Three: One Day in the Stark
THE STARK SEEMED TWENTY DEGREES COLDER THAN THE CITY. The snow was deep, which made traveling slow and taxing. The gusts came in waves, but when they came they were frigid. The Stark was nothing but snow and ice. Nothing grew out here except for a few short trees that had adapted to the harsh environment. Depending on the drifts, the trees were there, and then they were gone. The Stark has many nicknames — the most intimidating is the “murder snow”.
At first they tracked their direction by keeping the walls and glass towers of Crystalis behind them. Then, the snowfall came so thick that nothing but whiteness was visible. Eke tried to use some tracking tricks that the boys used to tell each other, but it turned out they were mostly tips told in children’s stories and didn’t actually work. So — for a while they just walked, hoping they were following the right direction and a straight line.
King, Mother Shimmyshanks’ artificial exoskeleton, seemed pompous in his explanations of the directions they needed to go to get to the bunker — but Eva couldn’t help but think that despite the exoskeleton being a newer model, that it didn’t seem like all of instruments were working properly. They took many breaks — mostly so King could “gather his bearings”. Eva thought for sure that a mdl:2000 would have faster processing speeds. Mother Shimmyshanks blamed it all on the rolling snowstorms.
“Are you going to be okay out here with such an outdated exoskeleton?” Mother Shimmyshanks asked Eva.
“Benjamin does fine,” Eva growled. She prayed silently that Benjamin didn’t say anything off color.
“Eva I have to pee.” Jono said.
“Ah, Jono, you need to keep your respirator in when the snow is like this.”
“I’m sorry, but I have to pee.”
“I’ll take him.” Eke stepped in and took Jono’s hand. “Let’s go over here little guy. Looks like there’s some trees.”
“I want the big one!” Jono pointed.
“Okay, you show me which and I’ll pee on another one.”
<Boys,> Eva thought.
“It’s a shame you didn’t have more going for you, you are really a pretty girl. I could see some potential there.” Mother Shimmyshanks continued her and Eva’s uncomfortable conversation. The old woman’s red eyes judged Eva up and down, slowly. “A la Jaguar eh?” She asked.
“Yes,” Eva said proudly.
“A family with a lot of history in Crystalis. Though, I think your ancestors were a little delusional in thinking they were the children of Rainiar the Goddess. It’s a shame they left you no fortune behind…”
“I do just fine!” Eva snapped.
“Oh I know,” Mother Shimmyshanks swallowed a chuckle. “Going from motel to motel is no life for a woman. People must think you’re some sort of harlot.”
Eva kept an eye on her brother. They were a few yards away, foggy from the blowing snow. Eke was close by, both posed as men do while pissing.
“I’ll never understand,” Mother Shimmyshanks said quietly. Eva knew that the statement was meant to appear as if Mother Shimmyshanks was speaking to herself — but it was meant for Eva to hear. It was meant for Eva to react.
“I won’t ever understand what he sees in me either.”
Mother Shimmyshanks appeared taken aback. Her eyes widened in fear. Her red irises seemed to blaze. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Your son loves me. He’s loved me since the second grade. And you hate it because you think I am beneath you.”
Mother Shimmyshanks cocked her head, taking it all in. Her horns were grown on either side of her head straight up, curling at the very tips, making her head look impossibly heavy when she cocked it to the side like that. “You’re not wrong.” She turned to face Eva for the first time. Her hair looked like spun rubies. “You don’t have feelings for him?”
“Never really have.”
“Thank the Goddess.” Mother Shimmyshanks sighed.
The boys returned and Eva felt like it hadn’t been soon enough. Not even Benjamin was willing to save her from Mrs. Shimmyshanks’ scathing words…
Once Mother Shimmyshanks had felt satisfied, they continued deeper into the Stark. Deeper into the cold and starvation. Deeper in the murder snow. “The sun is starting to go down. We should probably prepare a camp.” Eva suggested.
“Where are we going to sleep!?” Mother Shimmyshanks cried.
Eva looked around obviously, “Here.”
“We can’t sleep here!”
“Mom, we are days away from the bunker. There’s no way we can just walk the whole way.”
“Well I’m not sleeping on the ground.” Mother Shimmyshanks even crossed her arms in protest.
“Suit yourself.” Eva said as she knelt over her survival pack and began yanking out the canvas tent that she’d had stuffed in there.
