Remainers

True Bonds, Part 1

During the Earth's darkest times, when war was sweeping the planet, many of its forests and wildlife were destroyed, burned away by the fires of battle. Thankfully, those days were long over, and after hundreds of years of careful maintenance by remainers as well as the wilderness' natural healing factor meant that the Earth was once again covered with lush forests and greenery.

It was in one of these lush forests, located deep in Western Canada, that Kyle found himself admiring the area's lush and invigorating wildlife. He had spent the past few centuries since humanity's departure from Earth watching over the land's regrowth, and while he had little to do with the forests' revival, he felt a warm swelling of pride at its restoration.

His silent reverie was interrupted by a rather loud holler echoing through the trees as a great moose barreled through the forest at a breakneck speed. Atop it was young Caleb, who was let out a panicked shout as he held onto the moose for dear life.

"Kyle! Help me!"

Kyle sighed as he leapt up onto the branches of a nearby tree and waited for the moose to pass by. As it did, he quickly grabbed Caleb and picked him right off the moose's back, leaping down once the moose had run off entirely. Caleb sighed as he found himself on solid ground again.

"Thanks for the help! That was pretty close!"

"I think that's an understatement, don't you?" Kyle said reproachfully, knocking him lightly on the head. "What did you do to get that moose worked up like that? Didn't I say you needed to respect wildlife?"

"But I didn't do anything!" Caleb objected. "I was just wandering around, minding my own business, when that moose suddenly came after me! If it weren't for my quick thinking, I'd be a smudge on the ground right about now."

Kyle sighed. "Well, it is mating season. I suppose a male bull might get agitated by someone unfamiliar wandering its territory. Never mind that. Where's Ella?"

"She said she was going to hunt some deer for tonight's dinner. She told me to go look for one on my own too–that's why I was wandering around."

"She's having you hunt on your own already? Isn't it a little bit too soon for that?"

"But I'm already twelve years old!"

"Only by estimation. Come on, let's go find her."

Caleb grumbled, but he obediently followed Kyle as he tracked down Ella's location. He had grown a lot in the two years he had been living with them, and while Kyle had never thought about being a father, he couldn't deny that seeing Caleb grow had made him feel somewhat proud. Having said that, the boy was clearly taking more after Ella than him; he was much bolder than he was when they first found him, and he was a little too reckless at times as well. Kyle couldn't help but worry as Caleb continued to grow older and bolder.

The two of them eventually arrived at a clearing, where they found Ella, her clothes covered in dirt and blood. Slung over her shoulders was a giant deer, already skinned and dressed.

"There you are," Ella remarked when she noticed Caleb approaching her. "Kyle's here, too. Come on, let's get back."

"Don't try to scoot past the problem here," Kyle said scoldingly, eyebrows arched in annoyance. "What are you doing telling the kid to go hunting by himself? He almost got into some serious trouble, you know."

"He has to start at some point, Kyle," Ella said with a shrug. "You can't baby him forever. Besides, I was close by. I only took my eyes off him for a few seconds, I promise."

"You shouldn't have taken your eyes off him in the first place," Kyle sighed. "Never mind. Let's get going, all right?"

The three of them began trekking through the woods. Were it their first time there, they couldn't be faulted for getting lost in the expansive forest, but the trio had been living in the forest for two years now, so even Caleb had familiarized himself enough with the local terrain to make his way through with ease. Their destination was a log cabin situated at the very top of a large hill, where the three of them had been living ever since they came here.