The Keep

It was a bright and sunny morning, the birds chirping loudly in the trees. The rain from the night before left the air smelling fresh and clean, with a natural, earthy rich smell of soil. Kali rolled over in her tiny bit of dry land, protected by the tent, her rough backpack under her head. She smiled over at Lae as she saw that she was crawling around, her tiny legs growing more powerful each day.

She got up and crouched under the opening of the tent, coaxing her sister to crawl outside. A wide smile formed on Lae’s face as she proudly pounded the earth under her hands and knees, a tiny amount of drool bubbling through her lips as she murmured happy baby noises. Kali returned the smile and lifter her sister into her arms, making a tiny “ooph” sound. “Yer gettin’ heavy, li’l Lae,” she smiled. Both Grot and she had sacrificed more than their share of food and water for the youngest of them, always making sure that she was properly gaining weight and developing mass. If they didn’t take care of her, this was all for naught, after all.

Grot was an immeasurable help, able to make their tiny prey last for days, cutting it in such ways as to get the most meat possible, using every bit of the animal’s bodies besides the skeletons, which were buried in careful, tiny graves. Kali often mused to herself how Grot was so able to live off the land, as she saw him next to a small pool of water, baiting a hook. She smiled proudly at him as she watched him, his grey eyes narrowed in serious concentration.

“Mornin’!” she smiled, speaking cheerfully, even though her stomach ached and growled with hunger. Her body had been growing weaker, she knew, from lack of food. She spent most of her time training, trying to become more adept at throwing weapons or making traps, often failing at both. Her shield was growing slightly rusty from disuse, her arms once again only able to hold her weapon, though she was able to catch some of the slower animals in the area if she was cunning.

Her hunger, however, was making her cunning a little slower; her brain not so quick as it was when they were with the others and her body filled with rich food. “What’re ya doin’?” She sighed at his lack of response, plopping down into the soft soil next to him, forcing him to look at her.

“Tryin’ to catch some fish,” he sighed, his failure made known in his slumping shoulders.

“Here,” she offered, putting Lae on the ground next to her and holding her hand out for the makeshift pole, urging her on with her groping fingers.

He grunted, handing her the pole and sitting back on his haunches, looking across the pool of dirty water, the bright sun glittering on the surface. She busied herself with the wiggling beetle, hooking it through the metal and trying to press it further on, concentrating on it with a similar serious gaze as him.

“Where do ya think they are?” she whispered softly, not looking up from her bait.

He shrugged his tiny shoulders, looking at her for a moment before back across the water. “Maybe on to the capital city they were looking for,” he mumbled and she shook her head.

“Hasn’t been that long, has it?” she spoke, suddenly unsure of her words as she tried to count how many times the sun has set and rose since they left.

Looking up at her, he frowned, thinking himself, “I think… at least ninety…”

Her eyes widened, looking up from her bait, up at him. “Really?!” she exclaimed, not sure if she thought it should be longer or shorter than that. She looked back down at Lae, who was clapping, watching the shimmering water, then back at Grot. “What are we goin’ to do?”

They didn’t often talk any more, their days mostly quiet, trying not to draw attention to themselves. As well, both of them knew, very rarely would conversation be light and merry. He sighed at her words, not knowing any better than she what they could possibly do for the long term. “I don’t know, Kali. Just have to take it one day at a time, I suppose…” He frowned, looking at the still wiggling beetle on the hook, licking his lips slightly at the thought of food. Watching his eyes, she nodded, casting the line into the water, lowering her eyes to concentrate on if she felt a bite.

Lowering her voice again, nearly whispering, she asked cautiously, “think they’re lookin’ for us?”

Grot shook he head from side to side, his eyes still on her. “I think if they did at first, they stopped. Been too long.”

She nodded in cautious agreement, looking around the land. “We should probably move on again, just in case. Plus, might be better fishing in a bigger pool,” she grumbled, grunting as she tries to haul in a tiny fish on the hook, losing both the fish and the beetle in the process. She sighed dejectedly at him before grinning widely, “least I got it baited.”