Celestial Roots

Chapter 3 - First outing

The next day, a cold mist was floating over the village. The sky had cleared very slightly but the sun was still far behind the horizon. The pallor of the light glittered over the frost. A thin white layer covered the world, like a fragile sheath that cracked at the slightest movement of the branches. The children, all curled up, slept soundly. The embers that had protected them from the cold shone in only a few places, suffocated by the ambient humidity.

Human-looking shadows were sinking into the forest. One of them approached the group and threw a few pieces of black peat into the fire. The flames grew, swallowing what was presented to them like a greedy animal. The man woke the children up with calming and comforting gestures. He whispered sweet words to them, took them out of their dreams with a pressure on their shoulders or a caress on their foreheads. He knew that the first few days outside were trying; he didn't want to push them unnecessarily hard for he was gentle and understanding.

Taghna was trying to get rid of the heavy blankets that a kind hand had spread over her during the night. Taken by a pressing need, she hurried and relieved herself in a pot found inside the closest house, as she had been doing during the Hir. When she returned, her comrades were more or less awake. They struggled to keep their eyes open by rubbing their eyelids. Most of them held a bowl of hot soup that leaned dangerously when they let themselves fall asleep again.

- Ah, there you are, my little Taghna. Come and have a bite. We have a lot to do, said an adult she had never met.

She took her food with suspicion. The man's manners were too delicate for her taste. His thin body was devoid of the underlying strength she had noticed in her néach. Rather than splitting the air like an axe, with a clear, precise and energetic intention, he moved like a leaf slipping on the air currents. In a sense, he seemed to have no power of decision-making of his own. He was also visibly older and his peaceful face did not show anything of his thoughts. Taghna, who was attracted to demonstrations of strength and agility, soon put the individual in the category of those to whom she would pay little attention.

She was blowing on her soup when the adult called out to the group:

- Children. My name is Maoïr. From now on, I will be your master. Finish your meal already. Then we'll do some cleaning.

Taghna replied nothing. She thought she would do what she was told as quickly as possible, especially from this soft individual, before exploring the village by herself. She had dreamt of nature's call. The woods had resonated within her. She thought they had wanted to offer themselves to her curious gaze, to reveal themselves, but she when she had barely taken a step in their direction, a thick and formless shadow had caught her. She had fallen into the unknown. Now that she was awake, she wasn't so sure she wanted to get close to the trees. Her dreams of victorious hunts through Verglosas would have to wait a little longer.

The sounds of sucking that rose from the gluttonous mouths pulled her out of her thoughts. She was in a bad mood. She was eager to start learning more about the many ways to track animals and there she was, sitting with a group of children with whom she had nothing to share. She swallowed the rest of her cooled broth with a big sip and went for a few steps to dispel the feeling of frustration that was clenching her guts.

- Well, I see you're all ready. Come with me, we'll take care of the roofs, said Maoïr.

The nine children got up, adjusted their caps and followed their master. The atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed. It was much brighter and they were heckling carefree. Sleeping around the same fire in a new environment had already brought them much closer together and they mingled with each other by forming small groups that changed as the conversations progressed.