Chapter 8 Hrad
HRAD
Ihear the song of the waterfall before we reach it. It is not huge, but I don’t know if that is because it lacks height or volume of water. I am hoping for the latter, and that the river is not too large to cross.
If I am worrying about the river crossing, I cannot listen to the other thoughts that stalk my mind.
In the colony it is easy to be busy, but out here it is much harder to ignore my doubts.
I question what is wrong with me that I cannot find the same happiness as my brothers.
That if I had been a first or second son then I might have had a mate, but would I be happy, or would I be cursed with a longing to explore?
Perhaps I would not be happy in any life.
Or with any mate, human or Honey. Male or female.
I’m not sure what I’m seeking.
I can say that I want a home, but what is a home? Is it a blanket by the fire with my brothers? A room given to me by the colony? If it is about safety and companionship, then I already have that, and perhaps I should be satisfied.
But if I relax, and settle in, and it is taken away…
That is the fear that is always chewing at the edges of my sleep. And in the forest it is so much easier to hear the gnashing of its teeth.
The trees thin, and then the river is in front of us. I stare up at the waterfall and the rainbows made in the mist.
“Wow,” Alisha says, her voice filled with awe. “I guess this is the reason they don’t come further downstream.”
She keeps her voice low, but I doubt anyone is going to hear us, unless they are right behind us, in which case it’s too late, and I should have been more vigilant.
I’m glad we are beneath the waterfall instead of up top, as we are less likely to be seen crossing. “A waterfall will not stop them from coming downstream, and it is possible their hunters are in the forest.”
“But they farm?”
“Not enough to feed a tribe. It is always supplemented with hunting and gathering.”
“So they could be watching us from up there?”
“If they are, I cannot sense them…which means they cannot sense us either. It is why we should remain hidden in the trees for as long as possible.”
She presses her lips together. Her gaze on the top of the waterfall as if expecting warriors to appear.
“We need to find a place to cross,” I say, dragging her attention back to the river in front of us.
She gives a single nod as if resigned. “We cross and then eat.”
“I will feel better on the other side of the river.” For no good reason other than it is between us and the settlement.
“The camera needs to be on the other side of the waterfall.” She points up the steep incline, and I wish I didn’t agree with her.
But I grunt my agreement and crouch to remove my socks and boots.
“What are you doing?” She frowns as she watches me.
“I am not trekking through the forest with wet boots and socks.” I don’t want to trek far without my boots and socks on either, but taking them off in full view of the waterfall is a mistake.
Alisha eyes up the river as if not trusting that it is safe to cross.
“This area is calm. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall takes a lot of the force.” I point across the river. “And this stretch here is wide and shallow.” I point further down where it sweeps around a tight bend. “The river is going to be much faster and deeper there.”
“So what you’re saying is that we should run across the river here where we might be spotted, instead of adding time to the mission and potentially not finding a better place to cross.”
I pause, my laces undone as I consider my answer.
“If we hike past the bend, we don’t know how fast the river is moving, or how steep the ground is.
Then we still need to walk uphill past the waterfall to set the camera.
” I like the way she doesn’t discount my ideas immediately.
We are both used to leading, but sometimes leading means listening to someone else’s advice.
I don’t like following people who don’t listen, as they tend to lead people into trouble.
“The original plan was to be back at the ship by dark, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
The terrain is working both for us and against us. ”
She mutters a curse and shakes her head. “There is a perfectly good bridge up there.”
“And we’ll be caught before we are close enough to see it.
” I’m not sure she appreciates just how close we are to the settlement.
They will have scouts, as well as hunters and gatherers, roaming the area.
There could be banished warriors nearby, or worse, a raiding band from another tribe.
For all we know, this tribe is about to host a gathering of several tribes.
So we don’t know how many Honey are in the area.
There is a headache building at the back of my skull from being on alert, and I cannot switch duties with one of my brothers as I am the only one.
I have forgotten what it is like to be on my own.
While Alisha is at my side, and I trust her to fight at my back, she cannot sense danger the way I can.
It is my duty to protect her, because without her, none of us are going home.
“Are you all right?” She frowns at me.
“Yes. Hungry.” Which is true, but I also don’t want to worry her. “You?”
She grimaces. “You remember how you were afraid of flying because you’d never done it before? Well, I can’t swim. It wasn’t needed on the ship.” She presses her lips together, eyebrows pinching, and stares at the water.
While the pool beneath the waterfall looks deep and turbulent, this is a natural spillway.
The current won’t be strong, but the rocks may be slippery.
“It’s going to be cold, and you will feel it tugging at your legs.
But if you walk on the waterfall side of me, I will keep hold of you. I will not let anything happen to you.”
She nods, staring straight ahead.
“Alisha.” She turns to look at me. “Once we start crossing, we move fast and do not turn back. If we pause or dawdle, we increase our risk of being seen.”
For all we know, people may walk down to use this pool. Though I doubt it. In my tribe, we gathered water and heated it in winter, and in summer we bathed in the river. I think the dirt track is their bathing spot as the flat rocks nearby make good places to lay and dry.
“I understand.” Her lips twist into a bitter smile. “Doesn’t stop the fear, does it?”
“No. But trusting the person in charge helps.” I trusted her ability to fly and keep everyone safe. Will she trust me to do the same?
