Ellylw kept a steady watchout as she filled her small carry sack with fruit, bread, and the occassional mark that she found hidden among the stores of Farnon Hold. She didn't like taking marks, it was that that made her feel more like a thief than anything. But she had to help her clan to survive. Winter was coming up, and four of the women had tiny babies that would need blankets and warm clothing and all sorts of other things that Ellylw was sure would be too difficult too take.
Ellylw disagreed with her clan leader about the lives of the young children being "dispendable". He argued that if they weren't strong enough to survive, then the clan was better off, because it couldn't afford to support weaklings. Ellylw, in defense of her own young "daughter", claimed that no child, no matter how strong, could live through even the mildest of winters without food and warmth and protection.
Ellylw sighed as she filled up her sack. It was bulging, and that was dangerous. Bulging things usually brought attention. The holders knew there was one of the roving "clans" in the area, and knew it was one of those reputated for helping themselves when the going got tough. But the last thing Ellylw needed right now was to be caught foraging for supplies. She needed to get back, and to make sure Natanalie was okay.
Natanalie wasn't Ellylw's true daughter, but Ellylw had raised the girl from birth. Ellylw had given birth earlier in the year, but the boy child had died from one of the diseases that came by every spring. Two weeks later another of the women died giving birth to a girl, and Ellylw felt obliged to take care of the child. She nursed her, and did everything a mother should do and more, even taking the girl before the clan leader for the official ceremonious acceptance as a member of the clan.
So naturally Ellylw felt that the children should be protected, it was the maternal bond that provoke the certainty of that. And of course she knew that if she were to be found here, she wouldn't be able to convince anyone that she wasn't really stealing, that she had to get back to her clan so she could take care of her daughter, and raise the child to be a thief....Ellylw shook her head. No time for thinking nonsense like that, she just had to get back.
She crept from the stores, careful to be seen only as a drudge carrying some food to the kitchens, but when she got to the door of what she assumed where the kitchens, she pretended to be a drudged carrying food from the kitchens, and proceded to take her sack and pockets full of goods out of the main Hold's walls, into the morning light, and the forest just beyond.
"Food for twelve." Ellylw said flatly, and presented the bag to the leader. He scowled at her, and rumagged through the sack's contents.
"We've eighteen mouths to feed, plus the infants'. We're stockpiling..."
"I know that sir," Ellylw spoke his title bitterly. She secretly felt even she would be a better leader than he, at least she could organize excursions more properly, and manage their intake to get a profit. "But if I had taken more, and been caught, then there wouldn't be food for any. I won't be caught sneaking around with too many goods. It's not normal for the drudges to take too much at once from the stores.
I can't go back again, they'll recognize me. Send Teyv, he'll be glad for some adventure." Ellylw looked over to where the oldest member of the clan, and former leader, Teyv was sitting. His eyes looked distant and absorbed completely in memories. He'd not been allowed on any "excursions" for quite some time, and everyone was just waiting for the explosion to come. Whether he killed himself, or seperate himself from the clan, no one was sure. But they knew if he didn't find some purpose besides cooking food and setting up tents, he wouldn't be around much longer.
Jeksian just frowned and shook his head. "Too risky woman, you know that. I suppose we'll send one of the younger ones. That Yeasiti fellow it getting to the age where he can be trusted to go off on his own."
Ellylw watched as the leader walked off, mumbling to himself and looking for the ten turn old boy. That man was going to get the clan in a whole lot of trouble one of these days. She held her tongue to him only because he was the leader, and she'd sworn to obey the leader, no matter what, at her iniation. She'd also sworn to protect the clan, no matter what, and it was there that the two promises conflicted. Protecting her clan would mean taking Jeksian out, and putting someone new in.
She pondered that for awhile, wondering how that could come about, and decided it couldn't. Too many of the women had children sired by Jeksian, and so felt obliged to let him remain leader. And there were no men who would be much better, save for a couple, and they were far too in awe of their leader to challenge him.
