A scout in the woods - Kaela's story.
							Simon K.

They set off with minimal supplies; A bow and quiver of arrows each, a flint
knife, and the clothes on their backs. Janus takes along his leather pouch. 
They leave the village, and set off towards the south. As night is falling, 
they come to the edge of a small but crystal clear lake. Kaela decides they 
should stop for the night, and sleep around a campfire a short distance away 
from the lake. Janus lights a fire, and they find berries plentiful on the 
bushes that seem to be everywhere.

After the fire had died down, they decided to turn in. Janus tucked his arms
inside his tunic, which was the velvet blue one he'd kept from Zeal, and it 
was really warm. Kaela took off her outer cloak and wrapped it around herself. As the fire died down completely, the stars began blinking.

--

She was rushing through the bushes. Branches flew in her face, and she 
brushed them away with her free hand, her other hand cluthing her bow. 
Kaela was sprinting down the path, leaping over upraised roots and ducking 
low overhangs. Then, she heard the howl. Long and wailing, deep-throated but
high-pitched. 

She froze in her tracks. Her mother, fearful for Kaela's father, dashed past
her around the bend and out of sight. Kaela took an arrow from the quiver on
her back and fletched it on the bow. She drew the string taut and ran 
forward, bow at the ready.

It was all there. Her parents. The bushes. She felt herself surge forward.
And then, the root. She felt the arrow fly, her body hit the ground. The 
inarticulate scream.

And suddenly, she was in the dark. Janus was shaking her gently, worry 
clouding his eyes. She immediately raised herself onto her knees and wrapped
her hands around Janus's neck, and put her head down on his shoulder, tears 
flowing.

Janus felt a sense of tenderness, aware that someone had the trust in him to
cry on his shoulder with no hesitation, and he felt a strong pull in his 
heart. 
Could it be.. Love?

Janus held her close to his body, and stroked her gentle black hair. Her 
tears were flowing down his shoulder, and she showed no signs of stopping 
anytime soon. Janus reached over, and grabbed her tunic from where she had 
been sleeping. To keep the night chill away, he wrapped it around her body, and they stayed like that for a long time.

Eventually, Kaela fell silent. Janus thought to himself. "She's cried 
herself to sleep." Sighing, he gently re-arranged Kaela's tunic so that it 
covered her whole body, and he lied down, placing her to rest right beside 
him on the ground. As a final gesture of reassurance, he held her hands in 
his, and he soon fell into a deep and restful sleep.

---------------

Janus awoke. Something inside him told him it was morning, and he was 
suddenly aware of the warm sun on his body. Opening his eyes, and blinking 
to adjust to the bright sunlight, he surveyed his surrounding as he 
remembered where he was. He looked beside himself, with a bit of a start, 
and saw Kaela resting peacefully. There was a sort of smile that played 
across her lips that Janus knew to be a sign of a restful sleep. 

Janus sat down, looking with wonder at the innocent beauty on Kaela's face. Her hair rustled in the breeze, brushing against her eyelids, making her blink slightly in her sleep. 

He bent down, and whispered her name softly in her ear. She opened her eyes, 
and, noticing Janus she looked into his eyes urgently. Desperation and 
embarassement flashed rapidly through her eyes. Her gaze was met only by 
warm reassurance. 

Reaching down to his waist, and untying his pouch, Janus placed it in Kaela's open hands. "Here.. eat these."

Kaela unstrung the pouch and gingerly started eating the sweet berries 
inside, totally at a loss of what to say. How would he react, from last night? She worried. Janus had proven to be a good friend to her, but was he truly as good a friend as this?

Janus, himself, was confused. He had felt something very wierd last night. Something he had never felt before. What was so special about this girl?
Janus sighed. They had to continue on. 

Kaela finished the berries, and handed Janus his pouch back. Janus tied it to his waist, and stood up. 

"Well, we must be going. The mountain is still at least a half day's walk."

Kaela nodded, confused. She was surprised by his tructuated behaviour, but then, she had no idea what to expect.

Janus doused the fire, and Kaela shook out her cloak and put it back on.

