The Mender

Searching for Others

After everyone pledged to keep the Agreements, Flat Rocks sent out small scouting parties of three or four to look for more Ash Rain survivors. The scouting parties went in different directions and with great caution, staying alert at all times for the Violent Ones who had taken Sela and Muni.

With every scouting group, Zura told them, "Only rescue slaves if you can do so without getting captured yourself. If there are too many Violent Ones, come back to Flat Rocks and we will make a bigger group." She knew how much everyone wanted to find the children from Sela and Muni's bode, and worried that some might move too quickly and put themselves at risk of being killed or captured.

If they could find a few more people, the bode would be a normal size again.

The scouting parties came back empty-handed. Several went back to where Sela and Muni were found, but the tracks of the Violent Ones ended at a stream bed. Though they followed the stream for some distance in both directions, they were not able to pick up the tracks of the Violent Ones and the children.

After several moon cycles, Dagan, Esri, and Kai's scouting party returned with news of finding survivors.

Kai described the group, "We saw a man, a woman, and two girls. The children are Grilu's size. The woman and man are mates. There were no signs of anyone else. They're not Violent Ones. We should bring them to Flat Rocks where they will be safer."

Dagan said, "They'll be frightened when we approach them and fight us. We don't want to harm them."

Esri said, "If Barsa comes, maybe he can speak with them. And we could take Sela too. If they see a little girl they might feel less threatened. What do you think, Grayla? If you went with us, would Sela go?"

Grayla nodded, "Let me speak with her."

It was decided, Dagan, Esri, and Kai would return, and be joined by Barsa, Grayla, and Sela. It was the first time that Sela and Muni were separated since coming to Flat Rocks. Sela was excited to be asked to go with Grayla but worried about leaving Muni. However, he was perfectly happy to stay with Jolam, who promised to take Muni and Grilu on some small hunting expeditions.

With their larger numbers, the scouting group would appear strong, but hopefully Sela's presence would not make them look like a warring party.

It took them several days to walk back to the survivors. The scouting party decided to approach the survivors as Tars did with Zura, Dagan, and Esri, shortly before Sun-Man's arrival. The scouting party was barely in place in front of the cave where the survivors slept when the family awoke and all four of them grabbed flints and spears and began fighting as if their lives depended on it.

Grayla pulled Sela away from the melee. Grayla would keep Sela safe and only join in if she was needed.

Dagan and Kai dove for the man's legs, brought him down, and tied him up with the lengths of stout vines they brought.

The woman threw a spear at Esri and Barsa. Barsa ducked. Esri jumped away but she was unable to completely avoid the sharp edge. The flint cut into her upper left arm and Esri paused. The woman used the opportunity to grab one of the little girls and run away from the cave. Barsa grabbed the other child.

Esri's arm throbbed. Blood oozed out of the cut. She hoped it wasn't too deep. Barsa said, "When they finish with the man, let Dagan and Kai go after the others. They won't go far. Come, help me with this little one. She is frightened. You can sing to her."

Kai and Dagan finished immobilizing the man and only then saw the bleeding gash on Esri's arm. They ran to her and she waved them away. "I'll be fine. Go on. Get the other two. They ran that way," Esri pointed.

Soon they were back. The woman's hands were tied. She looked terrified and frequently stumbled. She shrugged off Kai's attempts to support her. Dagan carried the little girl who stared fearfully around at everyone but didn't struggle. Either she understood she had no hope of getting free or perhaps something told her that the big man holding her would not harm her.

Kai said, "They were hiding behind the bushes over there, not far. The woman did not fight us."

It was all too much for Sela. Seeing the fear and panic of the people, especially the little girls, she began to sob and clung to Grayla.

The survivors stared at Sela, not certain how to interpret what was happening. Barsa let go of the little girl he held. She ran to the woman.

The scouting party looked at each other, unsure what to do next.

"We should untie them. Show them we're not going to hurt them," said Esri.

Kai said, "No, they should stay tied up. Look what she did to your arm."

Barsa said, "I agree. Let's wait to untie them. We'll bring them together and let them sit for a while. Then I will try to speak with them, and help them understand we will not harm them." They carried the man out of the cave and sat him within a few feet of the woman.

Dagan said, "Esri, let me take care of your arm. Zura will be angry at me if I don't look after you. She gave me some of her healing moss before we left."

Esri smiled at Dagan, "She also gave me moss."

The survivors followed this exchange. They couldn't understand what Dagan and Esri were saying but could see the warmth between Dagan and Esri in their actions and facial expressions.

When Barsa sensed a subtle shift in the survivors from fright to wariness, he sat close to them and began by saying his name and pointing and saying the names of the others in the scouting party, then gestured to the survivors. The woman spoke for some time. Barsa listened closely. A few words sounded familiar but he couldn't put together the gist of what she was saying. He started again with names, then began naming objects. The woman and man spoke to each other and then were quiet for a long time. Then the woman spoke again, this time, giving Barsa their names.

This tentative back and forth carried on for a while. Once the survivors began to repeat the names of the scouting party, Barsa said, "Let's untie them, but first gather by the spears and flints. We still need to be careful."

The survivors did not move and began an animated discussion.

It was a long, exhausting day. The scouting party, mainly Barsa and Esri, worked at communicating with the survivors but it was a tiring process. Bit by bit, they started some simple conversations. Though the survivors sat quietly and had no sharp weapons, there was still a risk they might try to fight again. The scouting party ensured that someone kept close watch throughout the night.