Chapter 3

As I approached the area the sound had come from, I nocked an arrow, just in case. There was no telling what I had snared, and there was always a chance a predator would attempt to claim my prize. As I closed the distance, I tried to change my focus, to listen to what was happening around me. Though there was some movement, it was nothing nearby, but I did not plan to drop my guard, even for a moment. Soon the snare was within sight, a rabbit had been caught, but not killed. A quick twist of the wrist would change that, and as I got closer, I decided to test my strength.

While I had heard over the years it was possible, I never tried to remove the skin of a rabbit with my bare hands. I figured with my current strength I would be easy, but it would also prove to be an adequate test of control, as too much force and I could rip the animal in half. I walked up to the dangling rabbit and placed my hand behind its head. With a quick jerk, it neck snapped like a twig, and it hung there lifeless. I tried to recall what to do next and after a few moments, I made a quick incision near the tail. I then grabbed the nape of the rabbis neck while pulling the body away. I was surprised at how quickly and easily the skin separated from the body. I then quickly field dressed the rabbit and returned to camp with the meat and pelt. I brought the meat in and started removing it from the small animal remains there was enough meat to make a decent stew. Once I had the meat separated, I took the remains and placed them outside of the camp perimeter.

I returned inside and quickly collected the items I would need for the stew. Collecting some water from the trough and my pot, I filled it halfway and placed it onto some hot pieces of wood near the edge of the fire. Once that was done, I quickly added the rabbit meat and went off to wash my hands. Once they were nice and clean, I went to collect the herbs and spices as well as some items to go with it. I had some dried rice, which were easy to cook and store without it going bad. I added that to the broth to thicken it up, then I tossed in some seasoning that I liked, and felt would work well with the meat. I looked around and did not have much in the way of vegetables, I would have to collect some wild ones and items that should substitute. Using what I had, I made a semi decent stew and left it to cook while I cleaned up. I would need to work on making the drying racks for the deer skin, as well as one for the rabbit hide. I would need the deer skin to help cure future game meat to ensure I had enough to last my stay here. As I waited for my food to cook, I collected my wood working gear. Hand saws, hammers, nails, glue, as well as the fishing line and hooks. Once I had all that ready in the main area, I found the stew was still needing some time to cook.

That is when I remembered the note that had been left by Ruben in the secret drawer. I went over to my pack and fished out both it and the journal that he had asked me to read. With a deep breath, I opened the letter and read the contents.

I sat there in shock as I looked upon the letter, a storm of emotions spun within me, feeding off each other. Anger, betrayal, disappointment, shame and regret were the most prevalent in that storm. I wanted to toss the letter and the journal into the fire, but I needed to know what happened to start all of this. There had to be some reason my parents - and then I - would be targeted by this man.

I folded the letter up and put it in my pack. While it may have been his wish to have me get rid of it, his final actions require answers for his family.

I went to check on the stew, and found that it was cooked to my liking, and set about getting a bowl for myself. I poured a cup of Ice Berry wine and sat near the fire, with the journal. After a few spoonful’s of food, my curiosity got the better of me and I opened it up to the marked section to read.

How many years has it been? Ten, twenty? Still I could remember those times so vividly even now. So much happened that changed our lives, and so much tragedy has come from it. I need to get it all down, to make sure that Davik knows why all of this has happened. One day, when he returns, if he returns, I will sit down with him and explain it all. I just hope that he will be able to forgive me, to forgive us, for what happened to bring this about.

Third week, of the fifth month, fifteen forty-seven

Today Stevan and I went to play in the forest. My mother does not like when we go too far, so we must stay within a kilometer of the village. We went north along the road until we found a worn path. It looked old and we almost missed it, but we decided to look and see where it would lead. When we arrived at the end of the trail, we came up to the entrance of the old Estaben mine. It was where a lot of the metals the village had used had been mined. Stevan’s elders had used the metals to make the centerpiece for the village from the mine and had made a name for themselves blacksmiths. I asked Stevan why it was abandoned, and he said that his elder father’s uncle had been killed in a tunnel collapse. They have not used the mine since, as they did not want to risk anyone else to try and get metals from it at the cost of lives. I wanted to go closer, see what the inside looked like, but Stevan refused to go near it. It had not been used for at least eighty years, but it did not deter me. I made my way towards the mine and took a few steps inside. I could not see much further than a few meters, and when I took my next step, I felt a shift in the rock beneath me. There was a rumble, and I was alarmed as the rock beneath me began to fall. I turned and jumped in a panic towards the entrance but came up a bit short.

I found myself hanging from the edge, and Stevan desperately trying to pull me up. He tried with all his might, and for a few moments I honestly felt that I would fall to my death into the abyss below. However, his persistence paid off and I was able to get a foothold that allowed our combined efforts to get me to safety. We lay there panting for a while, laughing at the silliness of my near-death experience, only getting some cuts and bruises.

We made our way back to the village as the sun began to set and said our goodbyes. I went back to my home, to find my mother cooking dinner. She was happy to hear I was back, until she turned to see the state I was in and then she became livid. She started to demand what I had done to get those injuries, and I foolishly told her how we had gone to the mine. I told her how I wanted to look inside, and that the ground gave out beneath me. She went from happy to hysterical, screaming how I would not be allowed to see Stevan again. How he was a bad influence and that I would not have even been in danger if it was not for him. She seemed to not hear how he had tried to stop me, or how he saved me, instead painting him as the villain. I tried to get my dad to reason with her, and he promised to try, but this morning he told me that mother was adamant that I do not see him outside of school ever again.

Fourth week, of the fifth month, fifteen forty-seven