Interlude II

"I'm so tired," Olen said, his voice cracking. 

"Just a little further," his brother said, squinting out to the horizon. "Keep paddling."

Light blue, see-through water surrounded them. So far, it seemed to be as never-ending as the sky. The waves were light, but every once in a while, one would approach and send their kayak wobbling side to side. A light wind blew through their thick fur, cooling them off in the hot sun. 

Overhead, a bird circled around them. Every once in a while, it would dive into the water but come back up empty-handed. 

Olen's stomach gurgled, and he suddenly felt sick. They had no food, and they'd finished the last of their water hours ago. He needed energy.

Olen was struggling to keep his eyes open now. Multiple splinters poked into his hands as he gripped the rough wooden paddle. His arms and chest cried out in pain as he pushed his paddle through the water, resisting his every motion.

"This isn't fair," he muttered. "Why are we even out here?"

"It was father's wish," Feld said simply.

"But we could be at home, fighting!"

"You don't want to fight, Ol. I promise you. It's not all like the stories."

"But I do want to fight," Olen said with a smile. "And I'm already great with my axe. Father taught me well. And yet he won't let me fight. I'm old enough too!"

"Fifteen isn't old," Feld said. "If anything, I should be the one fighting. But I have to protect you, as always."

"I'm old enough to protect myself! I'm strong enough too!" Olen protested.

Feld let out a laugh, which filled the quiet atmosphere around them. "You're not even strong enough to help me paddle," he pointed out. 

Olen looked down and realized he'd stopped pattling. Frustrated, he dunked the oar back into the water. He couldn't think of anything to respond with, so he splashed a few drops of water at his brother angrily. 

"What was that for?" Feld snapped. 

"I want to go back!"

"There is no going back! Father is dead by now."

"What?" Olen asked with shock. It couldn't be true.

Feld hesitated. "You saw how many of them there were. There's no way he survived that."

"So…so those things killed him?"

"I'm sure of it. We were lucky to escape with our lives, Olen. If we'd stayed and fought them, we would've joined Father in death. It's better this way."

Olen thought about continuing the argument but realized he'd lost. Feld was right. "What'll happen to everyone else?"

"We bugbears are a resilient race, more than humans ever could be. We've endured slavery and suffering at their hands. These new monsters are just another way to make us pay for our sins against the Holy Six."

"But that wasn't us," Olen said. "We've only ever wanted peace. We've never done anything wrong to the humans."

"Just existing is what we're doing wrong. And now they've set those monsters upon us. King Ghur won't let this attack go unnoticed. He'll have a counterattack waiting soon enough." Feld squinted ahead. "By the Six, I see land."

Olen sat straight up, looking over his brother's shoulder. Out in the distance, a dark shape loomed. All around it, gray clouds circled, and they looked ready to dump rain at any moment. "That's at least another ten miles. And look at that storm. What if we capsize from a wave?"

Feld sighed. "We have to go either way. If we don't get food soon, we will die, and all of this was for nothing."

"If you think we can make it, let's do it," Olen said confidently.

Together, the two sailed into the storm.

The waves grew bumpier as the wind began to pick up, ruffling Olen's brown fur. A blinding flash of jagged lightning arced through the sky and rain began to fall. 

Olen had hoped the rain would be refreshing, but it had a slightly acidic taste.

"Don't drink it," Feld warned. "It's no good. We'll need to find water once we get to land."

Olen paddled faster, his muscles beginning to burn as the water became impossible to push against. Almost like trying to move a stone boulder. His fur and clothes were soaked and his eyes burned from the rain.

But they were close now. Just a little bit further and they would....

A massive wave carried them to the shore, tossing the kayak sideways onto solid ground. Olen rolled out, losing grip on his oar. Sand scratched at his face and hands until he came to a stop. 

"Are you okay?" Feld asked with worry, setting a hand on Olen's shoulder. 

Olen brushed his hand away and stood, looking out at the sea. "We made it. We survived."

"I knew we would. Come on, let's get out of this storm and find some shelter. Once the storm passes, we'll look for food."

The two trudged across the beach and plunged into the deep green of the forest. They pushed through long, spiky vines, bushes, and other thick foliage. Olen was relieved he wore boots, as the ground seemed to be crawling with poisonous scorpions.

"Here is good enough," Feld said, climbing up to a low branch on a tree. He sat down and leaned against the rough gray bark. 

Olen jumped onto the same branch and climbed over his brother to the next one up. He looked above him, where at least thirty branches stretched out in a spiral pattern. Olen decided to climb a little higher.

"Don't go too much further. I would hate to see my little brother fall to his death," Feld warned.

"Stop talking like Mother," Olen said. "I don't need you to boss me around."

He began to climb higher. Feld wasn't in charge of him. No one was anymore.

"Olen?" Feld called up. "It's time to go."

"I just told you you're not going to tell me what to do," Olen said, not even bothering to look down. The tree began to shake and he wrapped his arms around it. 

"Olen! Come down right now."

Olen heard the branch below him begin to crack. "What're you doing? Stop! I'll come down!"

But it wasn't Feld. Olen looked down, watching his brother back away as a hole began to open in the ground. The creatures from before began to crawl out, dark shadows like the one that followed Olen around every sunny day.

The tree groaned in pain and began to fall over. 

Squeezing his eyes shut, Olen held on as he hurtled toward the ground.