Between The Crystals

Ch 37 Visitors in the Forest

My stomach growled loudly enough to wake me up, reminding me that it had only had a single bowl of soup and a handful of leaves in the last twenty-four hours. Hunger clawed at my insides, twisting until there was no chance of falling back to sleep.

There would be no food until I went out and collected some. The bit of dried meat and meager remains of last night's watery soup were for the children's breakfasts and to provide a small lunch to those who stayed in the village.

I took a big drink of water in an attempt to silence my stomach. I lay in bed until I could see light under my door, then got dressed, refilled my water skin, and wiped down my arms and legs. Hunger drove me down to the crystal.

Callie was awake earlier than normal. She came over and gave me a big hug, saying, "I'm hungry."

Her words struck my heart like a knife and twisted painfully. I hugged her tighter. Children weren't supposed to go hungry. Yet...I didn't see any easy solution. The areas around most crystals had been picked clean. The small amount my group brought back yesterday only served to contrast how much they had been contributing before.

Was hunger going to plague the village like it had during the drought? It'd break my heart if Callie and the other children cried themselves to sleep every night.

The worst part was that there was nothing I could do other than take the far-ranging hunters and foragers to better locations. How I wished there was another option! Something I could do or somehow contribute.

Callie and I sat on a bench as our stomachs grumbled at us and had a lively discussion. Others also gathered earlier than usual, likely woken by hunger or hungry family members.

As soon as Merryl came down, Callie grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her to the front of the group where Grant was organizing his notes. He began working his way through the crowd.

When Grant reached me, he asked, "Do you feel like trying Jungle Landing?"

"The tropical place about three hundred paces away from several dozen fruit trees and that tiny trickle of a creek?"

"Yes. There should be a bit of wildlife farther out, and birds have stolen enough fruit that some has to be growing wild."

I took a deep breath. "As long as the hunters don't get lost and keep a sharp eye out for predators. That's the kind of forest we've lost hunters in over the years." It was also where Chase had been killed by a tiger, and the loss of my boyfriend still sat heavy in my heart.

An arrow or flint knife wouldn't stop the powerful felines, and the dangers didn't stop there. Venomous snakes, stinging insects, treacherous terrain, toxic plants, and other dangers lurked around every corner.

As soon as the first nine hunters arrived, I ported them there to "claim" the crystal for the day. I frowned when I saw the resilient tropical grasses were trampled flat, proof that it was a popular location.

This hinted at a very boring day ahead since the easy-to-identify edibles would be long gone. I wasn't familiar enough with most tropical plants to know which ones were safe to collect. Many could make someone sick.

"Stay safe," I quietly told the hunters as I ported back to retrieve their companions. Like the last few days, I didn't feel even the faintest twinge of discomfort after the heavy port and subsequent bounce.

I brought over the last group, waiting just long enough between ports to keep Grant from grumbling. The three ports barely left a faint twinge in my chest even though I hadn't waited long between ports.

I watched as the last of the hunters disappeared into the foliage. I truly hoped I'd see all of them later today. The jungle was dangerous, and they planned to wander much farther than was wise.