Crunchtober Post #1: “Write about Leaving.”

Harjay pushed her way past the tent flap, squinting as the bright sunlight stung her eyes. There was still a crisp chillness to the air, but already the new smells and sounds of spring were filling her senses, invigorating her. The clan had set up their tents in a haphazard fashion the night before, not bothering with any sort of order as they had only planned to stay the night before moving out the next morning, traveling north with the birds and their ilk.

Pulling her hair into a quick bundle behind her head, Harjay set about disassembling her own tent, rolling up the short bolts of fabric with a practiced ease. like many of the others in the clan, she had elected to stay the night on the ground, sheltered only by the sturdy, but thin fabric of her one person tent. She had had quite enough of sleeping in the caravans this winter, crammed as it was sharing it with her parents and her brother. The weather permitted a comfortable night out in the open now, and she planned on using every second it allowed.

Picking up the large bundle of cloth and poles that made up her tent, Harjay carried the load over to her family’s caravan, where her mother and father seemed to have just finished waking up themselves. Her father’s large, imposing form could be seen at the front of the cart, re-attaching the horses to the caravan and feeding and watering them at the same time. Her mother was in the back, securing their sleeping material with belts so that it wouldn’t be jostled and roll around while they continued on their journey north.

Hearing her approach, Harjay’s mother looked up from her task and smiled softly at her daughter. “Good morning blue-Jay.” She said, using Harjay’s old childhood nickname. Everyone in the clan called her some variation of this; Jay, blue-Jay and little bird seemed to be the most popular.

“Good morning, Mama.” Jay said with a smile or her own. Seeing the bundle of cloth in her arms, Jay’s mother held her hands out and took the load, packing it in with the rest of the family’s sleeping supplies. Jay smiled in thanks before hopping up onto the caravan, letting her legs dangle out freely and swing back and forth as she observed the clan mill about, preparing for the morning’s departure. She stayed that way for a moment, only hopping down with a smile once she saw the lanky figure of her brother trudging through the grass towards them, laden with his own camping supplies. With a skip, she took off towards him stopping just short of bowling him over in her excitement.

“Branon! Where did you get off to last night? You wandered off before dark and I didn’t see you again.” she said quickly. Branon just shrugged and Jay stuck out her lip in a pout, before giving her brother’s arm a playful punch. “Come on! Are you REALLY not going to tell me? You tell me everything.” Branon went to brush Jay off again with a shrug, but at his sister’s glare he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.” He said. “I was scouting.” Jay screwed up her mouth in confusion.

“Scouting? For what? There’s nothing around for miles, you know that. We make this trip every year.” Branon nodded.

“I know. But we’ve always stayed with the clan, on the path. I was looking around for something.” Harjay narrowed her eyes, still confused.

“What were you looking for? Firewood?” Branon shook his head. “Well, what was it then?”

“I was looking for cover. To see if there was a way to make it off the path and away from the clan without being seen, okay?” He said in a fierce whisper. Jay took a step back, affronted.

“Why would you be looking for that?” she said, but in truth she already knew the answer. Had seen it coming for weeks, now. The thought still filled her chest with icy dread, though. Branon looked at his sister out of the corner of his eye, shoulders hunched and tight; defensive.

“I’m leaving, Jay. I can’t stay here anymore.” He murmured, before facing his sister completely. “I know you’ve seen it too. I don’t belong here, I’m not like the rest of the clan. The rest of you.”

The obvious inclusion of herself stung, but Jay tried not to let it show on her face.

“When?” She asked. They had stopped moving, and were now just standing in the middle of the field, out of earshot of the other clan members. Branon shrugged.

“I don’t know. Soon. Within the next week, probably. I still need to gather supplies.” Jay felt the breath go out of her body. The next week?

Blinking back tears, Jay took a steadying breath. She couldn’t handle losing her brother. She knew what she needed to do.

“Branon,” she said, prompting her brother to look back at her. Their eyes locked. “I’m coming with you.”