Berht sat like this for some time, glancing around occasionally to watch as the various species of birds flew about Skara's singular forest. Thrush's- a small bird with a white belly covered in black, tear-shaped specks. Blended in effortlessly with the almost identical background of black and white trees as they flew throughout the lively forest. Berht watched as one of these feathered creatures dove gracefully from a moss-covered nest resting snugly atop a large white branch- landing effortlessly on the forest floor.
Hopping around the ground in a rushed manner, the thrush stopped in front of a small puddle at the base of an old tree. It began pecking intensely at the water's surface, turning its calm surface into a storm of tiny waves. But after just a second, the thrush pulled its narrow beak out of the water, now carrying a drowned worm in its grasp.
Flying back up to its hidden nest, the thrush was greeted by three chirping heads- eager to feast on their mother's catch. As the feeding began, one little bird, trying desperately to be first in line to eat, hobbled dangerously close to the nest's edge. At the same time a strong surge of wind rushed through the thin wall of trees, sending the small inhabitants of the forest scurrying for cover as a wave of leaves flew past.
But the baby bird who had ventured too far from the safety of its nest. Was unable to brace itself against the sudden gust, and was sent flying out of its nest, plummeting far below onto the hard forest floor- emitting a soft THUMP as it landed on a patch of dried-up leaves.
Watching as its child fell, the adult thrush took off from its nest, much to the disapproval of the other baby birds still feeding in their nest. Circling the fallen baby, the mother bird began chirping frantically, knowing it would be unable to carry their child back into its nest. The baby bird moved about sluggishly, chirping quietly in a muffled tone, clearly shaken from its abrupt fall. Desperately hoping its mother wouldn't abandon its helpless state.
Berht watched this tragedy with empty eyes before slowly getting up from his resting spot. Moving closer towards the fallen child, Berht bent down in front of the shaking baby and scooped it up into his calming hands. He could feel the warm fuzz of the baby bird as it moved back and forth in his hands, still yet to grow its feather-filled wings.
The mother bird, now seeing her child trapped in the unknown hands of a stranger, flew aggressively around Berht, coming close to colliding with him several times. Now with a sense of urgency, Berht ran over to the thin tree containing the bird's twig nest and began to scale its smooth bark.
Berht had learned how to climb at the young age of eleven, back when he and Beohtric had decided to find out who could reach the top of these very birch trees the fastest. At first, neither of the two could even reach the first branch without a boost from the other. But after days of effort and many painful falls, both Berht and Beorhtric were able to climb even higher than the tree's branches allowed.
Thinking back to it, Berht couldn't even remember the last time he had found joy in climbing a tree.
Now about ten feet up, Berht's head was slightly below the still-chirping nest. With one last boost upwards, Berht propelled himself towards the twig nest, grabbing onto an even thinner branch above it to hold himself in place.
Extending his arm towards the nest, Berht laid the still-shaking baby back down into its home, met by the glee-filled chirps of its brothers and sisters.
Staring at the reunited siblings, a small smile appeared on Berht's face. Who soon began his quick descent back down the birch tree.
Landing on the ground, covered in a collection of forest debris, Berht looked up just in time to catch the mother bird returning to her nest, clearly relieved at the rescue of her fallen child. Watching as the family resumed their daily routine, Berht felt a sense of neglect stemming from his seemingly forgotten actions. The mother bird resumed her daily task of caring for her young- returning to scavenge the forest floor for insects and fallen berries alike. The three young birds, even the one who had fallen, completely ignored the longing gaze of Berht. Instead, they returned to calling demandingly for their mother's future catch- chirping loudly into the quiet wind.
Shaking his head in disappointment as he walked away, Berht thought to himself,
"What was I even expecting..."
***
Sticks cracking under his shifting weight, Berht made his way back through the white forest. Now completely oblivious to the blissful scenery surrounding him. Stepping through a narrow gap in the tree line, Berht exited the forest brush, arriving back on the familiar cobblestone road.
Carrying on with his forward stroll, Berht's head remained down, gazing hazily at the repetitive pattern of grey as he hopped between the large stone rocks that had been used to build the road ages ago. His mind lost in empty thought, Berht didn't even notice as the expanding stone road slowly transformed into a damp dirt pavement, or as the thin trees of the tightly packed birch forest became scarce. It wasn't until a hoarse voice called out from his side did Berht break his lonely trance.
"Hey Berht! Come here and try this!"
Looking up, Berht was greeted by an energetic old man with messy gray hair half-covering his blurry eyes- aged by time. As he limped towards Berht, a noticeable slouch drastically shortened his already small stature.
"Oh- hey Nathanael, what are you doing ou-"
But before he could finish, Nathanael shot out his hand, forcing a group of small multicolored objects into Berht's palm. Feeling a spongy sensation, Berht looked down into his open hand, hiding a small frown.
