by Richard Wood
Again time passes and Jesse’s eyes flicker open. The pit of his stomach is empty and aching, his mouth is so dry that his teeth stick to his inner cheeks. Looking to his right, he sees a loaf of fresh baked bread, enough cheese to last a few days, and a clay pitcher with its own cover. His eyes go out of focus and back in again. Looking around, he sees no one. He raises into his cross legged sitting position and reaches for the pitcher. Nudging it, he feels the shift of liquid inside. He picks it up and sets it in his lap, opening the lid and seeing crystal clear water. Once again, he looks around but sees no one. He doesn’t know how it got there but he’s going to accept it as a gift. Still very weak, he brings the pitcher to his lips and takes a full deep drink. It was the crispest, clearest, most refreshing water he had ever had. The chill of the water could be felt flowing down into his stomach. The amazing thing was not so much the coolness of the water as much as its immediate effect. It did much more than just refresh his first, it sent out a burst of tingle that radiated all through his body. It gave his body instant strength and as the tingle went into his face and permeated his mind, it cleared his cloud of thoughts. Instantly, Jesse realized that the experiences of comforting torture were not his experiences but those of the Horde. He was an emotional witness to their disturbed delights. The evils of the dead valley were not his own and he had no cause to carry the shame of its experiences.
Realizing he bore no shame, Jesse’s body began to relax and once again he was able to breathe in the fresh air rising from the greenery. Brushing his hand along the course grass, Jesse reaches for the bread. He sets the loaf next to him and breaks himself off a piece. He places it into his mouth and bites into its yeasty softness. “It tastes just like my mother’s”, he thought. He breaks off another piece and begins to chew. He raises the pitcher to his lips and takes another drink. The crisp, refreshing water filled his whole mouth, washing the bread down. He places the lid back on the vessel and sits it away from him. Now all refreshed and full, he’s ready again to get on his way to Genisville. He grabs his pack, fills it with the bread and cheese and thinks, “What do I do what the water?” Jesse thinks for a second and knows that he’s coming back this way on his journey back home. “Huh, maybe there’s a shelf on the cliff face, I could set it there and come back in a few days”. Looking over the cliff, he sees one. A shelf two steps deep and an arm’s reach down. “Perfect”, he says out loud. He places the vessel on the cliff shelf and covers it with some nearby rocks. Satisfied with his work, he rises from the ground, then reaches for his staff and pack. Looking over the horizon, he sees the mountains of Light and Shadow. If he stays on track and the Horde doesn’t attack him, he might be able to make Genisville in a few days.
The grass covered cliffs follow the dead valley northward as far as the eye can see so Jesse decides to walk the cliffs till he gets to the valleys before the mountains of Light and Shadow. As Jesse walks the cliffs, his heart returns home and he concerns for his mother Shaira. Even though he knows she’s in the very able hands of Valcor, Pala, and the village Elders, they still have no real skills in caring for her fragile mind. The old man at the fire spoke about his mother’s agony with so much gut wrenching delight, it was as though he himself had some kind of personal participation in her private torture. He spoke so vividly about her agonies, almost as though he were inside of her heart and mind watching them in progress. If this black hearted creature has some kind of unseen hold on her inner soul, how does he defeat the beast without killing his own mother? Then Jesse remembers the Forseeans. They’re such an amazing people. They have the before-site that was given to them by the King of Elamor and the other worldly wisdom that makes them so sought after by the kings of the land. Surely the great Forseean Elder he befriended would know of a Forseean that would be perfect to help with his mother. If he could get such a Forseean to come to his village and live, his mother’s safety and mind will be safe and protected. Jesse decides that as soon as he arrives home, he will go to work and make it happen.
