Chapter 2: Life or Death

Stretching, Su Cho got up for the morning work feeling as if she not not gotten any sleep at all.

I must be getting sick, she thought.

Then she heard her father's words, "Your wasting fire wood again! Why don't you just step into the fire already. You could be the kindling and save yourself some work. You think its easy to be a father? It should be, but your to small to be useful. Can't even sell you here.

Su Cho slammed the fire stick on the ground, anger filling her chest, "I didn't do it." She said interrupting her father,"Wan Wan came here yesterday saying she wanted me to try and leave with her but I said no." She glared at her father, "I didn't do what she said I did. I never spoke bad about the village chief. "

A mocking sneer filled her father's, "You think that matters? In this world all that matters is your fist. But you? You'll never be strong. You'll never amount to anything. A little girl like you can never become powerful like I was."

"I don't care about being strong."

"You don't have too."

Stunned, Su Cho watched as her father left to go up the mountain. She tried to hold on to the courage she had felt. To those resentful thoughts, but she couldn't. He was right. A girl like her could never be powerful. She couldn't hunt or fight. The women in the village could at least tan the hides from the kills and lift the large stew pots used for village gatherings. She knew that she was small for her age. She didn't grow like the other village children. All of whom were tall and muscular.

Desperately she wanted that feeling of courage to come back, that she had moments ago. For once, it wasn't just sadness when she listened to her father's words. She still felt the sting from yesterday slaps. The humiliation of falling to the ground as her own father cursed her. She felt the eyes of everyone watching. And that was the worst. They had watched everything and done nothing in the face of Wan Wan's lies.

Snapping out of her thought she heard her brother call,"Su Cho, Is breakfast done yet?" The pot was in fact near boiling over.

Leaning on the door way, Su Cho watched as her brother went off to play. She looked at her dirty hands and she felt her face gingerly from the slaps. She wasn't powerful. But what was she.

Wan Wan did not come to visit that day like she use too. Su Cho was truly alone for once and she felt the cold wind on her back. She chopped the wood for tomorrows fire. It wasn't much. Then she worked on fixing the hut that was always losing its bones from the harsh wind.

Too soon it was time to go up the mountain. Silently she trod up the path that she had for the last eight years and went to work by her father. Hoping nothing would happen.

To her surprise her wish was granted. He did not say a word. They worked in peace with out a shred of the harsh words she was use to hearing. With some luck they managed to finish early despite the extra herbs needed.

"We are really lucky today father. It must be heavens grace. Lets go turn the herbs in early and spend some time with Taro. I also found some good herbs to cook with. Dinner will be extra good tonight. Maybe you'll even tell Taro a story?"

'Thump!' Su Cho jerked her head up at the sound of her father collapsed' on the path in front of them. His bad leg sprawled out to the side as it always did. The twisted flesh and white scars clearly visible in the bright sunlight.

"What are you looking at dunce? We didn't finish early because of heavens grace. We finished early because of my hard work. You and your brother don't deserve a story. I bet you think its funny that I'm on the ground. Hurry and help me up witch." Wordlessly, Su Cho bent down and helped her father stand. The cheeriness she'd felt gone.

"Useless, completely useless," he muttered, "You should go live somewhere else where I don't have to look at you." His face full of criticism. "Your brother will be useful but you, you've made me suffer enough. His face was thoughtful as they descended further down the mountain. Once at the base he turned to her, "Give me your basket," he said hand out stretched. "Hurry up."

Confused she held it out in front of her for him to take. A wicked smile was on his face now as he took the basket from her. "You'll learn what it means to work for a living. From now on don't come back to the hut. You'll get nothing from me.

Su Cho's face went white, "No, don't make me stay here. I'll do anything!" she said throwing herself to her father's feet. "Let me come with you. Don't leave me here."

"I have no use for you. Get off"

"No!"

"Your good health is my last present for you. Don't make me regret it."

"Father!"

Pa! The first blow hit her shoulder. The second her back. Su Cho's small frame clung to her fathers good leg as he hit her.

"You can't leave me father."

She felt that hot sensation welling up inside her again. She couldn't avoid it. Slowly she loosened her grip on her fathers leg. Hands sliding to the ground amid the blows.

She awoke to the cold wind and the darkening sky. She was alone on the mountain.

"Howwwwwl"

Su Cho shivered as she listened to the monsters cries. Whatever warmth she had felt was gone now. She was alone. She wanted to cry and bury her head in her arms. She wanted to scream at her father, and Wan Wan, and the whole village. But she was on the Mountain. If she did any of that she would die.

Getting to her feet she began to look around. She was surrounded by the trees and the night sky. She looked down the path where the bone hut stood. If she went back maybe father would let her in. She knew it was a lie though. But what about the village? Surely they wouldn't make her stay outside. She walked a few steps before stopping. The children hated her their and with Wan Wan's outburst everyone else wouldn't help her either. Everyone had just watched.