"What are these ones called?"
A diverse variety of mushrooms filled Berht's hand, their safety uncertain.
Chuckling nervously, Nathanael responded, "Well, I haven't been able to name all of them yet," pointing to one of the mushrooms covered in multiple orange rings, Nathanael excitedly exclaimed, "But I know that one's called a Reishi."
What little credibility Berht had left for Nathanael's experience vanished as he shoved the handful of mushrooms into one of his back linen pockets.
"They look good, I'll save them to share with my family for later."
Shaking his head in content, Nathanael suddenly burst up, his back emitting small cracks as his height increased.
"That reminds me! How were the last ones I gave you?"
Pausing for a moment, Berht reminisced to earlier in the morning, back when he and Beorhtric had arrived at their secret spot. Sitting down on the log bench, a soft squish came from Berth's back pocket.
"Dang it! I forgot about them again."
Reaching into his back pocket, Berht pulled out a slimy brown clump of smushed mushrooms.
The humor of the occasional accident had long since disappeared, leaving Beorhtric to respond with an obvious question: "Why don't you just eat them? I'm sure it would save you from some trouble down the line ."
Throwing the expired mushrooms off the cliff, Berht watched as they fell into the dark blue water, disappearing beneath the calm ocean waves. "Come on, you know not all of these can be safe. I'm surprised that old geezer hasn't dropped dead from poison yet."
Noticeably unsatisfied with Berht's answer, Beorhtric asked another question, "Well, instead of wasting them, just tell Nathanael you don't want them anymore. That way you don't have to be bothered with this pointless exchange, and Nathanael won't have to waste his valued mushrooms on you anymore."
Sitting back down with a sigh, Berht gazed across the flat ocean surface.
"You know… It's a lot easier to lie than tell the truth."
Pausing for a second to confirm his belief, Berht continued with his explanation.
"When Nathanael gives me those mushrooms, his face doesn't show the slightest sign of annoyance at having to give away something he values- It's full of happiness. If I break my lie, then I break his happiness."
Turning to Beorhtric, Berht added one last remark.
"If the worst I have to deal with is an occasional mushy pocket, then I'm fine with giving that old man a little bit of happiness."
Tilting his head towards the sky, Beorhtric responded with uncertainty, "Eh- I guess I see where you're coming from but it doesn't really resonate with me. But I guess if it's working for you, there's no reason to change it."
Grinning slightly, Berht responded, "Now you get it."
As their past conversation returned to talk about stories they had eavesdropped in on, or the limited landmarks they could revisit, Berht's memory returned to the present in the form of yet another lie.
Looking straight into Nathanael's questioning eyes, Berht responded thoughtlessly.
"Yeah, they were pretty good, tasted kinda earthy."
A simple lie
Face beaming with pride, Nathanael let out a short, relief-filled chuckle.
"I knew you'd like them, but I think this batch will outdo the last one."
Putting on a smile, Berht politely responded, "Yeah, I'll be sure to tell you when I come back through."
Waving goodbye, Nathanael called out, "I'll be waiting!" Before slowly limping away from Berht. His constant slouch carrying him as he went- all the way back to the front door of his house.
"House!?-"
Now alert, Berht jerked his head around in shock- taking in the scene surrounding him.
Houses built entirely of stacked grey stones supporting green roofs of moss lined the widened dirt pavement, now sprawled out in front of Berht. The white and black forest that had previously concealed him from wind and light was now at its edge, which allowed for the warmth-filled rays of the sun to shine upon him once more. Filling this open street, all sorts of familiar faces walked about lazily- not a care in their singular world.
The Secluded Town Of Skara
"Holy… I really zoned out that time."
Chuckling slightly in his mind, Berht shook his head disapprovingly at himself before beginning his daily walk back through his hometown.
Skara by no means should have ever been considered a town, but seeing as it was the biggest of the two settlements on Orkney, everyone went along with it. In reality, Skara was barely big enough to be considered a village based on the stories Berht had heard from the occasional merchants who visited Orkney's port.
Tales of real towns, big enough to fit Skara tens of times over. And bustling cities, vast enough to cover the entire horizon. Dwarfed the small image Skara held inside Berht's mind.
"I want to walk through them, run through the crowds of people, admire the marvels of their buildings, taste the uniqueness of its food – I want to explore it all without end."
Walking through the thin crowd, Berht could make out a couple of notable figures attending to their duties. Blowing softly on a furnace of hot coals -Sindrin- the sole blacksmith of Skara, was trying half-heartedly to rekindle his fading forge. Across the street, the smell of freshly baked bread wafted out of a propped-open door. Inside, Skaras' plump baker -Pistor- was sitting lazily on an old oak chair, waiting patiently for his batch of fresh bread to finish baking.