She doesn’t answer, just kneels to undo her boots. She takes them off and stuffs the socks inside. She copies me as I tie the laces and drape the boots around my neck. “Good thing my socks aren’t smelly.”
“Sometimes it doesn’t matter about the smell; you’re grateful just to have socks.” Mine were made by Bridget out of the purple grass she’s been working with. They appear to be holding up to wearing and washing on a very regular basis as humans like to wash their socks every day.
They are worried about replacing their clothing…
but Yva worries about what they are going to do when their washing machines break and clothing must be scrubbed by hand.
He thinks they will be less inclined to wash clothes so frequently when they must do it themselves.
When they are making their clothes by hand, they will also understand that frequent washing destroys the fibers.
There is a line between too much and too little, and at the moment the humans do not understand the difference.
They exist the way they did on their home world.
“I would not be hiking through the forest in boots with no socks.”
“You would be surprised what you do when there is no other choice.”
“So you ran out of socks, and then what?”
I grunt and scan the area, reaching out with my kams as far as possible. While there are plenty of heartbeats, I sense no other Honey in range. “I will tell you on the other side.”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?”
“No.” At least she is honest.
I grab her hand, and her heartbeat quickens.
Her fingers squeeze mine. “When you’re ready.”
I give the area of final sweep, visually and with my kam, then lead her to the water’s edge. The rocks press into the soles of my feet, but I ignore the stabs, moving as fast as I dare, aware that her steps are shorter, but not slow enough that fear has a chance to make her freeze.
The cold of the water bites into my ankles and then my calves.
Alisha sucks in a breath and curses but doesn’t loosen her grip on my hand.
I don’t run, because that leads to slipping.
I keep my knees soft and my steps short to keep my weight centered.
The river drags at my pants as it creeps higher, then we are halfway across.
I resist the urge to pick up my pace and focus only on my next step.
Alisha wobbles and bumps into me. I hold still until she has her balance.
“Sorry.”
“You’re okay. Better to hit me than fall in.
” When we get back to the colony, we need to teach the humans to swim.
While my brothers have taught their mates, everyone, especially the hunters and those leaving the colony on a regular basis, needs to learn, if only enough that they don’t panic and they can float to the nearest riverbank like a small child. “Maybe I should teach you how to swim?”
“The river near the colony is too big and fast for that.”
“Not all of it is. There are small streams, and quiet bends.”
“Uh-huh, I’ll take your word for it.”
I keep the conversation going as now she isn’t thinking about slipping again. “Have you ever been to the river?”
“No, but I’ve flown over it.”
“Perhaps I should fly over it…is it pretty?” While I am not keen on flying, I’m curious about seeing the colony and the continent spread out before me like a colorful map.
“Yes. The continent is beautiful from the sky.” She steps out of the water and onto the rocky shore and sighs but doesn’t stop moving or let go of my hand until we are hidden in the trees. “I suppose we have to repeat that to get home.”
“We do.” I walk a little deeper seeking a sunny spot to stretch my legs in.
“I do not like doing this with bare feet.”
“This will do.” I sit. “Let your legs dry.”
She takes off her pack and sits next to me. “Let’s eat, and you can tell me about your socks.”
“There’s not much to tell. There was no clever theft. I stole them off the body of the next warrior who attacked me.” I took all of his clothes and weapons. Like me, he was another banished warrior. Unlike me, I think he wanted to die. Two months later, I met up with Edilk.
“So you wore someone else’s socks? You didn’t wash them first, did you?”
“No, I pulled them on, grateful for the warmth and protection from blisters.” I haven’t thought about the months I was on my own for quite a while.
I pull out a packet of sludge, which is what we were given to eat on the mission.
There was a time when I’d have killed for such an easy meal.
Now, like the rest of the colony, I grimace and eat the sludge, knowing that it meets most of my nutritional requirements.
But not all. However, a few days without fresh meat will not hurt me.
A couple of the scientists have been studying the kinds of meals the Honey usually eat, and how much energy and vitamins and minerals they provide.
They are terms I’d never heard of until I agreed to be part of the study.
But apparently, they can examine food and see if it is worth eating.
They aren’t studying what they call our traditional diet out of concern for our well-being, but out of how different it is and how it can be adapted for humans.
They are worried about the lack of calcium.
Humans don’t only have white teeth…they have white bones.
The scientists say that the Honey, and other animals here, have red bones because of the high iron content.
So while sludge is good for humans, it is not enough to sustain by brothers and me.
“Survival isn’t pretty.” I lift the container of sludge.
Alisha drinks the sludge with about as much enthusiasm as I do. “I think I’d rather drink dirty sock water.”
She takes another gulp and pulls an exaggerated face of disgust.
I laugh softly.
Blood is better than dirty sock water. She probably doesn’t want to know what it’s like to be hungry enough to drink hot blood, before eating the meat of the animal, and cracking open its bones for the soft marrow.
“Would you like me to find something else to eat? There may be some edible mosses, and possibly some nuts or buds.”
“Yeah…the scientists are pretty sure that anything you can eat won’t kill us.”
While not all the plants are familiar, there are some that are. We pull on our socks and lace our boots.
Alisha checks the tablet and the sky, and I can guess what she is checking. “We won’t make it back tonight.”
“No. The question is, which side do you want to camp on?”