Chapter 3

It was steadily getting darker around them as Aryanna made her way through the darkening forest. She and Kalya reached their village after dark. Aryanna made her way quickly through the village to their home. She stopped abruptly, seeing figures at their house, peering in windows and knocking loudly on the door.
“What are you doing?” she snapped. The figures whirled around.
“We were wondering if you were coming back,” one spoke up. Aryanna walked firmly up to her door and looked at each one, not able to clearly pick out features.
“Yes, we were coming back, we will always be coming back. Now get away from me and my home. I don’t want to see you lot around our home again,” she said, her voice icy and dangerous.
“Don’t leave your house abandoned for longer than a day, or it will be forfeit,” one threatened leaning in close to her. Aryanna just stared at him, not moving. She raised an eyebrow and lifted her chin.
“Why don’t you leave now?” she said. The man snarled at her but they left, scattering to their different houses. Aryanna sighed and opened her door and slipped in, closing it and throwing the bar across it. She gently eased Kalya off her back and into her arms. She walked  through their small main room to the only room that was their bedroom. She crouched and laid Kalya down gently on the tattered blankets that served as their bed. She pulled one of them over Kalya. The little girl curled up into a ball, murmuring something Aryanna didn’t catch. Aryanna stood and went back to the other room. She moved to one of the far walls and took a few different size logs from the stack of wood that they had collected and stored in their house for the winter. It was spring now but though the days were warm it was cold still at night. Their home didn’t hold warmth at all and what ever warmth it collected during the day the cold of the night quickly squeezed out any and all warmth, leaving them cold. Aryanna set the logs down next to the hearth in the room and took one of her knives from her arm. The coals from the night before were all but dead, hardly any warmth remained. She stood and went back to the stack of wood. She took a wooden box from the side of the pile and brought it back over to the hearth. She took the crude lid off and took out some dried grasses from inside of it. She put some down into the hearth. She shaved off some of the bark and twigs that were still attached to the logs. She made a small pile of the bark and the thinner twigs and struck her fire starter rocks together, throwing sparks onto the dried grass. She blew gently on the smouldering grass. After a moment of carefully blowing and adding more to the faint tongue of fire she got it strong and hot enough to add a thin log to it. Patiently she added more fuel to the fire and soon had a large enough fire to leave it. She rubbed her cold hands as she waited for it to start to warm their small house. Aryanna stood and moved to the table and chair, two of the three furnishings to their home. She sat down in one of the chairs and set all her knives in a row on the table in front of her. After disarming herself she went back to the fire and moved the pot, hanging to one side, over the heat. She added some water from a flask hanging by the door and set about making a stew. She sighed at the small amount that she had to make it with. After she was done she let it simmer and cook. She was suddenly besieged with a memory from years past, just before her father left and went to war. She could almost see her father sitting in a chair, bouncing baby Kalya on his knee one last time, her mother sitting in a chair smiling and laughing. Her eyes prickled suddenly and she shook her head, clenching her fists til her nails dug into her palms. She swiped her fists under her eyes and cleared her throat angrily. She dismissed the memory and stirred the stew some more. The smell of it started to fill the room and her stomach growled. She went to the cupboard that stored their two bowls and spoons and also their dried foods, and took out two bowls and two spoons. Once she felt it was done she spooned out two servings, scraping the bottom of the pot to round out her sisters portion. She  stood again and went to the room, first she knelt down and touched Kalya’s cheek, then her shoulders, shaking her gently awake.
“I know you are tired and want to sleep, but you need to eat this before you go back to sleep,” Aryanna said setting the bowl down beside Kalya. Kalya nodded and rubbed her eyes, she reached automatically for the bowl and brought it close to her nose, smelling it.
“Thanks Arya, it smells good,” she said her voice still thick with sleep. Aryanna could tell she was still half asleep as the girl took a spoonful and blew on it. She scoffed it down, scraping out her bowl. She looked at the bowl longingly but didnt’ say anything. Aryanna saw her face in the dim light and stood, taking her sisters bowl silently. She went back into the other room to where her portion of the food sat. She split half of her food into her sisters bowl and brought it back in too her. She handed it to Kalya with a smile. Kalya looked at her in surprise and shook her head.
“There wasn’t extra was there, this is your portion!” she said softly. Aryanna shook her head.
“No, just eat it, sweet, you are too thin,” she said. Kalya looked guiltily at the food but ate it.
