Alyssum - Chapter Three
A burning sun. Gentle, terrible. It looked ready to warm the boy's skin, wanted to fall upon him and give him comfort, yet none came. He froze instead, buried in a torrent of snow and ice. Like water, it suffocated him, and he tried to claw his way up to reach the light. But it remained distant. Like the sun at noon day, as a child tries to reach for the sun, never able to touch it.
A terrible thought arose in the mind of the frozen boy.
<”He would have died alone.”>
“I know. He's lucky you were out there.”
Another thought arose.
<”I would rather save him the pain of life and devour him now.”>
“No, as I told you before, humils are for scaring, not eating. Especially not a child, for heaven’s sake. That's why I'm here to make you better food, remember?”
A third image crossed his mind.
<”You know food is not your purpose. Mine is. My child would benefit from fresh meat…”>
“No, Pick isn't eating him either! He's not for eating in any way and that's final. Go check the stables if you're so hungry. Besides, the stew will be done shortly. You’d like it if you just tried it.”
A great beast snorted in response.
The boy felt warm fur beneath his fingertips, the weight of a thick blanket covering him, and an enormous pillow behind his head. The smell of roasting meat and smokey pine wood filled his lungs. Something was very wrong. Besides, of course, the fact that he didn't have the strength to even raise a finger. He tried opening his eyes, but even gentle fire light proved too much to handle. He couldn't feel his toes... exactly. Something pressed against the bottoms of his feet, making them tingle. He was unsure if this was a good sensation or not.
But he wasn't dead. Not yet.
A strange concept emerged in the boy's mind, as if placed there by something else.
<A large wet tongue lapping against a humil face.>
A voice answered the thought.
“If you mean to eat him, absolutely not. If you mean to be his friend, then... fine. I suppose. Warm him up a little. But let the poor boy sleep for a while, will you?”
A monster approached. Large enough to block the light. Its footfalls cracked to stone and slid across dirt, and a great body came to rest against the boy's side. Then, a large weight settled across his legs, and the smell of a wet dog settled on him. The boy tried to open his eyes wide, and a face came into blurry view.
A face? What made the boy think it was a face? Not a humil face, certainly. Wait, a dog's face. Or was it a wolf? It was too big to be a wolf's face; the boy thought it a matter of fact that wolves do not grow to such sizes. The head of this wolf lay as large as an apple crate, as large as a wolf should be by itself. A great black nose sniffed at the air like bellows, a gray-and-brown muzzle sat across the boy's lap, and bright reflective eyes darted to and fro to some other points of interest in the room in which the boy lay. The boy strained to lift his head and saw a pair of furry ears curiously rotate as it heard a myriad of homemade noises.
The wolf growled as if tired. The vibrations shook the boy's bones. His fear may have been frozen before, but like the rest of him, it began to thaw. The anxiety grew quickly. Try as he might to still his timid voice, he couldn't help a small squeak of panic.
The wolf's closest eye quickly switched upon him, and the whole head rose and cocked to one side.
A thought rose in the boy's mind.
<A humil rising from bed and smiling.>
The boy did not feel like smiling. A voice then called from further inside the room, as if alerted by the thought in the boy's mind.
“Are you sure, Pick? Is he awake?”
The wolf bent his great head down and sniffed at the boy; the stale, humid dog-breath might as well have been a violent hiss of steam. It growled and yelped a quiet affirmative. Then, the prediction came to pass: the wolf's tongue emerged and shoved the boy's hair to the side with a single terrible lick. The wolf was tasting him! The boy tried to lift his arms to fight against it, but they remained uselessly at his side.
“Ah, he is awake!”
A dark figure appeared in place of the firelight, and stood above the boy. It certainly didn't look wolf-shaped. No, a man. Everything was still blurry. The man knelt down before the boy and rested his hand on the boy's forehead. Then his nose, and his ears.
“Well, look at you. Looks like you're not an ice cube. That's good news, right?”
At this moment, the boy realized he'd been shivering terribly. He opened his mouth, and the cold of the mountain fell out of it.
“Wh-Wh... whe... wh-where...”
“Hey, it's all right, no need to worry yourself. Just relax and breathe. You were out in the cold for far too long.”
