Well. Three days into my post-every-other-day schedule and I'm already not meeting it the way I want to. Oh well, I blame Feather Fest. Otherwise this would've been posted earlier.
p.s. I am aware that the title of this chapter is a crime against WFS nature. It may cause traumatic reactions. Sheild your eyes if need be.
When Kalmar Finally Got Tired of Eating Food
Over the next few days, Janner and Kal explored more and more of the island. Of course, it wasn’t anywhere near as much exploring as Kalmar wanted to do, but Janner insisted that it was safer to go out just a little more each day and familiarize themselves with the territory instead of simply running out into the jungle, fully unprepared for what lay ahead.
*****
“I am getting so bored of eating fish,” Kal groaned on the sixth evening of their stay on the island. They were eating dinner on a dry spot on the riverbank. Half of a roasted plonkfish was still uneaten and skewered above the fire.
Janner raised his right eyebrow. “Well, when we get back home, it looks as though I’ll finally be able to tell Mama that you got bored of eating food.”
Kalmar scowled at him. “I’m not bored of eating food. I’m getting sick of eating this plonkfish for every single meal of every single day.”
Janner laughed as Kal got up to rinse his hands up in a gentler part of the river. “Kal, we’ve only been here for six days. That’s eighteen meals at the most, and I’m guessing that one or two on the first day or so were skipped.”
Kalmar shook his head irritably and grabbed the bow and arrows he had made, slinging the bow over his shoulder and clutching the arrows tightly in hand. “Well I’m not going to settle for that," He wrinkled his nose and pointed distastefully at the remainder of the cooked plonkfish on the roasting spit. “The rest of the time we’re stuck here. I’m going out to hunt for something that meat.”
Alarm shot through Janner and he quickly got up from the hard rocks. He grabbed his sheath gingerly with his left hand — at least his dominant hand had taken less of a scathing during the storm. Kal had told him that he climbed up the ratlines to fix the sail, but everything following that had gone “poorly” — and ran ro catch up with his brother. Kal had already managed to get thirty feet away from the camp.
“Kal! Wait,” Janner called out to him.
Kalmar turned around. “What is it?” he asked impatiently, throwing his hands out.
“You can’t just run off into the middle of the jungle alone, especially not when the sun is about to set.” Janner pointed up at the sky. “It’s going to be dark soon. The trees are so thick that you won’t be able to see where you’re going. You’ll either get eaten by some wild animal or trip and fall into some hole in the ground.”
Kal crossed his arms and huffed irritably. “Two things: first of all, we haven’t seen anything much more dangerous than a quill diggle or a bumpy digtoad. Secondly, you're the one who's always managing to trip or fall over, so I don't think you need to be worried about me."
Janner sighed. It hadn't happened yet, but he couldn't help but worry that with the normal responsibilities of a King lifted off his shoulders, Kalmar would begin to act immature. He hadn't done that at all, except for the words he had said just a minute before, but there was always the chance for it. And for that matter, there was always the chance that he would shift back into the more-selfish person the Maker had conquered outside of normalacy. What could he do about it? Not much, I suppose, he mused. Other than pray it doesn't happen and do my best to keep it from happening, at least on my part. And guide Kal away from it if he starts acting up.
Brushing the thoughts aside for the time, Janner responded: "Just let me come with you if you're planning on doing something ridiculous." He picked his way around a cluster of particularly sticky fern fronds and buckled his sword sheath around his waist. "And quill diggles are dangerous."
"Sure," Kal snorted as he began his trek through the jungle again. "And a snickbuzzard will leave you alone if you cross it's path."
"You know it won't leave you alone, right?"
*****
The night's shadows had decended by the time the boys found their way into a clearing on the apparent other side of the jungle. Janner widened his eyes, both in surprise an in an effort to actually see the landscape before him.
There was green grass — real grass, not just weeds and thorns and ferny tangles — that stretched far ahead of them and a gentle, sloping hill that eventually led to another forest. Flora was Sara's field, but in the dim light of the moon, Janner thought he could make out normal trees: feathergreens, swaples, and nutties.*
"Let's go!" Kalmar shouted, leaping forward.
Janner lunged forward and grabbed his brother's shirt collar, wincing. "Wait," he warned. "Kal, I want to explore this too, but I want to enjoy and actually be able to see where we're going. Besides, how are we supposed to hunt in the dark? I promise, we'll come back first thing tomorrow morning and explore."
Kal sighed, and Janner could see that he was weighing between what he wanted to do and what he knew was sensible. "Alright," he said flatly. "I'll wait. But first thing . I will wake you up, Janner Wingfeather!"
Janner laughed, both in humor and relief. The king inside Kal had won out over the child in his decision making. Janner also knew that his brother would make good on his promise. "Come on," he said, lightly placing his hand on Kal's shoulder. "Let's go back to camp."
*****
The next morning, Janner woke to Kalmar shaking him rather violently and saying: "Janner, would you get up already?"
Janner sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. When he looked around, he groaned. "Kal, it's barely dawn. Can't this wait until l—"
"No, it can't," Kal interrupted. "You said first thing, this is first thing. I want to find something edible to kill before my stomach starts growling."
"It's already growling," Janner said wryly as he forced himself up from the ground, his muscles groaning in protest. He stepped out of the overhang and into the gray dawn light, then sat on a stool-sized boulder. He began unwrapping the cloth from his palms and inspected the wounds. They looked a lot better than they had before, and he figured the sailing gloves would suffice for protection. Janner pulled them on carefully and glanced up to see Kal groaning.
"Can we please just go already?" he begged.
"Just a minute," Janner replied testily, gritting his teeth in pain as he unwrapped the once-white cloth from around his head. "What do you think, change the bandage or go without?"
Kal grimaced. "Change it. Please. If we're hunting and you come from behind a tree looking like that , I'll think some horrible creature attacked you or — even worse — I'll think some horrible creature is coming to attack me."
Janner laughed and tore away a strip from the undershirt that was shrinking in size.
They set out a few minutes later, far later than Kalmar would have liked and far sooner than Janner would have. Armed with his sword and Kal with a bow and arrows, Janner felt the same combination of trepidation and relief he had every time they left the cave to explore. Trepidation because while they both had weapons, they were the only human souls in the vicinity, and there was no one to rely on but each other if they got in trouble, but relief because at least they had something to fight back with. There's not all that much relief, he observed. Mostly just trepidation and worry.
“You know, bumpy digtoad is edible,” Janner commented as he ducked underneath a low-hanging branch.
“Janner, there’s no way that stuff is food.” Kalmar glanced back long enough to roll his eyes.
Janner pushed back a few branches that were blocking his way and trotted to catch up with his brother. “Actually, it is. It’s pretty good.”
Kalmar turned to look at him this time. “Sure. And when did you have digtoad?”
Janner thought for a few seconds before answering. “I was in the middle of the Ice Prairies with Maraly and had eaten two bowls of soup and an apple in the past five days.”
“Uh-huh,” Kal grunted, looking at the trees ahead of them to see if they were thinning at all. “That’s what I thought. Yeah, I’m gonna pass on that one, Janner, but thanks for the suggestion.”
Janner shook his head and laughed. Their lives had changed so much since that time. The change had hurt terribly, but Janner knew he was a better person for it. He glanced up at Kalmar who was trying to decide which way to go next and smiled. “That way,” he told his brother softly.
“Thanks.”
They were all better for it.
Notes:
*Feathergreen = Evergreen
Swaple = Maple Tree (mix between sweet and maple)
Nutty = Variety of Oak
I love how the brothers bond is getting stronger. I really hope they find a way to stick together and get home soon.