The New World (The Last Delar) (6 page)

"Well, Ven, I see you still like to hang out with this freak instead of us," sneers Stripes.  The other two start to laugh.

Ven looks at Stripes, "Hey, Taeau . . . is he looking at you or me? I can never really tell.  I find it rude when someone can't look you straight in the EYE!"

"You got a smart mouth, runt, for the son of an abandoned big-clawed freak." Everyone looks back at Ven, who takes a step closer to Stripes.

"Yeah? Well, I'd rather be the son of a Captain than the son of a doorman any day, Stripy."

Stripes opens his hands and starts to move toward Ven.  "I've been waiting to prove to you whose family is better for a long time.  Boys, show our other friend here what we think of freaks."

A Salali grabs Taeau from behind while the Meno youngling attacks from the front.  Stripes and Ven begin to circle one another.

"Should I only walk to your one side to make it fair, Stripes? I wouldn't want to be known for beating up the blind youngling, now would I?"

"You're dead!"

Stripes lunges, claws open and ready to strike, but Ven is too fast and he dodges the attack.  Ven kicks Stripes in the back and he falls to the ground.

"You're gonna pay for that, runt!" yells Stripes as he gets up.  But before Stripes can follow through with his threat, they all hear a yell.  Turning, the five youngsters see Dirty Hands coming up the road, signaling for Taeau.  Taeau's nose is bleeding and his eye is bruised.  He quickly wipes away what blood he can, and tries to look as if nothing has happened.

"Look! The farmer boy got his father to save the day," taunts Stripes.

Dirty Hands reaches them, panting as he tries to catch his breath.  "Boys . . . I have been looking for you . . . Taeau, what is wrong with your nose? Why is it bleeding?"

"I . . . I fell while playing with my friends."

"Oh . . . well, let your mother have a look at it when you get home." Stripes and his gang start to snicker behind Taeau.

"Ya, Taeau, go see your mother.  She'll make everything alright." Taeau spins, trying to leap at Stripes, but Dirty Hands grabs him from behind and holds him back.  Dirty Hands pulls his son behind him, bumping into Stripes as he moves to separate the younglings.

"Taeau! Control yourself, son."

Stripes stares at Taeau with a smile and brushes his fur.  "Just look at my fur.  It'll take the rest of the night to get this filth off, not to mention the smell." Stripes' companions all start laughing.  The glider then snorts and runs off with his pack.

"Why did you let him talk to you like that, Father?"

"Like what, son?"

"Like you're beneath him or something, just because you're a farmer, huh? Why? You should have crushed him." Dirty Hands smiles at his son and gets down on one knee.  He puts his hands on both Taeau's and Ven's shoulders and looks into their eyes.

"If we men started crushing all the younglings that talked back to us, there wouldn't be a single one left, now would there?" Both cousins look at each other, and Taeau speaks first, "You're right, I know . . . but it still would have been nice."

Dirty Hands laughs at his son, for he knows how it felt when he and Black Claw were once in the same situation as younglings. "Ven, your father, did he leave for the hall yet tonight?"

"Yeah, he left early . . . there was something important going on in the Great Hall." These words fill Dirty Hands' face with a look of concern, and he chooses his next words wisely, not wanting to scare his son or nephew. "Yeah . . . I was afraid of that.  Well, you two, don't travel too far into the forest tonight . . . and you, Taeau, the moon had better not be setting when you come home.  Your mother is still fuming about how late you came in last night.  Ven, I think I will visit your mother this evening.  Is she home?"

"Yes, she should be, uncle."

"Good, then you both have a good night."

"You alright, Taeau?" asks Ven.

"Yeah, I'm fine, let's go.  I still gotta check in with mother, then I'll show you what I have been doing all day." They both run off toward Taeau's hut with a new excitement, knowing that a treasure awaits them.

---

Out of breath from climbing the stairs to his brother's home, Dirty Hands tries to scratch the door, but his nails are too short and raw from working in the fields.  The door opens, and to his surprise Half Moon is smiling at him.  Her daughter holds onto her tail looking at him shyly.  Black Claw's youngest son, Little Claw, nudges his head out of his mother's pouch to see who is at the door.

"Dirty Hands, what are you doing here? This is a surprise."

"Yes . . . I do not mean to intrude, but I would like to have a word with my brother.  Is he in?"

