Arrow

by Samantha M. Clark

  “Hey—” Val started, but quickly stopped.

  Thrum.

  Thrum.

  Thrum.

  “Copters!” Petari said. “They must’ve called them back from the Stilts.”

  Arrow’s eyes widened like a dawning sun as he searched the sky for the metal bullfrogs. “They’re coming to destroy Shimmer Cave!” Panic clawed across every word.

  “It’s there.” Petari pointed. To the east, a metal bullfrog was hovering over the tree canopy. It moved farther east, swung back, then flew to the north.

  “No, they’re not coming here. They’re looking for us.” Val turned to Petari, eyes full of fear. “They’re looking for our group.”

  “How do you know?” Petari asked.

  “I heard them talking about how they were using me for bait. They don’t want any other people in the forest. They want to get us all out.”

  Just like the Imposters pushing out the Forest Dwellers. Do these humans never change?

  “What will the Stilters do if they find the village? Faive is so small. And Ruthie.” Tears pricked Petari’s eyes. She looked from her brother to Arrow.

  Arrow’s shoulders fell. “We’ll have to bring your herd into the forest. They’ll be better hidden there.”

  “You said the forest was dangerous.” Val narrowed his eyes at Arrow.

  “It is, but not as dangerous as them.” Arrow pointed at the metal bullfrog.

  He was right, and Val and Petari knew it.

  Val shook his head. “We’ll never get there in time.”

  “You’ve missed so much in the forest, Val. We’ll show you how to get around fast.” Petari grinned.

  “Let’s go.” Arrow took off toward the village, the others close behind.

  26

  THE PASSION FRUIT VINE TO MY SOUTH DISPLAYED ITS BRIGHT PURPLE AND YELLOW FLOWERS PROUDLY, BUT BEFORE THE WIND COULD CARESS THEM, THEY SHRIVELED UP AND DIED, FOLLOWED BY THEIR VINE.

  Keeping an eye on the sky, Arrow led Val and Petari to the closest liana-laden kapok tree. They climbed up, perched on a thick branch, and Arrow showed Val how to use strong vines to hold himself up.

  “Are you kidding me?” Val said. “I’m not doing that. I’ll get killed.”

  Petari laughed. “Don’t be a dust munch. You’ll love this. Come on.” She twisted her vine harness around the liana, pushed off, and flew past trunks and branches.

  Val grimaced. “She makes it look so easy.”

  “It is easy,” Arrow said. “Just look out for branches that are in your way. They sting if they hit you in the face. Now go but keep quiet.” He pushed Val off the branch.

  The boy flailed, angry eyes darting at Arrow, but then his hemp rope sped off down the vine.

  Arrow followed closely to make sure Val stopped at the next tree with no problems. Eyes wide as the tree loomed ahead, Val swung his legs out and caught a branch just in time.

  “That’s… that’s…,” he told Petari, who laughed.

  “He likes it,” Petari said to Arrow as he stopped too. “Which liana now?”

  Arrow took them on four more vines, then they plopped down at Crooked Rock and headed for the root bridge.

  “We thought you were dead!” Delora ran to Val and Petari as they broke through the tree line south of the village.

  Arrow stayed back, anxiously glancing between the sky and the forest. I could feel the wind of the metal bullfrogs to the south. They were getting closer.

  “What happened to you?” Luco ran up with the rest of the herd.

  “And what’s he doing back here?” Safa asked, pointing at Arrow.

  “Arrow saved my life.” Val’s gaze turned down. “I followed Petari into the forest on the other side of the river, but I got lost and was picked up by some Stilters. They’ve got a camp, and they’re looking for all of you now with copters.”

  “But Arrow’s going to take you into the forest.” Petari lifted Ruthie from Rosaman’s arms and gave her a squeeze. “He’ll hide you.”

  “How do we know he’s not with them?” Safa frowned at Arrow.

  “I thought he was at first, but he got me out,” Val said. “These Stilters don’t want other people here. They wanted me to tell them where you were.”

  “Did you?” Storma asked.

  “Of course not,” Val said.

  Luco shook his head. “I think we should stay here. No one will find us.”

