We, who Survived

The sun was coming to its summit when we stopped to rest by a brook. The rocks on its banks were smooth and speckled red, signifying that we were just over halfway to Black Reach. Unlike the walk here, beyond the brook was gentle downhills and plateaus.

Nathan sat at the edge of the bank filling our three waterskins, Gem sitting next to him and sniffing the air. He looked so calm and collected after our talk. It made me smile until I noticed the way he sat, placing his weight more on his right leg than his left. Not once had he complained about the pain in his lower back or with the pace we were walking at. I wished he would have at least mentioned something but it just meant that now we would walk at a slower pace for the rest of our journey.

I was about to voice my thoughts when Gem began growling. Rustling on the other bank caught my attention.

Two golden eyes were peering at Nathan under a large rock. A brown tail tipped with a purple flower swayed gently with the reeds it used as cover. I had to concentrate over Gem’s growling to hear the creature’s own rough growl.

“Fern, what’s happening?”

“Come behind me, now.”

I picked up my bow and notched an arrow to the string, closing one eye to take aim. As Nathan glanced at me worriedly and began to move, the creature under the rock lunged out. I let my arrow fly. The creature, with its claws extended out, collided headfirst with the point, knocking it off course. The body dropped abruptly to the ground in front of us.

Now in the open and upon closer inspection, I could confidently identify the animal as a Thistle. Even though it was a juvenile, it was quite big with its leathery body being about the length of my leg. Its claws were still out, showing off the evil bramble hooks tipping each toe.

Nathan hesitantly leaned over my shoulder as I brought my bow to my side and relaxed my muscles. Gem moved to sniff the Thistle, her own claws out. When it did not move or twitch away, she huffed and came to sit next to us, cleaning her paw. Nathan only then edged to its side and brushed his fingers through the little fluff on top of its head before gently removing the arrow. He then lifted its lip to show the needle-sharp teeth hidden in its mouth, curved like a python’s.

“You, okay?” I asked, taking the arrow and washing it in the brook. Nathan nodded before standing up. He picked up the waterskins and packed them back into the food bags Gem carried before taking my quiver and throwing it over his shoulders.

“What is this animal?” He finally asked, tilting his head at it.

“It’s a Thistle, named for its deceiving tail. These guys are crafty predators who hunt solitary until spring comes along and mating season begins blooming. Those teeth you just saw are the last remnants of its constrictor side meshed in with hound blood.”

“When we are settled at Black Reach, I am gonna need to pick your brain on some subjects about the animals around us and their stories. Otherwise, I think we can get going now, I don’t like the dark,” Nathan finished off with a small voice. Smirking, I helped him harness Gem and picked the Thistle up so it could sit comfortably in the other bag which was empty. That was supper sorted.

As we walked, a sense of nostalgia flooded me. The footpath we walked on was decorated with scattered stone from years ago to help form gentle steps that the younger me had stumbled up and down with my hand in Hawk’s. Flowers had lined the sides in spring. Now the medicinal bushes were bare, a blanketing of snow topping their branches and crunching under our boots.

In my entire nineteen years of life, I had not seen Black Reach in winter. Cresting a slope, my breath escaped me. Black Reach was stuck in the middle of winter and summer with no evidence of autumn in-between. Lush, green leaves were joined by bright flowers and fruit-bearing trees. Small game strutted around, grazing with their herd or solitary. Butterflies flitted around the creek under the deck of the house while carp sucked at the surface, hoping for a mouthful of insects. All the while a light dusting of snow lay on every surface, even on the back of the animals.

“Woah,” Nathan breathed, a giant grin on his lips. A twinkling of awe shone in his gorgeous eyes as his hand slipped into mine. “It’s so beautiful and nothing like its spooky name.” His last words made me chuckle.

“Black Reach is the name of the cabin. We just talk about the area around it under the same name so everyone knows what we are on about. Though, you will see why it is called Black Reach soon.”

Walking up the sturdy wooden steps of the deck, I ran my hand over the smooth top of a handrail, feeling the giddiness rising in me at showing Nathan another place I spent most of my childhood at. A confused frown creased his features as we stepped onto the deck.

“Where is the rest of it?” He asked, exasperated at the size of the cabin’s exterior compared to the spacious deck. A knowing smile could not hold itself back from showing on my lips as I took in Black Reach.

Two large shuttered windows faced where the sun would rise, its door matching the wood of the steps. Plant boxes sat under the windows, their medicinal contents flourishing and growing over the walls. Vines wrapped themselves around the deck’s railing, small white flowers breaking the wave of green.

“Now you will see why Black Reach is Black Reach,” I said, smirking as I unlatched the door and pushed it open. Though it was dim inside, it did not stop Nathan’s eyes from widening.

“No way.” He let go of my hand, running into the middle of the main room and gazing up at the ceiling. “Your people did this, tunnelled through stone and made it home?”

“It was a cave, in the beginning, my people just hollowed out rooms and helped channel water into baths,” I explained, placing our bags on a stone table and untied the harness off Gem before starting to open up the shutters to let both fresh air and dying light in. When I glanced over my shoulder, Gem had curled up on the floor, her head resting on her big paws. I shook my head, lazy cat.

“You mean like the water system at the village?” Nathan asked as he walked around, his hand running against the stone seating before stopping to stand in front of the large open-pit fireplace.

“Yes, the only difference is that we sit on an internal hotspot. The water pools in the baths before being released through a hole leading to the outside. The water comes from a water source within the cave.” I leaned against the wall, watching as Nathan just nodded before taking a seat on the stone chair, elbows resting on his knees.

“I need to gather firewood, you can start unpacking our stuff and explore more. When we have a fire going and the Thistle is cooking, I’ll answer your questions about the animals here.”

“Sounds good. How do you think the others are doing?”

“Jacob is probably trying to show off to your leaders and Zed, well I saw he was reading a book so he most likely is still doing that.”

Nathan pursed his lips. When he looked up at me, his eyes glistened. I hurriedly walked to him and crouched in front of his knees, taking his hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just overwhelmed that’s all, I will be fine in a bit. Go collect the wood before it’s too dark.”

Locking eyes, I slowly stood up and kissed Nathan’s forehead then his cheek before pecking his lips. His eyes closed, a small smile showing. He touched the side of my face and leaned his forehead against mine.

“Go or I won’t let you.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t be long, promise.”