Chapter One
Kino held tightly to the fraying ropes on each side of the decaying footbridge. The ancient walkway creaked with each cautious step. She could smell the damp odor of rotting wood, and glanced back at Muranu, who stood safely on the edge of the precipice with his arms folded across his chest.
“Go on,” he called. “You dragged me all the way out here; you might as well see what’s over there.”
Muranu was starting to look full-grown. His chest was getting broader, his arms thicker. It would not be many seasons before he reached adulthood and their days of playing as children would be behind them.
But today they played.
And exploring new places was Kino’s favorite form of play.
Kino turned back to her task, and carefully transferred her weight from her back foot to her front, testing the strength of the next slat. A crisp snapping sound followed, and she found her foot dangling through a hole. Her belly lurched with the brief feeling of falling, and a high-pitched squeal escaped her mouth as the bridge swayed from side to side with the sudden shift in mass.
“You’re fine,” Muranu called out reassuringly. “Just pull yourself up and move on.”
“Easy for you to say,” Kino yelled back without taking her eyes off the wooden slats. “You can’t see the gorge from my point of view.”
Kino’s point of view was both breathtaking and terrifying.
Looking down, the gorge seemed to go on forever. Lush green foliage hugged the sides of the cliffs, growing denser the deeper it got. The green hues grew darker and darker, until they blended into a fuzzy abyss. Far in the distance below, Kino could hear running water, indicating that it was not a bottomless pit.
Beads of sweat were forming on her face, and as she strained to bring her foot up through the hole, the sweat combined into small rivulets and trickled into the corner of her mouth. The salty taste reminded her how long it had been since she’d eaten or had anything to drink.
Summoning the courage to move forward, Kino breathed slowly and gripped the rough ropes with new determination. She was young, and her limbs were small — but she was not weak. Years of hard play with Muranu had given her strength and stamina.
She changed her focus from the unplumbed depths below, to the destination immediately across from her — the end of the footbridge.
Step by step, she made her way across.
Four more steps, she thought.
Three more.
Two.
The countdown came to an abrupt conclusion when the entire bridge suddenly came away from the cliff face.
Dust flew all over, forcing Kino to shut her eyes tightly. Her arms flailed, trying in vain to find something solid to hold onto as the bridge disappeared from under her feet. Then, reflexively, her tail shot upward and latched onto a tree trunk at the top edge of the cliff.
Hanging upside down, she opened her eyes and watched as fragments of the bridge tumbled down the gorge, bouncing off bushes and tree branches, the collisions growing quieter and quieter as they fell out of sight.
She then looked across the divide to see her brother Muranu doubled over laughing.
“This is not funny!” she yelled.
Muranu clearly disagreed, barely able to compose himself. “Easy for you to say,” he said between chuckles, holding his belly. “You can’t see yourself from my point of view.”
“Actually, I can, and it’s still not funny,” Kino said, referring to her lend, the ability to tune into another’s viewpoint using the perception that all Hundarian females possessed. “How about trying to help me?”
“What do you want me to do? I cannot fly yet. It is too early in the season,” Muranu said, fluttering the undersized wings that protruded from his shoulder blades. “Besides, you’re too heavy to carry.”
“I don’t need you to carry me. I can climb back up and continue exploring on my own. But I just need someone with an aerial view to show me the way to get back over the gorge — in case you didn’t notice, the bridge is gone.”
“Like I said, it’s too early in the season — my wings won’t be ready for flight for at least another six paracycles.”
“Then go get father.”
“Father will not be happy about coming out here to save you in the middle of an Eschelon Council session, Kino,” Muranu said. “Let me see if I can find Rhun. I saw him flying last week after Study. It seems he is now old enough to fly this early in the season.”
“Fine. I’ll be right around this area somewhere. And hurry!” said Kino, who had already scaled the edge of the cliff and was standing near the edge, looking down into the gorge and patting the dust off her shorts.
“All right. I’ll be back soon,” said Muranu, who took off running with great speed and agility.
Left alone, Kino decided to make the most of her time by investigating her immediate surroundings.
She realized that this was the farthest she’d ever been from home. Filled with excitement, she spun around on the spot and smiled at the sky. She ran her fingers through her long orange hair to work out some tangles and stray leaves left over from her brush with death, then stepped toward the thick trees that lay ahead of her, breathing in the sweet smell of the early season undergrowth.
Pink and purple flowers peeked out from behind wide tree trunks, and she could hear small woodland creatures scurrying in the bushes. The air was moist, but it was still mid-morning so the temperature was not oppressive.
Remembering her hunger, she sought out a shedenko shrub. She knew the berries would be ripe and wonderfully sour at this time of year. Her quest took her up a hill, then down, deeper and deeper into the woods. Finally, she spotted her quarry and ran to it. Grabbing handful after handful of the bright yellow berries, she ate until she was filled.
As she sat and wondered where she would get a drink to wash it down, she suddenly wondered where she was. Her course had not been a straight line, and First Orb was now nearly directly overhead. It was starting to get warm, and Kino was starting to get worried.
She remembered seeing what looked like a cave entrance not far back, so she backtracked to it and entered the dark, rocky doorway.
It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but she soon saw that she was in a long, narrow cavern that smelled like fresh rain. She heard water dripping and echoing in the distance, and headed toward the sound, eager to quench her thirst.
Several steps in, the ground became slippery under her feet, and before she could stop herself she was on her back, sliding down the passageway, and picking up speed.
She tried to grab something to slow herself down, but could find no purchase. All she could do was brace herself for the inevitable impact that awaited her feet.
Unfortunately, the impact was not at her feet, but her head.
A bright flash of light accompanied the searing pain, followed by the strong urge to vomit. Her head and face felt wet as she continued her descent, and as she tasted the blood in her mouth, she passed out.
Time and Again: A Collection of Crazy Chronology Page 28
