Chapter Four

The sun was warm and the wind was fresh; I inhaled deeply, taking in the pleasant aromas of the grass and the trees surrounding me. Bird pokémon were chirping happily in the trees, preparing to migrate South. As I watched them fly, brown forms against the cauliflower clouds, I recognized some of the species to be pidgey and pidgeotto. The random spearow darted through the sky with ease, staring down with sharp, gleaming eyes as it passed overhead. I watched them with awe, imagining what it must be like to be able to fly.

"Stop daydreaming," Murrey growled, examining a tree in the clearing. I blinked and looked over at him, almost tripping over his sandshrew. The pokémon chattered at me and started thrashing its tail around; it then walked away, its hands against its chest as it looked to the sky in a snobbish fashion. I sneered at it.

The carpenter knocked on the tree and listened, his ear pressed against its bark. As I approached, he said gruffly, "Come here and tell me what you hear."

I put my ear against the bark and tapped on the tree. Khail and Asmar looked up at me curiously.

"I don't hear anything," I admitted bitterly, a bit disappointed.

"Good."

I averted my eyes to him, confused. "Was I not supposed to hear something?" I enquired, an amateur at chopping down trees.

Murrey shook his head. "If you had heard something, that would have meant that the tree was hollow," he explained, grabbing a two-handed saw from nearby. Its blade was made from sharpened iron. "A hollow tree is no good for buildings. Can you imagine if we had used a hollow tree as a support? The building would collapse."

While keeping a grip on one end, he handed me the saw; I set my axe down and received it. Then, Murrey knelt down beside the tree's base and took out a piece of charcoal from his pocket. With it, he drew a line near the base that tilted down at a relaxed angle. He spat out the side of his mouth away from me and pushed sweat away from his brow.

"Have you ever cut down a tree before?" he asked me, still kneeling. When I answered negatively, he scoffed. "Well, then, I suppose I'll have to teach you. It's rather simple, actually." He pointed to the line he had drawn on the tree's trunk and told me, "We need to cut at this angle from this side; that way, the tree will fall safely away from the house and into the grass. Do you understand?"

I ignored Khail who was racing around at my feet between my legs. "It seems simple enough," I replied, although truthfully I was thinking pessimistically about it. I could picture it now: the tree, rather than falling away from the house, would fall towards it and crush it.

I shuddered.

Murrey's sandshrew tackled Khail. They ran off, commencing a game pokémon "tag" in the golden field. Standing up, Murrey chewed on the long piece of grass in his mouth and examined the tree again. He nodded, then turned to me.

"Are you ready?" He asked me, his eyebrows raised in question.

I nodded, burying the negative thoughts that had inhabited my mind prior. "Yes, sir," was my confident response. Murrey grinned. Together, we placed the saw at an angle against the tall maple tree and began to cut rhythmically. The sun bore down on us as harshly as we sliced into the determined surface on the tree. The cut was uneven, and it worried me greatly for the slightest change in angle could alter the path of the falling, wooden pillar radically.

After what seemed like hours, my hair glittering with sweat and my shirt damp in several areas, the tree fell. Khail, startled in the grass, began to bark and howl at it, the thundering noise of it falling and crashing into the grass frightening it. I was relieved to see it had fallen correctly. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and inhaled deeply. From behind, Murrey put his hand on my shoulder and stated:

"Congratulations, Shin. You've just cut down your first tree."

I grinned and looked at him. "That wasn't so hard," I boasted, inflating my chest and straightening my back.

Murrey laughed. "That's great; there's plenty more where that came from."

My proud stance disappeared as he said this. I looked at him quickly. His stern facial expression told me he wasn't kidding. Murrey carefully took the saw from my hand and walked towards the fallen tree trunk. Setting the tool aside, he studied the tree's bark, touching it lightly with his fingers at points. The man then turned to me.

"Do you know what we do now?" he questioned me sternly.

I flinched before responding. "We get rid of the bark?" My tone of voice made it obvious that I was uncertain of this answer.

"Ella gave you an axe, right?"

I nodded. "I set it down back there."

"Go and get it," Murrey ordered gruffly.

I nodded again and quickly retrieved my axe from near the fallen tree's stump. Looking at Murrey, whose serious gaze was studying the tree's uneven bark, I contemplated how anti-social he was. His wife, on the other hand, was quite cheerful and good-spirited. They had very different personalities, yet they seemed so content together. It reminded me of my sister and I when we were children.

Emia... I remembered her chestnut-brown hair... her brilliant smile... the way my clothing would hang off her, due to being too large...

"What did I tell you about daydreaming?" the man barked, interrupting my thoughts. His cross look bore into my skin like a drill in cement.

I blinked and looked at him. "Sorry," I stammered, shaking my head.

"You can't keep doing that; this is dangerous work, boy." Murrey rose to his feet and grumbled, his arms crossed. "Next thing you know, you'll be whining that your arm got cut off. Pay attention."

"Er, sorry." Gripping the axe tightly in my grasp, I scratched my head, ruffling up my hair. "So, how do we get rid of the bark?" I asked him. The ambiance was awkward; the question was meant to make us, specifically me, more comfortable.

"With the axe," he replied simply, setting the sharp end of his axe against the trunk. "We need to pry it off carefully to make a good support poll. If we delve too deep, we'll cause a hole, and we don't want that." He scaled the tree with his eyes. "When we reach a limb," he continued, "we need to get out the saw and cut it off. The limbs we'll chop up later for firewood."

I nodded comprehensively and stood beside him. At his gesture, I moved to the upper part of the tree and began chipping and prying out the stubborn bark. Murrey didn't have any difficulty with it; his experience and fitness level allowed him to remove the pesky crust of the trunk with relative ease. I watched him and admired his strength, slowing my pace down gradually as I studied his movements. There was a pattern to them, that was certain, and it permitted the man to do his work efficiently.

"Stop slacking off."

The man hadn't looked at me; he just kept to his work. I averted my eyes back to the bark and began to pry with all my strength. Bits and pieces fell off into the golden sea of grass, seemingly small rafts sinking beneath the waves. Breathing heavily, I continued at a moderate pace, following Murrey's example before me. Our pokémon mocked us from afar, contently at play as the man and I toiled away, sweat dripping from our hair and soaking our backs. Gradually, the job became easier as my pace became rhythmical. As we finished removing the bark from the fallen tree and started removing the limbs with the saw, I kept glancing from the tree, to Murrey, to the house on the hill. This warm, inviting environment had accepted me into its embrace without hesitation, without second thoughts.

And I accepted it.

A few hours later, after Murrey and I had successfully cut down, trimmed, and removed the bark from three different trees, Ella came to give us lunch. She handed us each a tray containing a plate of boiled vegetables (specifically broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots), an insignificant amount of remoraid meat, and a hunk of dry bread. To Murrey, she presented a cup of coffee; to me, she gave a glass of warm, miltank milk. She claimed I needed to strengthen my bones in my youth or I'd be frail and weak later. Ella also brought pokéfood for the critters. She gave to Khail a few pieces of meat, which it devoured eagerly; Asmar, on the other hand, received nuts and berries. I assumed this was a preference of the sandshrew's, for it was technically an omnivore by nature, yet it only ate plants.

Drinking the creamy milk thirstily, I looked at Murrey out of the corner of my eye. Ella had returned to the house; what she did all day within it, I wasn't sure, but I didn't preoccupy myself with that. The man beside me was far more interesting.

"So," I began, swallowing a mouthful of vegetables.

"Don't talk while you're eating," the man interrupted firmly, sipping his coffee. "It's impolite."

I contemplated that. My mother had taught me about manners and politeness when I was a child; however, while living with the Espion, they were quickly forgotten. I had been surrounded by pigs – famished animals who didn't even look at what was on their plate before eating it. I picked up the warm fish meat and looked at it hungrily. I bit off a chunk of it and began to chew it contently. Cutting down trees had left me in a famished state of which only now was I healing.

Murrey looked my way and gave me a hopeless frown. "Use your fingers to divide your meat first, then eat the smaller pieces," he told me in an unfriendly tone.

I widened my eyes, half of the fish already in my mouth. Murrey's cross look forced me to remove it and divide it up into pieces with my fingers. I then began to eat the smaller pieces, feeling uncomfortable as the man's green eyes monitored me closely. After a moment, his gaze returned to his own plate. He did as he preached and divided his meat before attempting to consume it.

"Uh, so tell me," I recommenced, nothing in my mouth. "Have you been a carpenter for long?"

Ella's husband swallowed his food before replying. "My grandfather was a carpenter; my father was a carpenter, and now I'm one," he responded, drinking more of his coffee. When he had finished, he continued. "My father taught me everything I know about it, and his father taught him everything he knew. I suppose you can view it as my family's 'legacy'."

I nodded, comprehending the logic behind that. Then, a thought sprung to my mind, and I blurted, "but what about your son?"

"My son?" He cast me a startled look, and then relaxed. "Ella told you about him, eh?"

"Not much," I admitted, handing Khail a piece of remoraid meat. It barked happily and gently took the food from my hand. "I just noticed he wasn't around, and-"

Murrey cut me off. "I don't want to talk about him," he spat. His reaction alarmed me slightly. "He's a disgrace to this family, regardless what Ella says."

I looked at him as he continued to eat his food casually. His mood had changed; a perturbed look had invaded his face completely. Although I didn't understand exactly why Murrey despised his son, I let it be. The mere mention of his son had caused an uncomfortable, awkward ambiance to hover in the air, and I didn't feel particularly keen on worsening it.

We worked the rest of the day in silence. As dusk approached, the temperature cooled and I allowed me muscles to relax, taking in the refreshing breeze of the sea with deep breaths. The waves crashed against the shore as the sun reflecting off its sapphire surface. On the sand below were wingull, peculiar birds with short feet whose wings were too large for it. Their cries were an annoying whine that broke the beauty of everything around us. I looked over at my poochyena who was sleeping in the grass. The couple's sandshrew was chasing a wild rattata in curiosity, although it was evident that the rat pokémon didn't appreciate it. I grinned, relatively amused.

"Hey!"

I blinked, and then looked in the direction of the older man. He was by the house now; as the sun glittered off the water, it caused a reflection that made it hard to see him. I placed the side of my hand to my forehead and peered towards the top of the cliff, squinting in an attempt to view him better. With my other hand, I waved in acknowledgement.

"Come inside!" he yelled at me, Asmar running up beside him. "It's time for dinner! I'm sure you're hungry!" He then turned away and began to walk towards the door.

I grinned broadly and yelled back: "I'll be right there!"

With my axe gripped firmly in both of my hands, I raced up the hill eagerly. Khail, having heard the sound of my running from nearby, stretched and rose to its feet. I beckoned for it to follow, and it did. The pokémon pranced along beside me, its tongue hanging out of its mouth as it panted. The wind blew through the grass and made a pleasant sound as my pokémon and I reached the house. Murrey had waited for me, much to my surprise, and had held the door open for me. My eyes wide, I thanked him, and stepped into the warm home again. Khail rushed in front of me, almost tripping me, as the man closed the door behind us.

Set before us, to our delight, was a variety of foods. A small bowl in the middle of the table was filled with nuts of all kinds; fruits were also present for us to eat, among them, fresh apples and oranges. Steaming plates of mareep meat and cold vegetables were accompanied by three glasses of herbal tea. The pokémon were given the fatty ends of the meat as well as nuts, berries, and some fish from earlier. Upon viewing the meal, Murrey looked at his wife and said:

"Sheep, Ella? You know that's expensive."

"Oh, Murrey, I know, but I wanted to make the boy feel at home." She pulled out a chair for me and gestured that I seat myself. I could feel my face becoming red as I thought about how she had gone out of her way to prepare a hearty meal specifically under the circumstance of my being there. Murrey remained gruff, though, even as he seated himself and savoured the scrumptious meat. I looked at it, never having tasted the meat of a mareep before, and cautiously bit into it.

It was the most flavourful, tender meat I had ever tasted. As a child, I thought nothing could best farfetch'd soup, but this... this was simply unbelievable!

"I see you're enjoying that," the woman chuckled, noticing my overwhelmed expression. When I nodded, she looked at her husband and smiled. He scoffed and continued to eat his meal.

"Don't get too used to that, boy," he grumbled at me. I slowly ripped off another piece of the meat and put it in my mouth, chewing slowly. "We won't be having this kind of meal everyday. My wife just got carried away today; expect fish from now on, you hear me?"

I nodded slowly. After hearing that, I began to eat slower, as to savour every last bit of the meat. I couldn't bring myself to believe that such a tender meat existed. It was so rich and flavourful. With every bite, the flavour only heightened. It felt as if my taste buds were having a party inside my mouth.

