Nita swayed lightly with the gentle rocking of Mahkah’s slow gait. The giant tortoise was in no hurry as he waded along the shallow edge of the river bank, eyes half lidded, lazily watching insects swarm the damp grasses along the edge. She didn’t prod him to go faster, knowing that a change in pace would wake her younger brother. His quiet snoring could be heard over the hush of early morning; a sound she knew well that always pulled at the corners of her mouth. It wouldn’t be long before he woke of his own accord, the cool air replaced with the growing heat of the sun.

Until then, she kept her eyes on the shadowed boughs of the trees lining the water’s edge. Their branches obscured the semi-darkness, hiding those that dwelled there. She knew that they were being watched, followed since the bend in the river where the moss covered rocks took on a purple hue. It wouldn’t be long before someone met up with them. They would wait for the morning’s light to grow stronger and Isi to begin stirring from his perch on the back of Mahkah’s shell. It was the same every time she guided the reptile up the winding river into the heart of the Gaia Forest. The only thing that changed was who would emerge.

Soon the rays of the sun were too much for her brother to ignore and she waited patiently as he stirred, grumbling through a loud yawn. Waking was a slow process for him. Glancing up at the overhanging branches as she let him stretch and meet the day in his own time her eyes were drawn to a quick movement not far ahead. It seemed their hosts were right on time.

“We have company Isi.” she whispered gently over her shoulder, never taking her eyes from the trees.

“Mmmm I’m awake.” was his reply, voice still thick with sleep. She smiled slightly.

Pulling the reins she let them come to a slow stop, Mahkah settling down onto the sand. This too was routine and the great beast was ready for his early morning nap. The murky river water lapped gently against his molted shell as he snorted, eyes closing. Nita slid back from the slight indent in which she had sat and reached for one of the saddlebags hanging along the side of Mahkah’s shell. She didn’t miss the subtle splash of booted feet hitting the river behind her, but paid it no heed, busy dislodging a tattered sack from inside the bag. Turning once she had freed the parcel she hesitated upon seeing who was joining them this morning.

“Izem.” she stated, quickly taking in his appearance and noting that he hadn’t changed much in the months since she had last seen him. His dark hair was still wild and course, his eyes still the color of dark wet leaves. The dusky color of his skin always reminded her of burnt cinnamon, a rare spice she had tasted only once on the docks along the eastern coast.

“Nita.” he nodded in return, giving Isi a smile as he clamored down from Mahkah. The clean scar running across the left side of his face pulled the skin awkwardly as he did so. Sometimes it was hard to tell if he was smiling or grimacing.

“Izem! It’s been a while, we were beginning to think you’d found others to trade with.” Isi said with excitement clearly showing on his face, all traces of sleep gone. His sandy hair was matted unevenly against his head, but he didn’t seem to mind. Straightening the loose shirt he wore he jumped right into the water, heedless of his now wet shoes, and headed over to Izem.

“Nah, just had some people to see further west.” He and Isi clasped each other’s forearms in way of hello, Isi’s still gangly frame emphasized against the tree dweller’s sinewy muscle.

Nita felt the familiar warmth blossom in her chest watching the two. Though she and Izem didn’t always see eye to eye, Isi had taken a liking to the hunter after their first encounter a few years ago. After their parents had died he had come into their lives quite by accident, but it was a welcome one. The Laam People who dwelled here in the Gaia forest were a reclusive race who didn’t take well to outsiders on their land. With Izem’s help they had been able to establish a working relationship with a few of the Laam who lived along this river, trading goods from the southern islands for their medicinal plants.

Letting the two boys catch up on their own, she rolled her dark trousers up to her knees slipped the rest of the way down Mahkah and waded to shore. Setting the rough woolen sack against the raised root of a tree she settled down next to it, leaning into the dappled bark. Isi was talking enthusiastically, telling Izem about a particularly odd merchant they had met just before setting out to trade with his people. Smiling and knowing that her brother would be safe she closed her eyes letting sleep creep up on her. Traveling for the past three days with little rest does something to one’s body.

—

She awoke to the feel of a boot nudging her thigh, pulling her from the fire in her nightmare. Blinking rapidly trying to clear her eyes she looked up into the blurry face of Izem. The late afternoon sun was blotted against his tattered brown coat, his cinnamon skin. It was easy to see how the Laam people could disappear into the greenery around them, their coloring matching the patterns in the bark almost too closely.

“Come on, you’ve been asleep most of the day already. Isi is getting your reptile up, you two will stay with me tonight.”

“Stay? No, we’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be stubborn, Nita. The sun’s already past the mid day mark and we both know you’re still exhausted.”

She stared hard at him for a moment then looked towards the sky. They could stay at the water’s edge she knew, make camp and work their way back down the river once they had traded all their goods. Looking back up at Izem she sighed.

“Fine, I know Isi would enjoy it,” she ignored the satisfied glint in his eyes and pushed the knotted curls away from her face. A good night’s sleep with someone else to watch over things would be a welcome change. “What about Mahkah? He can’t travel into the trees.”

