by D. L. Kramer
"A murderer?" Adie asked, looking around herself, she paused on Paki and Bear and winked, then turned back to the guard. "Are you positive?"
"Yes, ma'am," the guard answered. "He killed a BishopLord back about four years ago and they still haven't caught him."
"Tell me what he looks like," she suggested. "So we can keep our eyes open for him."
"A bit taller than that horse's shoulder," the guard motioned to the stallion. "Long hair, light colored. He shaves so it should make him stand out in any crowd. Talks funny, forgettin' letters half the time."
"Sounds like an uneducated heathen," Adie declared. "Thank you, sergeant, we shall keep our eyes open for him as we travel. He should be easy to spot if he looks and speaks like you say he does."
"Watch yourself," the guard advised. "Ya might want to pick up a couple of guards in Aarao to escort ya back." He turned and motioned to his comrades to move the blockade.
Adie nodded to the guard and led Paki, Bear and Nicho through. They would have to keep up the slow, steady pace until they reached the woods and Paki decided that might be the hardest part.
After nearly an hour, they finally slipped into the darkened woods. The smells and sounds reawakened memories in Paki he hadn't even thought he had. Tiny chittering from the treetops drew his attention, but it was too dark to see. That was all right, he didn't need to see to know it was a chipmunk.
Adie led them down a woodcutter's trail to a small clearing with a stream.
"I'll build the fire if you two want to take care of the horses," she offered, taking the pendant off and handing it back to Paki. Night was coming quickly and they would need a fire to see anything. The moon would be full, but it wouldn't be above the trees for a while yet.
Paki accepted the pendant and put it back into his pouch before dropping from the stallion's back.
"I can see if there's any game around," he suggested. "We might be able to trap something."
"Bear?" Adie asked.
Bear looked around from his seat on Chase's saddle. "What's watching us?" he asked, his voice tense.
"What?" Adie asked.
Bear looked down at her. "This place is filled with something." He slowly slid to the ground, then turned around in circles. Stopping, he shook his head, then looked back at Adie. "I'll take care of the horses," he said.
Paki excused himself and slipped into the trees. He could hear Adie and Bear behind him. Without the fire to guide him back, he didn't dare wander too far away, but he knew he wouldn't have much trouble finding any game trails that might be around.
A sound off to his left drew his attention. It hadn't been an animal; it hadn't moved like one. He listened carefully for any other sounds, turning his head a little more with each one he heard. A twig breaking. A dove startled from its' nest. Silence. Whatever it was, it knew startling the bird was its' biggest mistake. The twig had broken just to his left, the dove had flown from straight ahead.
It wasn't large, certainly not Kile's size, Paki told himself. It was Paki's size or smaller, that much he was sure of.
"Hello?" he called. "We won't hurt you."
Paki waited for several seconds before calling again. He heard a rustling straight ahead, but not enough to tell him exactly where it was.
"Is anyone there?" he asked. When he still received no answer, he sighed and turned back to the camp to let Adie and Bear know they weren't alone. If it was someone wanting to cause trouble, he was sure the horses would warn them. Besides, Kile would be joining them soon. "There's someone or something else out here," he said, coming back into the clearing.
"Where?" Adie asked, looking up.
Paki shrugged. "I don't know now, it wouldn't answer when I called."
"Why did you call?" Bear asked. "Maybe it was a church guard."
"It wasn't," Paki assured them. "It wasn't very big, probably just an animal."
Adie stood and looked around the clearing. "Well, you thought we were being watched," she glanced at Bear.
Bear turned to Paki. "You didn't have to prove me right," he said. "I was perfectly willing to believe in tree spirits and the like."
"It's not a spirit either," Paki smiled, taking a secret delight in Bear uneasiness. Bear never seemed to be afraid of anything. Paki was pleased to find that he was more at home in a forest than his friend. Paki knew how the animals in the woods respected each other, watching a wolf and doe drink from the same pond only a few feet away from each other had taught him that. If whatever he had heard was hunting him, he wouldn't have made it back to the camp.
