Chapter 4 – Trail’s End

Aadi began to tug his arm reflexively, but stopped himself from breaking free of his mother’s grip. Reluctance, hesitation, unwillingness, and a hint of frustration played across his face and he said, “I must go.” “I know,” his mother replied, but she didn’t loosen her grip. “Amma,” Aadi said and she replied once again, “I know.” With that, Aadi calmed down visibly. His body relaxed considerably and he gazed at his mother, waiting for an explanation. “It’s too late right now,” Zehra said and looked out the front door, “If you went looking for Vir, Kalis, and Shan, you’d just get lost yourself.” Aadi’s mind acknowledged his mother’s sage words, but his heart was unwilling, “But…” “Not tonight, Aadi,” she said firmly, “It’s dark and you have no idea where Shan went. Even if you manage to find him, you’ll probably injure yourself in the woods and be of no help to him. Forget finding your father, you won’t be able to find your own two feet in the forest.”

Aadi wanted to object. He desperately wanted to deny his mother’s words, but he knew that she was right. Of course she was! A few stars shone brightly in the night sky, but it was hardly enough light to see by. Even if he carried a torch, it’d be nearly impossible to spot human tracks clearly in the dense forest. The last spell of rain had been three days ago and the dirt paths would have mostly dried up. He would have a very hard time tracking Shan, let alone finding Viraat and Kalis. His mother was right. Of course she was! Aadi knew his haunt in the forest like the back of his hand. He had hunted in and around that spot for a few years now. His father, on the other hand, had gone towards an entirely different area of the forest with Kalis, where Aadi hardly ventured. He didn’t know the lay of that land. It would be rank foolishness to attempt an adventure there in the dark.

“I want to find them,” Aadi said grimly, finally surrendering to his mother’s wisdom. “I know,” she said, “I would like to go with you too, but it’d be courting danger to do so.” He nodded, staring at the night outside. “What should I do?” he asked and Zehra replied, “Sleep on it. You can venture forth at first light.” “Shan,” the name escaped Aadi’s lips and softening her grip on his arm, his mother said, “If he finds Vir and Kalis, he should be fine with them. He’s not weak, Aadi. Shan can take care of himself.” Aadi looked at her and reluctantly nodded. Shan wasn’t weak, no. He was pretty good with his dagger and short sword, in Aadi’s opinion. “He ought to be able to handle himself,” Aadi thought, “Just hold out for the night, Shan. I’ll be there soon.”

Seeing that her son had finally given up on thoughts of a hasty rescue, Zehra smiled gently and said, “Get some rest, Aadi. You’ll need it tomorrow.” Aadi nodded firmly this time and headed to the kitchen for a quick bite before going to bed. Little did he know that he would need all the energy he could muster the following morning!

The night passed quickly, despite Aadi’s lingering worries and he woke to morning’s first light well-rested. Wolfing down the breakfast that his mother had prepared, Aadi headed towards the front door eagerly. “Be careful, Aadi,” his mother said and looking back at her, he replied, “I will, Amma.” He carried his slingshot with him, along with a few essential supplies. He also had a small hatchet, which he trusted to cut short branches and shrubs that obstructed his path. He carried little by way of food, for he expected his mission to be accomplished within the day at best, by next morning at worst. Aadi didn’t want to be caught in the forest at night, but he didn’t intend to return empty-handed. His boots and wristbands were made of simple leather and he wore his regular woollens.

He resolved to gather ammunition for his slingshot within the forest itself. That would save him time and he intended to make haste. Leaving his house, he headed towards the wall facing the forest and like Shan had done, Aadi scaled it. Going out the front gates and around the entire wall section there would’ve cost him precious extra steps that he didn’t wish to expend. He steadied his feet and headed straight for the forest. Part of him wanted to start running, but he remembered his mother’s advice. Caution would keep him in good stead in unfamiliar territory.

