Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 9

I got to know the forest as I tailed Remi day after day. The trees were no longer a blurred mass of trunks and leaves. I knew each distinctive tree and its relative distance to the commons, and learned where herbs and berry bushes grew.

Watching Remi climbing trees always made me smile. His sure step and nimble leaps made it seem like he was born among the branches. He often came back with arms scratched up from scraping against rough bark and sharp branches.

I once asked him why he didn't wear a long sleeved shirt. The hide vest he usually wore did nothing to protect his arms. He said hide sleeves would be too hot as well as too cumbersome, and cloth would snag on everything. This made sense to me, and an idea formed to weave grass armbands for him.

To that end, I started gathering long grasses where I could find them. In the plains the grass was everywhere. But it was scarcer in the forest, growing only where patches of sunlight regularly filtered through.

My weaving went on for days in my spare time, usually at night before bedtime. It was supposed to be a surprise. Remi continued to be kind, and kept his promise of silence as well. I wanted something to give him as a thank you.

I had just finished smoothing all the rough edges on the bands when a knock outside my cabin startled me. I quickly shoved my project under the blanket and sat next to it before calling out, "Come in!"

I was surprised to see Remi. We often spent entire days together, but at night there was no need.

"Hi Siena," he said as he stepped inside. His eyes didn't quite meet mine, and he fidgeted as he sat in the chair.

"Is everything all right?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." My brows furrowed, and he went on to explain, "Galen felt something . . . off."

"Off?"

"Not right. Something that could mean danger for us. He usually has immediate feelings about people he meets, but once in a while, he'll sense something . . . big. Far reaching." He scanned my face to see if I was following, and then said, "The last time that happened was when the Zurbo compound was burned."

I stared at him. The massacre. Galen had sensed the impending massacre. "So that's how you were at the tree line when it happened."

"Yes."

"And now you have to go back out there."

"Yes."

"They're making you go, aren't they? Because of your gift." I straightened the blanket and tried not to frown.

"Not at all. Galen wanted to go himself, but I volunteered. I told him he would only hold me back."

"Oh." I coughed, embarrassed at how completely wrong I was. "When do you leave?"

He watched his finger as it traced along the edge of the table. "Before dawn." Then he looked back up at me. "I didn't want you wondering where I went."

"I'm still going to wonder," I replied.

He chuckled, and then I asked him, "When do you come back?"

"Maybe two weeks."

"Two weeks? It's not that far, is it?" My pulse picked up pace at the thought of navigating Foresthome without him. Of being alone again. I'd gotten so used to having him around.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "No one here knows the plains as well as I do. Those years as a forced scout saw to that. I'm going beyond the tree line, to find out what each tribe is up to. If something isn't right, I need to find out what it is. The sneak attack on the Zurbos may have been part of something bigger."

I sounded so petty. Here he was, about to risk his life to discover vital information for the sake of the entire community, and I was upset that he was leaving me alone. "I understand." I tried to keep the apprehension out of my voice. "You're very brave."

"Siena, you don't have to isolate yourself in my absence. People will open up to you, if you let them."

I nodded, and he stood up to leave.

"Wait!" I called and pulled my project out from under the blanket. "I made this for you. I just finished it tonight."

He gave me a surprised smile and came closer.

"These are woven armbands, so the trees don't cut you up. They're light and breathable. You put them on like this." I showed him how to wrap it around his arm and fasten it.

He flexed his arm and moved it about. "I love it! You are so thoughtful." He ran a hand over the band. "And talented," he added with a wink.

I beamed and gave him the other armband. Three heartbeats later, I flung my arms around his neck and squeezed. "Please stay safe," I whispered into his ear. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

He returned the hug, and when we parted, he looked me solemnly in the eye and said, "I'll be careful. And you'll be just fine without me. Don't use me as a crutch. Get to know people, and you'll feel like you belong."

A heaviness descended upon me, but I nodded anyway. It was the day Meresh left, all over again. My only friend, heading out before dawn on a dangerous mission.

Never to return.

I shuffled my feet, trying to slow my quickening heart, trying to quash the worry that bubbled from the center of my being. I reminded myself he wasn't going to attack anyone. He was just scouting. And he could hide better than anyone in existence. He'd be fine.

I made myself believe it. He had to come back. He had to. He was my lifeline, and without him, I feared I might float away, lost.

What happens when your anchor goes away? Hopefully someone votes for you. :)