Homeward Chapter 4: Bloodied
A Tales of Tuomi short story
New to this story? Read Chapter 1: Forged
The steady thrum of rain on the leaves above greeted her when she woke. It was a gray, overcast morning and the mood on the grasslands was subdued. Mika decided to keep to the sheltered forest on her way back to the pillars. Breakfast was a large pheasant and she enjoyed it with another ration pouch. The woodland creatures were skittish of her presence and many dove for cover as she strolled along.
The drizzly weather put her in a contemplative mood. She wondered what her parents would think of her now, all feathers and fur, and hoped they would be proud of her resilience. She remembered it had been raining that day too and she slipped into the memory.
She danced along, her only thoughts focused on how many puddles she could jump into between home and her parents’ workplace. She realized it was probably inappropriate for a girl of three and ten to be jumping into puddles, but she loved it and her parents never berated her for it. Instead, she heard them chuckling just behind her and she saw them smiling at her when she twirled around. Splash, another puddle met the bright green of her rain boots.
A dozen puddles later, she was engulfed in two warm hugs. Her parents brandished their badges and entered the building that had their labs. She wished she could join them, but she had school. A hulking bear of a man took her hand and led her to a cluster of other children noisily waiting for the shuttle that would take them to school.
Her memory skipped forward, leaving the tedious ride and the first few class lectures in the fog of the past. She sat at her desk, listening to her history teacher drone on about the mission from Earth to Tuomi and the challenges those first colonists faced, taking half-hearted notes, and wondering what cool things her parents were doing. A sudden jolt shook her from her reverie. The ground was shaking, causing the classroom to dissolve into chaos. She remembered learning about the earthquakes of Earth and dove under her desk like she had been told kids did there. The shaking stopped and a loudspeaker crackled to life.
“Attention citizens of Reidun,” came the clear male voice, “there has been an explosion at the Laboratory of Sciences. Please make way for the medical crews as we work to rescue the scientists.” There was a click and the loudspeaker went silent.
The room was hardly quiet though, everyone seemed to be talking at once, but Mika could barely hear them. Huddled beneath her desk, she was wrapped in a numb disbelief. Her parents worked in the Laboratory of Sciences. She started trembling and tried to convince herself they were ok. The school was far enough from the labs that her logical brain refused to believe an explosion that shook the school so severely wouldn’t completely destroy the entire laboratory building.
Her classes went by in a blur after that, though she heard the whispers clearly enough. The hushed commiserating tones from teachers and classmates to their peers cut through her shock.
“Poor kid,” she overheard, “both her parents work there.”
“Think she’s an orphan now?”
“Whole building has collapsed. Chances they survived aren’t good.”
At the end of the day, she was directed to the principal’s office. A stern-looking woman was waiting. Mika caught most of the principal’s explanation through her fog. Her parents were still missing so she would be staying at the orphanage until they were able to care for her again. Part of her appreciated that he didn’t assume the worst like the whispers.
Hours had become days then weeks as she waited for word. Eventually her fears had been confirmed. She had lost both her parents in the accident that rainy day, but lost even more in the wake of the accident. Classmates she had once called friends had pulled away and the rest treated her like a pariah. Her home became the orphanage until she reached adulthood then she was politely told to get a job and move out. She had managed to get a place to stay for awhile, but soon the funds left by her parents ran out and the measly income she could earn wasn’t enough to make rent.
Mika wiped her eyes, unsure if the wetness was from the rain or tears. Loneliness never seemed to get easier for her to bear. She missed the warmth and laughter of her family and friends. She gazed at the woods dejectedly, knowing that the creatures here would make poor substitutes. She walked on, determined to continue her exploration anyway.
She reached the pillars by what she felt should have been noon, though the dark clouds made it hard to tell. The rain had lightened to a fine mist which didn’t penetrate her fur. As Mika entered the tangle of vegetation something felt off. She tried telling herself she couldn’t know what was typical since this was only her second day exploring, but the feeling persisted. Predatory screeches caused a cloud of creatures to swarm around her in their attempt to flee the danger. Mika knew it was probably wiser to join them, but the human cry that followed had her charging forward instead.
Atop the remains of a broken shard of rock twice her height was the creature she had tangled with at the waterfall. It was a massive bird that reminded her of a vulture. The human was obviously injured, blood painted the vines and leaves around the black clad figure and a wound was easily visible on their leg. Mika immediately thought of those that had rescued her. Anger bubbled up inside her and she let it out in a mighty cry of her own. The huge bird paused its hunched advance on the human and turned its attention to her. It had time to do no more than turn its head before she was on top of it, attacking with her claws and sinking her fangs into its leathery neck. It flailed, trying to reach her with its own talons and sharp beak, but Mika stayed on its back out of reach. Soon it stopped its thrashing and she released its neck. She looked up at the human, uncertain if she’d be allowed to approach and help bandage their leg.
“Mika?” The injured human took off their helmet and she rushed to his side. Using the supplies in her pack she bandaged up the wound and helped him up. Together they found a sheltered alcove away from all the blood.
“Alex,” she inquired once they were settled, “why are you out here?” He sighed and rubbed his neck before launching into his answer.
It had started soon after her rescuers had returned to Reidun. Evidently, the madman that had kidnapped her and countless others had been a scientist with some rather influential connections. His death by Alex’s group had stirred up some nasty political backlash and they had all been arrested. They were all given an ultimatum, publicly confess that they had killed an innocent scientist or be exiled beyond the wall. Alex had chosen exile. With his girlfriend having been one of those experimented on, Mika could understand his choice.
“I had thought they’d give me supplies like I gave you,” he admitted, “but no, I was marched immediately to the wall and sent down here alone and unarmed.” Mika heard the bitterness in his voice and gently took his hand.
“You’re not alone,” she assured him, “and there’s a hunting knife in my pack you can have since I have these.” She flexed her other hand, her black claws glistening from the water she used to wash them. He chuckled and took her pack to retrieve the knife. As he did, a piece of paper fluttered out. She recognized the photograph immediately and froze as he picked it up. Mika watched as he stared at it a moment then quietly tucked it into a pocket of his shirt. She wondered what to say as he strapped the knife’s holster around his waist.
“I never did understand how she could love pistachio ice cream,” he said finally, “I’ve always been partial to chocolate.” She met his blue eyes and offered a tentative smile.
“I always liked the blackberry,” she replied. He nodded and she felt him give her hand a squeeze. She felt a thrill at the thought she wouldn’t be alone anymore. His leg would need time to heal, but once it did they would be free to explore the pillars and grasslands together, perhaps even venture beyond the Ishogg. Adventures like the stories her mother used to tell her awaited them and she finally felt like she had a place to call home again.
THE END
We’ve reached the conclusion of Homeward, one of five Tales of Tuomi short stories I have written. I hope you enjoyed it. The other four are in various states of completion and I will post them here once I go through and finish, polish, and potentially overhaul them along with other stories I’ve written. Each will give the reader a glimpse of the unique world of Tuomi through the eyes of its various inhabitants. They are separate, stand alone tales so you don’t need to read them in a certain order to enjoy them. I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments on Homeward and the world of Tuomi in general.
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The wildfires must be such a nightmare. I hope you get some relief! Nice how you tie Mika's lonely backstory into finding a companion in her new life. And the vulture-inspired drawing is wonderful :-)