The sun hadn’t risen entirely yet, when Aadi found himself at the forest’s edge. Dawn rays in tandem with a small hand lantern served to shed light on his surroundings. It was sufficient to help him venture into the dense thicket in front of him and he set forth without further ado. He swung his hatchet diagonally, slashing time and again to clear his way. Apart from the rich undergrowth, Aadi didn’t spot anything that would bar his way. Sometime later, he chanced upon a narrow trail. It was obvious that hardly anyone came this way. The trail was covered by nature’s children, from grass to wildflowers. Aadi knelt to inspect the ground and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up! “Odd,” he thought to himself, glancing back to check for danger. There was none.

He knew he had been careful. He was sure no one had followed him and that no predator stalked him. Yet, he couldn’t shake off that feeling of uneasiness that caused him to be on guard. “Check the trail; focus,” he told himself and turned his attention squarely to the seldom-used path. As a hunter, Aadi had tracked prey often and his practiced eye spotted traces of human footsteps. They were faint, but he was able to pinpoint their direction. He thought aloud, “One of these is Shan’s. It’s fresher than the rest. The others might belong to appa and Kalis, but they could also have been made by a rescue party looking for Pati and Quince.” He focused on Shan’s footprints and rose to follow them.

Those feelings of uneasiness and caution hadn’t disappeared, but he resolutely pushed them to the back of his mind. He saw no immediate danger to his person and he was eager to find Shan. As he followed his friend’s tracks, Aadi bent down occasionally to pick up a small stone or two. He sought ammunition for his slingshot. The stones had to be good projectiles and fit his weapon’s rubber band to fly straight and true. Aadi moved along the trail in this manner, keeping his wits about himself. He couldn’t quite shake the apprehension that had come upon him earlier, but he didn’t spot anything that would justify it. Soon, he reached the end of the trail and was confronted by a wide clearing. This alone was unusual in the middle of a forest, but Aadi’s wariness intensified as he finally grasped the cause of his anxiety. “Nothing here is alive,” he thought, taking a good look around him.

Indeed, there were no animals or birds in his vicinity. In fact, ever since he had begun to follow that rarely trodden trail, Aadi realised that he had not seen a single living thing! His hunter’s instincts had warned him of this difference in the environment, but he hadn’t comprehended it at the time. Now, he breathed in deeply and surveyed the clearing. It was covered with wild grass and flowers, and a stone or two dotted it. There were no trees in its midst, no animals, no birds, nothing whatsoever. Along its periphery, on the tall trees that grew there, Aadi could see nary a bird’s nest, or any sign of anything living that made its home on their thick branches. There were no fruits or berries hanging from those trees and even the flowers, fully bloomed as they were, seemed utterly still!

Aadi’s hand instinctively moved towards the slingshot in his pocket, but he had no target to aim at. There were no tracks that he could see near him; the trail had gone cold. Despite his wariness, Aadi stepped forward into the clearing. He had no choice. If he turned back, he’d have to return home empty-handed and he couldn’t bear to face Shan’s mother in that fashion. He couldn’t tell his own mother that he had found no sign of his father. He had to go forward, no matter what. He had no choice, none whatsoever! With a courageous resolve, he took another step into the clearing. He had to find something, some sign of his family and dear friend. He couldn’t fail. Another stride carried him clearly into the wide, open area. “There’ll be some sign of them around here,” he thought, staying vigilant with each step.

Suddenly, his surroundings shifted! Aadi had no better way to describe it. His vision was disoriented by the abrupt transition as everything changed in an instant. His head hurt! He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to find his bearings as his feet seemed to be afloat. He couldn’t sense solid ground beneath him and he felt short of breath. The experience lasted but an instant; to Aadi, it felt like a very long minute!

As he gained control of his senses once more, Aadi opened his eyes slowly, his hand gripping his slingshot. He stood stunned at the sight that he beheld. Gone was the clearing. Gone were the trees, the grass, the flowers, and the clear morning sky! He was inside a cave, surrounded by rocky walls, with light streaming in from the ceiling.

Author's Words

I'd like to apologise to you, my readers for the slight delay in posting Chapter 4. I contracted a sore throat that was inevitably followed by a cold. Partaking of wonderful medicines alleviated the illness to a major extent, but I wasn't able to focus on writing the fourth chapter until yesterday, 19th July, 2024. Please accept my apologies for this delay and I hope you enjoy reading Ember Tell.