The Hare, the Bow and the Girl - Chapters 7 & 8

Hi
Two shortish chapters this week and probably not another chapter until after the new year. See you in 2015!

Seven  – Trouble Soon Enough

 

Jet and Walter took me to a large tent on the outskirts of the fair. I could hear loud voices, laughter, and sudden shouts coming from the tent. Inside it was decorated with lots of strung candle lit lanterns and there were groups of people sitting on bales of hay drinking from large mugs filled with spiced hard cider. In the middle of the tent a small band complete with an accordion, a fiddle and a man thumping a wooden box played what sounded like waltzes. Through the knots of people I could see large wooden barrels in the back on their side. Large, jolly women stood in front of each, filling mugs with the golden colored liquid.

A few people turned to look at us when we came in—it was difficult to miss Walter’s large body—but most people did not seem to care. We headed toward the side and found a small area away from the crowd. Even so, within moments one of the women came up with a handful of mugs.

“Cider’s all?” Walter asked, shouting to be heard above the din.

The woman shook her head yes. Jet put up three fingers, the woman put up five. Walter handed her some coins and she handed over three full mugs. The cider had a sharp crisp taste, flavored with some spice I couldn’t identify. It felt warm going down. I must have had a smile on my face.

“It is good, no?” Walter bellowed as he swigged the entire mug down and held up a paw for more. The serving maid frowned at him but soon returned with another. A band played somewhere in the crowd adding to the noise and chaos. I sat back and noticed that besides us, there were only people there. Just as I was about to ask Jet, who was next to me, where all the Lepus were a large grey bunny flopped down next to Walter.

“Ay! Path!” Jet called out.

The rabbit smiled in her direction and then began to earnestly chat with Walter. Walter and Path seemed oblivious. I t was fascinating to watch the two of them “talk.” For every sound they made they probably made three or four twitches of their noses or whiskers. Every so often, almost, it seemed, for emphasis, one of them would thump their foot rapidly. As I sipped my cider I began to notice that the thumps were not the same. Sometimes there would be one loud thump, other times a series of thumps, alternating loud and soft. At one point Walter let loose a rapid series of staccato thumps, all the same intensity and the two of them laughed uproariously.

After  a while Walter signaled for more cider. The server now had a very dour look on her face. I noticed a few other people nearby also staring at us; or more precisely, the two rabbits. To the man the people around us had sour looks on their face. A few even got up and moved away, sitting back down at tables across the tent.

“What’s their problem?” I asked Jet, jerking my head towards a table of particularly sour looking men.

Jet laughed and leaned in, “Lepus! Same as everyone else. One by himself is fine; get more than a couple in a room and people get nervous. Think they’re going to cause trouble. They never do, of course—the rabbits, that is. People are another thing. We’ll be fine with just the two of them; it’s when we get three that trouble starts. I just hope Nell doesn’t show.”

“Who’s Nell?”

“The third rabbit,” Jet said, with a look that asked if I were thick.

“Do you think, maybe sometime, you or anyone here could just explain to me what the hell is wrong with the rabbits?” I yelled, trying to get above the noise of the crowd.

“Nothing’s wrong with them!” Jet looked angrily.

I put up my hand flat. “Okay, I get that, but it seems like you and I are about the only ones.”

“Oh, that. Long story. People think they have foxes.”

“Foxes?”

“You know, after them.”

I am sure I looked totally lost.

Jet sighed and pulled closer. “People think the rabbits have foxes chasing after them.”

“Okay, so, people don’t like foxes? I didn’t like them in the chicken coups at home but they’re not gonna cause me any harm.”

“No, not those foxes. Big foxes. Bigger than the rabbits. A lot bigger. Or people say. Never seen one myself, but people think you get too many rabbits around and the foxes come. Load of crap I say.”

“Giant foxes? Wouldn’t they be hard to miss?”

“My point. Oh, no,” Jet looked concerned.

“What?”

“The third rabbit just arrived.”

“Should we go?”

“No, relax. It’s a big crowd. Three will push the limit but—never mind, we’re in trouble. We just got the fourth. Walter!” She shouted and held up her hand, flashing three then four fingers to him. “Eric, how are you with your fists?”

“Been in a couple of scuffles; I can hold my own,” I replied, trying to sound braver than I was beginning to feel.

“Good. Make your way out, and don’t let anyone stop you, clock ‘em if they do. Meet us outside by the large oak. And do not go for your bow. You’ll end up in the keep for sure that way. Just get out of the tent as fast as you can, understand?”

