Effervescent ||Tsu'tey||

The delusions of a dreamer

Her eyes fluttered open once all of her had been transferred. Light blinded her at first, but then it mellowed and the rest of the picture revealed itself. More than a hundred other hammocks hung in neat lines above her like pale cocoons, with thick branches acting as pathways between them, connecting to the large stairway. Sun trickled in through the holes in the outer wall and the large opening at the top, casting soft shadows all around her.

Alva's head lolled to the side. The rest of the family had left already, but the lingering warmth suggested it hadn't been long since they did. Alva was glad Grace had insisted on leaving before first light, as it took hours for them to arrive at the mobile station.

She crawled out of the hammock and onto the wooden path, dragging her feet behind her as she headed down the stairs. It felt odd that this would be the last time she did so. She would never see any of the people she passed again, would never share a smile with the kind seamstress on the third floor, or wonder about the secrets hidden in the healer's alcove behind the curtain.

"There you are!" Arvok called from the bottom of the stairs. He wore a different necklace, one with sun bleached shells and a large polished stone in the middle."I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Ngaytxoa, Arvok," Alva allowed herself to grin. "I was sleeping."

"Still?" He asked. "You missed breakfast then."

"Sran."

"Is that why you're so small?" He asked, tilting his head.

Alva almost tripped when she heard his words. "What?" She spluttered.

Arvok skipped up a couple of steps and wrapped his hand around hers. He looked down on their joined hands, turned them around, squeezed once and then he smiled up at her. "Sran. My tsmukan told me that I won't grow if I don't eat what he gives me. Maybe if you eat a lot of teylu at the mid-day meal you'll grow too! Oh! Maybe you'll even be taller than Tsu'tey!"

Alva chuckled. "There's not enough teylu in the whole forest for that."

Arvok's laughter warmed her heart.

Hand-in-hand they skipped down the rest of the steps, the child pulling her along eagerly. The large hollow opening was mostly empty, save for a few families lingering by the communal fires. Most of the other villagers would be attending to their tasks already, and the children would be running around the forest with their caretakers. A stray fwampop grazed by the edge of one of the giant roots.

Mo'at stood in the corner by one of the elders of the clan. They were both staring at them. Alva wondered what the shaman saw when she looked at her. Did her sight reach so far that she could see her very soul?

Arvok led her out of the hometree, unaware of where her mind had wandered.

"Can you keep a secret?" He asked her as they walked towards the forest.

"Of course."

"A pack of aynantang took three whole pxeyerik last night so the Olo'eyktan told Tsu'tey to go hunt again." Arvok whispered. "He told me to tell you that he'll show you the Utral Aymokriyä tonight instead."

"Oh," Alva frowned.

"He's really sorry," Arvok said, and she believed him, "he doesn't like breaking promises."

"It's okay. It's just-" Alva shook her head and mustered a smile. "Tonight will do fine."

Arvok nodded, and as soon as his face turned Alva's smile dropped as if it had never been there. Tonight would not do fine. Once darkness started falling Trudy would be waiting with her SAMSON in the clearing they first lost Jake in, and then she'd be stuck at the makeshift base with the rest of them.