So...this is going to be a slow burn it seems...
Alice stuck close to Marie all the while, waiting for a moment of distance between Duncan ahead and Uncas behind so they could talk.
When it finally did come, Marie spoke first,
"That was stupidly close."
Alice laughed, despite the terrors,
"You sounded like a child,"
"At least I didn't act like one! Who were you hiding from?"
Alice felt her amusement subside to be replaced by futility,
"I don't know," she shrugged, looking down, "I'm a fearful person, I suppose."
"Pfft no you're not." Marie's sudden downplaying of Alice's shame came as a surprise but Marie continued,
"We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you and your decision to challenge time. Talking of which," Marie glanced up, ignoring Alice's surprise, "When we get to the Fort and we find...us...we leg it."
"What, not now?" Alice asked sarcastically but that too, flew over Marie's head,
"No, not much we can do about our current situation, Lady, we've messed that well up."
"Ok," Alice wiped the growing film of sweat from off her face, "How would we be there already? You heard Duncan. He said we'd planned this trip already. We've probably left them behind."
"Yes and with a safer journey on a cleaner road. God help them when they find the massacre," Marie shut her eyes and cringed before continuing, "They'll get there, so will we. There'll be a brief moment of confusion, we'll be intruders but not for long. We leg it and let Duncan remain perplexed for the rest of his life."
"Haunt him..." Alice mused aloud. The thought caught Marie off guard. She slowed enough for Alice to walk past her without realising. When Alice looked back, Marie was frowning. Worry was on her face, a deeper worry. The worry that came with regards to the well fare of other people.
An echo of life Alice recalled Marie saying and that was what they were to be were they to become fly-by-nights. Not one of their companions would ever be sure they existed. Their present counterparts, the 'real' Alice and Cora/Marie would always be in the dark as to what people would be referring too. Parts of their lives would be lost to them.
"Yes," Marie said, barely audibly, catching up, "yes...haunt them. Same as they'll haunt us."
"I came here for a reason," Alice countered, "I can't just abandon that."
"Yeah? What exactly do you plan on doing once you've figured it out? Telling Chingachgook that you knew all along? You'll be a hero. Will you try and stop death? I wouldn't recommend it." Marie didn't stop her trek even as she bombarded Alice with questions she couldn't answer, "Let him die. Besides...1757 has got alarm bells all over it. We best get away."
"What bells?" she asked abruptly, disturbed by the revelation.
"Can't remember...but trust that I will at the worst moment," Marie answered evenly.
Alice was speechless. Marie's words about Uncas were harsh and unyielding, the foreboding in her fears about the year were unsettling. As she wafted ahead of Alice, her eyes sought out the heaving body of the old Indian as he trundled through the woods, leaving their conversation to hang in the air like smoke.
Alice followed Marie's gaze thoughtfully. So lost in her thoughts was she that she took a misstep and stumbled. Before she hit the ground, a strong hand caught her elbow and stopped her descent. For a moment, she glided across the ground, weightless in the hands of someone else until she found her feet and then the grip ceased and she stood on her own.
The youngest man of the frontier, Uncas, walked not far behind. There was no evidence of him being the hero but who else was there?
"Be careful, miss," He said in a deep voice, deeper than Alice expected yet perfectly matched to his silent exterior. It was scratchy as if rusted from a lack of use. The words were out of her mouth before Alice could think to stop them,
"Are those the first words you've said today?"
Uncas looked momentarily taken aback before a hint of amusement played at the corners of his mouth. He nodded but said nothing.
Alice mimicked him then turned back to her thoughts with a mild,
"Thank you."
Uncas, again, did not respond.
It wasn't long before they reached the river. The rolling river that glinted in the sun and fell effortlessly over the precipice of a small waterfall that they would have to climb over.
The beauty of their surroundings was captivating, stealing Alice's breath away with its uncompromising glory. Untouched, unchecked and unchallenged, the wilderness was alive in a wondrous existence that made a light glow bright in the core of the soul. Alice breathed in the freshness of the air, the smell of wet shrubbery filling her lungs. She closed her eyes briefly to listen to the sound of life but it was short lived as Marie drew level with her,
"Can't stop yet," she whispered excitedly, seeming to have forgotten about their rather morbid conversation,"Finally, I get to show off my climbing skills!"
Alice looked up at the miniature Everest and held back a groan. It had become increasingly apparent how easily Marie fitted into the outdoors. Alice, on the other hand, did not. She didn't mind it, as long as she didn't have to trek through it. The minor moment she had just had to herself had been the best of the adventure thus far. Climbing was not her forte. She dreaded it.
