The Soldier

By the time Rain and I had cleaned up some of the larger messes inside of Thorn's hut, the place was already starting to look less like it had been abandoned. Not by much, but it was definitely a good start.

Once we had gotten started, I actually realized there wasn't all that much that needed to be cleaned. A few broken bowls that were still somehow salvageable. A few that were beyond saving. Some food scraps that needed to be tossed out. Dust, dirt, and animal hair that had built up in places that were easy to ignore.

Most of the problem lie simply in the fact that everything here was just old.

The pelts that had been laid out and used for bedding were worn almost completely bare in some places. One had a tear along the edge that someone had already stitched up once before, only for the hide to split again along the seam. The state of the clothing wasn't much better - faded, patched, and stretched thin.

Still usable, I suppose, but not exactly ideal.

Rain rested a hand on my shoulder as I started tending to a small fire I had managed to build up inside of the firepit.

"I think that's enough for tonight," he stated, patting my shoulder roughly.

I sat back on my heels and looked around the hut. I still found things that needed to be done. The bedding could stand to be aired out properly, and there were a few places along the walls where I could tell cold air was seeping in.

"We're almost done," I tried to argue.

"No, we are done," Rain fired back, "Right now, what you really need is a good meal, a proper wash, and to get some rest."

I chuckled at him, "What are you, my mother, now?"

"No, I am a healer. Making sure tribe members are healthy and taking proper care of themselves is my top priority."

"I'm fine, Rain."

"I know... But that doesn't change the fact that you nearly froze to death yesterday."

Rain let those words hang in the air between us.

It was strange how easy it had been for me to be able to move past that.

Yesterday morning, I had woken up as David Willoughby in Alaska. Yesterday afternoon, I had fallen through a frozen lake while out ice fishing.

Everything that had happened to me since then seemed to have piled itself on top of those few minutes, making them feel much further away than they actually were.

This body didn't seem to remember, either. Nothing hurt. I didn't feel weak. If anything, I felt stronger today than I had ever felt before.

But Rain remembered. Considering he had been the one to drag Thorn's body out of the lake, and had been there when I was the one that woke up on the floor of the healer's den, shaking and confused under layers of fur, I couldn't exactly blame him.

I sighed, looking around Thorn's hut one last time.

"You can always finish tending to this place tomorrow," Rain said, giving my shoulder a slight shake.

I drew in a breath, giving him a reluctant smile as I looked up at him.

"Tomorrow, then," I agreed.

Rain nodded, "Come on. The grooming den shouldn't be too busy this late at night."

I forced myself onto my feet and followed him out through the entrance.

Looking back, I scanned the interior of the hut one last time. The worst of the mess was gone now. Things inside were starting to look a little bit more orderly. There was a fire burning in the pit, its glow finally giving this place some much-needed warmth.

A tiny gust of winter air tickled my ear, and I frowned slightly.

Now, if I could just do something about that draft...

I let out a sigh as I covered the entrance to the hut with a stretched-out hide. I guess that'd be the first thing I'd have to take care of tomorrow. Right now, it was time for me to get clean.

I trailed closely behind Rain as the two of us walked back down into the village.

The grooming den wasn't hard to pick out once we had reached it.

Unlike most of the huts and dens that were scattered throughout the village, this building actually resembled something closer to a proper cabin. Thick logs had been stacked and fitted together to build the walls. It had a sloped roof and a wooden door covering the entrance, rather than a stretched hide.

It reminded me of home a little bit. Not enough to make me homesick, exactly, but enough for it to hold my attention as we approached. The structure felt comforting - familiar.

Rain must have noticed, "What is it, David?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Just wasn't expecting this, I guess. Most of the other buildings here are made out of hides and stone."

"Dens like these are more difficult for us to build," Rain explained, looking up at it, "Our village only has a few that are like this."

That made sense. Grandpa had once told me that his cabin hadn't exactly sprung out of the ground overnight, and he'd had access to tools and equipment that this tribe could only dream of having. The fact that they had gone through the trouble of building something larger like this out of timber told me how important of a place this must be to them.

Rain pushed open the door, and I was immediately met by a rolling wave of heat.

I stopped in the doorway. After spending all evening inside of Thorn's cold, drafty hut, the hot and heavy air inside of the grooming den was enough to make me sigh.

"Oh, that's nice..."

Rain let out a chuckle as he nudged me forward, "Come on."

He pulled the door shut behind us as we stepped inside. A row of wooden stools sat along the wall next to the doorway. A pile of fur and linen clothing was piled on top of one of them, marking the presence of another person here, and I grimaced as Rain pulled his hair back and started slipping out of his own clothes.

