Chapter Six: The Wise Quail

Ynkeri pushes the boundaries at dinner with Heli

After they both got hot showers in a washroom with actual walls and a door, Ynkeri and Lukas were invited to sit down once again for dinner. The nearly toothless Pik sat next to Ynkeri on one side of the table with Lukas and Heli on the other. Instead of soup, there was rice and brown beans with what vaguely resembled meat mixed in.

            The dinner started the same as it did last time, with people eating in silence. Ynkeri was anxious about what would happen next, but no one seemed to notice.

            “Did you run into any trouble today?” Heli asked, between bites. Lukas shook his head, “No, not much. Ynkeri saw a scanner in the baker’s window so we had plenty of time to hide.”

            Heli raised an eyebrow mid-swallow. “That was smart, using your surroundings,” she said, then took another bite of rice and beans.

            Despite herself, Ynkeri smiled. “Thanks.” Lukas had done much of the work and she said so. Lukas looked embarrassed as he swirled his fork in his food.

            “He’s was a genuine knight in shining armor, saving a distressed damsel,” Pik said, pronouncing genuine as ‘gen-u-wine.’ That made Lukas’ face turn a bright red, but he still said nothing.

            “You both did good work. The message was received. We’re already getting what we needed.” Heli said. Ynkeri could see even that much praise was hard for her to say.

            “When do we get to learn what all the hashes and slashes mean?” Ynkeri asked, knowing she was pushing her luck.

            Heli put her fork down and took a sip out of her plastic cup before answering. Both Pik and Lukas looked up and watched the old woman, waiting.

            “Have you ever heard the story of The Wise Quail?” Everyone but Pik shook their heads, ‘no.’ Heli nodded and began to tell the story.

            “There once was a flock of quail who lived in the woods together. Every day they would scratch the ground, eating as they were hungry and fending for themselves. Suddenly, the sound of a distressed quail rang out, ‘Weep-weep-o, weep-weep-o.’” Heli cupped her hands as she made the sound of the bird and then continued, “One quail, the wisest, flew down into the flock and shouted, ‘Brothers and sisters, I have seen a great danger nearby and you all know, in recent days some of our, kin have gone missing. Should you hear the sound of one of our kindred, do not take wing or you might find yourself in a hunter’s trap, but should the worst happen and you find yourselves in the darkness of a net, do not let fear grip your hearts. Instead, let us work together, flapping our wings in unison, and by the by we shall be free. Will you do this with me?’

            “The other quail responded together, ‘We will do as you say.’

            “The very next day, the sound of a quail called and the brothers and sisters instinctually took to wing and were suddenly covered in the darkness of a hunter’s net, just as the Wise Quail said they might. But now, they remembered what their brave leader said and they flapped their wings in unison and lifted themselves from the ground. Following the Wise Quail’s direction, they landed between two bushes, leaving the net above them and were set free.

            “Realizing the forest where they lived was no longer safe, the Wise Quail led his kin deeper into the woods away from the hunter’s haunt. But one day, he returned to his original roost to find a new group of quail. Suddenly, the familiar sound, ‘Weep-weep-o, weep-weep-o’ rang out.

“In their fright the birds began to take wing, but a hunter’s net fell upon them, pinning them to the forest floor. The Wise Quail saw all of this from a nearby branch and called to them, ‘Everyone, beat your wings in time with me.’ But one quail replied, ‘Who made you boss?’ and another said, ‘What you say means nothing. When I flap my wings, all I do is get tired.’ So all the quail flailed helplessly until they were taken and killed by the hunter who’d sprung the trap.”

            Around the table, everyone sat in silence, taking in the story. Ynkeri understood the story enough to know Heli thought she was the second group of quail.

            “I just…” Ynkeri swallowed and steeled herself. “I just think we could do more than running around making lines on walls.” She hadn’t really thought about what else she would say past that and so rather than saying something stupid she closed her mouth. She looked to Lukas, but he looked back to his plate. Pik was grinning.

            “Heli- I like this girl. She reminds me of you.”

            Now it was Ynkeri’s turn to be irritated. “I’m not like her. That’s dumb.”

In reply, Pik laughed, “See? Just like you.”

