Touch the Sky

Chapter 5

Delilah tried not to show it. But she was concerned about the slow pace they were taking up the mountain. After the bear attack, she had no desire to spend another night camping unprotected in these woods. But with the bear's carcass loaded on the back of her larger horse, all her supplies and gear had to be packed on her smaller horse. Which left her and Foster no choice but to set out on foot, leading the horses behind them. Not only did it feel like they were moving at a snail's pace, she was also worried that Foster might be putting too much strain on his injured side with all the walking. But after the first long hour, the treeline opened up. Delilah breathed a sigh of relief. They'd reached the large mountain trail the Farrells used to travel in and out of Blackburg. And without bushes to climb through and streams to cross, they began to ascend the mountain with more speed even though they were walking instead of riding.

Delilah tried not to stare like an open mouthed tourist. But she felt her excitement rising the moment she spotted the first few signs of human habitation. They passed by a small cabin. It was unoccupied at the moment. But it was still the first official Farrell home she'd seen.

Delilah was hard pressed to describe how her first time on the mountain felt. The air smelled fresher. The trees were greener. And she felt like she was able to breathe freely for the first time in her life. The place was unfamiliar but somehow felt familiar at the same time. Given that she was about to walk into a whole community of people she'd never met before, Delilah felt oddly calm and serene. That feeling filled her until she and Foster actually walked into his village.

When his people started to appear and gather around them, Foster wrapped his arm around her. Delilah leaned into him, feeling more secure with the big man at her side. Between the two large horses, one carrying a giant dead bear, the huge dog at her side, and just her general unfamiliar presence, Delilah knew they were quite the spectacle. And Foster's kin were not being shy about getting a look. Finally, one of them stopped staring and spoke. He was a young man with long brown hair and a full beard.

"I bet you got one hell of a story," the man said. As he moved closer, Delilah snapped her fingers, signaling for Remy to stay close to her. "Nice dog," the man said, offering her a friendly smile as he moved in to wrap his arm around Foster.

Foster hugged the man back. But only with one arm. He kept the other one wrapped around Delilah. After a hug from his cousin, the man gave Delilah another curious glance before he extended his hand to her dog. Remy gave the man's hand a thorough sniff. Delilah clicked her tongue, letting Remy know that she approved of the stranger. At least for now. And once given approval, Remy nudged forward, coating the man's hand with slobber. The man didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, he knelt down and rubbed his hands over Remy's head and back.

Once it was determined that her giant dog was friendly, Foster's people moved in closer. Delilah wasn't sure if they wanted a better look at her dog or her. But she clung to Foster's side as they crowded in around her. They were all talking at once. Which was a little overwhelming but not frightening. Not until one of them spooked Fergus and made the giant horse start to rear up. Delilah moved quickly, grabbing his reins to calm him.

"Can we get this bear off him?," she asked, glancing back at Foster and hoping for his help. He nodded before he sent a few of the men skittering away. They returned with a rolling cart. And Delilah held her horse steady as they pulled the carcass down off her horse and onto the small wagon. She thanked the men, rubbing her hands over her horse as she quietly soothed the exhausted animal. Without the heavy weight on his back, he settled down quickly. But Delilah kept a firm grip on his reins just in case. The last thing she wanted was for any of these people to get hurt.

With the small crisis averted, Delilah was able to get a better look around. The village was like something from a fairy tale. Or a dream. She expected it to look like a scene from a history book. Like a place that would have existed before the invention of modern living. But it wasn't like that at all. The homes sort of looked that way. But there were also modern touches everywhere. Things these people either salvaged or stole and then used to enhance their living space were scattered around. On one of the porches there was a hand carved rocking chair sitting directly next to a well worn overstuffed lay-z-boy recliner.

Delilah smiled at the children who were nervously edging closer, getting their first look at someone from below the mountain. Delilah smiled at them. And she laughed when Remy's playful yip sent one of the smaller boys streaking away in terror. She glanced at Foster, unable to stop herself from reacting to the beaming smile on his face. If she never did another good deed before or after this, at least she'd managed to bring him home.

"I brought some candy in my bag," she said, gesturing towards the children that were gathering nearby. "Do you think they would like to have it?"

Foster nodded. "Oh, they know what candy is," he joked. He spoke to the kids next, pointing them towards Delilah. "She's got candy," he announced. Delilah squealed as she was quickly mobbed by the long haired scruffy little monsters. She laughed as she quickly pawed through her backpack, pulling out the candy she'd stuffed into the front pocket for this moment. She didn't have a lot, just a few packages of peanut butter cups and a large bag of m&m's. And she handed them to the oldest of the group with strict instructions to share them with the rest of the kids. Whether that happened or not, she wasn't sure. But the kids tore off like wild little animals with their prizes in hand.

