The Fox and Her Bow

-21-

I sneak a look from around our tree, but Addison pulls me back. Not before I see a black and brown uniformed man, holding a girl, a Foxblood, a little younger than me, on a rope.

"Do you want to get us caught?" Addison murmurs. "They are clearly here early." She is referring to our enemies coming in from the seas.

I nod, but still look around the tree. I turn back to my friend. "They've got shooters, Foxbloods, stationed all around the village." I say in a low voice. "We have to tell the Chief."

Addison sighs and pulls at my arm. "Let's discuss this back at the cave."

I nod.

Back in the quiet space of my cave, we can finally raise our voices.

I whirl at Addison. "Foxbloods. Locked up. Tied to a tree. Forced to shoot for a team they are unable to fight against." I stamp my foot. "I can't just let this happen."

Addison puts a hand up. "I know, Kalaya. And I don't want this to continue either." She lets her hand drop in defeat. "But you are not allowed in the village anymore. And how will he take to the fact that I've been "out and about" in your area?"

I start pacing. The Chief would surely let me in if there was important news on the line. After all, the man in the forest did say this Foxblood trap was crucial to their victory, meaning they probably do not have the resources to win without them.

And in the exact same way, our village did not have the power and training to win without my Foxblood advantage. I could do my best to train the others, but they do not learn as fast as I do or have the vision I inherited. My hearing was unmatched by any one of my kind as well.

Speaking of which . . .

I stop pacing and turn to Addison. "How do you think they got all those kids?" My Fox ears twitch in curiosity. "I . . . I didn't even know there were more like me." Even I can hear the sadness in my voice.

Addison smiles at me. "We'll find out how and why. For now, I think we need to get this knowledge to the Chief."

The next few hours are filled with planning, talking, and debating. The plan is simple: both of us would go to the village, Addison to her own house and I to Torsten and Mary's. Then Addison would schedule a private meeting with the Chief at sundown, when only the people who have asked for time would see him. There, I would make my appearance.

"You know he's going to explode when he sees me, right?" I ask Addison.

She nods. "The best we can do to ease that is to say . . . you're the only one with the information and are invaluable to our village at the moment?"

I sigh. "I guess that's all we got."

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Nervous jitters fill my entire body as the hours pass by. Finally, the time comes. The sun is about to lower below the trees, and the butterflies in my stomach double. I cant help pacing and twiddling my thumbs as I think of what is going to happen.

Soon, I was going to be known again in my village. Probably not in a good way, as I am strictly trespassing on his land. But he would have to forgive me when I tell him the big news.

Addison has already gone back to the village, in order to make the appointment with the Chief, and with efforts to look a little less suspicious. Hopefully everything is going well . . .

_________________________________________________

Addison enters the village again after leaving Kalaya to ponder the rest of the night. So much is going to happen today; either she is going to be accepted into the village again to defend it, or she will be kicked out permanently, perhaps worse. She's disobeying a direct order from the Chief, and nothing good came out of that. The current Chief tends to overreact a little, and, though she thought a warning was all that was needed to show his feelings, she was a good citizen of his village and did not want to make him angry.

There is a lineup in front of the door to the Chiefs house. Addison stands at the end of the line, a few people in front of her. The Chief stands at the front of his house talking and a man, Addison knows him as Sten, one of the Chiefs advisors, is writing down everything he says. He had written down some things she had said before. It's quite a feeling to have your words written in the archives.

After a few minutes, the line shortens, and Addison is next in line. The Chief looks up at her from the paper Sten is showing him, and smiles. Though it's weak and tired, at least it's something. He'll be doing this for a little while.

"Hello Addison. What can I do for you?" He asks.

Addison stands firm. "I would like to claim a spot in your meeting list."

The Chief nods and turns to Sten. He gets out a thick scroll and opens it. It almost reaches the floor. His eyes scan the paper for an open spot. He picks up his quill and says to the Chief, "There's an empty spot in 3 days." The Chief nods. Sten turns to Addison. "Will that be okay?"

Addison shakes her head violently. "No, I need a spot tonight at the latest." Addison leans in closer. "We're talking about the future of the village. I don't think this can wait."

When she straightens up again, the Chiefs face goes cold and stony. "You are sure about this?" He asks. "If it is so, then you are asking me to move everyone's appointments back, and by who knows how long." He stares her dead in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nods. "You know I wouldn't do this without a reason."

Chief Aldestienn sighs. "Yes, I know that." He waves his hand at the advisor. "Very well, move her to her wanted time." He jabs a finger at Addison. "You'd better make this worth the trouble." He says this in a half-hearted tone, as she is one of his trusted people.

She nods with a smile and walks back to her hut.