She watched the others sail up it with ease, Hayward kneeling down to help Marie up but she got to the top without his help and looked proud because of it.
When it came to Alice's turn, no one was there. She thought of protesting it but decided against it. She refused to be as fickle as she felt. Still, it was steep and she wasn't sure of foot.
"Do you need my help, miss?"
Alice spun around and found Uncas gazing at her curiously.
Alice shook her head vigorously,
"No, I'm sure I can do it on my own."
Uncas didn't protest. Instead he accepted her decision without a bother and proceeded to wait until she made it up. She had just about done it when her hand slipped. The skin of her palms opened up wide and she let out a small yelp but still she didn't ask for Uncas' help.
She glanced down at him and found him watching her closely, his body ready but he didn't move to catch her.
With this in mind, Alice tried again. She all but rolled over the top of the fall in relief, breathing heavily in effort and relief, clutching her palms and taking note of the blood mark she left on the rock. That, too, will be an echo of my existence.
Moments later, Uncas had arrived, kneeling to her and grasping her injured hand without permission. He examined it closely before ruffling rough his sling bag and drawing a small bottle of the clearest liquid from its contents.
"Is that water?" Alice asked sceptically, scrutinising the small bottle as Uncas uncorked it forcefully, the stringy muscles in his forearms flexing as he did so.
"Alcohol," He corrected, "Too small to be of any real danger but best to be safe."
He poured it on without warning and Alice gasped. The application of the alcohol stung more than the actual act of cutting herself.
"Bloody hell!" she blurted out before frantically covering her potty mouth, "I'm so sorry,"
"Why?" Uncas gave a half smile, unmoved by Alice's outlet of language, "I've heard worse,"
He helped her up,
"So have you."
He allowed her to move past him again. Then she turned abruptly, stopping him in his tracks. He stopped dead to look at her. The dying light caught his cheek bones just so, throwing the dentures of his cheeks into shadow. His brown eyes shone in the half light and his black hair shimmered. He was indeed, quite a specimen.
Alice gaped at him, searching for what she had intended to say before realising she had forgotten. She turned away and kept on. Shaking her head at herself.
"Alright?" He asked from behind her.
"Fine," she answered without turning back.
Just as evening was finally settling in, Alice noted that Marie was in deep conversation with Nathaniel, deep if not tense. Ahead, Duncan walked as if disgruntled. Even further ahead, Chingachgook walked on without tiring. Leading them on confidently. Ever aware of his surroundings and light on his feet, he suited the land.
Alice looked around indulgently, amazed at how different the world was. All the illustrations and descriptions in modern history books and historical novels were not enough, not even correct. It was wilder and simultaneously more peaceful.
But something was amiss. Ahead of them, Chingachgook had stopped and had elicited a small whistle to draw the attention of his sons.
Smoke was spiralling up above the trees ahead of them, a dull heat pulsed out from ahead. Marie backtracked to Alice, her nerves evident on her face.
Uncas, who stood silently behind, moved past them suddenly. Chingachgook motioned for him to head around the edge to appear on the opposite side.
As the frontiersmen crept forward to investigate, Nathaniel motioned for the two women and Duncan to stay put, bringing the trek to a standstill.
The trio stood in uncertain silence as they waited. They exchanged no words as they waited for the worst. Alice already felt herself preparing to run.
Her intuition was right, it seemed, as woops were heard, shots were fired and the clang of steel on steel rose into the night.
Moments later, Nathaniel burst out of the wilderness.
"Run!" He called as he approached. Marie wasted no time, nor did Duncan. Alice was unsure of what she was waiting for or why she felt she had too but she couldn't move. Her eyes were glued to the edge of the clearing.
Chingachgook ran out not long after, urging her to run. When she didn't, he slowed,
"Come, child, run!"
But Alice couldn't move. Even as Chingachgook tugged at her hand urgently, she looked on in a steadily growing dread, wondering whether this was how Uncas was to die and whether she knew what she was to do next.
Against the pull of Chingachgook, Alice took a shaky step forward towards that which she feared,
"Girl" Chingachgook cried forcefully, disabling Alice's advances.
Then Uncas finally did come sailing out of the clearing, surging forward with a faster pace when another warrior roared out from his left to kill him with the likes of a madman.
Uncas jutted his tomahawk out and up through the gut of his assailant who fell instantly. Dead without warning.
