To Break A Curse

Chapter 9

The next day is a blur as we trek out of the forest and into the grasslands. It's warmer and more unsheltered, the scorching heat of the sun making it almost unbearable as sweat trickles down my neck. How I long for the cold months of winter, no matter how miserable they might have seemed at the time.

Overhead a hawk screeches and slowly flies in circles above us, the sound piercing the air and filling the vast expanse.

"Oye, get away you no good rotter!" Bo shouts at it, swatting his arms in its direction.

Fale chuckles and I look at Bo questionably.

"You think it's funny do you?" Bo asks Fale with a serious expression painted across his face. "You know what sign a hawk brings, right?"

"No, is it a sign of bad luck?" Fale asks, still smiling.

"It's more than that!" Bo replies. "A hawk circling above you on a journey can only mean one thing— you're marked with death! The number of hawks is the number of people that are sure to die. So, that means one of us will be no more at journeys end," he says pointing an arm up to the hawk.

"That's just Kirin superstition, nothing more," Fale states.

"But see, the shadow is upon us," Bo motions to the large shadow of the hawk stretching over us. "The mark is sure," he says strickenly.

"If we die or not, I won't let a bird tell me my fate," Fale says, unstirred. 

"Must it be a hawk?" I ask Bo. "What if another bird casts a shadow upon us?"

"Don't encourage him," Fale tells me.

Bo ignores him and turns to me. "You see, the hawk has been the symbol of the Kirin kings for the last two hundred years. It is painted on every flag, armor, and shield so that no one forgets the power he holds. We don't know why it's a hawk exactly, but we do know their shadows never lie. I've seen it with my own eyes. Once with my cousin and once with a kinsman. A few years ago, my battalion was moving through the mountains when a hawk flew over and cast a shadow upon us. Before the night came, a fellow warrior dropped dead. And then when I was a youngin', I was playin' in the field with my cousin when a hawk did the same thing. The next week, he got a fever so bad that he only lasted a few days. There's no other explanation," Bo says somberly.

"It's just a mere coincidence," Fale says.

"Believe what you want, laddie, but I'd say my prayers," Bo states.

"It's all so mysterious," I say. I don't know if I believe it or not, but a nervous feeling rests in my stomach nonetheless.

A few minutes later, the hawk finally flies off, leaving us with a quiet breeze.

The tall grass rustles beside me and I can't help but imagine all kinds of snakes and animals lurking within. Without ever having been further than the neighboring village, I have no idea what kind of creatures to expect in the grasslands.

"Are there snakes in here?" I ask nervously.

"Aye, there's probably a rattle or two movin' about," Bo replies.

"Oh." I've never seen a rattlesnake in person and would very much like to keep it that way.

"They ain't nothin' to be afraid of, as long as you don't step on 'em, that is," Bo says, chuckling.

"How comforting."

"The sun will set in about an hour or two so we should keep an eye out for any trees... or any resemblance of shelter for that matter," Fale tells us, shielding his eyes as he looks up at the sun.
I could lay down right here, shelter or not.