The Fox and Her Bow

-2-

Time slows as the arrow slices through the air. The arrow cleanly severs itself through the stem, and takes the little flower with it. I run up to the little hole where the plant used to be, the arrow, with the plant looped around it, about a meter away.

I see the roots of the flower are still clinging to the stem as I rip the plant off my arrow.

After a few more rounds of shooting, starting with bigger targets, then smaller ones, then head home with a satisfied grin on my face. It's time for training.

For a while now, I have been training to be a warrior for my tribe, one of the many fighters that defend our village. I don't need more practice, so I come with hopes of making the people a little more comfortable around me.

I walk into the Loop and can't help looking around.

The Training Loop still makes my adrenaline rush every time I step through the gates. A huge circle with chains as a roof, as well as bars all around, it looks like a huge cage. Different scenes would be set up all around, giving the students multiple scenarios to practice getting the targets.

This one was an obstacle course. Analyzing it I see lots of different things to jump over, hide behind and under, and a few key places to shoot from. This was one of my favorite levels.

As everyone filed in, people left a huge gap between me and the other warriors in training. Even the teacher steps as far away from me as possible! even when we're all here for the same reason, they still move away. Though I'm used to it all these years, it still hurts me to see people act that way.

Soon, everyone was in the Loop. Training started with a simple warm-up: five laps around the arena, target practice for the archers while several others practice ax throwing, and sword fighting on life-size dummies for the ones armed with them. After my five laps, I take my bow for my shoulder and an arrow from my quiver and notch it. The target hung from the chains on the roof so it hung down at the end of the arena. The other archers did so as well.

We draw back our strings one at a time, concentrate and fire. Most of them hit the bull's-eye while some of them just hit the edges of the target. Of course I get the dead centre of the bull's-eye. People gawk at me, open mouthed. I just shrug. "I know. I'm good." I say. They finish their staring, and step away from me.

Next, the games started. This game was mostly for the archers, a game where each person was armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. But instead of a sharp tip, there was a sack full of paint to replace it.

The teachers split us up into two teams, one blue, one red. Each team went to their respective side, all with their game faces on. As usual, the students move away from me as soon as they get within arms reach.

The horn blew and the teams charge forward, bows drawn. In a matter of minutes, all of the students were splattered with red or blue paint... except me!

After washing up, or hopelessly helping people wash up, I head for the Village Square. Reaching for some apples for an after-training snack, I see Addison turning around the corner. I wave her over and she comes running over to me with a big smile on her face.

"Hey! You're here!" I say.

"Yeah, finally!" She replies.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Addison's face changes from happy to depressed. She looks down and says, "Let's go to your hut." I look at her, confused, but I reluctantly nod.

I open the door and hold it open for Addison, and set the bag of apples I bought from the store on the table.

"Well? What's so important? I've been worrying all day!" I eagerly ask.

She hesitated before blurting out, "I'm leaving on a trade mission. For a month." Her face looks just as pained as I think mine does right now.

I just stare. That's twice as long as the longest trip she's taken! When she left for two weeks, I could barely stand it! How could I last a whole month if it was so hard to last two weeks? Addison is the only one who looks at me with a smiling face instead of a scared one. I rely on her to make me feel at home in my home village, when all others make me feel ever so uncomfortable!

I turn it to face the counter in the kitchen. Hugging my chest, my voice broke the sad silence. "That long?"

I feel her hand on my shoulder as Addison whispers "Kalaya, I'm so sorry. But I have to do this, for the sake of our tribe. This village has all of our needs the others don't have. Apparently, this tribe has traded these goods for years, they know what they're doing!" She raises her hand to my shoulder. "This is for the good of the tribe."

I turned to face her. "But why a month? That's too long!" I say as I walk backward, Addison's hand sliding from my shoulder as I walk away from her.

I'm going to have to get used to not having her around.

"I'm sorry." Addison apologized again. "I really want to be back earlier, but this village is far away. A weeks worth of travel time, at the least."

I sigh. "Fine. But be safe and hurry back."

"I will."

She gives me a hug, and walks out the door, leaving me to think about what I'm going to do without her.