  Arrow stepped forward. “They can see this village from the sky. But they can’t see through the forest canopy. If you’re under the trees, they won’t know where to look for you.”

  “Arrow’s right,” Petari said, giving Ruthie back to Rosaman. “You know what the Stilters are like in the Barbs. They’ve got machines and guns here, too. I’ve seen them.”

  “We need to have a talk about you going on missions on your own.” Luco stepped closer to Petari. “You’re supposed to be on babysitting and cleanup like Delora.”

  “I know, but—”

  Thrum.

  Thrum.

  Thrum.

  The wind of the metal bullfrog was getting closer. Like Arrow had predicted, they must’ve seen the village from the air and were headed straight there.

  “Hurry!” Arrow told the herd. “You’ll be safe in the forest.”

  “Hold it.” Storma lifted her hand. “Why do the Stilters want this place so badly? They don’t need food like we do.”

  “It is beautiful.” Luco motioned to the trees.

  “They want to build hotels,” Val said. “They’ve got carriers and other machines to tear down the trees.”

  “Sheesh. They’re making it into another Stilts, just for the rich,” Mercou said. “Only prettier.”

  “They’ll get people to pay a lot, I’m sure,” Delora said. “My mom said the Stilts used to be like that, until people started living there and they closed it off completely.”

  “Don’t they have enough stuff?” Storma’s words had a bitter edge. “All they do is take.”

  Arrow nodded, for once agreeing with Storma. “They’re going to destroy it all, the forest, the river, everything. Petari and I tried to stop them, but I don’t know how long it will work.”

  “What did you do?” Worry sank out of Val as he glared at his sister.

  “We put biting ants all over their machine.” Petari grinned proudly. “They won’t be using it for a while.”

  “Ants?” Storma gave a short laugh. “That won’t stop them for long.”

  “It’s something.” I liked Petari’s optimism. “It’ll give us some time to come up with something better.”

  Arrow nodded. “I don’t know what I’ll do yet, but I’ll try again once you’re all safe. I can’t let them tear down Shimmer Cave.”

  Storma glanced at him, about to say something, but was interrupted by Safa.

  “What’s Shimmer Cave?”

  “That’s where we stayed the night. It’s brill,” said Petari.

  Arrow frowned at the sky, but the metal bullfrog wasn’t overhead yet. “It’s my favorite place in the forest. It has walls that shimmer with different colors.”

  “They’re gems,” Val said. “Loads of them.”

  “Gems? Like diamonds and rubies and stuff?” Rosaman stepped closer, Ruthie sucking the tip of his finger.

  “What are diamonds and rubies?” Arrow asked.

  “There are gems in the forest?” Storma’s energy had changed, no longer angry but excited.

  Petari glanced at the sky. “Guys.”

  “I don’t know which gems, but the whole cave sparkles,” Val said. “It’ll be worth a lot of money. That’s why the Stilters want to tear it down.”

  “The copters!” shouted Petari.

  “The Stilters have lots of money,” Luco said, ignoring her.

  “They have all the money,” Safa said, her attention on Val.

  “They don’t need the gems,” Storma said, her eyes narrowing.

  Thrum.

  Thrum.

  Thrum.<
br />
  The metal bullfrog was almost at the village.

  “We have to get into the forest,” Arrow said. “Now!”

  “How do we know we can trust him?” Delora pointed her chin toward Arrow.

  He didn’t recoil at the bitter energy this time. He straightened his shoulders. “I don’t want to take you with me. All you’ve done since you came to the forest is hurt things. But those machiners are worse, and as much as I need to get back to them to make sure they don’t destroy my home, I don’t want to see you get hurt. I’m trusting that if I take you into the forest, you won’t damage it.”

  “They won’t,” Petari said quickly.

  The younger children looked at Luco and Storma.

  THRUM.

  THRUM.

  THRUM.

  “They’re coming!” Petari pointed in the direction of the noise.

  Storma kept her eyes on Luco. “I’ve got an idea. Arrow doesn’t want those Stilters to have this place, and neither do I. Why doesn’t he protect our group, and we’ll take care of his little problem?”

