The Journey Begins

The Commonwealth Record                                                                 October 19, 3052 CE

Justinian Thoreau Jr. and Bran Owens

A Brief Biography

Early Childhood

Continuing with our feature, we are going to explore the early years of Justinian Thoreau, Jr. and Bran Owens, key figures in the history of Heaven and Wrath.  Information is sketchy at best, but the following is what we were able to gather.

Justinian Thoreau, Jr.  was born May 28, 2817, to Justinian Thoreau, Sr. and Olivia Harris Thoreau, third generation Heavenites.  Thoreau Sr. was employed by the government as an agent of “The Hand,” Heavens law enforcement branch.  Mrs. Thoreau quit her position as a salesperson to work in a crèche, a kind of communal child care.

Bran Owens was born October 13, 2816 to Daniel Owens and Theresa Brandt Owens, second generation Heavenites.  Daniel Owens was a construction engineer in the employ of the government.  Mrs. Owens worked at an elementary school near where they lived.

Like most children on Heaven, Thoreau Jr. and Owens spent their toddler years in a crèche.  It was in this crèche where young Thoreau and young Owens first met.  It isn’t clear how they met, but by the time they entered school, they were inseparable.

Not much is known about Thoreau, Jr. during his infancy.  We do know his primary testing at age five revealed a significantly higher than average intelligence.  This placed him in an accelerated education curriculum.

Owens’ primary testing at age six also showed a higher than normal intelligence.  He also was placed in the advanced curriculum.

The best information we have is from transcripts and a dossier kept by the school Thoreau Jr. and Owens attended.  It’s fortunate for us and you, dear reader, that Heaven’s theocracy required extensive records be kept on each child.

Accelerated study on Heaven is not traditional education as it is thought of now.  Students would gather in a classroom to be taught by an instructor using books and whiteboards, an ancient method indeed, but an effective one.  Interaction was encouraged by the instructors, prompting the students to avidly pursue their studies.

Traditional subjects constituted the bulk of the curriculum.  Other required subjects included Divinity, Ethics, and public service requirements.  Physical fitness was emphasized, as were the sciences.  Students were encouraged to work together when possible, fostering a sense of cooperation and friendly rivalry.

Academically, Thoreau Jr. was an indifferent student.  He received decent grades but nothing outstanding, except in the physical fitness department.  Even at a young age, he excelled, earning the notice of several officials in the Department of Rangers, Heaven’s pseudo-military branch.

Owens excelled at both academic and physical pursuits, also gaining notice from the Department of Rangers.

These years solidified an already-strong friendship between Thoreau and Owens, through schoolwork, sports, and in their private life.

Ranger Training

At age seven, the Rangers recruit boys into their service (Note: Females were not allowed into that service).  They attended a boarding school year around, with three one-month-long vacations.  Parents didn’t have a choice if their son was chosen for training.

Records reflect that Owens was selected for his performance.  Thoreau’s records, however, are a bit murky.  It is obvious from school transcripts that he would not normally have been accepted into the Rangers, based on his mediocre grades.  It is still a mystery why he was enrolled in the first place.

The Rangers trained the boys enrolled to be survivalists, men who had the capability to live off the land and act as explorers, rescuers, and occasionally, assassins, although this function was well hidden from all but the top levels of government. 

The curriculum of the Ranger School included the standard material taught in all of Heaven’s schools, but also included in the training was survival; staying alive in all environments.  This survival training covered a wide variety of things, from creating a shelter, making snares and weapons, climbing cliffs, to modern weaponry and marksmanship.

Students would be taken on ‘sorties’ or ‘missions’ twice a year.  These jaunts into the wilds of Heaven would last from one to three months.  Ten to fifteen boys would be escorted by two or three instructors into every type of terrain on that planet, arctic to jungle, desert to wetlands.  The trainees would be taught and tested for the duration of the ‘mission’, and would be evaluated when they returned to the school.  Those who were unable to grasp the training were released to their parents, with no stigma attached.