“There’s a spot a little further ahead that’s close to where I usually stay. He’ll be close enough to see and you two will be dry, there’s going to be rain tonight.”

Glancing up at the blue sky again she sent him a doubtful look but didn’t say anything. He could more than likely smell something that she couldn’t or had picked up on some animal behavior from the wildlife that told him to expect a shower tonight.

“How far up river, Izem? We don’t usually go much further than this after meeting the few newcomers you got around here.” They both turned at Isi voice.

“I haven’t had the chance to speak with them yet, I just got back yesterday. Have they been giving you trouble?” His brow furrowing as he glanced between the siblings. His fingers itching toward the hidden blade on his hip as his temper rose.

“They just don’t appreciate us being here, is all. We never go further than the next bend anymore,” she stated, pushing up off the ground.

“Last time they threw a dagger at Nita’s head, nicked her right below the eye. Good thing they didn’t have our poisoned blades huh?” said Isi, patting one of the saddlebags that carried the coral blades. Nita could see the hunter was angry, his volatile temperament boiling just below the surface.

“It’s fine Izem, I know how to protect myself and Isi. They haven’t bothered us since then.”

“That’s not the point,” he replied, anger still snapping behind his eyes, “They have no right to interfere with your dealings here, there are many of us that rely on the things you bring up from the islands.”

Choosing not to further spark his ire, she simply nodded and made her way back to Mahkah. Letting Isi stay in front with the reins she folded her wiry frame up behind him, once again pushing the tangled mass of her hair back from her eyes.

They followed Izem up river, past the bend that forced the water further west. Nita kept her eyes on the trees above them, sometimes glancing across the water to the opposite bank. Having Izem with them might dissuade his brethren from confronting them again but she couldn’t help the tension that rose along her spine the deeper they went into the forest. Knowing Isi could feel the strain in the air from both her and Izem she slid up close behind him and began running her fingers through his still matted hair. She ignored his hands when they tried to swat her away, it was a half-hearted attempt anyway.

 A sad smile pulled at her mouth when she remembered how their mother would do this to her when they were younger. Her wild curls, much more unruly than her brother’s thin tresses, would have to be brushed relentlessly after a few hours of running through the fields with her dog. She could still remember the smell of those grasses after a cool spring rain, just as clearly as she could smell them burning. An involuntary shudder crept along her skin as memories of that night resurfaced, of her home pillaged and burned, her parent’s blood mingling with the fresh herbs on the floor. Her mother had just brought them in from the garden to make bread in honor of a neighbor’s newborn son.

The burn marks along her left arm gave a phantom ache. Adjusting the thin sleeve she always wore to make sure she couldn’t see the ugly marks she focused back on the world around them and the fact that her brother was still very much alive.

“How much further, Izem?” Isi called, but was met with silence. Nita looked up from her brother’s hair and noticed their guide had stopped a little ways ahead of them. A heavy weight settled in her stomach as she saw the thin coral blade slip down from his sleeve. The slight tensing of his body was all the warning she received before five men suddenly dropped from the trees. There were no words exchanged, no threats to leave, only the sudden aggression of men intent on killing.

Instincts kicking in, she quickly pushed Isi down between Mahkah’s giant head and his hard shell and jumped into the water. Her own coral blade, tinted blue with a deadly poison, was already in her hand when the first attack came. The numbing shock that ran down her arms when her opponent’s blade struck her own stunned her for a moment, but she pushed back, not giving him the chance to catch her off guard.

From the corner of her eye she saw that Izem had two to deal with, one already laying face down in the water. That was four. Panic squeezed her chest. Where was the fifth?  Trying to glance back at Isi she felt a sharp sting against her forearm, an involuntary cry escaping through clenched teeth. She would have to deal with this dark haired Laam before she could see to her brother. Whipping her blade up she tried to catch just a little bit of skin. The poison would work quickly once introduced to his bloodstream, burning the veins until it reached the heart where it would stop the powerful muscle with a fiery jolt.

He was good though, larger and stronger than herself, and she felt her body tiring. Arms and hands completely numb, only tingling painfully each time their blades met. She just had to knick his skin, that’s all she had to do and then she could focus on Isi. Tears were already gathering behind her eyes, each second she couldn’t kill this man was one more that her brother was left on his own. He wasn’t a fighter, didn’t have the constitution for it; she was supposed to protect him.

Her bare foot slipped against the mossy rocks, stomach tightening at the sudden feeling of falling. The air rushed out of her lungs as she hit the ground, water spraying up into her eyes. She flung her arms up to protect herself as she sputtered, trying to clear her vision. The few seconds her senses were hindered would be all the time her opponent needed to put his blade through her gut and she knew it.

The bite of his dagger never came though as she sat up just in time to see an arrow sink into his chest with a solid thump. A breathless laugh forced it’s way up her throat and she turned, eyes zeroing in on Isi nocking another arrow as the fifth assailant clamored up Mahkah’s shell. Not thinking twice about her less than perfect aim she flung her poisoned knife at the man hoping that it would at least slow him down. It only skimmed his leg, but it was enough, and he slipped back into the water.

