Memories of Life

11. Lost.

11. Lost.

A dull grey early light loomed over the valley barely revealing the long rippling grass which swayed in the chilling wind. Tash sat perched on the rock wall not far from where Skel still slept under the rock overhang. Sleep for herself had been difficult, the thought of those final moments with her parents looped in her mind, and she had shed many quiet tears. Now however with the coming of day she thought only of what to do next. The fear of Rouges pursuing them meant they would have to move, "But where?" She wondered.

Standing on the small rock mound she peered along the valleys floor that stretched as far as the eye could see. On the far side it was shielded by mountains, with the exposed rock cliffs behind her, where the siblings had spent the night. It had looked so impressive the day before in the afternoons light, but was now dark and ominous in the grey hew. Looking in the opposite direction where they had entered the grassland, she knew they could not return. Standing, Tash wiped her cheeks erasing the salty stains of her tears then climbed down from the observation point to wake Skel, who was laying on his side already wide awake, not even bothering to look at her.

"We need to go Skel." Tash said. The boy slowly shifted his gaze to meet hers revealing his tears, and for a split second her body felt like lead with Tash wanting to submit and collapse beside him, giving into their fate. Though mustering her remaining strength, she said with forced irritation. "Get up Skel - we need to go. Now!" Reaching down she pulled the bedroll off him to initiate a response, and began securing it to the backpack.

Slowly Skel sat up, and said in a pitiful voice. "Where?"

Tash momentarily paused, placing her hand on his shoulder knowing she did not have the answer. "I don't know?" She said softly. "But Mum and Dad would want us to keep going. And that's good enough for me."

Skel turned to face his sister, the long stare in his eye's focusing on her, the only thing in the world he had left. "Okay." He managed to say, in a sad broken voice.

Scrambling over the rock wall which had shielded them from the night's wind, Tash decided to continue on the easiest route along the valley floor. The wind had now picked up in strength making the tall dry grass rustle even louder, so that not even the birds could be heard. Looking up she saw thick, dark, heavy clouds swirling above them unlike anything she had seen before. At home thin grey lines of clouds would normally herald rain, or short turbulent thunder storms which crossed the plains they lived on. These clouds however looked like they could rain forever as they straddled the surrounding hills.

In an attempt to leave no trail for any pursuers Tash led them across the sparse rocky terrain, nearer the edge of the cliff face. Concluding that walking amongst the long grass would leave it broken, and too easily tracked.

Eventually, the unseen sun rose high into the grey sky releasing the lower bordering ranges from the shadows turning them to a dull murky green, with the higher peaks remaining covered in cloud. Rain then began to fall, which pricked at Tashs' face with the gusts of wind which funnelled down the valley. Looking behind her, Skel trailed not far behind, having already pulled the hood to his jacket over his head tightening its draw strings to protect his barely visible face. Which stared down at the ground in front of him, as he continued to keep pace with his sister, who pushed forward as hard as she would allow herself. With the rain intensifying, she too pulled her hood up, yanking on the drawstrings to expose as little of her face as possible to the wet and cold. Quietly, Tash thanked her mother for always making them wear their weather gear and boots, even while travelling. "The rules are for your survival" She had told them.

Travelling round a seemingly never ending bend in the valley they were greeted by another. The giant rock face they had been edging along now transformed into steep rocky terrain eroded by eons of wind and rain. Trees clung to small pockets of loose rock and earth along its walls, making Tash wonder with curiosity why they grew in such hostile terrain, and had not taken to the grassy plain the pair travelled along?

Rounding two more bends the rain became heavier, and Tash stopped for a moment removing the pack from her shoulders. Undoing the zip slightly she stuck her hand inside feeling for something she had noticed the night before. Her fingers eventually came across the round object, which she removed producing a faint smile of thanks once again for their parent's foresight. Flipping the compass lid open Skel stopped beside her and together they watched the needle settle on the northern point somewhere behind them. They had been moving in a south-easterly direction, thankfully away from the ambush site Tash thought. Skel then set off without a word leaving Tash standing, giving her no time to think. Placing the compass back in the pack the smell of the jerky flowed from the bag and she removed two pieces. They had been walking for hours, with neither having eaten since the previous day beside the river. Skel was now a short distance ahead and Tash jogged to catch up with him, passing him a strip of the dry meat. Taking it from her without hesitation or word, he began to grind on the dry meat. His appetite was legendary amongst their family, and Tash was relieved to see him eat. It was her job now to keep him alive - to keep both of them alive.