Remi's Great Escape (Forestfolk Prequel)

Chapter 11b

Gifted, I reminded myself again. These people didn't seem to like the other word.

"Maybe she's hungry?" the baby's father suggested.

"Already? I just fed her not long ago. Goben never ate this much when he was this age."

Barrigan shrugged again. "Half of parenthood is guessing, it seems."

The woman nodded, sighed, and disappeared inside the cabin.

I took this as my cue to arrive.

Goben saw me first. "Your bow!" he said, pointing at the weapon poking out of the hide wrapping under my arm.

Barrigan smiled when he saw me. "Galen said you might be coming by. Ready to work?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, I need you to get ties from my cabin. Jora can show you where they are. Do that while I get the pieces ready."

I entered the cabin with some trepidation, unsure how Goben's mother was going to react to a stranger entering her home.

"Oh! Hello," she said, obviously startled when I stepped past the heavy curtain. She was cradling her little daughter against her breast. The crying had stopped, and I could hear sucking noises. "She's a hungry little thing."

I looked away, unsure if I was supposed to see a mother nursing her baby. "I was sent to—" A corn cake fell out of my loosely wrapped hide. I bent down to retrieve it, only to see an arrow tumble out after it.

My face burned so hot. "I'm sorry!" I gripped the corn cake in my hand. "I didn't steal it!"

"You must be Remi." Her voice sounded so kind, I looked up at her. She'd thrown a thin cloth over her shoulder to cover the baby's head. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jora."

By this point, my piece of hide dropped to the floor as well. I felt like lumbering idiot with hooves for hands.

Jora smiled patiently at me. "Tell you what, I'll trade you a nice cloth sack in exchange for that hide."

Indecision warred through my mind. An actual sack would be helpful, but... "This was my mother's. It's the only thing I have left of her. She said she was going to make me something." I scratched at one of the cuts on my side, which had begun to heal and was now itchy.

I hoped she didn't think I had fleas.

Her green eyes softened. "How about this: in exchange for the sack, I'll borrow that hide from you."

My forehead wrinkled. "Borrow?"

She chuckled at herself. "I'm not very good at this. I'd like to make something for you, from that. Since your mother cannot. Would that be okay?"

I didn't know what to say. I nearly fell over from the overwhelming feelings her kindness had stirred up. I didn't even know what kind of feelings they were. They swelled inside, and I felt like I might burst. All I knew was I was trying really hard not to cry.

I think she could tell that I couldn't speak, because she said, "If that arrangement is good for you, then set your things over there." She pointed to a nearby table. "Go ahead and eat your corn cake. If you don't, Sember might." She grinned down at her baby. "She's been grabbing at my food more often."

I did as she said. Then she told me where the ties and the cloth sack were.

When I presented the braided ties to Barrigan, he must have noticed my misty eyes. "Everything go well in there?"

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded.

"Good. Then let's get to work."

Time for some manly work! Sawing! Hammering! Voting!