Soon dusk falls and Jesse must once again build a fire. As he looks around, he realizes that building a fire was going to be very easy tonight. There are downed trees everywhere. Dry and brittle, they’ll make a good fire. Just ahead of him is a dead tree laying just twenty steps from the cliff face. He quickly makes a safe fire pit, gathers dried limbs and dry moss, and soon a warm fire is flickering in front of him. Jesse sits and lays his back against the dead tree trunk and begins pulling food from his pack. He gathers some bread, cheese, and the remaining meat given by the people of Dreadston. After eating, he checks the fire, adds some limbs and makes himself a pillow from a pile of leaves then lays down for another night’s sleep.
As the morning sun breaks the horizon, Jesse wakes up fully rested. He sits up with a smile as he checks the smoldering fire. Very thankful that the night went without any unwanted visitor or unwelcomed dreams, he looks around and nothing is out of place. Everything was where he left them last night. Nothing was added and there was no vile Hordish odors, just another peaceful morning. In an odd way, Jesse was kind of let down, like he had missed a great adventure. “Just another day”, Jesse sighs. He breathes in deeply then exhales, then reaches for his pack and staff. Grabbing them, he rises to his feet and stretches relaxingly. In a while, he’ll stop to eat, but for now it’s time to get back on track and head northward to Genisville.
Midway through the day, Jesse sees in the distance, a narrow tree line. As he continues to walk, he begins to hear the trickling sound of running water. The font of fresh, clean running water adds the sense of light heartedness to his day. As he continues closer to the tree line, the sound increases. Approaching the trees, Jesse admires the beauty of tree leaves flickering in the breeze. As he steps into the trees, he looks down and sees a babbling brook and feels a cool breeze, blowing along the trees, skimming across his face and arms welcoming him in. As he kneels to the ground, the cool mud caresses his knees and he reaches into the water. Its icy cold, almost to the point of stinging his fingers. He brings a cupped hand to his lips and drinks. Chillingly cold, it flowed like liquid snow past his throat and into his belly. It was delightful and refreshing. Another three or four handfuls and then Jesse splashes his face, and shakes his head, flinging off the excess water. One more handful of water and he washes off the back of his neck.
As an experienced hunter, Jesse instinctively searches the mud for animal prints. He sees prints from a deer, goat, and the trails of birds and lizards. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then suddenly, he sees a set of tracks leaving the water. Tracks of an animal he is totally unaware of. They seemed to be the prints of a cat but they were twice as large as his hand with his fingers fully extended. Jesse ducks down and looks around in all directions. He searches the trees intently but sees only limbs and leaves shaking in the wind. Jesse knows that cats can hunt unseen, his senses are razor sharp and on high alert. He knows that even with his skills, the cat could be stalking right behind him and he wouldn’t know it. Very slowly, he turns to look behind him but sees nothing. He slowly begins to back up, making sure not to step on any dried twigs or trip on any roots and rocks. He backs beyond the tree line, a hundred or so steps away and kneels down on one knee. While watching closely, he begins to wonder what kind of cat-like animal leaves a track like that. Kneeling motionless, he moves only his eyes, examining the tree line for any break in the trees on both sides of the stream. Then there to his left, a clear break on both sides leaving a clear path just big enough for him to pass through. Looking clearly on both sides, Jesse bolts for the break. From this side of the stream, he leaps over; clearing the stream he lands on the opposite bank and runs. Passing the tree line, he runs full force, pack and staff in hand. While running, he turns to see that he is safe and unfollowed. Now well beyond the stream, Jesse slows to a stop and between breaths he listens to anything out of the ordinary. As he straightens up, he scans the horizon for anything that hints of danger; seeing nothing, he continues on his journey with senses still o
n high alert.
As the day wears on, the foothills become higher and the valleys become deeper. As dusk falls, it becomes obvious by the huge boulders that Jesse is almost to the mountains. Something he has been noticing for a while, many of the foothills have been dotted by white shiny stones and when the sun hits them just right, it shines off of them with an almost rainbow hue. Jesse is sure that the white boulders and stones are full of crystals. Some more valuable than others. On his way back home, he will stop and collect as much as he can carry. He can use them for trade in and around his village but he can’t take a chance of stopping now, he has to get to Genisville soon.