The boy blinked, and his stomach twisted. The man came forward and sat himself down at the boy's side, pushing the giant wolf away in the process. Not only did the wolf not straight away eat the man in response, the wolf simply growled in protest and stepped over both the man and the boy. It then laid its great body down and placed its head across the boy's lap from the other side. Its paw gently dug against the fur blanket, and the wolf watched him with an adorable brown eye like a patient puppy. The boy wasn't sure which one to be afraid of first, man or beast.
The boy had no idea what to make of the man. He dressed like a scholar or a teacher, in fine trousers, a loose-fitting doublet, and a thin leather jacket with a wide tan collar. He also wore thin spectacles that gave him an age beyond his own. He didn't seem at all like the hardy specimen of manhood that would live this high up a mountain. His beardless face and hazel eyes reflected something foreign, though from where Aeo had no idea. His words were very plain, however, giving no hint.
“By the Goddess, I can't believe you decided to climb Falas in a blizzard like this,” the man said. “You're one brave boy. You’ve been sleeping for the better part of a day. You must have been running away from something fairly frightening to force you this far up the mountain.”
The man placed a hand on the boy's face, just beneath his left eye. The touch reminded the boy of the terrible bruise that dominated his face. Even then, he could feel his pulse drumming away where his skin had turned black and blue.
“I'm guessing you didn't do this to yourself.”
A thought rose in the boy's mind.
<The color purple. A humil falling out of a tree.>
“Yes, Pick,” the man said to the wolf, petting its nose. “I'm sure it was something like that.”
The boy's eyes widened. The man could 'hear' the thoughts too. The man noticed the boy's silent stare and smiled, pointing to his temple.
“I'm sure you've never heard a wolf’s 'thoughts’' before, have you? Ah, apologies, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. My name is Leon Sirelu...” The man placed a hand on the wolf's nose. “...this is Pick. And you'll meet his mama Shera when she comes back. Welcome to our little home on the mountain.”
Pick gurgled and licked the fur blanket.
<A humil boy petting a wolf's head.>
Leon laughed at the thought.
“Yes, you little scoundrel,” said Leon, leaning over to pet Pick. “I'm sure you'll be great friends.”
“Wh-why... Why d-does...” the boy whispered.
Leon waited patiently.
“H-How does... h-he... talk... in m-my head?”
“I don't know for certain,” Leon answered. “It's curious, isn't it? I've actually tested a few things with Pick. Did you know you can hear them from about half a mile away? And they can whisper too, so you're the only one who can hear them. It's as plain as if they were speaking with words. Though some of the images they use tend to get... lost in translation. Especially from you, eh Pick? It takes some practice to understand you sometimes.”
Pick blinked a few times and started to pant.
<The color green. A wolf howling.>
“That's right, it's fun to talk.”
“Wh-What... d...does... g-green...” the boy attempted to ask.
“I believe that means he's happy,” said Leon. “So when he howls, or talks, it makes him happy. Isn't that right Pick?”
Pick let out a small airy howl.
“All right, down to business,” said Leon, bending forward. His hands reached under the blankets and lifted the boy's arm up and out. Leon grasped his hand; the warmth filled it immediately and made the boy's skin burn. “Can you feel my hand?”
The boy nodded.
“Good. Hmm, you're still cold. I'll get you a couple warming pads for your fingers. At least you managed to keep them warmer than your toes. How about them? Can you feel the heat down there?”
The muscles felt tense and sore. But the fur blanket slowly wiggled back and forth.
“Okay. Try not to move them too much right now. I'm sorry to say you've got a rather textbook case of frostbite there. They've started to turn a might black. Your ears, too. It'll take some time for the right color to come back to them.”
Leon peeled the fur blanket back, and lifted a rubber bottle from the boy's chest, testing its temperature. That was the source of much of the weight.
“B-Black?” the boy whispered frightfully.
“Oh, only slightly, nothing to worry too much about,” said Leon almost too quickly. “Nothing some time can't make better. I'll go refill a couple of these bottles in a few minutes. In the meantime, stay in bed. Besides, the food is almost done, and there’s nothing better than resting with a full belly. I'll leave Pick to make sure you stay toasty warm.” He pat Pick's nose. “Can you do that for me?”
