It was getting cold, and late. Saber took no time getting out of the water, Zulu following him just behind . With the sun sinking in the distant lands, the water was becoming colder for their liking.Jolly and exhausted, they clumsy fell on their backs onto the tenderly soft grass, breaking a joyous laughter on account of a day well spent. The scented smell of the wet grass aroused them. And the minty taste of the river air conjured up something unbegot to them,as they smiled, chuckling and wriggling their wet bodies from one side to the other.
The sky,in which they gazed upon,was clear with no cloud in their gaze. And the birds, some nesting and others perching onto wiggling branches,chirped beautifully rendering their worries seem feathery by the weight of things. It was simply gladdening for both of them to be alive as of that blissful moment.
As they were lying down on the green meadow, sinking into it's tempting calling, and in no hurry whatsoever ,a young deer mother and her young fawn emerged from the forest, quietly walking towards the drinking point to water their thirsty mouths.
The young mother cautiously walked side by side with her young one to drink,on the shallow waterbed. Saber, laying his head down on his palm, with his elbow giving the needed balance,gazed upon the beauty of the forest that many didn't not want to know or appreciate.Zulu ,after being woken up by Saber from his little dizziness, stared, with his mouth wide open,at the beautiful splendour infront of him,.
The mother leapt down to the waters,showing his young fawn on how it's done. On seeing her mother's action,it followed suit. The waters were cold for their liking. The deer mother crouched on her front knees, slurping the water with her muzzle deep inside. Like any good apprentice,the young deer again followed her mother's actions.A swarm of dragonflies flew about in numbers, flapping their frail looking wings just above the perilous waters, that a splash of water on their fragile bodies would've been more than enough to drown them whole.
As they continued gazing upon the beautiful scenery,a longing of one day seeing or hearing about their own mother's was a prospect they couldn't deny that it hadn't crossed their minds. They were envious of the young fawn. Of knowing a mother's tenderly love and affection. And the warmth of gazing into a mother's yes.After having quenched their thirst, they hopped out of the shallow waters to the green meadow to have a bit of it. The grass was soft enough to chew on. They slowly headed to a juicy greener grass,as Saber and Zulu escorted the deer and her youngling with their eyes on each and every step that they took. The mother packed a endowed udder,full of milk for her fledgling growing fawn. She begun to maul the grass, pulling, breathing, while her kid crouched underneath her udder.
The mother in her own world and the young one in his own. It begun to suckle, vigorously,with little droplets of its mother's milk escaping out of her mouth. It small tail wiggled in excitement. Had they at on one time suckled on their mothers breasts like it? They thought of it long and hard. It was amusing and strange at the same time. How does a mother's milk taste like? Is it sour or sweet? Or a mother's breasts,are they soft and tenderly or rough on the edges? So many questions but little answers came forth. They thought to themselves that once they got older, the answers to their questions would finally be answered. But in the meantime,they let their curiousity get the better of them. With vivid naughty thoughts.
Having had enough of her youngling suckling,the mother tried effortly to escaped from the mouth of her ever hungry young fawn to no avail. Wherever she went,it followed. It was a losing battle for the exhausted deer mother. Saber and Zulu were enjoying the spectacle in amusement. Truly,it was a day well spent
"Today was quite a great day," said Zulu, lying down.Saber signed,agreeingly,"indeed it was, that's for certain!" They were merry. On opposite side of the river,lived the witches. The dreaded creatures of the night. Like any curious boy,Zulu couldn't help but wonder what crept deep inside. The birds chipped,and the deer bellowed. Some leaves fell from the safety of the trees,to the mouths of the beasts.
He then suddenly asked."Saber!why do the Master warn us never to cross the river?" The question had come as a surprise to Saber. He slowly rose his torso upright,with his elbow beginning to be a pain in the ass. "Do you really want to know?" he asked. Zulu for a second there wanted to retract his question but the hiccup was that it was already out there. Nothing he could do to take it back. He had to know why Master Konn adamantly warned them never to cross over to the other side of the forest.
