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Post by Treijim on Jul 27, 2009 12:53:01 GMT 9.5
"Something else?" Larr picked up his head. "Like what? Is there some secret talent you have that I don't know about yet? Besides, libraries do help. With the books and information available for everyone to read, the knowledge is more... shared. Jed just wants to be the best hunter and tracker and is afraid of people taking other peoples' places."
He stood and patted Cliff on the back. "If you know how to do anything else that helps then tell Monopa. If not, don't worry about it. Most of the ones your age don't even do anything unique to help. Like Herring. He just helps where he wants to."
The wind carried the sound of neighing, and Arka and Rosaria erupted into the camp, shot past Cliff and Larr, and sunk into the field leading south. Nierra soon came from where Arka did.
"Oh, that was my fault," Nierra said to Larr. "I offered Rosaria some food thinking she was hungry. Arka came up and said that if other people feed her, she gets less used to him. I'm so sorry."
"Was that Arka?" Monopa asked, joining them.
"I'm sorry," Nierra repeated. "It's my fault."
"It's not," Larr said. "Horses don't think like that. Arka is just... something's bothering him, I guess. Don't take it personally, Nierra." He gave his sister a one-armed hug to reassure her.
"What did you do?" Monopa asked her. "Was it about the library?"
Nierra paused. "What library?"
"Cliff's library," Larr said proudly.
He nodded to Cliff to do the honours of explaining it all. By then, several others had come to see why Arka had ridden off, and were now curious about the aforementioned library.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 27, 2009 13:08:43 GMT 9.5
Cliff frowned at the idea of not having any special skill, but at the moment he couldn't think of anything useful he knew how to do. In this regard, he didn't like Larr being right.
Uneasy with the growing crowd, took a step back as though to run away. Instead however, he wedged himself against the walking stick. "Um, Larr and I were thinking... that I could get a library going, to share books. I helped organize the books in the chapel where I was last. So, I know how to do it. That is, if it would be useful," he trailed off staring at the dirt.
Cliff looked up to watch the children exchange looks and unsuccessfully tried to read their expressions. His assumption that they would think it was a stupid idea was creating a feeling of dread within him. Almost desperately, he wanted to be useful here, to prove himself.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 27, 2009 13:18:34 GMT 9.5
At first the general reception was silence. Whispers were soon to follow. They were mostly smiling and seemed entertained at the idea, but whether that was because it was exciting and interesting, or because it was just plain ridiculous, it could not be told. Larr put an arm around Cliff and added his own part:
"It's us sharing the things we know. Joy can write her recipes for other people to practice and learn. Gerit can write about how to make and use a lot of the things he invents. Rean knows that I sure don't know how half the time." He laughed and most of the children did, too. "He and Cliff can also write about insects. Tania can write about making clothes and stuff for the girls and Arka can write about fighting and using weapons for the boys. Felinor can write about how to fix cuts and sores and things like that. We can write about herbs, plants, food, animals, places, skills! We also have other books already -- story books and adventure books. Why don't we share those? They weren't ours to begin with, anyway. Don't you all remember? We took them the first time we went to Gianthands, and they belonged to whoever found them."
He paused and looked around, feeling as though he was very much on a roll, and he was even convincing himself. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, if that happens, some of us will become useless. That's not what's gonna happen, though. What if one of us gets taken? Who will cook if Joy goes? Who will mend clothes if Tania goes? Who will hunt if Jed goes? We need to share. It would be stupid not to. Come on, guys, who's with me?"
Then, slowly, the children began to cheer for the idea. They chanted 'library' over and over. Larr pulled Cliff closer and gave him a friendly told-you-so smile.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 27, 2009 13:44:53 GMT 9.5
Cliff accepted the smile warmly, but in the back of his mind all the talk of people getting taken bothered him. "Once we figure out where we will put them, I'll come to collect the books and to explain how you can get new ones back," he said with a renewed confidence. He grasped the handle of the stick and stood up straight.
The boy turned around to look in the direction that Arka had ridden, but it was clear now that he was gone. Curious, Cliff whispered to Larr, "What do you think was bothering him." He motioned with the stick in the direction Arka had fled.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 27, 2009 13:56:24 GMT 9.5
After talking about it a little more, the crowd dissipated as everyone returned to their work. They all seemed more enthused, now that there was something special to look forward to.