Adie turned back to the pile of sticks and pulled out her tinderbox. When she got the fire going, all three of them sat around it. Bear took out a small knife, picked up one of the nearby sticks and began carving something out of it. Before long, the sound of Kile's flute drifted into them.
"Don't listen," Adie reminded them quietly.
"What's he doing?" Paki asked.
"I don't know," Adie admitted. "But if he tells you not to listen when he plays, you can be sure it's not pleasant for whoever does."
"I wish I could play a Dwellers' Flute," Bear said.
"Why?" Adie asked. "I didn't think you were all that interested in that sort of power."
Bear shrugged. "I don't care about power," he said. "Actually I was thinking maybe if I could play one of the songs my mother always sang I'd feel her around me."
"You could play anything for that," Paki said, picking up some of the chips from Bear's carving and tossing them into the fire. It took a definite effort not to listen to Kile's flute.
"But with a Dwellers' Flute, maybe whichever god she's with would let her come hear it." Bear's eyes flickered with the firelight.
Adie smiled faintly. "Kile learned to play when he was about eight," she told them. "His father took him to the Dwellers' ranches for the first time that summer. Lord Othon's father handed him one and he just started playing."
"No one taught him?" Paki asked.
"He had to learn how to play to ask the gods for blessings, but to just play it," Adie shook her head. "He didn't need any help."
"One of the gods must have liked him to give him a gift like that," Bear said quietly.
They all looked up sharply when the sound of terrified shouting drifted into them. It seemed to grow louder for a few seconds, then gradually grew fainter until it finally disappeared. Paki wasn't aware when the flute stopped, but the next time he tried to find it, it was gone. Silence fell over the three for several long minutes. It was finally broken when Kile appeared in the clearing.
"Good, ye didn't listen," he said, dropping Nicho's saddle next to the other horses'.
"What did you do?" Adie asked. "I've never heard anyone scream like that."
Kile chuckled and sat down beside the fire. "I doubt any of them'll be wantin' to drink much in the future," he said. "Thinkin' ye're bein' chased by ye're nightmares'll do that to ye."
"You couldn't just sneak around them?" Paki asked. "Or maybe put them to sleep?"
"Easier to scare 'em off," Kile chuckled again. "They won't quit runnin' 'til they hit the cathedral in Herridon."
Adie sighed. "One of these days you'll grow up," she said, then looked at what Bear was carving. "What are you making?"
Bear shrugged, then smiled. "A bear," he answered. "What else?"
"I should have known," Adie rolled her eyes, then looked up at Kile. "How about something fresh to eat tonight now that you're here with the crossbow--provided the Wardsman will let us?"
"I suppose we could do that," Kile agreed. Standing up, he walked to Nicho's saddle. He untied the crossbow and took a couple of extra bolts for it, then turned to Paki. "Come on, ye've got the most experience with actual huntin'."
"I've never hunted with a crossbow," Paki said, tossing more of the shavings onto the fire. "My master used traps."
Kile offered him his hand. " I'll teach ye how to. Adie'll watch the fire. It's not that hard."
"Are you sure?" Paki looked at Adie
.
"I'm fine," Adie assured him. "Besides, I have Bear to keep me company."
"You don't want to come?" Paki asked Bear.
"Not if there's something else out there," Bear said. "I'd rather stay here by the fire."
Paki sighed and stood up. He knew the forest made some people nervous and it would be harder to catch something if Bear did go with them.
Kile nodded to Adie as he and Paki left the clearing. Paki was surprised when Kile motioned him to the lead.
"Ye stand the best chance of trackin' something down at night," Kile told him.
"I never did much tracking at night," Paki admitted. "Is there a stream or pond around anywhere?" He didn't entirely believe that he was a better tracker than Kile and suspected he was just saying that to try to make him feel like dinner depended on him tonight.
"East," Kile nodded in that direction. "But I've never seen anything worth huntin' there."
"Let's go see," Paki turned to the east. "The birds should be getting ready to fly south, there might be some there." Whether dinner really did depend on him or not tonight, he had to admit he liked feeling like he was important to their small group, so he was going to contribute what he could.