A second howl rang out as panic began to fill Su Cho's mind. Where could she go. The desert was inhospitable. Nothing could live there. As for other villages she had not the faintest clue as to how far they were. Slowly she began to walk down the mountain. Hoping she would be safe by the outer edge. That was when something silver caught her eye. Walking over to it she picked it up in her hand. It was a hair pin about as long as her hand and crafted of a metal she didn't recognize. Tiny blue and green emeralds adorned its end and a swirl of mist seemed to surround it, swaying in the night wind. She ran her finger across the edge of its smooth surface amazed at the treasure she had found. The point was sharper than she realized though and it sliced the skin on her finger. Blood covered its surface and began to drip onto the ground below.

Quickly Su Cho wiped it off in the grass not wanting to taint the pretty metal. Clenching her hand so the blood would not drip she stood up still staring at the unexpected treasure. She realized that the silvery mist surrounding the hair pin had condensed into a silver line floating upon the hair pin. No matter where she moved it always pointed in the same direction.

Another howl, this one close, made her shake off the astonishment. She had to find a safe place to hide. Taking one last look at the path, she made up her mind and turned around. Following the hair pin's direction she began to climb back up the mountain.

The farther up the mountain she went the more the air became less sticky, more tolerable. It wasn't the cold wind that covered the dessert below or the humid air that blanketed the outer edge of the mountain. It was warm and pleasant. Not all what she was use too. But she could still hear the howls of the monsters.

Su Cho started to see herbs she didn't recognize. Their fragrant scents mixing with the warm air. Bending down to examine one she found its leaves were silvery blue and fuzzy like a cute caterpillar. She reached out to pluck a leaf but the plant dove back into the ground. Its roots now inverted and acted as a shield, covering its precious leaves. Surprised, she jumped back but had no time to contemplate the odd plant before she heard a hair bending howl feet from where she was. Simultaneously, her silver pin stopped shining and she was once again cast into the darkness of the mountain. Truly scared now she looked around for a place to hide. The dense tree provided cover so long as she was quiet but the howl was so close. The beast would surely pass by.

She'd passed a rocky outcrop a few feet back but it provided little cover. She looked at the plant still safely behind its intertwined roots wishing she could switch places with it. Then she noticed the long root extending from it to the tree. In fact the whole base of the tree was surrounded by the same silvery plants. All of whom had now inverted themselves protectively. She glanced up at the tree. It was just a regular tree like all the rest. But its branches, while high, were dense and in some spots the vines from the plants seemed to have formed netted areas that nearly enclosed parts of the tree. But Su Cho was short. And the branches were high. All she had on her was the silver hair pin, now lightless in her hands. An idea popped into her head. A crazy idea. But it was the only one she had. Guilty she looked at the hair pin before jumping and stabbing it deep into the tree. Surprisingly it went in smooth like butter and Su Cho hung their for a second before realizing it had worked. Quickly swinging her leg up to the closest branch she managed to hook over it and swung below the new branch as she pulled the pin out. Righting herself upon the branch she scrambled higher up in the tree, hiding behind a thick set of vines just as the beast wandered down below. She could feel her heart pounding and she could acutley feel each breath like a gun in her ear.

The beast below was large. As large has the hut she lived in. Its green stripes made it blend with the foliage and its brown fur with the trees. She recognized it as the emerald tiger that the hunters would occasionally bring back for feast nights. It was one of the best catches they could hope for. Many men would die in the fight for it. The striped tiger paused beneath the tree. Sniffing the air as if a tasty morrself might fall from the sky. Yet it could not place the peculiar scent.

Su Cho sighed in relief as the beast finally made its way past. Its ears pricked forward in anticipation of the nightly hunt. Still finding the prey to stalk. She waited their for some minutes before realizing that the silver pin that she had been clutching tightly too was now glowing once again. Elated that she hadn't broke the silver pin she quickly hopped off from the tree and began following it up the mountain again. The rest of the night whenever the light to the silver pin would wane, Su Cho would immediately find a place to hide. Often with the help of the pin. As the morning started to dawn though Su Cho noticed that the pin's light was waning as if all the light had been sucked out of it. It wasn't gone but it was incredibly faint. Quickening her pace Su Cho began to fret about what awaited her atop the mountain and if she would get there in time. At last, before the last of the sun rays had dawned she came to small lake at where the peak of the mountain should have been. Instead she found the cooling water where small fishes - something she'd only heard of - swam about happily, nibbling on the foliage by the waters edge. The water was shallow. Only a few feet deep. Su Cho's feet were blistered and swollen from the long trek through the night and her legs felt as if they would fall off. She could feel the fevered heat begging to creep up. Stepping into the water she could feel its frigidity as she wiggled her toes. The heat that'd been about to well up dampened and as the silver pin hit the water she slipped once more into a deep sleep. More restful than the ones before.