Exiled
Velora yawned and stretched.
Something soft and warm snuggled against her.
She threw her arm over it and relaxed. What a night. First she snuck out, then—Velora bolted up.
A large rodent next to her jumped to its feet and searched around.
Sh-she was in a hole. Beneath a tree. And the night before, the rodent helped her.
Intelligent eyes locked onto her.
Velora opened her mouth to thank—it held a padded finger up to its mouth. It wanted her to stay quiet. O-okay. She closed her mouth. Goodness, the gods had surely blessed her to send her such help.
It put a paw out as though to tell her to stay.
Again, she’d do as it suggested.
Her furry companion let her go, crept outside, and disappeared.
Pressure pressed on her lower stomach. She had to pee. Still, Velora waited until a head poked in and jerked its chin.
Thank heavens, she could go out. She got on her hands and knees and crawled up and out of the hole into the dim light of a new day.
A banged-up and bruised familiar man stood nearby. “You’re not to return to your home. Lavinia and I’ll escort you to the spring. From now on, you can only return to the village in the early afternoons, but you must be on the other side of the spring by dinnertime.”
But what about her mere and Baby?
Something caressed her leg.
Velora glanced down. The rodent stood, an expectant gleam in its eyes.
“Thank you for saving me.”
It nodded, turned, and scurried away.
She let out a slow breath. It was too incredible.
Pressure pressed on her bladder. She had to go. Velora held up a hand and dashed to some bushes far enough away to give her a private moment. After she finished, she returned to a somber couple.
“You can’t talk to me directly, so aim your questions at your mentor. She’ll walk behind us to cover our tracks.” He held out a familiar pack with her new things in it.
Everything was happening so fast. Velora silently took her pack and put it on and started walking in the direction of the spring. “Miss Pern, what happened last night?”
“Competitors of those who the gods allowed to bed us snuck in to take women away with them after having a little of what they call fun. Velora, you did the right thing, sneaking away when you did.”
But she hadn’t snuck away. The giant rodent woke her and helped save her. And so did Miss Pern’s lover.
The man beside her mentor cleared his throat.
“However you escaped, I’m glad.” Her mentor’s voice was stronger. “The most important thing is that you did. Because of what happened, our lovers are moving into our village. They’ll stay throughout the night and protect the perimeter during the day. But they’re not going to be in the village from late morning until dinnertime. Which is why you can only be here during that time.”
A moment of silence passed as they walked.
“The gods are allowing it. I’m afraid our way of life will never be the same. Velora, life for you won’t be easy, and for that, I’m truly sorry.”
It wouldn’t be easy? How? “Miss—”
“We’ll leave books for you at the spring where you bathed, as well as tools. Use them. And if there’s anything you need, pray and the gods will deliver your message.” Her mentor’s voice wavered, followed by a sniffle.
Velora’s heart fell into her churning stomach. She couldn’t go back.
“Forgive me, Velora. I couldn’t protect you. And now, I won’t be able to really help you.”
“You already have.” She gripped the straps of her strange pack and lifted her chin. “I’ll learn everything I can and do what I need to. So don’t worry about me.”
They walked in silence for a while.
Her family. Velora kicked at a broken branch in her path. “Uh, can you tell me how my mere and brother are?”
Silence greeted her.
Then another sniffle.
“Your mere was hurt, but two men came and killed her attackers. Your baby brother’s arm was dislocated, but one of the men fixed it. Permission to speak freely about your family?”
Her heart leapt. “Please.”
“Your mother has two lovers. The older mand asked about you. I believe he’s your pere.”
Her pere. And he asked about her. Chills trickled along her spine.
“I’ll speak with them on the matter.” Miss Pern’s lover’s tone was firm. “Don’t trouble her. She needs to focus on garnering survival skills.”
A gasp came from Miss Pern behind them. “Do all men wonder about their daughters? Shouldn’t we have a right to—”
“It’s forbidden. The gods do this to protect you, but something’s changed. Now her pere’s been chosen to lead and protect Maintra’s most sacred sect. Neither he nor his daughter are to know each other until the gods will it, so don’t bring it up again.”
H-her pere? He wanted to know about her, and he was chosen to—Maintra’s most sacred sect. Them.
Velora fell to her knees. Maintra had truly blessed them. To allow Velora’s pere and others to come and protect her family and the village… She closed her eyes. Maintra and gods be praised.
Tears formed and fell. She was truly blessed.
