Chapter 6 "Old Wounds"
Nin treaded carefully over the soft grass, into the ditch and back up the far side, not leaving any foot prints of his own. He continued softly into the woods, barely making a crack of dead leaves or snap of bramble against his body, lest his father hear and realize he had been discovered. He was impressed by how well they masked their passage through the brush, and Nin had a difficult time tracking them, however he had become quite good in the woods during the last six weeks. Indeed it was necessary for his survival, and he managed to find the subtlest of signs of their path, though his going was very slow. He was patient, knowing that once they reached their settlement his father would likely drop his guard.
After about thirty minutes of tracking Nin's theory proved correct, and their path became much easier to find. He could easily see now foot prints, both Taurun's large and Rin's smaller and more carelessly broken twigs and branches. Nin stayed wary, not wanting to give them any indication he was discovering them. His father was an evil man, but not entirely stupid. Nin did not put it past him to have a trap set, or to lure a pursuer into an ambush if he had realized someone was following. It proved however, that perhaps Taurun was over confident in his hiding place, or not planning on staying long, because Nin came across no such danger.
With his improved pace Nin, after only about ten more minutes, reached a clearing in the trees. He could see several of them had fallen over fairly recently creating a small glade. Nin wondered if his father had cleared these trees himself, and a bad taste crept into his mouth at this thought. Nin loved the forests near where he lived, and despised the arid deserts that made up most of the east lands. The fertile lands here were a true gift, yet the people here treated them with cruel indifference, taking from them with no regard, as they did everything. Nin's brow furrowed as it almost constantly did, and he wanted to spit for the coppery taste in his mouth. He crept closer and then sat in a lithe crouch to look closer. He took a minute to shake his head, as if trying to rid it of the hateful thoughts there, a habit he had developed as he got older.
Staring into the clearing he saw a small hut, hastily constructed, at the far end of the clearing. All around he saw signs of what was left of his broken family's presence. Animal hides and bones carelessly thrown about, small items likely stolen or bartered for in an unorganized muddle. Nothing of what he saw surprised Nin, and he felt a strong desire to just turn around and leave this chaos behind. With his mother gone, there was not much left to tie him to this land. He cared for Gin, but he knew if he asked her to leave with him she would. He could protect them, and with luck they could find their way out of the east, to this western kingdom that the hateful rumors centered on. He could not leave without at least trying to sway his little brother, though he knew Taurun's hold on his younger son was strong, and the odds were against convincing Rin to leave him. As for Nin, if he perished in his attempt to escape this hellish place it was still better than surviving here.
Overcoming his desire to leave, Nin watched carefully for a sign of Taurun and Rin, his dark grey shirt and slacks blending in with the shadows of the trees. From inside the hut Rin emerged, and he was alone. The boy stood and wandered carelessly around the hut towards the trees. Nin still could not see Taurun, which made him nervous. He took about twenty seconds to scan the trees around the glade in case Taurun was out there, but detected nothing. Swiftly and silently he emerged from his crouch and danced between the trees, circling the glade to his left. The trees thinned nearer to the far side where the hut stood. As he neared Nin slowed, moving as quietly as he could. The entrance to the hut was on the right side in relation to Nin's hiding place when he first reached the glade, so by going left Nin approached from the rear of the hut. He was silent as he came within about fifty feet of it, and he heard then a distinct scrapping sound. It meant Taurun was still inside to Nin's relief, and it sounded like he was sharpening a knife with a whetting stone. Nin looked out into the woods in the direction his brother had gone. He couldn't see him but could faintly here his footfall over the dead leaves. Moving as quietly as he could, Nin followed the sound of Rin's footsteps amazed that he had this chance to get Rin alone.
