Arul woke with a gasp, his cotton vest soaked with sweat, a relief to be awake. He lay still for a while, breathing deeply until his mind relaxed. Glancing at his sleeping father, he rose in slow motion, without making his rope bed creak. He groped for his leather satchel under his bed, freezing when something inside made a faint noise. His father snorted, but didn’t wake up.
So far, so good.
Arul tiptoed outside and put on his well-worn sandals, feeling their comfortable shape over his feet. He was about to put them to good use. The cold night air felt good, waking him up and supercharging his body. Stretching his arms and yawning, he gazed at the incredible view, something he never tired of. To the west, snow-capped mountains towered, glowing white under the half-moon.
From the doorway, Jaya raised his head and watched expectantly. Arul crept to a lean-to beside the hut where a neat pile of firewood lay, pulling out a carefully hidden stack of clothes. He put on his rough hemp cloak, cotton vest, and vetti, washing his face and collecting his weapons that were neatly arrayed against the wall. He crept along the outside of the hut, slinging his satchel over his head, adjusting it so that it rested next to his hip. His walk quickened as he entered the field in front of the hut, dark apart from the faint wash of moonlight. Suddenly from out of nowhere, Jaya rubbed up against his leg. Arul jumped, arrows rattling in his quiver. He hadn’t heard Jaya approach, even though he was listening hard for every little sound.
Now to wait for those two. If they ever show up.
In the dark, a glowing cloud of fireflies rose up out of the grass and floated away like so many tiny lanterns. From the gloom of the village garden, Arul saw two shadowed figures make their way through the narrow dirt path. Reaching the field, they stopped to look back at the sleeping village. Keeran and Navira sneaked across the open space, hemp cloaks hanging loose like misshapen skins.
‘Have you got everything we need?’ Arul hissed to Navira as she approached. As if to answer the question, Keeran, who was a step behind her, stumbled and jerked his bag. It made a tiny rattle which seemed rather loud in the quiet pasture. Navira turned and slapped him on the shoulder.
‘Ow!’ Keeran protested.
‘Shhh!’ Navira and Arul said at the same time.
They stood in a circle looking at each other, knowing they were now past the point of getting into serious trouble. They were now in ridiculous amounts of trouble. Without warning a large owl swooped overhead with a faint rustling of feathers. ‘What was that?’ Whispered Keeran, his eyes round with fear as he crouched low to the ground.
‘It’s an evil omen, Arul!’ Navira squeaked.
‘It’s just an owl!’ Arul snapped. Unlike foresters, who saw the divine in all animal life, village folk saw owls as bringers of misfortune. It annoyed Arul whenever he heard such talk. He sucked in a deep breath and calmed his voice. ‘Ready? Then let’s go,’ Arul said quietly. ‘We’ll enter the forest down there, away from the house so Appa won’t hear us. Both of you be quiet for goodness sake!’
He overheard Navira whisper to Keeran. ‘How come Arul isn’t scared of owls?’
Arul remembered something he had planned to tell Navira and turned around. ‘Oh yes, Navira. I know you like to have your way and shout everyone down, but out here you need to listen to me if you want to live through this.’ Navira puffed out her cheeks and glared at Arul. ‘Do you understand, Navira? This is serious.’
Navira stepped backwards at the intensity of Arul’s voice. She nodded slowly.
Village folk...they don’t know the jungle like Appa and I.
‘Aren’t we forgetting something?’ Asked Keeran. Arul stopped and Navira threw Keeran a puzzled look. ‘We need to do a puja before setting off. It’s only proper,’ Keeran said. ‘Before such a long journey, we must ask the Sky Mother for help.’
‘I thought she’s called, Star Mother,’ Arul said.
‘She’s called both. The old language isn’t too clear. Sometimes it’s written as Star Navigator, whatever that means,’ Keeran said, his face turned skyward.
They knelt on the grass and faced the constellation of Orion as it set in the west. ‘Sky Mother, please protect us on this journey and look upon us with favour,’ Keeran prayed. Then he fished out a small box of turmeric paste and put a yellow dot on Arul and Navira’s foreheads. Arul had grown up knowing this puja to the Mother who lived amongst the stars. Now he really hoped she had heard them.