For the most part, Berht ignored the tasks of his fellow townsfolk, only pausing to return the quick greetings some gave as they passed by.
If Skara could be described in a single word, Berht would choose dull.
While I would say unique.
Looking straight ahead, Berht saw the end of Skara nearing closer. Where the town's clearing ended and the thick mesh of trees continued- now with no road to traverse them. Looking behind him, the number of people walking the street had drastically decreased, leaving only Berht on the narrowing road.
"Almost home"
Walking for a minute longer, Berht reached the last disorganized row of houses and turned right down a narrow side street no wider than his outstretched hands. Passing by square glass windows and thick wooden doors on his right, and the reemerging birch forest on his left, Berht made his way further down the alley- disappearing into the mix of civilized nature.
Stopping in front of a stone house with an unusually large window displaying all sorts of hanging meats for onlookers to peruse as they strolled by, Berht let out a small sigh and turned his back to the calling forest. Walking up to the unlocked wooden door, Berht twisted the bronze handle and stepped inside
As the door shut behind him, the pungent smell of meat instantly filled the room, causing Berht's nostrils to shrivel. Berht's family had been in the business of Butchery for as long as he could remember, and Berht had helped out with its duties his whole life. But despite all the time spent exposed to the smell, Berht still had trouble staying inside the tightly packed shop for long periods of time.
The First room of Berht's house was dedicated to the family business, with sharp knives mounted on the walls and all types of dried meats hanging from threads on the ceiling. To the side of the left wall, a polished wood counter sat idly by, with a small iron scale on top of it to help serve the store's few daily customers.
Further left of the counter and against the right wall, a small rectangular table sat between four wooden chairs. A singular rectangular window at the front of the store would fill the room with warm light during the day and give a view of the endless stars at night. Of course, you had to see it through a mask of hanging meat. In the back of the house sat two smaller, separate rooms.
The room on the right belonged to Berth's parents, consisting of a double bed with bulky wool sheets and simple works of handcrafted furniture sprawled out across the room. The room on the left was Berht's. Compared to the other rooms, its interior was very bland, consisting only of a tiny single bed tucked away in the corner with a nightstand containing three drawers standing at its side. Berht had never liked his room due to the lack of windows. It made him feel like the walls were the bounds of where his mind was allowed to explore, like a small mental prison that he wasn't yet strong enough to escape. Because of this, Berht had never used his room much, and on days when the rain was mild and the air was warm, he would grab a cut roll of bread, shove some slices of beef between them, and take off into the outdoors to spend the day.
But today's short-lived adventure was over.
Greeting him at the front door, Berht's mother- Ayane, let out a quick gasp, almost colliding with him at the doorway. Stepping back in surprise, the shocked expression on Ayane's face quickly faded away- melting into a gentle, motherly smile.
Embracing Berht, Ayane joked gleefully at the disinterested Berht, "Well, someone's back early."
Returning his mother's hug in a lackluster attempt, Berht responded, "Yeah, we couldn't really think of anything to do for the day… or talk about really."
Ayane was- caring. Standing just a few inches shorter than Berht, with light brown hair pulled back into a neat ponytail hanging just below the bottom of her neck.
From further inside the house, a loud, solid voice came from behind the shop's counter, "Come here son!"
Berht's father- Cedric, stood against the wooden counter space, tying a string of twine to a butchered leg of sheep meat. Cedric was- an idol. In Berht's youth, Cerdirc had always towered over him; he would pick Berht up and throw him high into the sky- much to the thrill of Berht's high-pitched laughs. But as time passed, Berht grew tall and his mind mature.
Stepping onto a short wooden stool, Cedric tied the hanging sheep leg to one of the already overflowing wooden rafters. The dim ceiling darkened Cedric's already dark-brown hair as he spoke from behind a hanging chandelier of meat, "I wanted to try a new mix of seasoning for the sausage mix I was planning to make today. I was thinking I could request your help with it." Stepping down from the stool, Cedric glanced at Berht. "So what do you say?"
Feeling hesitant at first, Berht thought for a second before realizing he truly had nothing better to do with his time.
"Yeah, why not."
A large broad smile grew on Cedric's face as he began to pull out all sorts of items from under the counterspace: small glass jars containing anything from a fine white powder to dry green leaves, metal knives with oak handles sharpened to perfection, and two identical cutting boards layered with the scars of past use. Cedric laid out all these items onto the open counterspace, creating a butcher's workstation with natural accuracy.
As Cedric continued with his passionate prep work, Berht glanced behind him- staring at the distant birch forest through the house's sole window. Watching as both her son and husband became lost in thought, Ayane let out a small smile before sitting down quietly at the family table, observing her family with content happiness as they began their work.
After a minute of loud clamor, Cedric finally stood up, clasping his hands together, "Okay, let's get started!"