Missions didn’t always go according to plan.  It has been well documented that at least a few students, and occasionally an instructor, perished during the wilderness trips each year.  The older groups of students, those aged twelve and higher, were trained in dangerous evolutions, such as rescuing an injured person from a cliff bottom, hunting large game with nothing but a hand made spear, and hunting Heaven’s predators to keep the communities safe.  Boys died at the hands of Heaven’s native wildlife.  Boys died in survival lessons.  It was an accepted part of being a Ranger.

Friendship

Sometime during Thoreau’s twelfth year, Justinian and Bran Owens discovered their friendship was actually something more.  The two boys recognized the ramifications almost immediately.  Homosexuality was punishable by exile to Wrath, as an “abomination before the Lord” in spite of centuries of proof that homosexuality is genetically driven.

The boys enjoyed a quiet life together at the Ranger’s school, which seemed to be much more tolerant than the rest of that world.  Tight friendships were encouraged by the Rangers, as they inspired trust and confidence.  In the rare instances the friendships became closer yet, the command turned a blind eye.

During the spring recess in 2832, Thoreau and Owens were arrested, charged with Blasphemy (committing any crime), Immoral Acts (Deviancy and Promiscuity), and were declared Mentally Defective because of their homosexual orientation.  They were consigned to exile on Wrath March 14, 2832, to be deposited on Wrath April 4, 2832.

We kept a ragged line as we trekked through the undergrowth.  I estimated we had a full day’s march to make it to the next hill.  I was in the lead, spear in hand at the ready.  Behind me came Kryss and Darryn, followed by Jacen, Michael, Dierdra and Moira, and bringing up the rear were Bran and Matt.

We had to backtrack a lot because the bushes and vines were too thick to allow passage.  Every time we did, Darryn would snicker, like I didn’t know where I was going.  I couldn’t react to it, though, so I just kept moving in the general direction of the next hill.

The canopy above was full of life.  Colorful avians fluttered from branch to branch in the massive leafy trees.  All kinds of critters scuttled around on the jungle floor, none of which seemed too curious about us, to my intense relief.  We saw several kinds of wildlife, from snake-like creatures, to what looked like a big ball of fur with legs.  It didn’t move very fast, either, so it might make a good food source, if the meat was edible.  We also saw something like a Terran chameleon, but larger; maybe twenty kilos or so.  It was in a tree above us,  and we wouldn’t have noticed it if it hadn’t caught an avian in flight with it’s tongue.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to run into one of those.

The plants were dangerous, too.  As we walked along, Moira stopped to admire a  large plant.  It was brilliantly colored, with reds and oranges sprinkled around on it’s meter-wide leaf.  Then, without warning, the thing closed up, half trapping Moira’s head inside.  It was easy for us to pull her out, but she was shaken badly, and had to be led by hand most of the way to the next hill.

We saw other plants that hunted for their food, too.  Vines were very common, hanging off the tree branches above us.  We didn’t think anything of them until we saw one of those furball things get tangled up in a cluster.  A few moments later, it stopped moving.  Taking a closer look, I discovered that the animal was dead.  The vine had two kinds of barbs on it.  One was straight, and the other hooked.  Both were very small, so small you wouldn’t notice them unless you looked for them.  Bran and the rest of the group had been very lucky they hadn’t run into this type of vine while gathering materials for our rope and slings.

“All right, gang.  We need to be more careful.  Don’t touch any of the hanging vines.  I think they might be poisonous.  We need to keep moving, but watch where you step.  Let’s go.”

Jacen asked, “How much further, Just?”

“We’ve only been walking for about three hours.  I figure about four or five more.”

“I’m tired.   Can’t we take a rest?”

“No, we can’t.  If we stay in one place too long, something might come along and try to make a meal of us.  We keep moving.  Don’t worry about how far we have to go, just focus on the next step you’re going to take, okay?

“I’ll try,” he sighed.  He didn’t sound convinced, but we couldn’t take the time to baby him, or anyone else for that matter.  I knew the heavy gravity was tiring them, but if I let them rest, it would be hard to get them moving again, so I did what I could to keep them moving.  They’d have time to rest once we got to the next hill.

We trudged through the jungle, all senses on alert, watching and listening for anything that could mean danger.  Luckily, we encountered nothing dangerous.  By the time we reached our destination, everyone was tired and irritable.  I figured we had about a half-hour of daylight left, and we still had a lot to do, like make a fire and repair the fence. 