They would need her help in the wild.
Navira and Keeran agreed that Arul would lead. He was far more experienced and better trained than his friends at surviving in the jungle. After all, his father was known as the best forester in the province. The teens walked a little east before moving toward the tree line, now a solid wall of shadows. They merged into the blackness of the plantation, abruptly disappearing from sight as if they had never existed.
Moments later, a lone figure crossed the field and warily followed the Arul into the trees. He paused, listening for a time before plunging into the plantation with barely a sound.
Nearby, the same hunting owl that had swooped over the teens, sat on a high branch, observing the disturbances below. Unfortunately, the humans were far too large to eat. Her dark eyes swivelled, and she went back to hunting mice. She knew that in the wilds, there were larger more bloodthirsty creatures than her.
They would find the humans perfect to eat.
The trio followed a dirt track through scrubby bush for some minutes, suddenly emerging among large jackfruit trees that grew for miles in either direction, towering forty feet or more into the starry night. It was the same plantation that grew behind Arul’s home, and he knew it well. Stories told that it had existed before the village was built, but no one remembered who had planted it. Or why.
‘We’ll wait for dawn,’ Arul announced. ‘It’s not a great idea to travel through the plantation at night.’ Navira and Keeran agreed, glancing into the dark with round eyes.
‘This place is eerie enough during the day,’ Keeran muttered under his breath.
Arul threw off his shoulder bag and dropped his weapons, slumping against a broad tree. High above he could see a cluster of jackfruit in the moonlight, large as human heads. He slid a few feet to the right just to be safe. Keeran and Navira frowned until Arul pointed up. They moved without a word.
Navira opened her bag and pulled out a package wrapped in banana leaf. ‘I’ve been gathering food at home for two days,’ she said. ‘I had to be quite sneaky about it too.’
Arul smiled, his stomach rumbling as Navira unwrapped the food. The aroma of freshly cooked pongal flowed out, and they shared the sweet rice meal, gathering their strength for the long trek to come.
‘What’s that light over there?’ Keeran said with his mouth full. Arul followed Keeran’s gaze. Yellow firelight flickered through the trees less than a hundred feet away.
‘Have they sent someone after us?’ Navira said, rising to her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw Arul fitting an arrow to his bow.
‘Wait here’, he whispered, creeping off towards the mysterious light, moving from tree to tree like a ghost. Closer in, he stood behind a tree and poked his head around its trunk. A man wrapped in a shabdkosh squatted next to a small fire warming his hands. Arul stepped out from behind the tree with his bow pointed down, ready but unthreatening. The man stirred and pulled his travelling cloak from his head, revealing a bald head and black robes. Arul’s brow furrowed.
A priest? Out here?
He warily stepped into the circle of firelight. ‘Good-day Sir!’
The stranger didn’t appear to be surprised. Arul involuntarily stepped back when he saw the man’s eyes glittering like shards of glass. ‘Hello, Young Master’, he said. ‘What brings you into the wild?’
Arul paused. ‘Um…well, we’re hunting tomorrow, so we made camp in the area.’ The stranger merely nodded.
‘And you? You look like a priest, Good Sir,’ Arul said.
‘I am indeed.’ The bald man studied Arul’s inquisitive face. ‘There are old temples in the hills beyond this plantation. I’m on a pilgrimage to visit them.’
‘I see,’ Arul replied. ‘Well, good luck and safe travels. I’m sorry we haven’t much food to offer you.’ In truth, he felt uncomfortable around this priest. A creeping sense of malice.
The travelling priest smiled, his eyes never leaving Arul. ‘What is your name?’
‘Arul, Sir.’
‘And your clan name? Who are your people?’
Arul frowned. ‘I have no clan, Sir.’
The man stared into the trees. ‘No clan? That’s odd, even for mountain-folk.’
‘My father is only known as Ori. More than this I do not know,’ Arul said.
‘I’m sorry I cannot offer you more hospitality, but as you can see I have few belongings.’ The man smiled a little thinly. ‘Good hunting to you, young man.’ Arul waved goodbye and hurried back to his friends, glad to be away from the priest.
