Kinderling 27

  In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....

I could tell that neither of my parents were well pleased that I spoke up, promising to help Mouse and Flower find their tribe.  Indeed, I really didn't know what I could do.  All that I knew was that my people were in danger, and I would do anything in my power to help them.

And I didn't really even like most of those people.

Huh...  That was a heavy revelation for an odd Kinderling girl.  Why would I?  Why should I stick my neck out for these people?  Then I remembered Mizzy.  Sweet, weird, wonderful Mizzy.  Willing to be my friend in spite of how vastly different we are.  And I thought about Granny Odey, the old Kinderling woman who went out of her way to have conversations with me and play cross-hatch when I was a lonely child, all but ostracized by the other children.  Granny Odey was practically my first real friend.  Then there's Uncle Zon who risked everything to take his patrol into the forest to find me, and Bez, and that widowed Kinderling Mom with the two adorable babies who sold bread-sweets out of her kitchen just to make ends meet.  Where was she?  Was she Okay?  Where the babies?

These were my people.

It was time to get serious.

The plan to rescue the villagers from the camps in the mines was simplicity at it's best.  According to Uncle Zon, any plan they made was bound to fall apart as soon as they encountered the enemy, and a simple plan was easy to modify or cast aside at need.  A complicated plan wasn't so easy to let go of because people worked so hard on it. 

I think I get the sentiment.

Mama and I set to planning the rescue of Mizzy.

"We follow Zon's group to the Upper Halls, there is a tunnel there that lets out on the other side of the village.  We split from Zon when we reach that tunnel." Mama said, "It doesn't get us exactly where we want to be, but close enough that we can hike the rest of the way in.  When I was there before, there was a raspberry shrub just inside the forest across from the Stump.  If we get separated, we'll meet there."

"Yes, Mama."

"Then it's as simple as watching the stump for Daggi to leave, and pulling Mizzy out."  

I sure hoped Mama was right and it would be that easy.  

We spent some time the evening before we left for me to, at least try to, teach Mama how to ride a go-stick.  It wasn't pretty.  I think she got the basics down pat, but where I stood on mine and flew around with ease, Mama ended up sitting on hers.  She didn't go nearly as fast, nor did was she able to maneuver as well, but it worked.  Secretly, I tried it later when nobody was watching and nearly broke my head when I fell off.