31. Kaya
Kaya
I felt Cade running after me. His presence was always something I could place. His fragrant scent alone I could remember within miles of him. He brushed against my arm. I stopped and looked at his lips as he spoke.
"Why are the boys in a hole?" I mind-linked him. "I needed to fix a problem." "And what is that?" "One of their mothers came to me wanting to understand why the boys were fighting. Said they couldn't be in the same vicinity of one another. She wanted the fighting to stop, so I am stopping them from fighting in the future."
"But how is pushing them in a huge hole that they dug going to stop them." "We do this in the north when kids fight. They must work together to get out of the pit. They may hate each other, but they must learn to work together, or else they die." "Die?" "Yeah, you know, not breathing."
"You would kill kids to teach them a lesson?" "They won't die. Eventually, they will work together. That is how it is in the north. If we didn't work together, then we would all die. So, the lesson is not only effective but necessary."
"But how do you know they can get out." "I was put in a pit like this at 14. If I can do it with Dalie. Those boys certainly will figure it out." "If that was always the punishment, won't you all use the same technique to get out." "No, most of the time, this was not the solution, only in extreme cases. And we were commanded not to speak about the thing to our peers. Just in case we knew someone needed that type of lesson." "Oh well, if you don't want this getting out, you should probably tell the moms to keep the exact punishment to themselves."
"Helen is taking care of that." "How long did it take you to get out of the hole." "A week." "You stayed down there a week?" "Yes." "How long do you think the boys will last." "I give them 3 hours if that. They won't want to go to the bathroom in the same hole they are standing in." He made a face. I continued to walk to the packhouse with Cade. By the time we got in, it was time for dinner. We were still pretty dirty, but there was no time to change as the food was already on the table.
There were a lot of people in the dining hall. I followed Cade to the top of the overly large table. He sat down at the head, and I sat beside him. He looked at me, a bit surprised. I signed at him. "What." He mind linked me.
"I don't know what you just signed, but you are supposed to sit at the other end of the table." I looked down at the chair that was placed opposite him. It was so far away from him. I didn't want to be that far away. I got up and went to the chair. I picked it up and carried it to where he sat. I shoved the seat so it was next to his.
He smiled at me. I felt the eyes of the others around me smirking. I took my seat and looked at him. Then, I began to sign again. He shook his head, saying he didn't understand, and I mind-linked him. "You will need to learn to sign. I don't always like to use mind link. I mean, if that is okay with you." "If it is important, then yes, I will learn." I smiled at the fish that was brought out. They put a large fillet in front of me. It was cooked Salmon. People began to dig in. I silently said a quick thank you to the goddess, and then I, too, dug in. The meat had not been tainted by a bunch of spices. With just some salt and oil, it was perfect.
I finished eating and smiled at Cade, who had also completed his meal. I felt him in my head. "I take it you liked the meal." "Yeah, besides the moose, this is, and the rabbit has been the best food I have had down south. Even when I stayed with Quill at the hotel, the food was shit." "Glad to hear it. You could speak to Becky about the food you like. That way, you don't have to go out and hunt for every meal."
"Becky?" "Yeah, she runs the household. I told her not to enter our room because you said it was off-limits. You probably need to talk to her anyway if you want to be the one taking care of laundry since you are sensitive to smells coming into the room." That was a good idea. He was right. I wanted no one to touch anything in our Den.
"Thanks; after dinner, I can go see her." "Good, it will give me time to meet with Mark. We have some stuff to review before we wind down for the night. "Alright." I looked over to see Helen had now finished up and was looking down at something reflective. I mind-linked her. "Helen, what are you doing?" "Oh, just playing a game. Sorry, I know it is rude to play it at the table. I will just put it away." "No, I was just wondering. What is it you are playing?"
"Tetras." "Oh. Never heard of it." "I guess you also have never had a phone." "No need for one, really. Though Crescent pack does have a few satellite phones." "I will just put it away." "It doesn't bother me. Do what makes you happy."
She smiled and went back to the device. I looked back at Cade, who was in a conversation with Mark. I got up from the table and grabbed my plate. I figured I would take it to the kitchen and hopefully find Becky.Cade looks at me as I stand up. I can tell he is standing as well. I just put my hand on his shoulder. I mind-linked him. "I am just going to go find Becky. No need to get up."
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