by Laura Jack
Brinan had taken the risk of bringing Luma with them but had kept her harness on. He tied her to a tree and told her to lay low. He took off his backpack and left it beside her, Callom did too. With great stealth, they worked their way toward the grazing elk. It was a slow process, made worse by the millions of biting insects. Brinan covered his face in mud and signalled Callom to do the same. It not only gave them camouflage but had the added benefit of acting as a barrier to the insects.
As they got closer, Brinan felt the familiar butterflies of anticipation in his stomach he waited for it to pass and an inner calm and focus took over him. His senses heightened, time slowed down. He found himself close enough to make the kill but waited for Callom to work round the beast a little in case he missed.
“Patience, Brinan, patience.” He told himself. A pair of ducks flew up; startling the elk, in that moment Brinan stood up and cast his spear with all his might. The animal ran three strides then fell. Brinan raced up to it and pulled out his spear. His aim couldn’t have been better - straight through the heart, the animal was dead. He didn’t know why he did it, but he stood up on the belly of the downed elk, raised his spear and let out a primal scream of victory. Now he felt like a true hunter. Callom jumped up too and exuberantly pulled him off the deer, rubbing his head with his fist. Both boys rolled in the mud, laughing. Relief flooded over them. They had made one kill on their own, they could make others, they could provide for their Clan and they could survive – they would survive!
With the help of Luma and the travois, they took only the parts they needed of the elk; the hide, the haunches for the best meat, and finally the tongue and liver which were delicacies. The rest they left to benefit the scavengers. The Clan ate well that night. Thin strips of meat were hung up over low smoking fires to dry out for travelling.
In the morning, Callom made two holes in the side of the boat and using some rope, tied on the oars that Felmas had made. It would give them greater control, reduce the weight and should they loose their grip, they wouldn’t lose the oars. It was a stroke of genius. Now all that remained was the sail. Both Serena and Matina had been working on the hide, even Ruban helped. It was large and heavy, too heavy for a sail Brinan realised. He felt deflated.
“We should just keep this as a ground tent. With the fur still on it’s no use as a sail.”
“I’ve brought these,” Serena held out four reindeer hides that she had worked on in the small cave after the reindeer hunt. They had been burnished with fat and woad and were a pale sky blue colour. She had very little woad left, but she rather liked the colour so she had been frugal with it.
“Will they do?
“Where did you get those?” Brinan was shocked.
“You’re forgetting - I hunted too! They just need sewing together, I’ll do it tonight.”
“Is that why you wanted to hunt?” Brinan asked with sudden insight. Serena just smiled.
Brinan woke early, just before dawn. The fire had almost gone out. Serena had fallen asleep, the hide with awl still in, still on her lap. He got up and covered her with the hide, noticing that the sewing was complete. He felt better and quietly built up the fire then crawled back into his fur to sleep a little longer.
“Higher, that’s it, just a bit more!” Callom shouted. Brinan woke with a start, but quickly relaxed as he watched the activities in front of him. Callom was in the boat holding onto the post. Two smaller posts, to which the hide sail had been attached, were roped to the main post. Serena was under it, pushing up the post and hides.
Callom guided the base of the pole into a hole cut through the centre bench.
“Walk your hands down the post to guide it in.” He said. Together they straightened up the post and it fell into the hole made for it with a satisfying thud. Two wooden pegs - above and below - were hammered in by Callom, securing the mast in place. A gentle breeze buffeted the sail. It was then that Brinan noticed the sail and smiled. On the top right hand hide, Serena had burnished in an image of a wolf in black and orange ochre. Not a full image - just a silhouette, a suggestion of a wolf, but it was impressive. No, that wasn’t the right word. It was subtle.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Brinan asked, getting up.
“You needed to sleep and we didn’t need you.” Serena replied with a shrug.
“There’s food and tea by the fire for you if you’re ready to eat. The meat’s dried and packed away. As soon as you’re done we can break camp.” Callom said. The eager tone of his voice made Brinan realise that he had been behind the activities. He was keener than any of them to get sailing!
