"Yeah, it's me, old man. It's nice to see you t—Oof!" Moses had walked over to him, and pulled him into the tightest bear-hit he had ever received in his life "Uh… hey… Uncle Moses…*cough* You're gonna break my ribs."
"Shut up, you silly boy! What is wrong with you?!" Moses, at this point, had massive tears pouring down his face, as he held Caleb.
Joy, sadness, and a little bit of anger was entirely too overwhelming for him. He let go of Caleb and stumbled over to a seat, wiping the sweat from his brow, and the tears from his face.
"Caleb… where have you been!? You've been gone for 37 years… We thought you were dead. Levi thought you were dead. He died 2 years after you left, and…" A warm hand was placed on Moses' shoulder, and he turned to look, seeing a warm smile on his Elder sister's face.
"Little brother… relax. Caleb has a story for us; a few in fact, if I understand correctly. All of your questions will be answered. But first, he says he has an urgent warning that he can only deliver to you… And he wants to help us with Ezrae."
Her face shifted to a slightly sad expression as she looked over to Ezrae, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Moses raised an eyebrow at her, before responding with, "So you figured out what was wrong with Ezrae? …Safely?" With a tone of disdain in his voice.
"Yes. I did. The ritual worked, and I was able to look into Ezrae's soul. Luckily, his soul is completely fine, and intact.
However… His mind is broken."
She walked back over to Ezrae and sat down next to him, putting a fresh towel on his forehead.
"It seems the possible prospect of losing you sent him into a state of shock, and it severely affected his psyche. It's almost as if his subconscious is hiding…
Nursing its psychic wounds, and denying the existence of the real world; by locking itself into his memories, and his stories.
The only way that we can fix it is to help the wounds to his subconscious heal. Unfortunately, I don't have the proper herbs here, and since I'm not familiar with this area, I don't know where to find them…"
Caleb stepped forward, clearing his throat. "And that's where I come in… I've been exploring this wilderness for 35 years. And now, we have a chance to help each other… to save each other.
I know where I can find these herbs for Ezrae… and I have no problem helping my old brother. But as Miriam said; I come with a warning, and a request."
Moses nodded, signifying to Caleb that he was listening, so Caleb continued speaking.
"I have been a nomad in this wilderness for the last 35 years, and I've lived with almost a hundred different tribes of people. The tribes of Moab and Asaph. The Philistines, The Jordanians, and the Assyrians, among many others.
For the past 5 years I have been with. Tribe of people known as the Amalekites, of whom descend from Amalek, which is what brings me here.
The Amalekites have heard of the exodus of Israel from Egypt, and their Elders have ordered the slaughter of the children of Yahweh, in the name of THEIR god… Baal.
They will be here in less than 24 hours."
Moses gasped as he processed this terrible news, and he stroked his beard anxiously, before standing up and knocking over his chair on accident. "Who sent you, then? If you're here to warn us of our destruction, and you live among heathens, who sent you?! Are you a scout, sent by the devil to lead us to death?!"
Caleb responded calmly, saying, "Yahweh. Yahweh sent me. And HE told me how to get here. He said I could finally come home, and I've made up for what I did. So I want to make a deal with you, Uncle Moses…
Let me come home, and I will help you navigate this wilderness, I will get the herbs that Ezrae needs, and most importantly… I will help you fight against the Amalekites, in the name of our God, Yahweh… All I ask is that you let me come home."
Moses gathered his chair from the ground and dusted it off, before sitting back down in it. "I'm sorry, young nephew… it's been a really long couple months, to be honest. It's almost like the stress never ends and it is just one problem after another…
Yes, of course, Caleb. You can come home to us. You always have been, and always will be a child of God, and a member of Israel; His Chosen Nation. However, if you want to stay here again, you're going to have to prove yourself, and prove that you belong.
And most importantly… I want to know why you left. After all of this is over, after Ezrae is okay, and after we destroy this invading force, I want to know everything about the last 35 years.
Do we have a deal?" He stretched his hand out, offering Caleb a handshake. With a grin, and a slightly aggressive nod, Caleb agreed, taking his hand and shaking it.
"We definitely do. So, Miriam... Get me a list of herbs that you need, and we can hopefully get this done before the Amalekites get here."