“It is,” Hyroc said, trying to calm his heart back to a normal rhythm. It was still alarming to suddenly see a big bear up close, even if it had no intentions of hurting him. Though the fact he hadn’t noticed her coming was a bit disturbing.
She tipped her head to look at him. “I see those hunters have accepted you into their pack.”
He nodded knowingly. “The father is teaching me how to tan hides. I just wish he didn’t make me do so much work for it.”
“Work is good; it makes you strong.”
Hyroc looked at her thoughtfully. “I know, I just meant, it makes it hard for me to get everything done that I need to do.”
“You’re building bonds and that’s important. You’re less vulnerable with others than on your own. No such bonds can exist within the shadows, as it knows no light of companionship.”
Hyroc narrowed his eyes at her in an odd expression. Only about the first half of what she had just said made any sense. “Why do you speak in riddles? I don’t know what that means.”
Ursa regarded him with an annoyingly expectant look in her eyes. “In time you will find the answer.” She returned her gaze to the orange sliver of the vanishing sun. Hyroc sighed in muted frustration and watched the sun sink out of view.
The next day, after working on the hide, Svald made him clean out their fireplace. After the fireplace, he made him clean out and put clean bedding in both the chicken coop and barn. He hated the reek of both structures, but he suspected his heightened sense of smell made it all the more unpleasant. He kept his aggravation toward the work to himself; it was what he had to do and complaining about it wouldn’t do anything beyond psyching him into disliking it even more. Then mercifully, he was returned to chopping wood the day after.
While splitting a particularly stubborn round, he noticed the family’s youngest son Curtis watching him, and the boy looked as if he had a question burning in his mind.
“What?” Hyroc said, tossing the firewood into his pile and setting another on the chopping stump.
“What kind of animal are you?” Curtis said innocently. “Most people say you’re a wolf.”
Hyroc gave him a curious look. “What do you think I am?”
Curtis studied his face thoughtfully. “I thought you might be a bear when I first saw you, but up close you remind me of a wolverine; I helped my father skin one once.” Hyroc nodded, centering the wood round on the stump. “He told me wolverines are really mean, but since you saved my sister from a wolf, you don’t seem very mean.”
“You really think so?”
Curtis nodded. “Bad things don’t do things like that.”
That was an encouraging comparison. With a thankful nod, Hyroc raised the ax over his head and brought it down on the wood round. It split all the way down the middle save for a tiny sliver of wood requiring a sharp twist of the ax to sever. “Most people think I’m really mean when I’m not.”
Curtis smiled. “But my grandpa says wolverines are greedy, and that’s why he says you eat the way you do.”
Hyroc shook his head irritably. It didn’t surprise him much the old man had said that. “Well, I hadn’t been eating very well up until that first night your mother invited me over for dinner and I was really hungry then. I’m not a good cook and what your mother made tasted really good.”
Curtis nodded comprehendingly. “That’s a little like what my mother said about you.” There was a pause. “Why were you scared of us?”
Hyroc sighed, turning his head to look at the boy. It seemed that subject was inevitable. “Well – a lot of people have tried to hurt me and I thought your family would do the same.”
Curtis studied him thoughtfully. “We wouldn’t hurt you.”
Hyroc stared down at the ground. “I didn’t know at the time.”
“Do you miss your parents?”
Hyroc tightly squeezed his eyes shut. A flare of longing shot through him and June’s face materialized in his mind. He opened his eyes, pushing her from his thoughts. It hurt too much to think about her. “So what animal do you think I am?” Hyroc said quickly, hoping to change the topic back to something more benign.
Curtis looked toward the sky in contemplation. “Well, I think you look like a wolverine.”
Hyroc breathed a silent sigh of relief. Good. “Then I guess I’m a wolverine.”
“A nice wolverine.”
“A nice wolverine,” Hyroc agreed. If only everyone else in the village could see him in such terms.
“Curtis stop bothering Hyroc,” Donovan called out. “He’s got work to do.”