“You expect me — Rupalapur Shimmyshanks — to sleep in a tent!?”
“Mother,” Eke pleaded.
“Mother is right! I am a Mother of the Council! I will not sleep on this ground!” Mother Shimmyshanks began stomping in her heeled artificial exoskeleton deeper into the stark.
The Stark was snow, endless snow. No one knew how far the Stark stretched. No one has ever made it back from an expedition. When she was young, Eva’s parents always brought her out into the Stark while they were studying some albatross or group of norwotters. Eva knew how to survive out here, better then most. Definitely better than any Crystalissian. “You better get her,” Eva said to Eke. “She’s not going to make it an hour out there by herself. I think that we haven’t been stalked by a predator because we are together.” And more to herself, Eva said, “Or perhaps it’s your mother’s yappy voice.”
The only people that lived out here were the Cavamen. This was Cavamen land, as Crystalis was theirs. Eva’s parents had befriended a tribe once. She wasn’t sure how much communication they’d kept over the years. She wondered where they were now. The Cavamen live in caves and could sneak up on almost anything out here, despite their dark skin and hair against all this white. They have mastered the Stark. Eva was most fearful of running into Cavamen, than any wolf or snow cat.
“Eva?”
“I’m sorry,” Eva shook her head. She had been daydreaming while tying off the ropes that anchored the posts down.
“I can’t believe that we are all going to sleep in there together.” Mother Shimmyshanks complained.
“It is 90% safer to sleep inside a tent together than out in the open,” Benjamin informed.
Mother Shimmyshanks looked confused towards Eva. “Does your exoskeleton always talk out of turn?”
“It’s his best quality,” Eva smiled. <Especially if it pisses you off.> Eva thought.
“To shards with you and your artificial!” Mother Shimmyshanks exclaimed. Benjamin snapped quiet. Eva couldn’t help but snicker.
The tent was up and it was going to be close sleeping for all of them. The tent looked like it was good for two people. They would have to stuff three of them in at a time. At least the collected body heat would help to keep them alive.
Miraculously, Eke had a fire started. Eva had seen him strike the lighter he’d had in his pocket. Eva watched as Eke struck the lighter when his mother wasn’t looking. There were only a few reasons that someone would have a lighter — and Eva was certain that Eke was just trying to be prepared.
“I’ll take first watch.” Eva announced. They’d moved as much snow as they could from around the fire so that they could sit on the ground. Mother Shimmyshanks wasn’t too keen on sitting on the ground, but there was nothing within sight to make a better seat from, so after realizing her feet ached after walking in heels all day, the witch finally swallowed her pride and sat on the ground with the rest of them.
Eva, with Jono’s help, cooked canned goods over the fire. Eke ate like Jono, in big gulps as if they hadn’t eaten in days and weren’t sure where the next meal was coming from — which wasn’t far from the truth. Eva laughed at them, while Mother Shimmyshanks scoffed in disappointment. “Just because we are in the wild, doesn’t mean you need to act like animals. How do you plan to attract a woman to marry if you act like that?” She asked Jono. The boy’s face fell and he began chewing gloomily. “You should start acting right, now. Give yourself a better chance. You don’t get to pick a wife. You will need to attract a wife like every other man.”
“Someone will love him just fine. Besides, he’s too young to worry about such things.” Eva snapped. “Aren’t you tired yet, old woman?”
“Eva.” Eke gasped. Jono laughed.
Mother Shimmyshanks huffed, clumsily climbing onto her heeled feet, “I think I will lay down. At least I can get some sleep before you barbarians join.” She glared at Eva, “Don’t ever forget who your Mothers are!”
Mother Shimmyshanks slipped her bulk through the small opening. King, her artificial, stood as still as stone on the outside of the tent, like a sentry. He powered off so his eyes lost their luster. There was a lot of shuffling around while Mother Shimmyshanks attempted to get some comfort in the tent, before finally, there was quiet, except for the crackle of the fire and the boys’ eating.
“You eat how you want.” Eva reassured her little brother.
Eventually, even the boys crawled into the tent. Eva checked on her brother a few minutes after she heard quiet. Their artificial exoskeletons all standing next to each other like inhuman spectres. They felt like humanoid trees. Eke had his arm wrapped around Eva’s brother. There was space between Eke — and his mother.
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