FoR (On Hold)

Chapter 1.6

On the way to the girls' village, Echo had us stop and rest when she found some wild herbs for Alex. She laid him down on a large patch of moss and went to collect the herbs. When she came back, she had a bag full of strange green leaves tinted on the edges with yellowish gold.

Reaching into her satchel, Echo brought out another pouch, which was filled with clover-like plants. I watched as she mixed the two together and then made a poultice with the spring water, briefly applying to Alex's wound. Then we stopped to rest in a haven under a overhang of rock.

The archer reached into her own satchel and began carving new arrows to replace the ones she lost earlier, re-strapping the fletchings on the thin dagger-like branches. Theo watched her in interest, his modern style curiously in contrast with her surprisingly advanced inventions.

Phoenix grabbed a tool from her bag, almost like shears. Then, she reached over her head and flicked the small weapon upwards toward the rock roof. When it collided, small shards of flint and stone came falling back down along with the tiny shears.

Picking up two pieces of the debris, she struck them together to make sparks, and started a fire under the protection of the overhang. "Mist. Go gather some food down at the river, and be back by dusk."

The girl nodded and jumped up, grabbing her spear and running off into the underbrush. Echo had finished bandaging the unconscious Alex and was placing him in a shady area when, sitting beside me, Leo spoke to her.

"Um... Echo?" She flinched and slowly turned around uneasily. "Yes?" "I meant to ask... How come you can speak English?" Echo nodded, finished checking on Alex, and went over to Leo, sitting down cross-legged on the grass in front of us.

"You see, a long time ago, before my friends and I were even born, other people like yourselves came to our island. They came with lots of different things to show, like sticks that shot fire, strange clothing. The people taught us how to weave, speak their language, and really helped us, without pay in return."

"After a year or so, one of the men married our chieftain, a beautiful and strong woman named Dawn. She had flowing orange hair, and watched over all of her people with kindness and grace. Unfortunately, she had a weak constitution, and passed away into the heavens four years after."

I glanced over at Leo and stifled a laugh. He was totally delved into the story, leaning in with wide eyes. Then I turned my gaze back to Echo as she continued her story. "The husband was heartbroken, since now it was his job to run the village. Many villagers believed that he was incapable of doing so, and they were unhappy."

"Soon after, he fled the island, driven by a form of insanity. Some believe it was created by guilt, others believe it was caused from a disease. However the case, he fled to sea and the villagers never welcomed outsiders again."

Leo furrowed his brow slightly. "Never? But... How come you helped us, then?" Echo smiled slightly and brushed her loose strands of hair back out of her face. "Ah. Well. I don't think that any person with a heart would leave wounded beings alone. At least, that's what I believe."

I nodded to myself, agreeing silently. I guess they really are sacrificing a lot to bring us back with them. "Thanks." She looked up at me in surprise. "Pardon?" "I said thanks. For, you know, helping us and stuff." Her blue eyes grew slightly wide and she turned away in shy silence to continue bandaging Alex's wounds.

Suddenly, Mist came back through the bushes, carrying a full bag of fresh fish. "Wow. That was fast," Theo commented. She grinned and nodded, then went over to the fire and handed the net to Phoenix, who prepared the fish then stuck them on a spit over the bonfire.