Last Wild Boy (10 page)

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Without his cargo, Mabon was free to travel quickly. Carrying Nora and Adam had been exhausting and painful, but in many ways he had liked it. After so many years alone in the dead zone, it was comforting to have people close to him again, even if he wasn't exactly sure what to make of them.

The air was dry and cool, and it felt refreshing on his face as he jogged toward the spot where he had left the dog and the bags. He kept waiting for the dog's growl as he approached, but he heard nothing. When the stopping place was only a few paces ahead,
Mabon slowed down and moved warily, wondering if the dog
had survived. He had half expected it to be on its feet, as it had seemed to be improving earlier as he'd toted it along. Perhaps it had found shelter somewhere nearby, he thought. As Mabon
drew close he saw the bags on the ground, but they were no
longer exactly as he recalled leaving them. The contents of one of his bags were strewn all about the ground around it, but it looked like most of his belongings were there. The only thing he couldn't find was the fish he had been looking forward to cooking and eating — all that remained were a few bones and the tail.

Off to the side he found the body of a large raccoon, its neck broken. Nearby there were some small, dark stains that Mabon recognized as blood. He inspected the dead raccoon. There were deep bite marks around its neck, but there were no signs of it having bled very much.

Mabon could guess what had happened to the small dog, and he felt an immense sadness. It was clear to him that the little mutt had transferred its loyalty from the pack to Mabon, Nora, and Adam, and had guarded their gear from the raccoon. And it had paid the price.

Mabon skinned the raccoon, which was heavy with fat, and removed what edible meat he could with his knife. He wrapped the meat in the animal's skin and placed it in one of the bags. Next he searched the area for signs of the dog. He looked under the skirts of the trees, calling gently and whistling for it to come out, but he couldn't find the dog anywhere. He spent longer than he should have before remembering that Nora and Adam needed him far more than the dog did. So he loaded up the gear and made his way back to the cave.

He entered the cave quietly. He could hear Nora and Adam coughing and rasping, and he knew he couldn't go to sleep yet. He searched his pack hoping that the raccoon hadn't damaged his medicine bundle, and was pleased when he found it intact.

Mabon took out the medicine bundle and some matches and set them up at the rear of the cave, near the small pool of water. He stepped outside and returned a few minutes later with an armload of dried branches and bits of browned grasses stuffed into his pockets. He lit a small fire and looked through his things for a pot. He found a small metal one and set it aside.

Mabon unrolled his medicine bundle and carefully selected some dried herbs, then scooped some water from the pool and tasted it. It was cool and clean. He filled the pot with water, added the herbs, and then set it over the coals of the fire and left it to boil. He returned in a few minutes and removed the pot from the heat. He would wake Nora and the baby so they could have some medicine, but not before the liquid cooled.

As Mabon waited in the glow of the small fire, he thought about his situation. This was a strange business in what was becoming a world of strange businesses. