Chapter 5: Wander
June stared down at the town and wondered if she should go in.
She and Nyla had been making their way through the mountains and hills for a week. In that time she hadn't seen another human being. But today, just before noon, they had emerged from the forest to find themselves overlooking a river. And, not too far away on the riverbank, a village.
June needed food. She had been living off berries and other wild edibles – or not-so-edibles. She'd eaten some sort of purple fruit that gave her terrible stomach cramps for an hour; after that she tried to stick to things she knew. But there wasn't much out there for her.
Nyla could fend for himself, at least. He had been learning how to hunt, his whiplike tongue becoming more accurate with each passing day. Yesterday he'd even caught and eaten a shrikerabbit. But June couldn't eat what he caught, not with toxins running in its veins. And she wouldn't have taken it from him anyway. He was just a little cub, after all, barely able to fend for himself.
The town was at least twice as big as Cunzhuang – no. She forced that thought away. She had no basis for comparison. No other town she could think of.
Maybe the people in the village would take pity on the hungry, filthy girl. She looked down at her dress, mudsplattered and ripped. These clothes were not meant for what she had been putting them through.
Determined, she turned to Nyla. "Stay," she said, pointing to the ground. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Nyla whined and flopped down, like he'd understood what she had said. With a worried glance in his direction, June started down the hill and hoped he wouldn't follow her. He was still so little, barely bigger than an owlcat, and she didn't know how the villagers would react to a shirshu walking down the street. Even a little one. They might hurt him.
As she warily approached the town, she saw people running around, some calling something she couldn't make out – a name, maybe? She hesitated as a man came into view around the nearest building. "Hello?" she tried.
The man whirled. "Sena!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
"I – uh, I'm not Sena, my name's June…"
The man had been walking towards her; now confusion crossed his face. "I thought you were…" He shook his head. "Where did you come from?"
June pointed south. "I just need some food and stuff," she said, hoping he would take pity on her.
"Have you seen a ten-year-old girl?" the man asked urgently. "Sena is the headman's daughter, and she's been missing for a day and a half. No one can find her." At June's head shake, he turned away, heading towards the woods. "Sena!"
June walked into the middle of town. People were calling for Sena, hurrying in and out of buildings. Several people mistook June for Sena, but quickly realized their mistake. June wondered what good running around like headless chickens did.
A group of women were standing near the middle of town, comforting a large woman who was crying hysterically – probably Sena's mother. "My baby!" she wailed. "She drowned, or got eaten, or broke her neck, I know it, my baby Sena!" She clutched her chest and wailed louder.
Suddenly June had an idea. What if Nyla could track down Sena? She cautiously poked at the thought. She didn't want the villagers to hurt Nyla, but if he helped find Sena, they might be nicer to him. And if June and Nyla found the girl, maybe the people would be grateful and give them food and supplies. June really, really wanted a blanket.
She approached the most sensible looking of the women, a middle-aged lady with evergreen skirts and sandy hair, and tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me?"
The woman turned in surprise. "My goodness, who are you? And what are you wearing?" She eyed June's filthy clothes.
June tried not to flush. "I'm traveling through. I think I may be able to track down Sena."
"Do you?" the woman said, not sounding convinced.
June nodded. "But if I do, I want to be paid," she said hastily. "I need food. And a blanket, and stuff like that."
The woman looked shocked. "You would put a price on a girl's life?"
"I just need food and stuff," June pleaded. "If I can find Sena, can I have what I need?"
The woman gave her a look. "I suppose that might be possible," she said.
June took a deep breath. "I'll need something that smells like her," she said.
"If you're just trying to steal -"
"I'm not! I just need her scent to track her."
The very dubious woman spoke with a younger woman, who hurried off and returned a few moments later with a sock. June took it and hoped that this really did have Sena's scent. "All right," she said with much more confidence than she felt. "I'll find her."
The woman snorted as June started walking. She trudged out of town and climbed the hill, following the faint trail she'd been on before. Sun slanted through the trees and illuminated her path, a welcome change from the soggy, overcast skies of the past few days.
She heard crashing and rustling in the undergrowth nearby, and Nyla appeared, panting happily. June caressed his head, avoiding the lolling tongue. "How are you, little buddy?"
Nyla whined happily.
June wiggled the sock in front of his nose. "We have a girl to find, Nyla. If we find her we can get food and stuff. Maybe a blanket so we don't have to be cold at night anymore!"
Nyla whuffled at the sock for a few moments, then turned and started scrambling down the path. June followed hastily as he made his tumbling way down the hill and started towards town. There was nothing she could do but follow.
Nyla trotted into town, nose wiggling. Someone yelled. "Shirshu!"
June ran. The women were scattering as Nyla approached where they had been. A couple of men were coming forward, distracted for the moment from their search. One, June noted with a stab of fear, was carrying a long iron bar.
"No!" She ran between Nyla and the men. "He's nice! And he's little – just a cub – he's trying to find Sena, he can smell her, he won't hurt anyone, we're just trying to help!"
"That's a shirshu, kid," the man with the bar growls. "They're born mean and vicious. You can't tame them."
"I did! Please, he's nice, he's just finding Sena, and he won't hurt her!"
Nyla was heading towards the other side of town, and Jun followed him. So did the men. More people were coming, attracted by the commotion. Jun was very glad they were heading out of town and towards a place that didn't have as many angry people.
Nyla kept going, snorting, following a snaking path into the woods, looping around and going back and forth. The group of people trailing them weren't impressed at all. "It's not doing anything," one man said angrily. "Let's take care of it before it attacks someone."
"No!" June yelled, not even looking back. "Do you want Sena back or not?"
She ignored the mutters and not-so-mutters, and pressed on with a desperate prayer to Oma and Shu that Nyla would find the girl before the crowd got angrier.
Suddenly Nyla sped up, yelping in excitement, tail wagging like mad. June ran after him as he ran down the lip of a forested hollow and nosed into a bunch of ferns. Jun pushed them aside and found Nyla enthusiastically licking the shirt of a trembling girl with a swollen ankle and red eyes.
"She's here!" a man yelled. "Get the beast off!"
June grabbed Nyla before the villagers could hurt him. Several people shoved past and scooped up the missing girl.
On the way back to town, Sena told them what had happened. Apparently her flower-picking trip had taken her farther into the woods than she had expected, then she'd gotten lost and it was getting dark, then she stepped onto a stick and it rolled and she fell and hurt her ankle and couldn't walk. And it was so dark and scary and she was so cold and she wanted to scream for help but she was afraid that it would draw pantherwolves -
June stopped listening after that. Didn't the girl know that pantherwolves were way up north?
When they got back to town there was a lot of fuss and crying and thankful relief. June found the same woman she'd talked to before. "Can I have some food now?"
The woman looked at her sharply. "Heavens, child, you didn't do anything! The searchers found her."
June's mouth dropped open. "What? Nyla found her! They never would have found her otherwise. And you promised, and I don't know where else to get stuff, and can't you please help?"
"It was the shirshu that found Sena," one of the men that had followed them confirmed. "Can't say as I like the creature, but it did find her."
The woman huffed. "We can spare some food, I suppose, and I'm sure someone has a spare blanket somewhere. But then you should take that beast of yours and leave," she added with a glare of mingled fear and suspicion at Nyla.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't stay around anyway," June muttered, not liking the sort of people that would let an eleven-year-old go hungry.
;=;=;=;=;
"Good riddance," Jun said aloud, shooting the town one last glare before she and Nyla rounded the curve of the river. The comfortably heavy pack on her shoulders held food and a worn blanket she'd finally begged off of the villagers.
She had decided to follow the river upstream for a while, because she really didn't have any other place to go. Now she trudged onward, sighing. She was tired. She'd been walking for a week, sleeping in the cold with only Nyla's little body to keep her warm. It had rained on her once, and that had been a truly miserable day.
But now things were looking up slightly. She had food. A pack. A blanket. A knife. And an idea.
Why couldn't she do this more often? There were probably more people that wanted things found for them. Maybe they would be willing to have a shirshu track them down. And when Nyla got bigger, June wouldn't have to protect him anymore.
The cub frolicked in the grass of the riverbank, yelping when his paw splashed the water. A moment later he stuck it in again, then plunged full into the shallow water, splashing and delighted. A few moments later he caught up to June, shaking off his coat. June laughed and swatted at him as water splashed him.
This was her life now. She didn't have family or home, just Nyla. That was the way it had always been, because she refused to remember any other way. So they would keep sticking together, and life would be good,
Right?
;=;=;=;=;
June held up the strip of leather and eyed it critically. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing. She'd cut if off of the bag's flap (really, it didn't need to be that long, did it?) and trimmed it to shape, fat in the middle and skinny on the ends, then rubbed the fat part over a smooth river rock she'd found until the leather started taking the rounded curve of the stone. Now she examined her makeshift sling and shrugged.
"It'll do, I guess," she said aloud. Nyla, who had been digging for grubs, looked up inquisitively, but when she didn't give him any commands he went back to digging.
June got up from her sun-warmed patch of grass she'd been sitting on and went back to the river's edge. They had been traveling along it for three days now, watching it slowly shrink in size. She crouched and fished out a couple of stones that seemed to be the right size. Fitting one into the pouch of the sling, she raised it and whirled it around her head a few times, then stopped and swung it sideways, then went back to over the head, trying to find the natural way to swing it.
She had used a sling before, when she was younger. Dad had showed her how to make one out of leather and string, and she had had great fun wandering around flinging pebbles and improving her aim. She hadn't been too bad at it.
Of course, that particular entertainment had ended when a pebble met Jet's head and he went screaming to Mom. There was no more slinging after that.
She went back to swinging it at her side and released the stone, watching it whizz out over the river and plop into the water. She put another stone in and threw again.
June spent some time just getting acquainted with the feel of a sling again, when to release so it didn't go too high or too low, how hard she could throw, how far it would go. Finally she turned to chucking at actual targets, and quickly discovered her aim was atrocious. This wouldn't be any help, at least not now.
The villagers had given her enough food for about a week, more if she stretched, and she had been scavenging what she could from the forest as they walked. If she could hunt, she would have a steady source of food for when hers ran out.
She had whittled a fish spear and attempted to catch some fish, but she only saw a few and they darted away when she got close. So, the sling.
June stared at the dark spot on the tree trunk, twenty feet away, and let out a slow breath. She whipped the sling up and around, letting the rock fly. It missed the tree and disappeared into the forest.
Sighing, she made her way back to the river for more rocks.
June practiced with the sling all afternoon, pleased as her aim grew better. She was hitting the tree more often than not now, at least.
Nyla was chewing on something. June wasn't sure if it was an animal or a stick; he was equally happy with either. She didn't need to worry about feeding him, at least.
That night they bedded down under the trees, snuggled up with the blanket around both of them. June knew she smelled terrible, dirt and sweat and living and animal all bundled together. Maybe she'd take a bath before they set out the next day.
They were in the middle of summer now, but it never seemed to get as hot down here in the river valley. Maybe it was because of the water, or the sheltering mountains, but despite the hot sun the temperature usually stayed bearable. And if it got too hot, the cool water was welcoming.
Her face and arms were peeling from sunburn, reddened and sore. She hoped she was getting a tan to help protect against the sun, but so far it just hurt.
As they walked, June practiced with her sling. She filled her pockets with river rocks and flung them at random targets. She was getting better at adjusting for weight and size, and her aim was coming back. She was ecstatic the first time she brought down a squirrelhare, and that night she had slightly burnt but wonderfully fresh meat for dinner. Nyla, it turned out, didn't much care for cooked meat.
They had been meandering, following the river, slowly making their way southeast for no particular reason. June's goal in life was to survive, and she was doing that. Sometimes they stopped in one spot for some time, resting, hunting, bathing.
They followed the river as it shrank smaller and smaller, splitting off into little tributaries. Finally June abandoned the now-stream and headed off over the hills.
She and Nyla came across the village in late morning. They had gotten up early and headed out, trying to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Away from the stream it was easier to get hot and thirsty. June's water was getting dangerously short, and she had been trying to find more water. What she found was a large reservoir penned behind a wooden dam, and buildings sprawled out in the space below.
June eyed it with suspicion. The last village she had been to hadn't been exactly friendly, but maybe this one would be different. Maybe there would be something that needed finding, someone to locate. And she needed more supplies. More food, for when hunting came up empty. Another waterskin. And new, better clothes. Hers were filthy and tattered by now.
She bathed in the calm waters of the reservoir, trying to get rid of the accumulated layers of grime and stink. She gingerly washed the worst of the filth off her clothes, afraid they would disintegrate if she scrubbed too hard. Nyla splashed around and tried to swim, his tail lashing back and forth across the water.
June wasn't sure what to do with her hair. She had kept it in a braid for a while now, but it was tangled and knotted. She worked out the worst of the tangles and pulled it back.
"Stay," she told Nyla firmly. He was getting better at obeying her commands, and she was constantly surprised at how smart he was and how much he understood. But simple commands were still the best.
He flopped down at the edge of the water, lapping at it idly with that whiplike tongue. Nyla was getting bigger and heavier, his fur just starting to shade from cub-tawny to adult-chocolate. She rubbed his ears and set off.
Striding into the village was hard, but she pushed herself forward. She needed this. She walked into the middle of town and found what looked like an all-purpose merchant's shop. Perfect.
She entered. It was darker inside, and she blinked a few times to get used to the light level. The walls were covered in tools, toys, clothing, and food, with counters and barrels on the floor. An aging, portly man wearing a green robe and a dark red overpiece watched her suspiciously. "Can I help you?"
"I need some food and new clothes," June said quietly. "I don't have any money -"
"Ain't that just like you urchins," the man growled. "Swan in here, expect me to just hand you my hard-earned livelihood without you paying a single copper? Ha!"
June swallowed. "Please -"
"This isn't a charity," the man said rudely. "Leave before I throw you out."
June swallowed and drew herself up. "Give me some supplies and clothes before I stab you."
The shopkeeper laughed, his head back. "Right. I'm terrified. Now get your thieving hands out of my shop." He picked up a heavy oaken staff leaning by the counter and started around towards her. June hastily left.
"I'm not a thief," she muttered, starting off.
There was one other shop, and the woman there was more kindly but wouldn't give her anything. When June threatened her, the woman not-so-gently earthbent her out and closed the door firmly. No one else in town seemed inclined to help a strange, ragged girl out, and no one needed anything or anyone found. She stayed well away from the Fire Nation soldiers.
Once she saw a boy who made her do a double take. That head of poofy brown hair… But this boy couldn't have been more than six, and he had vibrant green eyes instead of Jet's near-black -
No. She didn't know anyone called Jet. She had no family. Just her and Nyla. She resolutely turned away from the kid.
As the sun wandered down towards the horizon, June headed dejectedly back to Nyla, plopping down at the edge of the water. He looked up from where he had been dozing and whuffled, his eyeless face almost inquisitive.
"Nothing," June said glumly. "No one would give me anything. And the mean shopkeeper called me a thief." She glowered at the water. "He had so much in that store! Why couldn't I have something? I need it more than he does!"
She took a deep breath and looked back at the dam and the village below, anger simmering in her stomach. "Well, if he wants to think I'm a thief so bad, I guess the only polite thing to do is prove him right."
;=;=;=;=;
June employed every cuss word she'd ever heard as she darted through the dark shop. The only reason the shopkeeper hadn't caught her yet was that he kept knocking into things and making a mess.
How was she supposed to know about the rack of bells that would be shaken if she opened the storage door? Looking at it in that dumbfounded moment between when the unholy noise happened and when the fat old shopkeeper had appeared, wheezing, in the stairway, June had noticed that it was also tied to the front door. Good thing she hadn't been able to pick the lock after all.
June had gone through the back window instead. A loose frame made it easy to jimmy up, and she was in. She found the clothes and chose a dark tunic and trousers, a leather belt, and a thick cloak. She wasn't sure what color they really were, but in the shadows of the shop they were dark and unobtrusive.
(She had probably gotten orange, pink, and green. It would be her luck.)
She filled her pack with food, another waterskin, a new and much nicer knife, a set of spark rocks to replace her scavenged and makeshift ones, and a supple sheet of leather that she could probably find a use for. She also stumbled across a nicer pack and traded hers out.
But when she'd gone through the whole shop, she'd turned her attention to the storage room. It was probably filled with even more stuff that she could use. So, like a complete idiot, she blithely tried the door. And failed to notice, until it was too late, the string running along the ceiling to the rack of shiny metal bells.
And now she was thoroughly and completely caught in the act.
She scooped up a heavy wooden something and threw it across the shop. The shopkeeper whirled to see what it crashed into, and June bolted for the back window. She threw her shoulder into the frame, and it smashed free. She flung herself through it, clutching the full pack to her chest.
"Thief!" the shopkeeper bellowed – Oma and blessed Shu, why was he so loud? - out the window. "Thief!"
June could hear people stirring. Someone came out of a house. A pair of soldiers on night patrol hurried around the corner. She darted into the shadows between two buildings and tried to hide, but they followed.
Her legs burned and her chest ached. The pack was heavy in her arms. If she dropped it she might be able to get away, but she couldn't do that. This had food, clothes, and it had the old one too so she couldn't use that either. She cut across a street, cursing the lamps lighting every corner, and ran towards the edge of town.
People were gaining on her. Yelling, angry. Apparently the ruckus had raised a lot of attention in the town.
June wouldn't make it to the treeline before the people got there.
And then there was a snarl, deep and guttural. June choked in fear. There was something big and unhappy out there -
Moonlight picked out the knee-high silhouette of a shirshu. Nyla.
He snarled again. June had never heard a noise like that from him. She was used to his whines, his squeaky growls, his yipping. Apparently the cub was growing up.
He darted forward, at the pursuers that had stumbled to a halt. His tongue shot out, lashing sharply, and the man in front toppled. Frightened cries spread through the rest of the villagers. One turned and ran, and then the rest of them were running too.
Somehow June didn't think the Fire Nation soldiers would be scared off so easily, though. And they had armor. And fire. So she kept running, breaths coming in gasps, muscles screaming, Nyla loping at her heels. Twice she ran into a tree. Finally she slowed to a walk, and kept walking. She didn't stop as light broke across the sky and birds started to sing. She didn't stop until the sun had risen and she was so tired she couldn't see straight.
She had taken a twisting, turning route. She didn't know how far she was from the town, but she didn't think that anyone would find her now. She crawled under a bush with Nyla.
She had left the blanket at the reservoir campsite, along with her sling. But now she had more leather to make a bigger and better sling, and the cloak worked as a blanket.
She slept through much of the day, waking up in late afternoon. Nyla was gone, presumably hunting. June sat and sorted through the pack, organizing things in the nice pockets. She set aside all the clothes (dark green and black, thankfully), repacked the bag, and put the clothes on. The trousers were a little big, but that was what the belt was for. The tunic fit her surprisingly well. The cloak was way too big, but that was all right because she was going to be using it as a blanket, apparently. She felt kind of bad for stealing so much; but every time she thought of the sneering shopkeeper's face, the bad feeling went away.
She looked down at herself, wearing nice new clothes. She liked how the dark colors looked on her.
Whistling for Nyla, she slung the pack onto her shoulders and set off again.