Making their way through the trees, it wasn't long before Paki heard the stream ahead of them. One thing he had learned was to let the forest tell him how to move. There had been times he had managed to move to spots almost close enough to touch fawns without the doe knowing he was there. Moving cautiously, he and Kile approached the stream slowly. Kile still had his crossbow and Paki was more than willing to let him shoot it if they found anything. Since the stallion was shot, Paki really didn't care if he ever fired one. When Paki could see the edge of the trees, he stopped.
"Just listen," he whispered.
They sat in silence for several minutes before they heard something moving just ahead of them.
Paki listened for several seconds. Sounds of water lapping against something followed by the sound of tearing of the vegetation on the bank of the stream. A final ruffling sound confirmed his suspicion.
"Geese," Paki smiled, then sighed. It wouldn't have to be skinned, just plucked. "Wait here a second." He crept to the edge of the trees. Several geese milled around the shore, obviously stopping by the stream for the night on their way south. The full autumn moon overhead reflected brightly off their backs. He watched how they moved, which ones ate and which ones didn't. Which ones were chased into the water by the others. Next he watched for any that weren't mated. Finally deciding on one, he crept back to Kile. "There's one by the water's edge. He's not mated and he won't be missed much by the others. He's got a grey neck and one grey wing." Paki smiled at Kile. "He's not too fast, so you shouldn't have much trouble hitting him." He knew now why Bear acted like he did around Kile and Mo'ani. There was something exciting about being bold.
Kile raised an eyebrow at him. "I think ye've been friends with Bear for far too long now," he decided. Cocking the crossbow, he set one of the bolts onto it and moved up to Paki's position.
Paki smiled. A few seconds later, there was a flurry of wings as Kile fired his crossbow. He stood up from his place and motioned to Paki.
"All right," Kile said out loud. "Ye can carry it back."
Paki spotted the dead goose immediately. Clearing the trees, he picked it up by its feet, then followed Kile back to the clearing.
They began their northward journey through the Wardsman's Woods the next morning. Bear's sudden uneasiness in the forest didn't abate, despite reassurances from Paki. Paki tried naming all the sounds for him, but that only made him more nervous. Bear also insisted they were still being watched, though Paki saw no more signs of it.
Paki was amazed when Kile turned all the tracking over to him. When he questioned him about it, Kile pointed out that Paki had more experience than any of the rest of them, though Paki doubted that. Paki wasn't comfortable handling Kile's crossbow and convinced Kile to let Bear carry it when they were hunting. Kile agreed, but only after teaching them both how to handle it and making sure Bear became an accurate shot. Adie was able to offer more than her share of tips on firing the crossbow while target shooting and one evening she proved to be a better shot than any of them. She only shrugged off the skill, saying she preferred her quarterstaff and dagger.
By the middle of the second week, Paki and Bear made a good team. They could have something caught for dinner in the time it took for Kile and Adie to set up the camp and start the fire.
Excusing himself after dinner one evening, Paki slipped back into the woods. He had seen something while tracking down the rabbits they'd had for dinner and wanted to check on it again.
It wasn't hard for him to retrace their steps and soon he saw the limp, matted tail he had spotted earlier. Clearing away the fallen leaves, he stroked the reddish brown fur of the dead fox. The wire snare had caught its head when it triggered the bait, strangling it. Paki pulled his skinning knife from his boot and cut the wire, then pulled the snare out and tossed it into the forest, before examining the fox.
The vixen had obviously had a litter not long before. Whoever had set the trap wouldn't be back; she had already been dead for a few days and from the looks of her neck, had died quickly. Paki sighed and looked around. He didn't know if he could track a three day cold trail to find the kits. They'd probably be dead anyway, he told himself.
"What 'ave ye got?" Kile asked, kneeling down beside him.
Paki stroked the vixen's fur again. "I saw her earlier but didn't mention it to Bear. He still insists we're not alone here and I didn't want to upset him by proving him right again." He looked at Kile. "She's been here for at least three days, I doubt any of the kits are still alive."
