Tao of the Broken

Chapter Ten

Ten

            Sorrel stood on the porch of the Hibiki home for what felt like it would be the last time.  There was a sense of longing and loss and dread in the air.  The building at her back felt like a home that had been gutted, the love of the family within drained out into the earth.

            Eiji stood with her, Ako at his side.  They would stop at Sorrel’s home to gather their supplies and say goodbye, and then they would leave.  She had no idea when they would see this place again, the only place she had ever been.  Sorrel was excited and nervous for their journey to begin.

            “Would you like to say goodbye to her one last time?”  Sorrel asked quietly.

            Eiji shook his head.  “Mother will be with us, I don’t need to tell her body what her spirit already knows.”

            With that Sorrel stepped off the porch and started down the hill to her own home.  She remembered her first time down this hill with Eiji beside her.  That seemed to be where this whole journey began.  She had inadvertently invited him to dinner and seen a child with a purple hat in the rain.

            Batur was waiting for the two of them in the kitchen.  He had all of their supplies in two large packs on the kitchen table.  He also had a list of the contents and how long he estimated they would last.

            “I assume you will trap, fish and gather for some of your meals.  Most of what is here will be dried or otherwise preserved.  There are some fresh foods for your first few days, but I wouldn’t rely on that alone.

            “Sorrel, you’ve become a strong woman and I know the two of you will be able to accomplish whatever it is you put your mind to.  But don’t take too long to return to us.  Your mother and I will worry about you.”  He embraced Sorrel in his strong arms and shook Eiji’s hand.

            “It means so much that you’ve prepared all of this for us,” Sorrel told him, “I don’t know if I could have done it myself.”

            They said their goodbyes to a tearful Aster and began their journey.  Eiji had said they simply needed to head southeast.  They would eventually come across a region with mountains and they could follow that south to the ocean.  Somewhere there was a village that his brother lived in and worked as a fisherman.  They would just have to hope there weren’t too many to find him in.

            By the time they were ready to make their first stop the sun was high in the sky and it was warm.  They had left their village behind hours ago and when Sorrel looked in the direction of it there was just winding road in open plains.  To the southeast there was no sign of the mountains Eiji promised and Sorrel wondered how long it would be before they were in sight.

            Eiji dropped his heavy pack first and helped Sorrel shrug out of hers.  Batur had insisted the weight was manageable and that all of their supplies were necessary.  Sorrel hadn’t questioned him but she hadn’t gone over the list either.  She knew very little about what they carried.

            Eiji searched the pack she had been carrying.  He handed her a small box wrapped in cloth and found one for himself.  “I think these will be the ones we need to eat first.  It looks like Aster prepared them.”

            Sorrel smiled and sat down in the grass, unwrapping her small package.  There was a small amount of cheese and bread as well as a boiled egg and an apple.  Aster certainly didn’t want them to go hungry.

            They ate in silence, both watching Ako explore their makeshift camp.  He never wandered far from Eiji and Sorrel wondered if he must know how much his master was still hurting.  When they were through eating they repacked and shouldered their bags, continuing their silent march.