“I’m coming,” Curtis yelled back. He returned his attention to Hyroc, speaking conversationally. “I’ve got to go, he’ll keep yelling until I go. But I’ll keep trying to figure out what you really are. Bye.”
“Bye then,” Hyroc said.
Curtis turned and headed off toward his brother. Hyroc watched him a moment before sticking another wood round on the stump.
The next day, he had removed all the hair from the hide.
“It looks good,” Svald said, after a quick examination.
“So now what do I do?” Hyroc said.
“Go ahead and take it down, I’ll be right back.”
Svald turned and headed off toward the shed. Hyroc took the hairless hide down. Svald returned carrying the head of a deer in one hand and a wood ax in the other. Hyroc regarded the severed head ominously. What was that for?
“Why are you carrying a deer head?” Hyroc said.
Svald set the head on the ground and touched the top of it between the antlers with the back of the ax. “You see where I have the back of the ax?” Hyroc nodded warily. Where was this going? “I want you to hit that spot as hard as you can with the back of my ax.”
Hyroc gave Svald a confounded look as he was handed the ax. “What are we doing this for?”
“How else are we supposed to get to its brains?”
Hyroc looked at him in bewilderment. Did he just say brains? “Why do you want the brains?”
“It’s what we’re going to use to tan the deer’s hide.”
“What do you mean we’re going to use its brains? That can’t be what’s in the barrels stored in your shed.”
“You’re right, what’s in those isn’t made from brain.”
“Then why are we doing this?”
Svald sighed in mild annoyance. “Because doing it the way I do it is not the best way for you to do it, at least not right now. I’m showing you the simplest and easiest way I know how to do this, which is with brains.”
Hyroc sighed dejectedly. What had he gotten himself into?
“Now hit the deer’s head between the antlers where I showed you.”
Hyroc reluctantly lifted the ax, took a breath, and brought it down as hard as he could. The back of the ax struck with the sickening sound of breaking bone. “Just like that; two more hits should do it.” Hyroc struck twice more, making a hole big enough to satisfy Svald. “Now set the hide fleshy side out beside the skull.” Hyroc did that. “Now reach inside and scoop up a handful.”
“You want me to WHAT,” Hyroc said indignantly. He wanted him to – to touch what was in there? That was the most disgusting thing he had ever heard of.
“You heard me, reach inside and get a handful.”
Hyroc gave him a pleading look, but the man’s gaze did not waver. Oh, no he’s serious about this. He rolled his sleeves up and after taking a deep breath, reached inside the deer’s head. The brain had a repulsive gelatinous texture reminiscent of a cold undercooked egg, making him feel a little queasy. He took a long breath to try calming his stomach, then scooped up a handful of brain tissue.
“Now start smearing it over every inch of the hide.” Hyroc brought his handful of brain-mush over to the hide. As soon as he felt the slimy gelatinous substance squish between his fingers when he pressed down, he tasted acid in the back of his throat. He flew to his feet and managed a few steps away from the hide before doubling over and retchi
ng.
“Feel better?” Svald said, trying to hide a smile.
“I – I umm think I’m good now.”
“Are you sure about that?” Donovan said, as he came around the side of the cabin beaming. “You’re not going to faint, are you?”
“No,” Hyroc said defensively, a ting of warmth spreading across his face. Why did the other boy have to see him doing that? The one time he thought it safe to let his guard down. “The texture just – just struck me wrong.”
“I’m sure.”
An hour passed without another throwing up incident – though Hyroc came close twice – and only the occasional friendly, if not annoying, gibe from Donovan, before he had completely covered the hide in brains.
“The brains will set in overnight,” Svald said. “And in the morning you’ll need to work the hide. Just find something smooth to drape the hide over and start working it kind of like what you’d do when you’re washing clothes. Don’t use anything too rough or you might damage the hide and have to start over with a new one. Keep doing that for about an hour every morning until the hide is soft and pliable. And if everything goes right, you’ve got yourself some leather.”
Hyroc nodded, glad there wasn’t another step. What he had done thus far was more than enough. “Does that mean we’re done,” he said, wearily hopeful.