‘He’s just some travelling holy man,’ Arul said when he returned to his camp. He didn’t tell Keeran and Navira how unsettled he felt.
Why scare them.
Navira cast a long, curious look at the priest’s campfire before settling down to sleep. Arul felt comforted that Jaya was patrolling, invisible in the plantation’s gloom. He still felt uneasy and kept his spear under his hand as he fought to stay awake. Something seemed to be pressing in on him. Putting him to sleep. He huddled under his blanket.
When did it become so cold?
The cold increased steadily, creeping in like a fog. Arul shivered as the air turned dark and the fire faded away as though a mist shrouded it.
A nightmare. Again.
A human figure wreathed in black smoke drifted towards him.
It’s the priest!
Arul fought to grab his spear, but his limbs refused to budge. The priest smiled and put out his hand. Reaching for Arul’s throat.
He’s after my amulet!
Arul lay paralysed, a look of horror twisting his face. Unable to scream. Unable to move a single finger. The priest lifted Arul’s amulet from under his vest, his eyes empty and black like a cobra.
Then Jaya’s dangerous growl sounded from behind the priest. The man dropped Arul’s amulet and spun around, Jaya holding the man’s gaze and stepping forward, his neck fur standing up.
The priest muttered incantations in a strange language, waves of black energy seething towards Jaya like thin fingers. The mountain wolf tilted his head, as though amused. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light around Jaya and the priest was flung back. ‘This can’t be!’ He wailed, gathering his dishevelled robes and fleeing into the dark.
Arul woke with a cry, Jaya’s wet nose pressing his cheek, cold autumn air making his skin prickle. Opening his eyes, he saw long beams of golden sunlight piercing the spaces between the trees. A light dew covered the ground like crystals, reflecting the rising sun.
Arul jerked upright. Beside him, Keeran and Navira were still sleeping.
I must have fallen unconscious. All of us by the look of things.
His gaze slid over Jaya. ‘Was that a dream or did you really fight that priest?’ Jaya caught Arul’s eye for a second, then yawned and turned away, as though he was unwilling to reveal himself.
‘Well, I can’t understand wolf anyway.’ Arul shook his head to clear it, then leapt up and grabbed his spear. He ran over to the priest’s campsite, an equal mix of anger and fear coursing through him. A blackened heap of ashes lay where the fire had been, but no sign of the stranger.
Not even footprints in the soft earth.
Arul walked back to his friends, deep in thought. He pulled out his amulet, turning it so that the red gem at its centre caught the light. Inside the stone, a blood-red flame flickered and vanished in the time it took to blink. His head jerked back.
What’s that?
Putting his amulet back under his vest, he neared their campsite, his course of action decided.
I’m not going to tell the others about that dream, or whatever it was. Imagine how Keeran would react.
Back at camp, a large gathering of crows sat on a low branch and screamed at the teens. Keeran threw a pebble, which only made them caw louder. He yelled at the crows until a warning look from Navira silenced him. Arul was glad Navira was with them. He held Jaya’s sleek head and looked into his eyes. ‘Well boy, now the journey really begins. Stay sharp for all of us, okay?’
The wolf padded ahead, then turned with an expression that seemed to say, what else would I do? Wolves are always sharp.
‘So, what’s to stop your Appa from catching us?’ Navira inquired as they packed up. ‘I mean, he could easily do that couldn’t he?’
Arul hefted his leather bag. ‘He could…except that last night I told him I was going hunting before dawn. Viyan the Headman also asked Appa to go to Karur and escort the Royal Scouts to our village.’
‘So he won’t be able to catch up with us when he returns in a few days and finds us gone,’ Keeran said, patting Arul on the back with a smile.
‘I hope so,’ said Arul.
Grey dawn gave way to bright morning, colour seeping back into the landscape, lighting up spiky green jackfruit high in the trees, the flash of brightly coloured parrots. Dark red earth. Arul smiled and felt a surge of pure joy. He was always happiest out here.
The fruiting season was ending, but there were still a few jackfruit left on the trees. Using his legs and arms to grab onto a tree trunk, Arul made his way up like a giant insect. Keeran placed his hands on his hips and gazed up. ‘He’s almost as good as me when it comes to climbing.’ Navira rolled her eyes.
