“This is the first time I have gone camping with someone else that wasn’t family. I mean I usually go by myself or with my parents. We have this tradition in my family that we go camping together once a year, during the winter solstice.”
He thought it odd so he asked. “Why on the solstice?”
“I was born on December 21st over three hundred years ago. It’s better to call my birthday the solstice rather than giving the expressed date. It sounds cooler too.” She turned around on the litter and moved up to look at him, face to face. She wanted to see his reaction he supposed.
“Can I ask what your exact age is?” He cracked a smile and she smiled back with mirth.
“Connor, Balancers don’t keep their exact ages like humans do. We count our ages by every century we survive. Last time I checked I was the eleventh youngest of our entire clan. That is unless someone had another daughter in the past twenty five years.”
“Well if that’s true I would be considered what? Being that I am not even a century old.” At that she smiles his favorite smile.
“You are considered a Child until you become one hundred. Then you will be considered an Adolescent until you reach the age of five hundred. Then you become an Adult for the next one thousand years. If you reach the age of one thousand five hundred you reach the age of being a Sage.”
“So I’m a Child huh?”
“And I’m an Adolescent!” and she giggled silently.
Connor leaned forward and they kissed softly and quietly. After they ceased the kiss they stared into each other eyes. He had another question. “Are there any more age levels as Balancers?”
“There is only one more level. They are known as the Elders. There are only thirty Elders and they are our leaders. Each of the them are all well over eight thousand years old!” Her eyes became soft while his eyes went wide.
He delved into her mind even more to see what she pictured. In her mind she imagined herself holding his hand while staring off into the sunset. Orange streaks from the sun gave everything a new shade of color. Birds flew towards their nests while the wind swirled loose leaves. They stood on a castle terrace smiling at each other. “What is that picture meant to be?”
“Since you saw it; it was what I imagined us being if we would be lucky enough to one day become Elders.” She smiled at him in longing.
“I will do whatever it takes to make your dream a reality.”
“It will be nothing more than a fantasy.” She closed her eyes.
But still she honestly wanted to become an elder.
“BULL!” He mentally shouted to her and her eyes shot wide open. “Now that I have your attention; I will make sure that one day you make Elder. Do you know what that means for you?”
“I sure do. It means that we will have to put up with each other for a LONG time.” Sarah wrapped her arms around his head and held him in her vision. “I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.” Sarah pulled herself closer and gave him one more kiss. Then she stopped suddenly and drew away. “What was that?” Her eyes shot open again as Connor focused his hearing on a noise.
There was a soft rumbling sound getting steadily louder. It had a gravelly feel to it, but it wasn’t a steady sound, it kept oscillating in and out. Connor didn’t budge a single muscle, nor did she as he tried to figure out where he heard this sound from. It seemed a familiar, dim memory. Then it came to him. Connor started to laugh quietly and he knew Sarah wanted an answer. “Kara’s snoring.” Sarah broke into a smile and she too started to laugh. “She hasn’t snored in years as far as I can remember, since I made her stop.”
“How were you able to stop the sound of that locomotive?” Sarah gestured with her head towards where the other couple slept.
“I put one of my dirty socks in her mouth.” Sarah had to take her arms from around his head to cover her mouth to muffle the laughter that shook the litter.
After a few more minutes, she calmed down, but laughing tears still streamed down her cheeks. Her front was pressed to his and she used his left arm as a firm pillow. Then a similar snore tore alongside Kara’s as Mark snored too. Not long after, she started her gentle and innocent snoring and he knew she was finally asleep. Connor, tired as well, fell asleep not long after.
The morning came and Connor awoke first. The first rays of light were filling the eastern sky, but the image of the sun was still hiding below the horizon. It was surprisingly crisp this morning and a thick fog had rolled in the camp. He gently lifted his wife’s head and sat it down gently on the covering. He easily slid out of the bedding and walked to the fire without disturbing anything. It remained burning softly so he added a few more branches and stoked the fire, bringing it more life.
Connor picked up the bowl and walked to the stream and filled it completely. He returned and put the water over the fire to boil.
He walked over to the snore section and gently touched Mark’s shoulder. He was asleep in the same position that he did with Sarah. Mark awoke, turning his head slowly and carefully and his eyes focused on the person who disturbed his slumber, looking groggy. He whispered “What time is it?”
“Early.” Connor whispered “I need some help getting breakfast ready.”
Mark nodded and slipped out of bed easily without rousing his girlfriend. They walked away from the girls and to the fire before they spoke. “What do you need help with?” Mark said while stretching.
“The water still needs more time to boil so I think we should go clean up first.” He suggested. Plus Connor needed to put a theory to rest that’s been scratching the back of his mind for a long time.
Mark nodded and they walked to the suspended packs to get their cleaning supplies. Tool had already been slid into his belt loop as they walked to the stream. Connor stripped down to his boxers and held Tool and a bar of soap. He then entered the frigid stream. The water came nearly up to his hip till he submerged his entire body in the clear water and it about took his breath away. It was like getting punched in the chest. He started lathering his chest when Mark asked “How’s the water?”