An argument broke out between Michael and Kryss just as we came to the base of the hill, but Bran quelled it, saving me from jumping in between and alienating one of them.  Let them dislike him instead of me.  It would be better in the long run.  I’m sure Bran knew this, too.  Something would have to be done, though.  We didn’t need them fighting all the time.

As I approached the top of the hill, I smelled something.  “Shut up!” The group fell silent, much to my surprise. I sniffed again.  Smoke.  Whispering now, I said, “Bran, Kryss, with me.  The rest of you stay here and keep quiet.”  I pointed to my nose, letting Bran and Kryss know I smelled something, and motioned them to go around the hill and approach it from a different side.  They scrambled in opposite directions.

“What is it?”  Jacen was obviously afraid, but I couldn’t deal with that now. Putting a finger to my lips, I quieted him, and repeated my gestures.  Everyone sniffed at once.  Jacen nodded, his eyes wide.  Turning back to the peak, I slowly climbed until I could just see over the crest.  I was unprepared for what I saw.

There was a camp, just like the one we’d left that morning.  Smoke was coming from the center of it.  The ‘door’ was blocked with branches as well.  Kryss was approaching the wall from my left side, crouching with his spear at the ready.  I couldn’t see Bran at all.  I gave him two more minutes, and then moved slowly to the wall.

“Stay right there!”  A man’s voice. 

“Who are you?”

“Who wants to know?”

“I’ve got eight other kids with me.  We need a place to camp, and this is the safest place.”

“Tough!”

“Can’t we share the camp?”

“How do I know you won’t kill me in my sleep, huh?  That’s what that last guy tried to do!”

His statement surprised me.  “There are plenty of things around here that want to kill us.  Why would we kill you when we both need all the help we can get?  We stand a better chance together than alone!”

“That’s what he said, too!”

“What can we do to prove we’re not going to hurt you?”

“Go away!”

“Where are we supposed to go?  You’re willing to put nine children in danger because you’re afraid we’ll kill you?”

“That’s right now get-”  The man grunted loudly and the sounds of a brief struggle came from behind the wall.

“Get up!”  Bran!  “Open the entrance and let them in.  And don’t do anything stupid, because I’ll kill you if I have to.”  Apparently the man listened to Bran or Bran scared him into submission, because he was taking down the wall.

I said loudly, “You can come up now!”  A few moments later, the rest of our band appeared, and stood behind me.  Kryss returned to the group and stood in front of the door, his spear leveled at the man who was working to clear the way for us. 

Once the door was open, Kryss, Bran, and Matthew surrounded him and moved him into the center of camp, sitting him down on a log by the small smoldering fire.  I followed them, and everyone else followed me.

“Drop your gear.  We have a lot of work to do, and not much time.  Dierdra, Moira, you inspect the wall.  Jacen, Darryn, gather up enough firewood to last us the night.  Michael, get some coconuts, but watch the vines.  Matt, you help him.”  Amazingly, there was no argument.  Not even a sour look from Darryn.

 I relieved Matt of his spear, and studied our captive.  He stood just under eighteen decimeters.  It was hard to tell how much he weighed in that orange jumpsuit he wore, but I guessed about 70 kilos.  His hair was dirty blond, and his eyes were a light blue.

“What are you going to do with me?”

“That depends.  What’s your name?”

“Kale.”  He was a bit sullen, probably wondering how he’d been taken by a bunch of kids.

“Well, Kale, I have to decide whether I can trust you or not.  I’m not willing to risk any of our lives without being sure you’re safe to have around.  How long have you been here on Wrath?”

“I don’t know.  Forever.  Maybe 15 days.”

“What did you do to get here?”

“I attacked a priest.”  His tone was bitter.

“Really?  What for?”

“He sent my brother here.  Maybe I’ll find him, since I’m here too.”  He shrugged.

“What’s happened since you’ve been here?”

“You mean, since I got dropped on this hellhole?”   I nodded.  “I’ve been running for my life, first from those damn... I don’t even know what to call them.  And then from my own kind.  He wanted to share my camp, so I let him in.”

