Chapter 12
Nev came bounding into the small cabin beaming from ear to ear. She stretched out her arm to reveal the bow she had just finished crafting that morning. “What do you think, father?” she asked eagerly.
He took the bow from her hands and examined it closely before handing it back to her. “Well, I think,” he said, before stopping for a long pause.
Nev bounced up and down and exclaimed, “Well, what?”
“I think you did a marvelous job,” he replied with a proud grin. “Should we take it out and see how well you can handle it?” he asked, moving to grab Nev’s cloak from the hook before handing it to her.
“Yes!” she said before skipping out the door with her bow in one hand and her cloak in the other.
Nev’s father grabbed her quiver and arrows prior to following after her. They walked for almost an hour before reaching a small clearing that they had hunted in many times before. He knelt beside her and pointed towards a rabbit that was grazing unaware of their presence. “Now, do you remember how I taught you to clear your mind and focus your thoughts?” he asked, whispering and smiling at Nev.
Nev nodded and slowed her breathing, letting her senses focus on her prey. Suddenly, its heartbeat drummed quietly in her ears. She skillfully pulled an arrow from her quiver and prepared to take her shot. She cleared her mind. In a flash, her arrow landed true. The rabbit, mortally wounded but not dead, collapsed.
“Hurting something or someone is easy. Making it right is not. Always remember that,” said Nev’s father as they moved to find the wounded rabbit.
Nev and her father found the rabbit quickly. It laid on the ground with its breathing becoming more and more labored. Her father then handed her an object wrapped in a piece of purple fabric. “What is this?” she asked eagerly.
“This belonged to your mother, and it will help you make things right. Starting with today,” he said. His tone and expression were serious.
Nev carefully unwrapped the package and stared down at its contents. It was a beautiful dagger. The blade was black and made from a material she didn’t recognize. The hilt was decorated with the etching of a raven’s profile on each side. In each of the birds’ single eyes, was embedded a stunning, purple gem. “It’s beautiful,” she said, as she held the dagger close to her face and studied it. Beyond its beauty, there was a quiet hum of energy coming from within it that she found curious.
“I will tell you more of your mother and the story that dagger is destined to help you tell. First, we have more pressing issues,” father said, gesturing towards the rabbit.
Nev nodded and, without hesitation, ended the rabbit’s suffering. “Make it right,” she said softly.
“Only ten years old and already wiser than most adults I have met,” Nev’s father said, smiling.
“Was my mother very wise?” she asked, watching her father place the rabbit in a sack.
He knelt in front of her and smiled, “She was the wisest of us.”
Nev thought for a moment and then asked, “Then why did she die and leave us?”
He let out a heavy sigh and replied, “She worked very hard to find a way where she could stay with us. She loved you more than anything, never doubt that. But there were… other forces that pushed to take your mother far from us.”
Nev watched her father’s face grow troubled and grave. She had always felt her father’s blue eyes seemed friendly, but now they were temporarily overcast by a painful shadow. She studied his face for a moment, watching his eyes darken and his hair blow in the light breeze. It was short and had very tiny bits of grey, but it mostly matched her own hair.
“I wish things had turned out differently, but it was not meant to be. And sometimes, the only way to protect those we love is to take a risk. And sometimes the cost of that risk is very high, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was wrong to take”, he said, looking closely at Nev.
Nev nodded and queried, “So, I should take risks? Even when I might die?”
Her father’s expression lightened, and he let out a small laugh. “You also ask harder questions than most adults I have met. Well, if what you are taking the risk for is truly important, then… yes. Even when it causes you great pain or will cost you your life. And while we are at it, always try to fix your mistakes and always cling to love. Also, never turn away allies that have proven their worth, never take the easy path just because it is there and never eat soup upside down,” he said grinning.
Nev giggled and gave him a hug. “Can I eat soup sideways?” she asked, still giggling.
“Sure, but only outside,” her father said, chuckling.
On the walk back to their cabin, the familiar purple butterfly danced and glowed around Nev. As the delightful fluttering companion danced circles around her, she giggled and pranced all the way home.
After studying her lessons about local geography and how to find, follow, and hide trails, she got ready for bed. She snuck in a few quick bounces on her mattress before her father came in to read to her.
“Bouncing is for bunnies, and not for beds,” he said gently.
Nev nodded and smiled. “Can I see my stars tonight?” she asked.
“I don’t know, dear. Father’s head is not feeling great, something has been bothering