“Thank you Arya, it was good,” the little girl said. Aryanna smiled as she watched her sisters eyelids dropping heavily. She took the bowl and spoon and set it beside her. She gently guided Kalya down again and pulled the blanket up again. Kalya fell back asleep almost instantly, a smile on her face.  Aryanna reached over Kalya to her side of the makeshift bed and felt around for the small rectangular sharpening stone wrapped in a rag. Finding it she stood again and  left the room silently. She sat down in the chair again, setting the sharpening stone down on the table and quickly at the stew she had made. Her stomach growled for more after she had finished and set aside her bowl.  She ignored it and picked up one of her knives and looked down the blade.  She felt along the edge of her knife with her thumb, testing the sharpness of it. She unwrapped the sharpening stone and started sharpening each knife after a careful inspection of it. Once done she wiped it off with the rag and tested it again, this time with more care. She finished her task and sat staring thoughtfully into the fire, one hand supporting her head, curled near her mouth. She yawned and stretched suddenly. She stood, taking only one of the knives with her, slid into the strap in her left arm. She left the others still lying on the table, Kalya new better than to play with them while Aryanna wasn’t around. Besides, Kayla rarely woke before Aryanna.  Aryanna moved to the the fire. Using their long stick that served as a fire poker, she deftly banked the fire against the back of the stone hearth. She felt her way around their room, careful not to trip over Kayla. She laid down next the the little girl and pulled the thin blanket up. She heard Kalya say something again then the girl rolled over and snuggled next to Aryanna, one arm flung over Aryanna’s stomach. Aryanna moved her arm slowly til she could wrap it around her little sister. She left her arm wrapped around her sisters thin shoulders, helping to keep her warm. She fell asleep within a few minutes and slept soundly.
Aryanna woke with a start the next morning to Kalya staring at her.
“Whats wrong?” she asked, sitting up abruptly. Kalya smiled and shrugged.
“Nothing is wrong, I was just watching you sleep,” she said. Aryanna nodded and rubbed her eyes, resting her elbows on her knees.
“What are we doing today?” Kalya asked. Aryanna stood up and stretched.
“I need to go hunting, we are running low on food. Next market day I will have to go. And we should get some more practice in with the weapons we have,” Aryanna said. Kalya nodded.
“When will you go hunting?” she asked.
“Soon, you’ll be coming, you will have to use all the stealth that I have taught you. I can’t leave you alone here,” she said. Kalya looked at her with wide eyes and slight smile.
“I get to come along this time?” she asked excitedly. Aryanna nodded and moved out to the other room. She went to the cupboard and took out a few strips of dried meat. She handed one to Kalya.
“Here is some breakfast, I’m sorry there isn’t much,” she said reaching inside the cupboard again. She took out a tube and a quiver with only a handful of arrows in it, that was standing up in the back corner.
Kalya took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully. “It’s alright Arya, I like it,” she said seriously. Aryanna smiled and went to the table, strapping on her other knives.
Kalya cocked her head.  “Do you hunt with your knives?” she asked.
Aryanna shook her head with a smile. “I use this,” she said taking the cork out of the top of the tube and sliding out a bow. Kalya’s eyes widened and she leaned forward to look at it.
“Why have I never seen this before?” Kalya asked.
“I usually hunt in the early morning before you awake, and I am usually back before you wake up. I do not think anyone else in the village knows I have this, they would probably steal it and then, sell it at a market,” she said. Kalya nodded.
“Who’s was it?” she asked looking up at Aryanna curiously.
“Probably Father’s,” Aryanna said shortly. Kalya nodded and didn’t ask any other questions.  Aryanna strung the bow and drew it back a couple times, testing it’s flexibility. She unstrung it and slipped it over her shoulders. She fastened the quiver to her left leg, and turned to Kalya, tossing a rough woven sack to her.
“Ready?” she asked. Kalya nodded as she caught it, and they left the house again. They set off in the opposite direction they had the day before, heading deeper into the woodlands. Aryanna ignored the glances cast their way, she just put an arm around her sisters shoulders protectively and continued on.  
They reached the end of the village quickly, for no one wanted to build homes much deeper into the woods, not knowing what lurked in the darkness. Aryanna looked around, not much light penetrated here and for the most part it was in shadows, except for the random patches where sunlight made it’s way to the forest floor. It seemed to get progressively darker as they continued on. The animal noises were loud but not close. Aryanna couldn’t identify any of the calls. She stopped suddenly, and stayed still, allowing her eyes to continue adjusting to the dim light. She looked around.
“What’s wrong?” Kalya asked in a whisper. Aryanna shook her head and shrugged.
“I feel like someone or something is watching us,” she answered in a low voice. Kayla’s eyes got wide and she edged closer to Aryanna.
“I’m scared, how do you hunt here every time?” the little girl asked looking up at Aryanna. Aryanna looked at the wide eyes and scared face.
“It’s alright, I’ll protect you,” she said firmly. “And I hunt carefully here because there is game here.”