Snapping out of his trance, Berht stuttered, "Huh?, oh- yeah let's get this finished with."
Walking behind the counter, Berht positioned himself to the left while Cedric stood at the right, placing a large metal bowl in between the two. "Okay, let's start by chopping up the mutton." Tossing a slab of red meat onto Berht's cutting board, Cedric began cutting up his own. CHOP CHOP CHOP. "Make sure you cut it as small as possible." Nodding his head without muttering a word, Berht began butchering his own slab of meat, chop chop chop.
Time went by in silence as the amount of minced meat in the bowl grew. The steady quietness only broken by the rhythmic sound of knives on wood.
The meat was sheep. The biggest animal available to Orkney's people- farmed exclusively by Berht's family. They would let the soft creatures wander around Orkney aimlessly, with no fence or fear of loss. When the shop needed more stock, Cedric would call on Berht to track down one of these wandering groups of sheep. And once he found them, Berht would choose a suitable adult from the herd, tying a lead to its wool-covered neck before herding it back to the shop- where Cedric would take care of the rest.
Every once and a while, when a merchant's ship would miraculously end up at Orkney's shore, Cedric would send Berht down to the docks to search for any exotic meat they might be carrying. It would always be something dried, as Berht was told by talkative sailors that nothing fresh could survive out at sea for long. So besides the few pieces of meat brought in by merchants, the only type of red meat ever available to Orkney- was sheep.
Putting down his knife, Cedric broke the drawn-out silence, "Okay, that's enough for now, I don't want to make too much just in case this ends up tasting awful."
Putting his own knife down, Berht stepped back from the counter and watched as Cedric began opening a number of glass jars lining the edges of the counter. Reaching into one of the taller jars, Cedric took out a pinch of ground black powder and tossed it into the minced mutton.
Glancing behind him at Berht, Cedric pointed at the bowl, "First, you have to add a little bit of pepper."
Now grabbing a handful of white, sand-like grains from a wide jar. Cedric gently sprinkled the tiny crystals on top of the mixture.
"Then add a little less than a handful of salt."
While Cedric continued with his lengthy demonstration, Berht's eyes once again began to wander. Away from the counter- out the window.
Across the room, Ayane's gentle smile didn't falter. She just sat in blissful silence, watching a familiar scene play out, just like it always had before.
"Okay, that's everything."
Cedric's sudden silence brought Berht's attention back to the crowded counter space. Where the bowl of mutton laid covered in a thin layer of spice.
Stretching his arms behind his back, Berht began walking away from the counter space, already prepared to move onto his next agenda. "Sounds good, anything else you want me to help with before I head out." Not expecting an answer, Berht continued walking towards the front door.
"Wait a second"
Berht stopped in the middle of the room, turning around in confusion, "Huh?"
Looking back, Cedric was staring intently at the unmixed bowl of mutton. Muttering to himself Cedric crouched down yet again, rummaging through the hidden shelves below. The sound of glass clicking together and metal scraping against wood filled the small house as Cedric tore through his disorganized storage. Finally, he stood up in distaste before addressing Berht.
"I forgot to buy more coriander last time I went down to the docks."
Looking at him funny, Berht questioned Cedric, "whats a coriander and what do you even need it for."
Chuckling slightly, Cedric answered Berht, "It's not an 'a', it's a thing.
Seeing that Berht was even more confused at his explanation, Cedric kept talking, "Nevermind that, coriander is a spice made up of light-brown seeds that has an earthy flavor to it. I heard it's also supposed to taste citrusy or whatever that means. I've never used it before, but I remember someone haggling with one of the merchants a couple months back trying to buy a pretty big amount of it. I wasn't thinking about buying it back then but I've been kind of dry on ideas recently and that earthy taste is exactly what I had in mind for this mix."
Looking into Berht's intrigued eyes, Cedric hid a small smile before asking Berht an important favor, "Maybe you could go down to the docks, find out who has that coriander- if they even bought it- and buy me a handful or two of the stuff."
Already turning to leave, Berht asked, "Got anything else you need me to get while I'm out?" Now letting his smile shine Cedric laughed. "Just be safe and come back fast, you hear that? FAST." As Berht opened the door Ayane's eyes watched him leaving. Calling out as the door began to close behind him, Ayene called out "be safe, love you!" And as the last crack of light slipped through the closing door Berht mumbled back,"you too"
Watching Berht's silhouette disappear from the window, Ayane sighed, "That boy of ours never stays in one place for long. I wish he would stay and talk for just a little longer." Walking over to sit by his wife, Cedric comforted Ayane with words, "He's just an adventurous boy. I'm sure when he grows up he'll mellow down and become more talkative with his family." Standing up from her chair Ayane let out a wish, "I just hope you're right."
***
In Berht's opinion, out of all the inhabitants living on Orkney- His parents definitely had the most life.