As the sun was rising high into the sky, they left their camp. Kaela leading, they set off towards the green mountain.

------

They arrived at the edge of the path. The small clearing that they stepped 
into ended abruptly on a sharp cliff. Kaela stepped forward. Janus watched 
her approach the edge, but made no effort to stop her. Whatever reason she 
had for coming here, to this small patch of green on the edge of a steep 
cliff looking out over the vast sparkling waters that extended to the 
horizon, this was very important to her. Kaela stooped down on one knee, 
and picked up a small stone spearhead, lost in the grass. Janus slowly 
approached her, trying not to disturb her as he knelt beside her.

"Janus..", Kaela mumbled. This spearhead brought back so many memories. 
She finally had a full picture of that moment. And she was with Janus. He 
should know. Sighing, she turned away from the cliff and motioned for Janus 
to sit facing her.

"Janus.. I suppose you're wondering..", Kaela said slowly, her hand clasped 
around the spearhead. Janus just nodded solemly. "Let me tell you.. a 
story.", she began.

"It was when I was eight summers old.."

"I was on a hunting trip with my parents.. We were along the path.. behind 
us.."

"I was crouched in some bushes, my bow on my back..", she said, as her 
hand went slowly to the polished wood slung around her back.

"My father was ahead, with a spear.. And my mother.. Ah, she was always so 
worried about me.. She was right behind me."

Janus nodded. His mind flashed back to his own mother. After Janus's father 
had died, she had barely paid attention to him. Only Schala and Alfador had 
cared about him. Also, no one else understood him, so they didn't even 
bother to try to understand his feelings. It's as if they hardly cared. 
At times, Janus even overheard remarks from them about him that he didn't 
care to repeat. 

"Then, a big animal jumped onto the path. I don't know.. what.. it was.. My 
father left his hiding place and ran after it."

"Of course, being the adventurous little one that I was, I immediately 
followed without even taking the bow off my back."

Her hand left the stringed weapon, to rest on her knee.

"My mother was behind me. The path went for a short time. I was brushing 
branches out of my face, as I had never been in this area of the mountain 
before. Then, I reached that big bend over the rock.."

Janus nodded. That big bend looped up a small grassy hill on top of a rock, 
then sloped at a great angle down around the other side.

"And, suddenly.. I heard the most unearthly howl. It made me shiver through 
my body and soul.", she said, as she gave a convulsive shiver.

"My mother immediately ran around the bend, no longer paying heed to me. I 
unslung my bow off my back, fletched an arrow in the string, and drew it 
back as hard as I could. Then I ran around the bend and down the other side 
of the hill."

Kaela paused in her story.. Her memory was less clear here, and she didn't 
know if she could continue without breaking down. She looked into Janus's 
eyes. Janus took her hands, folded them around the spearhead, and held her 
hands in his. Kaela smiled bravely and continued.

"I came into this clearing, and stopped. My father was standing.. right 
here..", she gestured to the ground below her body. "He was covered in 
blood. My mother was holding him up. I could see the genuine shock in his 
eyes, and my mother's worried look. He was holding his spear. It took me 
several moments before I noticed the tip was splintered and the spearhead
missing."

"I ran forward, my bow still in my hands and the arrow still drawn."

"Out of the corner of my eye, I saw bushes rustle. Suddenly, before I could 
react, an animal leapt out of the bushes at my parents!"

"All I remember then, was my foot hitting a root. My hand slipped, and the 
arrow rocketed from my bow."

"I laid there for... I don't know how long..", Kaela faltered. She dropped 
her head, and a tear fell, staining her leather tunic.

Janus crawled on his knees to Kaela's side, and embraced her. Resting her 
face on his shoulder, she wept a few years of mourning.

Janus looked up at the sky. It was darkening noticeably, and would soon be 
totally pitch black. In his involvement in listening to Kaela's story, Janus
didn't even notice the sun go down.

"When I finally got up, I approached the edge of the cliff..", she said, 
tearfully. "I didn't look over the edge. I didn't want to. All I found was.."

"This.. spearhead..", and she fell silent once more, overwhelmed.

