The Redwoods Rise and Fall

by Ross Turner

  Kael looked much worse for wear, but he was at least alive. Vivian too looked weak and drained, but the determination to save Kael was clear in her eyes.

  “What happened!?” Jared asked automatically, but Vivian waved his question off.

  “There’s no time for that now!” Vivian instructed. “I need shelter, water, and food, now!”

  Her words were sharp and to the point, and one look at Kael’s ruined leg told Jared all that he needed to know. He set about immediately issuing instructions to the first farmhands he laid his eyes upon.

  “Water. Food. Clear the southern cottage.” He ordered, pointing at a different person with each directive. “Vivian, follow Ciara.” He told the young, exhausted Featherstone, indicating the young girl he had just spoken to as he did so.

  Vivian nodded and she and Kael hurried hastily after the young girl, her face pale and her bottom lip quivering. Ciara had taken one look at Kael’s horrible injury and her stomach had turned, but she did not argue, knowing that the young man badly needed aid.

  Without uttering another word to anybody, Vivian and a few others helped Kael to the southernmost cottage of the farmstead, taking him immediately inside and laying him on the bed.

  The cottage was well furnished and clearly regularly used, but none of that mattered, and Vivian glossed over the details, instead turning her attention immediately to Kael’s injury, knowing that he needed her help, and he needed it now.

  This could wait no longer.

  She steadied herself, pushing her own fatigue from her mind, and ignoring as best she could the fact that the wolves were probably still close behind them, about to attack the farmstead at any moment.

  With a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly, Vivian set to work.

  She delved yet again with her mind’s eye into Kael’s ruined leg, scanning over his entire body as she did so, seeing that whilst he was alive, he was very weak, and some of the blood she had replaced had yet again been lost, leaving his heart under much stress.

  Some parts of his leg had begun to heal themselves, though they were all at terrible angles, and so were healing in the wrong directions. Whilst, on the other hand, others had received no blood at all, because they had been so badly severed, and so consequently were dying, or already dead, black and rotting.

  Vivian remembered the few times she’d healed herself, and that had, in comparison to this, been much easier. She’d been able to feel what she was doing, stopping and continuing as and when she knew it felt right. But in healing Kael she had no such luxury, for he was barely conscious, and she simply had to do the best she could, relying solely on her instincts.

  Hours passed by, dragging laboriously on, ticking their minutes past seemingly as slowly as they could possibly manage.

  Vivian’s concentration wavered not even an inch during that time, for she was as focused as she’d ever been in her entire life. Her thoughts were bent solely upon fusing the ruined remnants of Kael’s knee back together.

  She repaired muscle and skin and tendons and ligaments, sewing them all precariously into position, desperately trying to hold them still as she moulded his knee back into something of a workable shape. The intricacy of the work Vivian was attempting forced her to rely heavily on the shape and design of Kael’s remaining good knee, for his left leg had at least been spared from the terrible trap.

  Mirroring and copying the other, Vivian shaped and sculpted his right knee continuously, filling the joint with fluids and capsules, stitching the tendons and ligaments back onto the muscles, and repairing the soft tissue around it as best as she could.

  Finally, when the knee was in the best shape Vivian could possibly manage, she set about once again replacing the blood that Kael had lost, though she knew his body would take care of anything she missed itself too, hopefully…

  Eventually, exhausted from her efforts, Vivian let relax her concentration, and she slumped to the floor, breathing heavily and closing her eyes for a minute or two.

  Kael was weak, but he was alive, and his knee seemed healed. He had yet to make use of it of course, and that would be the real test, but at least for now it was linked to the rest of his body again.

  “Vivian…?” The young man managed weakly, propping himself slowly up onto one elbow, his head spinning precariously.

  “Kael…” She replied, just as weakly, and with a meek chuckle, happy to see he had come round to consciousness so quickly. “How do you feel?” She asked, sitting up and taking his hand instinctively.