“Where did you camp?”

“Another hill, off that way.”  He motioned toward the next hill in the direction we were heading.  “This guy says he’ll take first watch, so I went to sleep.  The next thing I know, he’s choking me!  I fought back, and if that rock hadn’t been right there....”  He shuddered.

“Why did he attack you?”

Kale dropped his eyes, then glared at me.  “He wanted to rape me.  ‘Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter,’ he said.”  He dropped his eyes again.

“Is there anyone from your group still alive?”

“If there is, I haven’t seen them.”

I stood there quietly, staring through him as I thought.  “What should I do with you?”

“Whatever you want, just don’t put me outside.  If you’re gonna do that, I’d rather have you kill me now and get it over with!  Better a quick death than get eaten alive.”

I studied him again.  He had an open, honest face.  My gut told me to trust him.  Glancing to Bran, he nodded.  That confirmed it for me.

“Can I trust you, Kale?”

“What do you mean?”

“I have eight kids that are looking to me to keep them alive.  I need your help, but if I let you join our group, you’ll have to accept my leadership, just like them.”

“Why should I listen to you?”

“Because I’m the person who has your life in his hands.”  He paled visibly.  I sighed.  “And I am- was- a Ranger.  Kale remained silent.  “Can I trust you?  Will you listen to me?”

“What are you?  Fifteen?”

“Fourteen.”  He was struggling with the idea of a kid being in charge.  It’d be like me taking orders from a nine year old.  I let him think for a bit, not in any hurry.  We already had a fire, and we had firewood on the way.  “Kryss, would you go down and check if the spring is there?”  If this camp was identical to the other one, there’d be a spring on the side of the hill at the base.

“What about him?”

“Bran and I can handle him for the moment.”

“You sure?”

“Yup.”

“Okay, back in a minute.”  He trotted off.

I lowered my spear.  Kale looked at me, then over his shoulder at Bran. He asked, “You really know what you’re doing?”

“We’re doing what we know how to do.  So far it’s kept us alive.”

Kale silently looked me in the eyes, weighing his options.  “Alright.  I’ll do it.  I figure I stand a better chance following you than I do on my own.  You can trust me.  Can I trust you?”

“Yes, you can trust me.  I’ll do my best to keep you alive.  To keep everyone alive.”  Bran lowered his spear, and Kale let out a sigh of relief, and rubbed his back where Bran’s spear point had been.

“Would you have killed me?”

Bran nodded, stone faced.  “I still will if it’s necessary for our survival, but that goes for everyone, not just you.  I’m Bran.”

“He’s in charge, after me.  I’m Just.  I’ll introduce you when everyone is in for the night.  For now, sit here and wait.  Bran, stay with him.”

“Sure.  Oh, there’s a hole at the base in the back wall.”

“Thanks, I’ll make sure it gets fixed.”  I put my spear in the pile we had brought with us,  and made an inspection tour of the wall.  Moira and Dierdra had done a good job patching up the weak points, including Bran’s hole.  Satisfied, I returned to where Bran sat with Kale.

A short while later, everyone came staggering back to camp with their loads.  Kryss reported that the spring was exactly where the other one had been.  Curious, I thought, it’s like someone built these hills to help us get to the mountains.

I introduced Kale to the group.  Not everyone welcomed him with open arms.  Michael and Darryn both looked like they had eaten something they didn’t like.  Dierdra looked him over like he was a prize bull.  Kryss was indifferent.  Kale was obviously nervous.  He still wasn’t sure he could trust us to not kill him, but I could do nothing more to put him at ease.  He’d have to deal with it on his own.

We had a meal of coconuts.  They were getting old, but it’s all we had.  We needed some meat in our diet.  Tomorrow, Bran and I would go hunting.  Maybe we’d find something edible.  Maybe I’d take Darryn with us, to keep an eye on him.  I didn’t trust him.

When everyone had eaten, they drifted off to find a place to sleep.  I noticed that Darryn, Dierdra, Moira were grouping together, as they had the previous several nights.  Darryn put a possessive arm around Moira’s shoulders, and Dierdra stiffened.  There would be trouble there soon.  There was already trouble between Kryss and Michael, and Darryn and myself.  I didn’t need another feud.  I sighed deeply.