The next morning as Jesse wakes, he is filled with the satisfaction of knowing his mission is almost over and he can look toward his return back home. Again nothing strange happened during the night, he built a fire, ate his bread and cheese, and went to sleep knowing by midday tomorrow he should reach the mountains of Light and Shadow. After the mountains, the next village will be Genisville. The mountains are always very cold but Jesse knows he’s taking the outermost western part of the range as this area is lower than the rest of the mountains and not nearly as cold.
As Jesse hikes the western range, he makes very good time. The bald rocks are moss free and firmly planted and Jesse leaps from boulder to boulder, making fun out of his journey. He’s not forgotten the prints at the stream but hasn’t seen any others and as a hunter himself, he would know if he was being stalked. He is on alert, but not concerned. He stops to scan the horizon and sees the highest mountains to the east are covered with snow and open plains are to his left and nothing seems out of the ordinary. Before dusk, Jesse has passed the worst of the mountains and can see the plateaus and plains ahead of him. Tomorrow he will see Genisville for sure but for now, it’s time for a fire and some rest.
The next morning, Jesse rises with anticipation. Standing and stretching, he looks out over the beautiful plains. They are highly prized for their fertility and the hunting there is always good. People have always been drawn to this area because of the history of forever being able to provide. The time of year is festival time in this part of the country. He was sure he would be seeing other people by now. “Huh”, he thinks, “They must be in their villages celebrating”. Dismissing the thought, Jesse heads toward the area he is sure holds the village of Genisville. Another few hours and he begins to see in the distant plain, a blackened out area. It also seems to be covered with rubble and only partially walled. His father told him the way to Genisville many times but never mentioned this area and although Jesse has a degree of hesitation in his heart about the possibility that he may be headed in the wrong direction, he’s followed his father’s words completely and will put his trust in that. As he gets even closer to the blackened out area, Jesse sees that it appears to be an older destroyed village. As Jesse gets even closer to the burned out village, he stops dead in his tracks. Green grass grows freely in what was once the village streets and trees rise from blackened out floors in buildings. This village has been empty for a long time now. Cautiously, he walks forward and passes what was once a village border. As he stands in the center of the empty village, he is shaken by the sound of nothing. No birds, insects, lizards, absolute silence and stillness. It was almost ghostly.
Then from behind him, Jesse hears a distant voice. “Hello, hello”, Jesse spins around and sees a thinly built, older, white haired gentleman waving at him. As the old man limps quickly toward Jesse, he waves his hand in the air and shouts, “Hello boy, hello! Don’t go away boy, I’ll come to you”. As the old man reaches Jesse, he is overjoyed. He puts his hand I out to shake Jesse’s and says smiling, “Thank you for staying boy. It’s been so long since I’ve seen anyone, ever since the Horde destroyed our village no one wants to come here. My name is Kyle. This used to be my village, but it’s all gone now. I think it’s been eight or nine full seasons since we were attacked. The Horde took everyone, even the little ones. Then somehow after they left, it all caught on fire. I hid away in my cave and now I’m the only one left”.