“Crisp!” Connor answered with a shiver and Mark laughed. He also broke down to his boxers and did a cannonball into the stream, splashing everything in sight. Connor had no alternative but to laugh. When he resurfaced Connor saw that the water came up to the middle of his friend’s abdomen. After he finished lathering Connor tossed the bar over to Mark and he started up his cleaning ritual.
Lucky Tool had been sharpened before they left because it was still sharp enough to shave with, even after its use building the camp shelter. After he finished shaving he dunked himself in the water again and as he came back up he saw Mark’s pupils flash momentarily again. Connor didn’t react in any way as he walked out of the stream. He started drying his legs when Mark said “Do you shave your legs too, Little Missy?” and started laughing.
“At least someone won’t make a mistake and call animal control on me; unlike someone else I know.” Connor fired back and they both started laughing at each other.
“Touché. I need to shave as well. Could I use your hatchet?” He tossed Tool and Mark caught it by the handle. He lathered his face with the soap and shaved.
As Connor finished putting on the spare black pants and shirt, everything that scratched the back of his mind about Mark all fell into place. The past linked together in a rush. The first time Mark went camping and sprained his ankle, Connor couldn’t see where he tripped. How quickly the bruise and the swelling showed up was the next abnormal indication. Mark’s drastic change in muscle development required hours upon hours of labor yet he didn’t do nearly enough. It came about too quickly since Connor knew his lifestyle and he doesn’t work out like he does. What seemed even more odd about the development was that his muscles looked exactly like Connor’s, but only smaller to fit his frame. The way he moved when they brought everyone to the cottage for the first time indicated he knew exactly what he was doing. And most of all, those quick flashes in his eyes weren
’t natural. All of the pieces came together and Connor then knew exactly what Mark is.
He didn’t call him out on it, but at least he finally solved Mark’s big secret.
After Mark finished shaving and putting on a clean pair of clothes they walked back. They each put their dirty clothes in a plastic bag. Connor took out four small packets and some sealed sausages and meat patties. Mark walked over to collect the bowls and cups. He also grabbed a skillet
The water finished boiling and with Mark’s help Connor filled four cups full of the boiling water. Mark opened the four packets and poured one packet in each cup. After he stirred them, he sat them down on the ground to cool. Mark handed the skillet over and Connor sat it over the fire; when it was hot enough he used a fork to toss the sizzling meats around.
Two minutes later the wind changed direction. The smell of food wafted directly towards the shelter and sleeping women. Kara bolted up instantly and practically yelled “Food!” She looked over at the men and scurried over quickly, sitting next to Mark. Sarah on the other hand sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes. She walked over to the group after she untangled herself from the sleeping bag. She yawned and said at the same time “Morning.” She sat down next to Connor and laid her head on his arm.
“Mark, they should be cool enough now.” He pointed to the steaming cups with the fork.
As Conner kept flipping the meat around the skillet Mark passed the hot mugs around. He handed a cup to Kara first and she sipped its contents. She moaned as the hot liquid warmed her being and satiated her thirst. “Thank you.” He sat one between his best friend’s feet and handed the other to Sarah who took it gratefully.
She smelled the cup first before she took a small sip. “This hot chocolate feels really good on a morning like this.”
The cup between Connors legs allowed the aroma to mix in with the meat. And it was an amazing mix of flavors that assaulted the senses.
When the meat had thoroughly cooked, everyone held their bowls out and each received the same amount of food. Connor finally sat the skillet down and grabbed the hot cocoa from between his feet, taking the first swallow. Sweetness and warmth hit the stomach and his body started warming up quickly from the cold morning bath. It was going to be a great morning.
After everyone finished eating Connor washed all of the cooking supplies.
Not long after, Sarah and Kara went behind the shrubs to the stream and they both cleaned up as well. What became a funny moment was when the men heard Kara yell “Damn! Why didn’t the boys tell us it would be this cold!?”
Mark and Connor looked at each other and laughed silently knowing why they didn’t tell them. It was to listen for their reactions. It wasn’t disappointing.
Sarah came back first, fully clothed and her skin looked almost pale white from the cold water. Her long hair stayed dripping wet as she put her dirty clothes away. The bandage he put on her arm yesterday had been taken off gone and she didn’t have a mark on her from where she cut her arm. So she too regenerated as quickly as he does. She quickly walked back to and sat in front of the fire, hoping to draw in its warmth. She looked up at Connor seriously. “That wasn’t funny.”
“From who’s end?” He smiled yet she didn’t.
“Let me get this right, you did that for fun?” Her green eyes narrowed and began to darken with resentment.
The best solution came quickly. “No. So I could do this!” Connor picked her up and sat her in his lap. She squealed and Mark laughed. “Do you understand my reasoning now?” he whispered in her ear and she stilled.
“I do now.” She leaned back into his chest without saying anything else. Her wet hair dried quickly as his shirt absorbed the moisture.
Another idea came to him.
“Are you still cold?” Connor whispered in her ear.
“Yes.” She thought. He then used a small trickle of power and funneled it through his palm and into her forearm, making sure he didn’t give enough to make his hand glow. “That feels better. Thank you.”