<The color green. A bright fire in a circle of rocks.>
“That's right. Just don't light him on fire, right?”
Pick let out a series of grunts that sounded like dull laughter. Leon lifted himself but stopped midway.
“Oh, before I tend to the stew… I imagine you have a name?”
The boy cleared his throat.
“Aeo, s-sir,” he said.
“Aeo. Very good.”
Leon rose to walk to the other side of the room. Aeo might have stayed quiet. But there was something deep inside him that needed attention, something that Leon would certainly need to know.
“W-Wait, L-Leon, sir... Um, I...”
“Yes?” Leon said.
“I... Uh, I n-need... to u-use the toilet.”
Leon stopped and adjusted his spectacles.
“Oh. Oh, yes, of course you do, of course, um... I suppose we should get that figured out now, shall we? Don't want you standing just yet. Perhaps you can simply turn to your side…? Oh, I guess that depends on number one or number two. Right, now where did I put that bucket...?”
* * * * * * *
With food, water, an empty bladder, and a warming body, Aeo slept straight through the night, even with a giant wolf at his side and a strange academic watching over him. Though, in all honesty, he'd climbed the mountain to give his life to the Goddess. Maybe she really was watching over him the whole time.
A depressing set of thoughts swirled in his head even before he awoke, vivid dreams filling his head. They were different than his dreams of the sun. He dreamed he stood at the top of the mountain, close enough to tumble down into freedom. But as in most nightmares, something was chasing him. He heard the violent barking of hounds, the shouts of the slave owners calling after him and demanding he return. He cast his gaze backwards, and saw them in the distance, perhaps racing towards him from the treeline. He then turned towards the very summit of Falas and looked down to see only the misty mountain peaks and the mystery beyond. The merchants that traveled the pass told stories of a jungle on the other side, a rich and untamed land that couldn't compare to the valley lands where the village lay.
He would travel there. He would find freedom there. Without thought, Aeo took a step forward and fell down the snowy cliffs. Nothing hurt him in this dream, of course, at least at first. He felt weightless as he flew just inches above the snow. He could no longer hear the dogs or the men following him, just the sound of rushing wind cascading past his face.
A cliff face was fast approaching. Aeo tried his best to pull up, or maneuver to the side to avoid it. Nothing worked. Inescapable. And just before he collided with the rocks and snow... He woke up.
He'd had such drifting dreams before. There was always something concrete that made these dreams end. The ground, a wall, a tree, a cliff face, a loud noise. Aeo could deal with these dreams if they ended any other way. But they always woke him up with a start, even in the early hours of the day.
This strange morning, however, the realization quickly hit him that he wasn't sleeping in a bed, even the tattered bed in the place he'd once called home. Aeo tugged at his arms to rub his eyes. Heavy weights stopped them from rising.
Oh. The water bottles.
Though no longer warm unto themselves, they felt as heavy and comfortable as the fur blanket that covered them. With some effort, he hauled an arm out from beneath the pair covering it, and wiped his eye. Pain shot from his face at the slightest touch—the bruise. He carefully avoided it as best he could.
Tired. Very tired. The kind of exhaustion that comes from hours of physical exertion. An aware kind of tired that leaves the body useless but the mind clear and active. And a tinge afraid at that particular moment. Finally able to move his head about without too much pain, Aeo looked further to his left. His ears didn't deceive him. A giant furry monster slept comfortably against the corner of the wall on a pile of furs, curled up all together and breathing steadily. How old was this wolf named Pick? It wasn't like Aeo could judge it from the thoughts Pick put into his head. Maybe he was still young, like a little kid? He didn't seem at all hesitant to place his head in Aeo's lap, like an adorable intelligent puppy.