If only a woman could be leader. Ellylw thought. A woman would know how to manage goods, and people too, better than any male. But no man would respect a woman leader, and the clan would be divided, and finally recess back to a male leader, because despite the strength the rogue females had in the clan, they were still ready to give way to a man's wish. Hence the reason the men found it so easy to keep the females around. They used them too cook and clean and steal when they got tired, for a night's companionship, and then to raise the children that would obvioulsy come from that night, and then dismissed them as weak, uncapable beings. Ellylw clenches her fists. She really shouldn't be thinking such thoughts, she should be teaching Natanalie how to cook a meal without any help, or how to pitch the tent faster.
"How was the catch El?" A voice said from behind, Ellylw spun to see Unar, one of the younger men of the clan, and father of her dead son and Natanalie both, standing there. Ellylw smiled, she liked Unar, he was one of the few she felt would make a better leader than Jeksian. But Unar was too tradtion bound to even think any such thing.
"Fine. The place isn't as guarded as we thought, although there are a lot more drudges than ordinary wandering around the place. Someone may have to go check their loyalties." Ellylw grinned when Unar did.
"Thinking of causing another riot Ellylw? There's still a band of those drudge-bred crazies running around here because of your influence. 'Freedom or Flight!', weren't those your words?" Unar shook his head. "Something like that. Honestly woman, I'd swear your mother had to have been a queenrider of Lady Holder or somethin' like that. How else do you explain, well, you?" Unar nudged Ellylw affectionately, gave her a secret, pleading look that she refused to answer, and then he was on his way.
But, Ellylw thought, if my mother was a queenrider, she wouldn't have abadoned me to be found by thieves! Ellylw had always suspected she was the daughter of a repressed drudge, and had been "set free" by that person to ensure her daughter would not live a life in the "chains" she suffered then. Ellylw would have died if she hadn't been found by on of the clan members. She'd been renamed of course, just as Natanalie had when she'd been iniated, and now Ellylw couldn't even remember the name she'd had before.
Ellylw headed back towards her tent, waving at some of the more friendly members of the clan, and hugging Natanalie when the girl came up to greet her, bringing a handful of crushed flowers from somewhere in the forest.
"Did you go off all by yourself?" Ellylw asked, narrowing her eyes at the girl, and the child nodded with pride. Ellylw smiled and hugged her daughter closer. "That's my girl. You remembered to be careful, didn't you?" Most mothers would scold their children for such dangerous behaviour. Clan mothers encouraged it. Children had to learn to take care of themselves, to always be on the look out, and to know what was happening around them at all times.
Natanalie sighed, suddenly not interested in being mommy's little girl anymore. In that way that young children have, she suddenly pulled away and whined pleadingly until Ellylw consented, and allowed Natanalie to go play for a while. Play was a rarely afforded treat for older children, so Ellylw thought that Natanlie might as well get all of it she could now.
So Ellylw started a small fire, and went into her tent and pulled out some vegetable she'd been saving. She would make stew for supper. They could surely use the extra nutrition, life had consisted all too much of sweetbread and redfruits lately. It wasn't good for the growing child of four.
That night Ellylw's head jerked off the pillow with a start. She looked around, breathing heavily, and tried to figure out what was so wrong. She listened hard, watched for shapes outside the tent, and saw nothing. Had it been a dream? Ellylw desperately tried to remember what she had been dreaming only moments before, and only came up with the image of a wherry roast over the fire. Despite herself Ellylw smiled with satisfaction.
Then came the thumping sound. A loud screech and a sudden gust of wind woke Natanlie, and the girl began to cry. Ellylw tried to hush her, petting her hair and whispering soothing words. What was that thumping? Shouts of the clan members startled Ellylw, and she quietly reached over to grab her and Natanalie's traveling pack, and then pushed her daughter out the back of the tent.
"Go into the woods dearheart, make for that little cave. You remember the one I showed you? Good, now I'm right behind you with our things. No go." Ellylw could tell the child was frightened, but that was better. Frightened children listened better than unfrightened ones. Ellylw followed her daughter from the tent and was immediately glad she'd pitched her tent away from the others.
