Guardians Legacy

CHAPTER I

They came awake almost at the same time. There were ten of them, five males and five females. They didn’t know who or where they were. They didn’t even know what they were. They were ten years old.

The children looked around their surroundings with the curious and bewildered look of the innocent, much like newly born infants. One, a small blonde girl spoke, "I need water. She didn’t know how she knew that she needed water, she just did. As one, the rest of the children agreed, chanting in unison, Yes, I need water."

The small group looked around; the surrounding forest towered over the tiny sunlit glade, warming the huge multi-coloured boulder at their backs. Wild flowers, which vied for space amongst dense thick grass, covered the ground as well as a riot of blooms cascading from vines entwined in the treetops high above them. The profusion of colours and shapes were a sharp contrast with the rich shades of green leaves and the branches of the rough barked tree trunks. Butterflies and birds flitted and flew amongst the bees and insects, all intent on going about gathering their daily food supplies, oblivious to the small, naked beings who had arrived seemingly from out of nowhere only moments before.

There was a narrow track leading out of the glade. One of the boys, tall and long limbed, made his way to the path and peered down its winding track.

"This is the way to the water. he said. The boy did not know how he knew this. He just did. Once again the children spoke in unison, Yes, that is the way."

The way to the water was not very far. Even though the children were healthy and clear-eyed, they moved with the clumsy awkward jerkiness of limbs unused to movement. All had long hair that reached far down their backs. Shiny and of various shades, some had a tumble of unruly curls while others had hair that rippled like a solid mass of silk. These children were straight limbed and carried no excess fat on their lithe bodies.

A waterfall gently flowed from a large crack in a rock wall to spill into a pool of cold clear water, which then tipped out once again over a small shelf of pale yellow rock to become a shallow little stream. Fish scattered in panic at the intrusion of voices and movement on the grassy bank above them.

The children walked to the waters edge, half afraid to touch it but also knowing this was what they needed to slake their thirst. As one they knelt, cupped their hands and drank long and deeply.

The loud noise of a falling tree branch startled the group causing one of them to fall into the pool. The terrified child screamed as she hit the cold water and began to thrash frantically. Within moments however, her face transformed as she realised that even though she could not feel the ground under the water, she could keep her head above the water if she used her arms and legs in a paddling motion. The others looked on with intense interest, their initial fearful response quickly disappearing when they realised their companion wasn’t in any danger from her complete submersion. The girl paddled up to the edge of the pool, water streaming from her unruly red curls.

"This is swimming and bathing," she smiled.

Yes, replied the others, "swimming and bathing." Tentatively, the tall boy who had led them down the path to the pool, walked into the water. After a slight hesitation the rest of the group followed him. The pool was cool and the youngsters played and splashed water at each other, their childish laughter ringing through the clear early morning air.

Their limbs loosened and their thirst satisfied the children ran along the forest trail back to the sunlit glade. They had now grown quite hungry and recognised the need to eat, they just didn’t quite know how to fill the hollow emptiness in their stomachs. On arrival at the clearing they found an array of foodstuffs laid out in bowls moulded from a hard shiny metal. Lifting the lid on one of the pots that were set aside from the bowls, one of the boys stepped back as a cloud of hot steam blew upwards, he dropped the warm lid and peered inside.

"This is meat. It’s hot," he said. He didn’t know how he knew this, he just did.

Using the smaller bowls and some eating utensils the children helped themselves from each of the bowls and pots set out before them, taking care with the hot food.

Leaving their empty plates wherever they had finished their meal the children then looked into the other curious packages that had arrived with the food. One of the bigger parcels held some large squares of material. There was an assortment of types and sizes. The smaller squares were thick and soft while the larger thin and shiny squares had metal eyelets along the outer edges with coils of rope tied to each of them. Another of the packages held an assortment of clothing. The children had no idea what to do with them. One by one the small beings dozed off in the warm afternoon sun, their bodies still not used to so much activity.