“What’s wrong, Jus?”

“Just thinking, Bran.  Too many problems, not enough solutions.”

“It could be worse.  They could be trying to kill each other.”

“We’ve only been here a week.  We’ll see.”

He put his hand on my shoulder.  “I’m trying to get Kryss and Michael to settle their differences, but it’s not working.  Michael says his job here is to save all of us.  Kryss doesn’t want to be saved, an flips out whenever Michael mentions God.”

“If it comes to a fight, Kryss will kill Michael.  He has two decimeters and ten kilos on him.”

“Not if Michael gets the idea to kill Kryss first.”

“You’ve heard something?”

“No, just a feeling.  They really hate each other.”

I sighed again.  “What about Darryn?”

“He’s keeping a low profile.  He’s been cooperative, other than the looks and comments.  I still don’t trust him.  I feel like he’s just waiting for an opportunity.”

“I feel the same way, Bran.  I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“What about Kale?”

“What about him?”

“Can we really trust him?”

“He’s taking the first watch with me.  Maybe I can find out more.”

“I hope so.  Don’t trust him too far.”

“I’ll be armed the whole time.  And I know how to fight with a spear.  He doesn’t.”

Bran squeezed my shoulder painfully, but I didn’t mind.  He was telling me he loved me the only way he could.  I smiled at him, and he went to find a place to rest.

“Kale, you have first watch.”  He reluctantly left his place near the fire and joined me.  I handed him a spear.  “You know how to use that?”

“Not really.  I mean, all I know is to stab and throw.”

“That’s enough for now.”

 “Kale, I need to trust you.”

“You can.  I told you that.”

“I need to be able to put this group in your hands while Bran and I do more dangerous things, like hunting.  I need someone to keep the peace.”

“I can do that.”

“I’d like to believe that, but...  you kind of gave up pretty easily.  How do I know you can stand up to Darryn and Kryss?”

“I gave up because Bran hit me in the back of the knees and tackled me.  Not like I had much choice with a spear in my back.”

“Why did you give in when I told you you’d have to listen to me?  After all, I’m only fourteen.”

“Again, because I didn’t have much choice.  But I saw you giving orders, and how you handled me, for that matter.  You have a good head on your shoulders.  I know nothing about survival.  How I stayed alive this long is a miracle.”

“So you’ll take orders?”

He stared at me for a brief moment.  “Yes, I’ll take orders.”

“Good.  Let me fill you in on our group, so you know what you’re dealing with here.”

We spent the rest of our watch discussing the problems we faced.  If we didn’t get a handle on the infighting now, we’d be in real trouble down the road.  Kale agreed to take the job of babysitter.  That was a huge relief to me, because I could concentrate on keeping us alive, and it would free up Bran to do other things.

I woke Bran at midnight, four hours after sunset.  We had about equal amounts of daylight and darkness, it seemed, so that meant a day was about eighteen hours, far shorter than the twenty-five hour days we were used to.  Less time to travel, and less time to get things done.

The next morning, I woke everyone about a half-hour before dawn to get ready to travel.

Kale looked a bit apprehensive when I told him we were going back to where he’d killed the man who had attempted to rape him.

“Why are we going that way?  I just left there.”

“We need to get to the mountains, Kale.  The jungle is just too dangerous.  It’s only a matter of time until someone dies if we stay here.  In the mountains, we’ll be safer.”

He hung his head in defeat.  “Okay.  I’ll get everyone ready to go.”

“Kale, if there was any other way, I’d take it.”

He gave me a half-hearted smile and went off to get Michael moving.  Bran approached me next.

“We’re stocked up on everything.  As soon as everyone puts on their sling, were ready to move.”  The sun rose over the horizon, looking red and angry.  “Are you okay, Jus?”

“Just thinking.  How far would you say it is to the mountains from here?”

“A hundred-and-fifty klicks, give or take.  Why?”

“Trying to figure out how ling it’ll take us to get there.”

“It seems to me that the hills are about twenty klicks apart, so it should take another eight to ten days depending on the path.”