Kara walked back moments later and saw how Connor held Sarah. She quickly put her clothes away and literally jumped onto Mark’s lap without a moment’s hesitation. He obviously wasn’t ready for her leap as he asked “Kara, what did you do that for?”
She turned her head to look at him too quickly because her wet hair smacked him in the face. Sarah tried not to giggle, but he felt her body vibrating from the monumental restraint. “Because. I’m just as cold as Sarah is.” He sighed and wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into his embrace.
When the girls were finally warmed up the sun was finally high enough to burn the fog away. Sarah looked at Kara and Mark. “What are we going to do for today? It’s your show since you invited us.”
Kara answered quickly. “We’re hiking. We are going to take in all of the beautiful mountain scenery.” She spread her arms in an exaggerated manor.
“I think that will be fun.” Sarah said, getting off his lap to stand and stretch.
Connor filled the canteens with the boiled water and each person hooked one on their belts along with a few energy bars in their pockets. He slid Tool in his belt while Kara strapped her quiver and longbow on. Before they left he pushed some dirt around the campfire to keep the embers warm.
***
As they left camp this morning Sarah made sure that her canteen sat securely on her hip. She tucked her shirt into her pants and made sure that her boots were laced properly. When Connor came back, he looked at the three of them. “Ready to go?” He asked everyone. They all were ready and as one; the four of them walked into the forest to get some exploring in.
Throughout the day they followed the trails and trees. The hills and mountains were even more stunning than Kara led Sarah to believe. Connor pointed out certain tracks of animals from deer to wild pigs, many that even the most skilled trackers would have missed. They relieved themselves periodically throughout the day when a break was required. At one point Connor pointed out a herd of deer in a clearing as they grazed along the mountain side, being oblivious to being watched.
As the four of them were returning to camp Kara knelt down, studying the ground. “Brother. Take a look at this!”
They all stopped and walked over to see what Kara spotted. There was an impression in the dirt that had four forward pads and one bigger one that was just behind the four. Plus, there were sharp claw indentations in the dirt. “What did you find Kara?” Mark asked curiously.
“I think it’s a pack if wild dogs.” She said standing up.
“Let me take a closer look.” Connor said, kneeling and Kara backed away. He brushed some dead leaves away and walked over to another spot to look at. He stood and walked back to but he looked at her. “Close, but they aren’t wild dogs. These tracks are from Timber wolves.”
“Are we in any danger from them?” Mark asked.
“No. Wolves are afraid of humans. Normally you will never see them unless they wanted you to.”
Sarah asked “How many are in this pack?”
He scratched his head. “It is a large pack with about seven members.”
“There must be a lot of game in this area.” Kara put in.
“Not necessarily.” Sarah said and Kara and Mark looked at her, Connor smiled. “Timber wolves can have about five hundred miles of territory. With a pack of their size I would imagine that they have a large hunting region.”
Mark and Kara looked at each other and then to Connor. “Hold old are these tracks, Buddy?”
Connor wore his knowing and testing smile as he said to Mark “You’re old enough to know that they are at least three days old.” Mark’s face became a stone mask, but his eyes went wide yet he remained quiet. “What worries me is that they were either running after something or trying to flee. The spacing between the front and back legs tells they were in a hurry. Since we have only seen one trail, I expect that they were just passing through. I think we are in the clear.”
That was enough reassurance
for everyone.
They returned to camp just before dark and Connor brought the embers back to life quickly, with the aid of his power over fire. He looked up with innocent eyes. “What? All I did was give it a little push.” And she couldn’t help but smile.
Since it was a warm day all of their clothes were caked with dirt and sweat. After everyone washed up and changed clothes Mark cooked dinner.
After the meal Sarah sat down next to Connor as Kara did with Mark. When darkness took over the sky Sarah noticed that the clouds were rolling in and blocking the moonlight, making it eerily dark. Connor added more firewood and made the fire larger, illuminating more of the campsite and it also kept the mountain’s chill away.
They all sat in silence, watching and listening to the crackle of the fire and the night time noises of nocturnal creatures. Sarah happened to look up to see Mark watching Connor with his silver eyes, intently and showing no emotion. She looked up and saw that Connor was watching as intently with his predatory hazel eyes zeroed in on his target, but he had a small, knowing smile at the corner of his mouth. Had something happened?
“Connor, what is it? Are the two of you having a fight? ... Why are you two having a staring match?” She thought to him.
Connor looked down at her and his expression softened. “No real reason, Princess. There isn’t anything to worry about.”
She wanted to know more so she pushed deeper into his mind and hit a solid wall that he erected of her green eyes as he felt the intrusion. Sarah felt her forehead frown. “Connor, what are you hiding from me?”
“I’ve just figured a few things out and it’s not my place to reveal this secret to anyone. I’m sorry Princess, but it’s not my place.”
Sarah laid her head back down on his muscled arm. “That’s alright. It’s a part of why I love you. Even if it annoys me thoroughly when you keep secrets from me; I understand.”
Balancer's Soul Page 40