* * *
On the other side of the mountain pass, we are to camp for a few days to replenish our dwindling food supply. Most of the men from Deep Forest left early this morning which means that Tala, Sarali, and her son Liral will be joining us for meals. Whenever her bond-mate Sirak is gone, Sarali joins us.
After our midday meal, I walk toward the river clutching a clay pot with Liral’s dirty shirt and our water skins to my chest. One thing I can never get used to is how messy Liral is when he eats. I am certain that more food gets on his clothing than in his belly. My mother finds it adorable while my sister groans at having to clean up after him all the time. She is getting more tired as her pregnancy progresses and Liral is a ball of energy. As of late, Tala has been spending more time with my sister to help ease her with Liral.
It is quite the spectacle to watch, now that I think about it. Tala is not the traditional sort of woman and often rejects the responsibility of a tribal woman. But with Liral, you would never know she does not like children. Liral is different, I guess. Of course, his large brown eyes and curly brown hair would make any person fall in love. He will not have trouble finding a suitable woman to bind himself to. I laugh out loud thinking about his poor future bond-mate having to clean his dirty shirts as I am going to do now.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” comes a voice to draw me out of my reverie. Tarok’s deep voice nearly causes me to topple over in surprise. He quickly grabs hold of the pot to steady it and me.
“Thanks,” I mutter as I try to hide my embarrassment.
He smirks as he peers inside the pot and pulls out Liral’s shirt. “Is this yours?” I can see the laughter in his eyes.
“Do you honestly think that would fit me?”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “You are a bit small. Heading to the river?” I nod with a quick glare. “Should you be doing Wise Woman duties?”
“Should you be doing future Chief duties?” I retort. It is not the best retort I have ever come up with, far from it in fact, but it is all I am capable of in his company.
“That is not really an answer.”
“Neither is that.”
He sighs and offers a sly smile. “Do you want the honest truth or shall I lie to you?”
I quirk my eyebrow up at him. “Is that really how you want to start this relationship?”
“So we are in a relationship now?” he says with a smirk.
“All I want is to wash my nephew’s shirt sometime today.” I lift the pot from his hands and once again walk down my path.
Tarok readily catches up and takes the pot from me.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He smiles down at me. “I am just performing my Chiefly duties.”
“Uh huh.” I roll my eyes and lead him to the washing area.
The part of the river we go to has a small pool where the water does not move as quickly and is a few feet deeper than the shallow banks everywhere else, but not as deep as the main part of the river. I point to the spot he should set the pot down and pull out Liral’s shirt. Tarok sits next to me and watches as I dip the shirt in the water and rinse out the stains. “I did not think Chieftains sat on their rears all day and watched the women folk clean.”
He chuckles. “I did not think Wise Women washed children’s clothes.”
I lean back onto my heels and look at him. “Is this how it is going to be with you, a battle of wits?”
With a shake of his head and a laugh on his lips, he says, “No, I imagine at some point we will discuss boring things as well.”
“Like how you have gone out of your way to help my family?”
“It is your first winter back. I thought I would be helpful and welcoming.”
I eye him suspiciously. “And how about the honest truth this time?”
He rubs the back of his neck nervously and breaks eye contact to stare at the rushing water. “I helped your parents while you were away. I am not just going to abandon them.”
I know it is not the truth, not by a long shot. But I am willing to let it slide because I know he will eventually give me the real reason, whatever that may be.
When the pot and shirt are clean, I lay them in the sun along with my boots. I roll up the pants beneath my dress and pull the skirt up above my knees. Tarok looks at me like I am crazy. I simply smile and wade about two steps into the cold river pool. A shiver works its way up my spine as the skin beneath the water screams out its protest, but I am determined.
“You want to see a Wise Woman go about her work?”
He smirks. “Do you actually do anything?”
I return the smirk. “Watch and see.”
Tarok brings his knees up and rests his arms on top. With a quick glance to see that we are alone, I dip down and put my hands into the cold water.
“You see, the trick is to feel the water. The spirits are everywhere,” I say. I cup my hands and bring them up while the water drains out. Tarok unconsciously leans forward as he listens more intently. “When you clear your mind of all other thoughts, sometimes you can hear them speak to you.”
I dip down once more and duck my head. My features are not as trained as Tarok’s. I do not have a warrior’s reserve that I can call up at will. I pray to the spirits to help me keep my face calm. “The Wise Woman from the eastern most tribe told me that if you are quiet enough, a spirit will announce its presence. With water, the spirits float along and will sometimes grab onto you. Other times they will swim with you.” I struggle to keep from giggling. “Now, the river out there runs too fast and is too shallow here to swim with them, but moving your hands and fingers is sometimes enough.”
I tilt my head up to look at Tarok who is entranced with my explanation. I quickly cup my hands and smile as if I have caught something. “And sometimes, if you are very lucky, you can catch one.”
As he leans forward, I hold my breath. Just a second longer I wait. Quickly, I move my hands up to send the water in my hands at him. The water hits his face and neck before dripping down to his shirt.
It takes everything I have not to burst out laughing. “Oh no! I guess that one did not want to be caught,” I say as sincerely apologetic as possible.
