What was left of the night seemed to pass painfully slowly, like the steady drip of water from a roof during the monsoon rains. Arul’s face sagged with relief when finally the grey light of dawn crept into the forest, uncertain at first, then building to a glaring intensity. The sunlight revealed the grisly remains of the tiger’s corpse, even larger than they had imagined the night before.
Arul struggled to his knees and knelt next to the body. He softly chanted a hunter’s prayer that his Appa had taught him. Mountain hunters had passed it down through the centuries and considered it a sacred duty after a kill.
Arul gazed down at Navira and Keeran, tears welling in his eyes.
It’s my fault they were nearly killed. If I hadn’t brought them into the forest, none of this would have happened.
He thought about turning back right there and abandoning his quest. He felt completely drained, as though part of his life force had fled with the tiger's soul.
‘You’re injured, Arul! Navira said. Arul’s eyes dropped to his legs, to a bloody line below his knee where the tiger had sliced into him with a single claw. The pain suddenly came in stabbing bursts, Arul face twisting in agony.
Navira grabbed her satchel and produced a leather pouch filled with tiny packets of herbs wrapped in palm leaf. Using her drinking water, she made a paste in her palm and pressed it onto the wound.
‘What’s that?’ Arul asked.
‘It’s a mixture of plants I made with Inba.’
‘So she’s your Siddha medicine teacher?’
Navira nodded. ‘I think she knows about every plant in the forest.’ She finally brought herself to gaze on the fallen animal. ‘Arul, I didn’t realise you shot it with your bow.’
‘What? No…I didn’t! My bow is over there, unstrung.’ Arul crawled over to the tiger. There in the beast’s muscular neck was an arrow. Only not one of his arrows. Someone else’s, deeply embedded and fired from close range. Arul touched the wound and felt blood only hours old, thick like syrup. His eyes flicked around wildly, almost in a panic.
Who else is out there?
Keeran put his hand on Arul. ‘What’s wrong?’
Navira’s gaze lifted from the tiger. ‘Arul?’
‘Someone’s following us. Somebody shot the tiger to help us.’
Keeran and Navira’s eyes swivelled towards the forest. ‘Is he still watching us?’ Keeran asked in a squeakier than normal voice.
‘He might be,’ said Arul. ‘I think we should fan out and search for signs of him.’
‘Or her,’ said Navira.
Keeran guffawed. ‘Really? A her? Out here?’
Navira smacked his arm. ‘I’m here aren’t I? And where were you when the tiger attacked?’
Keeran dropped his head and shuffled away.
‘You two take this side of the forest. I’ll scout over there,’ Arul said. ‘But don’t lose sight of the road.’ Navira and Keeran nodded and grabbed their spears. Arul watched them move into the trees before turning and crossing the stone road.
I wish Jaya were here. He’d sniff out this person in no time.
He found nothing of the stranger in the surrounding jungle, as if whoever-it-was could move without leaving a trace of their passing. At one point a huge golden cobra glided across his path. It appeared unafraid and raised its head to look at him. Its body shimmered and rippled in the dappled light. Arul knew the ancient stories about Vishnu transforming himself into animals, particularly snakes.
One never knew which animal was divine.
Perhaps all were.
Arul stepped back and went down on one knee, lowering his head. Bless us on our journey.
It fixed him with its black eyes and raised its head, swaying back and forth. When Arul looked up, the cobra slid into the undergrowth with a single flick of its tail.
Arul made his way back to the road and waited for Navira and Keeran, chuckling when he heard them crashing through the jungle and arguing. They were still having a heated discussion when they emerged onto the road. ‘Keeran wants to go home,’ Navira said. ‘He’s had enough tigers and elephants for a lifetime, apparently.’
Arul looked at them thoughtfully. ‘I think I’ve caused enough trouble for you. I should have never led you here.’ He dropped his head. ‘Keeran’s right. We need to turn back now.’ He crumpled to the ground and crossed his legs.
I’m not the one to save our village. We nearly died.
He closed his eyes, wishing it would all go away. Then just for a tiny moment, flecks of light glittered around him like moonbeams on water. He felt a hand on his shoulder. A touch that told him it was going to be okay. He thought he remembered that feeling from long ago, but the memory slipped away. Arul turned, thinking it was Navira’s hand. But she and Keeran were deep in conversation some distance away.
Is that you Amma? I’m so tired…
He sighed and stood up. ‘What are you two talking about over there?’
Navira walked over. She was quite angry. ‘If that’s what you and Keeran think, then you can turn around right now. I hope you both find a nice deep hole to hide in for the rest of your lives, because you deserve it!’
‘What about you?’ Arul asked a little timidly.
‘I’ll see you when I get back, because I’m going on.’
‘What?! By yourself? In the wild?’