"That was sweet of you," Foster said, smiling down at her. Delilah felt the heat creeping into her cheeks as she smiled back. And like before, when he was patching up her arm for her, she had to fight back the overwhelming urge to pull him down and press her lips against his. An urge that seemed to grow more intense the further up the mountain they traveled.

"Foster!"

Delilah turned towards the sound of the man's name being called. When she saw a red haired woman rushing in their direction, Delilah stepped back. The woman threw herself at Foster, making him wince and grab his side. She quickly realized her mistake and apologized to him, hugging him much more gently. He hugged her back. But it wasn't until she rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed him that Delilah felt like she'd just been punched in the gut. Of course he has a woman here, Delilah thought. There was never a chance that a guy like that was unattached. Delilah scolded herself for even thinking something might be growing between them. Foster was only being kind to her because he was a kind person. And because she was helping him. He just wanted to get home. To his wife. Or girlfriend. Whatever her relationship was to Foster, the woman with the flaming red hair was gorgeous. And she suited Foster in all her mountain princess bohemian glory. Delilah was lamenting over her personal lack of style when she heard some very angry shouting coming from across the clearing.

"What is this! Foster! What the hell were you thinking, bringing an outsider here to our village!"

Delilah leaned around her horse, looking for the source of the shouting. And when she saw him she gasped. He was older. His hair was a lot longer and a lot whiter. But she was sure it was the same man that she saw in Foster's dream. The man that grabbed her mother. But as shocked as she was to see him in the flesh, his reaction to her was even more shocking. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening as he stared at her.

"She saved my life," Foster hollered back, stepping closer to her as if he was ready to protect her against his own father. But the man didn't even seem to hear Foster's argument.

"Anna?," he exclaimed. "...is that really you?" He didn't wait for an answer before he stalked closer. Shaking off the momentary daze of shock Delilah's resemblance to her mother had put him in, the man rubbed at his beard as he took a better look at her. "You're her daughter aren't you?," he asked. One more step in her direction and Remy lunged at the man. The giant dog barked and snarled, baring his teeth as the hair stood up in a mohawk down his back. Delilah shrieked as the white haired man pulled out a knife. "Get your mutt under control or I'll end it," he threatened.

Delilah grabbed for Remy's collar, pulling the dog back. But before she could do anything else, Foster stepped between her and the man. His large form blocked the man's view of her. This seemed to calm Remy down, though the dog still pulled free from her grasp and took up a protective stance by Foster's side. Remy didn't lunge or bark again. But he did give the man another low tone warning growl.

"She risked her life to save mine," Foster said. "I'll not have her or her animals hurt."

For a moment, Delilah was worried that the two men might fight. But the loud rap of a wooden stick stopped any further confrontation between them. She looked to her left, spotting an elderly woman with a long oak stick in one hand. Though her skin was weathered. And she looked like she'd seen more than her fair share of harsh winters, the woman still seemed to exude power. There was no question in Delilah's mind who this woman was, though the last time her mother lived here, the leader of the Farrells was a man. This was their Bren'in.

Delilah bowed her head, pressing her fingers to her lips and hoping she wasn't butchering the greeting of respect she knew was customary here. When they rose, several people started talking at once. Foster and his father, in particular, were both hollering at the woman. The woman had to pound her stick on the ground a few more times to shut them up.

"Step forward girl," she ordered, gesturing to Delilah. Delilah did as the woman asked, feeling the pressure of so many sets of eyes on her at once. "What's your business here?," the woman asked.

"She saved my life," Foster interjected, quickly moving to her side.

"I'm talking to her," the woman scolded, giving the big man a look that even Delilah could tell meant he better keep his big mouth shut.

"Foster was attacked by a group of men outside a bar in town. They stabbed him," Delilah said, fighting to keep her voice from shaking. She felt like the woman's keen eyes were looking right through her. "I just wanted to help him get home safe." Delilah paused, taking a breath before she continued. "I know you don't allow outsiders here. I only ask that I be allowed to speak to your healer so I can let them know what I've done so far to heal his injury. And then I'll go."

The woman stared at her for what felt like forever. Long enough that Delilah began to wonder what might happen if she never came back down the mountain. There was no one at home anymore to miss her. Or even notice she was gone. She'd put herself at the mercy of these people. And she could only hope now that they had some.

"You go talk to the healer," the woman agreed. "...and then you come back here. You and I have some things to discuss."