“You need to get up.”
“No, stop. Look.” Miss Pern’s voice was soft and reverent.
Velora opened her eyes. Gossamer wings of dazzling colors fluttered down and around her. She froze. Such ethereal insects didn’t exist in their paradise.
“She was thanking Maintra and the other gods, gods we don’t know. Don’t you get it? Velora, she’s special. Can’t you sense it?”
Special? Warmth filled her chest. Maintra was beyond benevolent. To bless her so completely. Velora would do all she could to bring her honor.
The man stopped, his back facing her. “I know more about her than you could fathom. Come, we must hurry. Another attack is imminent.”
Another attack? And he already knew about it. Then they had to hurry so he could get back to protecting her mentor.
Velora got to her feet and picked up her pace. She’d be okay. Maintra was already blessing her so much. She’d do her part and be as independent as possible.
Survival 101 - No Instructions
Velora hefted her new pack, heavy with tools along with more clothing, shoes, and necessities. The sacred land on the other side of the sacred spring. It was lush and beautiful. Even the dirt-packed area she headed toward had its own beauty, lush, large plants framing it from behind and the sides.
She paused and studied a detailed, hand-drawn map. Her mentor’s lover believed she’d be safest in the middle of a thorny patch that was a little out of the way between the spring and the gentle elder. Only, she had to figure out a way to get to the clearing in the middle without disturbing the surrounding bushes of thorns.
She continued walking. The details were incredible.
Something snagged her pants. Ah, the thorns. Velora laughed. She’d arrived at her destination. Well, sort of. Maintra be praised, and to the other gods as well. Because without them guiding her, she wouldn’t otherwise have so much help through her furry hero, mentor, and the man.
Outside the tall, thorny barrier, she set her heavy load down, plopped on the ground, and dug out her new canteen. What to do, what to do?
It was men who’d built their village. Lovers kept huts and stairs and thatching in good repair or replaced them all together. Only a small handful of women were interested and figured out how to create their own homes.
Maybe she could. When she was little, she and the other girls would dig holes and put in tall sticks with a Y shape at the top, then set a long stick between them and lashed them together with long weeds. From there they made a lean-to. Perhaps a similar principle could be applied to some sort of bridge. Like if she cut down small logs, carved a Y-shape at the tops, and created a ramp up to the highest point of the tall thorny brush. But it’d be a lot of work. And how was she to keep people and animals out once she figured out how to build her own home?
She opened her pack and sifted around. There were instructions somewhere in there. Perhaps there’d be designs for homes and ladders and ramps.
There were no instructions on how to build ramps or even a hut, and daylight was burning. Perhaps there was something in nature she could mimic.
Velora ate some bread, then foraged for berries, rinsed them, and ate them.
A rabbit disappeared into a burrow.
A tunnel. The ground beneath her could be chiseled away. She could start by digging stairs as she went and curve them around. And she wouldn’t need too much space; just enough she could easily walk through.
Oh! There was a natural stone that when mixed with red mud, it created a permanent waterproof barrier once dry. It was something they applied to the community center every seven years to keep out the weather. She could make the substance and slather it on the inside of her tunnel.
A thrill soared through her. Velora could do it.
She pressed her hands together and closed her eyes. “Gods, thank you for giving me an idea and helping me along the way.”
A gentle breeze caressed her.
She smiled and searched around. There was an abundance of fallen sticks further in the trees she could use to dig at the ground. It was time to get started.
Velora moved her covering she made—by lashing together sticks—over the entrance to her tunnel, and collapsed next to her pack at the bottom of the stairs. It took her all day to carve them, clean out the dry dirt as she went, and start on the little hallway. She’d accidentally went a little overboard and made it wide enough for a thick adult.
Exhaustion pulled at her. Food could wait until morning.
Velora snuggled into thick, warm fur and let out a sigh.
A low, soft rumble vibrated against her before her giant pillow moved.
Her pillow moved!
Her breath clotted in her chest. She opened her eyes—a bear ambled up the stairs she’d carved the day before. It raised a paw and lifted the lashed wooden covering before peering back. Black, intelligent eyes locked on her.
Another helper.
“Thank you.” Her voice left her a whisper.
The bear nodded and left.
Another blessing from the gods.
“Thank you, Gods, for protecting me.”
Another day of solid work lay ahead. And once she got to the clearing in the center of the thorny brush, she’d figure out how to build her hut.