"So, uh... What were the rules to this place again?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably as I fixed my gaze onto the rafters.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rain pause for a brief moment. He started off by repeating what he had said to me this morning. The women and children of the tribe came here to bathe in the mornings, and the men of the tribe bathed at night. Rain made sure to emphasize that the grooming den was strictly a place for people to wash themselves. Nothing more.

I took a deep breath, pushing my discomfort aside as I started stripping myself of my furs.

We were just here to bathe...

I placed my clothes on top of a stool and followed Rain deeper into the grooming den.

The place was larger on the inside than I had been expecting. A stone-lined pit occupied the center of the room filled with hot rocks that radiated enough heat to leave the air thick and heavy. Wooden buckets sat nearby, along with several larger containers of water.

Rain ladled a portion of water over the stones, sending a thick cloud of steam into the air. He grabbed a couple of buckets, passing one to me before settling near one of the containers.

The warmth began working its way through my body almost immediately as I sat down beside him. I hadn't realized how tense I was until I felt my shoulders finally start to relax.

I dipped the bucket into the water and poured it over my head. A dark puddle quickly formed on the floor around me as the water carried trails of dirt down my back and chest. I ran my fingers through the thick locks of my hair, scrubbing at everything Bone's storage den and Thorn's hut had managed to leave behind.

I did it again, and then again. By the third bucket, the water running off of me finally looked less like mud.

"You were right," I stated, looking over at Rain, "I really did need a bath."

"Why would I lie about that?" he asked, working through a knot in his hair.

"I didn't think I was this filthy."

Rain responded with a low chuckle.

A lull settled in amongst the steam as I sat back and let myself soak in the grooming den. There was something almost hypnotic about the place. The hiss of water striking hot stone paired harmoniously with the crackling of the fire.

I closed my eyes. A low rumble started up somewhere deep in my throat. After everything that had happened today, it was nice to be able to sit somewhere warm and do absolutely nothing. No doubt I was going to sleep well tonight.

A few seconds passed before a voice spoke from somewhere across the room.

"The grooming den sure beats taking an ice bath, eh, Breaker?"

My eyes opened as Rain went rigid beside me. I followed his gaze to a man that sat against the wall opposite of us, and I froze as I met a pair of amber-colored eyes that were fixed directly on me.

He was older, though I couldn't have guessed by how much. His face looked to be that of a man that was in his thirties or forties. His silver-grey hair suggested that he was even older. He was built heavier than Rain and I, with rounded shoulders and thick arms with veins that showed from under his skin, old scars of varying sizes marking his body.

Everything about him aligned well with the warriors I'd seen around the village. Hell, this guy's appearance put even some of those guys to shame.

But this man wasn't looking at me the way everyone else around the village normally did. There wasn't any disgust or anger in his expression. He was calm, recognition dancing in his gaze as he rose to his feet.

I turned and looked behind me, just to make absolutely certain there wasn't someone else standing there.

There wasn't. There was no mistaking it. He was definitely talking to me.

I frowned as I stared back at him.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked.

The man stopped and stared at me for several seconds.

His brow furrowed, "You don't remember me?"

I glanced over at Rain. He had the same harsh glare on his face that he'd had when the two of us first met back in the healer's den.

"I don't know who you're calling Breaker," I said, turning my head back towards the stranger, "My name is Thorn."

The man gave a short, humorless laugh.

"I still can't believe you're alright with this village calling you that," he chuckled, his voice crackling like heavy thunder as he stepped closer, "As if anyone from any of these tribes could ever forget the name Breaker."

I sat there, completely and utterly lost as the man stopped a few paces away from me and studied my face.

He tapped a hand against his chest, "Watcher."

I continued to stare at him. I had nothing. Not even the faintest flicker of recognition.

My expression must have told him as much as his hand slowly fell back to his side.

"You really don't remember?"

"No," I replied, "I really don't... You say your name is Watcher?"

A faint smile broke through the man's bewilderment.

"Once," he answered curtly, "They call me Blaze, now."

"Okay, so..." I gestured vaguely between us, "How exactly do we know each other?"

Blaze's smile fell just as quickly as it had appeared as he lowered himself onto the floor across from me and Rain.

"We were soldiers together."

I felt my shoulders sag as I let out a long and slow breath through my nose.

I'd just come in here to take a bath. Was that really too much to ask?

Apparently, though, I couldn't go anywhere in this village without running into another piece of Thorn's life.

So much for getting a break.

"Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, Blaze," I sighed, sinking back against the wall, "But I don't know anything about that."