  “About as good as you do by the looks of it.” He replied, laughing gingerly. “How long have I been out for?”

  “You’ve been in and out for a few days.” Vivian told him honestly. “It took that long to get back here.”

  “Feels like hours…” Kael mused. “Not days…”

  “I didn’t know if you were going to make it…” Vivian admitted, her voice catching as a lump formed in her throat.

  Kael looked at her very seriously then, levelling his eyes into hers in a way Vivian had never seen.

  “Of course I did.” He told her. “I had a reason to.”

  Vivian opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out, for she didn’t know what to say. She closed it again, unable to speak, for the lump in her throat had spread to her stomach, and it felt filled to the brim with butterflies.

  Her feelings churned in the same way, as they stared into each other’s eyes in silence for what felt like hours, but what was probably in fact only seconds.

  Then, unable to resist any longer, Vivian clasped her hands about Kael’s cheeks, feeling their fresh flooding warmth in her palms, and pulled him into a fervent kiss. He pulled her up from the floor, twisting to sit as he did so, all in the same movement, and kissed her back with passion fiery and longing.

  As Kael lifted Vivian, holding her close, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her thumbs found their way to the sides of his lips. Not once did they separate, and their kiss grew only more intense and adoring as they pulled each other closer, hearts and hands and lips throbbing madly, desperately.

  Finally, gasping for breath, their chests heaving, Vivian and Kael released from their fraught kiss. Kael ran his hands firmly up her back, never wanting to let her go, and Vivian clutched at him for all she was worth, having never felt like this in her life.

  Vivian looked deeply into Kael’s eyes then, as she rested her head and nose gently on his, her breaths shuddering with frantic excitement.

  Lost in their own emotions then, they would likely have stayed there indefinitely, paying no heed whatsoever to the world around them, had it not been for what happened next.

  A shrill cry reached their ears, followed by a flurry of screams, penetrating and destroying the feeling they were holding so closely between them.

  Though it pained her to do so, for every inch of her existence wished to stay in that moment with Kael, Vivian tore her eyes from his and scrambled to the door. She reached it not a moment too soon, and as she yanked it open she laid eyes upon one of Jared’s farmhands, racing towards her.

  “Miss Featherstone!” He exclaimed, gasping for breath as he ran. “In the woods! Please! They’re here!!”

  “I’m coming!” She told him immediately, though she cast a fleeting, longing and disheartened glance back to Kael, seeing that he was already on his feet and pulling on his boots, moving very gingerly on his leg.

  “Go arm yourself!” He ordered the young farmhand, his voice stern and full of purpose. “We’re on our way!”

  The young man nodded and turned instantly on his heel, barely breaking his stride, and continuing running in the opposite direction.

  Vivian turned back to Kael.

  “No, Kael.” She said, her voice firm and unwavering in her words. “You need to rest.”

  “I’m fine.” He told her simply, still gathering his things and making for the door, leaning on the wall as he moved, grimacing with pain.

  “You have to rest!” Vivian repeated.<
br />
  But Kael was having none of it.

  He limped over to her, his leg clearly still having some healing of its own to do, and he wrapped his hands about her waist and pulled her close, kissing her passionately once again.

  Finally he broke the embrace and intertwined his fingers in Vivian’s.

  “We both need rest, but neither of us have a choice.”

  Vivian found she could only nod in reply, unable to locate her tongue.

  He was right.

  And so, without another word, they headed out of the door together, making as quickly as they could for the barn, and for the tree line, and, undoubtedly, for the onslaught that awaited them.

  They were both wearied and fatigued, and they struggled to focus as the late afternoon sun dipped lower and lower towards the horizon in the clear sky above. But, nonetheless, Vivian and Kael held themselves resolutely, their willingness and determination filtering out to the men and women all around them: farmhands and villagers, armed with pitchforks and makeshift blades and clubs, pots and pans, all awaiting the blitzing attack headed straight for them.

