A Little Kindness

Writers: Arale, Miriah
Date Posted: 11th June 2012

Characters: J'ackt, Yarlna
Description: Jenackt almost gets caught.
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 8, day 5 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentor Approved

J'ackt

Yarlna couldn't sleep. She went through phases where getting more than
a few candlemarks of sleep a night was an impossibility. Her parents
had given up trying to force her to sleep during these times, and
instead made sure she had constructive things to do. Mending torn
clothing was a usual night time chore for the insomniac.

On this night, the eleven turns old girl was sewing a patch over a
hole her youngest brother had torn in his good trousers when she heard
a noise outside. Feeling more curiosity than fear, something her
parents had also given up on breaking her of, the girl set her sewing
aside and crept up to the door to peek out. There was a man in the
wherry pen.

She didn't know what to do. Wake her father or see who it was. If it
was someone who lived here, and there were enough people in the small
holding that it could be, then her father would be very sore about
being awakened at this hour. If it wasn't, she'd be in even more
trouble for not waking him. After a moment's consideration, she
decided to sneak closer and see who it was.

That decided, the girl slipped through the door and began creeping her
way on her tip toes toward the wherry pen.

Jenackt moved on quiet feet, creeping around the pen and wordlessly
soothing the restive wherries. He silently thanked his luck that
animals tended to like him, for none made a cry of alarm at his
entrance. He brushed back his hair from his brow and quickly glanced
about. No one that he could see, so far. His luck had held with him.
Now to find the eggs.

He crouched, humming softly as he nudged a sleepy wherry aside.
"Shh...." he murmured. He nudged again. Shaft it...no eggs. That had
been the second one he had checked. There had to be at least ONE
somewhere.

Yarlna crept closer, as quietly as she could. Deep down, she knew this
person wasn't supposed to be there, despite her intention to find out
if he was or not. Why would anyone be mucking about in the wherry pen
this time of night? But she was too curious for her own good and kept
inching forward, until she could see for certain. It was dark and the
moonlight only provided scant illumination, so she had to get quite
close. Thankfully the man, who, as she peered through the pen's
fencing, she could now see was a stranger, was too busy shifting the
wherries to notice.

Of course, now that she knew he didn't belong, she began moving back
with the intention of alerting her father and stepped on a stick which
snapped rather loudly. So, not being noticed was a thing of the past.

The snap of the stick was all it took. Jenackt's head flew up and he
went absolutely still. He saw a slim shadow and silently cursed. He
had been seen and that had been enough. Springing into action, Jenackt
grabbed the top of the pen fence and leapt over it, falling to the
ground and landing in a rough roll.

He came up on his feet and winced. The rough landing had twisted his knee, but
he could still move. Scrambling, he dove for the shadows, trying to make his way
back to the wilderness.

The suddenness of it all startled the girl so much she didn't even cry
out, though she thought for sure that the stranger was going to come
at her. Instead though, once he regained his feet, he began limping
towards the trees. She watched him go, wondering who he was and why he
didn't hurt her. Her parents were always saying that the holdless -
and who else would be in someone else's wherry pen in the middle of
the night - were dangerous. That they'd kill little children as soon
as look at them. They hinted at worse fates for girls her own age.

But this one was running away instead. It was curious. And Yarlna had
such a sense of curiosity herself. So, instead of running to get her
father, the girl just watched the stranger limping away until he was
swallowed by the shadows. Then she went back inside, still thinking
about the stranger.

He was hurt. Maybe he was hungry. The two thoughts ran around in her
mind for a bit and before she even realized what she was doing, she
had gathered together a small bundle. Some dried fruit, bread left
over from dinner and cheese, a small dab of numbweed paste twisted in
bit of cloth. She set the items in the middle of a rag and tied it
together and then she snuck out again.

She left the bundle close to where she thought the stranger had
vanished and then returned to her sewing, wondering if it would still
be there in the morning. She rather hoped it wasn't.

Jenackt watched from the shadows, favoring his twisted knee with a
grimace. He waited, breathing shaky as the girl went back inside. When
no alarm was sounded, he relaxed and leaned against a tree. Too close.
Far too close! He pounded at a tree trunk in frustration. He was
getting careless. He would have to keep better watch!

Rustling sounds caught his attemtion and he went still again,
glancing out to watch the slim figure of a girl approach his hiding
place. Jenackt went absolutely still and his eyes narrowed. What was
she holding? His eyes followed her as she laid down her burden and
then widened as she rose and walked away. He didn't trust it; he
waited further. No one followed. From what he could tell, no one was
watching. Carefully and quietly, he walked out and quickly snatched
the bag and peeked inside.

His brows shot up at the contents. Food? She had brought him food? He
lifted his head and looked towards the cothold. He hadn't known much
kindness since after his ma had died; it filled him with sudden warmth
and he silently thanked the young girl before limping quietly away.

"Where did the bread and cheese go?" Yarlna's mother asked the next
morning, when she went to make cheesy toast to go with the eggs for
breakfast.

"I got hungry last night, Mama," the girl replied absently as she
helped set the table. She ignored her mother's grumbling in the
background as she peered out the window at the treeline where there
was no sign of a lumpy bundle of cloth to be seen.

"What're you looking at?" Her younger brother asked, peering out the window too.

Yarlna smiled as she answered, "Nothing at all." She hummed as she
finished the table, thinking it felt nice to help someone who needed
it. And it was even nicer to have a secret. She also wondered how big
a piece of the cured wherry she could get away with bundling up after
everyone was asleep tonight.

Last updated on the July 1st 2012

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A Little Kindness