Blaze let out another short laugh, "That dip in the lake really did a number on you, huh?"

"Yeah..."

The smile vanished from Blaze's face again and slowly fell into a look that I couldn't quite place. Sadness? Guilt? Resentment? I couldn't really tell.

"Perhaps that's for the best..." he said quietly.

That was a first. Normally, it seemed, people around here were all too eager to make their hatred of Thorn known and hit me with his mistakes. And this guy was actually thinking it was better to just let it go?

I let out another sigh as I sat myself back up, "What? What did I do?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Blaze stated.

"I feel like it does..."

"It doesn't."

I held my head in my hands, trying to keep myself from lashing out in frustration.

"Look..." I started, "Whatever it is...Whatever I did as a soldier, it's probably not going to be any worse than what I've learned about myself so far. Lay it on me. What did I do?"

Blaze stared at me for a long moment before he finally leaned forward.

"What do you know of the Tribe of the High Mountains?"

I paused. At that moment, the grooming den felt at least a hundred degrees colder.

"Well," I started, "I know that's the tribe where I came from, and I know it's a warrior tribe."

Blaze nodded, "Right... As such, the Tribe of the High Mountains carefully selects certain individuals to become soldiers early on in childhood. You , Breaker, were one of their best."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Of course Thorn was...

"Do you know why you were given that name?" Blaze asked, "Breaker, that is?"

"Well, I can't imagine it being all that good," I replied sharply.

A corner of Blaze's mouth curled up into a half-smile.

"In the High Mountains, it's actually considered to be a strong name," he explained, "The Breaker of Bodies and Bone, the Breaker of Spirits and Will. That's why you were given the name Breaker."

Great... As if Thorn couldn't have been any more monstrous.

"So what happened?" I asked, "Did I not 'break' enough people, or something?"

Blaze paused. This time, however, his smile didn't waver.

"Quite the contrary, actually," he replied, a sort of fondness lingering in his voice, "I've seen you fight. You were brutal. Ruthless... but fair when it counted."

Fair. That one word was what kept me from spiraling.

"Fair?" I echoed, "That's a new one, based on everything I've heard about myself so far."

Blaze let out a laugh. One that was laced with a bit more humor this time.

"You followed the code," he carried on, "You wouldn't attack anyone who couldn't fight back. Wounded soldiers, healers... Some looked at that and saw weakness, others saw restraint. That kind of strength can be difficult for members of our home tribe to master, and you, Breaker, had mastered it beautifully."

I blinked, "So... What happened, then? I know I was exiled, but why, if I was so good?"

Blaze's smile fell once more.

"As I said. You don't remember? Then perhaps it's best you don't know. That memory was always a burden to you, and was one that wasn't even yours to carry."

Blaze stood up and started making his way back towards the entrance.

"The two of you should finish bathing soon," he said, "I know this grooming den is nice, but the heat is bad for your innards."

"W-Wait!" I called out to him, standing quickly, "That's it? I'm supposed to just forget about it? I have so many more questions now."

Blaze stopped short of the row of stools where our clothes were and turned to me. His face carried a sadder expression this time as his eyes met mine.

"The truth is you don't seem like the little lynx I once knew," he stated, "Not from home, and not from here."

He paused as he searched his thoughts for what to say next.

"If you truly want answers, you know where to find me."

I didn't, but I decided not to press the matter any further as I moved to sit back next to Rain, leaving Blaze to get himself dressed.

I waited until I heard the door to the grooming den close before I turned to Rain.

"Did you know about any of that?" I asked him.

Rain let a long breath out through his nose, his gaze fixed on the front of the building as if he were expecting Blaze to step back out from around the corner.

"I knew that Thorn was a soldier back in his old tribe," he explained, "We knew the name Breaker before he came to us. I've heard rumors, but not anything concrete."

A hum rumbled deep in my throat, "And Blaze, or Watcher? Whatever you know him as."

"Blaze is... alright. Like he said, he was a soldier once. He's one of our scouts now."

I couldn't help but raise a brow a little at that. Blaze was built like a damn fort! He'd be the last person I'd pick out of a crowd as any sort of scout. A guard, maybe. A soldier, definitely.

"He's right, though," Rain continued, standing up, "It's probably best if you avoid delving deeper into Thorn's past than is absolutely necessary. Breaker has likely been dead to the Tribe of the High Mountains for years. Just focus on the present, and what you can do here."

I nodded as the two of us collected ourselves and made our way to the front of the den to get dressed.

