A mysterious past, an unrequited love, and a desperate need to find himself, fifteen-year-old Kalyn has enough to occupy him without being on the verge of a massive societal upheaval. Join Kalyn and his friends as they explore what it means to come...
"Of course, it's dangerous! That's why you need me!"
Considering the state in which I arrive, it is hard to argue that. Still, I resist her logic. I throw everything but her femininity at her, knowing it will win me no points.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"I don't want you to get hurt, you walnut. We will go together. We will take care of each other. You need me. Don't try to argue. I will listen to you in some things, but, in this, you waste your breath. Save it. You will need it."
Her family, undoubtedly more familiar with her determination, do not try to sway her. Ohna appoints a sister to look after her plants in her absence, packs a bag, and is ready to go. I am amazed by her thrift. Never before has she left this land, but she is ready to go without a second thought. For me.
The village throws a feast to wish fortune on our travels, and I depart again with a full bag and a full heart. This time, I will squander neither.
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There is dew on the ground as I pluck fruit from the heavily laden trees. I am full from our banquet, but the sweetness of these blossoms has haunted me since last I tasted them. They will not last long, but I pluck an armful and eat until I am sick with the saccharine pulp.
As I walk, hand in hand with Ohna, I am grateful for her stubbornness. I would be lost without her.
The progress is slow as I hack at the underbrush to clear a way for us. I will clean and sharpen it when we make camp. This is a more direct route than Kari took when leaving. There are no paths. Wart has to fly ahead to assure that we stay on track. If only he were large enough to carry us.
It is a small blessing to be able to impress Ohna with what I have learned on the road. I can pitch a tent, start a fire... though it is hardly necessary with Wart around to do it for us. I catch us dinners in the streams and the fields.
Ohna eats with uncomplaining uncertainty. I would do my best to honor her diet, but without Tiva, I have no idea which plants are edible. The ones that grow in this wilderness are entirely unlike the ones with which she has lived her entire life.
It is an awkward start, but we manage.
Nothing is as bad as it was without her.
We take turns, granting each other privacy as we bathe in the stream, though my ears are attuned to any possible trouble. It seems childish, this modesty, after all of the time we have spent together. No matter what we have shared, we are still new to this. Still discovering ourselves in the uncharted terms of our relationship.
When our eyes meet over the campfire, she is uncharacteristically shy. Long lashes flutter, her expression unreadable. I feel guilty, being this happy when my friends are in harm's way. I could not get to them any faster if I tried.
This more temperate climate allows us to share a tent without a fire. We sleep by side to the sound of the crickets' chorus. I pluck flowers for her hair. Time passes like nothing at all. I feel guilty for thinking it, but I am in no rush to be anywhere but here. Existing in this perfect bubble. Just Ohna and I.
If only this world we have created could be the only one. No death, no fear, no hunger, no pain. Love. Only love. Blossoming and new forever.
I think this way only because I don't yet know it. Not the half of it. Barely even enough.
In a way, this feels a step backward. We made more progress in the first week we were together. My straying interest shattered the illusion for her. It turns out that rebuilding trust is so much harder than creating it, but I am undivided in my affection. I just have to prove it to her.
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