  “You can get rid of the machiners?” Arrow looked from one to the other in disbelief. I wondered if they could really do that too.

  “It’ll be fun.” Storma smirked at Arrow. “We’ve taken care of goon groups. We can take on this camp too. It’s the least we can do, right, Luco?”

  She glanced at the skinny-as-a-spider boy.

  He watched her as though reading words in her eyes. I couldn’t see what they would be, but whatever message he found, he agreed. “Yep. The least we can do.”

  Storma turned to Val. “What kind of setup do they have?”

  “There’re about ten adults. Maybe a few more. The camp’s just a bunch of tents and equipment. Nothing too substantial. Their machines are general farming and utility units. But as Petari said, they do have guns.”

  “Easy peasy. We’ve taken on bigger goon groups.” Storma grabbed her sky-colored backpack off the ground. “I’ve got some tricks I’m looking forward to showing them.”

  Luco grinned at the group. “It’s a plan. The younger ones will go with Arrow. A small group will come with Storma and me. We’ll meet back up when everything’s safe.”

  “I’m going with you guys,” Safa said.

  “Me too,” said Delora.

  Rosaman opened his mouth, but Luco said, “It’s okay, Ros. You stay with Ruthie.”

  Rosaman nodded, holding the baby close.

  Luco turned to Mercou. “You with us?”

  Mercou glanced at the metal bullfrogs, getting closer. He nodded. “I’m ready for some fun.”

  “I’ll go with you too,” Val said. “I can help you find their camp.”

  Petari stepped forward. “I’ll go with Arrow. I promised to help him with the Guardian, and he needs to warn her.”

  “You need to stay with me, Petari.” Val glared at his sister.

  “You go with them, if you want. I’m going to help the Guardian.”

  “No. You have to stay close so I can protect you.”

  “No, I don’t!” Petari cried back.

  “Yes, you do,” Val shouted. “I promised Dad.”

  Petari gulped. “What? When?”

  Val’s face softened. “Before he left, Dad made me promise I’d always keep you safe. Then he never came home. I have to protect you. For him.”

  “But, Val—”

  The metal bullfrogs were nearer. The wind was getting harder, noise louder. Luco had to shout. “Argue later!” He turned to Val. “You should go with Arrow’s group. Make sure they’re safe. We’ll find the Stilter camp.”

  Storma grinned. “We’ll just follow them.” She pointed at the bullfrog, coming into view. “If we can track their noise in the Barbs, we can track them in this forest.”

  “How do we stay safe from the creatures in the forest?” Luco asked Arrow.

  “They hunt mostly at night and won’t attack a bigger group. They’ll also stay away from loud noises.” Arrow narrowed his eyes. “But if you make too much noise, the machiners will hear you coming.”

  “Not over the noise of their copter and machines, they won’t,” Storma said.

  THRUM.

  THRUM.

  THRUM.

  The metal bullfrog was almost on top of the village now. The wind from its spinning arms rustled the leaves of the tree line.

  “Go!” Luco motioned the others toward Arrow.

  The herd dispersed, running to the large hut. Val, Petari, and Rosaman emerged with their backpacks.

  “Follow me,” Arrow shouted over the noise. He ran through the branches, the others close behind. Rosaman stumbled with Ruthie in his arms. Arrow ran to him, grabbed the child, and pulled Rosaman under the safety of the trees. Luco and Storma motioned for their group to follow as well.

  Above them, the metal bullfrog took over the sky. It circled around the village, the machiners inside no doubt looking for Val, Arrow, and the herd below.

  The children were huddled beneath the trees, out of sight for now, but they still had to cross the bridge.

  The wind strengthened as the metal bullfrog began to descend on the village. The machiners were going to look for the herd on foot. Trees bowed out of their way from the force of the wind. Animals scurried off, and birds stayed back.

  Once the metal bullfrog was down far enough that its view was blocked by trees, Arrow called, “This way.”

  He led the herd south, weaving through the copse of trees that held our biggest secret, and out the other side to reveal the root bridge.

