Chapter 12
The tall grass crunched under my feet as I followed behind Finn the next day, who had said he would show me the camp where the four of them stayed. To think, I was alone out here while they had a little camp. Envy twinged in my gut. I had yanked about eight little bug-like creatures off of me in the past hour or so we'd been walking, a couple of them getting lucky enough to take some of my skin with them while I ripped them off. My legs itched. The long grass was definitely not helping my case. A faint breeze sent a new smell billowing past us, and I tilted my head back gently to bask in it. It was like seeing a new colour for the first time. It was citrus and honeyed fruity all at once. Glancing up, I could see different shades of berries in the towering trees, large and plump.
Finn said from ahead, without looking back at me,
"There's plenty of those around our place, just wait until you try one". I couldn't help but smile. The tall trees began to shrink to half the size, yet still towered over us substantially. The long golden leaves still high in the humid air. I reached up to the back of my neck, peeling off yet another bug that had taken a bite of my sweaty skin. I squished it between my fingers, letting out a satisfying popping sound as I crushed it. I didn't recognize any of this area, I hadn't gone out this far on my own before, and it was exciting to once again be seeing a new portion of the island.
Walking into the small clearing, their cabins became visible. These were truly cabins, unlike the pathetic shack I was in. There was one that was roughly the same size as mine and two other slightly larger wooden cabins, all close to each other. The two larger cabins had different textures along the walls, different from my own. One of the cabins even had a small porch and a railing, being slightly elevated above the ground. I gawked.
Finn stopped before the cabins,
"This is where the magic happens. Knox and I sleep in that cabin over there", he pointed to one of the larger cabins, "Elara gets the other larger cabin, because we're gentlemen like that, and Baelor insisted on having his own space, so he ended up with the smallest one".
Baelor and Elara. Those must be the other two people. Elara's name suited her. Elegant yet fierce. I could see Knox off to the side, seated on a stump with his arm elbow deep inside some sort of carcass, the lines on his face hardened with focus. Finn ushered me along to the cabin that Elara supposedly slept in, walking up the two steps before waltzing right in.
I stayed back, not wanting to intrude. Though it seemed it was too late for that as Finn immediately went to the desk where Elara was seated and grabbed the knife in her hands.
"Elara, meet Eve."
Elara turned slowly, stared at me for a moment, grumbled something incomprehensible, and then snatched the knife back before hissing at Finn,
"Stop touching my shit".
Finn smiled sheepishly at me, "someone's in a mood today."
Elara rolled her eyes as Finn turned and led me over to the other large cabin. He opened the door for me as I walked inside. The cabin was definitely larger than my own, but was still only one room. There were two beds, one pristine while the other was littered with clothing and knives, a dresser covered in more fabrics, and a few dirty pots scattered before the fireplace. There was also a red, tattered carpet sitting in the middle that looked like it had been cut with dull scissors. Finn noticed my stare,
"That was a gift from Taro", he said with a slight grin, "one he doesn't know he gave us."
My eyes widened.
The carpet was decrepit, but I could see it was once a brilliant, vibrant red. I nodded, impressed that they were able to get it. There was also a small window at the back of the cabin, the two wooden panes latched shut against the frame. Light leaked in through the cracks.
Footsteps sounded from behind me and the onyx haired man, Baelor, stood before me, clad in tight black clothing. He did not look friendly. Knives were strapped to each of his thighs and a sword was slung across his back, the hilt peeking up over his head. Finn turned around to face us, glancing past me at Baelor,
"ah, just the man I was coming to see".
He didn't so much as glance at Finn, keeping his dark eyes on me. "This is Eve," Finn motioned, "And since Elara wasn't feeling particularly friendly, maybe you can be a nice ray of sunshine?"
I felt my cheeks flush slightly, but he took a step forward before reaching out his hand,
"Nice to finally meet the woman that Taro seems to be interested in." He said, voice revealing nothing. Being this close, I could see all the intricate constellations of freckles that coated his crooked nose and cheeks. His complexion caught the light like burnished bronze, glowing at the edges. I slipped my hand into his, rough and callused, and gave a gentle squeeze.
"I have yet to find out what makes me so special," I said lightly.
Finn cut in with a grin, "I was just about to go get Knox, he's going to take Eve here on a hunt with him."
Baelor didn't break eye contact as he gave a sharp nod, before releasing my hand and turning to exit the cabin. Finn offered him an overtly friendly wave as Baelor said,
"Remember that if you panic, you're already dead."
—
Apparently I'd been holding my knife wrong, and my stance was wrong, and my balance was wrong. But what was right? My reaction time. I felt a flush heat through my cheeks at the praise. Knox had lifted my elbow three times before standing back and allowing me to shoot his bow, where I closely missed every target. I mumbled an apology as I thrust the weight of it back into his hands, pulling the dagger he had given me from my side. He retrieved the arrows, carefully placing them back into the intricately woven quiver.
After hours of staking out viewpoints on the island, Knox handed me the bow once more, telling me to lift my elbow as I struggled slightly to keep the weight up, trying to aim for the large rodent that seemed to be picking through the shorter grass. I pointed the arrow as straight as I could, trying to keep it against the string. As I cocked my elbow back Iand closed one eye to straighten my arm. I released the string, the arrow firing. It tore into the ground about 7 feet away from the rodent, causing its spiked head to fly up as it scampered away. I let out a sigh,
"that went about as well as I had expected".
Knox marched through the grass to retrieve the arrow, placing it back in his quiver before he took the bow from my hands.
"It might help if you actually opened both your eyes."
I feigned shock for a moment, "and how did you know that I was doing that?"
He tilted his head and raised a brow at me, as if to say, I'm blind but I'm not that blind.
