On a sparrow's wings

Chapter 19 - A well deserved break

  The doctor did the usual check up, checking temperature, saliva and other stuff, Anastasia had gone through it before as a kid. He checked Michael, although he was more hesitant to do so after Michael threw him a few mean glares. After he was done he gave Anastasia antibiotics and put some ointment on Michael’s wound and changed his bandage. He told them to rest for a couple days before they set off. Michael and Anastasia exit the tent.

  “We should go. I don’t trust these people.”, Michael rumbled as he moved his wounded shoulder around, trying to adjust to his new tight bandage.

“They helped us, that has to be worth something. Plus he did say we have to rest before we set off again.”, Anastasia took a deep gulp of the fresh forest air.

“Fine.”, sighed Michael, “Don’t get too comfortable we are not staying.”, he walked off to nowhere in particular.

  Anastasia was left alone to look around the village. She was already feeling better, the clean air must have helped with it. She explored the village. She wanted to know how people lived here, how they survived here. She followed the small roads that were carved into the ground around the tents and campfires. She saw people carrying wood to feed the fires, the day was getting colder and everyone was feeling it. And it wasn’t just this day either, it had been getting colder with every day, winter was coming and everyone was anxious about it. She saw people standing around tables, plucking pheasants, cleaning fish and skinning rabbits. Next to the tables there were animal bodies hanging from drying racks, a large deer took up and entire one and another two were covered in rabbits. A man walked to them and salted them, they were making supplies for winter. We should be doing that too. But they didn’t have drying racks or the time to do so.

  A man brushed against her and promptly apologized, she saw him run off to the largest tent in the village. When he moved the flap to enter Anastasia managed to spy the man that lead them here and two older people standing over a table. That was all she could see before the man entered and the flap returned to block her vision. She continued exploring, she saw the children again, their ball landed at her feet. The kids looked at her one part nervous and another curious. Anastasia smiled, crouched and threw their ball back. The children happily returned to their game.

  Anastasia found herself feeling nostalgic. Her mind went back to her childhood, running around with her brother’s friends as they played. They were bigger and taller than her but she never gave up, no matter how much she fell into the mud. And her efforts paid off with her scoring a point, her team still lost but she was giggling the whole time her mother scolded her and cleaned the mud of her hair nonetheless. She returned back to reality, back to the village.

  It was still dark outside and Anastasia found herself wanting the warmth of a fire. She noticed Michael and Ava sitting around a campfire with the people from the large tent. Michael was sitting with his head rested against a tree trunk with his hat resting on his face and his hands on his stomach, he wasn’t asleep but barely. Ava was invested in a conversation she was having with the others, they seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. She went over to them and joined by the fire next to Michael, he moved a little when he noticed her presence. The warmth of the fire was a welcome thing.

  The others were talking, something about some kind of film about a man who time travels, but Anastasia couldn’t pick anything else. They were passing around a bottle with a weird liquid inside. Eventually it found its way to Anastasia’s hands, she didn’t know whether to drink from it or not but after Ava’s encouragement she found the bottle around her lips. She took a small sip and quickly regretted it, it tasted so bitter and it was hot when it went through her throat, heating her face to a bright red. She coughed as the others laughed.

“Not a big fan of moonshine huh?”, the old man with the big beard said.

“Moonshine?”, Anastasia looked the bottle over again and quickly passed it around the fire.

“It’s homebrewed liquor.”, Ava answered her.

That made sense, Anastasia never liked alcohol much.

  “Oh we haven’t introduced ourselves to you.”, the old man with the big beard spoke,”I am Winston”

“I am Mark.”, the man that had lead them here said.

“And I am Jane.”, the old women with the warm smile said.

“I am Anastasia, it’s nice to meet you.”

The others returned her greeting.

  “Anyways.”, Ava interjected, “So how do you guys survive here. I mean there are a lot of people here, how do you feed everybody?”

“Well.”, Winston spoke as he took bites from the rabbit he was eating, “It’s been a long and hard process but we managed to learn to live in harmony with the forest. As long as we don’t take too much it provides us with animals to eat.”

“What about water?”, Anastasia asked.

“There is a small spring.”, Jane said as she braided a young girl’s hair, “We have been using it for water for the past year.”

“How do you defend yourselves?”, Michael rumbled under his hat.

“The village is not easy to find.”, Mark answered, he was carving something with his knife, “As you saw, if you don’t know what you are looking for you won’t find it.”

“What if someone does find it?”, Michael rose from the trunk, “Then what?”

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“But what if it does? Are you ready to kill for this village?”

Mark and Michael entered into a stare down. Mark’s knife left the wood he was carving and Michael’s hat was bundled up in his fist.

  “Okay!”, Jane broke the stares, “Let’s not get under each other’s skins on the first day.”

Mark returned to his carving and Michael to his trunk and his hat returned to his face.

“So now that you know about us why don’t we learn a little about you?”, Jane’s voice was soft and nurturing, she turned her head to Michael.

It took Michael a little time to start speaking, “We are passing by, the kid needed help so we seeked you out.”

“We are going to save my brother from the Red Fist.”, Anastasia extended her hands to warm them.

“Well I hope you manage to do that. Are you affiliated with anyone or are you loners?”, Winston said and he took a big bite from the crisp rabbit.

“Loners.”, Michael snorted it out.

  They turned their heads to Ava waiting for an answer.

“I am with them.”

Anastasia noticed she didn’t mention being part of the Red Fist. Don’t they deserve to know who they are helping?

A couple more hours went by in conversation. Ava and the others often changed the subject to some kind of movies she hadn’t seen, Mark was especially interested in talking about them, his passion clearly showed in his words.

  Eventually Michael, Ava and Anastasia secluded themselves inside the tent the villagers had assigned to them for the time they were here. It was small but warm and there were handmade beds laying on the ground, they looked comfortable enough.

“Why did you lie to them?”, Anastasia asked Ava.

“Look Ani, we don’t know these people. And the Red Fist aren’t very popular. I am not in a great hurry to get myself killed.”

“They helped us! They deserve to know at least who they are helping.”, Anastasia turned to Michael, “Michael back me up.”

“I don’t care.”, Michael layed on one of the handmade bed.

Ava rubbed her arm, “Look I don’t like lying to these people, they seem like good people. But I don’t want to die either, do you understand that?”

Anastasia took a little time to think, “Well at least you are feeling guilty about it. I guess if it could get you killed don’t tell them.”

“Thanks for understanding Ani.”, Ava patted her shoulder and went off to lay on another of the beds, Anastasia followed after laying on the last bed.

  After a little silence Anastasia felt curious, “Ava, why did you join the Red Fist?”

Ava moved a little in her bed, “I didn’t join. I created the thing, well me and a few others.”

“What happened to them?”

“They died. Most of them at least for some I don’t know.”, Ava swallowed and continued talking, “It wasn’t always like this Ani. We had good intentions, we wanted to make it easier for people to survive. But eventually with the rest of the people who created it dying or disappearing and others taking their place it changed to what it is now. And I plunged down the ranks as others took my place.”

“The road to hell is paved in good intentions.”, Michael rumbled.

Ava raised herself with her hands to look at Michael, “Hey it’s not like we knew this would happen!”, she lowered herself again, “We were trying to survive.”

“Why did you stay then?”, Anastasia asked, “I mean after everything changed.”

Ava though for a while before she spoke, “I don’t know.”, she moved in her bed, “I guess I thought I wouldn’t survive on my own.”, Ava yawed, “But enough for now I am tired”, she nodded of to sleep.

Anastasia rolled until she felt comfortable in the bed and went to sleep herself.