Rin had not gone very far, his footsteps stopped after only another minute. Nin quickly caught up to him, and finally saw his brother again. Rin's back was to Nin, facing a tree, which Nin realized he was pissing on. Nin crept forward, and with his sound masked by Rin relieving himself he was able to get within ten feet of his brother. As Rin finished, his ears pricked. Whether he heard something or some instinct warned him something was near Nin did not know, but Rin began to turn. Not wanting Rin to shout and bring Taurun, Nin sprang forward, his long legs crossing the distance in two strides, and grabbed Rin mid-turn. He managed to turn his body as well and end up behind Rin with one hand clasped over the boy's mouth.
Rin grunted into the hand and began to thrash, but Nin was much bigger and held him like a vice. "Calm down kid." Nin said quietly into Rin's ear. Rin's eyes looked up into his brother's face. The panic in them turned quickly to shock, and Nin felt a very small measure of relief as well, but quickly they turned cold. Nin's heart began to fall as he looked into those eyes, his mother's eyes, the softest brown Nin had ever known. But his brother's eyes were poisoned with his father's cold disdain, and discouragement flooded Nin. In that moment he knew that Rin was gone, his father's puppet through and through.
Nin felt his arms go weak, and Rin threw Nin off of him and backing up a few steps looked at him. Nin's stomach was turning, and he couldn't bear to look Rin in the eye again. The anguish of his mother's death was fresh again in his heart. "How did you find us?" Rin asked with contempt. Nin's answering voice was almost monotone, "Found your foot print in the ditch off the road." A bolt of fear seemed to go across Rin's face at the knowledge that despite his father's intense warning not to leave any sign, he had given them away. He regained his composure quickly and asked again, "What do you want Nin?" Nin chuckled without humor, "To see my little brother again, what else?"
"You left!" Rin half shouted. "You insulted father, and you left. Why do you want to see me now?" Nin seemed to recover some measure of conviction at the mention of Taurun. "Father deserved to be insulted. Mother was the only good thing any of us had, and he abandoned her, then all but spat on her! Don't you remember your mother Rin?" "She was weak…." Rin answered softly. "Father says we are better off with out her. And without you…." "Don't you see what he is Rin?" Nin asked in an almost pleading voice. "He is exactly what is wrong with this place, ruthless, cold, and evil." "I like this place. Here strong people take what they want. Father is strong! And he says I can be strong like him!" Rin said with misplaced pride. "You would have been jelly on the end of some brute's fist many times if not for me Rin." Nin accused. "You think you can have what you want at no expense, but that's not the way the world works! Father believes the same, and now the overseers have a price on our heads. They already took mother, and it's his fault! He's a fool!"
Nin's voice was rising with his anger. He knew that if this continued Taurun could hear them, but he couldn't help himself. "Father says we will take care of them soon. Then we can go back to our old life, and people will fear us." Rin snickered. "Kill them Rin?" Nin said coldly. "Why don't you just say it? He is going to try and kill them. If he fails, they are going to kill you both. Is that what you want?" "It has to be done!" Rin was shouting now. "There is no other choice." "Yes there is, we can leave this place. There are better lands out there Rin, together you and I could find them." Nin answered, now pleading again. "No! I like this place. You know the stories of the tall men, they deal with strange creatures, and slaughtered us like sheep after the great wars! Father is right! You and mother were fools! I'm glad she is gone! I hope the overseers catch you so you can be dead like HER!"
Rin was furious and had started moving closer to his brother as he shouted so that by the end he was on his toes right in Nin's face. Nin stood his ground and sadness was radiating from him. He barely heard his brother's words but felt the hate in them. When Rin mentioned Mother however, Nin looked back to Rin and anger filled him. At Rin's last word Nin lost control, red filled his vision and before he knew what he was doing he reached back with his right hand and punched his little brother. Rin took the blow on his right cheek. It had not been as hard as Nin could hit, but it was enough to knock him off his feet and daze him. Nin looked down in horror, both at Rin and himself. Rin recovered and stared up at Nin with hate in his eyes. He crawled to his feet and backed away from Nin with out another word. Rubbing his face he turned and walked away, stomping through the trees towards the glade.