We continued walking through the blistering heat, the air had become particularly dry as I reached for my canteen again. It was empty.
"Are there any streams nearby?" I asked, tipping the canteen upside down in emphasis.
"There's one a little ways from here, shouldn't be too far of a walk", but from the way he picked up speed, I knew he was lying.
By the time we'd reached the stream, my shirt was clinging to every inch of my torso. I removed my socks and shoes before standing ankle deep in the water.
"You didn't think to drink before putting your dirty feet in the water?" Knox asked, making a face. I leaned down and filled my canteen, gulping heavily before filling it again.
"So when do we actually catch something?" I asked, water dripping down my chin.
"When you're able to make the shot", he countered.
"So eating is all on me tonight," I grumbled. Great.
He reached for my hip, quickly grabbing the dagger he had given me. His shoes sloshed as he stepped back to the shore, crouching down.
"Stay still." He instructed.
I waited for a few moments until he flicked his wrist and the dagger left his hand, slicing through the water. I stepped in deeper to pick up the dagger, a small fish now writhing on the end of it. I pulled the fish off the dagger, its barbed skin catching against my own as its light coloured blood ran over my hand.
"Toss it on the shore, the birds can eat it", Knox said as he adjusted his bow. "Now let's go find some real dinner."
We broached a thickly wooded area with golden, twisting trees. The canopy was dense, but the leaves were almost translucent. Knox wasted no time enjoying the change of scenery. He hunkered down beside a large boulder covered in lattice leaves.
"There's usually a group of tetraldys that hang around here. Stay quiet, stay low, and we'll wait them out."
I did as requested, getting down into a crouching position, the grass tickling my skin as little bugs leeches up my legs. Thankfully, the large trees conveniently offered me a slice of shade, hiding my burnt skin from the unrelenting sun. We waited for a while, my knees and calves beginning to burn. Knox stayed completely still, a predator waiting for dinner. He held his bow down, an arrow already strung, ready for any moment. There was a faint sound from behind the trees and his head slowly shifted to the left, his ear pointing towards the ground. Before I could react, he had drawn his bow and shot. A squeal sounded from over the tall grass, where I couldn't see. Within a flash, he was on his feet, running over to the animal. I followed behind him quickly, and my heart clenched as I stared down at it, its breathing laboured as an arrow punctured its rib.
"You finish the kill", he said to me.
"You can either use my bow and hit here", he pointed to its skull, just under the light membrane strung between its antlers,
"or you can use your knife and go for its heart. Choose quickly, she shouldn't suffer."
I sucked in a breath as I reached for my knife, the creature was barely moving now, but her eye was still wild, panicked. I knelt before her, placing my hand atop her ribcage, her soft fur melting between my fingers. I felt myself hesitate as I pulled my arm back, knife in hand. It felt wrong to be doing this, killing something innocent. From behind me, I felt Knox step forward. I turned my head away as I plunged the knife into her, a wheeze coming out from the slits in her face as I twisted the knife. Her breathing stopped beneath my fingers as her warm blood ran onto my shoe. I looked at her head, not wanting to see the wounds myself or Knox had created. I sheathed the knife before gently placing my hand over her face, closing her eyes. Knox knelt beside me and caressed her neck.
"I always acknowledge the sacrifice of life, their deaths are never in vain."
I thought back to how he told me to toss the dead fish onto the bank, how it was an offering to another animal. Something else would not go hungry tonight.
—
My shoulders ached as I walked back to the camp with the tetraldys mounted on my shoulders. It was crushing, but Knox had insisted I carry it the last little way back to camp, to show the others what I had caught. My knees almost buckled as I dropped the carcass onto the ground near a big slab of wood, I was now coated in all sorts of animal fluids. I pushed the thought down. Elara appeared beside me and clapped a slender hand against my shoulder and I clenched my teeth at the burning sensation of my peeling skin.
"Guess you're not completely useless after all", she said, her tone laced with approval.
Knox made quick work of skinning the tetraldys and removing certain bones while Elara and I watched. He pointed out which parts were the most tender, which parts should not be eaten, and which bones could be used elsewhere. Elara spent most of the time cleaning her fingernails with her knife, idly tapping her foot against the log where we sat. Knox was covered in blood by the time he had finished, but he left one of the hind legs for me, fur and all.
I brought the severed leg back to my cabin and tried to remember exactly what he had done. Removing and mounting the skin and carefully cutting through tendons, I rested my head against my palm for a moment of respite. Once I had finished, I realized I was missing the most important part. The fire to cook it on. I quickly gathered some of the extra orange bark I had in my dresser, and began stacking small logs atop it, creating a cabin-like structure in the fireplace.
As the flint and steel caught, the flame jumped to the bark. The flames rose as I blew on it gently. The fire slowly roared to life. As the meat cooked, it became a deep brown. The smell that filled the shack was delicious, causing my mouth to water. I eventually pulled the leg from the fire, letting it cool before slowly ripping small chunks off the bone and eating them. They came off like butter, super tender and moist. But the taste, it was disgusting. It was bland and disappointing, bitter beyond my wildest dreams. My face scrunched up as I forced myself to chew and swallow the meat. Once most of the meat was gone, I chucked the leg into the woods behind my shack, glad to be rid of the revolting thing, perhaps the large grey bird would enjoy the scraps. I knew I sure wouldn't.
—
When I returned from the castle, I slipped under the cool blanket, clinging to it for warmth. And as I drifted off, I was shaken awake by horrid nightmares. I watched my family die, disintegrating into nothing while I stood there, helpless. I tossed and turned in my bed, thrashing amongst the covers. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see them withering away. Maya, my mother, my brother. It was like an endless spiral, always restarting before the end could come. I felt terror in those dreams. Terror and dread.