Happiness in Numbers

by Nicole Field

  Helva crouched beside Shae, watching her weave braided grass together from where it grew. "Hey, Shae. We have to get going."

  Shae ignored xer, nimbly working the plants into whatever shape she chose. Helva shrugged at the others, and they sat around Shae as she finished weaving a dome over the pine cone. When she finished, she pulled the pack with her clothes over her shoulder and stared at them, stubborn determination on her face.

  It was indeed slow going. They took breaks frequently, for Letycja, Klimeau, and Shae to rest, to brew soothing tea, or to eat. The other travelers they met were heading back the way they came, and each time Dain'la made sure her cloak hid her face and her hands were in pockets or gloves.

  When the sun began dipping below the horizon, they broke away from the road and found a relatively flat area to bed down. Letycja dropped her pack and groaned, rubbing her shoulders. "It can't be a week away, can it? My arms are going to fall off."

  Klimeau rolled his eyes. "You'll live. Help me get this off."

  Dain'la said as she put up magical wards, "It will take longer than a week to reach Barakiv. At this pace."

  Letycja made a noise of despair as she took Klimeau's pack off. "I was used to my feet being sore, but now my back and shoulders…"

  Helva pulled Letycja to her feet. "Come, love. Stretch with me; you'll feel better."

  Grumbling, Letycja followed xer lead. Shae abandoned her small pack and joined them.

  Dain'la changed Klimeau's bandaged arm, smiling as she watched the trio contort and stretch to the best of their abilities. "How's the pain?" she asked.

  Ears twitching, Klimeau shrugged. "Doable. Though I wish we had brandy to take the edge off. I called for a few of those breaks because the kid sure wasn't going to say anything."

  Dain'la smiled. "Shae's sharp. She picked up that we're on the run and I don't think she wants to slow us down."

  "I'm glad for the breaks," Klimeau said, yawning. "But I just hope Helva bought us enough time."

  The following days were a repeat of the first, though on the third day Letycja showed Shae how to finger weave after an exasperating incident with Shae attempting to haul a great vine with her so she could bend it into a wreath. On the fifth day, they ran out of yarn; Shae unraveled the length of fabric she had created in frustration, then started over. Shae repeated the process twice before they reached Barakiv Village.

  Shae's coughing ceased during the journey; she was now more alert. When a catfolk guard stepped out of the trees to greet them, Shae and Klimeau were the only two unsurprised.

  "Travelers," the guard said, standing at attention. Where Klimeau was striped, this woman had sleek grey fur with white hands and folded ears. She eyed Klimeau, then scanned the others. "Barakiv Village is ahead. Do you intend to stay the night?"

  Letycja stepped forward. "We're hoping to settle here, if possible. For a time, at least. We can work; we're each skilled at various tasks, and we have snap peas to grow."

  The guard frowned. "You'll have to talk to the Mayor. That isn't something I can decide." She peered at Klimeau again. "Are you from Endophska?"

  Shuffling his feet, Klimeau shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know where my parents were originally from. Never met them." He spoke carelessly, with an air of nonchalance, but Dain'la and Helva watched him closely, knowing he hid his discomfort.

  The guard, who introduced herself as Eudora, led them up a ravine and along a woolly-deer path. Walls of vertical logs twice the height of Dain'la stood, the tops pointed. A gate was set further down the fence, another guard chatting with a pair of youths. The teens each had bows slung on their backs, and one was holding a jackalope with pride.

  "Eudora!" the approaching guard said. "Check out the rack on this thing!" He grinned at them and nudged the teen to hold up their kill. They held up the jackalope by the long ears, its dainty hooves clicking together.

  Whistling, Eudora patted the young hunter's head. "An eight pointer, eh? Nice catch, sib."

  As they passed through the gate, Shae stared in wonder at the jackalope's antlers. "Pretty," she said, contorting her fingers to mimic the shape of its horns. Inside the walls, stone buildings sat squat like a grove of toadstools. Steps led down to the doors, proving the rooms inside were half buried in the ground.

  Near the center of the village was a two storied building, three times as wide as the surrounding homes. It, too, was partially dug into the ground, but a staircase inside elevated them to a well-windowed hall that looked out over the entire village. A muscular catfolk sat at a desk, scratching away at a ledger.