Heli smiled at the old man- Ynkeri thought it was looked forced. “She has a fire in her gut, I’ll give her that.” Turning to Ynkeri, Heli eyed her carefully. Ynkeri decided she wasn’t afraid of the old woman and held her gaze.

“One trip out doesn’t make you trained. You had an easy afternoon- Lu would tell you that if you asked him. ‘Running around making lines on walls’ is a very important task that I don’t entrust many others to do.” Ynkeri could see Lukas sit a little straighter as Heli spoke. “I’ll forgive your ignorance, but know that I will put you where I want you and if you don’t like it, you can fend for yourself out there.” As she said the last, she waved her fork in a gesture that clearly meant away.

Ynkeri knew she would need to walk very carefully. “I apologize. I only meant that Lukas is smart and I’m good at being quiet.”

Pik snorted in amusement.

“I mean I walk really quiet. I’m a good runner, too. I outran those stupid men with the guns, before.”

“It’s true, she scared me nearly out of my skin this afternoon,” Lukas spoke up, finally.

“Not an easy feat,” Heli allowed, eyeing Ynkeri once more. “Alright, Hero’s Daughter. Prove to me you can take orders. Prove to me that you can handle what you’re asked to do as quietly as everyone claims you can. Prove to me that you’re a part of this group. When you do that, I’ll consider other jobs for you to do, but not before. Understand?”

Ynkeri put her spoon down and smiled. It was more than she expected. “Yes, m’am.”

Heli nodded and stood, signaling dinner was over. “You’ve both had a long, cold day. Go home and rest. Someone will come for you when there’s a message to send.”

Lukas nodded and grabbed his coat and handed Ynkeri hers. Putting it on, she smiled. The heat of the woodstove had nearly dried her jacket through.

As Lukas shut the door of Pik and Heli’s house he said, “You’re insane, girl. Do you know that?”

Ynkeri shrugged. She’d been chased by armed men for weeks and avoided a scanner by sitting in a cold dark box, not knowing if it would work or not. Heli did not scare her anymore.

It was full dark now and freezing, but with their warm coats the walk was not unbearable. Looking up into the sky, the clouds were breaking some. The next day might even prove to be sunny.

“Why is it always so rainy,” Ynkeri asked, elongating her stride to match Lukas’. He was a head taller than she was and trying to stay beside him required her to jog a little.

            “It’s always been this way,” Lukas replied, shrugging the way he always did.

            “Not back when I lived here. It rained sometimes, but not all the time. There hasn’t been one day since I came back that was just sunny.”

            “It will be less wet in a few weeks,” he replied.

            “How do you know?” Ynkeri asked. As she thought of it, she realized she hadn’t seen one info-screen since she returned. They used to be on every corner telling people the weather forecast and all sorts of news headlines that Ynkeri never read, but her father liked to stop for.

            “It will be winter soon. The rain will turn to snow and the cold will get colder. Come spring, it will go back to being wet. It’s how it’s always been.”

            “No, I just said, it wasn’t like this before.”

            “Your before was two hundred years ago. I don’t think that counts anymore.”

            “I think it should,” she replied back in a mutter. Lukas stopped mid stride and turned to her. He looked mad.

            “You don’t get it, do you? You keep pushing and pushing. You’re inches away from being on your own. Heli isn’t someone you push around.”

            “You’d send me off again on my own just because I ask questions? What makes Heli so special that you’d follow whatever she says?” Ynkeri immediately regretted her words. There was a fury in Lukas’ eyes as he grabbed her shoulders so that she could face him.

            “She saved me- do you understand? I owe her everything. You owe her everything or did you think our food came from the sky?” Ynkeri was shaking now, surprised at the intensity of his voice. He was always laughing and joking around.

            “I’m sorry,” she replied, real tears in her voice. He’d surprised her and the initial fright was beginning to sink in. Lukas blinked and released her.

            “Me, too,” he replied and then they walked the last block without speaking.

They were at the stairs before Lukas spoke again, this time more like himself, “If you want to know about this stuff, you should ask Pik. He’s been around the longest of anyone. He would know why it rains so much.”

They were back to normal, Ynerki decided, relieved.

“Yeah, ok,” she replied, not realizing it would be many months before she would have the chance to speak to Pik again.

Author's Note

This is a shorter chapter in this story. Feel free to comment on style, flow, and character development. Criticial and positive feedback are both appreciated.