Days fell into a predictable pattern. The women would tell Addie where they planned to go the next time, and she’d join them on their foraging expeditions.
Usually, their group consisted of Illied and Chele, but sometimes it included Vircea and Oma. Occasionally, other women mixed in and formed a larger party. Once or twice Queen Qalae made an appearance and helped collect berries for a yellow die. Addie hadn’t asked, but she had a pretty solid hunch whose robe the die was going to be used for.
Through the outings, Addie began to learn more and more about the world that had become her home. Like a young child, she needed to be taught everything.
Opportunities to split from the main group and go with Chele, just the two of them, were rare. But whenever they did get a chance to rustle the steppe for different medicinal herbs, it was doubly precious to Addie. She learned the most during those infrequent outings. She had started her own collection of powders, wondering if she would ever get an opportunity to use them to help heal the non-believing For.
“The most common affliction is the injury sustained during the hunt or fights. Focus on what helps stop the bleeding, take away the pain, nourish the weakened body,” Chele instructed.
For didn’t develop infections as frequently as humans, but the injuries they received could be grave.
“Food is another cause of illness. Plants, fungi - they can be tricky. Some cause vomit if eaten raw. Others can turn the stomach when dried. You already know that. You must, with your great cooking skills, Addie. You’re a much better cook than you’re a weaver.”
Addie had to admit Chele was right. She, Addie Rye, a busy modern woman with a career who used to dine in restaurants or have pre-packaged dinners delivered to her home, had developed a knack for preparing all kinds of weird foods. And learned to catch her dinner before she could start preparing it.
But even more precious than her excursions with Chele were Addie’s outings with the girls.
Melmie had assumed a role of a big sister toward Addie, on the account that Addie’s knowledge of the basics was lower even than Oh’na’s, and imparted invaluable insights on anything from plants and animals to basket weaving to the who was who within the tribe.
Oh’na, on her part, became attached to Addie in a distant, competitive sort of way. If Melmie shared a story, Oh’na would come up with a more outrageous one. If Melmie found a juicy Borom to give to Addie, then Oh’na would not rest until she found two.
Yet expressing her thoughts didn’t come easy for the little girl. Where Melmie’s easy-going chatter filled the silence when they walked, Oh’na found it difficult to come up with topics for their small talk. In that area, she clearly fell behind Melmie, and the more she strained to carry on a conversation, the more flustered and uninspired she became. And since losing didn’t come naturally to Oh’na, her inability to beat Melmie often sent her into long heavy sulks.
But even when she was angry, Oh’na’s sharp animal eyes never strayed too far from Addie, making her feel watched in a good sort of way.
There was a spot near the sands where the blue-green moss grew especially thick and soft. When Addie accompanied the girls to the settlement after their visits, they often stopped and frolicked in the moss like a trio of silly young puppies.
“Spin? How do you spin, Addie?” Little Oh’na asked when Addie suggested she span her.
“Like this.” She grasped Oh’na’s wrists instructing her to hold on to hers and started twirling around, faster and faster, until Oh’na’s feet left the ground.
She squealed and laughed, kicking her legs. This basic activity, completely new to the girls, left Oh’na in awe.
“You’re heavy, Oh’na, I need a minute!” Laughing, Addie let her touch down. “And my head is spinning in circles.”
“Mine too! I’m going to walk in a circle forever!” Oh’na stumbled around like a drunk in exaggerated dizziness before dramatically falling face-first onto the moss.
Then, holding hands, Addie and the girls went ‘round and ‘round, faster and faster, making Addie’s breath catch like on an amusement park ride.
“Stop, I can’t… My hands!” She laughed hysterically.
When they flopped down to their backs, the moss cushioned their fall and released three clouds of sparkling pollen, and it hovered above them like a magical shield.
Exhausted from laughing, they lay on their back and made “snow angels” in the moss.
“Mine is the best,” Oh’na boasted. “The wings look real.”
“Your wings are like clubs,” Melmie quickly put her down. “You have short arms.”
Oh’na objected loudly, but Melmie stopped paying her any attention. “The scouts are watching us,” she said to Addie.
Addie sat up. “How do you know?” she whispered. “Do you feel them watching us?”
Melmie wrinkled her forehead. “Feelthem? Whatever do you mean, Addie?”
“Like, you know, youthinkthat someone is looking, but you can’t see them.” Goosebumps popped up on her arms, that feeling of being watched raising the hair at the back of her neck.
“I don’t know,” Melmie whispered back, looking uncertain. “I’ve never had that feeling… The scouts are over there.” She pointed her finger.
