Summer Solstice

Stories and Guardians

We started off again, walking further into the woods toward the open field. The ground changed abruptly from a clear path to a snow-covered obstacle course. It was hard to see where fallen limbs and larger rocks were hidden beneath the snow, and Konai had to reach out to steady me more than a few times.

"Just walk where I walk until we get to a clearer path, it'll be safer that way." He let go of my hand and started to lead me through the snow. I tried to walk without tripping, but the ground wasn't level and staying upright was harder the steeper the hill became. Once we climbed the top of the next rise, I started to reach to hold his hand again. Glancing up, I realized the trail looked worse.

"Is there another way to the clearing?" I smiled hopefully.

Konai shook his head, "This is the way we have to go." His lips turned up in a lopsided grin, "You're not giving up are you?"

"Hardly." I stomped forward and tripped on a low branch. Konai grabbed my arm before I could fall. "Thanks," I muttered, embarrassed.

"You're welcome." He laughed lightly and I smiled. I liked the sound of his laugh.

We started walking again, and I was constantly aware of Konai's presence by my side. I wanted to hold his hand on the way to the clearing, but the path was occasionally too narrow and sometimes both hands were needed to climb up and over large rocks and fallen trees. Without his hand as a comforting distraction, my mind wandered and I was getting nervous. More nervous than I had already been.

Maybe he could sense my mood because he paused, studying me for a moment. He reached for my hand to help me over another log. "Can you tell me what stories you've heard before?"

"Huh?" I grabbed his hand and he lifted me effortlessly to his side.

"What stories have you heard about the Guardians?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

I thought about that for a moment.

"I've probably heard lots of them, Homer liked to tell me all sorts of stories when I was little." My grandfather would spend hours telling me stories that had been passed down through the tribe.

Konai laughed lightly, "Stories always come from some piece of truth, but details get exaggerated over time as they're passed on from story teller to story teller. Each person adds their own point of view, embellishing it with their own details. I'd love to hear what Homer told you."

I sighed, "Okay, I remember one really well, Homer loved to tell it the most. It was about a huge blizzard, worse than any the area had ever had. And all of the people in a village further north were worried about their animals getting frozen in the snow. But there wasn't room for the animals in the shelters, and there were no barns to protect them." I pulled myself around the trunk of a large tree, and reached up to grab Konai's outstretched hand.

He pulled me up to stand next to him and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "What happened, in the story?"

As if he didn't know. He probably knew all of them by heart.

"They let all their animals loose hoping that they would go into the lower valley. They would have a better chance of surviving there, farther away from the storm. One shepherd didn't want to leave his livestock alone, so he headed down into the valley with all of the animals." I straightened as I got to the top of the next rise, and Konai reached to hold my hand. I smiled at the sweet gesture.

We paused for a moment, and I was tempted to stand there for a while, just holding his hand. He smiled and twisted his wrist back and forth, gently swinging our hands. I laughed and started walking again, focusing on the trail ahead. Thankfully this one was much clearer, and flat.