“Wait, Jet; I want to help.”

“Then get out and stay out of the way,” she yelled, maneuvering around the table to get in front of Walter and the three other rabbits. I noticed that the tent had fallen somewhat quiet. Even the band stopped playing. Jet stopped in front of the table and smiled grimly at the small knot of large men with angry faces in front of her. She put her hands up to the crowd.

“No need for such hostility, good people. My friends and I had a drink and now we’re off, we’ll be no bother to anyone if you please?” She motioned with her hand for the men to move aside, but they did not budge.

The smallest of the bunch, teetering on his feet, clearly way too deep in the drink, stepped forward half a step. “Look, little flea. Ain’t you we’re concerned ‘bout; it’s the filthy vermin behind ya. Step off.”

“Get your friend a seat before I do it myself,” Jet addressed the men behind the drunk through gritted teeth. Her voice had grown very cold and quiet, but there was no mistaking the message. “Now let us through and no one will get hurt.”

“Filthy little flea—ugh!”

Jet’s hands quickly boxed the man on his head, sending him down in a pile. It was about then that all hell broke loose. Walter and the three other rabbits made giant leaps for the tent opening, throwing aside several people in the way and a few others who were trying to stop the escaping rabbits. I had probably waited a few seconds too long to begin my escape. A fairly large guy stepped in front of my path. Remembering what Jet told me I wound my arm up and smashed my fist as hard as I could into his stomach. He made a loud noise but did not budge. So I wound my arm up again and this time aimed a bit lower. He doubled over and I darted around him.

Around me was complete chaos. Two burly guys had Walter by his long ears, with one of the men standing on Walter’s legs, the other holding one of Walter’s arms. Both were careful to avoid getting punched by Walter’s wildly swinging free paw.

 The other rabbits were nowhere to be seen; neither was Jet. Instinctively I grabbed a nearby stool and swung it as hard as I could against one of the men, causing him to yell and let go of Walter’s arm. Walter promptly boxed both men hard with his paws and they fell quickly.

“Get out!” Walter screamed, bounding ahead of me, disappearing into the tumult..

“I’m trying!” I yelled as I scrambled for the tent opening.

“Well, try harder!” Walter screamed as I lost him in the crowd.

 I was surrounded by people were yelling and fighting. Well, mostly barkeeps were yelling, trying to restore order before the tent was destroyed. In the confusion people seemed to have lost track of the fact that I was with the rabbits. As I got closer to the door I found myself being carried rather than blocked. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea and within seconds I spilled out onto the ground along with a dozen others.

I didn’t wait around to introduce myself. I bolted up and took off straight ahead into the mass of tents and booths set up in the fairground. I rounded several tents and finally arrived at a quiet and deserted area. Catching my breath I looked around and tried to get my bearings, scanning the horizon for a large oak. I had no idea where Jet and Walter had gone.

I heard voices coming closer. I ducked behind an empty booth to wait for the voices to pass. I could only hear a bit of the conversation.

“Ain’t it always like that? Them boys starting trouble with the rabbits. Why I ask you, why mess with ‘em?”

“Lord knows what them Lepus can do to you when you aren’t lookin’. I says we’d be better off ignoring ‘em.”

“Still, they always seem to find trouble.”

“Trouble finds them. I ain't never seen a rabbit start nothing.”

“We’d be better off without them.”

“And who’d haul your stones Gibson, from the quarry for so cheap?”

“I’d make do.” The man sounded less certain.  

The voices faded as they walked away and I came back out from behind the booth.  It took several minutes to locate the large tree off on the far edge of the fairground, well away from the beer and mead tents in the center. I saw only Jet at first, sitting with her back to the tree.

“Thought maybe you got the pulp beat out of you,” she said with nary a trace of a smile.

“No, I got away, no thanks to you lot.”

“I told you to clear out. Not my fault you stood there like a slack jawed-yokel.”

I ignored her sarcasm. “Where are Walter and company?”

“Down there talking and hiding. We should join ‘em until the commotion fades a little. I doubt anyone will worry too much; not worth the hassle, but you never know.”

I still didn’t see Walter until Jet got up and walked down a slope to where the three rabbits were laying down, murmuring to themselves. They blended very well into the hillside in the dark of the night.

I lay down next to an empty wagon parked at the bottom of the short hill. I was tired, but my mind was racing. Jet sat down next to me, making a small place to settle in directly under the wagon. It was almost like she was nesting for the night.

“You tired, Eric?” she asked.

