Dagwood doesn’t know how long he’s been lying there thinking, but he needs a dip in the river. He starts to take off his linen shirt and the pants that are worn thin, and soon he stands naked in the morning sun. His body is pale and it’s easy to see where the shirt has covered his upper body. Around his chest and arm muscles there are black body drawings. They don’t form anything, but are more like shadows around his muscles. The depictions make him appear more sculptured than he really is, and if you didn’t know you would think he was a warrior ready for battle.
He steps out in the cold morning water and looks around. It’s peaceful. The air is filled with birds singing loudly in competition with one another and buzzers dancing close to the water’s surface. Dagwood is standing so still that small fish start closing in on his feet as if he was a large tree providing shelter and shadow. He swings his arms and jumps head first into the water in one elegant movement.
A large tree has fallen on the other side of the river and sticks out of the water. Most of the tree is in the shadow and it’s hard to see it from the other sun-filled riverside. Salomon sits on the fallen tree, hidden in the shadow, watching Dagwood. He’s been there all night, silently observing the surroundings while cutting the tree stump he found by the campfire last night.
CHAPTER 4
Skye can almost see the end of The Mountain. Her pace picks up. She’s tired of walking on the hot and endless mountain and is looking forward to getting down to a cool forest again.
“We’re almost there Ecco,” she cheers, while starting to run. Ecco quickly catches up and grabs hold of her shoulder firmly.
“Stop that right now!”
He forces the words out through his almost closed mouth while pushing her to the ground.
“Think, Skye! We don’t know what’s hiding behind the next rock or in the forest for that matter. I haven’t run from one enemy to jump straight into the arms of a new one.”
Upset with Ecco’s harsh tone, Skye begins to cry. She hasn’t realized they’re running from an enemy or that she’s carelessly put them in danger.
“I’m sorry, Ecco. I thought we’d escaped them. We really don’t know if anyone is after us … Maybe it’s been the wild animal on The Mountain all the time.”
Ecco turns his face to Skye’s and looks her straight in the eyes.
“And who do you think has been scaring the animals? The wind? The leaves?”
Skye feels both stupid and upset at the same time, but she just hasn’t thought about what the reason might be.
“Maybe another, larger animal or … I don’t know. It’s just that I’ve never seen any of those you say are following us,” she stutters, embarrassed by her thoughtlessness.
“Animals don’t throw spears! You saw how the beast was wounded in the shoulder. In the future you’ll have to learn how to look after yourself. I can’t be your guardian for the rest of your life, and by the childish way you’re handling things now, you won’t survive long without me.”
He gets up again and starts walking without looking back. Like a lifeless stone, Skye lies on the ground. She’s stopped crying, but there are clear marks of tears down her dusty face. Slowly she gets up and follows Ecco in silence. The joy of finally having reached the forest on the other side of the mountain is gone. Skye can feel her appetite is gone too, even though she could easily have eaten a large meal just a moment ago.
She walks a few paces behind Ecco, watching him. Maybe he’s right that she needs to become better at looking out for herself, as well as him. Maybe she could learn some of his skills and take care of him once in a while. Come to think of it, their tasks hadn’t been shared equally, but it’d been that way because Ecco had decided.
“But I could’ve objected and helped him anyway. I’m a stupid little girl who only thinks of herself.”
Skye hasn’t noticed that she’s started speaking out loud, and Ecco turns around with a finger in front of his mouth.
“Hush, quiet! I want to check out the area before we move on. Don’t speak, and be quiet while I’m doing that.”
She looks at him and can tell that his eyes are full of anxiety and worry. She feels his fear growing inside her.
Skye finds a tree in a small clearing and sits down by the foot of the tree. Her legs are tired and she feels dirty. It’s a long and warm trip they’ve been on for the past couple of days, and her long, dark hair is dusty and tangled up. It’s been many seasons since she’s seen her reflection in anything other than the water, and she hopes that she still looks like Ecco. He has the prettiest green eyes and the finest golden skin. She smiles with the thought of her being a girlish version of her handsome brother. Since they were babies they looked like each other, like two drops of water.
She remembers back when they lived in the village and had a real mirror. They used to stand in front of it for long periods, looking at each other’s reflections that were almost identical even though they were a boy and a girl with two very different people inside. The mirror had hung in their parent’s bedroom, but she’d only rarely used it to look at herself. It’d been more important to her parents that she looked clean and decent. She always got covered in dirt working or playing, so who cared how she looked?
She didn’t work as much as the boys or the grown men. Instead, she spent most of her time playing with the working animals, and that almost made her dirtier than if she’d been working in one of the mines. The young girls in the village were seldom used for hard labor like mining, foresting or animal handling. Those were tasks for the boys and the men. In that way, it was fortunate that lots more boys than girls were being born in the village. Some of the girls in the village missed other girls to play with, but it never really bothered Skye.