  "Mayor Phana," Eudora said, snapping to attention. "These people wish to speak with you."

  Mayor Phana finished writing, then put aside her pen. She was coated in thick silvery fur, and her bushy tail was an elegant length. Her gaze lingered on Klimeau, before picking up that Letycja was more or less in charge. "You may speak," she said, voice a natural low growl.

  Letycja repeated what she had said to Eudora, then added at the end, "If this is not possible for us to stay long term… then I hope you'll allow us to stay a short time while we make our plans on where to go next."

  Mayor Phana ran her fingers over her facial fur in thought. "Beyond our walls there is a well-lit meadow at the top of the second highest ravine. It is little less than a mile away. We used to use it for cultivating our own crops, but we import our produce now," Phana said. "You may settle there. We'll have our patrols circle that land for protection."

  Letycja's face lit up. "Thank you!"

  "Protection from what?" Klimeau asked. His ears were angled to the sides, an indication he was feeling suspicious.

  "Wolfupines, sometimes the rare bear-beaver," Mayor Phana said, her eyes trained on Klimeau now. "You do not have an Endophskan accent."

  Tail flicking back and forth, Klimeau looked away. "I was raised in Gevdin."

  Eudora exchanged a glance with Phana. The Mayor steepled her fingers. "One of the stolen. Tell me, were you freed or did you escape?"

  When he bristled, Dain'la placed her hand on his back in silent warning.

  "I don't see how that's relevant," Klimeau said through clenched teeth.

  "In one of those instances, there is the chance of armed people pursuing you. People keen on returning with a catfolk slave," she said. "We wouldn't want to be caught unprepared."

  Klimeau stared hard at her. "I escaped Gevdin… we all did."

  Mayor Phana nodded once, curt. "I'll inform the patrols to watch out for soldiers and their ilk. I expect you'll fight if confronted?"

  "We will," Helva said, patting xer sword.

  "Very good. I would like to request a portion of your harvest as partial payment." Phana made a notation in her ledger, then picked up a pile of papers. "Let's see… When you have time to spare, there are craftspeople who could use laborers. We can provide basic foodstuffs if you assist, and we have several youths around your child's age attending lessons."

  At 'your child', the four shuffled their feet, glimpsing between each other and Shae. For her part, Shae was kicking her feet against the rug, not listening at all.

  Phana's green eyes studied them, her pen poised above a blank sheet of paper. "You are her parents, are you not?" she asked.

  "Well…" Helva said at the same time Dain'la said, "After a fashion," Klimeau said, "Guardians," and Letycja said, "No."

  They exchanged glances.

  Letycja bit her lip and took a step forward. "We're currently caring for her. So, yes, we're her… guardians." Her eyes flicked to Klimeau and he nodded.

  The Mayor accepted this without question. An hour later they exited Mayor Phana's office, a list of employers clutched in Letycja's hands. Eudora led them out the gates, down a ravine and over its stream, and then up the other side to where their plot of land lay.

  Opening the door to a shed, Eudora stuck her head in. "Ugh. It'll need some cleaning up. But it should do for temporary shelter."

  Placing their packs on a dry patch of ground, they surveye
d the land. A shed, grey and weathered, sat by the tree edge. Tall grasses and gangly saplings spread out in a narrow but flat strip. Trees lined the entire area, creating an easily identifiable border, a corridor of sun.

  Pale weeds, cobwebs, and old farming tools filled the shed, and Dain'la used her staff to clear a way through. If they cleaned everything out, the five of them could cram themselves in. "We'll have to build something bigger," she said, looking back out at the others.

  Eudora, who was frowning at the disarray the shed was in, said, "My sister's a carpenter. I'll ask if she can spare some time and materials."

  They thanked Eudora when she left and set to work.

  *~*~*

  "Are you nervous?" Klimeau asked Shae as they followed the switchback path down and up the ravine. She held the cuff of his shirt above his hook and said nothing.

  The others were busy with various tasks. Letycja was gathering herbs, the ceiling of the shed already full of hanging bunches. Helva was working with several catfolk carpenters to dig out a foundation for their home. Dain'la was in town, assisting some craftspeople with various tasks in return for food.

