Chenda was tired and worried as she sat leaning against a tree, watching
the narrow bubbling stream gurgle past her. The Keaton decision couldn't be
put off for much longer, and she was worried about the resulting conflicts.
She was just drifting off to sleep when she felt a gentle tap on her
shoulder.
"Couldn't sleep?"
She nodded.
"Me neither." Baiosh stood beside her in awkward silence. "Can I - Will you let me show you something?"
Chenda recognized a strain in his voice as she looked up curiously.
"It's just a short walk. A few minutes."
Chenda stood and tipped her head to one side. Baiosh took this as an agreement to follow. He led her along the stream to a narrower place where he stepped across, Chenda trailing him silently, her eyes probing the dark woodlands close on either side of the nearly indistinguishable path. Leaves rustled behind her, and she shivered and walked closer behind Baiosh.
They walked in silence for several minutes before the path became clearer, and Chenda noticed wildflowers peeking out of the darkness on either side of the path.
Baiosh bent and plucked several budding, deep red flowers from the side of the path and walked forward into a small clearing. Soft moonlight silhouetted his form, kneeling at the side of a mound of earth, sheltered from the weather by an outcrop of rock. A few tender blades of pale grass poked through the soil, flecks of green against brown. Chenda thought of Baiosh's eyes, the same gentle brown with streaks of green.
She felt a pang somewhere inside her, and she selected a handful of white flowers to place alongside the others. Kneeling beside him, she whispered, "Who is it?"
He tried to answer flatly, but his voice cracked. "Ro -... my older sister. Rowantra." He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or not. Baiosh felt the tears rush to his eyes. He tried not to blink. "She was... like a mother. And a friend. She taught me things."
Chenda glanced to her shoulder to see tears flowing freely over her friend's cheeks, although he kept his face expressionless, his eyes blank. What will he think if I reach out to him? thought Chenda. He suffers a greater loss than any I have ever experienced.
Licking the tears from where they had halted at the corners of his mouth, Baiosh hiccoughed uncomfortably. She must think I'm a fool. She ran from her family, and doesn't seem to look back with any regret...
Memories flew through Chenda's mind’s eye. She began to rock back and forth with a tide of pain endured in the past... Baiosh sensed her movement and reached to steady her, but she was already on the ground, her head pounding, eyes wide...
A shock went through Baiosh's body when he noticed Chenda start to sway, by the time she was on the ground he was caught by a sudden burning sensation, coming and going rapidly in different places along his back, then on his legs, arms and the back of his neck. Images sprang into his head and then were replaced by other scenes, of a tall woman spitting criticism and striking at Chenda's vulnerable form with various objects, or her own hands. Details flashed in and out of focus: a vein standing out on the woman's neck, the pain in Chenda's side as she fell to the ground, a Cucco squawking as it flapped away in a whirl of white feathers...
And then it ended.
Stunned, Baiosh was the first to rise, for he too had fallen on his face. Just as he was about to ask if Chenda was all right, she shuddered violently and propped herself up into a sitting position, wiping dirt and leaves from her clothes.
"What was that?" gasped Baiosh, gingerly fingering his arms and legs to find there were no cuts or bruises on him anywhere.
Chenda blinked, and looked at him curiously. "What was what?" came her astonished reply.
"The... It was a vision. You saw it too, didn't you?" She stared at him vacantly. "There was this tall woman with... auburn hair... she was -" Baiosh's voice faded into silence. "Do you know?"
A flash of remembrance whipped by her mind's eye. She bit her lip. How had he seen it too? I remembered... And he saw... Oh mercy, does he see all that I remember? He mustn't, he shouldn't know... She felt the soreness in her hip where it had hit the ground. The dirt in her hair. The memory of stinging blows to her back... Chenda jerked her back straight and touched where she knew her years' collection of scars had developed.
Baiosh's eyes widened. He touched his own back where he had felt the searing blows. "I don't understand."
Chenda lowered her eyes. "You felt."