When Uncas saw Alice and his anxious father, he looked confused,
"Go!" He said, catching up to them, "Go, go!"
A mix of horror and relief overcame Alice; seeing Uncas emerge alive was a great thing for her morale; seeing a man cut down so brutally was not, even if he was the attacker. Still, she found she could heed Chingachgook more easily.
She ran, her hand still clasped in the elder man's as if he were afraid she might run back. Uncas was ahead, racing through the trees where Chingachgook could see him. Life was pumping through their veins as they escaped.
Their escape through the trees was quick and no one followed them.
It was dark when they finally stopped. Alice was breathless and in between dreams.
Somewhere in between time, Nathaniel's fury had risen and Marie, in turn, had risen to the challenge.
"You two have lead us straight into hell!" He sniffed and turned away angrily.
Marie gasped,
"How dare you!" she raged back, ignoring the distress. Alice could see it in them all. In Uncas, in Chingachgook, in Nathaniel though Nathaniel was the only one who acted on it. The fine fingers of sorrow.
"You blame us for this mess? For the death of strangers? You left them there and told us to run, we ran!" She continued harshly, "We don't even know what we're running from! Twice today, people have tried to kill us! We. Don't. Know. Why! And you blame us?!"
"I blame your ignorance! Who wants to casually wonder into war?" Nathaniel threw his hands up, "I blame your ignorance and your lack of decency!"
"Decency?" Marie fired back once more, "You abandoned them!"
"You can't abandon something that's already dead…"
"So you won't go back to bury them? My lack of decency," she snorted, "Your cruel indifference!"
Alice sensed the hackles on the backs of the three Frontiersmen go up, if they weren't careful, they'd be in the depths of Nathaniel's hell alone. Marie was being overly harsh, Alice had to admit, but she understood. She knew Marie well enough to see where this was coming from. She could not say the same for the others, maybe not even Duncan who stood to the side. He looked as if he were to stand by Marie, argue her point but Alice sensed he wold be in over his head were he to do so.
"M...Cora," she whispered, "Cora, stop."
"I appreciate your help, I do," Marie powered on over Alice, she was growing breathless, each inhalation was strained and her eyes glistened, "But don't you call me indecent. I have left no one behind and if you ever had an inkling of an idea of what Alice and I are doing here, you'd take every God-damned word right back!"
Everyone appeared to be slightly baffled by this statement. After all, as far they were aware, they knew perfectly well why they were there.
"Cora," Alice tried again. Marie was upset. They all were for different reasons. It was the clash of reasoning that brought on the argument as well as the silence.
Nathaniel could no longer respond. His will had been crushed.
Marie was about to continue but Alice decided it was enough,
"Cora!" she said sternly, finally drawing Marie's surprised and angry attention to her, "Stop. Please."
She was surprised by the trembling in her voice when she pleaded. Marie's expression softened almost immediately.
She jumped when Nathaniel's pained expression was suddenly so close to hers, having taken a secret step towards her.
"They were not strangers, Miss. They stay as they are because by leaving tracks, they'd find us. They'd find you," the white tracker said softly, calmer now the fire had simmered.
Marie's eyes dropped and without a word, she left. She didn't go far but far enough to be alone. Nathaniel's eyes settled on Alice briefly; he sniffed then turned away. Behind her Chingachgook moved quietly,
"There will be no fire tonight. Let the dead rest."
Uncas simply sat down cross-legged, rummaging through his trusty sling bag for food. Bits of dried fruit and meat were on the proverbial table for dinner that evening. Then he sat and he sat, deep in thought over their day.
Alice watched him a moment. You're alive, yet.
She turned to go to Marie but a firm hand on her forearm stopped her. She found herself looking into the eyes of Chingachgook, hurt and crestfallen. Eerily similar to the first moment she met him. Her heart swelled as she looked at him.
"Leave her, for now," He said softly, "She cries."
"I know," Alice answered wearily, somewhat offended by Chingachgook's presumption to stop her. She knew her 'sister' better than anyone. This moment was the best of any to find her. Chingachgook must have seen this on Alice's face,
"Let her cry. Now is a moment for reflection."
Alice considered it briefly before asking,
"Who was it?" she recoiled slightly at Chingachgook's sudden return, "Why were we not followed?"
"War party. There's no need to kill us. Only the people in the cabin, only for their fine hides and money. Only easy trade," he sighed heavily, "Only our friends. "
He left her then to sit down next to his son. Duncan sat against a tree looking out of place. Nathaniel sat on a log a few yards away with his shoulders heaving.