He had even succeeded in tying the four supporting logs with thinner cross struts to the base of the boat in the same way Felmas had done with the replica. They quickly loaded up the cross struts with their back packs, spears and Luma’s travois. Covering their belongings with the newly scraped elk hide. More hides were placed in the boat for comfortable seating.
Finally, Matina, Ruban, Tomas and Luma were put in the boat. Serena, Callom and Brinan used three smaller logs to roll the boat to the waters edge and in. Once it was buoyant, they gave one last push to launch it fully then jumped in. Callom and Brinan took up their places in the centre to work the oars. Serena sat at the end, gripping the edges for dear life. Callom and Brinan looked back at her and grinned. In spite of the severity of their situation, Serena smiled back weakly but the realisation that they were on an unproved boat in unknown territory terrified her. No more childrens’ games, this was real adventure, real survival.
If there had been anyone on the shores to watch the sailing boat make its way across the lake they would have been at a loss to name it. It was the first of it’s kind – but far from the last. Luma was sat up at the front of the boat, her tongue lolling out as she enjoyed the soft breeze like a living figurehead.
The grandeur of the scene was lost on the children however, they were far more concerned with the practicalities of steering the boat to where they wanted. At first Brinan and Callom rowed and the sail had very little wind to catch but as they neared the half way point the wind picked up substantially and caught in the sail. Although it was now moving the boat faster, the wind was at odds with the direction the boys were trying to row in. Tired from their efforts, they gave up trying to fight it, it was still taking them across the lake, although in a south easterly direction rather than a south westerly direction.
Callom stood up; he was going to try to take the sail down.
“What are you doing?” Shrieked Serena. “You’ll capsize the boat!”
“No I won’t, I need to take the sail down, we are being blown too far east.”
“Sit down, we’ll start rowing again.” Said Brinan, he agreed with Serena. No need to rock the boat and risk losing everything. They weren’t that far off course. Rowing helped, then Brinan discovered that if he kept his oar dipped the boat veered towards the shore with the help of the wind, the bottom left corner of the sail broke loose and they moved faster towards the shore. Then the wind dropped. Eerily, they were now floating between the tops of trees. Crossing what had been the high banks of the opposite shore. They steered the boat safely through. Looking into the water and seeing trees and grass beneath, it was like they were flying across the sky rather than sailing on water. They were so busy looking down that they failed to see the lynx that was stranded in one of the trees. Another casualty of the flash flood. It looked down on them as they passed by, licked at a wound on it’s leg then seemed to make a decision. It jumped into the water and swam for shore trailing further and further in the wake of the boat.
“We shouldn’t have tied the sail so securely, we need to be able to get it down quickly. I’ll remember that for next time.” Callom remarked as much to himself as the others. Serena, still gripping the sides with white knuckles shot him a look.
“What next time? I’m never doing this again!”
“We’re almost there, row harder.” Brinan said, ignoring Serena. They looked for a suitable spo
t. The bank was much steeper. Both boys jumped out and hauled it up, tying it securely to the post of a tree. Too much work had been put into the boat to abandon it. Also, they would need it for the return journey. Brinan couldn’t help feeling smug that they had cut so much time off their journey. Okay, they may have a day’s journey to get back to the path but that was better than several days journey to go around the eastern shore. The western end, he knew was a valley of many river mouths emptying into the sea, marshy and treacherous but rich in bird life.
Once her feet had got back onto dry land, Serena relaxed and even agreed that it had been worth it.
“Let’s not make camp, just keep going.” She suggested. The strangeness of her surrounding made her uneasy.
“Okay,” Agreed Brinan. “But we need to unpack and then secure the boat.”
They worked quickly then finally upended the boat to keep out the rain, sliding the oars into the benches. Serena folded up the sail and stashed it too. Callom cut some branches of pines and covered the boat with them so it would be less conspicuous to passers by. They ate quickly, Serena feeding Tomas before putting him into her backpack. The woods were too thick and steep for a travois. Tomas looked around him, sucking his thumb and holding onto Serena’s hair.