She loved to play with her brother and the other boys in the area. Their games always seemed more fun than the girls’, especially when they raced or climbed trees. Although she was small, tiny for her age, she was quick as the wind and more flexible than the agile mouse killers. She loved it when she won a race against one of the larger boys, because they never took her for a competitor or an equal adversary. Afterwards she couldn’t help mocking them by teasing them for having lost to a small girl. It had often resulted in punches and nasty comments, but no matter how sour losers they were or how mad they got, they and she knew who’d been the winner.
Skye also loved to play out by the animal cages, especially when there were newborn puppies. She was the only one who could get close to the dogs without being bitten when they’d given birth, and several times she’d fallen asleep with the puppy and the mother dog. Several times her father had forbidden her to be with the dogs.
“You’re ruining their ability to obey when you play with them. They’re born to work, not play, and they must be treated accordingly,” he used to say. But Skye couldn’t stop it. She’d discovered another side of the animals, a gentle, soft side that became more obvious the more time she spent with them.
Skye remembered one of the puppies particularly well. It’d been scrawnier than the others and had had the softest ears. Its paws were gigantic, so she hoped it would grow up to be large and strong one day even though it looked like someone who’d already lost. The most extraordinary thing about the puppy was its eyes. One was green, the other yellow – as if two dogs lived in the same body. When it was cheeky she’d call it Green, and when it slept calmly she’d call it Yellow. She knew it was forbidden to name the working dogs, but this puppy was something special. And then one day it was suddenly gone.
Skye doesn’t know what had happened to the puppy back then and she never asked her father what happened, fearing the truth. The weakest puppies were often put down as it was a waste of food to keep feeding them. Sometimes they’d end up as dog food, and Skye couldn’t stand the thought of the puppy ending its life in its mother’s food bowl.
From time to time she’d imagine that it’d run off through t
he small hole at the bottom corner of the cage. A hole that her father had told her to fix several times, but she’d never got around to. She knows that it’s wishful thinking. The reality back then was far from her dreams, and her father’s disposal of useless animals was brutal.
It’d been a long time since Skye had thought of her father. She almost always thought of her mother when she remembered the time back then. Understandably, as she’d spent most time with her in the house. Even though her mother was often busy counting her coins and taking care of the house valuables, she still took some time to caress Skye and speak with her.
At night it’d always been her mother who’d put her and Ecco to bed. First she’d kiss Ecco goodnight and then she’d come to her bed. Sometimes, she’d sit a little longer by her side.
“You’re a very lucky girl, and I hope one day you’ll make us proud and prove your worth. You owe us that much.”
Her mother’s words echo in Skye’s mind and she feels both proud and sad at the same time.
“Yes, I was a lucky girl.”
She says it aloud, and then laughs at herself for acting like the old crazy fool who lived alone in the forest. He also talked to himself because there was no one else to talk to, and he said weird things nobody understood.
Ecco steps out into the clearing and heads for Skye. He’s carrying a small bundle under his arm.
“Did you hear anything while I was gone?” he asks Skye, while looking around.
“We need to move on quickly. It’s not safe here.”
Skye quickly collects her things and gets up. The fear that Ecco planted in her head earlier has returned, and she can feel her heart pounding faster.
“What is it, Ecco? What’ve you seen, and what’s that under your arm?”
Her voice is loud and unnaturally shrill. Ecco puts a hand across her mouth to stop her speaking, but he doesn’t answer her. Whispering through his hand, Skye continues her questions in a lower tone of voice.
“Why aren’t you saying anything Ecco? You’re scarring me. And what is that thing in that bundle?”
Ecco slowly kneels, and pulls her down too. He carefully places the bundle on the ground and begins to unwrap it. Inside the bundle is a small dead roundsnout covered in blood.
“I found this in a trap not far from here. The blood still wasn’t dried up and the meat wasn’t infested with larva, so it was killed recently. There’re enemies in the area and they can’t be far. We must get away before they come after us!”
CHAPTER 5
Dagwood is heading back towards the camp when Hackett runs to meet him.
“He back. Now he back,” he shouts, short of breath, and he almost trips over his own legs.
Hackett is a small, pale boy with coal black hair and almost black eyes. He was one of the first Dagwood had met back then when he first came to the forest, having left the village behind him. He needed to get away from the stench of rotting bodies lying like a blanket of death and rot over the entire area infesting all houses, furniture and clothes. Dagwood had found Hackett wandering alone without food or warm clothes, and he probably wouldn’t have survived much longer if he hadn’t found Hackett when he had. He was a couple of years younger than Dagwood, and his language was very hard to understand. His white skin and dark hair indicated that he descended from The Slaveborns – former slave workers who’d gained their freedom only a few years earlier. Or rather, the grown-up generation had been freed from their duties, but their offspring were still chained to working in order to pay for their parents’ freedom. They didn’t live in the same area as The Freeborn and had developed their own language. Or lack of it.
“Calm down, Hackett,” says Dagwood, grabbing his shoulder and stopping his uncontrollable running.
“Breathe quietly and calmly, and tell me what has happened.”
Hackett takes a couple of deep breaths before he continues with his message.
“Puk back from wander.”
