Sky Child

by Brenner, T. M.

  "That is true, but sometimes you have to make your enemy think they are winning to beat them. You thought it was smart to lose your rock just so you could take out a pair of my stones. But then you didn't realize that all I needed to beat you was a rock. That was what you should have stopped. Do whatever you can to keep me from getting rocks. Don't worry so much about losing pieces. You're going to lose pieces. Just make sure that when you do lose pieces, it matters. That they aren't mistakes. That they make you stronger, and closer to winning by losing them."

  Flot stares at me for a while, thinking about what I've just told him.

  "Okay," says Flot.

  I can tell that he gets it. Hopefully, some of what I am teaching him with jump stones will make him better at the hunt, and keep him safe.

  "We should get ready for training," I say.

  3

  Each day we train before the hunt. Both hunters, and those that want to become hunters, learn how to use weapons. We are also trained how to be quiet, and stay hidden from our prey. We are taught how to think, how to see, and hear, and smell. That way, when the time comes, we might take our prey by surprise.

  The hunt is important, not only because it brings food to the Crag for everyone to share, but it also scares away predators. Spreading our scent wherever we go warns the wolves that they are in our territory.

  Jet, Flot and I stand outside the mouth of the Crag. The air is crisp, and clean smelling. The rain has died down, and it has been a while since anyone has heard sky fire booming across the land. Others start to show up, ready to learn how to be better at the hunt. Eventually Lagan appears. His short, graying beard stands out against his tanned, weather-damaged skin. I notice that he is holding a spear that is thinner and shorter than our normal spears.

  Lagan is the Leader of the Hunt and also our trainer. He earned that right the day we lost our old leader, Hammer, when a dragon attacked. It was Lagan's quick thinking that spared the rest of us.

  Lagan is not the best hunter in our group. He is not the strongest, or bravest, but he is the most fair. He is also the person that people come to when there is a problem in the Crag. He acts as a judge, and does his best to hear both sides of every argument. That is why his decisions are respected, and why he has survived for so long.

  Lagan is not the only leader in the Crag. There is also Chaff, the leader of the harvest, Crook, the keeper of animals, and Vault, the protector of the Crag. Vault is a good man, and Crook is a very strong and courageous woman. Chaff though is a monster.

  Chaff, in many ways, is worse than his sons. He keeps the secret of growing food to himself, so that he can't be removed as leader of the harvest. He has help from many others with preparing the fields, and with picking what comes from the ground. But no one is sure what he does to make the plants start growing.

  Chaff is hungry for power, and if you get on his bad side, he will starve you. He'll do the same to anyone trying to help those on his bad side.

  Chaff's fields give us more food than we could ever gather from hunting or taking care of animals. When we hunt, we are lucky to bring back enough meat to share with the others. Everyone gets a taste, but it is not enough to feed everyone. Raising animals requires food to feed them. Grains and vegetables, and things that must be grown and harvested. Without the harvest, the people of the Crag would quickly die. That is why people do not challenge Chaff.

  A few people have tried to steal food to survive, but when they are caught, they are killed. You are allowed eggs in the morning, before the animal keepers arrive, but they are not enough to survive on alone. Some people have been so desperate to get food that they leave the safety of the Crag on their own. Sometimes they go and never come back. I pray to the Sky Gods for them, hoping that they find a better place to live.

  Chaff is the reason why Flot and Jet came to be my brothers. Flot and Jet's father was part of the harvest, their mother was a hunter. Barrow, their father, never got along with Chaff. I remember hearing he'd tried to find the secret of the harvest, so that Chaff would no longer have control over people. But Chaff caught Barrow sneaking into his room. Chaff told the other harvesters that Barrow had been stealing from the garden, the one law that could not be broken. Barrow was buried up to his neck in soil, then the harvesters took turns throwing rocks at his head until he died.