‘What do you care, Arul? I don’t know how to survive out there, but I’ll make do.’ Arul stared at her with his mouth hanging open. Keeran kept well back, shuffling about and staring at the ground. ‘Well, goodbye!’ Navira grabbed her spear and pack. Without another word, she stormed off along the forest road and was soon lost to sight.
‘Vishnu preserve us!’ Arul muttered. ‘Keeran! Are we going to let her go off and get killed?’
Keeran jogged over. ‘I want to go home so badly. Nothing will happen to her, right Arul?’
Arul stared at him. ‘Something will happen. Believe me.’
Without another word, they grabbed their weapons and packs and raced off after Navira. ‘She’s your cousin! Are all your family so stubborn?’ Arul gasped between breaths as they sped along.
‘No! She’s the only one!’
They raced after Navira along the forest road, but it was as if she had simply vanished. Arul slowed, confused. Keeran jogged ahead, calling out to her, his voice echoing through the trees, sounding ridiculously puny.
Arul scanned the ground on both sides of the road, looking for signs of a predator attack. Or much worse, bandits. ‘Keeran! Stop yelling and get over here!’ Arul called out. He sank to his knees, touching something on the ground and looking into the treeline.
‘No sign of her up there,’ Keeran gasped, chest heaving.
‘I know. She’s been kidnapped,’ said Arul in a flat voice.
Keeran’s face darkened. ‘What!? There’s nobody to kidnap her out here!’
‘There must be. Look!’ Arul pointed to a patch of disturbed mud, the plants around it flattened by heavy footsteps. There in an extremely large footprint lay Navira’s medicine pouch.
‘Oh no...’ Keeran whispered. ‘A giant took her.’
Arul stood up. ‘The trail leads this way into the trees. Three or four men at most.’ He began to follow the tracks, occasionally kneeling to touch the earth, fingering broken blades of grass as though they were speaking to him.
Keeran leant over Arul’s shoulder. ‘Three or four! How will we rescue her?’
‘They’ll wish they never took her, giant or not.’
They left the forest road and trekked west, Arul moving from shadow to shadow, often pausing to listen carefully. Keeran followed closely, peering over Arul’s shoulder, his fear growing with each step.
The trampled grass led through the sparse forest, further and further away from the road. Without so much as a breath of wind, the white trees stood ominously silent. Every sound became shockingly loud. Every snapping twig an explosion.
The trail rose for half a mile then dipped into a secluded bowl-like valley. ‘We’d better have a good look at this before we go charging in,’ whispered Arul. They stopped behind a vine-choked tree and surveyed the valley. In the middle stood the remains of an ancient temple, surrounded by a murky lake. A single causeway connected it to the surrounding land, the stone blackened with age.
No doubt the temple had been a handsome structure once, but now it was nothing more than a pile of enormous granite blocks spotted with green and yellow lichen. Many blocks had fallen into the scummy water as though an elephant had knocked them over. It was as though time had forgotten this place.
Arul moved forward and crouched behind an outcrop of rocks. He pulled Keeran down. ‘We need to be quiet and move very carefully.’ Keeran’s head bobbed in agreement.
Below them on the causeway stood one of the bandits, a large bearded man dressed in clothes the colour of mud. He carried a tall bamboo spear and kept yawning. Of the other bandits or Navira, there was no sign. Then another man emerged from the temple. A dwarf wearing nothing but a loincloth and a dented sword strapped to his back.
‘A giant and a dwarf! What a strange mob,’ whispered Keeran as he squinted over the rocks.
Arul pushed Keeran’s head down. ‘A mob of robbers that will kill us without mercy.’
Keeping low, they crept down the slope into the valley. ‘Appa mentioned bandits. He never told me how he took care of them, but I can guess,’ Arul whispered. Keeran hissed through his teeth and tightened his grip on his spear.
They reached a heavily wooded area not far from the causeway, hiding in the thick scrub. ‘Once we’re spotted, we’ll have to move fast or they may kill Navira,’ Arul whispered.
Keeran looked terrified. ‘So what are we going to do?’
Arul leant close and relayed his plan into Keeran’s ear.
‘You want me to do what?’ Keeran hissed, his eyes widening.
The dwarf and the giant were deep in conversation when they heard a voice calling them from across the causeway. It was around midday and quite warm for the mountains. A host of cicadas hidden around the valley made a deafening chorus that drowned out even the birds. The bandits shaded their eyes and looked towards the voice. A tall boy stood waving at them cheerily. The bandits smiled at each other through blackened teeth. The strange boy might fetch a handsome ransom. They casually walked towards the teen, so as not to alarm him.