  Which left Klimeau to escort Shae to school. The catfolk in town did not hide their curiosity in regard to the pair. Barakivians tended towards solid colors, with some splashes of white in their fur. With his stripes, Klimeau was self-conscious of the differences between him and them.

  A sunken pavilion sported a sign indicating it was the Hut of Learning. Raising an eyebrow, Klimeau led Shae down the steps to where several long tables and benches were filling with young catfolk. "Oh, you must be our new student!" A tawny catfolk in a green gown came over, grinning. "I'm Sami, and I'll be your teacher. You can call me Sami or Mr. Sami."

  When Shae said nothing, Klimeau cleared his throat. "This is Shae. She... doesn't talk much." Shae had her face pressed behind his legs.

  Sami crouched down to speak to her through Klimeau's legs—Klimeau flicked his tail back and forth in embarrassment. "Do you want your papa to stay with you? Would you like that?"

  Shae peered at Sami, her dark eyes calculating. Then she nodded.

  Flashing a smile, Sami stood and clapped his hands. "Alright, catkins! Take your seats."

  He conducted his class with enthusiasm, engaging the children only if they were willing. As Sami swished about the pavilion, he never called on Shae to participate, but didn't ignore her, either. His cheerful grin seemed permanent, and Sami made eye contact with everyone in his classroom, including Klimeau.

  When a break was called, the catkins bolted up the steps to play in the street. One child trotted over to where Klimeau and Shae still sat.

  "I'm Murdag!" she said. Her fur was black, though her chin, tail-tip, hands, and feet were white. Murdag swirled her tail back and forth, which Shae followed with her eyes. "I don't match my da, either. He's a longhair with orange."

  Shae gave Klimeau a sideways glance, then said, "He's not my real dad."

  "Mine isn't either!" Murdag said. "Mx. Vere next door lets me draw on their front stoop with charcoal; want to join me?"

  Shae looked at Klimeau askance.

  Klimeau raised an eyebrow and quirked a smile. "Go ahead. I'll be right here."

  *~*~*

  As the weeks passed, a modest home grew from the foundation Helva and the carpenters dug. Shae stuck to Murdag like a burr, and Murdag for her part talked enough for both of them. When Murdag came over after school to play, she didn't question the adults' relationship. The two used charcoal to draw on the walls of the shed, a habit Shae tried in vain to bring indoors.

  "I don't mind if you draw on the outside," Letycja said, one afternoon while shooing Shae out the door. "But I want the inside to be clean. I keep brushing up against the walls and getting smudged."

  Murdag drew murals of wobbly people, while Shae created spiral after spiral of intricate patterns. It didn't take long before the shed was out of wall space for the children to draw on, and they descended upon the outside of the house.

  One day, in the room xie shared with Shae, Helva found a pile of antlers under Shae's bed. They ranged from the dainty prongs of a jackalope, to the sturdy points of a woolly-deer. When Shae came home from school, Helva confronted her, the antlers in xer lap. "Shae," Helva said, voice calm. "Where did you get these?"

  Shae's eyes never left Helva's lap. "Catkins."

  "They were gifts?"

  Shae said nothing, transfixed on the antlers. From the corner of her eye, Letycja watched Helva and Shae, quietly pressing a pie crust into a pan.

  Helva sighed and moved the antlers to the side with a clatter. "Come here," xie said, opening xer arms. Hesitating a moment, Shae climbed into Helva's lap. Hugging her gently and rocking, Helva said, "We'll bring these to school tomorrow and apologize. And then you'll ask nicely if you can have any."

  "I like them more than them," Shae said, jutting her chin out.

  "That may be so, but taking without asking is called stealing and is very bad."

  Shae stiffened. "I'm not bad."

  "No," Helva agreed. "You just didn't know."

  "Is Murdag bad?" Klimeau came inside toting a cleaned jackalope. Shae perked up, watching him hand the corpse to Letycja, who skinned it in a swift single movement. Klimeau sat beside the fire, stoking it and raised an eyebrow in Helva's direction

  Helva tapped Shae on the head to get her attention. "Did Murdag take some of these as well?"