“Yeah, but not going to go to sleep. My mind is wide awake.”

“I bet. We haven’t talked much since you got here. Must seem a little strange, huh?”

“Yeah, a little.” We both laughed. “It’s not too weird. I mean, it’s like I just crossed a stream, that’s all. But the rabbits do throw me off. What’s up with them really? Andrew didn’t tell me anything at all.”

“He’s good at that, not telling you much, he’s been in the employ of the king’s ministers too long. But yeah, the rabbits. It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“Really? I mean, you seem to have fallen in here pretty easily, I would think you’d be eager to get back to where you’re from, especially after tonight.. No one to go back to over there?”

“Nope. No. My parents both died about six months ago. Not much work around those parts either. Seems nicer here, too.”

“Hmmph. Well, must be pretty bleak there if this looks nice.”

“Not so bad back home, but not better either. But anyways, you’re getting away from the story Jet, just like Andrew.”

“Sorry. Habit. So you want to know about the rabbits? The simple is that they showed up about oh, a hundred years ago. Came out of the mountains in the West.”

“You mean, my mountains?” I asked, having no idea what directions were what here.

“No. Well, not that I know of. The bamboo forest where you came from is down South, close to the Galyts desert. See, this land here, in the valley, is surrounded on all sides. Kind of pins us in.”

“What do you mean surrounded? I thought the rabbits came in. I came in.”

“Well, that’s the issue. We can’t figure out how to go beyond this vale. See, to the South is Early, to the East is the great ocean, and then to the North and West are the mountains.”

“So the rabbits came over the mountains?”

“Yes.”

“So why not go back over the way they came?”

“Well, they guard that passage and they’ve never allowed anyone back up. Say it’s too dangerous. But that’s what gets them in trouble.”

“Why?”

“People wanna know what’s over there. But for as long as we’ve had records no one has ever found a passage over the mountains. Some people say that other creatures come over from the mountain with the rabbits.”

“The foxes?”

“Exactly.”

“But no one’s ever seen them?”

“No. Well, no one reputable. And the rabbits aren’t telling. Most of the rabbits here today have never even been over the mountain. They’re called nats—naturalized rabbits. But at the passage you might run into to some overs.

“Rabbits who have been there and back I’m guessing.”

“Yeah. It’s really not a big deal. The rabbits settled in nicely. Most of them live way out in the country in burrows, far from people. But some folks still get itchy about them. Trust issues, I guess. People don’t bother to get to know any of the rabbits and so they can’t trust them. ”

“And that’s why tonight—”

“Exactly.”

“And what was the deal with the flea remark, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Jet grunted and spat on the ground. “It’s crass. Ugly. Fleas are women who, uhm… live with rabbits.”

“Oh. And do you…I mean, are you and Walter…?”

“What?” Jet scowled and then her face softened and she laughed. “Well, okay, okay. I guess it would seem that way, but no. That’s another long story. You lost your parents right? I lost mine when I was eight. Walter took me in, trained me to be a shield—that means someone who travels with groups of people to protect them.”

“So do you have anyone then?”

“Naw, Eric, not really,” she smiled, then looked at me and she gasped and then hit me, “don’t you go thinking that, either!”

“What?” I asked, smiling.

“Not happening, solider. Plus you aren’t what I usually look for anyway. You’re not… soft enough.” she smiled again, this time I think from the look on my face.

“Sure. Okay.”

“Go to sleep, Eric.”

“Sure Jet. And thanks.”

“For what?”

“Everything. For not killing me the first time we met.”

“Sure, no problem. I have a soft spot for the lost,” she smiled.

 

 Eight – The Girl

 

The next day I got up early, leaving Jet and the rabbits still sleeping, to meet Karn outside the archery range. When I got there I was surprised to see her already waiting. Her eyes darted nervously, in a way they hadn’t the day before.

“Hey, ready to practice?”

“Sure. Listen Eric, would you mind if we took shots somewhere else?”

“I guess not. Why?”

“No reason. Look, too many people around here anyway. I want to take our time, not worry if people are waiting. I know of a glen over that hill about 10 minutes away. It’ll give us room. You can teach me your method. I can teach you how to draw a bow,” she smiled, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the range.

It was a short walk through the summer fields. With the grass waist high we soon lost sight of the fairgrounds. I could see the tension melt away from Karn’s face the further away we got. We eventually found ourselves in low ground beside a small brook. The trees were larger, the air cooler, and no one was around as far as I could see. Karn herself took a quick look too. “Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yes, sure. Sorry. I had a fight with my father today. He objects to me coming out here. He thinks I should stay at home.”