‘Pssst! They’re walking this way!’ Keeran said, still smiling at the bandits. He waved with one arm, while with the other hand he grasped a heavy branch, hidden behind his back. Arul kept very still behind a nearby tree, fingering a bamboo arrow.
He waited until the giant passed him, then loosed a shot at close range. There was no way he could miss. His arrow hit the man’s huge leg with a thunk. The giant grunted and reached for his thigh, fingers groping for the arrow. He appeared more annoyed than hurt. While he was bent over, Keeran swung his branch and swiped at the robber’s head. The branch shattered on the man’s skull. He went limp without a sound, toppling forward on his face.
The dwarf stepped back and reached for his sword. It was rusty and caught in its sheath. Arul stepped out from behind cover and pointed an arrow straight at the man’s head. The bandit knew when he was defeated. He let go his sword and smiled at the boys with a mouth full of rotten teeth.
They left the two bandits securely tied with their own sashes. Arul covered his nose when he smelled their stink. At Keeran’s insistence, they removed the men’s vettis and left them naked on the ground. Bandits without clothes seemed less threatening.
Keeran screwed up his nose. ‘Yuck! Do these people ever take baths? And this lake around the temple doesn’t smell too nice either!’
‘Quick! We need to hurry!’ Arul said as he raced across the causeway, even as he fitted another arrow to his bow. The stench of stagnant water and rotting things crept across the lake. He paused at the temple’s shadowy entrance before peering in.
It was empty.
They crept inside. Every one of Arul’s senses became heightened, his body tense. Bundles of stolen goods lay strewn about the uneven floor.
There in the back of the room lay Navira.
Motionless.
‘Is she dead?’ Keeran whispered, his eyes filling with tears.
Arul threw down his bow and ran over to Navira, putting his ear next to her nose and listening. After a long moment he exhaled sharply. ‘Not dead. Sleeping. Or drugged.’
Keeran knelt next to Navira. ‘So where are the others?’
‘No idea. Maybe off robbing some village. They weren’t expecting trouble. Drugged her and left those two guards. I don’t know what they used, but Appa says bandits often use the juice of a plant to knock-out captives.’
‘She must have been really annoyed at them. Good idea to drug her,’ said Keeran.
Arul’s sharp gaze bored into Keeran. ‘What!? A good idea?’
Keeran’s hands waved around. ‘I didn’t mean it like that! You know how she is when she’s angry!’
They tried to wake her, but she refused to stir. Whatever they had forced her to drink had done its work. Arul handed Keeran his bow and picked up Navira, straining under her weight.
‘Let’s get out of here in case the rest of the gang returns.’
They peeked out of the door and looked for signs of other bandits. The way seemed clear. Keeran waved Arul forward and they jogged across the causeway and up out of the valley. But not before Keeran paused to kick the trussed up bandits in the ribs. They giant was still unconscious but the dwarf squealed loudly, his yells echoing through the valley.
‘Keeran! What about your vow of non-violence? You’ve broken it.’
‘I know,’ he replied. ‘The world provokes you into doing these things. It’s more complicated than religious books tell you.’
Arul thought about Keeran’s words as they climbed up the slope.
The world has definitely done some provoking in my direction.
They left the valley behind and reached the forest road just as the sun cast its final light into the sky, the clouds radiant yellow above the forest. The teens hurriedly made camp in a well-hidden thicket some distance from the road.
‘Is she ever going to wake up?’ Keeran said.
‘We’ll just have to wait and see,’ Arul said. He knew it was going to be an anxious night.
Finally, in the grey pre-dawn hours, Navira’s eyes fluttered open. Keeran put a water skin to her lips and she drank greedily. ‘My head…full of stone…it hurts,’ she murmured. Arul and Keeran laughed and cried at the same time, if that was indeed possible.
Arul held her hand and looked down at her. He wiped a tear from his eye and saw Navira looking at him with a softness he had never seen. Meanwhile Keeran spoke a prayer of thanks to Lord Ganesha, remover of obstacles. The elephant God had done them quite a few favours lately.
They were ready to move before dawn’s watery light had brightened much. ‘We need to get out of this forest quickly. Those bandits will be looking for revenge, and their idea of revenge will be…well…nasty,’ said Arul.
Keeran and rubbed his neck. “I’d rather not find out.’
But for Arul, first there were a few issues to be sorted out. ‘Wait a moment. I want to say something.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Firstly Navira, don’t ever walk off alone out here. We were lucky this time. Second, does anyone think we should return to Sailem after all of this?’
Keeran and Navira looked at each other for a long moment. Then they turned to Arul. Navira, who was still groggy, spoke in a slow deliberate voice. ‘Arul…you know we weren’t forced to come up here. We actually decided this for ourselves.’
Keeran added his thoughts with a certainty that Arul had never heard before. ‘If we can help the village somehow, then allow us to do so. Allow us to fulfil our karma.’