"I do want to know!" he replied. They were already dressed up,and the deer and her fawn had already left, heading back to their home presumably. A chilly wind whirled across them, fluttering their ragged shirts. Zulu was almost spacing out, awhile waiting anxiously for Saber to indulge him on the mystery behind the forbidden forest.
"Have you ever heard of witches?" Saber asked first and foremost. Zulu didn't know what witches meant or who they were. How would he reply to him? That he didn't have a clue of any sort of which he was talking about. Saber would see him in bad light.
"Truthfully,I don't know what witches are" he replied. He was now expecting ridicule from him. But nothing scathing came out of Sabers mouth. He was silent. Thinking of how to explain to him. A novice was a hard person to explain to,he knew that. He needed to mince his words for him to grasp.
"They are people who cast magic on their preys," he said. That wasn't elaborate enough for him to even swallow,he thought. He was having a hard time. Even he knew half of it,that they were old hags who would abduct young and the old to eat their hearts and livers. That they had this creatures like animals called familars who weren't their pets ,like how people initially thought them to be, but they were the actual true manifestation of their magic.
"Magic? Casting!" he wondered. Now he knew Saber wasn't a good teacher with such a vague answer. Like a bone with no meat,he couldn't chew on such. It was better left for the hounds to break deeper into it.
"Not quite. These witches use no spellbooks or portions nor fly using magical broomsticks unlike what those witch tale books says about them. Instead they have this creatures that they refer to as familars," he answered. Still it lacked meat on it.
"Familars! Thinking about everything that you have just said gives me a migraine," Zulu responded." It's all hard to believe what you've told me. Witches! Familars!" It was now dawning on him the reasons behind Master Konns constant persistence from crossing to the other side of the river. He stared, into the forest not more than twelve meters away from where he sat. Had they always lived near their lairs all this time? He squirmed now that he knew what lurked deep inside the forbidden forest.
"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you about another thing Master Konn said,"he said. " About what?"Zulu curiously asked.
" That forest is said to be a grave yard for anyone who is not a witch, and all Aldian's are forbidden from entering,and anyone who dares enter must be willing to forfeit their lives. It's an accursed forest,"he warned. Zulu on hearing these,swallowed a spit back ,hard and dry ,down his throat. He was getting all the more nervous and afraid than before Saber was kind enough to indulge him of that unsavoury information about the forest. Now he wished to depart from where he sat, back to the safe haven of the orphanage.
"It's getting late, saber. We should get going or Master Konn shall be on our necks," he insisted. Saber, seeing and listening to his voice,knew he was frightened. But who could blame him? Even grown-ups cowered before them while some sullied themselves in fear.
"Yes. How time flies. We should be there in time for the evening meal,"he replied. Leaving behind their paradise,the fear of witches had consumed the happy moments that they had made. On entering the forest, on their way back, a giant bird flew above them, passing without a word, and on it's back,it carried more than two figures.
Zulu was of late keeping a keen eye and ear to his surroundings, and on noticing the hugeness of it to the ordinary birds, had him gasping for breath.
"Did you see that giant bird?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. Saber hadn't seen anything that looked like a giant bird.
" Giant bird? I didn't seen any giant bird!" he answered. He peered his eyes all over and nothing seemed suspicious or odd.
"It flew above us a moment ago," he insisted." It looked big. Bigger than a usual bird!" Now he is losing it,saber thought. Or was it his fears making him see things that weren't there ?He wondered. He now hated himself for opening up about them.
" Nothing flew above us,you are just imagining things,"Saber assured him. He slowly placed his arm on zulu's shoulder,to quell his fears. Zulu was on the edge of a cliff. He needed someone to tell him that what he had seen was a figment of his imagination. That it was not real.
"The witches have not attacked for centuries, that's what Master Konn once told us. And i don't think they will be attacking us for many years to come," Saber reassured him.
" Is that so? That's great to hear. It had me worrying over nothing,"he said." Sorry for worrying you."
" Don't mention it. I do feel a part of your fears is my fault, "he replied. With those words, Zulu felt more of baby that needed its father's guiding hand more than a friend to him. All in all,they went on with their journey back to the orphanage. Small fragments of sun's light were all that could pierce through the thickness of the forest.
" On their way back,they spoke less. And the air between them was becoming unbearable..