‘Look out!’ Arul yelled. A huge spiky fruit thumped onto the grass.
Arul shimmied down the trunk and leapt off with a grin. He used his aruval to cut the fruit into small squares, yellow and ripe. The sticky sap covered his fingers and soon he had a large pile of fruit.
They portioned the pile out equally, wrapping the pieces in lengths of cloth. ‘I think we have enough food to last awhile,’ Arul said, shaking his gluey hands.
Onwards they trekked through the deserted plantation as the sun climbed into a clear sky, now streaked with wisps of cloud. Hordes of insects buzzed around the rotten jackfruit, scattered like green and yellow melons. ‘This smell is awful!’ Keeran cried as he tied a piece of cloth over his face, making a gagging sound as though he was ready to vomit.
Navira shook her head. ‘Will you just shut up?’
The plantation had a road of sorts running in a straight line north, long disused and barely visible in the undergrowth. Arul paused and surveyed the path.
Better to move unseen, away from the path in case they come after us with a search party.
Towards late morning Arul froze when a distant roar echoed through the plantation. Keeran grabbed Navira’s arm, his eyes wild with fear. ‘It’s almost half a mile away,’ said Arul. ‘It won’t bother us.’
‘I’m not so sure about that,’ said Keeran. ‘But I think I know why the village stopped gathering jackfruit.’ Arul nodded.
If only the elders would get villagers to harvest these trees with armed escorts. Then no one will go hungry. The elders just stick to doing nothing and arguing.
The trees began to thin out and wild scrub filled the land. Arul wondered why the village of Sailem had such a large plantation when they couldn’t possibly eat so much fruit. It was as if someone else had planted it long ago to feed a city, then forgotten about it. There were many mysteries scattered about Kumari Kandam’s landscape. Most people in the village never really thought about it.
Unlike most people, Arul thought about things quite a bit.
‘This place is massive!’ Exclaimed Keeran, crunching over a carpet of fallen leaves.
Arul didn’t take notice of him. He cocked his head and listened to a shuffling noise coming from some way off. Jaya turned in the same direction and began to growl, his tail held low. Arul’s eyes widened when he realised what was causing the sound. ‘Quick! We have to find a tree now!’ He yelled.
His friends stared with puzzled expressions. ‘Why?’ Navira asked, defiance creeping into her voice.
Arul dropped his spear and slung his bow over his shoulder. ‘Just hurry up and follow me! There’s no time!’ Meanwhile, Jaya bolted away onto a thicket, unwilling to face what was coming.
Arul was already running towards a climbable tree. Leaving his spear on the ground, he easily reached the lowest branch and waited for his friends. Pulling them up, his eyes narrowed towards the direction of the shuffling noise. ‘We have to go higher.’ Navira and Keeran blinked and looked even more puzzled. but up they climbed until they found a large branch able to seat all three.
‘What are we doing up here exactly?’ Navira asked in an irritated voice.
‘Shhh!’ Arul shot back. Before she could retort, Keeran tugged Navira’s arm and pointed down. A column of elephants wound their way through the abandoned plantation, their enormous grey bodies nearly invisible under the dappled shadows.
They watched the giant animals snort and huff their way under the tree. ‘Be very quiet.’ Arul mouthed silently to his friends
An enormous bull elephant with curved tusks walked at the head of the column. The King’s army would have treasured him as a mighty war-elephant. It stopped and lifted its trunk, sniffing at the unusual scent of humans. Then flapping its ears like great fans, it lumbered past.
The teens waited in the tree until the elephants were out of sight, leaving behind a trail of broken branches and trampled grass. Navira turned to Arul, her eyes full of wonder. ‘I didn’t know there were elephants so near our village.’
‘I haven’t seen them before either. Maybe they found water or something,’ Arul replied.
Or they’re disturbed by the same thing that’s driving sabre-tooth lions off the mountains
‘I think they’ll leave us alone,’ Keeran said hopefully.