  My roots curled, hoping this wasn’t a mistake. Arrow’s big heart had failed us before. But perhaps I was starting to see that following one’s heart wasn’t bad if it did good.

  Faive was nervous about crossing the root bridge, but Arrow, Petari, and Val helped her to hurry.

  There were shouts in the village now. The machiners were searching the savanna, lifting cans from the ground and knowing the contents were fresh. Eyes peered around the tree line; feet ran to the border at the north, then the south; hands pushed back branches.

  Arrow kept the herd moving farther into the forest. He told them to stay quiet, but their eyes were too busy taking in these new wonders for their mouths to make much noise.

  Arrow brought them to the Crooked Rock, where he had first met Petari, then stopped.

  “The canopy is thick here. The humans won’t be able to see us from above.”

  “So this is where you were hiding, eh? Pretty nice,” Storma said, glancing around.

  Luco gripped Arrow’s shoulder. “You sure you can keep them safe?”

  Arrow nodded. “You sure you can get rid of the machiners?”

  Storma laughed. “Does a dog pee on trees?”

  Arrow frowned. “What’s a dog?”

  Luco smiled at Arrow, patting his back. “You’re okay, kid. Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

  The thrum, thrum, thrum started to pick up again.

  Arrow pointed south. “Their camp is by the river to the south, that way.”

  Luco gave Arrow and his group a grin, then they started south.

  Arrow watched them for a few breaths until Petari grasped his arm. “They’ll be okay.”

  “This way,” he said, then led the others in my direction.

  27

  THE BRIGHT RED FRUIT OF AN ACHIOTE TREE IN THE EAST BULGED WITH SEEDS, UNTIL THEY SUDDENLY PUCKERED AND FELL FLAT.

  Arrow led his small group through the forest as quickly as he could. From the anxiety swirling around him, I knew he was torn. He wanted to help the youngsters, he wanted to warn me, but he was also worried about Crankas and the machiners’ plan and whether Luco and Storma could really stop them. I was too.

  Just as Petari had been slow at first, so were the others. Rosaman secured Ruthie inside his open backpack to help him keep up, but Faive’s short legs kept falling behind.

  “Hold it. We need to stay together,” Arrow called to Val and Rosaman when Faive fell back for the fou
rth time. “Can I carry you?” he asked the girl, who looked close to tears.

  “I’ll take her.” Val knelt down so Faive could climb onto his shoulders. It looked like they’d done this before. As he hoisted her up, Val swung the girl’s legs, making her giggle.

  “Thank you,” Arrow said, then got the group walking again.

  Petari kept them entertained, pointing out all the things Arrow had taught her when he’d first brought her this way.

  “A plant can stop you from farting?” Rosaman asked, and Petari replied, “Maybe not your farts,” making the younger ones laugh.

  Arrow stayed at the front, keeping his eyes on the forest and the children moving quickly.

  After a while, Val got into step with him. “I didn’t thank you for saving me yesterday.”

  Arrow glanced at the boy. He must not have expected that. I hadn’t.

  “Not a lot of people help others in the Barbs,” Val continued. “In our group, we look out for each other, but with outsiders, it’s pretty much everybody on their own.”

  Arrow shrugged. “The Guardian brought me up to help others in the forest.” My leaves shook with pride. “You can thank her.”

  “You mean the tree?” Val narrowed his eyes.

  “Yes, the Guardian Tree.” Arrow glared at the older boy, daring him to not believe.

  Val looked away. “Anyway, I know you’re probably worried about the forest, what with the Stilters and everything, and the last thing you want to be doing is helping us. So, I just wanted to say thank you.”

  Arrow slowed a little, his energy softening. Val was right, and even though Arrow was still guarded, I could tell he liked being seen.

  “Do you really think the others will stop Crankas?” Arrow asked.

  Val opened his mouth to answer, but Petari shouted, “Arrow, look!”

  He followed her gaze to the river’s finger. It looked very different from when they’d last come through. Many of the water lilies had large rips and browned holes.

  “They look terrible,” Petari said. “What happened?”

  Arrow shook his head. “The Anima is depleting faster. Use the solid ones. We have to hurry.”