Dagwood lets go of Hackett’s shoulders and starts running towards the camp. He gets there quickly but can’t see any of the others. Hackett catches up and points towards the small space behind the sleeping hut. Dagwood continues across the square and sees Puk sitting on the ground surrounded by the other clan members. He hurries to the group and kneels besides Puk.
“You’re home. And you’re unharmed?”
He looks questioningly at Puk as his eyes search his body and his face. He’s covered in dried mud, but he doesn’t appear to have any cuts or bruises.
“I’m unharmed but very tired. I couldn’t head home before nightfall so I had to spend the night in the forest and I hardly slept a wink. It was very dark and scary being alone in the forest at night,” Puk answers while looking around at their faces as everyone listens, excited and impatient.
“Let’s go to the campfire and sit, then I’ll tell you everything that happened.”
Dagwood is relieved and happy. He quickly gets up and puts the others to work collecting fire and food. Puk still sits on the ground with a small bloody bundle of cloth. When the other have gone he whispers smilingly at Dagwood as he carefully opens the bloody cloth.
“Come and look, Dagwood. See what I’ve found.”
A small face appears in the bundle. Dagwood can tell it’s a young roundsnout and starts laughing.
“Oh Puk, how come I’m not surprised?”
Gently, Puk picks it up and holds it close as the small animal greets him by sticking its snout in his face.
“He should’ve been dead, but he’s been given a second chance. Like me. That’s why I’m naming him Twice.”
Dagwood looks down at Puk, who hasn’t looked this happy for a very long time. He knows that some of the other clan members will disagree with his decision, but he can’t tell him no. Naturally, Puk should be allowed to keep the small roundsnout. Anything else would be heartless.
“You’ll be the one looking after him and feeding him after finishing your normal tasks.”
He looks down at Puk while he keeps his tone as serious as he can.
“And you can’t have extra food for him. We can’t spare any kind of food, so when he’s grown to triple the size of us all then it’s still your problem to feed him.”
He starts laughing as he continues: “Who knows, he might even end up eating you if we don’t manage to eat him first!”
Puk is about to object, but knows that Dagwood’s only teasing him. He’s far more worried about some of the other boys and their reaction. He quickly responds to Dagwood’s teasing, so there’s no doubt whether he’s thought the situation through or not.
“It can have some of my rations of food and vegetables. I can easily go without so that won’t be a problem. Maybe the dog will even let him nurse with her puppies so he can have a bit of milk. I think that’ll be good for him. And I promise to take care of my tasks before I take care of Twice.”
Dagwood grabs hold of Puk’s arm and helps him up. He looks at the young which has already fallen asleep in Puk’s arms.
“It’s a cute little one you’ve found there. Take good care of it and it’ll be your friend forever.”
He strokes it lightly on its snout before he heads for the campfire.
“Come, let’s join the others. I think we’re all curious to hear what you’ve been up to since you left us yesterday.”
Puk puts the little roundsnout on the ground under a tree and wraps it carefully in the bundle of cloth. It’s still fast asleep. He gets up and follows Dagwood.
“So there were about six or seven Outcasts and they went in the opposite direction of The Others’ camp?”
They’re all sitting close together around the campfire, listening carefully while Puk explains what he’s been doing since yesterday. Meanwhile, Dagwood’s asking questions, trying to form a clear picture of the incident.
“We have to assume
they’ve divided into two clans and that it’s the division with the largest boys who’ve left or have been turned away. And if it’s some of the large boys who’ve taken off then we have less to fear from The Others. I don’t think we have to worry about any of the clans right now.”
Dagwood gets hold of Puk’s small body and pulls him towards him.
“Let’s celebrate our little boy returning home without broken limbs. Or anything worse.”
They all start cheering and banging their spoons against the wooden bowls to show their joy at Puk’s return by making even more noise. The loud noise hurts Puk’s ears and he’s relieved when they finally stop. He doesn’t show them his discomfort. Instead he’s smiling, acknowledging their warm reception of him. Dagwood is laughing while he looks at the merry bunch. Then he lifts his hand to make them quiet, and in a split second their voices die out and he continues in a more serious tone.
“One last thing before we end the meeting. Puk has brought a little friend back with him. It’s a small roundsnout, and it’s not to be touched. I won’t have it harmed or thrown on the fire. Is that understood!”
He looks intensely at everybody around the fire and meets everybody’s eyes, one by one, demanding a small nod of acceptance from each one of them. Fella makes a comment which only Hackett can hear and they both start laughing quietly. Puk jumps up as a reaction to their laughter.
“What are you laughing at?”
They look at each other and start laughing even louder as Fella answers: “It could trip and fall into the fire all by itself. And boom, then we’ll have a roast for dinner. Yummy.”
Puk turns around and starts running away from the bonfire while he shouts at them: “Don’t touch it, you hear. Don’t touch it!”
Dagwood looks at Fella and Hackett and their laughter goes quiet.
“It was completely unnecessary to say something like that to him. You know how sensitive and fragile he can be. Remember that he feels more than most of us.”
The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1) Page 4