Aeo lay with his back against the sloped back wall of a very wide cave and examined his surroundings as he lay musing. The surprisingly flat stone floor gently curved into the walls as if crafted on purpose, although the cave walls themselves weren't nearly as neatly organized. Cracks and pockets filled the four walls, and as many as were large enough were filled with unlit wax candles and small charms of varying sizes, colors, and complexity. The total weight of the mountain hovered above the walls, covered with just as many cracks and dotted with the occasional small stalactite and fabric covering, creating a feeling of a well-worn underground dwelling. Opposite of Aeo's furry resting place, the stone wall curved about halfway across the perimeter until it continued as wooden slats sealed with mud cement. A humil-sized entry sat in the middle of the wooden wall, while a larger barn-like door with a rope loop 'doorknob' surrounded the humil one in combination. Aeo didn’t care to think what beast the larger door had been designed for. How the wolves might have helped in the construction of this cavernous dwelling, or even if they did at all, Aeo didn't know. Maybe it was simply the man’s work.
In the middle of the room was a large campfire ring, complete with a roasting spit and holder for pots of all sizes. And against the wall on the left sat wooden crates and boarded boxes of all sizes, no doubt filled with food and other supplies. The wax candle crevasses continued along this wall, although a few of them were lit. And, strangely enough, there seemed to be a purple light being cast onto the wall without source from the center of these candles.
Magick. Real magick.
Aeo knew of the concept of magick, the most spectacular happening, of course, in distant faraway lands and outlandish tavern tales. Every so often a 'magician' would wander into the inn offering his or her talents as entertainment for a few coins and a place to spend the night. These talents would often be nothing more than cards tricks and sleights of hand. But Aeo and other children had loved them, and naturally couldn't figure out for their very lives how such tricks were accomplished.
The only time a real wizard had come into town was during the hunts. Their prices weren't cheap, as Aeo heard rumored, but their skills were often invaluable to other hunters with their abilities to study the habits and trails of the animals and beasts of the mountain, as well as creating strange enchantments for the hunter's weapons. They didn't perform for children—they could start campfires fires with nothing but a flick of a wrist, read people's thoughts, and even turn iron into gold as payment for housing and food. Of course, the 'iron to gold' skill was the most often requested of the wizard, though, according to them, was a difficult-to-master ability and could only be performed in very small quantities. Probably true, but who knows? Aeo had wished countless times that he could turn dirt into gold. He could have bought his own freedom with a handful of transmuted gold dust.
The man named Leon lay sleeping in the right corner of the room, opposite the wooden entrance to the cave. Above him were also lit candles and a strange almost mist-like purple light emanating from them. Aeo didn't have the least bit idea as to its purpose.
Aeo laid back, fumbling his arm back underneath the water bottles that leaned against his side. What a strange place to sleep, he thought to himself.
A dark thought then filled his mind: would Leon force him to go back to the village? No. No, I won’t let him. He won’t take me back. Aeo’s fists clenched. Even in his weakened state, he’d fight back. Or he'd run as fast as he could for the summit and fall down the other side until he reached the forest beyond.
There's no way. I'm not going back. Even if I freeze to death, I'm not going back.
The enormous door of the cave quietly creaked. Aeo jumped at the sound.
For a moment, there were no other sounds, although as Aeo's hearing focused, he could hear the roar of the endless wind outside. His stomach turned. Something was out there.
The door opened. The small door, in fact. With it came a light yet lively voice.
“...all the way up the mountain by himself! I know! Stunning!”
Aeo's eyes widened. It was no humil who stepped through the door, but a curious round creature that came hopping into the room like a frog. A spherical frog? Its big spotty black eyes scanned the room for a moment, and hopped inside as you'd expect a frog to hop. Behind it then hopped a smaller frog of the same round form, full of energy and speaking rather loudly with its wide green lips.
“Where is the leet-il hoo-meel, Mama?”
The bigger frog turned and put a webbed finger to her lips.
“Hush, little toad,” she said. “You'll wake all the sleeping folk!”
“But I aw-weady woke She-wa!”
“I am aware, and I'm surprised Shera didn't gobble you up!” the older frog whispered. The more Aeo listened to her, the more he sounded like a right and proper lady... er, lady-frog. No burbling or frothing at the mouth, as Aeo could imagine a frog speaking. At least in comparison to the adorable small frog. “The boy needs all the rest he can get after his terrible ordeal.”
“What's a ow-deow?” the littlest frog whispered.
“Trouble, dear Heem, it means trouble.”
“Uh-oh. Twuh-ble.”