  Dragging themselves to the very front of the massive party, spread out parallel to the rustling and wavering tree line, they prepared to fight, readying their own weapons.

  Kael held a small knife in one hand, and a slightly larger short sword in the other. Vivian had no weapons, but instead kept her eyes trained on the woodlands laid out before them.

  The forest was the place she had once called home; in fact, it was probably still the closest thing she had to a home, and it pained her that now she feared it so.

  “Steady!” Vivian sounded, her voice reaching the ears of her people: the very souls she was trying so hard to protect.

  “They’re coming!” Jared yelled, pointing through a slight gap in the trees.

  Barely even visible, a trunk knocked heavily, shaking the branches above, and a looming shadow slipped between the dark seas of trees.

  “Look out!” Another voice shouted, spreading panic through Vivian’s ranks. But something tugged at the back of her mind, and suddenly, she knew better.

  “HOLD! STEADY!” She commanded, her voice barking with such authority that no one dared argue.

  She approached the trees slowly, her defensive posture faltering, and all traces of her fear gradually faded away with each step.

  “Viv…” Kael started, wondering what in the world she was doing.

  But then, suddenly, enormous and looming from the shadows of the trees, as if slipping and detaching from the very trunks themselves, the great red bear materialised from the tree line, shifting his massive bulk easily and silently, though he limped heavily on his front left leg.

  The young Featherstone felt her worry and her apprehension drop away completely then, and all those standing behind her too let their guards lower slightly, though not entirely.

  All had heard the stories of the monstrous bear that Vivian had returned to Virtus with, and that the Greystones had taken his life, and, in return, her wrath had been dreadful. They were not about to make the same mistake.

  The great bear stood for a moment, staring intently at Vivian, his curious eyes examining her own, before finally, after a minute or two, he seemed satisfied.

  He was wounded, clearly, Vivian could see that, but even though fresh blood trickled down his massive torso and legs, the magnificent bear seemed not in the slightest bit phased. At least as big as Red had been, if not even larger, the great beast walked straight up to her then, and dropped its massive head down to the height of Vivian’s.

  The animal’s greyed and silvery muzzle moved in the same strange and mesmerising manner that Red’s had done, and even as he spoke, the similarities between them were so obvious to Vivian that she couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Vivian Featherstone.” The great bear said then, not so much in a question, but instead more in the way of a formal greeting: an absolute certainty.

  He knew who she was, without a shadow of a doubt.

  “I am.” She replied simply, nodding her head to the beautiful animal, tears brimming in her eyes.

  “My name is Emerson.” The he told her, speaking plainly.

  Vivian nodded in reply, unable to speak, but somehow at the same time knowing what was coming next.

  “I’m Red’s father.”

  14

  “Are we safe?” Vivian asked, pouring her eyes into Emerson’s, still desperately trying to process what she was hearing.

  “They are some way away.” The great red bear, Emerson, Red’s father, assured her. His voice was gentle and understanding, as Red and Clover’s had always been, and he spoke with the certain surety that only the red bears had ever possessed.

  “What happened?” Vivian asked then, though, in hindsight, she realised that the answer to that question was probably an obvious one. Nonetheless though, Emerson answered her with the patience of the Redwoods themselves.

  “It’s not the first time I’ve fought to defend my home.” He replied honestly, shrugging his massive shoulders, though the leg he limped on hindered his movement noticeably.

  Vivian nodded understandingly, not once taking her eyes from the huge bear before her, scanning over his fur, blood stained and ragged, somewhat longingly.

  He cocked his head curiously to one side, in exactly the same way that Red used to, Vivian noted, the sight of it forcing her to choke back tears.

  “May I?” She finally asked, and he nodded his vast head understandingly, seeming to know exactly what she meant, without the need for an explanation.

  She took a few cautious steps towards the great bear; having been denied this for so long, as she stretched her hand out towards him, it shook noticeably and her breaths grew shallow and sharp.

