Tao of the Broken

Chapter Thirteen

Thirteen

            Eiji had begun to wonder why they hadn’t seen or heard a wagon in quite some time.  If the man they’d met just outside Ichiro’s town had any inkling of truth they should reach the farmlands that day.  It had taken them five days instead of four to get this far, which seemed reasonable since the man had been traveling by wagon and continued traveling into the night.  Their surroundings looked the same however, a dense forest to the north of the road and open land to the south leading back to the sea.

            “We’re running low on water.”  Sorrel said, pulling Eiji from his reverie.  He looked her way and she shook their one remaining canteen.  Water sloshed around inside, but it only sounded half full.

            “Hopefully there’s so water source nearby, or I suppose we could take a look in the forest.”  Eiji shrugged, glancing toward the dark shadows the trees cast.  Ako barked sharply, his tail wagging.  Eiji scratched the side of the dog’s head briefly before he jumped up and bound away from them toward the trees.

            “If he finds anything how will you know?”  Sorrel asked, “He should’ve taken one of the empty canteens.”

            Eiji smiled at that and adjusted the pack on his shoulders before continuing their slow march.  They walked in relative silence; the late spring, early summer heat drained away their excess energy.

            There was a sharp bark and Ako came sprinting back toward them.  He was coming from a north-western direction though, as if he had entered the forest and circled back around to the road.  There was a low dust hanging over the road behind him and Eiji quickly motioned Sorrel to move away from the path.

            They didn’t have to wait long before the lowing of cattle could be heard as well as the harsh yips of herding dogs doing their jobs.  Sorrel watched in fascination as at least two dozen of the large beasts with shaggy hair and sanded down horns came into view.  She’d seen cattle on many occasions but they’d always been at market, behind fences or pulling carts.  She’d never seen them being driven down a road right before her eyes.  There were three quick black dogs darting around their legs, nipping and growling to keep the beasts together on the road.  Sorrel looked over at Ako who sat beside Eiji, his head tilted slightly as he watched the commotion as well.

            Behind the cattle were a pair of men on horseback, one was bellowing out orders to the dogs, a long whip in his hand.  The second man, Sorrel realized, wasn’t a man at all; it was a boy no older than ten years.  His eyes locked with hers and he tilted his head shyly at her in greeting.

            The pair slowed down, the man waving a hello to Eiji.  “Howdy!”  He said cheerily, “In the market for a couple of cattle?”

            Eiji smiled at that, “No sir.  We’re looking for a particular farm actually.  One with a yellow barn out front somewhere west of here, you wouldn’t have passed it recently by chance?”

            The man looked thoughtful, “Plenty of barns out there son,” he gestured behind him on the road, “I’d surely bettcha there’s more ‘n one yeller one though.  You don’t have much further to go getting’ ‘round this forest it’s all farms!  Good luck to ya!”  He clucked to his horse, his heels pressing into its sides and he was off to catch his cattle.  The boy smiled once more, his eyes darting from Sorrel to Eiji and he hurried to catch his father.

            The sun was high before they even reached the edge of the forest.  The man on horseback had been right though, all that stretched before them were expansive fields as far as they could see into the distance.  Sorrel crossed to the fence line of the nearest field and climbed up onto its post.  She wasn’t more than four feet taller from there but it gave her a slightly better vantage point.  This field had rows and rows of corn as far as her eyes could follow before everything became a hazy green mass in the distance.  She rotated on the post, her eyes searching for any homes or barns.