The Way of the Beast

***

  A thick fog had settled in the quiet forest by morning. Sten woke to find Chohla gone, but heard him moving around on dead leaves somewhere out in the fog. The traveler came back to camp carrying a small bundle of wood in one arm, and cradling a live rabbit with the other. Sten had questions about the captured animal, but kept them to himself.

  When the beige and white rabbit was set down near Sten, it kept its place. Chohla sat on the far side of it, pulling his big bag onto his lap. "I thought you might need our little friend," he said as he began rummaging through his bag.

  "Why do I need a rabbit?"

  Chohla pulled out a few harkenberries and put them down in front of their small guest. "For focusing on," he answered as he began digging through his bag again. "You haven't had much chance to practice, and taking on some of this little fellow's abilities will be useful soon."

  "How is me becoming furry and fearful going to help us?" Sten asked with a grin.

  Chohla glanced over to him with a smile. "It wouldn't; I meant its abilities of speed and leaping. I didn't think you were yet able to focus on the idea of a rabbit and take in its abilities without one being nearby. If you can, please take no offense."

  Slightly embarrassed, Sten softly said, "No, you have the truth of it - I have more to learn. Why am I going to be running and jumping?"

  "You'll see soon enough." He pulled another item out of his bag and tossed it to Sten. "Here, eat this." It was a cone-shaped root, twice as thick as a carrot and pale yellow in color. "My people call it 'vekeeho'. It tastes something like a radish, only softer and sweet. It should stop that stomach of yours from complaining until I get more bison over a fire."

  Sten found vekeeho to be delicious, but his mouth still watered for the sizzling meat. During the morning meal, Chohla explained where to find the vekeeho root and other types. He said that the heska root needed a firm grip and strong pull to free it from the ground. Those words made Sten think of something else entirely. He waited until Chohla had stopped talking about berries, and then asked, "Do you think my brother Tull is like me, only in a different way?"

  Confused, Chohla said, "Your brother? I was expecting you to ask why harkenberries are so bland, not a random question about your brother. Why do you ask?"

  "Because you said that I knew by instinct one way of the skills of your people, and that there were other ways. I think my brother Tullgar has a natural tendency as well. Not in a way like mine, but I can think of nothing else to explain it."

  "Well, I've not met this brother of yours, so I couldn't say. But, as he's kin, it's possible. Tell me why you think so, Khoveyo."

  Sten sat forward, absently petting the rabbit. "I've mentioned Tull to you before, but only that my elder brother is big and simple. I don't think I've ever talked about things I've seen him do. He's lifted the end of an oak log that two normal men couldn't budge. This last autumn, he pulled up a rock the size of a cauldron and carried it as far as I can shoot an arrow."

  Chohla's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why was your brother walking around with a small boulder?"

  "Ah, well, he was helping me by gathering rocks and timber for the cabin I plan to build. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the rock was far too big to use."

  "Hmm, a simple man with uncommon strength - an impressive quality. Is he a warrior?"

  "No, far from it; Tull has a soft heart."

  "I'd still have to see him to know for certain, but I'd wager you're right. Come," Chohla said as he stood up and began kicking dirt on the fire, "let's gather our things and move along."

  While Sten was packing his gear, he saw Chohla take some of the bison cuts and throw them randomly out into the woods. The traveler turned and saw Sten's eyebrows arched high with surprise and unspoken curiosity. "We've taken from animals, so it's only fair to give some back. Especially here, it is wise to respect the circle of life. Don't forget to bring the rabbit."

  By well after midday, Sten and Chohla came to a river. Its waterline was low, revealing rounded stones that were usually submerged. Mud and silt formed both the near and far shorelines, dirtying the steady current. There were occasional chunks of ice flowing down the river, proving that winter still kept on beyond the strange Birch Groves.

  Chohla led them to a place just upstream where more stones jutted out near both shores. "This is where we cross," he said. "We jump to this rock, then to that bigger one further out, and then the long leap to that flat one across the way. After that, a few more short jumps and we're past it. We have a clear area behind us to build up speed."

  Sten gauged the distances. The first jump was more of a hop - less than three paces. The jump to the second stone was about twice the first. Then came the daunting leap; a distance across the water of over a dozen paces. Sten doubted his chances. "The water can't be too cold," he said, holding the rabbit close. "Can't we wade to the other side?"

  "No, Khoveyo," Chohla said as he backed up into the woods, preparing to run forward. "The water dips deep out in the middle, and the current is deceptively strong. We would most likely lose our feet and be swept off. There are more rocky drops and a stretch of rapids further downstream, but hopefully we'd drown before our bodies were smashed there. Now, if you please, let me show you that this isn't so difficult."

  And he did. With a burst of amazing speed, Chohla charged. He used the first river rock to propel himself to the second, and then launched out over the flowing water. He landed with both feet on the flat boulder near the far shore, quickly halting his momentum. Sten was awestruck; he'd never seen the leisurely traveler be so energetic, let alone performing a stunning feat.

  Chohla turned back to Sten and yelled, "You see - easy. Now focus on the rabbit, Khoveyo. Only this time, try to take in only what you need of it. If you come bounding across the rocks with large furry ears bouncing on your head, I'll mock you for cycles!"

  Sten didn't laugh with Chohla, but instead closed his eyes and concentrated. He didn't think of the small animal's senses, only its agility and the strength in its legs. Unaware that his thickening thighs stretched the stitches in his pants, he set the rabbit down and backed up for running room. He saw that Chohla had made the last short jumps to the far shore and waited for him. Sten tensed, took a deep breath, and then shot forward with a grunt.

  Before he knew it, he'd sprung with all his strength up and out toward the far boulder. He flailed a bit in mid-air, afraid of missing it altogether. Coming down fast, he decided not to stop. Having room for one step, he let his momentum carry him out with another leap. He sailed over the smaller rocks beyond the boulder and landed hard on the shoreline. His feet sunk in the sticky mud, causing him to stumble, fall forward in a rush, and land face first with a wet slap.

  Chohla roared with laughter. Sten didn't want to raise his head out of the mud to see the smile that accompanied the traveler's mirth, but did anyway. Humiliated and filthy, he pulled himself out of the mud and began removing his clothes to rinse them in the river. Chohla was still laughing. "I still made it across," Sten mumbled, wiping muck out of his eye.

  "Oh, you surely did! I see no floppy ears, but this is just as good!"

  The two men had continued west a short distance when Chohla suggested they stop to make camp. The hallowed place was near, he explained, but not easy to find in the dark. A cold drizzle began to fall, enough to make lighting a fire difficult. They instead ate roots and berries and tossed a few more scraps of raw meat out into the woods around them.

  While Chohla scooted under an evergreen bush to sleep, Sten sat under a bare tree and thought about his blunder at the river. Sitting in the soft night rain with a sour mood, he realized he'd overreached himself and paid a price for it. Just like the hero Vidun had.