Brothers.

10

Josh didn't go with Dimka and his friend the next day nor did he help Margeau. Dimka also didn't go anywhere. Everyone, even the chief, stayed in their houses.

Actually everyone did, but Josh never followed the rules.

Their morning started as planned. Josh went with Margeau into the woods to chop wood for them while Dimka stayed inside the house to get ready for his and his friend's expedition.

Josh was still a bit haunted by yesterday's occurances. He was almost convinced that the strange little girl he saw was the shadow who had been inside Vlad's hut, but what she was or what she was doing here was a mystery to him. Josh had gone to the hearth later that day, but there was no sign that she had ever been there nor had anyone seen her. He was there this morning again, but to no avail. Josh sometimes also considered that he may have imagined her, but those purple-silver eyes and the tongue she spoke in, was etched into Josh's mind and he knew that it had been real, it had too.

Josh looked at the dead tree in front of him. It must have been beautiful once with green leaves and a healthy, brown trunk that must have been really thick. But now it was all shrivelled and a pale grey colour with no leaves to cover modesty of the nude branches. When Josh struck it with his axe a foul odor filled the air that reeked of rotten leaves and sour decomposing material. It was the smell of death, but it didn't repel Josh. He had had this odor clung to him many times before and a thousand times worse, besides this was also just a tree.

Josh started hacking at it, using his inhuman strenght to be done with it in a matter of seconds. He then started chopping the wood into small parts.

To his left Margeau was piling chopped wood onto the wooden sled they had brought with them. She was sweating even though it was freezing. It had started to snow through the night and there was no signs that it would stop anytime soon. The small flakes rested in Josh's dark hair and melted on his bare arms. It was an amazing experience to Josh. He had never before experienced snow falling from the heavens. It never snowed on In Tutum.

To Josh it was magnificent. The small snowflakes each had its own perculiar form and design. When one looked into the sky, the flakes would soflty rest on your face creating a cold yet relaxing sensation on your skin.

Although Josh enjoyed it, the snow was now a great creator of discomfort. Josh was dressed in no more than a thin wool shirt and fur pants to make him more mobile since the furs didn't allow you to completely bend your arms. Josh was freezing! The wind was so so cold and each time a new gust blew through the trees, it felt like an ice cold blade was being drawn down his back. Goosebumps covered his whole body and made the hair on his arms stand up. His hands had long ago lost their feeling and by now Josh didn't even feel the axe in his hands. He yerned to go back into the hut, but that would not happen until maybe past midday and that was far away!

"So, Margeau, I heard that Dimka is your and Glavnyy Vlad's son."
Josh looked over his shoulder to where Margeau was. She had stopped working and was looking at him in an almost hostile way. Josh knew it was a bit rude to ask something like that so easily, but how else was he going to get to know these people?

"Uhm...yes, he is."
She wiped sweat out of her eyes and then started piling again, giving a clear message to Josh. She didn't want to talk about this. Josh wanted to respect her wishes, but he couldn't stop now.

"Dimka told me that you never married Vlad and thus you have to stay like this, all neglected and on the outskirts of the village,"
Margeau sighed as she worked, but didn't turn to look at him.

When she spoke her voice was choked with emotion and Josh knew that he may have made a mistake prevoking this conversation.
"If I was to marry Glavnyy Vlad I would only be another of his wives. I couldn't, no, wouldn't expose myself to that. I want a husband all to myself, because I have witnessed how a polygamious marriage can destroy a woman's whole being and I would not subject myself to that pain," she was now looking at Josh with teary eyes,
"To save myself, I lied to him and everyone else that I was waiting for my long-lost husband to come back. Vlad couldn't marry a married woman, thus I was freed."