The shade had deepened quite a bit in the glade by the time the children awoke. They visited the pool for another drink but didn’t go for a swim except for the little curly haired redhead; she never seemed to tire of the refreshing clear water.

Under the dark cool shadow of the huge boulder in the clearing they found that their pots had been replenished with more food. Their eating bowls and utensils had been stacked and were placed in a large round tub filled with water, beside it was a word printed on a small flat white square that was unlike any of the materials they had so far found in the parcels left before. The single word was WASH. Somehow the children understood what the word stood for and that they were meant to wash their bowls after they had eaten. They didn’t know how they knew to read, they just could. This time when the children had finished their meal they washed their bowls and pots and restacked them neatly beside the big tub.

By now twilight had arrived and the air was noticeably cooler. The children huddled closer together as the night dew settled on them and strange sounds came from the dark forest. As the night deepened and grew colder they huddled closer and closer for warmth from the chill and damp. The children in the middle of the ball of arms and legs were warm and cosy, the unfortunate children on the outside of the tangle were getting colder as the night wore on. Eventually they too succumbed to sleep. Sometime during the night the children found they had been covered with some of the smaller soft squares of material. Now they understood their use!

CHAPTER II

Kyten awoke as the first rays of sun touched the tops of the lofty trees, crowning their leafy heads with vibrant jewel like colours as the profusion of blooms that grew there seemed to glow with a radiance of their own in the clear early morning light. Nearby, another of the children, Aventa, stood up. Her long blonde hair hung almost to her knees as she tilted her head back and stretched her arms until she was standing on the tips of her toes.

Kyten rose to tend to his urgently pressing bladder and hurriedly walked to the other side of the clearing. He almost splashed himself as the hot stream steamed in the cool morning air in a great golden arc, totally unconcerned that he was in full sight of the stirring camp.

Trysti was already making her way down to the pool for an early morning swim her light steps bouncing as she skipped down the path. The activities in the camp increased and before long all were making their way down the track to the pool. Giant fern fronds heavy with morning dew, hung over the path, brushed their shoulders as they passed.

As before, on their return, the clearing in front of the boulder held an enticing selection of food. The smallest of the five females, Fyre, found more markings on the thin white sheets placed on top of some of the bowls. Picking one up she found she could understand what was written on the paper in large bold lettering Fruit—Banana. The corresponding bowl held a large bunch of long yellow fruit; these were soft yet firm to touch.

One of the Bananas was peeled half out of its skin and rested on the side of the bowl.

Another of the bowls was labelled Fruit—Berry and filled to the brim with glossy round red and black fruit. Ukase selected a rather large plump berry and pressed it between his thumb and finger, the berry burst, its sticky juices squirting in all directions. Ukase licked his fingers and looked at the others, his almost black eyes partly obscured by a thick fall of pitch black hair, lit up with pleasure. "These—are really—good!" he said between each berry as he popped more into his mouth. The others swarmed around the various bowls, tasting everything, exclaiming over the flavours and enticing aromas of the fresh food.

During their second day the fledgling tribe ate, drank from the pool and slept, finding food placed at the base of the boulder each time they returned from the stream—just when they felt hungry. That night Kyten and Aventa covered the rest of their group with the small soft and warm squares called blankets. This was to be the pattern of their days for a couple of weeks until one night they awoke as water came out of the sky above them. They huddled under their blankets and managed to stay dry for a short time. The deluge continued on, the children were soon damp and then wet as their blankets became soaked. They bunched up in misery and none slept very much until the water stopped falling and the sun came out with the dawn. Chota, the heaviest and strongest of the males tripped over one of the coils of rope that were attached to the large pieces of shiny material and called the others over to see what he had discovered. Underneath the folded cloth the ground was perfectly dry! Kyten now realised the purpose of the bigger squares, they were to keep them dry when it rained.

Following their breakfast and their morning swim, Kyten showed the children how best they could use the canvas for cover. They tied the largest of the heavy tarpaulins to the tallest trees nearest to the coloured boulder in the clearing. Using the boulder for the back barrier they fashioned side walls with a couple of the remaining smaller sheets of canvas which they held in place at the bottom with large logs leaving the entire front of the shelter open.