But the bull elephant had other ideas. Circling around the teens silently, he came up on their tree from behind. His battering-ram of a head slammed into the tree trunk with a hideous crunch. Navira screamed as she clutched the branch, her body slipping sideways. Arul grabbed her just as she began to fall off, her eyes wide with horror. They held on grimly as the elephant backed away for another charge. Just as it lowered its’ massive head, Jaya started growling.
The furious elephant halted, ears held outwards. Listening. It swung his massive body about. Jaya bared his teeth and growled again, challenging the giant. Without warning, the elephant sped after Jaya. Arul clenched his jaw, feeling helpless.
‘Ganesha help us! That giant is going to kill Jaya!’ Cried Navira.
Arul put a hand on her shoulder. ‘He’ll be fine. You’ll see.’ He lied. The truth was, he had no idea how Jaya would do against the enraged giant.
They watched Jaya dodge away, running in a zigzag pattern to confuse the beast. He kept challenging the elephant, leading it away from Arul and his friends. Soon there was no sign of wolf or elephant.
Jaya saved us. He’s brilliant!
Arul waited for a good while before he climbed down, looking for signs of the elephants. The jungle appeared quiet. He collected his spear and waited for Navira and Keeran to climb down, their faces drawn.
All the same, Arul cast worried glances in the direction Jaya and the elephant had run off. Keeran shaded his eyes. ‘Shouldn’t we go and find Jaya?’
‘Um…I don’t think so,’ Arul said. ‘If that herd catches our scent again, they’ll attack for sure.’
‘So Jaya will catch up with us later?’ Navira asked.
Arul nodded. ‘I hope so. I don’t know what I’d do if something happens to him.’
They camped at the north end of the plantation before dusk fell. Arul used his flint to spark a fire, and soon it crackled to life, smoke filling the gaps in the wood and flowing up in thin columns. They huddled close to the flames, eating the last of the sweet pongal rice. Navira had found some wild mangoes, which were delicious, the sticky juice dribbling down their chins as they feasted. They kept the fire burning all night. Fire was the one thing that frightened animals. That was basic forester knowledge.
‘I think it’ll take a few hours to climb to the high forest tomorrow,’ Arul said, staring into the yellow flames. ‘After that, I think we’ll sleep up in trees to be safe.’
Keeran’s eyes became wider. ‘Err…why would we need to do that?’
Arul gaze lingered west. The sky flared deep red against the shadowy bulk of the mountains, the buzzing of thousands of night insects filled the air with a deafening chorus. ‘Well…so that bears and tigers can’t get to us. I think snakes could reach us though,’ he said.
Keeran stood up. ‘Wha…snakes?’
Navira smiled at Arul, her face looking a little mysterious in the firelight.
She’s really quite pretty…when she’s not yelling.
Arul blushed and let his gaze fall. In the twilight, they unrolled their woven sleeping mats after Keeran had calmed down. Arul stood at the edge of the pool of firelight and whistled to Jaya. His wolf melted out of the jungle like a shadow, fresh blood smeared on his mouth from hunting. Arul took a deep breath. Thank Vishnu he’s alive.
They lay down and stared up at the sky as it turned from deep blue to black. ‘Paveli Mantalam…the celestial river of milk.’ Arul murmured, mesmerized by the vast band of stars stretching the whole length of the sky. The air was very still and clear, and the stars shone with barely a shimmer. It was as though they were leaning close, trying to whisper something.
Keeran watched Arul thoughtfully, eyes shining under the starlight. ‘Did you know that Vishnu created the earth when he plunged into the cosmic ocean in animal form? He often becomes an animal to visit his creation.’ Navira turned to gaze at Jaya with a frown.
‘It sounds like Vishnu cares for us more than most Gods,’ said Arul.
‘Well, he did create our home, so of course he’s going to help us’ Navira said.
They lapsed into silence, which deepened and settled over them like a dream. To Arul it felt that anything was possible. The night wind sighed through the darkened trees and deep emotion stirred in his soul. It seemed as though part of his being suddenly leapt from his body and fled to the stars. Under his vest, a tiny point of light glowed deep inside his mother’s gem, shining with the same light that streamed from the glittering points of lights in the heavens.
Fallen starlight.