Svald smiled. “Yes, other than what I said, you’re done.” Hyroc quietly groaned with relief. “And you’ve paid off your debt to me; you don’t owe me any more work.”
“What do I do if I want to keep the hair on?”
“It’s pretty much the same process; you just don’t necessarily need to do this last step – it’s just a good idea normally – or anything to take the hair off.”
“Thank you for showing me this.”
“You’re very welcome.
CHAPTER 34
Friends
Scattered clouds dotted the pale azure sky and the air held the cool freshness of morning dew. Hyroc stood on the shore of the stream near his cabin where he normally fished. He studied a grouping of smooth boulders thoughtfully as he held the brain covered hide in his arms. It still seemed bizarre something as repulsive as smearing the contents of an animal’s head on its own skin was necessary to tan hides. A shiver of revulsion ran through his body as he remembered in excruciating detail how the cold slimy brains had felt squishing between his fingers. If it had been warm it might not have been as bad. Then to compound the issue, he had thrown up in front of both Svald and Donovan. He felt embarrassed about displaying his weakness in front of another person when he wasn’t actually sick. Now the two of them probably thought his senses were easily offended and he couldn’t do anything mildly unpleasant without a relapse. He should have been able to handle the work without retching; he was stronger than that. And it stung Donovan had found such humor in that incident. He wished he hadn’t taken the teasing without a single retort, there were so many things he should have said to shut the boy up.
He forced his thoughts away from what had happened, he couldn’t change it. There were more important things he needed to focus on. He knew he would eventually be feeling brains between his fingers again, but he was determined not to let it affect him when it happened.
Looking through the boulders, he found the smoothest one and draped the hide over it. Slowly, he drew the hide back-and-forth across its surface like he was trying to remove a stubborn patch of rabbit blood from his jerkin. As per Svald’s instructions, he did this for his best estimate of an hour. He held the hide in front of him, looking for any signs of damage. Finding none, at least none he recognized, he folded one side experimentally. The hide still felt stiff.
He returned the hide to the inside of his cabin, then he headed off to check traps with Kit trailing him. The first trap through the fourth were empty. While he examined the trap beside the dirty pool, a robin alighted onto the ground searching for bugs. Kit entered a crouch and began creeping closer with his eyes firmly fixed on his target. Hyroc stopped his work, remaining motionless as the cub slowly drew closer to his prey. Kit stopped when he was within pouncing distance; a ripple ran from his shoulders to his rear end and he exploded into a run. The robin had unfurled its wings for flight when Kit threw himself on it. He dispatched the bird with two quick bites to the neck. Hyroc exhaled, suddenly realizing he was holding his breath in anticipation.
“You got it!” Hyroc called out excitedly. “Good boy.” Kit glanced at Hyroc happily, before turning his attention back to savaging his felled quarry. Hyroc gave Kit a disturbed look as the dead bird’s head flopping lifelessly from side to side as he played with it.
Knowing Kit would follow when he got far enough away, Hyroc headed off. Kit joined him moments later carrying the bird in his mouth. With a sigh, Hyroc continued on to the next trap, trying not to look at the clump of blood-smeared feathers Kit had in his mouth. The remaining traps were also empty. By the time he finished with the last trap, there wasn’t much left of the bird for Kit to toy with. Kit gave him an annoyed and puzzled look.
“Don’t look at me,” Hyroc said humorously. “You’re the one who tore it to pieces. But enough about the bird, it’s time for us to head back.”
Passing the creek shore south of his last trap, he stared longingly toward the other side. There was a good spot for a trap just across the creek, not far from where he stood, and he finally had time to set one. Unfortunately, he still needed to get Kit back to the cabin. It bothered him to be so close and leave, only to come back after wasting an hour or two he could have otherwise spent hunting. His situation would be more convenient if he didn’t need to go back. He cocked an eyebrow as he wondered why he actually needed to go back.