  Barrow would have put up a fight, would have tried to kill Chaff, but Chaff vowed that if he did, he would have Flot and Jet killed. A day after Barrow's death, his wife, Shoal, died while eating dinner. The whispers said it was poison, but no one knows for sure. That's how Chaff kept control of people; making them fear being poisoned. Being stoned to death.

  It is that constant fear that makes me want to leave this place. I hope that somewhere outside of the Crag there are more people. Honest, and hard-working, and good. I also hope that Flot, Jet and I can live there. Maybe another cave where the people aren't as dangerous. Where everyone gets along, and shares, and protects each other. Where Flot won't be bullied anymore. But I don't know if there's a place like that. We've never met people from outside the Crag. For all I know, we could be the only people left in the world. We could be the only survivors of the End War.

  We don't know much about the End War, other than it happened a very long time ago. Some of the gray ones tell stories that they remember hearing when they were just new ones. Stories of brave heroes fighting, bright lights of destruction, and the death of almost everything. Animals, people; all gone and burned up. But I think those are just stories told to warn us about fighting with each other. They teach us that if you try to become too powerful, someone else will want to take that power, and war will happen. I just wish people like Chaff would learn from the stories, so that they wouldn't be so evil.

  I am lost in my thoughts, and I finally realize that Lagan is showing us how to use the new spear that he has created. It looks like he's taken a thin piece of wood and made points on both ends. It is different from our regular spears, which are thicker, heavier, longer, and only have a point at one end.

  Lagan grips the spear one-handed, gets a running start then throws it as far as he can. It doesn't go as far as I can throw a rock with my sling, but it goes far enough that it could take an animal by surprise. It lands in the soft grass, and sticks straight out of the ground.

  I am impressed. Our spears do not go very far, and they are not meant to be thrown. They are made to stab, and to keep predators at bay. This new spear could probably kill a deer that was so far away it couldn't smell you.

  I want to learn how to use this new weapon very badly, so I walk over to Lagan as soon as he is done talking.

  "Lagan, what do you call it?" I ask.

  "A sky spear, because it falls from the sky like sky fire," says Lagan in his deep voice.

  "Can I try?"

  "Yes. I've made a few of them. Try to stand away from the others when you do, because we don't want anyone hurt," says Lagan.

  I pick up one of the sky spears from the pile and walk far away from everyone. Resting one end on the ground, the other end comes to the middle of my chest. I hold onto the front end of the stick, trying to keep it off the ground. I get low, and start running as fast as I can. I throw the spear with all of my strength, but it lands on the ground right in front of me. I realize that there must be a trick to throwing them.

  I look over at Lagan, who is holding the sky spear loosely, and near the middle. I watch as he gets a running start then doesn't really throw it like I had. Instead, he sort of spins his arm in a circle, keeping his arm almost straight. He also lets go of the spear earlier in his throw than I did. It's amazing how far this new spear can go.

  I pick my spear up. I hold it in the same place that Lagan did, get my running start then throw it. This time it goes almost as far as Lagan's throw. It ends up right next to his spear. Lagan looks over at me and nods. I see a few other hunters have realized that I picked this up more quickly than them. Most of them are people that I know and trust. A few of them are pe
ople that I know and do not trust.

  I walk over and pick up my sky spear. This time when I throw it, I make sure that everyone sees that my other throw was just luck. It lands right in front of me. I look around, and the few people I was worried about look away.

  I hate having to hide my abilities just to stay alive. I could really help out the Crag if the others would listen to my advice. But if I seem too smart, someone will kill me in my sleep.

  Frustration builds inside me as I think about how much I hate hiding my abilities from the others. I throw the sky spear with all of my strength. It flies farther than anyone else has thrown it, including Lagan. Everyone turns to look at me, and I can tell that I won't be able to sleep safely tonight. Stupid! Maybe I really am as dumb as I pretend to be.