The cold hit me like a slap to the face the moment Rain opened the door, and I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth as the heat of the grooming den was replaced by the bite of the night air against my still-warm skin. My wet hair suddenly felt about ten times colder, making me pull my furs tighter around myself as I quickened my pace.

Rain, on the other hand, seemed to be completely unbothered, only grimacing at the cold whenever the wind blew into his face.

"Was the bath really worth it?" I asked, tucking my chin down into the collar of my shirt.

Rain chuckled as we started making our way back through the village, "Ask me again once we've arrived back at the hut."

Night had officially settled completely over the mountain. Most of the fires that had been burning earlier had either gone out or had been reduced to faint orange glows that were barely visible within their respective huts. The village itself had grown quiet, with little more to break up the silence than the crunch of our footsteps against the frozen ground.

My thoughts went back to Blaze as we walked.

Breaker.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about that name. Everything I'd managed to learn about Thorn so far made it fairly easy to imagine him earning a name like that. He had hurt Rain, he and his wife had been at each other's throats. His son was terrified of him. Apparently, he had spent years making himself miserable enough to be around that most of the village couldn't stand him.

But Blaze hadn't talked about him like that.

My mind kept replaying those few simple words. Brutal, ruthless, but fair.

I wondered briefly if I really was better off just leaving the matter alone. After all, whatever had happened to Breaker belonged to Thorn, and Thorn wasn't here to explain any of it. Hunting down every little piece of his past probably wasn't going to make life for myself here any easier. He had already created enough problems for me to deal with here in the present as is.

I shoved my hands deeper underneath my arms as Rain and I trudged up the path to Thorn's hut. For the first time since I'd seen the place, it actually felt somewhat inviting as my eyes looked through the gaps of the hide covering the entrance and into the faint orange glow that leaked through. Calling it inviting was probably being generous, but it at least looked inhabited.

Rain followed me inside. The fire had burned down while we'd been gone, but there were still plenty of glowing coals buried beneath the ash. I crouched down beside the pit and added another piece of wood, then sat back to watch the flames slowly catch.

"Yup, not worth it," I joked as the warmth started building back up inside of the hut again, "I think I'd rather be dirty."

I heard Rain chuckle from somewhere behind me.

"Trust me, the tribe will appreciate you for putting effort into your appearance and hygiene."

Lowering himself beside me, Rain fixed me with a hard stare.

"What?" I asked, looking over at him.

"You're not starting anything else tonight."

"I wasn't planning on it." I pushed myself back onto my feet, "You can go home, Rain. I'll be fine."

Rain hesitated. For a moment, I thought I was going to have to argue with him all over again.

Instead, he rose up from beside the firepit and placed a hand against my shoulder.

"Go get some sleep."

I nodded, "I will."

His eyes narrowed, " Now !"

Rain swatted the back of my head before lightly shoving me in the direction of the bed.

I let out a laugh as I backed away from him and settled myself amongst the hides.

Rain regarded me with a nod before turning around towards the entrance.

"Good night, David," he called out.

I paused.

Something about hearing someone use my actual name after spending the majority of the day being called Thorn by everyone aside from him and Flower felt oddly comforting.

"Good night, Rain." I called back.

With that, Rain disappeared behind the hide, leaving me alone.

I sat there for a few minutes, listening as his footsteps faded away into the distance until it was just me, the fire, and Thorn's hut.

I looked around. It still wasn't much, but it was cleaner, the fire was burning, and for the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I had a place that could be considered mine. For now, at least.

Letting out a long breath, I rubbed at my face. Now, I just needed some sleep.

I laid back against the pile of worn out pelts. I shifted positions a few times before I found myself sitting back up again.

Something didn't feel right. It was something about the pelts...

I got up and started looking through them. Even after sorting through all of them earlier with Rain, some of these were still too worn for me to lay on top of or to cover myself with. How did Thorn get any sleep with these things?

I managed to pull a few of the more worn out pelts that were left out of the stack, and separated them from the rest of the bedding before laying back down again.

Much better.

I had just barely managed to get comfortable and close my eyes before I felt a trickle of cold air against my ear.

Yeah, that draft definitely needed to be fixed tonight, and covering up the worst spots shouldn't take me too long.

Even after I had patched up most of the drafty spots, however, I found that the hut still wasn't quite warm enough. I strode over to the fire. It was already beginning to burn low, and night had only just settled in.

I looked over to the small pile of firewood Rain and I had gathered up earlier. I figured there were just enough logs there to get me through the rest of the night. I could find a way to build up an official wood pile in the morning.

Once the logs were arranged, I let out a sigh and slid back into bed...

Until I noticed something else that needed doing...

88.181.249.5

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