A cavalcade of horseback riders were reaking havoc on the clan. They had knives, and swords, and were greedily looting everything in sight. Ellylw winced as one horseman cut down one of the men, and then one of the older women. Then the horseman turned up to see Ellylw staring at him, and he grinned; waving his sword about, he bowed his head, and moved his animal over at a leisurely pace. Ellylw forced herself to keep from fainting from fear, and ducked into the forest where she began to run like mad.
The cold, hard ground stung her bare feet, and the cold wind whipped about her body like ice. She didn't know if that horseman was following her, but she desperately hoped that Natanalie was okay! She didn't follow the main path, and rather favoured running just off of it, cutting across bushes and the occassional stream to get to her destination. She tried only to think of her immediate task, but her mind kept asking what had happned. Who were those men? Not holders, that was obvious; holders would never kill women for a piece of cheap jewelry-or slice through wanted men instead of taking them to the dragonriders for good merit rewards. No, they were probably another band, like Ellylw's own, that wanted the territory next to Farnon Hold for their winter stakeout. Some of the bands just didn't know how, or want to, share, and without any morals governing them, struck down all in their path. Ellylw violantly hoped that they would get caught. Such rambunctious, unethical beings almost always did.
A few minutes more passed, and Ellylw began to slow, and listen for any signs of being followed. She heard none, and began to move hesitantly along the main path. It would be so much faster. She held the pack tightly to her chest as she ran, and kept a careful look out for the cave she'd told Natanalie to run too. In retrospect, it was a bad choice. Seemingly safe at the time, Ellylw found she didn't remember exactly how to get there. It was along this path somewhere....and Natanalie seemed to remember where it was. Ellylw was sure she'd catch up with the girl, as fast as she was going, and then Natanalie would get them both to the cave.
Time passed, and Ellylw had to stop running, and was walking as quickly as she could. Her feet were almost frozen, and she could see her breath. She was sure she'd passed the cave already, but why hadn't she seen it? It had been right off the main path...of that she was sure. But it was so dark...and so cold. Ellylw only hoped that her daughter had found the safety of the cave.
The night continued to drag on, and Ellylw was freezing, and she could barely keep walking. Her entire body screamed for rest. She knew by now that'd she'd passed the cave. It was no good going on. She turned around, and began to drag herself back in the other direction. She stumbled, and hissed with pain. That shouldn't have hurt.
I need to sleep. Ellylw thought, and looked at her surroundings. Tall trees, bushes, and the small, hidden path that she was following. Well, she could curl up in a nook in one of the trees and rest for an hour. It would be light then, and much better for finding that fardling cave. So she did exactly that, and as she laid her head against the rough bark behind her, she fervently prayed that Natanalie was warm enough where she was, and that she had enough sense to stay hidden there.
Ellylw was awakened by bright light shining in her eyes, and jerked her head up with a start. It only took a second for her to remember everything that happened the night before-and her first reaction was fear. Those raiders would be more likely to looking for survivors in the daylight. But then, they must know, as all thieves did, that none told on another. Who would believe a thief? And at that instant, Ellylw felt, for the first time, exactly like a plundering thief. She couldn't reek revenge on her clan-family because she couldn't turn herself in.
But the desire for revenge was weak compared to the desire to find Natanalie and get them both to safety. Ellylw stood, and looked up at the sun. It was high, too high. It must was late morning already. She had only wanted to sleep for an hour...With a sense of urgency greater than the one last night, she stood up and started down the path. Her feet felt oddly distant from her body, and they were covered with scratches. Ellylw didn't care. She hadn't thought to grab her boots before leaving her tent, and the pack only held a few of Natanalie's things, and some essentials like bread and matches.
Ellylw just walked down the path, watching carefully for any sign of the cave, and being careful to be as silent as possible. She walked for an hour, and was beginning to recgonize the area. She was getting closer to the clan's old camping ground. So where was the cave?
There! Ellylw almost cried with relief when she saw what she had missed the night before. Tucked away up on a sloping hillside was the indentation into the ground: the cave. Ellylw climbed to it eagerly and peered inside.
It was empty.