  My next few throws don't go very far, but it's too late. I can tell a few of them are still watching me. Now I can only hope and pray, and ask the Sky Gods to protect me from the other hunters. Maybe the hunt will distract them and make them forget. Maybe I am worrying about it too much, but I know that I'm not, because I've seen people murdered for less. There is no rule against murder in the Crag, because they kill anyone that tries to stop it.

  Still angry with myself for the mistake, I look over at Flot and Jet. Both seem to be having a hard time throwing their sky spears. Flot holds the spear right, but his arms aren't very strong yet, so it doesn't fly very far. Jet is much stronger, but he hasn't figured out the right way to hold it. I see Flot look over at Jet then walk over to him. He says something I can't hear, but I watch as Jet changes where he holds onto the sky spear.

  Jet takes a few steps then throws the spear with all of his strength. It flies as far as Lagan's throw. I smile, because I have hope that if something were to happen to me, Flot and Jet would be able to work together to survive. Maybe I've been wrong about them. Maybe they can survive without someone watching over them.

  Lagan blows a horn to let us know that our training is over. We all slowly walk back to the Crag to prepare for the hunt.

  4

  "Sam," says Lagan.

  I wait for Flot, Jet, and the rest of the hunters to pass by me. Lagan looks at me like he's worried about something.

  "Sam, I'll ask a pair of hunters to take turns standing outside your room tonight," says Lagan.

  "I don't think I need protection," I say, lying.

  "The others noticed how quickly you picked up the sky spear. You and I both know how dangerous something like that can be."

  "People get killed. What does it matter? Why protect me?" I ask.

  "Because you are the one who will replace me when I'm too old."

  "Me? Why?" I ask.

  "You might be able to fool other people, but I've watched you. I know that you're faster and smarter than any other hunter."

  My stomach starts to hurt.

  "I don't want to lead. I just want to be left alone," I say.

  "That's why you would be a good leader. You aren't interested in power. You care about people. I've seen how you take care of your brothers," says Lagan.

  "They aren't really my brothers," I say.

  "And yet you still protect them. That says even more about you than if they were your own blood."

  "Every other hunter wants to lead," I say. "Find someone else."

  "No, the decision has already been made. Your future is to lead the hunt," says Lagan.

  I don't know what to say to Lagan. I feel proud that he wants me to lead the hunters once he is too old, but I am afraid that someone might try to kill me. That it will only make things worse for Flot, too. My instincts tell me to say 'no', to fight him and refuse, but I know he'll never agree.

  "Sam, you might be safer as Leader of the Hunt than you are now," says Lagan.

  "Somehow I doubt that," I say.

  "I have made friends among the hunters, and those friends protect me."

  "Yes, but they are your friends, not mine. I don't have any friends, just my brothers," I respond.

  "My friends can become your friends," says Lagan.

  "But I don't know them at all," I reply.

  "When you are born, you don't know anybody, either. Everyone you know is someone you met for the first time."

  "Yes, but there is a big difference between meeting someone, and trusting them with your life."

  "That is true," says Lagan.

  "And there are hunters that have seen many more snows than me. They will hate me for this."

  "Also true."

  "Do you want me dead?" I ask.

  "No, Sam. I want you to finally be alive. All you do, all you have ever done is survive. There is more to life than just seeing your next sunrise. You need to stop hiding, and do what you were meant to do."

  I don't know what to say. He's right; I've never done anything more than stay alive. Every day I struggle to eat, to sleep, to be safe. Maybe if I had help, if Lagan's people really can be trusted, maybe I can be more than just a simple hunter. But the danger is too much.

  "I'm sorry, but I won't," I say.

  Lagan just stares at me with his gray eyes. He doesn't react to what I have said.

  "No," I say.

  "We will see," says Lagan.

  With that, Lagan turns from me and keeps walking toward the Crag.

  5

  When I get back to the room, I see that Flot and Jet are almost ready. They both have their leather armor on. Lagan was the one that discovered that a cow's skin makes good armor. That was when I realized just how smart Lagan actually is. I've never really thought about him that way, but a lot of what we do as hunters is because of him.