The elder frog then hopped to the center of the room, stepping towards the remnants of the once-roaring fire. She kicked at a few of the errant pieces of char for a moment. Then the frog leaned back for a moment as if gathering air. A lot of it. More than it would seem the little frog would be able to take in by herself. Then something clicked quite audibly. Something in the frog's throat? No doubt a spark, for the frog then belched forward and her mouth erupted in a bright errant flame. It seemed like more than just simple flame, however, as a thick super-heated substance also leaked from the frog's mouth and brought the campfire to a mighty consistency immediately. Aeo caught the scent of nauseous gas, but it soon passed. And as abrupt and shocking as the display appeared, Aeo heard nothing but a small burst of wind.
“Ah, there we go,” the frog said without skipping a beat. “Much better. Heem, my dear, would you grab a few logs for the fire?”
“Yes, Mama,” the little frog said, hopping to the wood pile next to the crates.
“Now then...”
Aeo suddenly realized why the frogs looked so round—each wore a tightly knit coat of thick fur around themselves, which the female frog then shed and placed close to the fire. Beneath the coat the frog wore a tight dress of a strange dazzling multi-colored material. She walked on two feet as gracefully as any humil, though to keep balance while hopping occasionally dropped to all fours without a problem. Her green skin glistened a little in the firelight as her large yellow eyes with dark vertical pupils expertly scanning the room. She certainly had the wide mouth of a frog, thick green whiskers sticking out the sides somehow adding wisdom to the wrinkles of her face. She stood about a foot and a half, maybe two, and the little one gathering firewood—little sticks and twigs, from the look of it—stood even lower off the ground.
She hopped slowly towards Leon and noticed he was still fast asleep beneath the glowing purple mist. She then hopped closer to Aeo, which instinctually made him pull his feet away. As much as they could move, considering the heavy water bottles and painful aching frostbite.
“Oh. Oh! Oh my! My poor boy!” the frog clapped her webbed hands in surprise. “How long have you been awake? You've probably been watching us the whole time! Well, bless the Goddess, I probably scared you silly by starting that fire, didn't I?”
Aeo didn't dare nod in agreement.
The frog-lady stepped passed Aeo's feet towards his head.
“Hello, my dear!” she said enthusiastically, though quietly enough as to not wake Pick. She bowed as she approached. “My name is Hala, I'm pleased to make your acquaintance!”
“H-Hello,” Aeo squeaked miserably.
“Leon told us all about you last night after you fell asleep,” Hala said. “My goodness, what a journey you took to reach us all the way out here! Of course, Shera had to drag you some of the way. It's a miracle she found you. She told us she was searching for bighorns out of the treeline ridge when she saw a little humil out there wandering all by himself. I have a feeling she wanted to eat you, but she carried you up here regardless! Wasn't that so kind of her?”
“Eat me...?” Aeo whispered. “Wh-Who's Shera?”
“Oh, you haven't met her yet, that's right!” Hala bent down into a squat in front of Aeo, then rose back up in a stretch. “She's Pick's Mama, and a right big wolf for sure! She certainly keeps us all safe from the nasty critters that roam the mountain, yes she does. She's been tending to the bighorners all night long, the poor dear. She usually sleeps in this cave with Leon, but for some reason she decided to sleep in the barn! Isn't that funny?”
Aeo decided it was not.
“The hoo-meel a-wake?”
Up hopped the little frog, now shed of its fur coat as well. Her fur coat, Aeo noticed, since she wore a dress. This dress, however, was less conservative, more like a skirt and a top with the same mysterious material. She took a few steps towards Aeo's face and folded her green little arms.
“The hoo-meel isn't leet-il,” she said. “He's biiiig.”
“Well, he's little to other humils, Heem dear,” Hala said, placing her hands on the little frog's shoulders. “Aeo, this is Heem. She's very excited to meet you! Heem, this is Aeo. Be very careful now, he's not feeling very well at the moment. No jumping on him, okay? Perhaps later when he's feeling up to it.”
For some reason, however, Heem’s attention turned quite dramatically to the far corner of the room.