“That’s what I was thinking, too.  I wonder how long our luck can hold out.”

“We just have to be careful.  Everyone at leas knows how to stab with a spear, and a couple can throw it reasonably well.”

“I know.  I just keep thinking what will happen if we meet something we can’t handle.”

“Don’t do that to yourself, Jus.  You’re doing the best you can.  If we lose someone, it won’t be your fault.”

“Yes, it will.  I have the responsibility to keep you all alive!”

“In a hostile environment with Stone Age equipment.  Give yourself a break, Jus!”

I studied Bran’s face.  His  deep blue eyes crackled with fire, boring in to mine.  We hadn’t shaved in almost two weeks, not that I really needed to, but I could see the shadow of a beard coming in on his jaw.  His blond hair was a bit wild, but it made him even more beautiful.

“I love you,” I whispered. 

His eyes softened.  “I love you, too.”

We sat there for a few moments, just staring into each others eyes.  I really needed to hold him.  I craved his touch, even if it was just a hug and a quick kiss.  His contact reassured me, and made me feel safe, but we couldn’t risk it.  I could tell he felt the same way.  I cleared my throat uncomfortably.  Bran sighed, then we both walked to the gate.

“Everyone ready to go, Kale?”

“Either they are, or they get left behind.”  He shrugged, and I hid a smile.  Kale was going to work out fine.

“Okay then.  Bran, you and Darryn take point.  Kryss and I’ll take rear guard.”  Bran nodded and took up his position, but Darryn stood in place, glaring.  All I could do was stare back impassively.  The byplay didn’t go unnoticed.

“Darryn, get your ass up there,” Kale said menacingly.  Darryn switched his glare from me to Kale, but eventually did as he was told.  Chalk up another enemy for Darryn.

We made our way through the jungle at a slow but steady pace.  Several times we heard creatures roar and growl in the distance, but never close enough to concern me.  It turned out that the vines we saw in our last leg were the exception rather than the rule; we saw few of them.

The group was subdued on this march.  No one spoke, and no one strayed, since Moira had her plant trap incident on our last leg.  We had no way of knowing what else might be dangerous here, so everyone kept together.

Midday came and passed.  We weren’t making exceptional time, but I thought we’d get to our destination a bit before sundown.  People were getting used to the heavier gravity, but we still tired easily.  It’d take a lot longer for us to adjust completely, and we’d put on more muscle to compensate.  But to do that, we needed protein, which meant meat.

As we neared our destination, I started looking around for likely animals that could yield meat.  All I really saw were some reptiloid snake-like creatures slithering through the detritus, a few avians, and those furballs.  Shrugging, I passed it up the line to try and kill a few of each creature to see if the meat was edible.

The furballs turned out to be easy prey.  They were slow moving, and their razor sharp teeth were easily kept at a safe distance.  The only way this creature could survive as a species, I reasoned, was by sheer numbers.  If that was truly the case, we’d see plenty of them, which meant another easily obtainable food source.  Assuming the meat was edible, of course.

Bran managed bring down one of the avians with a spear.  The animal was larger than it looked, weighing at least six kilos.  It was really pretty easy to kill, too.

The snake things were a different matter, however.  They acted just like their Terran counterparts when we cornered them.  Of the two we killed, one of them had actually sprayed venom toward us, but it fell short.  Keeping this in mind, we ended up knocking it senseless by swinging a spear at it, then we trapped it, finally breaking the things spine.

So, we had two of each creature to clean and cook.  I set Michael to looking for likely spits so we could roast the meat.  He found several by the time we got to the camp.

Kale wore a haunted expression as we climbed the hill to the fort.  When we reached the top, he halted just outside the door.  White as snow, Kale was shaking visibly.  I put my hand on his shoulder, and spoke quietly to him.

“He’s gone, Kale.  He can’t hurt you.  You’re with us now, and we won’t let anything like that happen again.”  He sat down, back to the wall, looking out over the jungle.

He spoke as quietly as I did.  “I didn’t tell you the whole truth, Just.”  I sat next to him, listening to his words as he continued.  “There was more than one of them.”

“The guys who tried to rape you?”  He nodded.  “What happened?”

