Chapter 13
Forest Floor
Shala still had the female pinned down against the tree as he tried to decide what to do next. He stared into her eyes wondering how such a beautiful creature could be filled with so much hate and violence. She had gone against the laws of her tribe, which meant the only way for her to be accepted back into her home would be if she killed. When did killing become a reward?
But Shala had other questions on his mind that he had to deal with before he could answer that one. He first had to get out if this situation he’d found himself in. The female still held her spear, but even if he told her to drop it, the moment he let her up she’d still find a way to attack. But he wasn’t going to kill her, and he wasn’t going to take her back to his tribe where they would kill her. So what else can I do besides let her up?
Shala held the female’s gaze for another moment before standing and releasing his grip on her. The female only hesitated a moment before rolling away and scrambling to her feet as well. She leveled her spear at him but didn’t attack. Shala still held his dagger at the ready, but a weapon that didn’t carry a threat didn’t do much good.
Her eyes continued to burn with fire as she stared at him, but for the first time, Shala saw a slight hesitation in them as well. “I must kill yous,” she whispered. Then why haven’t you yet?
Shala could see the fact that his submissiveness made her unsure of killing him. Sols did not kill unarmed creatures unless it was for food, and though Shala did have a weapon and would use it to defend himself, his unwillingness to partake in the final blow was just as much an act of nonviolence as having his hands tied behind his back.
“Yous don’t have to. There are other ways,” Shala responded evenly. His body remained tense, waiting to see what the female would do. She didn’t move.
“What’s your name?” he asked finally.
The female’s eyes momentarily lost their fire as she looked at him with a touch of surprise. Then the fire returned and a hotter anger along with it. “Your ears are not worthy to hears my name.”
“I am Shala. And I know yous think you only have one choice heres, but I don’t believe yous will kill me.”
“Then yous have much to learn, youngling.” The female snarled, and in a flash, she had leapt forward and driven her spear towards Shala’s chest.
But Shala didn’t move. He didn’t raise his weapon; he didn’t even flinch. All he did was close his eyes. I’ll risk my life to know that there’s a chance for peace.
Another second passed, and he had not been run through. He opened his eyes and saw the female’s face close to him now. She was only a spear’s length away as the point of the weapon hovered an inch from his chest.
“Yous thought you were saving my life by not slittings my throat, but you have just placed a fate worse thans death on me. I am a Sol with no home, no tribe. I am lost.”
Shala could no longer see anger in the female; instead, there was a sadness. He knew she didn’t think there was a way out of this, but if she could just find a way to trust him, then together they would be able to come up with a solution. And Shala thought maybe there was hope for that because she had called herself a Sol not a Pheela. We are all Sols.
“What’s your name?” he asked again.
Her eyes had drifted away from his face, but now, they returned. He could see she was going to tell him. This was the first step of a very long journey, but at least there would be a step at all.
She opened her mouth, but suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. A gasp escaped her lips, and her shoulders slumped. Shala looked at her in confusion. Then the female slowly turned as the spear dropped from her hands. An arrow protruded from her back as blood spread across her shirt.
Before Shala could move, the female fell. She slipped off the branch and disappeared over the edge. Shala took a quick step and looked down in shock, but all he saw were the swaying branches of where the female had passed through. She had probably already hit the forest floor, and his hope of something more than violence and war had gone with her.
Shala prepared himself to jump after the female, but the limb he stood on shook abruptly as someone landed nearby. Glancing over tensely, Shala found his father, bow in hand, standing on the limb, staring at him. Shala stared back, wondering how much his father had seen. If he had witnessed the whole conversation then Shala would be banished for not killing a Pheela when he’d had the chance.
“I thought yous were better than that,” his father said.
Shala didn’t answer, still staring at his father, unblinking. At least, if he saw what happened, he will know how I truly feel.
“Not only did yous let a Pheela nearly kill you, but a female no less. I thoughts I had trained you better.” So he didn’t see.
The only thing his father had seen was the Pheela with her spear inches from running him through. His father thought he had saved Shala’s life, but that was as far from the truth as possible.
“You’ve disappointed me,” his father continued. “We will have to trains harder after this failure.”
Shala could only drop his eyes to the ground, the ground far below where the female must lay broken and bruised, bleeding to death or already dead.
“Yous wonder if she’s dead,” his father observed. No, I wonder if she lives. “Go find out. If she’s not, finish her quickly. But don’t expects anyone to consider this your first kill. You’ll get no honor for killing my scraps.”
Shala nodded and leapt off the branch. He didn’t want to hear his father’s voice any longer, especially now that he had been given the opportunity to go check on the female. He only hoped his father did not follow. He can never know what happened here.
The branches and leaves flew past Shala as he descended among the trees. He landed softly on a lower limb before leaping off and falling again; the forest floor rushed up quickly to meet him. His feet hit the soft, cool grass, and he crouched, scanning the area with his eyes. Where is she?
The ground in this part of the forest rose and fell in gentle slopes, making it impossible to see very far even without the giant tree trunks rising everywhere. Climbing the nearest slope, Shala looked about again and then spotted the female. She was at the bottom of a small ravine, and by the look of the trampled grass, she had hit close to where Shala was standing but had rolled down the inclined slope to where she now rested.
Shala immediately scrambled down the hill and quickly approached the female. Blood matted her fur, and dirt and grass covered her clothes, but Shala saw her chest rise and fall ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for him to know she was alive. Without care, she probably wouldn’t last long, but right now, it was important just to get her off the forest floor. The scent of fresh blood would attract too many predators where she was.
He knelt beside her and gathered her still, and surprisingly slight, frame in his arms. With his father waiting, Shala knew he must be quick, but he had to find a suitable place for her until he could return. Searching out the lowest branch he could find, Shala held the female tightly in his arms and jumped. His leap was not the most graceful, but he managed to scramble atop the limb without jostling the female too much, though she did let out a soft groan. Don’t worry, you’re going to be okay.
A little higher up the tree Shala noticed a grouping of limbs sprouting from the trunk in a way that would provide a nice nook to lay the female down. It wouldn’t be much, but Shala knew he couldn’t carry her very far; she wouldn’t be able to take it in the state she was in.
He managed to get her up to the makeshift platform formed by the great branches of the tree and laid her down as gently as he could, being careful of the arrow still sticking out of her back. He had seen this same wound many times in many a deer, but for some reason, today, Shala could not look at it. The blood and damage the arrow had inflicted in this beautiful creature made his stomach turn.
Shala studied the female, knowing he had to get the arrow
out and dress the wound and then find bedding to keep her warm while he was gone. And all of this had to be done before his father grew suspicious and came searching for him. But Shala couldn’t take his eyes off the female’s face. She was sleeping, her eyes closed, her breathing quiet.
He didn’t even know her name, but he had to save her. He had to save her, not only because she was the only glimmer of hope he had found in this dark world, but because when he looked at her, he felt a warmth in his chest that spread through his entire body. It made him believe that anything was possible. Even peace.