Vigneshvijaykk

Rabbit knelt down and examined the body. Her eyes hovered over Hunter’s clothes and accessories, which included a bead necklace, a wristlet made of ivory, and Luna’s anklet, worn over his cotton waist cloth. His chest was bare. Rabbit brushed her fingers on his skin, trying to spot subtle scars.

Trekker turned to Luna, considering her assumption. When she said her family might have killed Hunter, it didn’t seem like a likely possibility for Trekker.

“Always doubt what is obvious, Luna. Things are not so simple in life.” 

“Yeah but you don’t have to ignore the obvious. They probably saw him wearing my anklet and thought he had done something to me. And they might have left him here to send a message.”

“No. I don’t think so.” Coconut said.

Luna noticed him for the first time. “Why?”

“This dagger was picked up from the chest over there.” He pointed his finger at the chest Luna had explored earlier. “So, whomever killed Hunter must have done it here. And this cave is not accessible unless you are looking for it. It is unlikely that your family found this cave by themselves and came here.” He said calmly.

“Maybe they saw him somewhere and followed him here.” Luna countered.

Rabbit cleared her throat. “Luna may be right. There are not many scars on his body. There is no evidence of struggle. He probably lead them here unknowingly, and rested and relaxed knowing this place is safe. Someone must have stabbed him in sleep.” She looked at Luna with a hint of empathy. “Doesn’t necessarily have to be her family though”

Luna noticed Rabbit’s look. She could sense some hesitation in the siblings in accepting Luna’s people could have killed Hunter.

“Relax! I won’t get in the way of this case, because my people are involved. I don’t like them much anyway.” She forced a chuckle. 

The other three didn’t join her. Rabbit stood up and turned to Trekker. “We need to bury him somewhere here. Can’t let Ma know. She would be shattered.”

Coconut and Trekker nodded in agreement. Luna wanted to say something, but decided that it was not her place. 

Rabbit walked away to look for a burial spot, while the guys cleared up the cave. They realised that the cave can’t be their safehouse anymore. It had been compromised. 

Luna stepped in. “Hey, would it help to leave things here? Why alert whomever found this place? Let them think nobody noticed.”

“Wouldn’t they see the body gone?” Coconut asked.

“Yeah but when they see everything gone, they might be more cautious.”

Trekker agreed. “She’s right. Let’s leave things here. Maybe we will just pick up whatever is most valuable.” 

Rabbit came back and the four of them carried Hunter to the spot. They quietly worked until the job was done. Trekker sighed.

“He was mother’s favorite son among 7 sons and 9 daughters. Of all the 16, he was her dearest. She would let him disappear for however long he wanted and would take him back without complaints. I hope she can handle his absence. There is no way she will take it well if we tell her he is gone. She has to think he is missing. At least she will hope that he survived somewhere.”

Luna hardly knew the guy and couldn’t empathise. But seeing the trio stand so sad made her feel something. Rabbit shed tears and Luna went to her. Rabbit collapsed and hugged her unexpectedly, breaking down into a sob. 

Trekker noticed how Luna froze at the sudden outburst. He slowly pulled his sister and hugged her. Coconut joined and Luna quietly stepped away. 

After a while, they were on their way back to the village. Coconut and Rabbit walked ahead and Trekker matched Luna’s pace.”Are you alright?” he asked her.

She nodded. It didn’t take her long to understand why he asked her that. “I… I’m not good with emotions. I freeze.”

“Interesting.”

“Is it?” she smiled. “People usually judge.”

“No, I think each one of us is different. We all lack in some areas, and we all judge in some areas.” He chuckled. 

“Oh true that! I judge people who invade my privacy. I judge those who won’t shut up. I judge a lot too” She said with her usual amusement. 

“But I noticed your gesture. The way you stepped forward for Rabbit. That says a lot.” 

Luna smiled awkwardly. Trekker didn’t press. He walked quietly for a while. 

“So what happens now? What is the law in your village?”

“About what?”

“My family/”

“Unless they turn up at the village, there is nothing to be done. And when they do, it depends on their behaviour. Remember, we are not telling anyone we found Hunter dead.”

“I feel bad about this. We should lie to the authorities.”

“Rules are meant for people’s wellbeing. It’s okay to break them if it’s justified.”

She left it at that. 

“Also, there is a festival coming up tomorrow. I don’t want to dampen people’s spirits.”

“Oh, nice. What is it for?”

“We have elephants here right? We celebrate their presence once a year. We visit their camp with a lot of food and we spend time with them. Play with the babies, and wash them if they let us. It will be fun.”

“I’m not coming with you all then. I would rather go wait in that cave for the killer to take me.”

Trekker laughed. 

“Do you miss your family?”

“I do. But I hate them too.”

He quietly nodded.

“Don’t judge me. I’m not a bad person. I just can’t tolerate people controlling me.”

“I understand. You have a rebellious spirit.”

“I do. And people usually don’t like that.”

“In our village, it’s quite the opposite. We encourage autonomy, especially with women. The chief is usually a woman in our tradition, and women generally make decisions.”

“How nice! I don’t care much for gender really. Man or woman, I would have been this way.” 

They reached the village, and Trekker asked his siblings to report back to their mother. Then he took Luna to his hut. 

“You can stay here. I will see you in the morning.” he said.

“Where will you go?”

“There is lily who lives nearby. I used to sleep with her. She is not with any man now. So she will let me share her hut.”

“For how long? You would need a place to stay too, right?”

“I will build a hut. But it will take some time. I’m a bit short of coins.”

“I can share this hut with you. You don’t have to leave.”

“No, I don’t want to impose on a guest. You said you need your privacy.”

“It’s okay really. Stay.”

Something in her voice made him stop. He nodded. He drank water, offered her some, and sat down to open up a jackfruit. She sat next to him and joined his effort. 

“So, do you like it here Luna?”

She carved out a piece and chewed on it as she spoke. “Too soon to tell.”

“But are you okay staying here? It might be a while before your family finds us, or we find them.”

“Of course. I’m treated well, so I’m alright here.” She smiled. 

Trekker brightened at that. He realised he was growing fond of her.

“You will have to come to the festival tomorrow. You will change your mind about the elephants.”

“I do like elephants. I just don’t trust them. I adore them from afar.”

“Well, I’m gonna make sure you see them from up close and realise you were wrong.”

Luna chuckled hard. “We shall see tomorrow. I’m not that easy to convince.”

“And I don’t give up that easily,” he said with a smirk. 

They ate quietly after that. By the time they finished with the fruit they were both tired. They laid down and Trekker slept off right away. Luna looked at his face and her own face softened. She felt safe enough to feel her emotions, knowing nobody was looking at her. A part of her soul felt at home for the first time in her life.