"Yes." Baiosh gazed worriedly at Chenda. "Was it your mother?"
A glistening tear slid from beneath her closed lashes.
“Was it?â€
"Couldn't sleep?"
She nodded.
"Me neither." Baiosh stood beside her in awkward silence. "Can I - Will you let me show you something?"
Chenda recognized a strain in his voice as she looked up curiously.
"It's just a short walk. A few minutes."
Chenda stood and tipped her head to one side. Baiosh took this as an agreement to follow. He led her along the stream to a narrower place where he stepped across, Chenda trailing him silently, her eyes probing the dark woodlands close on either side of the nearly indistinguishable path. Leaves rustled behind her, and she shivered and walked closer behind Baiosh.
They walked in silence for several minutes before the path became clearer, and Chenda noticed wildflowers peeking out of the darkness on either side of the path.
Baiosh bent and plucked several budding, deep red flowers from the side of the path and walked forward into a small clearing. Soft moonlight silhouetted his form, kneeling at the side of a mound of earth, sheltered from the weather by an outcrop of rock. A few tender blades of pale grass poked through the soil, flecks of green against brown. Chenda thought of Baiosh's eyes, the same gentle brown with streaks of green.
She felt a pang somewhere inside her, and she selected a handful of white flowers to place alongside the others. Kneeling beside him, she whispered, "Who is it?"
He tried to answer flatly, but his voice cracked. "Ro -... my older sister. Rowantra." He wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or not. Baiosh felt the tears rush to his eyes. He tried not to blink. "She was... like a mother. And a friend. She taught me things."
Chenda glanced to her shoulder to see tears flowing freely over her friend's cheeks, although he kept his face expressionless, his eyes blank. What will he think if I reach out to him? thought Chenda. He suffers a greater loss than any I have ever experienced.
Licking the tears from where they had halted at the corners of his mouth, Baiosh hiccoughed uncomfortably. She must think I'm a fool. She ran from her family, and doesn't seem to look back with any regret...
Memories flew through Chenda's mind’s eye. She began to rock back and forth with a tide of pain endured in the past... Baiosh sensed her movement and reached to steady her, but she was already on the ground, her head pounding, eyes wide...
A shock went through Baiosh's body when he noticed Chenda start to sway, by the time she was on the ground he was caught by a sudden burning sensation, coming and going rapidly in different places along his back, then on his legs, arms and the back of his neck. Images sprang into his head and then were replaced by other scenes, of a tall woman spitting criticism and striking at Chenda's vulnerable form with various objects, or her own hands. Details flashed in and out of focus: a vein standing out on the woman's neck, the pain in Chenda's side as she fell to the ground, a Cucco squawking as it flapped away in a whirl of white feathers...
And then it ended.
Stunned, Baiosh was the first to rise, for he too had fallen on his face. Just as he was about to ask if Chenda was all right, she shuddered violently and propped herself up into a sitting position, wiping dirt and leaves from her clothes.
"What was that?" gasped Baiosh, gingerly fingering his arms and legs to find there were no cuts or bruises on him anywhere.
Chenda blinked, and looked at him curiously. "What was what?" came her astonished reply.
"The... It was a vision. You saw it too, didn't you?" She stared at him vacantly. "There was this tall woman with... auburn hair... she was -" Baiosh's voice faded into silence. "Do you know?"
A flash of remembrance whipped by her mind's eye. She bit her lip. How had he seen it too? I remembered... And he saw... Oh mercy, does he see all that I remember? He mustn't, he shouldn't know... She felt the soreness in her hip where it had hit the ground. The dirt in her hair. The memory of stinging blows to her back... Chenda jerked her back straight and touched where she knew her years' collection of scars had developed.
Baiosh's eyes widened. He touched his own back where he had felt the searing blows. "I don't understand."
Chenda lowered her eyes. "You felt."
"Yes." Baiosh gazed worriedly at Chenda. "Was it your mother?"
A glistening tear slid from beneath her closed lashes.
“Was it?â€