  The whole thing almost overwhelmed the still young Featherstone.

  Emerson, undoubtedly Red’s father, spoke and sounded like her dear Red, looked like him, moved like him…

  How had she never known?

  Vivian’s fingers reached his thick, warm fur, soft against her skin, and she ran her hand through it blissfully, feeling beneath the warmth his strength and his resolution. The sensation was magical, for it was something Vivian had done daily, without even thinking, for so long, when she’d lived with Red. So now, having been denied it for so long, the feeling was both so alien and so familiar, that it stirred happiness inside of her tenfold.

  “Jared!” Vivian called then, raising her voice and looking over her shoulder. She needn’t have shouted however, for the elderly farmstead owner had slowly been making his way through the crowds to her, and was stood barely six feet behind her and Kael.

  “Yes, Miss Vivian…” He responded, his voice shuddering a little, though he was of course overjoyed that the bear seemed to be friend rather than foe.

  “I need food, and water.” She stated simply, turned her gaze back to her hand running through the thick fur she had longed to touch again for so long. “Emerson has come a long way. He needs to rest.”

  It was only as the dark of the night had begun to settle for the evening that Vivian finally finished healing Emerson’s numerous wounds. Beneath his thick fur they had been difficult to see with her naked eyes, but with her other senses, Vivian had clearly seen the horrible extent of the damage the wolves had delivered upon her dear Red’s father.

  “Thank you Vivian.” The great bear said simply, sat in the comparable warmth and shelter of the partly desolated barn.

  Many of the holes and damages had been boarded up, and as a flurry of showers and storms set in for the night, Vivian, Emerson and Kael were all grateful for the shelter from the elements.

  Vivian had explained in quite some detail to Jared and his farmhands that Emerson was most definitely a friend, and that he had saved them in the forest from the wolves that had been killing their cattle.

  As Vivian told them of what had happened, and that they wouldn’t have made it back if it hadn’t been for the great red bear, their awe and respect f
or the animal grew tenfold.

  The three of them sat in silence for some time as Emerson ate, tearing his way through several very large chunks of meat that Jared had instructed be brought through for him.

  The barn was lit by a few covered oil lamps, placed here and there around the large space, and Vivian and Kael sat in the silhouette of the great bear as he ate and drank. They sat close, feeding off each other’s warmth and holding hands tightly, their fingers intertwined, watching Emerson with fascination.

  This was a new captivation for Kael, for he had never seen such a sight, even during all his weeks and months travelling south from his old home. And for Vivian, though of course she had lived with the red bears, she had been deprived of their company for so long, that she simply revelled in Emerson’s company.

  “What’s going on Emerson?” She finally asked, when he had finished feeding. “Why did the wolves attack us?”

  The great bear pushed aside what remained of the carcass he had been devouring, nudging it out of the way with his snout, and sighed heavily, settling down on the floor and looking at Vivian with a very level gaze.

  “You sensed them.” He said then, his tone very matter of fact. “I know you did.”

  “Yes…” Vivian replied, her voice dropping low as if embarrassed.

  “You were right.” He encouraged her. “Don’t hide from the fact. What did you sense?”

  Vivian remained silent for a minute or two, but eventually she spoke up again, as Kael looked at her inquisitively, not knowing what the huge bear was getting at.

  “The plague…” Vivian whispered. “The Greystones…”

  Emerson nodded, but this time it was he that did not reply. Instead, he waited patiently for Vivian to begin to piece things together.

  “But I’ve never sensed them before…” Vivian thought aloud. “Not once since I killed the Grey. So why now?” She mused.

  Again, Emerson shrugged his massive shoulders.

  “I don’t know.” He admitted. “I’ve been watching them for a long time now, ever since you killed the Grey in fact.” He explained. “They’ve been keeping themselves hidden from you, until now. Now they seem to want your attention. I think that’s why they started attacking the cattle…”