"No, he had to leave early.  Would you like to come in and have some honey water?"

"Yes, thank you." He looks down at his niece and says, "This must be Whispers.  I have not seen you in a dog's life, and who is this little one?" Dirty Hands tries to get close to the infant, but Little Claw quickly disappears into his mother's pouch.  They both begin to laugh, and Dirty Hands walks into the room.  Talking about family and local gossip to fill the space, Dirty Hands works up the courage to tell Half Moon he thought he saw a Feather Runner in the fields.  Right away, she looks concerned.  She explains to him how strange it was for a guardsman to call for Black Claw so early in the evening.  They sit and stare at one another in nervous silence, both pondering whether there is a connection between the Feather Runner and Black Claw's early beckoning to work.

Dirty Hands tells Half Moon that he is sure it is nothing to worry about.  He then takes his leave, asking Half Moon to tell Black Claw that he stopped by.

"Of course, Dirty Hands.  Say hello to your wife and tell her that I have seeds for her." Half Moon opens a pouch and it gives to Dirty Hands.  They wish each other good health, and Dirty Hands leaves Half Moon alone with her children.

Taeau and Ven continue their evening journey to Taeau's hut, bantering playfully.  When they break from the edge of the woods and enter the boundaries of the farm, they notice that Taeau's mother is outside in the yard tending to the livestock and enjoying the evening's cool air.  She has gained weight in the years since Mia-Koda brought Taeau to her.  The dark circles under her eyes are gone, and her hair has once again grown thick and long.  She sings to herself with only happiness in her heart.  When she looks up from her chores, she spots her son and nephew running across the clearing.  She tries to put on a stern face to scold Taeau.

"I thought I told you to be home by sunset."

"Hello, Mother Dirty Hands, good to see you," greets Ven.

"It is nice to see you too, Ven. TAEAU! What is wrong with your face? Why are you bleeding? You got into a fight again with those younglings, didn't you?" She takes a rag from her waist and starts to wipe his face.

"Mother, stop! I'm fine.  Why do you always do this? It is not a problem"

"Don't you tell ME what is or is not a problem! Look at your eye.  It's already starting to change color."

"He took on two of them at once, Mother Dirty Hands," says Ven, trying not to laugh as he watches Taeau's mother clean him up.

"Two! You fought two at once? Who do you think you are, huh? Some kind of tough, strong Meno warrior? I have had it with this fighting.  I will have to talk with their parents."

"What? Are you crazy? Don't you dare! If you think I have it bad now, see what happens if you do that.  I'm fine, really.  I'm okay."

Meadow stares at her son.  "Okay, since you're such a big boy now, I won't interfere . . . but if it gets worse .  .  .," she warns as she shakes her finger at Taeau.  "How late do you plan to wander the forest tonight, I wonder?"

"Well, since Ven just got up, and I have been doing my chores all day, I was wondering if I could be home as the moon sets."

Meadow grabs her hips and looks at them both. "You can stay out 'til the moon is almost high.  Take your mischievous wolf, Carn with you.  Your father said he saw some animals roaming in the woods, so be careful." Taeau's mother turns her back and notices that the wood has still not been piled.  "What chores did you do today, Taeau?"

Taeau does not wait for her to figure it out, "Thanks, mom, see you later." Taeau calls Carn, and they race off into the forest.

Taeau runs as fast as he can through the forest with Carn at his side.  Ven, as usual, follows from the treetops.  The night is dark, but with the full moon there is enough light for the two boys to see.  Ven, being nocturnal, has natural night vision, but Taeau's uncanny night vision is not as natural.  The other younglings noticed these differences in him early.  At one of the Menoli changing-of-the-season festivals, a youngling noticed that Taeau's eyes reflected the moonlight.  The others teased him constantly, saying his mother mated with a deer, and they refused to play with him after this.  Taeau's parents became isolated as well.  Dirty Hands was rarely invited to meetings, and Meadow was excluded from gatherings of the women.