When he had first found Kit, the cub was still walking in a wobbly crouch to maintain his balance and seemed to spend a good portion of his time sleeping. He was barely in any condition to accompany him to check traps. But he had grown some in that time, stood straighter, lost most of the wobble when he walked and seemed energetic and eager to explore his surroundings. He obviously knew the basic concepts of being stealthy, the dead robin was proof, so it seemed unlikely he would spook any game they came across. Besides, his presence would make hunting less lonely.
Hyroc looked down thoughtfully at Kit who was sniffing the sap-strewn trunk of a cottonwood. “How would you like to come hunting with me?” Kit paused, looking toward him absentmindedly, then returned to his investigation of the tree. Hyroc smiled, deciding that could count as a yes.
This time, he remembered to roll his leggings up before trudging out into the water carrying his boots. Halfway across, Kit loudly yowled out in distress. Turning around, he saw Kit at the edge of the shore cautiously putting a paw forward and pulling it back when it touched the water’s surface. Hyroc gave him an understanding nod. He continued to the other shore, tossed his boots on dry land, and walked back to Kit. Kit seemed glad when he picked him up, but the moment he stepped into the water; the cub began squirming in fear, threatening to drag razor-sharp claws across his arms and chest.
“Kit stop!” Hyroc said sternly, struggling to maintain his hold. “I’m going to drop you if you don’t.” Instantly Kit stopped struggling. Hyroc gave him a bewildered look; he hadn’t actually expected his words to do anything. Not wanting to risk his luck running out, resulting in much pain, he hurried through the creek. As soon as he stepped out of the water, Kit resumed squirming. He happily dropped him on the ground. After shedding some of the water by shaking his leg, he put his boots back on and unrolled his pants.
“Next time you’re getting yourself across,” Hyroc said irritably. He flicked some lingering moisture off his fingers at Kit. Kit recoiled, putting his ears sideways in displeasure. “You’d be swimming if you had clawed me.” Kit growled in response.
Hyroc made his way up the small animal trail to the opening in the line of trees leading into the clearing where he had been captured. It seemed such a long time since that had happened. He remembered vividly the
terror he felt when the net flew out of the ground and flung him into the air. In that moment he thought he was going to die, but some miracle of kindness from a complete stranger had saved him from what seemed an inescapable fate. He shook his head at what still seemed a strange and completely unexpected turn of events. After every frightening thing he experienced from the encounter, it had actually turned out good for him. He was prepared to make the wilderness his home and he was glad he didn’t need to.
Putting his back to the clearing, he found the narrowest part of the trail where it ran through the space in the trees. Using the twine he had bought in the village, he began setting up a snare. Kit wandered over and began batting at a piece of twine he had made the mistake of dragging across the ground. He shooed him away, garnering a loathsome look from the cub. Kit tried killing his work materials once more before the trap was finished.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye as did Kit. Turning in a slow practiced movement, he saw a brown hare on the other side of the clearing. Carefully, he strung his bow and crept into position to take a shot. Kit came crashing through a patch of brush; excitedly running at the rabbit. The hare dashed off, vanishing behind the branches of a tree. Kit continued forward for a few strides before stopping to stare at the spot where the rabbit had disappeared with a confounded look on his face.
Hyroc sighed, returning his arrow back to its quiver. “You have to be more careful. Otherwise –” he pointed toward where the rabbit had escaped “– that happens and you have to find another one. Come on, I’m sure we’ll get the next one, if you’re quiet.”
When they eventually spotted another rabbit, right before Hyroc pulled the bowstring back; Kit once again spooked his target. He glared mournfully at the suddenly vacant patch of ground where the hare had been before growling in frustration. “KIT,” Hyroc yelled pointedly. Kit snapped his attention to him with an innocently confused look in his eyes. “We’re not going to have anything to eat tonight if you keep scaring everything off.” He sighed and once his grudging feelings dissipated, he continued searching for food. He found nothing to hunt for the rest of the day. On the way back to the cabin, he rechecked his traps, hoping for something. To his relief, the trap at the bottom of the incline had caught a wild turkey.
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