  Lagan and a few of the other hunters know how to make leather armor. They won't share how they make it with anyone outside of the hunt though. I think it's because Lagan realizes that if other groups can make their own armor, they will start a war in the Crag.

  The armor works well if you fall down, or if someone tries to hit or kick you. But it will not stop a spear, and it will not save you from a rock thrown from a sling. It will protect you some from a wolf bite, but you will bleed. Still, it is better than nothing.

  I help Flot tie together the last pieces of his armor. He has already helped Jet with his, but I make sure that he has done a good job. It all looks right, and I check it by pulling at the different pieces, making sure they won't fall off.

  While I help them, I look at the carvings on the chest pieces. Both have the symbol of the Crag: connected rings, with shapes that look like curved squares outside of the rings. Charm told me that the rings form a clover leaf. One ring for the harvest, one for the animal keepers, and one for the hunt. The squares are the protectors, standing guard over the other groups.

  When I am sure that both Flot and Jet are ready for the hunt, I put on my own hunting armor. My armor is different in a few ways. It is longer, because I am taller than both Flot and Jet. Lagan also made it so that I can move my arms more easily than the hunters who use spears. That is what both Flot and Jet use, and will keep using for a few more snows. My armor makes it easy to use my sling, and should also help when I use the new sky spears.

  My armor is black, and the carving on it is different from Flot's and Jet's. Instead of having a large carving in the middle, my carving is smaller. It makes it easier to tell who is a lead hunter during an attack.

  Flot and Jet both help me get into my armor, not because I need help, but because it's faster. After I'm finished with my arms, legs and chest, I put on my black helmet. It covers most of my face, but I can still see. Picking up my sling and bag of rocks, I tie them to the side of my armor.

  Whenever I hunt, I carry a bag of rocks that are just the right size and shape for my sling. I know they will fly true, and will hit their mark. Because there are rocks everywhere, I've never run out of them.

  Although I have always been good at using a sling, it's only been since the last snow that I've been able to take down the black fliers in the Crag. Sometimes I find a group of them hanging upside down from the ceilin
g. I can use my sling to hit them with rocks as they sleep. I am good enough now that I can knock down a black flier, and be so quiet that it doesn't wake the other fliers.

  It is a good thing too, because fliers have a mean bite. There have been a few times when a black flier's bite has caused a person to... change. They become dangerous, and not like themselves, so we try to stay away from the black fliers as much as possible.

  I finally leave our room, with Jet and Flot following behind me. As we pass by the Great Fire, I notice that a small group of gray ones have gathered in front of it. They are there to worship, to ask for happiness and health, and to bless the hunt. Charm is among them. She usually prays before the hunt, praying for Flot's, Jet's and my safety. I go over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, letting her know that we appreciate it. She smiles then turns back to the fire.

  Flot and Jet do the same, both placing their hands on her shoulders. This time she is deep in prayer and does not react to their touch. We leave Charm to her prayers and head to the mouth of the Crag.

  The weather has decided to hold, which is good news. There is a slow wind blowing across the field. No rain, and no sky fire. The sky is still dark gray, which makes me wonder if the weather will turn bad again. I can hear the sound of grass moving, and in the distance our fields of wheat and barley. It is a beautiful sound, one that calms me, and makes me feel alive.

  It doesn't take long for the other hunters to appear. Like usual, Lagan is one of the last to arrive. I don't know if he purposely does it, but it gives us a chance to talk to each other before we must focus.

  "Sam, do you know where we're hunting today?" asks Jet.

  "We will head for where the sun rises," I reply.

  "Didn't we do that yesterday? Why do we only hunt in that direction? Why don't we ever go toward the sunset?" asks Jet.

  "You know why. It's because dragons are there."

  "Why don't we hunt dragons?"

  "Because we have nothing to kill them with," I say.