Alice just stood, unsure of what to do. What to do with her hands, where to sit, what to say, how to say it. She was unsure, even, of what to do with the memories in her head. Life was so easily trampled there. She became more aware of her weaknesses, frighteningly aware. Frightened to a point where she convinced herself that she wouldn't survive out there on her own. She didn't belong there regardless of the feeling of familiarity.
She collapsed onto the ground more than she did sit down. Defeated on the first day, she tried not to cry but she couldn't stop. She managed to keep her sobbing silent as she put her head in her hands but the tears, they would not stop.
Alice hadn't realised she'd fallen asleep until she woke up in the dead of night. Marie was nowhere to be seen, everyone else was as silent as the grave. Above her, the trees leaned in ominously and cast shadows on the ground that looked like terrifying creatures. Ahead, soft voices could be heard amongst the gentle tread of footsteps over fallen leaves and sticks. A shuffling sound made in unison as they advanced together.
Alice's dazed state went from dull to high alert. She jolted up right, panic welling up inside of her and she could feel her lungs constrict, making her breathing more of a trial than a luxury.
She placed her hands over own mouth to stem the noise, fearful of giving them away.
The smallest shuffle alerted her to someone coming up behind her. She spun, feeling the scream coming without mercy. Whoever was coming up behind must have known it was coming too for they launched forward and connected with Alice in a painful thud. She fell back, winded once more, her ability to scream disabled, her grunt hindered as the mass so suddenly atop her pressed their hand over her mouth too.
"Shsh," it whispered, a deep baritone whisper as wisps of hair fell across her face and tickled her nose. The wait on her chest and abdomen was stupidly debilitating and yet she dared not move beneath him.
The creepers advancement, Alice could hear as she closed her eyes, was halted suddenly. Hushed and frantic whispers rose into the fray. A repeated 'No' was all Alice could make out other than the fact their enemies were French given the language.
She listened as the voices gradually faded, the rustling of the leaves grew silent and the night stilled once more.
The body on top of hers relaxed and removed his hand from atop hers to lift himself off of her.
Opening her eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, Alice found herself looking up at Uncas once more. The moonlight provided enough light to enhance his cheekbones and his lean frame, other than that, he was a shadow.
She just lay there as he crouched beside her,
"Didn't mean to startle you," He whispered apologetically, studying Alice a moment before settling down beside her.
Whispers proceeded to be thrown back and forth as a plan of action was decided upon. Duncan Hayward appeared to have much and more to say about said plan, tending to disagree with everything.
"We should go now," He urged sternly, under the cover of darkness is the best way to move."
"They obviously know that, too, Major," came Nathaniel's casual answer, "We stay here and move at dawn."
"They could come back," Duncan countered.
Chingachgook answered this time,
"They won't. The Burial ground has kept us safe. It is sacred, no one is to die where the dead already lie."
"But you were prepared too, old Man," Duncan answered the old man almost stubbornly. Chingachgook didn't answer.
"Everyone was prepared. The fact that we shouldn't doesn't mean we won't. We're not moving so sit still and wait," Nathaniel's voice was threateningly soft, "And don't ever speak to my father like that again."
Duncan went silent, Alice imagined him scowling through the darkness, but what was a hateful scowl if no one could see it?
"Alice?" Marie's voice floated to her, a tentative enquiry, "Are you alright?"
Alice shared a glance with Uncas and she felt herself endure a hot flush. I'm fine. Uncas threw himself on top of me. I couldn't breathe. I'm amazing.
"Yup..." She answered airily, without elaborating, leaving Marie with a loose end.
"Oh..." Marie replied, the surprise of Alice's nonchalance clear in her voice, "Good."
Nobody slept the rest of the night though no one spoke. The uneven breathing was a give-away. Uncas didn't even lie down. He just sat, his closeness to Alice was disconcerting. When he moved, his buckskin legging brushed against her hand and then she would flex it instinctively. Alive. You're alive.
Dawn broke late, the cloudy morning making its arrival an uncertain affair. Nathaniel asked something of Uncas whilst looking up at the sky in puzzlement. The younger man only shrugged.
Soon enough, the little troupe rose. Duncan appeared to be too moody to talk to anyone but stuck close to Marie. She looked dishevelled and a bit flustered following the previous night's events. Nathaniel looked as ready as anyone while Chingachgook waited patiently by a tree, his forearms resting atop his musket, legs crossed casually.