Serena’s fears were founded. It was tough going in these woods and they soon hit a problem when they reached a gorge separating them from the direction they wanted to take. They had to walk south west along the length of the gorge looking for an easy way to cross. Brinan no longer felt smug, he was worried and impatient to head east again. When he found a spot he thought was suitable he called a halt.
“We’ll climb down here and up the other side. This gorge is taking us further and further away from where we want to be. We need to stay on course or we will miss the trail to the sea.”
“Agreed,” said Callom. “It doesn’t look too bad here.”
Brinan adjusted his backpack and, taking the rope with him, made his way down. Serena followed with Tomas on her back, then Matina then Ruban. Callom took up the rear, everyone was waiting for him at the bottom. Was he imagining it, or did Brinan look a little nervous.
“I’ll go first again. Serena, stay close behind me, Callom you take up the rear. Matina and Ruban wait here and I will come back for you, understood?”
Brinan surveyed the wall, then started to climb, Luma jumped ahead of him and he soon realised it would be a good idea to follow her. The top part was steep and quite a struggle, he only just made it. He called down into the gorge.
“Callom!” He yelled.
“What?”
“It’s going to be too steep for the others to climb. Serena might make it but it’s too risky with Tomas on her back. If I lower the rope, we can pull him up further down, and then do the same with Ruban and Matina. Serena, get half way up to where the overhang is and help guide the ropes.”
“Okay,” shouted Serena. She was relieved that she wouldn’t have to climb up with Tomas - the climb down had given her several scares.
The plan went well, first Tomas, then Matina were safetly hauled up. Serena followed right behind her, just in case. Callom put up the backpacks next.
“Hang on Ruban, you’re going this way too.” The small boy watched the backpack being bashed off a rocky overhang and thought better of it. He started climbing instead. Callom didn’t notice at first, but then saw him out of the corner of his eye.
“Ruban! No, wait till we pull you up.” His sudden outburst startled the boy and he lost his footing and slipped on the wet rocks. A cracking of branches and a thud signalled his fall, then a high pierced scream of pain.
“What the . . .” Callom looked across to see Ruban lying at the bottom of the gorge screaming and holding his arm, blood poured from his head.
“What’s happened?” shouted Brinan.
“It’s Ruban, he’s fallen; one of you needs to come down here.” Callom shouted back.
Brinan got down a lot quicker than he had climbed; almost risking a fall himself. He got there just as Ruban vomited. The small boy was deathly white. Ruban looked at his arm, then passed out.
“No, no … NOO!” Cried Brinan. Everything had been going so well and now this.
It was a blessing the boy had fainted. Brinan put a make-shift splint on the arm, remembering a time when he had helped put a twig for a splint on a doll. This was no happy game, he felt racked with guilt for making them all climb down the gorge. Then he felt angry with Ruban for not waiting as he was told. Guilt and anger clouded his judgement. They got Ruban out of the gorge and strapped into the travois they had been using for Tomas. The baby would have to stay in the backpack. He realized that they really needed to find other people, and fast!
“Callom climb up that rock outcrop and get our bearings.”
Callom set off at a jog. Meanwhile, Matina and Serena emptied out Matina’s medicine bag.
“Matina think, is there anything in here for pain?” Serena asked her.
“I don’t know.” Countered Matina, “That’s ground willowbark I think.” She picked out a pouch and handed it Serena. Serena opened the pouch and sniffed it. She offered it to Brinan.
“What do you think?”
Brinan sniffed it too, clueless, he shrugged, then handed it to Matina. Matina sniffed it and nodded.
“I know by the pouch and the knots in the string that it’s willowbark.”
