Forest Girl

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - A New Home

Kiara and Koda spent the rest of that afternoon talking about their pasts and they got to know each other a lot better. Koda then carried Kiara back to his shelter near dinner and invited her to eat with his family. They had salmon cakes and several types of berries for dinner. They then spoke around the fire.

"You have to be the kindest people I have ever met." Said Kiara,

"Why do you say that?" asked Renn,

"Well when I'm around the River Otters, they treat me as an outcast." Replied Kiara,

"How so?" asked Torak, Koda's father.

"Well, it feels like I'm stuck in a room with a bunch of people who disgust me, as if I have some sort of disease. It's terrible, they give me looks that say, get out of here outcast, no one wants you here. The mage wouldn't even perform a healing ritual on me when I cut myself with a cooking knife." She replied,

"Well, they don't know you like we do!" said Koda defensively.

"You're always welcome to stay with us, until the clans cast you out. It will be a little tight but I'm sure we can make room." Offered Renn,

"Thanks, I would really like that." Said Kiara,

"I'll help you grab your stuff from your shelter." Said Koda,

"Okay, let's go before it gets to dark."Kiara replied. Koda picked up Kiara and headed off towards the River Otter camp.

"Hmmm..." Renn sighed,

"What's the matter Renn?" asked Torak,

"Nothing," she replied,

"Then what are you sighing about."

"Don't you see it too?"

"Yes, I do Renn, they are just like us when we were young,"

"No, Torak, not quite,"

"What do you mean?"

"They are connected, more than us, something planed this, I had a vision, Koda will save her from being casted out, but I do not know how." Renn smiled at Torak who was currently staring into the fire.

*******

Koda carried Kiara into her shelter, and helped her stand up. Kiara walked over to her mother's bow and quiver and slung them over her shoulder, and then she grabbed her father's axe, and her own medicine pouch. Koda grabbed her winter clothes, and put them in her deer skin bag. He then rolled up her sleeping sack and attached it to the top of the bag. They then slowly started to head back to his shelter.

Koda offered to set up her stuff and told her to sit down and rest her ankle. Kiara watched as Koda moved his sleeping sack closer to the wall of the shelter and away from the fire pit. Koda then rolled out Kiara's sleeping sack where his use to be.

"Won't you be cold?" asked Kiara,

"No I don't get cold easily, plus its summer time." He said with a kind caring smile. Koda hung her mother's bow beside his own and set the quiver underneath the bow. He placed her medicine pouch and axe beside her quiver and looked up at Kiara for approval. Kiara gave him a thankful smile and looked around for somewhere to sit.

"Oh there is a tree stump over there you can sit on, let me take the axe out of the stump for you." He said, walking over to the stump. Koda leaned over and gripped the axe handle firmly. With one big motion Koda pulled the axe out of the stump.

"Thanks." Said Kiara, as she limped over to the stump and sat down. Koda walked over to the fire pit and started to wake a fire, the sun was setting, and it would be dark soon. Kiara rolled up the pant leg of her summer jerkin, and took off her boot. She touched the purple skin with her hand and winced at the pain that struck her ankle.