He stared at his hands, hugging his knees to him. “This is hard for me, Just.  It’s like they ripped a part out of me.  Something I can never get back.”

“They raped you, didn’t they.  They didn’t just try, they did it.”  He nodded.  I could see tears glistening in his eyes.

“There were three men.  They came at me about dawn.  Two of them held me down while the other took his turn.  By the time it was over, I couldn’t fight anymore.”

“What happened after?”

“They tied me up until later that night, and then came back for another round.  By that time, I had enough strength to fight them.”  He was quiet for a moment.  I didn’t press him.  He’d tell me when he was ready.  “I picked up a rock after they untied me and threw me to the ground.  When I stood up, I swung it at one guy’s head, and then the second guy.  They just... fell down.  The third guy ran.”

“You killed them?”

“No.  They were still alive.”

“You killed them later.” 

He nodded miserably.  “I had to, don’t you see?  If I didn’t, they would have tried to take me again!  I didn’t have a choice!”  Tears were running down his cheeks as the scene replayed in his mind.  I moved closer to him and put my arm around his shoulders.

“You did what you had to to stay alive, Kale.  I would have done the same thing.”

“But you didn’t have to.  I did!”

“Yes, you did, and you survived to meet up with us.  You’re as safe as any of us, now.”  He was quiet for a minute, his head resting on his knees.  Abruptly, he raised his head and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

“I’m going to go in and help check the wall.”  He stood up, but before he could move, I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Kale, I won’t say I know what you’re going through, because I’ve never been where you are.  But, I will say that if you need to talk, I’ll listen.”  I stood and embraced the man, to his surprise.  Hesitantly, he returned the contact.  “You aren’t alone anymore, Kale.”

He stood in my arms for a short while, then disengaged from me, a slight smile on his face.  He whispered, “Thank you,” and went inside the walls.  I stayed where I was for a moment, watching the sun fall in the western sky.  It was calm at that moment, no noise at all other than the warm breeze coming from the north, from the mountains.

Kale worried me.  I didn’t think he’d do anything to endanger us, but his experience had hurt him badly, and not just physically.  Those two men were killed as they lay unconscious, and I’m certain Kale had never killed a man before.  I knew I hadn’t, and Bran hadn’t.  I couldn’t say for certain any of the others hadn’t.  I had suspicions, but not much more.

Bran joined me a little while later.  I was sitting again, watching the horizon change from the red of sunset, to the purple of twilight, to the indigo of night.  He sat next to me, and put his arm around me.  I leaned into him, savoring the contact.  The next thing I knew, I was crying quietly.

Bran moved around and sat behind me, leaning me against him and engulfing me in his arms from behind.  I don’t know how long we sat there, but Kale came and got us.  Dinner was ready.  The meat was cooked, anyway.

We smelled, tasted and chewed the meat.  We couldn’t detect anything, so we needed a volunteer to eat some and wait to see if it made them sick.  Bran tried to volunteer, but I nixed the idea.  I needed him.  Instead, Jacen said he’d eat some of the furball, Michael said he’d eat some avian, and Moira, to my surprise, tried some of the snake-like animal.

We waited over an hour, but nothing untoward occurred.  I insisted we wait until morning before any of the rest of us eat the meat to see what would happen after digestion.  I wouldn’t take the chance of some slow acting toxin being present in the meat.

A watch rotation was set up, and those of us not on watch settled in for the night.  Kale agreed to take the front half, and Bran would take the back half, letting me sleep through the night.  I noticed that Darryn had convinced Moira to sleep near him again, and that Dierdra joined them.  Was it my imagination, or did I see annoyance in Darryn’s expression as Dierdra lay next to him?

I drifted off to sleep, listening to the crackling of the fire.  I know I had some dreams of home, but I don’t remember what they were.  They couldn’t have been too unpleasant because I didn’t wake up until Bran shook me about an hour before dawn.

He signaled me to be quiet, and motioned me to follow him.  I rose and did as he requested, trailing him to the fence on the north side.  Bran pointed off to the horizon.  It took me a moment, but I saw what he’d noticed.

Copyright Notice - Copyright ©2004 by Dewey.

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