Pieces

Bits of adventure, pieces of life.

Chapter 4: Stronger than he looks

Even before he went up the Mountain, Rowan was fighting fear everyday.

Ice

'Mama? Mama, are you better?'

Annad's voice crept under Jiller's thick blankets. Jiller poked her head out to see her daughter leaning in close.

'I am feeling a little better,' she said. Her head did not throb as badly as the day before.

Annad smiled and climbed on the bed. Jiller could not see her through the darkness but she felt the small weight settling on top of her.

'What time is it, Annad?'

'Um...'

'Will you go into the kitchen and bring me the clock?'

'Yes, Mama!'

Annad slid down with a loud thud! and ran off. She was soon back with the small clock they kept on a shelf in the kitchen.

Five-thirty. The sun would not be up at this time, not during Winter. Everyone would still be in bed.

'Alright Annad. You can go back to bed.'

Except for Rowan. He might be waking up now. Everyone started work earlier in Winter, Rowan earlier than most.

'Wait, Annad. Before you go to bed, tell Rowan he can take the leftover dinner with him.'

'Yes, Mama.'

The three year old padded out and Jiller tried not to fall back asleep. It was not often she had a cold, but when she did, it hit hard and kept her in bed or at home for at least two days. She depended on her close friends to take Annad out and cook, but at least Rowan was now old enough to go to the Teaching Tree or the bukshaa field on his own. (1)

'Rowan is not home, Mama,' Annad said when she came back.

'Not home? He has left already? ... Go back to bed then. Sara will be here in a while to make breakfast and take you to the bakery.'

'Can I sleep with you, Mama?'

'Alright.'

xxx XXX xxx

Knock knock.

'Jiller? Are you awake?'

'Good morning, Sara!'

'Good morning, Annad.'

Jiller rubbed her eyes and sat up.

'Hello, Sara.'

Her friend was smiling at Annad, but there was worry dark in her eyes.

'Annad, your breakfast is ready in the kitchen. Why don't you get dressed quickly so you can eat?'

'Yes! Breakfast!'

Annad wiggled out of bed and ran out to fetch her clothes. Sara moved aside for her and asked Jiller if she felt up to eating with them in the kitchen.

'Yes, I have the energy today,' Jiller said.

'Mama! Help me please?'

Annad dashed back in with her clothes and Jiller helped her with the buttons before getting dressed herself. Even if she was in no condition to work today, being dressed in her day clothes made her feel better.

In the kitchen Annad and Sara were already eating porridge with honey and Jiller's stomach rumbled.

'Has Rowan already gone out to the bukshaa fields?' Sara asked.

'Yes, a while ago.'

Jiller filled her bowl from the pot and drizzled more honey than usual into it.

'What time did he leave?'

'Before five-thirty... is something wrong?'

Sara frowned.

'Jonn came to our house just before I left this morning,' she said. 'He said the bukshaa are not in their field and he did not see Rowan there. He and Allun have gone to look for them.

'I wanted to ask you what time Rowan left this morning. Allun and Jonn will return soon.'

'... I do not even remember seeing him last night,' Jiller murmured. Her porridge was suddenly tasteless. 'I went to sleep in the evening just after dinner.' She had a light dinner in her room but her children ate in the kitchen because of her headache.

'He was home then,' Sara said. 'He was here when Allun left after dinner.'

'... Perhaps the bukshaa have strayed?'

'The whole herd at once? Where would they have gone?'

xxx XXX xxx

'The wind in the trees and the birds and the bees~' Jonn sung quietly as he walked towards the orchards.

'The stream gurgling merrily-' He stopped.

Something was strange. There was something different going on here.

It was a cold, frosty Winter morning, and the sky was turning grey. The birds were singing already, but they were only ones awake. Jonn might be up now to check the frost damage on his trees, but nearly everyone else in Rin would in bed for another half an hour.

Rowan might be awake though - oh, that was it.

Jonn was within sight of the bukshaa field now - but there was not one to be seen.

Seriously. There were no bukshaa in their field. Jonn did not see them at their pool either.

So where were they?

Had Rowan taken them out to the growing fields already? Surely not when no one who worked in the fields was out yet.

He climbed up the hills anyway to check. No one was out there.

Jonn frowned. He could search the orchards, but maybe he should go to the bakery first, since Annad would be going there before Teaching. He could ask Allun and Sara if they knew anything.

xxx XXX xxx

'They went this way,' Allun announced.

'How do you -'

Squelch~

'Ah.'

Allun laughed and leapt lightly over a dropping.

'Ah, look ahead!' he said, pointing. 'I see one!' He darted ahead of Jonn.

'There are more! I think the whole herd is here, Jonn!'

Jonn ran to catch up and saw there were several bukshaa standing around the hoopberry trees.

'Twilight, Dawn, Apple,' he counted heads. 'Misty, Wave... You are right. What are they doing here?'