“Piiiick!” Heem exclaimed, wasting no time hopping towards the wolf. Pick was indeed awake, eyeing the situation. Before Heem could hop on his back, Pick whined and yawned big enough to devour the little frog in a single bite. Heem didn't seem the least bit concerned and climbed up Pick's neck to sit on his back. “Big floo-fie puppy!”
“Good to see you up, you young hound dog!” Hala said. “Sleep well?”
Pick growled and blinked. He almost looked bored, despite the tiny frog hopping on his back. He then looked over at Aeo.
<The color teal. A humil jumping up and down.>
Aeo looked down at his toes and tried to wiggle them. They felt inflamed and painful, even though they still felt frozen.
“I don't... I don't know,” Aeo said.
“Oh Pick,” said Hala. “He won't be on his toes for a good long while. Frostbite is no little thing, after all! Why, I remember getting frostbite on my toes, I had to sit in the thermal spring for a week before I could start hopping again. As a matter of fact, that's not a bad idea for young Aeo if someone could carry him there...”
A gruff voice then rose to fill the cave.
“Where do you think I filled up Aeo's water bottles?”
“Oh dear,” said Hala. “Good morning Leon! I do hope we didn't wake you... Though I'm certain we did.”
“Oh, don't worry, you did,” he said with a chuckle, as he lifted himself to sit. Aeo had fallen asleep much earlier than Leon and hadn't seen him get dressed in the dark sleeveless shirt he now wore. “But I'm glad you did. I have a lot to do today, and I might as well get started.”
“More of those experiments of yours? You know, the longer you're down in those caves, the more I start to worry about you falling into holes, or getting trapped from a cave-in, or… or… blowing yourself up with all of that fancy equipment of yours!”
“No need to worry yourself, Hala,” Leon replied. “Everything I do is perfectly safe. I'm simply studying plants and rocks, not spelunking." He paused. "And not in the least amount explosive.”
"Hmm-umm," said Hala, tapping the floor with her foot.
Leon looked over at Aeo.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
Aeo shrugged, which was challenging to see from beneath the blankets.
“I'm cold, sir...” he said honestly.
“I'm sure you are. Thank you for starting the fire back up, Hala, that was very kind of you. I'll go refill those water bottles for you shortly, Aeo, get you warmed up.”
As he lifted himself to get dressed, Hala hopped up.
“Not a problem at all, Mr. Sirelu!” said Hala. “I'm happy to help this humil boy back on his feet!” She then turned to the little frog proudly sitting upon the wolf pup's back. “All right, little Heem, it's time for us to go clean the hot springs today. You promised you would!”
“Waaah!” cried Heem immediately, kicking her feet and pounding Pick's back with her fists. “But I wanna ride Pick!”
This time, Aeo knew he could see irritation in Pick's eyes as he rolled his head towards him.
“Pick has other duties, Heem, like taking care of Aeo while Leon is gone! Don't make me hop up there and get you!”
Aeo decided it was difficult to make out the individual emotions on the frogs' faces without hearing the words they spoke, but it seemed as if Heem's expressions changed from outrage to sadness and then quiet acceptance. The little frog hopped off of Pick's back and made her way back to the campfire when she gingerly put on her sphere coat. Hala did the same and spoke as she did so.
“It's so wonderful to have you here with us, Aeo!” she said quite excitedly. “When you're well enough to walk, I'd love for you to meet the rest of my family. They're not as happy-sure as Heem and I are about more humils living up here, but I know you'll make yourself a place here in no time!”
Hala stepped over to the wood pile and made it a point to throw one more small bundle into the campfire.
“No need to worry, Hala,” Leon said as he buttoned up a long-sleeved shirt he'd produced from a small crevasse in the wall. “I'll take care of it.”
“If you're sure, dear!” she said, her round form hopping towards the door. “We'll see you later, Leon! Aeo! Pick!” They then disappeared through the door before closing it shut behind them.
“She's such an interesting woman,” Leon said with a laugh. “So unlike the rest of her family.”
Pick sat up and started panting.
<The color yellow. A wolf standing above a frog.>
“Oh, don't be annoyed,” Leon said. “You know Heem loves you, don't you Pick?”
Pick growled once and laid back down on his fur blankets.
Aeo closed his eyes. Life was quickly losing sense.
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