He sets his face and gives me the hardest gaze I have ever seen. I cringe under the weight and regret my actions. This same trick was played on me my first summer traveling and I have been waiting for someone to fall for it. Now that I have done it, I regret choosing Tarok. Spur of the moment and all that will not get me out of trouble for this one. I can already tell.
“You think that is funny?”
I sober up as quick as lightning. “Well, I did until just now.”
He stands to his full height. Despite him being on the bank of the river, our feet are relatively level. He stands a full head taller than me and can look domineering and downright frightening when he wants to. He steps closer until we are mere inches apart. I can feel the heat coming off his body. Up close he looks even more terrifying. I swallow uneasily as my throat dries.
I suspect this is what a deer feels like when it knows it is caught. Each heart beat pulses through my body. Every second becomes more uncomfortable. Every breath he takes resonates through my ears.
“I would guess,” he says in a harsh tone, “that it will not be as funny as this.”
Before I have time to comprehend his words or even to fully hear them, his arms wrap around my waist and haul me up over his shoulder. I shriek in surprise while my body goes limp. My hands find their grip on the back of his shirt and I use it as leverage to lift my upper half up. He takes a few steps into the deeper part of the pool before pitching my body forward and into the water.
The cold shock sends me back up and out of the water as quickly as I was tossed into it. I shriek again and wipe the water from my face. I level a glare at him and see him doubled over laughing. He is not really paying attention to me so I stand up and reach out to grab his shoulders. Tarok’s hands shoot up and grab my wrists before I can
even touch my target. I pull with all my strength and end up tumbling backwards into the water again. He laughs again and sticks his hand out offering to pull me out of the water.
When I come out of it to stand in front of him, I smirk and throw my entire body at him. This manages to catch him off guard, but not enough because he just holds my wet body against his semi-dry one.
“Was that you trying?” He smiles brightly. It is just enough to make butterflies twirl in my stomach and my cheeks flush.
I return to myself and push away from him. There is hesitation in his hands as he lets me go. I smile shyly at him as I step around him and back up to the bank.
A throat clears as my feet leave the cold water. I look up to see Tala smirking with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Having fun?” she asks, pointedly looking at my wet clothes and wet hair, then at Tarok following me with a wet patch on the front of his clothing and his wet legs.
“I fell in and Tarok was kind enough to help me,” I say with a shrug.
“Yes and I have green hair.” She rolls her eyes and uncrosses her arms before bending to pick up Liral’s dry shirt. “You will catch a cold if you continue to play in the water.”
“I was not playing,” I protest indignantly.
Tarok snorts as he flops onto the ground to pull off his soaked boots.
“Do not start with me,” I snap. “You threw me in!”
“You deserved it,” he retorts holding his boot upside down to let the water trickle out.
“It was a little joke that did not warrant me being thrown into the pool.”
“And what happened the second time? What were you trying to do then? I would say that it was a very justified action.”
Tala laughs behind me. So I do the only logical thing. I remove my soaking outer jacket, step up behind Tarok and twist the material right over his head. Water runs out of it and onto his head, shoulders, and down his back. His muscles contract as his shoulders hunch clear up to his ears.
“You are going to pay for that,” he says through gritted teeth.
By now I should expect, or at the very least anticipate, his quick reflexes and movement. However, his body goes from sitting to standing so fluidly that I am awestruck. His hands are outstretched as if to grab onto my waist to no doubt haul me over his shoulder like a limp sack when Tala interjects.
“I really hate to break up this adorable display, but I did have a reason for finding you.”
Tarok straightens himself, putting up his warrior’s reserve. I sheepishly apologize to Tala and shoot a half-hearted glare at Tarok.
“Good.” She smiles. “Mother needs the pot and the water.”
I turn toward Tarok with a mischievous thought coursing through my mind. “You heard the woman.”
“What?” Surprise is written so beautifully all over his face.
“You said you wanted to help. You can do that by carrying a pot full of water to our tent.”
He chuckles uneasily. “You see, I never said anything about helping. I was just escorting. These woods can be quite dangerous you know.”
“It is the least you can do to gain the favor of your Wise Woman,” I say in a light, teasing tone. “You see, she has the power to prevent a certain future Chief from the Great Hunt this season.”
Tala snorts with laughter and mutters, “That is low, Akari.”
Tarok’s eyes widen before narrowing. He grudgingly picks up the pot, fills it and the water skins, and carries them back to where Tala and I stand. As he passes, he pauses at my side, glances down at me, and then lowers the timbre of his voice so that it comes out as a growl. “You think being thrown in the water was bad, just you wait, Wise Woman.”
My lips form a smile and before I can form a proper thought, my mouth opens and confidently says, “I look forward to it.”
Beneath his mask, I can see a mixture of shock and excitement flash. It is quickly gone, however, and I am left wondering just what he has in store for me. The giddiness of anticipation makes my knees weak and my cheeks flush…
It hits me in this moment. Like the shock from being thrown into mountain river water, it hits me. I turn to Tala in alarm.
An entire conversation passes between us without a single word being said.
Oh sprits! Did I just say that?
Yes, you did.
Oh, no! I think… I think I…
Like him?
I nod my head imperceptibly and look at him as he is looking between us with a confused expression.
I think I like him.
Chapter Three