Uncas remained as he was, neither ready nor unready. He was conveniently in between. It wasn't long before they set off again. Uncas drifted from the group to prowl above them. Consistent in his alertness, careful with his listening. Their came a brief clearing where Uncas caught her eye. They both paused before Uncas went back to his guard and Alice was left to walk on alone.
She watched Chingachgook carefully too. Watched the way he moved, took note of how powerful a man he actually was. Tall, like his son, but bigger boned and a barrelling chest. He was the more typical specimen depicted in books. Noble and of a fine build and decent. A quiet strength emanated from him. The unsung rock of the group.
Not long after, Uncas called for a change-over of positions. As Nathaniel left Cora's side, Chingachgook moved up ahead and Uncas came bounding down the slope. He slipped a little on his way down and all but hurtled into Alice who, on impulse, opened her arms. She caught him but not well and they stumbled with a few giggles and an,
"Ohp!" from Uncas as he tried to save himself, "Sorry, Miss."
"No problem at all," she replied breathlessly, still clutching him even as he gradually began to let go. His skin was warm to her touch, his hands were calloused. She could tell he loved the land he walked on. He respected it. He was free in it.
She recalled her love of English literature, her bed and the confines of intimate gatherings more than the outdoors, parties and general life. She was not so free in this old America. She was lost in it. The difference between this man and her, not only by time but by race, by existence and by general life was too great for her to fathom. She let go of him instantly and moved on.
"Why did you not run, yesterday?" Uncas asked out of the blue, suddenly very close to Alice. She glanced back at him in surprise, "I found my father trying to drag you away. Why?"
"Uhm...pass," she said, embarrassed. She shook her head.
He didn't ask anything else.
"What about you?" she tried. He looked confused,
"What do you mean?"
"Well, tell me about yourself," she tried to sound chirpy but she could hear how her voice sounded; awkward. As awkward as she was feeling.
"What would you like to know?"
Alice thought a moment; how to pry without appearing to be prying.
"Your brother...how are you related?" She felt contented with that, it seemed a safe enough question.
"We're not," Uncas answered promptly, taking Alice aback but it was not without kindness, "My father found him when he was a child. About 10 years before he had me."
"And his mother?"
"You'll have to ask him."
Alice considered it briefly, going so far as to cast her eyes up to Nathaniel before deciding against it.
"Alright," Alice tried again, "What about your mother?"
"Long dead."
Alice frowned; all his responses seemed to lack any kind of sincere emotion, as if avoiding a truth or hiding one.
"I'm sorry," she said finally, "I...can't really imagine-"
"I was too young. I don't remember," Uncas said easily, cutting the pity short so that Alice had nowhere to go.
"Your father then," she said, diverting it, besides, she'd seen his father broken. He had not. An odd position to be in.
"He must have suffered," Alice finished.
"I believe he suffers every day."
Alice took pause,
"Why's that?"
"His people...my people are gone. He watched them all slowly die off. There's only me and him now."
"...how?" Alice found herself to be more perplexed than saddened.
"I don't know."
"Did your father never tell you?"
"He did."
Alice didn't press him. It came clear that this was a truth he was trying to avoid. He didn't want to talk about it so she didn't press him.
"What are you the last of then?"
"The Mohicans."
"Well for that I am sorry. Truly," Alice stopped to look at him, "And I'm sorry about your friends."
Already gazing at her with an unwavering curiosity, Uncas bowed his head in recognition before asking,
"What about your mother?"
Alice tried to think of an answer but none came. Her own mother was fine in a cosy house near a park with a loving husband. This Alice's mother was a mystery. She obviously wasn't in Albany and there was no mention of a mother waiting at the Fort. She didn't know the story. Lying really wasn't an option.
"Pass," she said again, turning away from Uncas, ignoring his own furrowed brow.
"You're interested in my story but you won't tell me yours," He remarked with the smallest amount of conviction, "Why not?"
Alice felt the wind blow against her cheeks, the gentle rustling of leaves and the sure footsteps of Uncas as he treaded lightly behind her. Ahead, the others trekked on quietly. Suddenly Alice felt the swell of memory, a picture as clear as day of an empty forest. There were people ahead, a man behind. It was exactly as it was now only the people in her head had no faces.
"This is my whole life," she offered him instead, taking in her surroundings, "As if I've already lived it."
Don't forget to drop a review. :) Ta!