‘But Navira was kidnapped!’ Arul blurted out.
‘Yes, but I was a coward during the tiger attack,’ Keeran said. ‘I don’t want to be like that anymore. That’s why I have to go on.’
Arul rubbed his chin, eyes sliding to Navira.
I’ve never been tested this much. I always thought I was a tough apprentice forester, ready to face anything. But Navira is a true warrior. She never gives up.
‘In any case, the rest of that bandit gang will be searching the forest road for days. We can’t go back home,’ Navira said.
Arul and Keeran stared at her as an awful realisation dawned on them. The way home was blocked.
Overhead, a large bird with an immense red plume squawked and leapt off a branch, twisting and turning between the trees. ‘So let’s go! Which way, Master Forester?’ Navira said with a gentle smile.
Arul hesitated. ‘Thanks…that really means a lot. That you want to keep going. I feel so stupid for giving up.’ He let out a deep breath. ‘So…um…now we follow the road north until it leaves the forest. Then we’ll see…’
They returned to the site of the tiger kill and gathered their gear, carefully checking the area in case they had left anything behind. Some animal had tried to drag away Keeran’s satchel and flies were already swarming about the tiger corpse. Arul looked at the animal with a glum expression.
The forest claims everything.
He knelt by the animal and touched it one last time. Something brushed his mind and urged him to pull out a knot of fur. He separated the strands of hair and wove it into a tiny thread, which he then tied around his pendant’s chain. He didn’t know why he did it, but he felt he had to. He sighed and stood up, nodding to his friends.
Northward we go.
Arul thought it odd that Jaya hadn’t shown up to sniff at the dead tiger. He cast his eyes in a slow circle but saw no sign of his wolf.
They rejoined the forest road, continuing in a straight line through the trees. As the morning wore on, the white trees gradually became more widely spaced, the forest thinning out. The road climbed uphill towards the forest’s northern exit. Arul noticed wide swathes of grass gradually appear. Large gaps in the forest canopy allowed for glorious sunlight to stream in, brightening the mood considerably. It was nice after the gloom of the past few days.
Arul looked for Jaya all that morning, but his wolf never showed. He couldn’t call out for fear of bandits, but his eyes swept the forest relentlessly.
Where is he?
They stopped for lunch in a small gully, a little way off the road. Navira discovered a tiny gush of water that bubbled from the ground nearby. They filled their waterskins to the brim and washed themselves. Arul strung his bow carefully, testing the bowstring with his fingers. ‘I’m going to get a hare. You two wait. And don’t wander.’
‘Where would we go without you?’ Keeran shot back.
Soon enough, Arul arrived back at camp holding a brace of rabbits. ‘We found wild guavas!’ Keeran said, holding up the tiny yellow fruit. His grin melted and suspicion clouded his face when he saw the rabbits. ‘You’re going to eat that disgusting thing?’
‘Absolutely!’ Arul said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Navira washed the rabbits while Arul started a cooking fire. She fished out a small pouch of spices from her pack and rubbed it over the meat. Soon Arul had the rabbits on a wooden spit, carefully turning over them the flames. He and Navira watched it roasting with watering mouths. The aroma wafted over them, making their stomachs rumble. The hot meat was delicious.
Keeran wouldn’t touch the meat. He munched on his guavas and watched them unhappily. ‘What I’d give for some hot idli rice cakes,’ he moaned.
Arul wiped the grease from his lips and lay back against a tree stump. His thoughts went to Jaya.
Is he injured?
He felt terrible inside but knew they couldn’t search the entire forest.
I have to trust his survival instincts.
He voiced his thoughts to Keeran and Navira. ‘I don’t know where Jaya is. Absolutely no idea. I think we should go on as planned. If he’s anywhere within a mile, he’ll track us.’
Then a familiar presence brushed past Arul’s mind unexpectedly.
I’m here…
Arul frowned. The voice was inside his head.
Jaya?
I’m here. I’ll follow.
What? Where are you?
I’m in the trees, and if I were you I’d get going. The bandits are hunting you like a wolf-pack. They lust for blood.
What kind of wolf are you? Are all wolves able to do this?
But Arul was only met by silence. Remembering Jaya’s warning, he hurried to pack his things.
The joined the road for the final leg to the forest’s end. The pale trees became more stunted as the valley’s altitude rose ever higher, the wind noticeably cooler. Navira rubbed her arms and hunched over, shivering, her cloak no longer warm enough. They paused and rummaged through their packs, drawing out thick woollen shawls they had stolen them from Kapilan’s house.
‘I look like my Aunty Menmai!’ Said Keeran as he tried on a roughly woven shawl, pulling it over his head. Navira laughed, her voice clear as a bell.
They were ready for the high country.