Sogut
The last puffs of the breakfast fire struggled to dry the fiber strands stretched over the embers. e bundles had been left to soak in the stream near this camp for two weeks. This separates the fibers from the rest of the plant, preparing to turn them into rope and other items.
Each night in the forest meant getting to a new campsite to stay out of the way of greedy spirits. A careful collection of campsites scattered through the forest allowed life to continue. Last night, we returned to this site, and the fibers were pulled from the stream.
This morning, we didn't have time to burn more wood, so the bundles would have to be attached to our packs to dry as we walked. Usually, this work was done in concert with three or four families. The many tasks were completed at scale and faster. Life had been comfortable when shared among many.
The spirits had become more aggressive of late. First, three hunters never returned. Then Grandma Demir went missing. The cousins from the other side of the family decided to head for the coast instead of to the next camp. Last week, we split up with the last two families to try to confuse the spirits following us. The plan was for them to travel to alternate campsites while we kept on the regular path.
Talia led our small family bravely on that path. "Kale, you need to carry Val. He wants to play, and I need to finish with the packs."
Val was almost four years old, but there were no elders in our group who could perform the spirit rituals. We couldn't risk letting him touch the ground with the mists nearby.
I walked over to Talia. "Sure. I got him."
It was routine to slip one strap off her shoulder and onto mine. Before he knew what happened, he was on my back. I started tossing small stones up in the air for him to catch. By the time we rotated through three games, Talia had us ready for the road.
I carried Val and two shoulder bags. Talia had the backpack and map. She could navigate the forest by memory but was adamant that we always double-check.
We headed out of the camp to the Southeast, but before I could ask any questions, she commented, "I'm cutting the corner. I hope we can make it to the rendezvous camp first. I want to make some of your grandmother's stew for everyone."
"I love that idea! Val, we are going to double-time it today. Give me your wings." At my encouragement, Val flapped his arms like a dragon from his position on my back.
This campsite had a stash of tubers and wood cut for cooking. Preparing a camp for the next family was the most important task before you left for the day. Our small family gathered around the fire pit. Talia took my hand in hers, and we bowed our heads. Val reached over to his mom's shoulder. She led us in prayer to the silver dragon.
Your sacrifice is remembered.
We continue our journey centered,
knowing your judgment of the greedy spirits was rendered.
Lend us your blessing as this camp is entered,
make our fire tempered.
Your Sacrifice is remembered.
The peels of the tubers flew over my shoulder as Val cut them. We'll pick them up with a sharp stick later as a game, so he tried to put them in the hardest locations. I got the fire started and brought water from a stream. Talia restocked some of our supplies and gathered berries. She chopped wood to restock the log pile and had the hammocks set before any of the other families arrived.
She took over cooking the stew, and I played with Val. The food was ready before the other families arrived. We ate well and settled into our hammocks before the sun set behind the treetops. The other families had not arrived.
I woke with a start. Talia gripped my shoulder hard as she whispered in my ear. "We have to go."
"What is it?" I asked but could already see the mists were nearly two feet high.
"Don't get Val out of his hammock until we are ready." She added as I rolled out of my hammock.
We had our packs on and Val on my back within five minutes. We left a few supplies behind, but it was more important that we got ahead of anything coming along with the mists.
On the trail to the next campsite, Talia broke the news. "Kale, I've been worrying all week about what to do if we were the last ones left."
I tried to be supportive. "We can meet with other families if we switch to the cervan trail."
She had made up her mind. "We haven't seen other families since last summer. We need to head to the coast like others have."
She was right. We couldn't keep this pace on our own.
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