AsaHi stood knee-deep in the cool flow of the mountain stream. Between her hands she held the wet heavy cloth of an apron-turned-fish-net. Her green eyes watched the darting flashes of silver fish as they scattered away from her shadow under the surface of the clear water.
The girl lunged forward, sweeping out with the makeshift net. For a moment, she felt contact. The fishy squirm of a struggle between her hands. The splash of fins and water on her face. Suddenly, she slipped, the bottom of her feet sliding over the slick-moss stones. Then she was on her hands and knees, her face down in the cold stream’s flow.
That was not the first time she had found herself that way. And just as before, when she opened her net, there was nothing inside.
A soggy sigh escaped her lips, “Almost…”
She didn’t know how SoYa did it. For all of his bookish-ness, he was also very capable of living off of the land when he had to – usually when he was on a Seeking for new students to bring to Nefol. She knew that he had been taught by his father… and stories said that ZenToYa had lived all of his life outside a Gathering before the founding of Nefol.
But as much as AsaHi had practiced the things that SoYa had taught her, there were still some things she just couldn’t do. Like catch a fish.
Not that I really need a fish. But having fresh meat would be nice.
It had been a while since she had anything other than the stale food in her pack. And those supplies were slowly growing thin.
There’s plenty to make do with out here… if I could just catch it.
AsaHi had lost track of the time they had spent traveling. The hills and mountains and forests had a way of making concepts born of civilization melt out of sight and mind. Her only means of measurement were the marks on the map. The sun. The stars.
And Kaze’s extremely good sense of direction.
More than once, he had stopped her in protest, only to show her a better way to travel or avoid a potential danger. More and more, she had grown to trust his insight. Especially since more and more, he was able to communicate in words the things that he wanted to express.
AsaHi had found him to be a charming travel companion as his vocabulary had grown. Kaze always had an observation to make, usually in good humor and warm spirits. Still, the more that he spoke, the more that she realized how little he really knew about the intricacies of other people.
But there was never a time when AsaHi wasn’t glad to have him there.
Pushing the long wet strands of hair out of her face, she pulled herself up out of the stream. Darting silver bodies sped away from her motion, the fish mocking her defeat. The girl blew out a frustrated breath and decided to take a break. Walking in wet clothes for the rest of the day wouldn’t be much fun… and it wouldn’t be long before they needed to move on again.
We’ll be going just as soon as Kaze gets back.
More often of late, Kaze had been wandering off when they stopped to rest. He never left for very long and he never came back carrying anything. When AsaHi asked where he had been, he replied in the vaguest way possible that he had been out “looking.”
Though I have no idea what he’s looking for.
Maybe he was scouting ahead or keeping an eye out to see that they weren’t being followed by Apprentices. He never told her more than that, though. And the evasive light in his eyes made her curious.
Maybe next time I should tell him to bring back some food. I wonder how good he is at hunting, seeing that he doesn’t seem to eat.
The girl wrung out the apron and spread it on the top of a rock to dry. The large, flat stone was warm to the touch. So she hoisted herself up on it and sat in the quiet sunlight, waiting.
If all the bad things hadn’t happened back at home… I could almost imagine this was just a trip for fun. Almost…
Laying her head back, AsaHi began to doze. The soft babble of the stream was lulling. The breeze whispered softly through the trees, swaying the branches lightly over her head, sending patterns of light dancing over the ground below.
Then the sound of insects began to fade and fall silent. Where the shadows draped over her bare legs, her skin felt suddenly more chilled.
The girl opened her eyes at the distant hiss of moving grass, watching expectantly for Kaze to appear. But he didn’t. Instead, the brush parted with the scrabbly sound of little claws and hissing breath. Curious, AsaHi leaned forward over the back of the stone to get a better look.
She could make out dun-colored fur, patterned with darker stripes and a lighter underbelly. The longish snout. Wide flat feet. The stocky, shuffling motion as it moved.
Oh… it’s just a broch.
A small, harmless, burrowing animal of the hills, it made its meals of the insects of the soil and forest floor. Though they were very common everywhere, they were elusive, people-shy and usually nocturnal.
“Well you’re a brave one, coming out in the day, aren’t you?” AsaHi asked it, sliding forward on her palms to watch its comical, bumbling gait. She gave a little laugh as the creature snuffle-hissed its way straight into a tree log, bumping its snout against the unmoving bark.
It paused at the sound, tiny ears twisting around to capture her laugh. The bulky head lifted straight up, nose in the air. Deep black eyes turned its attention on her.
“Someone put a tree in the way, didn’t they?” the girl asked sympathetically.
The broch turned and began to shuffle through the grass in her general direction. The black eyes were focused with an intense sense of intelligence as it approached.
AsaHi leaned closer, watching with her own sense of curiosity, “I’d give you some fish… only I wasn’t able to catch any. Sorry.”
Her voice broke off as the creature came closer. For the first time, she could see it up close, and something about it felt terribly wrong. The way it moved was jerky, more than just a trundle of a short-legged animal. Here and there she could see patches of fur were missing in large clumps. The skin underneath was pale and grey. The dark eyes were watery and unnatural, a stream of black dripping down one side of its face.
“Uhnn….” the girl scrabbled back with an instant revulsion as an overwhelming smell of decay struck her senses. “Are you… sick?”