“We’ll just have to take the chance. Brinan get a fire going. I’ll need boiling water to extract this for when Ruban wakes up. It will kill the pain and make him sleepy. On cue, Ruban stirred and moaned. It took a few moments for him to remember what had happened. It was the pain in his arm that reminded him; he started crying and would not stop. Serena cleaned the wound on his head, he sported a massive bump.
“Do you feel sick at all, dizzy?” Asked Matina suddenly.
“Why?” Moaned Ruban.
“How should I know, it’s what mother used to ask.”
Ruban cried again.
“Matina, you’re not helping!” Serena told her. Matina’s lip trembled then she cried too.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Just please, stop crying both of you.” Serena was distraught.
“Brinan! Serena! I’ve found people!” Callom was running towards them, out of breath.
“There’s a camp fire in the woods further south. I think if we follow the stream that flows into this gorge it will take us right to them.” Brinan felt hopeful. They could be one of their Clan’s, they could even be their own hunters. Perhaps Ruban’s fall was fate not accident.
15 Trolls
The distance to the camp they saw was deceiving, and the rough terrain made travelling difficult and tiring. There was no established path and Callom and Brinan had to cut their way through the thick forest making travelling both difficult and tiring. They were grateful when the trees eventually thinned out and they found themselves in meadow. The stream they were following grew into a river. They didn’t stop to rest or eat, even when Tomas cried.
Only when Luma sat down and refused to move did Brinan realise how tired she was. Ruban was a lot heavier than Tomas. He untied her from the travois to let her run free. He took up the burden of pulling it himself. They were all exhausted when they reached the perimeter of the camp. The sun had just set and the fire had burnt low; several figures cloaked in furs huddled around it. With heads bent from exhaustion; weary and vulnerable, the children walked into their midst. Hunters cried out in alarm and jumped up, dropping their furs. One reached for a spear and cried a warning that sounded like ‘wolf’. The spear was cast and Brinan heard a yelp.
“Luma, no!” He cried then slumped to his knees.
“It’s gone! Stay here Varad, an injured wolf is too dangerous to pursue at night.” A guttural voice with a strong accent commanded. The words were strange to Brinan but he guessed their intent when one of the hunters made to run into the woods then stopped abruptly.
Brinan was heart-broken. Gently, a fur was placed a
round him and he watched with detached misery as someone lifted Ruban from the travois and took him inside a tent. He watched, desolate, as Matina was lifted and taken into the same tent. At least they were safe now. He felt a mixture of relief and failure. He had failed to keep them all safe and would now have to rely on others. At least now he could close his eyes to rest. Just for a few moments he thought, then he would look for Luma, he was no used to her in this state.
Inside the tent, Matina woke to the activity surrounding Ruban. Two figures were huddled over him. One seemed to be pulling his arm. He cried out with pain.
Delirious, Matina thought she was at home. “Mother, what are you doing?” One of the figures looked round and stood up, bringing the torch over to Matina, she looked up gratefully, but it was not the face of her mother. It was the face of a troll. Large, bulging, hairy and ugly, it seemed more animal than human. Matina screamed but no-one heard her.
“Hush child,” The figure spoke, the gentleness of the voice confirmed her humanity. Matina decided she was simply dreaming and closed her eyes again.
“I’m tired mother.” She mumbled, and then rested her head on the lap of the figure who stroked her hair gently. Matina gave her a sleepy smile as she was laid back down on the furs and covered with another one.
“This one is fine, just exhausted, so are the bigger ones outside. Strange but I do not think they are full grown, or at least not adults.” The figure remarked.
“Help me with this one then. Now we’ve reset the bone he’ll need a poultice and one for his head too.”
Brinan woke to bird songs and the persistent tapping of a woodpecker somewhere close by. He sat up, blinking. He was no longer tired, but he was very hungry. He was in a sort of wooden lean-to covered in branches of pine. The front was covered by a leather hide. He could smell food cooking and he peered out through a gap in the branches. Warm summer rain drizzled softly. He saw several pairs of bare feet belonging to large muscular legs walking around. He wondered where he was.