As the old man catches his breath, Jesse asks, “Excuse me Kyle, but what village is this?” Looking into Jesse’s face with an almost confuse expression Kyle says, “Well boy, don’t you know? This was my village Genisville”. “No”, Jesse says, I mean what was the name of this village?” Kyle looks at him impatiently and replies, “That’s what I’m telling you boy, this was my village of Genisville”. Jesse’s eyes widened as he stares helplessly at Kyle. Jesse was speechless. As Jesse looked around at the burned out village of his father’s youth, big tears trickled down his face. As he realizes the hope he struggled and fought for since leaving his own village lies in a heap of shambles, his heart aches. No one in his father’s village will ever know. Jesse hangs his head as he whispers, “It was all for nothing”. He looks up to Kyle and says, “Both the village and my father’s family are gone”. Jesse walks over to a half torn, burned out wall and sits down on it. Physically and emotionally exhausted, he sits bent over and disgusted. Kyle walks over and sits next to Jesse. Kyle asks, “Are you alright boy?” As Jesse looks back to him he replies, “I failed, Kyle. I was supposed to tell my father's family about how he was killed but there's no one here”. “Well”, Kyle says, “What was your father's name?” Jesse turns his gaze from Kyle toward the open plains and says, “My father's name was Eli, he was a great blacksmith. We live in the village of Payne”. Suddenly, Kyle's expression lifts then he says with a smile, “Eli huh, we all wondered what happened to him”. Jesse looks back at Kyle with hope and a smile and says, “You know my father?” Kyle shakes his head with a slight giggle and replies, “Why yes son, we all knew your father. Your father was one of our Elders. We all wondered what became of your father. He was a very smart boy, your father was a prankster too. I remember the time he spent the whole night digging a hole in the street over there then he filled it full of water. It looked like a little mud hole. I can't remember how many people fell in that hole that day, even a few ladies fell into it. Your father got his hide tanned over that one!” “Really”, Jesse says as a smile starts coming to life on his face. “My father did that?” “Oh yes boy, he did”, Kyle replies with a giggle. “Then there was the time he threw some animal guts on the widow Meyra’s roof. That hut got to stinking so bad that we had to burn it down!” Both Jesse and Kyle laughed together hysterically. “Oh yeah boy”, Kyle says, “Your father was a sneaky one but he was smarter than a dozen foxes. How about that”, Kyle says looking at Jesse, “Eli was your father. It's nice to meet you boy, stay here with me in my cave and tomorrow I'll give you something to take back with you to your village”.
As they walked together to Kyle's cave, Jesse says, “Kyle, I have a question for you”. “What is it”, he replied. “Well I stopped at a stream on the way up here and saw some huge cat prints. Do you have any idea what kind of cat leaves giant prints?” Kyle looks up at Jesse and asks, “Was there any white objects laying around in the area?” Jesse jerks his head toward Kyle and says, “Yes there was but what would that have to do with the prints?” “Well boy”, Kyle says, “That was a Peace Cat, a very powerful animal. The thing about a Peace Cat is that they only attack when you invade their home”. Shaking his head as he listens, Jesse says, “Ok but what do the white rocks and boulders have to do with them?” “Those weren't rocks boy”, Kyle explains, “They were other Peace Cats”. Jesse bumps Kyle’s arm and says, “You mean those white things I saw in the hills were Peace Cats?” “Yes son”, Kyle replies, “They travel in groups of twenty or more. A Peace Cat can walk up to you and be totally harmless but you can never walk up to a wild Peace Cat. They'll think you're invading their home and they'll kill you!” Jesse’s eyes widen, “I thought they were mounds of crystals because they had a reflection from the sun”. “No boy”, Kyle snaps, “That was the cat’s mane. Their manes are made of feathers and they catch and reflect the light. If you would have walked toward them, they would've killed you. Come on now, let's get to t
he cave before it gets dark. I've got meat saved, roots and vegetables to cook, and then we'll eat”.
The next morning after Jesse wakes, he walks to the entrance of the cave. It is a clear, beautiful, bright day. The birds are singing, insects fill the air, and a breeze caught the tall grass making a flow of graceful waves. As Jesse stretches and yawns, he thinks, “This is a good day to start back home”. From behind him, Jesse here's movement back in the cave as Kyle begins to stir around. “Don’t go anywhere boy”, Kyle yells, “I have to give you something. Come and sit down by the fire, I need to talk to you about something”. Strolling back into the cave, Jesse sees Kyle sitting by the fire. Even though it reminds him of the old man sitting by the fire in his nightmare, Jesse wasn't at all concerned and makes a place for himself next to Kyle. “Ok Kyle”, Jesse says, “What is it you wanted to say to me?” Kyle looks into the fire and inhales deeply, “Well boy”, he begins, “Not much is left of our village or my life but I do have one thing of value. I have Dararro, he's the closest thing to family that I have now. It's taken me two full seasons now, but I've worked hard training him and he is now able to be ridden and he hunts for his own food”.
