Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

24.) Family Tree

I looked over to the wood pile that was no longer smoking and burning.
"I need to dig up the meat." I said, stretching. "I'll have to cook them at first light but I'm tired."

I swipped off sand from my legs and got to my feet. Roka watched my walk with mild interest.
"Same time tomorrow then?" He called after me.

I waved my hand without looking back. I heard the the splashing of his body returning to the ocean taking the bones with him. He has a one track mind but I dont mind his company.

I kicked the pile of wood over and the stacked pieces toppled all over haphazardly. I got down on my knees and began to scoop the sand away, my hands felt cold digging through the chilly sand. I heard a tap tap. The unusual sound made me pause. Bending my head down, I tilted my ear to the sand. It was muffled but I heard it.

A clicking, tap taping sound. Carefully I dug down deeper and the sound became louder then it stopped again. The sand was moving on it's own. On top of the barley exposed meat, masses wriggled their armored bodies. They pinched at the meat with weird two fingured claws and I hated them immediatly and scooted back.

They were like plated spiders that lived deep in the sand. I could deal with alot of unnatural things but I'm not touching anything with that many legs. I was taught not to waste but I couldn't bring myself to fight them for it. I imagined hitting away the dozens of clicking creatures with a stick and them rushing out of the pit in droves. The thought of their little legs crawl all over me was enough to make me physically sick. Instead of fighting them, I carefully buried them back under the sand hoping they didn't crawl out.

When I finished covering them I marked the spot with rock to tell me not to dig there again. Meat thieves. The thought of those things climbing on me when I slept, helped to keep me awake the rest of the night. When dawn came I could finally sleep.
                               .......

The days got easier. I never went to deep into the forest and always watched the tree roots. I coated the floor of my house with flat rocks and then piled up dried pine needles. It wasn't a comfortable bed but better than the sand spiders touching me. Hunting was easier on this side of the river and I even ate better than usual since Roka brought food most evenings.

I met Chief only once in the past two weeks and it was brief. He hunts all day everyday. The amount of food he requires is probably similiar to me since his body is much bigger.
He made sure I was still alive and that I wasn't having trouble eating and then left.

My stomach was starting to show now. The brown bump of my lower stomach was noticable at this point and my skin became darker being outside more without tree cover. The familiar tan I often had when herding goats was back. The sun felt good.

While the sun was still high in the sky I decided to find fire wood for the night. After two weeks the easy to reach wood had been steadily used up each night. Everytime I went out I had to venture a little farther in each time.  I could use newer wood but it didn't burn well. It was hard to light when the wood was still green and worse it put out thick smoke when it did light. It was like I was shouting look at me I'm right here. I didn't want any unnecessary attention.

Dead wood was the way to go. My steps were careful. When I walked It was silent. My eyes surveyed the forest floor for sneaking roots and my ears were listening for the Red Eyes.
The wood I gathered in my arms felt light enough and I had no problem lifting it.

"Theres more down this way, child." A raspy mans voice called.

I stopped and stood very still.

I saw no one. No one in the branches above and no one around. Did I imagine it? Have I gone crazy?

"Hello?" I called.

"Yes." The voice called. It seemed to be coming from a close distance but I couldn't place where it was comming from.

"I can hear you, but I can't see you." I said aloud. I kept expecting to see a figure pop out from behind a rock or a tree but there was only the forest and I. 

"Walk forward." He rasped.

I took a step back. Following the orders of a disembodied voice seemed like the opposite of what I should do.

"Your stepping on me now." He murmered.

I looked down to see the root of a tree.  I felt a chill creep up my spine and I jumped away dropping my arm full of wood. The tree had a face. A human like face but the wood wasn't smooth. The bark was rough and flaked in places. The trunk of the tree seemed very thick. An old tree. The face looked at me with white eyes, blinking every now and then.

"I'm not going to harm you, child." He told me with a raspy voice.

A tree was talking to me...

"Theres dead wood on this side." He said, and a tendril like root pushed a fallen log in my direction.

I swallowed.

"It wasn't my intention to scare but it's not often I meet one of my own." He continued. 

"Your own what?" I asked.
There was no urge to run. Even if I did, out running a tree was not much of an achievement. It's not like it can go anywhere. But this spot wasn't anywhere near where I saw the moving roots last time so maybe they can move. Maybe it will be my undoing, I was curious. There had never been a time I had met a talking tree.

"I cannot see with these eyes anymore and blood no longer runs through my veins but I know you." It sounded as he talked more to himself than to me. "I can't do much for you. Help you find wood. Throw a rock to give you time to escape. Small things are all I can do these days." He sighed.

Maybe hes been by himself so long he went crazy, I thought. I cant imagine he has much in the way of friends. Orcs dont even like other Orcs much less mystical carnivores trees in the forest. All that you can find on this side of the river to talk to are probably animals and Red Eye.

"You've been changed to, I feel it." He continued to ramble on. "I sent them wandering but it wasn't enough to protect them. Earth and sky and sea, all in a balance. Adapting over and over is hard on the body but when survival is nessicary...." He paused in his long ramble.

"Are you allright?" I asked hesitantly.

"I'm sorry child, your grandpas mind got away from him. It happeneds when your old." He laughed a hacking sound. "Sit down and visit with me a time."

I remained standing but didn't move.
"You weren't always a tree, were you?" I asked.

"No. I wasn't always a tree." He agreed.

"I wasn't always this way, too. I was a human once." I added.

"Human like but not human." He disagreed.

When he said that I realized that he was right. We lived longer, stayed young longer, our body's were stronger but in my head we were always human.

"I guess we were similiar to humans." I corrected.

"Humans don't take on the traits of what they consume." The old tree responded. "Only Castors carry that particular trait."