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Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 63: Takano 104
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Cooper 20
“I will take a dunk in the lake. Get it over with.” Davey sucked at his lip, and regretfully rose.
“Your clothes stink too.”
“I can’t run through the camps with wet clothes or nekkid,” he objected--which is how Tommy found herself by the lakeside, using sand and very cold water to scrub bloodstains out of Davey’s clothes. He was in her nest, huddling naked in her sleeping bag, waiting for her to come back. The water was cold enough to make her fingerbones ache, but she forced herself to keep on working even as she wanted to say ‘well enough’. This was Davey’s and Varlax’s wedding, and she was not going to mar the proposal by shortcuts. Finally, shivering all over, she judged the clothes were as clean as she was going to get them. A final rinse, a lot of twisting and wringing to get out the water, and she brought them back to the impromptu rack Davey had built for her that would allow the clothes to dry by the campfire. Another hour and the clothes were dry, although smelling of smoke.
Smoke was a vast improvement, she thought. She took the clothes, and tossed them into her nest. There were some quick scrabbling noises inside, and two minutes later Davey emerged. He still stank.
This part would be better for her. Looking a bit unnerved, he followed her to the lake. Looking about, they saw no one was nearby. She turned around, and he quickly stripped and handed his clean clothes over her shoulder to her. Behind her she heard a small splash, and a gasp. Davey had stuck his toe into the water and not liked the experience.
“Quickest started, quickest done. So says the Book of Historical Quotes,” he said, and suddenly there was a large splash that rained down cold water drops on her, but not in great profusion, since Davey had leapt far enough in to spare her. He came back up with a shriek. “OHAAAAAAAA, it’s cold-d-d-d-d.” His teeth were already chattering, but he manfully dove back under, and splashed about, cleansing himself. Less than a minute later he was patting up out of the water as Tomiko held back a smile in true womanly fashion of laughing at the suffering of men, as long as it was not too agonizing.
He snatched his clothes, and without asking her started back to the fire. She caught up to him, and could hear the teeth rattling in his head. She helped him walk the last fifty feet, shaking badly, before he fell down by the fire. Quickly she got her sleeping bag out and put it over him. He looked blue in the face. She began heating water. By the time she had some hot tea ready for him, his shivers had largely subsided, and she relaxed from her worry. Gratefully he drank, scorching his tongue a bit, and she patted his still damp hair.
He flashed her a smile, and finished the drink. Now restored, he took out a twig comb and straightened his hair. She finished that for him, and he drew out the wolfhide, three deer hides, and one coyote hide, and then lay on top, in pride of place, the beautiful red fox hide. One handed, he lifted the backpack, not putting it on his back because it stank.
“I’ll walk with you,” Tomiko said, and Davey smiled gratefully. Of course, for her, she wanted to see the deed done. It was like a romantic movie, and she wanted to get a good view. Walking together they drew attention, and more as they headed toward Varlax’ nest. Comprehension and then smiles started to shine in people’s faces, although a couple girls looked a bit disappointed but forced a smile. Others followed behind at a distance; she was not the only one who wanted to see.
Walking up to Varlax’ nest, they saw the three children playing outside with sticks as spears. Wide-eyed they saw the two and the heavy backpack. Davey was unassuming-looking, but now he had gained a look of Important Business which drew the eye to some degree. The three ran into one of the nests, yelling for ‘Mother’. Blushing, brushing her hair with her hand, she came out with an inquisitive look on her face. Davey gulped. He put down his backpack, and began to lay out the hides in front of him. She watched, as Tommy did with some excitement.
Finally done, he looked back up, and waited. Varlax stared. He did too. Finally, he spoke.
“These are yours.”
She blinked, and a frown creased her brow. She waited. He waited. Tommy began to see this was not going well. She heard a grunt from Davey. Looking his way, she saw rising pain in his eyes. He thought he was being rejected. Looking back at Varlax, she saw confusion. Time for Tommy to step in, she decided.
“Varlax, as the now Designated Speaker,” (she had just designated herself), “let me say that Davey wishes to marry you. This is his gift to you and your children. He shows that he can take care of you and yours, and will love you all your days. It is the custom of his people to present such gifts.”
“Oh,” Varlax blushed, and then squinted at Davey. “Is this true?”
“Yes, most beautiful one,” he said. Tomiko cheered internally. She had guessed right.
“Oh.” She walked up to him with a smile just barely under control, and eyes shining with tears. “Davey Wolfkiller, take my hands in yours. It’s how we show that we are to be wed.” Davey did so, a smile splitting his face, and they heard cheers from the edge of the area, and the three children started cheering as well. “The wolfhide will be our marriage blanket.”
“Ah, yes.” Davey dove into his pack, and pulled out the fourth deer hide. “Four tunics, one for you, and one for each of the children. Mittens of red fox and coyote for each of you.” The children had come over, and started murmuring how it would be nice to have a leather tunic to keep warm. Tomiko saw that Varlax had unthinkingly vacuumed up one more deer hide, but perhaps her in a wolf hide would look more like Boudicca, and Varlax was not a warrior queen or a paladin, but the guiding spirit of the Council.
With a guess active in her mind, she looked at them, first at Varlax and then Davey.
She could guess at the future. Varlax would love him, and the children adore him as their ‘sometimes silly new papa’. She would respect him, and treat him gently, and he would love her with all his still socially awkward heart. And, in the mercy of God, she hoped they would have another child or two, then grow old and gray together, loving each other until the time came for the passage out of the caves of this life into a wider world of Eternity.
But now came the Tribe, and they found the plentiful meats the best parts. Varlax asked Davey, “A wedding feast, husband-to-be?”
“Yes, wife-to-be.” The two walked arm in arm with the three children dancing about them. Cooks grabbed the meats, and began to tote them off to individual fires. Varlax looked over her shoulder back at Tommy.
Thank you, she mouthed.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #506: Characters Involved. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