Allun nimbly stepped between the beasts and they moved to let him through.

'Oi, Jonn!' he called back. 'Look who I have found!' The baker turned forward again and said softly,

'Hello Rowan. How long have you been out here? How are you feeling?'

From the middle of a huddle of bukshaa, Rowan looked up through a gap and blinked tiredly at them.

'Allun?' he murmured.

'And Jonn. What are you all doing here in the orchard?'

'Ah, it's Shine.'

'Shine? hey, Rowan, stay awake. What about Shine?'

'She wandered off last night and got stuck here.' Rowan yawned. 'I tried to free her.'

'Have you been out here all night?' Jonn asked, shocked.

'Yes.'

Jonn closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

'Why did you not ask someone for help?' he tried not to growl. 'You could have ask Allun or myself to help you. Or Marlie, or Timon, or your mother's relatives. Why would you stay out here all night, during Winter?'

Rowan looked at them with watering eyes and trembling lips so Allun clapped his hand over Jonn's mouth.

'He is just worried about you, Rowan. Let us help you up.'

It turned out that Shine had cut one her legs when she got stuck in large rabbit warren and bleed a lot, which was why Rowan had not wanted to leave her alone. He had tried to pull her out, but the half-grown bukshaa was too heavy and too wedged in the earth and tree roots for him. An adult would have risked leaving to get help, but Allun knew Rowan, being young and afraid for his bukshaa's life, would not have wanted to take that risk.

So, being unable to free Shine, Rowan had wrapped his shirt around her leg and stayed with her all night.

Thank goodness, Allun thought, the boy had taken his winter clothes when he saw Shine wandering off from his window and went after her. And thank goodness the rest of the herd had spent the night huddled around them.

Allun wrapped his jacket around Rowan and helped Jonn pull Shine out. The young bukshaa stumbled but she seemed to be out of immediate danger. Rowan hugged her and unwrapped his shirt from her leg with shaking fingers.

'The bleeding has nearly stopped,' Allun said as he assessed the congealing blood on Shine's wool. 'You did a good job, Rowan.'

'Will she be alright?'

'Yes. I think she will need stitches, but Shine will live.'

'Oh. I am so glad.' Rowan smiled. 'Can you show me how to sew, Allun?'

'Right now you will go home to rest and eat,' Jonn interrupted. 'Allun or your mother can teach you sewing another day.'

'But Shine needs stitches!'

'She will get them.' Jonn rewrapped Shine's leg and picked her up.

'Allun, take Rowan to your house and let Jiller know what happened.'

'Shall I bring you a needle and thread afterwards?'

'Yes. Rowan has worked hard so I will make sure it is finished properly.'

'How good are you at sewing?' Allun grinned.

Rowan's eyes widened in alarm.

'I am joking! Jonn can sew well enough, Skinny Rabbit. Shine is in good hands. Come on, there is a plate of pancakes with your name on them at my house.'

Fire

Annad's little hand holding his made Rowan feel a bit better. She padded after their cousins into the lounge, pulling Rowan after her.

Arra, Sen, and Dayn were the children of Sefton's cousin Gem. (2) Even though they were his relatives, Rowan felt shy of them.

Arra and Sen, a little older than him, and Dayn, a little older than Annad, sat on a woven rug before the fireplace with their marbles out in rows. They were playing Line Shoot. Arra used a finger to flick one her marbles at Sen's row.

Click!

Sen grabbed the marbles as they rolled away and gave them to Arra, and she put them in a jar.

'Pretty!' Annad reached out to grab them, but Rowan caught her hands.

'Here. Annad can play with these,' Arra said, giving her a string of pretty beads.

'You play with Dayn,' she said to Rowan. 'Then we will swap.'

Rowan wondered, not for the first time if her parents had told her to include him, or if she was taking pity on him. It was hard to tell with her.

'Aww...' Dayn muttered. He had obviously been told to play.

xxx XXX xxx

'What happened to Rowan the other day?' asked Gem. 'I saw Allun walking him into the bakery covered in blood.'

She, her husband Ferd and Jiller were drinking tea in Gem's kitchen after dinner.

Jiller explained how Rowan had spent the night outside protecting an injured bukshaa and gotten a bad cold. Several people must have seen Allun bringing him back, and wearing the baker's jacket had not covered the stain of Shine's blood.

Rowan had come down with a cold and Shine was quickly recovering from her injury.

'Ah,' Gem said. 'It is good that he and the bukshaa are alright.'

'I was not aware that rabbit holes were a risk to the bukshaa,' said Ferd. 'It is rare for a bukshaa to come into danger.'

'Not so,' said Gem. 'A very cold winter could be dangerous.'

'With their wooly coats?'

'And giving birth,' Jiller added.

'Ah.'

There was a pause then, and they heard the click or marbles in the lounge.