"I dunno," Larr said once they had a little more privacy again. "I think something happened on the other side of the river, when he was getting Rosaria back. Maybe... He didn't seem hurt. He just seems really worried or something. If you're thinking of following him then you can't. He's long gone. He could ride between here and the cliffs you climbed ten times before we got there on foot."
Larr, of course, didn't know about the man on top of the cliff, and so it didn't even occur to him that he may have met a giant while he was over there.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 28, 2009 2:21:17 GMT 9.5
Cliff smiled still staring off into the distance. Tapping the stick against his left foot, he said to Larr, "As I am now, I am sure he could ride back a hundred times."
Given a few seconds of thought however, his smiled slowly receded. "I wonder if he saw the giant too," he wondered aloud. The boy gasped remembering that Larr was by his side. Cliff was not suppose to know about the giants.
However, another thought quickly replaced this concern. If the giants normally wanted one of them, was it a coincidence that one arrived two days after he did? "Does it wants me?" he whispered to himself under his breath. A shiver ran down his back.
Clenching the walking stick, he watched a flock of birds circle over a patch of trees to the south west. The boy let out a shaky sigh.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 28, 2009 9:43:00 GMT 9.5
At first it didn't seem as though Larr had listened to what Cliff said. Then it slowly dawned on him.
"You?" Larr turned his head to look at Cliff front-on. He seemed about to interrogate Cliff with questions of how he came across such information. "Why would they want you? I mean, that's not an insult. But why would they want you, really? They take people who are 'ready'. You aren't even one of us." He waved his hands around as he spoke, as though pointing out obvious things nearby that added to the convincingness of his argument.
"And who told you about that anyway? Whoever did wasn't supposed to. I know you're gonna be staying here, but that doesn't mean you're one of us!"
He stormed off and left Cliff in the middle of the camp. Some of the children were watching and heard Larr but they didn't make much of it.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 28, 2009 9:55:35 GMT 9.5
"Ready?" That was all Cliff managed to say before Larr disappeared from sight. For a minute he just stood there feeling a mixture of confusion and disappointment. A cold breeze brought him back from his detachment. When Cliff noticed the remaining children were staring at him, he made haste to get out of sight.
Walking east, he moved behind one of the near by tents. Although it was slow going, he progressed along the outskirts of the village in the direction the thought Larr had gone. He knew he wasn't suppose to know, but even so he didn't expect that kind of reaction, especially from Larr. At the sound of voices, he stopped in his tracks.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 28, 2009 10:10:06 GMT 9.5
It was Larr and Monopa.
"Somebody broke the code," Larr said, sounding distraught. "Cliff knows about the giants and how they take us when we're ready."
There was a short silence. "He revealed this to you? Did he say who told him?"
"No but it wasn't me. Maybe Arka? Maybe that's why he left like that?"
"I doubt that. Arka is responsible for our safety. I did see Cliff earlier, with Gerit, in the trees. They were talking about something."
"Gerit would do something like that," Larr growled. "He always thinks he knows best."
"Don't worry too much about it, Larr. Cliff knows a little, but not enough for him to get involved. He's still safe. Where is he now?"
"Outside the commons. Want me to find Gerit?"
"No," Monopa said. "It's not your place to punish anybody."
"I wasn't gonna --!"
"I'll talk to him. From now on, Cliff is your responsibility. Make sure you know everything he knows and make sure he doesn't know too much. You two are becoming friends. Don't throw all that away just because of something like this."
"Right... You're right. I'll apologise to Cliff."
"Good," Monopa said. "I'll talk to Gerit. He forgets how important some secrets are, that's all."
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 28, 2009 10:29:13 GMT 9.5
Cliff held very still so as to not alert the other two of his presence. Although his intent was not to eavesdrop, it was far too late now. If Larr discovered him behind the tent, he might get upset again and further complicate things. After a brief silence, Cliff heard who he assumed to be Larr exit the canvas, walking back in the direction of the commons. Monopa took her time, but eventually she too left headed in a different direction. Now moving around to the front of the tent, Cliff snapped at least three twigs.