“Well, okay, I guess. You have chores?”

“What, are you taking his side now?” Karn asked with a smile but I could detect a real question in there.

“No, no. I didn’t grow up with any sisters or brothers. They’d all moved away. I had to do all the chores. But the way I figure it, if you do all the stuff you have to then you can do whatever you want.”

“Even if it isn’t proper for a lady?”

I laughed, maybe too loudly. “Well m’lady , I didn’t mean to offend. I figured you were just a regular ol’ gal. I didn’t realize I was dealin’ with royal town folk.”

“What do you mean?” her face darkened, but I still didn’t get it.

“Sorry, I was just joking. Back where I come from there are two types of folks: people on the mountain and town folk. It’s the town folk who always put on airs, talking about what girls ought to do or not do. But up on the mountain you just do what needs to be done. My momma did everything my daddy did—maybe more. Heck, if she could’ve voted she would have been there right off. She weren’t afraid of no one and was no one’s fool.”

I looked up to see Karn smiling broadly. “She sounds like a great lady, maybe one day I could meet her?”

“No, hardly, she’s um dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know. I suppose there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know—about me, I mean.”

We stood there for a moment, the sounds of the summer day beginning to get louder as the sun rose in the sky. I stood there for a moment and stared at her, she stared back. I found myself tipping into her deep brown eyes. I felt a strange sensation on my skin, like putting your hand under running water and you get a charge all over your body.

Finally Karn broke the spell. “Are we going to sit around all day talking or are you going to show me how you shoot that bow so fast?”

We spent the morning taking turns, showing each other what we knew about the bow…

There was silence from the old man. Riley thought maybe he had forgotten where he was, but then saw it was more like he was lost in thought. Finally the old man coughed, shifted in his seat.

“Ever been in love Riley? Really in love?”

“Sure, I guess Paw Paw. There’s a girl, a senior. She makes me feel special, like I’m the only one in the world. She and got to know each other when I got them detentions in the spring. I guess she’s trouble too, but I can’t help myself.”

The old man laughed, “Exactly. You know. It was like that. Maybe it was because we were alone, but it really did seem like the world had suddenly become so small, just the two of us. I can recall every moment of that day. I know I can. I remember the way the tall grass tickled my hands as we walked to retrieve arrows, how the bird songs seemed so loud in the quiet of the glen, Karn’s brown hair in the sun, her smile, and her laugh. I was pretty sure, right then, that I could spend a million years with her and not feel closer to her. “

“Did you kiss her Paw Paw?”

The old man laughed again. His eyes sparkled. “Yes, Riley, we kissed. It was towards evening. The sun was low, the breeze had died down. The world stopped spinning there for a moment…”

“Eric, I have to go now,” Karn told me suddenly. “I have to be back in town before dark.”

“Go with me to the fair, Karn. Let’s look around, play some of the games.”

“I can’t. My father wouldn’t like it.”

“Come on, Karn. We can break the rules just once. I’ll go back with you and explain.”

“No! I mean, no. Anyway, you are awfully brave to say that without knowing my father but no.”

I started to protest again, but the look on her face told me it was useless. Karn was unlike the girls at home, who would laugh and giggle and act stupid even if they weren’t Karn’s whole demeanor let you know that she put up with no fools.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Finally I spoke.

“Okay, but can meet again here tomorrow? The tournament is only two days away.”

She bit her lip and thought about it for a moment. “Yes, okay.”

“Good, first thing?”

She nodded. I still stood there, like the inexperienced boy I was.

Karn turned to leave but then suddenly turned back around and hooked her arm around my neck, pulling my face towards hers. Yes, that was the kiss. It was the kiss. I had kissed a few girls at church socials and such but never like this. It shot through me like electricity. If there ever was a kiss that changes your whole life this was it, and I knew it right then too, right then and there I felt everything change. Everything.

 I swear when she finally broke away it almost hurt. When I opened my eyes she was looking at me with the strangest mix of happiness and fear. I thought maybe I had done something wrong.

“Karn, I—”

“I have to go now Eric. Meet me back here, tomorrow. Right here!”

I tell you I wanted to run after her with all my might, but I didn’t. Looking back I guess I should have been more concerned about how all of this was unfolding, but when you’re young you don’t ask a lot of questions—at least I didn’t. I was letting life wash over me—had been since I got to this place. It was like one of those hot summer days when you feel almost weak; you just let life happen and worry about tomorrow some other day.