At first, Taeau thought he should try and play with the older younglings, hoping they might be more likely to accept him.  Unfortunately, they only used him to do things that always got him into trouble.  They teased him as well, and what was worse, Taeau didn't understand how they were mistreating him.  Once a few older Meno younglings had Ven cornered, and they were roughing him up.  Ven was on the ground covering his face, when one of the older younglings told Taeau to kick his cousin.  Taeau hesitated as he walked up to Ven. Until that day, he had rarely seen his cousin.  He crouched down and whispered in his ear, pretending to taunt him.  Taeau told Ven to run when he stood up and not look back.  Taeau grabbed a stone from the ground, making sure Ven saw him pick it up.  When he turned around, he threw the stone at the leader of the younglings and hit him in the head.  Ven jumped to his feet, climbed a nearby tree, and was able to escape.

The younglings beat Taeau after that, and warned him never to show his face around them again.  Ven watched what they did from inside a tree.  After the children left Taeau on the ground bleeding, Ven helped his cousin up and carried him home.  They had been best friends ever since.  Ven lost many of his friends after that.  They made fun of him for associating with the city outsider.  It only brought Ven and Taeau closer.

Taeau stops and stands at the wooden walls of the city.  Ven lands to his right.  "I found it just beyond these walls," says Taeau.

"You know that younglings are not permitted to go outside the walls of the city." Taeau looks at Ven and smiles, spins, and begins to sprint along the wall.  His excitement fuels his body as he runs.  His legs feel strong and the wind blowing in his ears clears his mind.

"Where are we going?" shouts Ven, who is trying to keep up with Taeau, who is running faster than Ven has ever seen him run before.  Ven can usually jump circles around Taeau, but tonight he can't keep up even while leaping at full speed.  As Ven struggles to keep up, he sees Taeau's necklace beginning to shine and he stops.  He has never seen his cousin's necklace do this before, and he stands there, confused.

"Here!" yells Taeau.

Panting, Ven lands and stares at Taeau's necklace, which has gone dark, "Wha . . . what are we looking for, cousin?" Not listening to Ven, Taeau kneels on all fours and crawls through a crack in the gate.  Carn whimpers and sniffs the spot where Taeau disappeared.  Ven looks around and hesitates for a moment while looking through the crack.  Ven knows how angry his father would be if he knew his son was breaking one of the most important youngling rules.

"Come on, Ven," whines Taeau, "we won't be outside the walls for too long, I promise.  The treasure is right over here." Ven looks back one more time, shakes his head, and sneaks through the crack.  Once on the other side, he spots his cousin standing only a short distance away.

"It's just over here.  Come on," urges Taeau.

They both struggle as they walk through the choking underbrush that pulls at their clothes and fur.  It's not long before Ven notices something hanging from a tree. Ven sees something flapping against the bark, slapping the tree as the wind blows.  Ven becomes confused as he recognizes a pair of his cousin's pants.

"What is that doing here?"

"Well, when I found the treasure, I needed to mark the spot with something, now didn't I?"

"So what did you wear when you left?"

Taeau scratches his head, "I ran home with no pants on, of course." Ven looks at his best friend for a moment before he breaks out into an uncontrollable laugh.

"Ha . . . how did you get past your . . . mom . . . with no pants on?" gasps Ven between giggles.

Taeau shrugs and turns away from his cousin, not understanding what is so funny.  Not letting his cousin distract him, he whacks around the tree, brushing plants out of his way.  Ven continues laughing, and Taeau answers his cousin's question in exasperation.  "Well, I just waited until mom was out in the yard, and then I ran inside our hut and quickly put on another pair of pants.  Ha! Here it is.  Come look."

Ven comes to Taeau's side and peers over his shoulder at what he has uncovered.  Nothing could have prepared Ven for this.  On the ground is the decayed corpse of a foreign soldier.  All that is left of the warrior is a skull and a few scattered bones, but there’s more: Although his body has long become dirt, his armor is still intact along with a broken sword and helmet.  They are all worn by weather and time, but they are weapons of war all the same.

"Quick! Grab the shield and the helmet.  I'll get the sword," says Taeau.  They pick up everything and run back to the gate.  Ven and Taeau crawl through the crack and into the city.  They both are breathing heavily and lay down their treasure too inspect it.  The helmet, made by a foreign blacksmith, is simple, with a few roughly carved symbols.  The shield is rusted and filled with many small holes made by burrowing insects.  The sword is cracked and broken, but is the perfect size for a youngling.  Ven starts to circle the found treasure with desire in his eyes.

"Who gets what?" asks Ven.