The boy began his walk back to the commons from here. He clearly didn't know very much about what was going on, and now he wasn't certain he wanted to. Instead of properly lifting the walking stick with each step, he drug it across the ground creating an audible scratching noise. This time he dreaded the questions that were likely to follow.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 28, 2009 10:52:01 GMT 9.5
Larr was suddenly standing in Cliff's peripheral vision. He gave Cliff a where-were-you sort of look but didn't ask it aloud. Approaching his friend, he crossed his arms and put on a thoughtful face. He seemed torn between what to say, and just ended up looking like a disappointed parent who was trying to choose the best words to scold their child. He sighed and let down his shoulders.
"I dunno," he said. "Let's take a walk. We'll collect firewood on the way."
After tossing a large hessian wrap over one shoulder, he took Cliff down a way between the southern field and the forest to the west, where the ground was neither swimming with grass nor tangled with roots and undergrowth, to make it easiest for Cliff. The wind was firm and the sunlight was warm and refreshing. He picked up the odd stick and set it in the wrap, but he didn't seem very keen in collecting firewood admirably. Finally, Larr seemed more intent on talking.
"I'm gonna need some more supports to add the extension to the commons for the library," Larr said, purposefully trying to sound technical. "I'll have to cut down a tree, or maybe two. And we'll need canvas for the walls. I can make a place for you to sleep in there, if you want." He was avoiding talking about other things, and they both knew it.
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 28, 2009 11:13:26 GMT 9.5
Cliff strayed from Larr delivering branches to him now and then. As they walked, he continued scraping the walking stick across the ground's surface. "No, that is alright. I do not want to sleep with the books," Cliff stated. This of course conflicted with his past habits of falling asleep in the chapel's study, but this time the boy had a reason for wanting to stay where he was now.
After a few more steps, Cliff stopped walking. When Larr turned to see why, Cliff looked away. "Sorry," he said without explanation. Starting to walk again, he turned his focus to the ground, thrusting the stick into the soft soil with each step.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 28, 2009 23:09:47 GMT 9.5
It seemed that Larr needed explanation. Either he suffered from a bad memory and couldn't remember the recent events, or he thought there was no need to apologise for them and could not think of what else there was to say sorry for. He scratched his head and went to speak but closed his mouth again.
"Did Gerit tell you?" Larr asked. "If he did, he's the one in trouble -- not you. He knows our rules and you don't so it's not your fault. Don't worry about it."
They walked on for a while longer. Larr didn't bring any weapons in case of a ferehen attack, but it could be guessed that trees made ideal cover against the large winged monsters.
"I guess you can't know if nobody tells you..." Larr said. "We don't talk about Gianthands or the giants. We don't talk about being taken. We don't argue with the choices that the giants make. We don't let people the king doesn't accept drink the blue water. We don't talk about what happened before we came to the valley. We don't talk about growing up. We don't talk about where we go when we're taken away. We just live here happily and that's enough. That's how it's meant to be. I think that's all the rules. Somebody should have told you earlier..."
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Post by Ethereal Panda on Jul 29, 2009 9:21:23 GMT 9.5
Cliff didn't explicitly reveal Gerit as his informant, but the boy's body language betrayed him. After a while, he dropped the walking stick and plopped onto the grass. Wrapping a long blade of grass around his index finger, he spoke, "I do not know what is special about the blue water or who made those rules." The grass was wound so tightly that it tore, falling from him hand. "I knew I should not have asked," he stated looking up to Larr. He smiled sincerely, "I wont again."
Grabbing the walking stick and a nearby branch, Cliff used them to lift himself from the ground. Walking over to Larr's bag, he slipped the new branch inside.
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Post by Treijim on Jul 29, 2009 10:33:06 GMT 9.5
Larr nodded. "Good. Maybe when Monopa writes down the ancient text from memory, we can all read it instead of asking her what it says all the time. Then you'll understand it. I'd tell you myself but I don't trust my own memory that much."
He smiled and continued on their walk. The path was faint but it was definitely there. It was most likely a path that animals use to travel alongside the forest. The ground gently rose as they ascended a hill so subtle it was as though it was purely the curvature of the planet itself. There was a pillar of stones on top, each with a circle carved into one side. Each circle faced a different direction. Larr went and stood by it but didn't even look at it, as though it was of no importance whatsoever.
"Oh, and the rules were made by all of us, judging by what happens when we break them." He shielded his eyes from the sun and looked out over the field. "Look!" he said, pointing out with the other arm at a herd of large, dark brown beasts. "Bison."
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