The children had worked out how to wear the soft pants and jackets that had been left for them with their blankets and tarpaulins. Under the hot sun the clothing got too warm and restricting to wear and were soon discarded back into an untidy heap beside the rock. Using the pile of clothing and the other tarps the children made themselves a very cosy and soft bed to lie down on under their warm blankets that night.

Several months passed, the small group had learned something new each day from their mysterious benefactors. Each day brought a new type of food or items of use including paper and ink. A bunch of large feathers accompanied this stack, some with their ends sharpened to form nibs; one of them was already loaded up with ink, a lesson in itself. Fire arrived in a large earthen bowl with a vented lid to allow smoke to escape. Diagrams on a sheet of paper showed them how to keep it going, Kyten suggested that they all take turns to check that the fire continued to burn. Raw meat arrived the next day pierced upon some sharpened sticks with instructions as to how it was to be cooked on the open fire. The following day there were highly detailed illustrations of some types of animals with the word meat. The children were confused with the association of these animals and the raw red flesh that they cooked each night.

By now the children had sorted their possessions into different piles and had them all neatly stacked along the walls and the rock base of their sleeping quarters. Extra bowls held leftover fruit and vegetables. Pots, pans and eating utensils stacked beside the big washing—up tub which also served to hold extra water for the camp’s use during the day. Blankets and clothing were folded in a rough sort of order in the most sheltered part of their home. Neat and clean habits were also part of the lessons that had been learnt during their short time of awareness.

One morning after their ritual swim, the tribe of children ran up the forest path, carefree laughter ringing through the cool morning air. Breakfast was on the minds of everyone.

Chota, always the hungriest, arrived at the clearing first and came to a sudden halt. There wasn’t any breakfast left out for them today!

CHAPTER III

After waiting in vain all that day for food that didn’t arrive, the children settled down to a very hungry and restless night. They arose earlier than usual and with the dawn light filtering through the forest the youngsters set off down the path to the stream. They hurried back, more than one of them peering ahead hopefully to see if their breakfast had arrived whilst they weren’t looking. Hadji, the smallest of the males, cried out with disappointment when they discovered that their bowls were still empty!

We must find food for ourselves, said Kyten.

Yes, agreed Aventa. I have seen some of the fruit on the trees, we could eat those.

I know where some eggs are! came the excited cry from Glymma, a delicate girl whom the forest birds and wildlife seemed to have no fear of and often were flocked around her when she was on her own away from the others. Glymma claimed to understand the animals and was often heard crooning and whistling to them in her lilting, charming voice.

They split into groups of twos and threes and set off in different directions to forage for food. Trysti, Simoon and Aventa found the trees that grew great bunches of bananas.

Some of the bunches were green, others were still half grown. After consuming a couple of the riper fingers of sweet soft flesh, they set about picking the fruit to take back to the others.

"I think we should only pick the bananas which are yellow. I do not know about the green ones," said Trysti worriedly.

Yet these ones are the size, replied Simoon, Could they be the same as yellow bananas—maybe just a different colour? he asked, holding up a hand of green bananas for closer inspection. Simoon was a serious child, the one who pondered the longest on any of the problems the young tribe came up against. He liked to build things, utilising whatever was available from his surroundings. A long length of blue Epor vine, which in some areas of the forest grew thicker than a boy’s waist, was pulled down from the tree it was clinging to. Simoon tied the ends around the selected yellow fruit, which they had placed onto layered banana leaves making it into a neat, if somewhat bulky parcel. Sliding a strong stick through a convenient loop he mentioned for one of the girls to pick up one end while he lifted up the other. I’ll take one of these green ones, we’ll see what the others think, said Aventa, snapping off one green banana from its bunch, "Maybe one of the others might know".

Meanwhile Fyre led Chota and Lynx to where they could find eggs in the many numerous nests that could be found in the tree tops. Fyre took her advantage of being very agile when she climbed up the trees and nimbly balanced her way across the thinnest of branches. We should only take one egg from each nest, said Fyre as she reached into a nest on the branch above her head.