Watching Isi let his arrow fly, she turned her attention to Izem just as his hands jerked his opponent’s head to the side with cold efficiency. The man dropped instantly, life already gone from his eyes. Her brother’s arrow taking care of the other, she fell back on her knees with a shaky sigh. Taking a deep breath to try and steady her still rapidly beating heart she looked back at her brother to make sure he was alright.

The hot heat of panic quickly gripped her throat, dispersing any feelings of relief when she met her brother’s eyes. The warm brown she knew was dull, wide with shock as they took on a glassy appearance from the momentary pain. She watched as he looked down his body at the handle of her own blade protruding from the flesh. The man she had thrown the dagger at was just falling back into the water, a satisfied smile frozen on his twisted face as the poison finally reached his heart.

She couldn’t tell if she was moving, could only feel the heaviness of her limbs, the rush of blood in her ears. Isi’s body fell limp, tumbling into the water around them. She couldn’t breathe. The fingers around her neck had expanded, taking in her lungs and heart; squeezing. She was choking, gagging on her own tongue as her body tried to take in air. Vaguely she was aware of hands on her arms, rough fabric against her face. Someone was holding her, but it wasn’t Isi; no, he was laying in the water, he was dead. He was gone, taken from her in a senseless bought of violence just as her parents had been.

A strangled cry burned in her throat as her heart and lungs burst free of their confinement. Suddenly air was coming too quickly, her chest heaving, not doing her much good; black spots decorated the edges of her vision. Those hands held her up, still pressing her against another body; Izem she realized. He pulled her closer still as a broken scream left her lips. In the very back of her mind she wondered which one of them was trembling. Maybe it was both of them, maybe she was imagining it; she wondered why she even cared at all.

—

The trees were silent, the wind calm leaving only the sounds of insects. It had been two years since that day in the river, and the overwhelming emptiness that had lived inside her was now only a dull ache. Tonight would be the anniversary of his death and Nita tried desperately to feel that emptiness again, to feel it engulf her and remind her of her failure.

She lay on her back, watching the stars peek through the canopy of leaves above her. The uneven bark underneath her dug into her ribs uncomfortably but she didn’t move. Izem shifted slightly on a branch not far from her, waiting. He knew that she needed this time to remember, to reflect, and just listen to the world around her.

A familiar warmth crept into her listening to him shift again. He could remain in one position for hours, stay awake for much longer. He would stay up all night with her if she asked him to. Izem had not left her side since that day, not allowing her to give up on the life that she still had. A reluctant smile danced across her face at all the times his temper had spurred her on, fuelled her own fire and gave her something to focus on other than grief. He had saved her, in his own particular way, and she would always love him for it.

Closing her eyes she lightly fingered the small disk of bone tied around her neck. Taken from Isi’s breastplate before his burial by Izem, it was a constant reminder of her loss. Among his people it was a common practice when a loved one was lost, a way to always have a part of them close to your heart. She was not ungrateful, often finding the feel of it soothing.

Glancing up at Izem, tucking the necklace back inside her shirt, she slowing rose. Her joints protested and a small almost non-existent groan hummed between her lips. She had been lying there for much longer than she thought. The stiffness was forgotten though as a calloused hand gripped her own, helping her stand and make her way further up into the branches.

“‘Bout time you came up, was about to check on ya, make sure you weren’t fallin’ asleep on me,” said Izem as he helped her up into a small net suspended between two branches. The thick woven ropes were threaded with moss and scraps of forged fabric while the branches overhead had been pulled together forming a roof. It served as decent coverage from the spring rains and kept them out of predator’s paths when sleeping.

“I wasn’t falling asleep,” said Nita, slipping into the hammock beside the hunter.

“Hope not,” said Izem, snorting, “Last time it cost ya a sprained wrist.”

Nita didn’t answer but made sure to grind her elbow into his side as she settled in for the night. Izem, to his credit, didn’t comment further. Fingering her necklace again where it rested under her shirt she pressed her face against his chest and inhaled. She could smell his sweat, the sweet dampness from the clay on the forest floor, and a slight tang of blood. All of it familiar to her now, she pressed harder against him, letting his scent settle in her mind.

The heaviness of sleep starting to draw her in she hardly noticed when Izem moved, his rough fingers coming up to grasp the hand still rubbing the bone jewelry. He didn’t comment on the slight trembling he felt, only squeezed her a little tighter against him. Letting his fingers dance along the delicate skin on her wrist she couldn’t help the burn in her eyes as he started to sing. His low voice, barely above a whisper, vibrated against her cheek where her face was pressed, slowly wetting his shirt with silent tears.

The words were foreign to her native tongue, but she knew what they meant all the same. He had sung this to her only twice before, once after Isi’s burial and once more on the first anniversary of his death. It was a lament in honor of her fallen brother, of his life, and his journey to the next world.

A small, soft smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she felt her consciences slipping into darkness. While she could taste the salt of her own tears against her lips a strange sort of peace settled over her. Hard fingers continued to glide over her skin, while the soft words Izem sang lulled her deeper into sleep. Breathing deeply once more, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Thank You.”