The broch suddenly bristled all over, tiny mouth opening to show pitted, needle-sharp teeth. With an aggressive, bow-legged bound forward, the hiss turned into a blood-curdling screech. To her horror, it seemed to have no trouble leaping up the face of the tall rock.
AsaHi screamed as she jumped down from the top of the stone, rushing towards the last embers of their camp fire. Her hand closed around the strong walking stick that she had picked up along their travels. Rounding, she held the stick ready.
The broch was faster than she could have imagined, bounding after her with rabid intensity. The sound was chilling and unnatural. The smell was overpowering, enough to make her vision blurry with watery eyes. And though it was small, that meant that she had less of a target to strike.
So she had to make it count.
AsaHi closed her fists tightly around the stick as the broch leapt fearlessly over the pit of embers. Though her gaze remained focused, staring straight into the black pits of the creature’s eyes, her swing never came.
A large shape dropped down from a nearby tree, intercepting the creature’s attack. Far larger and more vicious, at first the girl could only make out the blur of red and white. There was a cracking sound followed by the broch’s chilling screech. A short moment of struggle. Then silence.
She was breathing heavily and her hands were shaking. It took a moment before she recognized the form before her. When she did, her voice caught in her throat in relief.
“Kaze!”
He turned towards her slowly, a strange expression on his face. His fangs were bared, lips curled back in a silent snarl. His hands were tense, almost clawlike where they gripped the limp form of the broch. Black ooze streamed out of the creature’s mouth and nose, leaving the ground smoking and eating away the plantlife where the drops fell.
A sick feeling welled up in AsaHi’s chest at the sight. She didn’t know whether it was because of the broch’s disfigured illness… or because Kaze had so easily crushed the creature between his hands.
“Kaze… what…”
“Come,” he spoke with an urgent note. She had never heard his voice reflect so much seriousness.
“Wait, what’s going on?” she pressed with a frown, still gripping the stick. “Was the broch sick? Is that why it attacked me?”
“Yes. Sick,” Kaze echoed quickly with a grim nod. Then he reached his hand out for her, instructing again, “Come.”
AsaHi wrinkled her nose. His palm was still dripping with black blood. Though the thick liquid seemed to burn everything else that it touched, it had no effect on Kaze at all.
He searched her face. Then he looked at his hand with realization. Quickly, he washed himself off in the rushing stream. The moment that was done, he motioned for her again.
“AsaHi, come.”
She was already putting things in her pack with a frown, “I’ve been waiting on you to come back this whole time, you know.”
“I know,” he answered, grimly.
The girl paused, peering up at his face. “Did you find something, Kaze?”
“No,” he answered quickly. She could tell by the way that he turned his head that he wasn’t telling the truth.
“Is there something out there?” she persisted.
Kaze paused with a deep and knowing look. It was a certain profound expression that stole over his face every now and then.
AsaHi walked to the big man, standing in front of him with crossed arms. Her voice was steady as she asked, “What’s the truth? Is there something dangerous out there?”
He rubbed the side of his face, a nervous motion he had picked up from watching the girl. Then, with a quiet croon, he answered, “Maybe. AsaHi… come?”
She sighed quietly, wondering if she was being too harsh on him. After all, he really seemed to be concerned for her safety. “Alright, Kaze. I’m coming. Don’t worry.”
Kaze echoed her sigh in return. Then with a comforting motion, he patted the girl on the head. “You’re safe.”
“I know,” she answered, catching his hand in hers with a little squeeze. “Thank you for coming back and for looking out for me.”
His face brightened at once, washing away all the grave concern that had been there just a moment before. Something like a purr rose in the back of his throat, “Welcome.”
AsaHi gathered the last of her belongings as Kaze began to scout around the perimeter of their camp. After throwing a dry cloak around her shoulders, the girl paused to glance back at the clearing one last time. Instantly she wished that she hadn’t.
There was nothing left of the broch except a black oily puddle, flaking away as the breeze brushed through the grass. A shiver rushed over her body, the glade feeling somehow darker. AsaHi found herself pulling the collar of her cloak closed in response.
“AsaHi,” one of Kaze’s large hands captured her shoulder, turning her away from the clearing. Insistently, he began to lead her away, “Come.”
Letting out a tense breath, the girl walked with him. Her feet dragged as she moved, exhaustion from fear settling over her. It was only the sound of his throaty purr that made her realize that she had propped her head against his arm.
Kaze peered down with an eyebrow arched in concern, “AsaHi sick? Yes, no?”
“No,” she told him. “Not sick. I’m just tired.”
“Ah! I help,” he answered brightly. Before she could make a protest, he had scooped her up, pack and all, carrying her as if she weighed nothing at all.
“Whaaa!” AsaHi’s sound of surprise must have been funny because it made Kaze laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Helping,” the man answered in an obvious tone.
“Helping..?” she echoed.
“Helping Kaze is helpful,” he informed her with his best winning smile.
AsaHi made an indelicate sound. Normally, this wasn’t the sort of thing she would allow. But then, nothing that was happening in her life right then was anywhere near normal. And after the scare she just had, something about Kaze felt safe.
Carrying her seemed to make him happy. So, she decided it wouldn’t hurt to rest. Just for a little while.