Janus blinked in the coming darkness, trying to adjust to the dim sky, as 
he tried to grasp all this. He was completely awestruck. This poor girl had
spent the last few years of her life, some of the most important ones to the
development of a healthy mind and body,.. alone..

The feeling that Janus had had in his heart the night previous returned. A warm wave of compassion flooded through him, and he understood what his heart had been trying to tell him all along. He did love her, and he knew in his heart that she felt for him, too. He sighed. This was all so new to him. He wasn't sure if he could even speak, for fear of his emotions overwhelming him.

Janus looked down at her sad face, and silently made a promise to her.
He couldn't let anything more happen to this poor girl. She had been hurt 
enough already in her life.

"Kaela..", Janus said very softly.

"Uh..?", Kaela mumbled, lifting her tear-streaked face from Janus's shoulder
to meet his eyes with hers, red and dry.

"Kaela.. I won't let anyone.. ANYONE..", Janus said gravely, his expression 
serious and worried, ".. hurt you.. ever!"

Kaela was speechless. He did feel for her! She suddenly felt a warm tug in her heart, a new sensation, for her. She had never felt anything like this since.. she was nine. She tightened her grip on Janus's shoulder, unready for any nasty surprises.

"I promise you, Kaela.. I promise..", Janus whispered. His hand slowly came 
to her cheek, to caress it gently, in the growing darkness. Kaela looked at 
him silently. A trickle of warmth touched Janus's finger.

Kaela bent forward once again, and embraced Janus tightly. 

"Don't.."

"Don't you ever leave me!!", she cried, desperate and vulnerable, tears once 
again beading in her eyes.

"I won't.. I won't..", Janus whispered,stroking her jet black hair, almost 
invisible against the darkness that was setting down in the wilderness 
around them. He could hear and feel her breathing slowly return to normal, 
and he let her calm down. Another wave of compassion swept through his body, and he shivered as it spread to his extremities. 

Just as the last light died from the horizon, Janus spoke, a voice in the 
increasing volume of the night..

"Kaela.. we should get some sleep.."

He felt her nod, and as one they gently settled down on the ground, Kaela 
not even bothering to use her tunic as a blanket. They fell asleep, curled 
together, sharing body heat as well as the warmth of their hearts.

---------

Kaela awoke first. She opened her eyes, and blinked in the bright sunlight. 
How different the ledge was, now that it wasn't dark. She remembered last 
night, and looked at Janus. He was still asleep, and she took a moment to 
contemplate his features, while he was still captured in the innocence of 
rest. His eyes were lightly set into his head, and she knew his eyes to be 
full of life and laughter. What a great feeling it had been to see his eyes 
sparkle like that.

She lifted Janus's long blue bangs out of his face, and his eyelashes 
flickered, trying to hide his eyes from the sunlight. Kaela let Janus's 
bangs down gently, and rose to her feet. Turning away from the gentle 
tableau presented by Janus's sleeping form, she faced the cliff. The cliff 
that had been an instrument in her parents' deaths so long ago. 

Kaela paused to reflect. It felt like a long time, though it had only been 
four years.. Something was not right. She could feel the tension and danger 
in the air. Something was calling, enticing her, daring her to come to the 
edge. The wind began blowing, a strong harsh breeze towards the open air on 
the other side of the rock face.

Kaela bent down and shook Janus's shoulder. "Janus! Wake up!"

"Uh..? What's going on, Kaela?", Janus said sleepily, rubbing his eyes and 
sitting up.

"Janus, there's something very wrong here. I can feel it.", Kaela said, 
anxiously. 

It became stronger. Kaela was being called, urgently. Unseen forces were 
trying to draw her away from Janus out onto the ledge. Janus stood up, and 
took Kaela's hand. She squeezed it tightly.


"What do you feel?", Janus asked, worried. This was realy serious. Kaela 
said nothing. Instead, she kept her grip on Janus's hand and slowly 
approached the ledge. Janus followed her carefully. Kaela walked up to the 
edge, hand in hand with Janus. She bent over and picked up the stone 
spearhead that remained resting there. She let go of Janus's hand and 
turned around.

She opened her mouth to speak, about to express her concern for the forces 
she was feeling..