As I ate, the woman watched me with shining eyes. I ignored it, much too concentrated with my meal. Cutting trees and sawing off branches all day really built up an appetite; I never realized how difficult carpentry was until now. Sure, I had read of it in books, but experiencing something was certainly more eye-opening than just reading and being empathetic about it. The fatigue and hunger made me reflect on those souls who had been charged in building the Espion's fortress long ago, and my spirit suddenly fell. I sat back in my chair and relaxed, my eyes empty as I stared at the food before me.

Ella seemed to notice this, for she enquired: "Is there something wrong, Shin?"

"Eat your food," Murrey said crossly, biting into an apple he had taken from the table. His wife gave his shoulder a swift, light smack with the back of her hand, as to show her discontent. She then looked back at me, smiling.

"No need to be fearful; you can tell us anything." Ella then glanced at her husband. "Well, at least, you can tell me anything," she corrected herself, frowning at Murrey. He rolled his eyes at her.

Khail climbed on my lap, tired and full of food. It stretched and curled itself into a ball, burrs and grass entangled in its black fur. I placed my hands on the tired pokémon. My thoughts were lost, spiralling; my mind became a dark abyss of emptiness wrapped in the dried, white skin of a silcoon. Images of the slaves, the Espion, and my family flashed in my mind, a slide show I did not want to view.

"Shin? Shin, are you all right?"

I blinked. Ella had a confused expression on her face, while her husband wore a grave frown. Pushing my half-eaten plate away from me, I got to my feet and, with the sleeping pokémon in my arms, I said quietly, "Please excuse me."

I then left the table and walked outside, not waiting for a response. The sun was but a purple glow in the distance, sitting upon the sea and illuminating the sky in its final moments. I walked awkwardly down the hill, stumbling over my own feet and minor pebbles. The brume came; its approach had been foretold by the cold, blue sea and the day's heat. My feet sunk into the sand, leaving distinct footprints that created a path behind me. The wingull had taken flight and were nowhere to be seen. Khail continued to sleep peacefully in my arms, undisturbed by the sounds of the sea and the crunch of my feet penetrating the uneven surface of the ground.

As I progressed, the fog became progressively thicker; by the time I had reached the cliff of the lighthouse in the distance, it was difficult to see my hand in front of my face. If it had not been for the light emanating from the tall, white tower, I would have surely lost my way completely during the trek. Seating myself on a rock, I gazed out in the direction of the sea. The sound was soothing. I cuddled my poochyena in my arms, shivering from the cold and bothered by the dampness of my clothing.

Why did this happen to me? The thought had slipped into my mind dozens of times before, yet here it was again, still unanswered. I grabbed a stone from beside me and tossed it. A second or so later, it breached the water's surface with a deep sound and then sank. In the Espion, you're taught not to cry – to always be strong, no matter the situation – but the feeling overwhelmed me, just as the fog had done physically. The last time I had wept was when I was ten, just after I arrived back home to realize I was alone. I had wept for the loss of my family and my friends, my belongings and my past. The fire's smoke that enveloped Acacia had stung my eyes, but not as badly as the tears that had pierced through them so violently.

I sighed and wiped my eyes clean. The condensation from the fog on my face combined with my salty tears, allowing it to camouflage my weakness. My expression was still one of grief, though, and even the thick mist was incapable of hiding that.

"Is there something you need to talk about?"

I looked up at a familiar figure with a different face. I had expected him to express sternness and indifference. This was not the case, however; Murrey's expression was bizarrely soft and comforting. It left me to wonder if the fog was fooling with his facial details.

The man sat beside me slowly; he then turned his eyes to the sea, also incapable of seeing it due to the fog. His expression told me he was thinking. I traced his face with my eyes thoughtfully.

"No, I'm fine," I lied, scratching Khail behind its pokémon seemed to enjoy it even in its slumber, for its ears perked up attentively and twitched a few times.

The silence was oddly comfortable. Normally, Murrey would make me feel awkward within his presence, but here, he was different. After studying his face a bit more, he seemed disturbed by something. I wasn't sure what it was, but I was curious.

Turning to him, I went to say something but he interrupted me.

"I know I haven't been the best company today," he began; he was still looking out at the sea with a soft, steady gaze, "but I hope to improve that." His gaze averted from the direction of the sea to me.

I looked at him, my usually-spiked hair wet and plastered to my forehead. This man, who I had come to know as serious and unfriendly, was entirely different here. As he continued, his voice both soft and thoughtful, I couldn't help but ponder his change in attitude. His next words were unexpected and confounded me entirely.

"I don't want to make the same mistake twice."