These eggs look pretty small, said Chota peering at the nut-sized speckled eggs doubtfully, Make sure you get enough for all of us. Always hungry, Chota felt almost weak at the thought of food. His body was growing at the fastest rate amongst the boys,

Chota’s shoulders were already broad with the promise of a large chest and upper arms, the skin across his chest muscles taut with young strength.

Lynx, can you climb up here, so I can pass these eggs down to you? asked Fyre.

Why should I? snapped Lynx, I don’t even like eggs.

I’ll get them, offered Chota, who was too hungry to put up with Lynx’s bad humour.

Just hurry up or I’m going back, Lynx growled, I want to see what the others have brought back. Lynx also wanted to go back because she couldn’t bear to think that she might have missed out on anything that might have been left out at the base of the huge boulder at camp. A beautiful tawny haired girl, Lynx’s features where often spoilt by bad moods, her full lips pouting more often than smiling, eyes that slanted upwards and high cheek bones gave her an exotic look. Unlike the rest of the group, Lynx rarely helped around the camp. She never felt like exploring the surrounding countryside yet would demand that she be taken to any of the new places that had been discovered—if it was a site of particular interest. Lynx was a lazy, bad tempered girl. It never occurred to the rest of the children to chastise or force her to help; they always shared everything evenly amongst each other.

Kyten, Ukase and Glymma had already arrived back at camp with bowlfuls of the round hard-shelled nuts found in a grove not far away. The two boys were busy cracking them open with large rocks while Glymma sorted out the white creamy flesh from the smashed shells. Hadji had filled the vessels for holding water and had set out the eating bowls expectantly—for such a small person Hadji could eat almost as much as Chota!

Neither of them ever had anything left on their plates after mealtimes. The girls tended to eat less than the boys, everyone getting the same amount at the start of the meal and then the boys would finish off whatever the girls had left over.

The children didn’t realise it but they were providing for themselves. They had learnt to hunt—not without quite a few mishaps, the skinning and butchering of the carcasses still had a lot of room for improvement! Their shelters were sturdy and dry, they were growing daily and even though they still had many thoughts along similar lines, as each day passed they were also developing their own distinct personalities and traits. Following Kyten’s lead most of the boys had shortened their hair and tied the rest behind their heads. The girls from the start had woven flowers and vines into their shining tresses; they had even fashioned combs for themselves by binding the short hard stems from one of the berry bushes with thin strands of Epor vine. They had also learnt that green bananas tasted terrible!

Life in paradise is wonderful but even in paradise children get bored. Glymma was often away from the tribe, she loved crooning and talking to the forest animals and would follow them for miles, just enjoying observing them going about their daily business. On one of these solitary adventures Glymma quietly crouched behind a tall tree keeping her eyes on the tiny rabbit kits that were feeding on the lush clover in front of their burrow under a rock ledge. She had been coming here for the past few days ever since she had caught sight of the mother rabbit disappearing down the hole which she had tracked it to. Glymma had the patience to wait and watch the animals’ habits rather than approaching their homes, for she knew that if she disturbed them too early, they would flee and wouldn’t return. Creeping very slowly towards the little bunnies, Glymma tried to edge closer, just as she was almost close enough to touch one, a large shadow crossed over the rabbit family, causing the mother to start thumping on the ground with her hind legs in alarm which sent the babies scurrying into the hole with their mother right behind them. Quickly looking upwards to see what had disturbed the family of rabbits, Glymma caught a glimpse of flashing wings shining brightly just as the large animal flew out of view, she strained her eyes trying to capture a decent sighting but the creature proved to be too elusive. Feeling a little uneasy from the discovery of such a big animal in the skies she shivered slightly before returning her attention back to the rabbit hole, Glymma stood up and peered hopefully into its interior, searching in vain for the cute little rabbits.

"Maybe if I sit very still above the hole they might come out