Janus felt movement under his foot. Big movement.

"Kaela! Look out! the cliff!!", Janus shouted, grabbing Kaela's hand and 
trying to pull her away from the edge.

The cliff under Kaela's feet gave way and disintegrated, and she plunged 
downwards with a scream. Janus was yanked to the ground onto his belly from 
the weight of Kaela's body falling. Janus was half over the cliff, only 
feeling solid ground from his waist and below. One hand was gripping the 
cliff edge, the other was tightly holding onto Kaela's wrist. With great 
effort, he began backing his way up onto the cliff.

"Janus!!"

"I.. promised.. I.. wouldn't.. leave you, .. didn't.. I..?", Janus said, 
spacing his words out because of the effort to not let go. 

Kaela was shocked. Janus had risked his life for hers. She had discredited 
those events last night as being emotionally-triggered, and had disregarded 
them so. She knew now that Janus had been quite serious, and he was proving 
it. She saw the beads of sweat start to accumulate on his forehead from the 
strain, which was also evidenced by the white-knuckled grip he had on her 
forearm and his clenched jaw.

Janus finally managed to get a majority of his body above the cliff, and he 
was able to use his other arm to pull Kaela up even harder. He got a grip 
on her elbow, and despite the pain, she didn't move, for fear of 
complicating Janus's hold and possibly making him lose his grip.

Janus finally had gotten Kaela high enough so that she could reach the cliff
with her hand. She grabbed the edge, testing it a few times, and he slowly 
let go with one arm, and took Kaela's other hand, which was still grasping 
the spearhead.

"Kaela.. Hand me the spearhead..", Janus said, his face red from hanging 
onto her for so long.

She slipped her hand into his and let go of the spearhead. Janus put it on 
the ledge and guided her arm to hang onto the edge of the cliff. He then 
hooked his arms under her shoulders and pulled. For the first time in what 
seemed an eternity, Kaela's head rose above cliff level.

Kaela grasped onto the grass on the ledge, and Janus made sure she had a 
stable grip. He then reached down and pulled her leg up sideways, onto the 
ledge. With great effort, he got the other leg up, and she rolled onto the 
ledge, once again back on terra firma.

Janus was kneeling, and Kaela crawled into his arms, exhausted. Janus felt 
considerably worse, having been a midpoint for her weight and taking the 
shock of stopping her in free-fall. Gasping for air, they sat like that for 
a long time; Kaela from the shock she had just endured, Janus from the 
exertion of lifting Kaela back up.

When Kaela had her composure back, she looked up and wiped Janus's brow of 
the sweat, and lifted his bangs from his brow. Janus's hair was wet and 
sticky in her hand. She looked into his eyes. 

Through the exhaustion and pain, a flash of recognition and intense joy 
passed through Janus's face, and he bent down and kissed her forehead.	
Giggling, she lifted her face and met his eyes with hers. The silence was 
almost overwhelming. Kaela raised herself to her knees, taller then Janus 
now, as he was bent over, and hugged him to her breast, tightly.

Janus slowly caught his breath, and his heart returned to normal as the 
adrenaline filtered out of his system.


"JANUS!! KAELA!!"

Janus and Kaela looked up, and saw Schala bolting down the path towards them, Alfador in hot pursuit. Unwillingly, they slowly broke their embrace, and turned to face Schala, as she stopped before them, out of breath.

"Are you okay? We heard a landslide and screams!"

Janus replied quietly, his gaze only half on Schala, "We're okay, Schala.. We're okay.."

Schala sat down, and took Alfador in her arms. Kaela and Janus crawled beside her. Behind Schala's back, their hands joined.

"You two don't know how much you had me worried! You were supposed to be back yesterday!"

Janus and Kaela simply smiled softly, and their eyes met.

Schala paused in her dialogue, aware that something was different. These two were acting strangely. When they left, they were happy and boisterous. Now they were quiet and just smiling. What could have changed them?
Schala felt a gentle bump against her back, and she looked over to Kaela, who was giggling.

"Schala, let us tell you what's happened since we left..", Janus began, a wide grin on his face...


			Finis