  Shae nodded. "She helped me. We were playing ghosts."

  From the corner where Dain'la was reading, the dark elf stifled a snort and hid her face behind the pages of her book.

  Helva shot an 'I'm trying to be serious' look in Dain'la's direction. "Okay, well she must not know that it's bad, either. After dinner, how about we go visit her?"

  The jackalope pot pie was savory and clung to their ribs in a satisfying manner. The small antlers from their meal were set aside for Shae, which pleased her. Helva, Klimeau, and Shae walked to Barakiv; when they arrived at Murdag's house, the sky was aflame with the day's end.

  Murdag's father opened the door, his long fur haloed in the doorway. He welcomed them in, and Shae slipped away to where her friend was building a tower out of wooden blocks. They chirruped at each other in greeting, then Shae kicked the tower down.

  After having the situation explained to him, Murdag's father ran a hand through his long orange fur.

  "Murdie, come here," he said. Murdag untangled herself from the wrestling match she and Shae were having. Shae bit her tail, and Murdag poofed her fur in indignation. "What have I told you about stealing?"

  "Only steal from bad people," Murdag said, patting her fur down.

  Klimeau laughed, earning an elbow from Helva.

  His face buried in his palm, her dad groaned. "I didn't say… I meant it's okay to take something back that was first stolen from you. You shouldn't ever steal."

  "They were mean," Murdag said. Shae nodded beside her.

  A catfolk with short jet-black fur poked her head into the living area. "You know better, Murdie," she said, frowning. Murdag lowered her head and ears and flicked her tail back and forth in silence.

  Murdag's parents agreed to having their daughter jointly return the antlers and apologize in the morning.

  *~*~*

  Their apology given and antlers returned, the other catkins pounced on Shae and Murdag in retribution. They hissed and scratched until Mr. Sami had to separate them. Shae and Murdag glared at the kids, both sides sporting scratch marks and others' fur and hair stuck to their claws. Shae had a mouthful of fur and her defiant glower earned her the respect of the older catkins.

  Klimeau's arrow wound healed enough for him to use his hand again, and one of the local furriers took him on as an assistant bookkeeper. The catfolk made no effort to hide their curiosity regarding Klimeau. He was frequently interrupted during work to answer questions on what growing up in Gevdin was like.

  Letycja had begun an apprenticeship with the village's healer, bri
nging him the fresh herbs he needed in return for training. By the time they could move into their home, Letycja had taken over the shed with drying herbs and carefully labeled jars. In the evenings, when the five were together, Letycja kept herself busy, often excusing herself from playing with Shae.

  After finishing the house, Helva built an army of trellises for the snap peas to climb. Day after day, xie and Shae would walk the rows, watching the vines twine ever upwards in delight. Exhausted from building all day, Helva tended to fall asleep after dinner, sometimes even while sitting in front of the fire. It became a game for Shae, stacking as many belongings on top of xer as possible before xie startled awake and toppled the whole pile.

  Every day, Dain'la replenished the wards surrounding their land. She and the guards discussed defense logistics in passing, and before long Dain'la taught them to create magical wards while they taught her how to set magical traps. As a group, they erected a ward surrounding Barakiv Village and the adjoining land, a bubble of protection to warn of anyone entering with malicious intent.

  But while Dain'la was content with the state of things, she sensed Helva was restless and withdrawn when not caring for Shae. Dain'la also had the feeling Letycja was avoiding interacting with Shae.

  She took Letycja aside one afternoon before she could deliver herbs to the healer. "Have you been giving Helva your attention?"

  Letycja looked up at her, a small frown knotting her lips. "Xie's been standoffish. I'm giving xer space."

  Dain'la glanced at Helva's figure in the field, hacking the tall grass down. "And Shae?"

  Letycja gripped her basket. "I've been busy."

  Dain'la sighed, looking down into Letycja's eyes. "It's frightening, Lettie. I know. When I lost Bazle, I was heartbroken," she said, eyes misting at the memory of her former human lover from over a century ago, from before the Gevdinian civil war. "But as painful as it was—is—I have never regretted my time with em."

  Busying herself with re-braiding her hair, Letycja was quiet. "I don't know if I'm as strong as you are," she said in a small voice.