Nin stood motionless watching him go. His breath was so shallow it was almost gone. His skin tingled with a numbness that went to his very soul. He was utterly horrified at himself, and heart broken that his brother who he had protected and loved since they were young, had turned his back on him completely. It was several minutes before he could even move. Some detached part of his brain recognized that Taurun could come after him anytime, and who knows what he would do. The desire to leave was back, and now Nin heeded it. He turned and stumbled through the trees, not bothering to be silent anymore, just wanting to be far away from here.
For whatever reason, no pursuit came after Nin. He wouldn't have cared either way. He wandered aimlessly through the trees, not paying any attention to his direction. After hours of wandering, Nin began to find himself again. He looked up and noticed the sun had crested hours ago. It was going quickly to evening. He looked around, not recognizing in the slightest where he was. He might have panicked under normal case, but he had no room left in his mind for it. He figured he had wandered mainly west from his encounter with Rin, so he figured going south east was his best chance of finding the road again. He used the falling sun to find his direction and moved as quickly through the woods as possible. With amazement, he realized that he had turned in his wandering south and slightly east. By this stroke of luck it was only about thirty minutes before he reached the road. He was still far west of his home, further west than the nearest housing district for the village, he did not exactly know how far. Evening was coming fast, and the air was quickly becoming chilled. Nin had not brought his jacket, not planning to be out so long. Again he shook his head, trying to get rid of the images of his brother's hate filled eyes, and the feeling of his fist connecting with Rin's face. He focused and raised his head.
He was about to turn and start heading east, but some compulsion caused him to turn west first and look. He pondered for a moment what it would feel like to go that way, to leave this hateful place behind forever. As he stared with lost thoughts, he noticed a glint in one of the trees. Staring closer he jumped in fear and alarm. There was something staring at him from a tree maybe a quarter mile away! Nin almost ran, but something caused him to stare back at the creature. It looked like a man, but something told Rin it was not. It was lithe and graceful looking, perfectly comfortable on the tree limb it was perched on. Its skin was fair white, with long white hair in ornate braids. The flash Nin had seen was its eyes. Bright blue like his, but lighter, like ice flashing in the sun. Its expression was stern, and Nin felt a strange fascination at it. Quickly however, a bolt of fear struck him like a sword through his chest, despite this creature's appearance, some instinct told Nin to fear it, and he began to hyperventilate. With a gasp he turned and ran as fast as he could east on the road.
He didn't look back. He sprinted until his lungs wanted to burst, and then kept going. He felt like somehow that beautiful creature was pursuing him to the death. He ran for his life. He didn't know how much time passed, but he reached the west housing district. He collapsed in the road, breathing heavily, realizing now that nothing had been pursuing him except his own fear. He couldn't understand what about that thing had frightened him so, but he knew one thing, he never wanted to see it again. Part of him was darkly fascinated with it. What could this creature have been? He thought to the tales of his people about strange creatures that the Men of the West had dealings with. Could this have been one of them? The tales said those things had disappeared many years ago, and Nin could not remember the word for them. Despite this, he was desperately afraid, and felt now trapped in this horrid eastern land. Was there no sanctuary for him?
Nin's breath came back under control. He managed to rise on shaking legs and wrap his arms around himself. The wind picked up and chill seeped into his skin. The sun was quickly falling, and Nin had never wished to be somewhere familiar this much in his life. He quickly continued walking, knowing it was only about an hour to his old home.
The sun was nearly set when he arrived. He approached the ruins of his home, his head bowed, as weary as he had ever been in his life. When he approached, he realized Gin was sitting in front of desolate home, wrapped in a grey cloak. She looked up and recognized him. She rose and went to him with relief on her face. "Nin! Where have you been?! I thought you were caught, you scared me to dea-." She cut off abruptly as she saw the look in his face. He had no words for her and just shook his head and he continued towards the ruins. He sat heavily with his back to a half burnt wall as she had been. Gin didn't press him, but followed and sat back down next to him. She wrapped the cloak around both of them and they sat in silence. After several minutes, Nin fell asleep.
