With a grunt of
effort, Manda pulled herself up onto the tree branch. Behind her, the monoliths
rose into the clouded sky, and she could hear the rustles of the branches as
wind, moving through the Windswept Valley dispersed against the steep cliffs
and rose upwards. She uncoiled the rope from her shoulder, and glanced into the
distance.
The trees seemed to
thicken and darken the landscape around them, the further away from the
monoliths they travelled; the further downhill, into the recesses of the
forest. Manda sighed. She was beginning to regret her decision. Jannis had
offered to accompany them into the darkness of the Deep Forest but Enderi had
been adamant that he not come. Manda had agreed, and instead they had taken the
only person, other than Manda, that knew the way to the so-called ‘Spaceship’.
Better for the team if there were two experienced trackers, rather than one.
“Manda!” Junipa
whined, standing ankle deep in a puddle. “Come on! Throw the rope down and pull
me out!”
Manda looked down at
her, “Can’t you just wade out of it? It’s barely up to your knees.”
“No! Look, the mud
goes on for metres! It probably gets deeper! I don’t want to get my skirt
dirty, it’s my favourite one!”
Manda made a
disgruntled noise, and threw the rope down. It’s end landed in the mud with a
splat. Manda felt more irritation bubble up.
Junipa grabbed the
rope and Manda began hoisting her up to the branch. She reached it and clumsily
pulled herself into a sitting position atop it.
Manda glanced at the
ground. “Wait, where’s the boy- I mean, where’s Enderi?”
“I’m over here.” a
voice came from behind the tree trunk.
“What the…” Manda
stood, and lithely climbed up the branches until she could see him. Enderi was
standing atop a raised steppe of earth, leading upwards towards the roots of a
nearby tree.
“What are you doing
over there?” Junipa said, trying to lean around the tree. She began to slide
off the branch, grabbing it with both arms with a squeal.
Enderi pointed
upwards. “You said we can’t get over here without going over the roots. I didn’t
want to walk through the puddle, so I just walked up the hill around the puddle.”
“You walked around…”
Manda spun round to Junipa, still clinging to the branch. “There was a hill
leading up to the roots, and you chose to walk through the puddle?!”
“Manda, help me up!”
Junipa cried.
Manda climbed back
to her, and pulled her back upright. Junipa began crawling clumsily towards
Enderi, before lowering herself onto the dry earth next to him.
“Junipa,” Manda said
harshly, “you said I would be fine leaving you to protect Enderi, while I scout
the route from the trees.”
“I did!” Junipa said
indignantly. Enderi said nothing, but stared up at her.
Manda sighed. It was
the other reason Junipa was with them; Enderi had encountered her while Suleiha
was talking with Manda, and the boy had taken a shine to her. It wasn’t
surprising, Manda thought to herself. While Manda was headstrong and outspoken,
snapping at anyone that got in her way, Junipa had been like a den mother since
she was a child herself, kind and caring, ditzy and good-natured.
“Honestly,” Manda
groaned, “If I gave you the choice between a stony path and a cliff, I’d be
leading a funeral party to scrape your bones off the rocks.”
“Don’t be so
disgusting!” Junipa said, leaning down and squeezing Enderi against her chest,
“especially not in front of a child! Honestly, Manda…”
Manda leant against
the tree trunk. That was probably the other factor. Manda was built for
climbing trees and sneaking about the forest; she had a lithe body, thin and
streamlined with toned muscles. Junipa, on the other hand, was tall and curvy,
thin in the waist and with long, chestnut coloured hair. Enderi went red as
Junipa pressed his face against her chest, a small smile creeping across his
face.
“…no wonder little
Enderi prefers me over you.” Manda finished, with a concerned look.
“He likes you better
because your boobs are the same size as his head.” Manda muttered.
Junipa, who was
staring up at the trees for a moment, glanced back at her. “Sorry, what did you
say? There was a hummingbird going in and out of the trees, it was so cute!”
Manda sighed,
something she found herself doing a lot, “It was nothing.”
She glanced down at
the wall of roots ahead. They were the product of a huge tree, partially ripped
down in a storm, long ago. The ancient Immortalisa Oak was hundreds of times
bigger than the trees around. It hung over the forest at a skewed angle and
massive leaven branches dappled the forest around them in small, translucent
shadow. The roots had continued to grow along with the tree, wrapping around
anything it could find to keep it in place. Small sunken groves, like the one
Junipa had waded into, were hidden in curves in these roots. In other places
the roots had pushed up large tracks of earth, and the resulting effect was a
twisting maze of earthen, mossed platforms.
Manda climbed out of
the tree and landed neatly by Junipa and Enderi.
“The roots go on for
a long while. Did you say you saw the ore deposit at the rise by the large
tree?”
Junipa crossed her
arms, “Do you mean the spaceship?”
Manda ground her
teeth. “Did you see… our destination… at the rise, by the large tree.”
“Yeah. But not this
one… closer to the rapids to the south. It’s around the area good for snaring
rabbits?”
Manda nodded. “I
think I know that. If we keep moving through the roots and we turn south after
they disperse, the ground should be even enough for us to make good time.
possibly reach the rapids before we make camp for the night.”