Click!

'Not fair, Sen.'

'Do not winge, Dayn. Hand them over.'

'How cold was it that night?' Ferd wondered. 'There was a thick frost.'

'Yes, that is why Jonn was out early to check the trees. The entire bukshaa herd were huddled around Rowan and Shine.'

'Rowan must be hardier than he looks,' Ferd said. Jiller was not certain if he was genuinely impressed, or just trying not to add to her worry. Strong adults had died from cold like that night, though it was rare.

Jiller supposed most people could not imagine any danger or trouble in the job of caring for the bukshaa. After all, with the exception of little Minna, none of the Keepers had ever died doing their work.

Click!

Smack!

A marble came flying into the kitchen and hit the bottom of a cupboard.

'Whoa! Good shot!'

Arra came in from the lounge, her eyes on the floor.

'How many times have I told you not to do that inside, Arra?' Ferd scolded her.

'Sorry, Father,' she muttered, retrieving her marble from under a chair.

'Be careful.'

'Yes, Father.' She left, and the adults had a moment of peace before cries of alarm came from the lounge.

'Annad! No!'

'Oh look out!'

xxx XXX xxx

Click!

Clack!

Clack!

Sen grinned as his shot struck the biggest marble in Rowan's line.

Click!

Arra's strong forefinger sent a blue marble flying out into the kitchen where it hit something with a loud:

Smack!

'Whoa! Good shot!' Sen said admiringly.

She went after her shot, cringing.

'Oo, Father is going to tell her off!' Dayn giggled.

'How many times have I told you not to do that inside, Arra?'

'Sorry, Father.'

Rowan looked at the floor as the sound of Arra's footsteps came back, wishing the rug had a pattern he could be interested in.

There was a loud gasp.

'Annad! No!'

Rowan looked up quickly and saw Annad reaching for her beads... which were lying in the fireplace!

Sen lunged for Annad and yanked her away from the fire.

'Oh look out!' Arra cried.

Annad had grasped the end of the beads and they had been thrown onto the rug as she was pulled away. The string glowed red on the rug before it suddenly burst into flame.

xxx XXX xxx

The adults burst from their chairs and were running when the children started shouting.

They found Sen and Dayn scrambling backwards with Annad, who was beginning to cry, along with Rowan.

'What happened!?' Ferd bellowed. 'Is someone hurt?'

'Annad's bead fell in the fire,' Arra said quietly. 'She tried to get them out, but they caught fire on the rug.'

'What!?'

'It's out now! Rowan put it out.'

Jiller kneeled down to take Annad in her arms and hug Rowan. He sobbed into her shoulder.

Gem stomped on the black patch in the rug with her slippers.

'Is anyone hurt?' Ferd repeated.

'Rowan's hands are burnt,' Jiller said, turning one over in her hand. The skin was bright red.

'Anyone else?'

'No,' said the other children.

'Alright then. We have burn paste in the kitchen for those hands.'

Jiller followed Ferd with her children as Gem put up a fire guard and sent Arra to bring water for the rug.

In the kitchen Ferd put his medicine box on the table and had Rowan stand before him, still crying.

'Why did you put out the fire with your hands, boy? That was dangerous. You should know that well.'

'I don't k-know,' Rowan sniffled.

Jiller filled a large bowl with from the water barrel and placed her son's hands with it. Annad was quieting in her other arm, falling asleep.

'Thank goodness it was still small.' Ferd said.

'Alright, keep your hands in there until I say take them out.'

Ferd and Jiller prepared tea for everyone while Rowan cooled his hands and his tears stopped.

'You can take your hands out now,' Ferd told him when the tea was ready. 'Dry them carefully and I'll put this paste on.'

'Thank you, Ferd,' Rowan said shyly.

'Your left hand is less injured so you can still hold your cup. There.'

Somehow tea was no quieter than dinner, as Gem and Ferd's children had gotten over their fright.

'Tage challeneged me to a seven level Line Shoot tomorrow,' Sen grinned. 'He is betting his blue chicken egg on his win.'

'You lost your steel blackbird egg your him last time,' Arra reminded him. 'And his wrist was sprained.'

'I was going easy on him!'

'And then you lost! You always lose when you shoot lazy.'

'I do not!'

'You do,' said Dayn. 'Even Rowan beat you.'

Rowan's face turned pink.

Jiller smiled.

Notes

(1) I estimate Rowan is 5-7 years older than Annad. She is 5 in the first book, and Rowan is probably 10 or older.

(2) Made up. Or perhaps Sefton's mum had a sister we don't know about? Jiller, Rowan and Annad are closer with their friends, but they are on good terms with their extended relatives and visit each other every now and then.

Sorry there's so many OCs. The cast of cannon Rin characters I can use is actually small, but I will try not to use too many OCs.

Burn treatment information: thanks to St John's.