, ever protecting her. She even bought a new leather belt and returned Alex’s. Her customized belt had leather sleeves built in so she could slide her items through. She bought new and sturdy leather boots for any long travels they were sure to face. She finally looked more like herself and less like a worn traveler. She was a tall and proud warrior of six foot three and ethereally beautiful.

  During their time together with Kallel and Mary, Alex, Lily and Marlin planted new seeds to begin growing for the next harvest. Marlin repaired some of the barn’s roofing and Lily used her three bladed sword to cut through the bushes, so the trail to the boat would be easily traversed. The misses would mostly work in the house, but once she was finished she’d spend the rest of her time with Shade. He wanted to communicate with her, but she didn’t know how to read or write. One time she giggled like a little girl when Shade let her ride on his back. He went slow, of course, but it was worth it to see her happy. Even Kallel tried riding once, but he became sick and retched after Shade let him down on the ground.

  He didn’t try to ride ever again.

  There was this one stressful incident where Clift freed the other two horses from their stalls. It upset Kallel, but Clift and the other two remained on the property and grazed without fleeing to freedom. Alex spoke with them and they said they loved living here, it was their home. Kallel soon allowed them free reign of the property, under Alex’s mediation to do as they like, but they must still work by pulling the wagon and plow, but refrain from eating the crops. It was tense for a short time, but everyone got into a comfortable working repetition. Clift wasn’t in trouble for what he did, because he had a point. ‘All fiends, animals and humans are born free and shouldn’t be caged if they are good and remain prod
uctive.’

  Clift was also really improving with his nightly lessons with Shade, especially when he was re-shoed from the local blacksmith. His fear had lessened and his strikes sped and became more focused.

  Also every night everyone would all eat outside together.

  Then there were the repairs made to the ship. It was a difficult time repairing the damaged rudder because everyone needed to maneuver the boat as close to the shore as they dared, without getting it stuck on the lake’s floor. The old wooden rudder needed to be completely replaced so it was taken off the remaining rusty hinge and removed it from the ship. Shade had helped out in installing the new rudder because Alex needed to stand on his back, to attach the five new brackets that secured the rudder to the ship and allowed it to turn the craft.

  It took four days to repair the mast, after removing the forward one from the ship altogether. Everyone listened to Alex as he said how it could be repaired without replacing the central pillar. He knew about repairing boats from reading. They used pressed metal strips and long bolts to slowly work their way up the damaged areas of the main mast. Where there were weak spots and splinters, they’d wrap them up and secure it. The bottom horizontal pole needed to be replaced, that held the sails, but the two higher ones were more than strong enough to support a sail. Then Kallel bought three fabric sails of different sizes and were soon latched to the mast’s three poles and kept them tied up. Sometimes Marlin would get sick from the height, but he’d finish his job before he’d lose a meal.

  The deck and she ships sides took a week to remove the warped and rotted boards. More than half of the deck needed to be replaced, along with the ship’s sides. Both Kallel and Marlin knew a lot about ships so they were instructed to make a new steering wheel, reinforcing the turning mechanism and figuring how to manipulate the ship with only a single mast.