"Can ye find 'em?" Kile asked.
Paki shrugged. "I don't think I could find the trail," he said. "But I still might see if I can find the den. It should be somewhere close."
"Why was she left here?" Kile asked. "Fox usually get a pretty good price."
"Probably forgot about the trap," Paki answered. "My master used to forget where he'd put traps then accuse me of stealing them. I learned to remember where they all were pretty fast."
"I'd imagine so," Kile agreed.
"When he forgot one, I'd just go back at night and collect them." Paki sighed.
Kile stood up, then helped Paki to his feet.
"If ye don't find it close by, don't keep wanderin' alone," Kile told him.
"I'll be careful," Paki promised. He began looking for ideal den spots as Kile turned back to the camp. It would be easier in the daytime, but if he was going to find the kits, it would have to be now. The den would be someplace dry and protected. Paki began to wander to the north, intending to circle around, then work the circle wider. He would have no problem keeping his directions straight; the Wardsman Woods were filled with moss covered trees and he didn't plan to wander too far.
By the third circle, he found the den. Inside a hollow tree stump, the weak cries of one of the kits called to him. The hole between the roots was too small for him to squeeze through, but lying on one side, he could reach in. His fingers found the tiny piles of fur almost instantly. After pulling out four bodies, his fingers were finally nuzzled by a surviving kit. Grabbing it by the ruff of its' neck, he pulled it from the den. The tiny creature bit hungrily at his fingers, though it was too weak to apply more than the slightest pressure. Tucking it against his stomach, he did one last search of the den, but found no more kits.
Standing up, Paki nestled the kit against his chest, then began making his way back to the camp.
It took quite a while before he could see the firelight between the trees. The kit had settled against him and he was aware of how irregular its' breathing was. They didn't have any milk for it and Paki wondered what they could feed it. He had always hated it when his master's traps caught a mother animal, and he decided it still made him angry.
Entering the camp, Adie, Bear and Kile all looked up at him.
"Wh
at did you find?" Adie asked, standing up.
"There was only one alive," Paki said to Kile, letting Adie take the kit. "The others were dead." He sat down beside Bear.
"The captain said you found a dead fox," Bear said.
Adie sat beside Kile and examined the tiny creature. "He's not too young for meat," she said.
"I didn't know if there'd be any way to save him," Paki shrugged. "But I couldn't leave him there."
"Can I see him?" Bear asked Adie.
Adie handed the kit to Bear. Bear stroked the soft fur, his face obviously concerned. Reaching forward, he took a small piece of meat off the rabbit still on the spit by the fire. Biting off a small piece, he chewed it a few times, then took it and put it in the kit's mouth. The kit reacted instantly, coming to life in Bear's hands. He had swallowed the piece of rabbit whole and wanted more.
Paki smiled as Kile and Adie chuckled.
"He's goin' to think ye're his mother now," Kile pointed out.
Bear shrugged. "My mother used to save animals all the time," he said. "They all learned to hunt on their own."
Paki settled back and watched Bear carefully feed the kit. When its' stomach was full, it curled up on Bear's lap and fell asleep. Not long after, they all followed the kit's lead and turned to their bedrolls.
Paki kept an eye open for any sign of the trapper as they traveled. He saw no more snares and was beginning to wonder if the other snare had sat empty for a long time before the vixen found it.
The kit took immediately to Bear and would cry if he couldn't see him. The little animal also seemed to help Bear get over his uneasiness in the woods. The kit joined them while they tracked down each evening meal, riding in the crook of Bear's elbow while Paki tracked down their prey.
At the end of the second week, the woods began a gentle ascent. The trees began to thin by the middle of the third week, and they could see the mountains looming ahead of them.
Sharp, jagged and unforgiving, the black mountains rose bare from the forest. Kile assured them there were passes through to the Dwellers' valley on the other side, though they couldn't see any. He also assured them the mountains weren't nearly as foreboding as they appeared, though Paki doubted that.
