In the Woods, Bears

Chapter 68 - Small Bears and Skyward Leaps

Sore everywhere, Kennedy lay motionless on the ground, miserable, with only a thin blanket between her and the stone floor. If they were going to kill her, why didn't they do it? The cold seeped upward into her bones. The floor smelled of carrots and potatoes. She breathed in the homey aroma. Had they placed her in an unused food cellar? Extending her arm, she reached out and touched the remnant of a shriveled and misshapen root. It had been missed by the last person to sweep. Spongy under her fingertips, she toyed with the ancient carrot.

In low voices, the two guards spoke to each other beyond the curtain. "It was only supposed to be two years. That is what we agreed to, Carl."

"Keep your voice down. If Ba hears us speaking, she will take your balls for desk ornaments. All of us agreed to this. We voted. Lowering our risks made sense, we needed to take the time to solidify profits and expand." Through the fabric, she could smell them. Visible beyond the gap, he brushed his nose. "She smells like death and blood."

"We agreed to two years. It's been four." His voice was dark and tinged with anger. Carl said, "And why are we growing human drugs to sell to sheep? How is that lowering our risk?"

"What do you think buys guns? Red Ursa?" He shook his head. "We would barely keep the electricity on if that harvest was our only product."

"Not if we sold in Europe." Carl's chair creaked as he shifted his position. "If we weren't suppressing, like the townie cowards, we wouldn't need guns."

"It will end soon. With this cycle. There are four children here, ready for their first change."

"Three of them are from outlying communities. And Jenny is old for her first change, almost sixteen. I know her mother. She had to beg to be allowed to take the girl off of suppression so that nature could work within her. It's not right."

"How many have we lost to a bad split in the last four years? None."

"That doesn't matter if we lose who we are. At least those fools in town do it because of their Jesus cult. We are forgetting ourselves." The last part came out as a growl.

He leaned back, chair creaking. "How long?"

"What do you mean?" Carl looked away and shifted uneasily.

"How long have you been off suppression?"

"I'm not. Don't insult me. I'm compliant."

"Liar."

"Did you hear something?" The curtain drew back, and she bared her teeth at them.

*

The familiar voice of the horsewoman woke Kennedy from a shallow sleep. "Bring her to the glen. Everyone has to be present for the ceremony. Even those who are marked to die. The council has decided to make the choice after the celebration so the kids don't have to witness an execution. A first change is exciting enough."

When the curtain parted, a tight-lipped Whist glanced down at her. "And you. You have caused enough trouble for a lifetime. If you care about your men at all and want them to live, keep your peace until the ceremony is over. They will decide about your situation after." Her eyes narrowed. "If David gets hurt because of your actions tonight, the council won't have to kill you. I will do it myself." Before Kennedy could say anything, the angry woman snapped the curtain shut.

*

Walled in by the bodies of her two guards, Kennedy walked toward the bonfire and the gathered community across a recently mowed field. So many people and unfamiliar faces unsettled her. Some of them were angry. Fifty Shepherds, maybe sixty, waited. Shadows shifted amongst the trees. More? She couldn't be certain.