After one heavy beating, my mother and I decided we needed to run away. No one in Tamno dared help us. They all said families bond through quarrels, but I didn’t see them walking around with split lips. We were alone. One of these days, he would kill us.
Mother had some distant relatives in the village under the Bozmaroff keep, that’s what she called it. There was no time to send word or ask for help. We gathered food and clothes, enough to last us a few days but not enough to become suspicious, and we left the village. We didn’t tell anyone, we didn’t say our goodbyes, and we didn’t look back. Anything could have tipped father off, and we wanted to be as far away as possible when he found out.
I was scared. There was nothing but pain for me in Tamno, but at least I knew that pain. The fear of the unknown was stifling. Each step we made deeper into the forest tore me away from the place I called home. I looked back, catching a glimpse of the houses between the trees, knowing I could turn around at any moment. But despite the fear, the hope of a loving family kept us going.
The forest swallowed us and hid us from the outside world. Mother said the village was at most a day away. I expected my father to come out from behind a tree, yelling at any moment, but the silence was only disturbed by the birds’ songs and the rustling of leaves. Hours passed, and the forest swallowed the sun as well. The crowns of the trees hid it, leaving only an orange fade in the sky.
“Mom, are we near the village? It’s going to get dark soon.” - I asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry, we’re almost there. It’s a bit further than I remember it. I haven’t been there ever since I was little. We’ll have to spend the night here, Roric.” - she answered.
I could tell she was scared. She wanted to get there even more than I did. But we had food for the night, so it would be fine. We made a fire and hugged to fight off the cold. We filled our bellies with whatever we managed to tuck away before leaving and gathered some sleep. The distant howling of wolves kept me awake, jumping at every sound I heard.
“Don’t be scared by the song of the forest, Roric.” - she told me - “The beasts you hear are its protectors, from the scary wolves to the elegant stags. They serve the gods of the forest and keep it safe from invaders and bandits. We pay them tribute and give sacrifices, so they protect us as well. The wolves kneel to the forest spirit we call Lesh, and we will see no harm from them as long as we pass peacefully.”
“If they all protect the forest, why do the wolves hunt deer?” - I asked.
“Because, my son, even the gods have their quarrels. We can just hope to be lucky enough to be left out of them.” - mother answered.
At first light, we continued. I was so tired, but the hope that the village hid behind one of these trees kept me going. In the afternoon, we ran out of food. We ate the last breadcrumbs, but our bellies still protested. She gave me her rations too. I could see the fatigue in her eyes. She was leaning on her legs each time we had to climb a rock and sighed heavily, walking uphill.
“I know, we must walk just a little bit more.” - she told me without looking at me.
“Mom?” - I continued - “Do you know where we are?” - I said, afraid of the answer.
“I know the village must be near, but maybe we made a wrong turn. Let’s rest a bit here.” - she said.
Our short stop continued into the night. We were starving, and I felt as if my belly was stuck to my back. We had No food, no water, and the cold was unbearable. Rain fell, and even the tall crowns of the trees couldn’t protect us from it. Our blankets were soaked, and we felt the ice-cold spots on our skin as the clothes gave in. Mother hugged me tightly in a futile attempt to keep me warm.
“We just need to last the night, mom.” - I said - “You said we were so close today.”
“I don’t know where we are, Roric.” - she said with a trembling voice, shaking - “We’re lost. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sure we’re almost there. I can find the village and get our relatives there to help.” - I said
“We have no relatives in the village, son. I needed you to have hope for both of us. Hope that we’ll get away. We couldn’t stay there, Roric. He would have killed us.” - she continued - “I hope you forgive me. I only wanted to protect you.”