Kalya nodded.
“Time for quiet now, watch where you are stepping. Don’t say anything unless you really must,” Aryanna ordered as she strung her bow and nocked an arrow to the string. Kalya nodded.
Aryanna began creeping silently through the forest, using shadows as cover and moving with them. Kalya mimicked Aryanna’s movements with hardly a noise over a rustle. They both moved like the shadows themselves over the forest floor. Aryanna halted abruptly and in one smooth motion brought the bow up, drawing the string to her mouth, she sighted down the arrow and released. There was the hiss of the bow leaving the string and whirring through the air then a thud and a short scream of pain from an animal throat. Aryanna silently ran over to where her arrow had found the animal. She motioned Kalya over. Kalya came within a few feet but wouldn’t come any closer.
“It’s fine, come over,” she said. Kalya shook her head and tossed the sack to Aryanna. Aryanna caught it and shrugged.
“What did you kill?” Kalya asked, edging closer.
“Just a darrat,” Aryanna said. Kalya nodded and shrugged.
“Oh, I don’t like them, I don’t mind that you killed it,” she said. Aryanna laughed softly.
“This one is a large one,” she said as she pulled the arrow out of the animals thick body, wiping the blood off the arrow tip on the leaves. She slid it into the quiver and lifted the darrat by it’s thick tail. The animal was slightly bigger than a rat with a rounded nose, but fangs were protruding from it’s upper jaw. It had the feet of a tree climber.
“So that means more meat for us?” she asked. Aryanna nodded.
“So now can we go home?” Kalya asked. Aryanna shook her head.
“No, we need more, this will only feed us for a couple days,” she said. She stuffed the darrat into the sack. She held it out to Kalya who cringed but took it. Aryanna stood and nocked another arrow to her string. She and Kalya moved off again, her sister following silently in her footsteps. Aryanna smiled to herself, her sister knew much about moving silently through the woods. She was a quick learner when Aryanna would teach her. Aryanna’s eyes picked up slight movement on a tree. She halted and watched as the darrat hesitantly moved down the tree, it’s round nose searching the air, trying to pick up any foreign threats. Aryanna watched it scurrying down the massive tree and began seeing a pattern in the way it moved. Her lips turned up in a slight smile. She slowly drew the arrow back and waited, aiming down the arrow. Her shot depended on timing and whether or not she was correct in the pattern of the animal. She waited til the animal was almost to the base of the ancient tree. She suddenly drew her breath in and released the arrow. It was a long shot but it clipped the animal, throwing it off balance and sending it thudding to the earth, stunned. Knowing she had seconds, Aryanna ran in a few loping paces over to the animal, dropping to her knees and drawing her knife. She swiftly ended it’s life. She whirled around hearing someone breathing behind her. It was just Kalya.
“Did I startle you? I’m sorry, I was just following,” the little girl said.
“No, yes, you did startle me, I didn’t realize you were so good at being silent!” she said with a smile. “You are doing very well!” she said. Kalya smiled proudly and came over, opening the sack. Aryanna stuffed the darrat into the sack and stood. She looked around, trying to find the arrow. She spotted it fifty paces away and collected it, slipping it into the quiver.  She and Kalya moved on again, Aryanna changed their direction so they wouldn’t continue heading deeper into the forest. They continued walking for a while longer, not seeing anything. After twenty minutes of moving through the forest silently, Kalya moved up beside Aryanna and tapped her on the side. Aryanna looked down at her in question. Kalya motioned behind them. Aryanna turned around and scanned the trees and ground with her eyes. She caught sight of another darrat moving through the woods. She drew the bow again, sighted down it, and released. She gave vent to an aggravated sigh as she heard the animal squeal in fright and scamper away. She collected the arrow again and turned to Kalya, who had followed her again.
“I think we need to call it a day,” she said.
Kalya nodded. “Is this enough food for us?” she asked.
“Don’t worry about that, sweet,” Aryanna answered standing and putting a hand on Kalya’s head. “We have enough for a few days, I will go hunting again soon.”
Kalya smiled slightly and adjusted the sack over her shoulder. Aryanna slung her bow over her shoulder and took the sack from her sisters shoulder. She led the way through the forest, heading back to their village. They stopped halfway there, Aryanna deftly gutted the darrats and left the innards in the forest. When she was done she cleaned her knives off and put the rest of the darrats in the sack again.
“I’m going to clean and cut the meat and smoke it here,” she said. Kalya nodded.
“Can I help you at all?” she asked. Aryanna shook her head with a smile.
“No, it’s fine. You wouldn’t know how to do it,” She said. Kalya nodded.
After Aryanna was done smoking and drying the meat, she and Kayla made it back to the village around mid afternoon.