The Search for Safety

 

Bebe had already boiled the water from one water skin. Keeping the skin she had found hidden under her cloak, Alithea helped Bebe prepare the plants she had gathered. As the sun sank toward the horizon, they ate greedily, and the men seemed to recover their wits. Fallon wanted to soothe Alamea - a good sign. Alithea showed the group the water skin.

Alpen wanted to search for Drindl in the waning light but the rest of the group protested.

“What if he is dying close by?” Alpen insisted. “If we find him dead in the morning, how will we know that we might have saved him?” He paused. “The energy. We have some left. That will give us night vision.”

Remembering the energy, Fallon shook his head. “Not in this heat. It will have gone bad. We would go mad.” Bad energy produced horror hallucinations and convulsions. 

Alpen gave in, then looked to the darkening sky. “The sky is open, the stars are bright and there are no clouds,” he argued. “We can search for a little while.” He laid a hand on Bebe’s knee. “Watch the babes?” He asked her. Bebe looked to Fallon and Alithea but saw no sign of protest from either of them. She agreed.

Spreading out in the immediate area, the three of them faltered on unfamiliar ground in the darkness below the starlit sky canopy. Keeping their voices low, they called out to Drindl as they peered between the tall grass. When they had satisfied themselves that they had tried, they turned back to Bebe and the children, ears alert to signs of danger or Drindl crying out in the darkness.

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At first daylight, Fallon and Alpen set off to look for Drindl, hunting for small animals as they looked for any signs that he had been there. By the time the sun broke free above the eastern sand hills, they had caught two rabbits and a few lizards, but no sign of Drindl.

They had just enough fuel in the cooking pod to make a hearty breakfast. Alpen patiently fed a rabbit and plant paste to Darden and Bella. It was a critical time for their growth. Erthen let rabbit grease drip from his face as he chewed the meat, rocking with pleasure at the taste. Alpen opened Darden's mouth and glanced at his emerging teeth. "If we get to the ocean, you and your sister may be able to eat fish." Darden stared at his dad's mouth as the words came out. Alpen turned to Bebe. "He's starting to connect the sounds and the words." He gave Darden a hug. "We have the smartest kids."

Bebe rolled her eyes. "They've been doing that for a few days now. You're just paying attention." Spirits lifted by the fresh meat, Alithea laughed with gusto and Fallon smiled.  It was going to be a good day.

Fallon turned to Bebe. "Think we can make the forest today?"

She nodded. "Shouldn't we wait for Drindl? What if he doubled back and is looking for us now?" She looked at the other members of the group. "We could have just missed him."

"None of us knows if that was his water skin," Alpen said.

"The water was fresh," Alithea said. "Who else could it be?"

"Someone else," Fallon said. "I say we continue our journey. We can't stay out in the open like this. We'll have water, game and cover in the trees." Alpen reached to Bebe to comfort her but all of them grew silent and stared at the ground. "We owe Drindl our lives, but we must protect the young ones," Fallon added. That resolved the matter. They nodded and began to pack up to start the day's journey.