“Great!” Junipa said
with a smile.
She leant down to Enderi.
“Come on, then! Not long until we see the spaceship!”
Enderi scratched his arm, staring at the ground
awkwardly. “Can I hold your hand?” he said quietly.
“Of course you can!” Junipa beamed.
“I swear, if you walk him into one of these mires,
I’ll push your head under the water until the bubbles stop.”
Junipa shook her head, “Always so violent. No wonder
your fake lover left.”
Manda rolled her eyes. “Just follow me.”
***
They made their way through the dense roots, each
rolling path of dense, dark wood caked in earth, plants and moss clinging to
the sides. In between the cracks sinkholes had emerged, little groves cut off
from the rest of the world by walls of root. Some lay in darkness, deep black
pools of wilted plants and mud, while others sat bathed in sunlight, a floral cornucopia
of trees and wildlife. Junipa excited pointed out a family of bunnies, foraging
in a loose circle under the shade of a young sapling. Manda gently nudged her
and Enderi towards the centre of the path.
Before long the earth levelled out, and the giant Oak
stood blocking the horizon behind them. The trees were big, hunched together in
places and the ground was thick with leaf litter, hiding small potholes and
roots. After the strong lights and darks surrounding the maze of roots earlier
Manda was finding it easier to find her bearings, and before long they heard
strong rushing water. As they reached the rapids, large plateaus of rock eroded
smooth by huge amounts of water crashing down toward the wastes, the sun was
setting and shadows amongst the trees were lengthening.
Manda climbed up into one of the trees leaning over
the rapids and peered downstream. There were several plateaus, and the trees
dipped away more than once, but in the distance she could see the outline of
another Immortalisa Oak. This one was upright, and its leaves seemed to form
one of the clouds, moving and rippling in time with the wind.
She hopped back down. “It’s an easy trip, we’ll be at
the giant Oak by midday if we camp here for the night.”
Junipa smiled. “I love that idea! I’ll go find some
firewood with Enderi.”
“Okay, but stay in sight of the rapids. I’ll go find
something to eat.”
Manda vanished into the trees, while Junipa and Enderi
began picking at the ground. As Junipa collected and arranged flat, dry stones
to contain the fire she schooled Enderi on the right woods and leaves to
collect for the fire, organising them by thickness before building the site;
wrapping the larger logs at the base with dry leaf kindling and a lattice of
twigs. She lit the fire with two flints in her pocket, and together the
nurtured the embers into a modest blaze.
Darkness had fallen as Manda came back by the path, a
small deer foal over her shoulder. She made a noise of approval.
“I saw the light on the way back. That’s a pretty
impressive fire.”
Junipa chuckled, “We grew up together, learning how to
fend for ourselves and forage in the wilderness. I don’t know why you’re so
surprised I can take care of myself.”
Manda dropped the deer foal on the ground, and sat on
one of the stumps Junipa had arranged around the fire. “Well, you did wander
into a swamp earlier today. But, you’re right, I’m sorry.”
Junipa laughed haughtily, brushing her hair back. “It
was a puddle at best! And of course I can take care of myself. Just because I’m
attractive doesn’t mean I haven’t spent as much time in the forest. Just
because I’m spending my time fending off boys rather than jumping around trees
in-”
“Okay, I take back my apology. If you still want to
eat, don’t push your luck.”
Manda took a knife
out of its sheath, and began skinning the foal.
Enderi, sitting
between the two, stopped poking the fire and nervously smiled at Junipa. “I
think you’re pretty.”
Junipa beamed. “I
know, right?”
Manda sighed. “Have you
got a spit set up to cook this thing?”
“No,” Junipa said,
“I didn’t know what you were coming back with.”
“Okay,” Manda said,
climbing to her feet before stalking back into the forest. “Stay here with
Enderi.”
Junipa took a
burning torch out of the fire. “Do you want something to help you see?”
“No, I’d rather let
my eyes adjust. I can see further that way, but, thanks.”
Manda moved quickly away from the camp until the
darkness was too difficult to move in. She leant against a tree, and squeezed
her eyes shut. Small ribbons of colour and flashes of light moved under her
eyelids as she counted to fifty under her breath. Finally, she opened them. The
forest was now bright, bathed in moonlight, a silver visage of the woods they
had travelled through earlier.
She smiled. Her
Night Eye wasn't exactly some magical skill, but she had been training herself
to see in the dark since she was a child. In fact, one of the reasons she
preferred to hunt in the evening was using her Night Eye to track down animals.
It wasn’t much, and she’d never brag about it to anyone, but it was something
special she had for herself.
She looked around,
through the trees, before finding two saplings. She uprooted them, and saw a
long, thin branch in the distance.
A ripple of silver
fur moved in front of it.
Manda froze, feeling
an icy chill down her spine. The fur was metres above the ground, and as she
remained still and silent, she could hear heavy, padded footfalls in the
undergrowth. A sallow, snarling breath emanating from the trees to her left.
That’s not an ordinary wolf… it’s
too big. That’s a Fenrir wolf.
As carefully as she could, she lowered the saplings, placing them in the
undergrowth and made her way back to camp. As she moved, she head the footfalls
in the leaf litter, slowly following her.
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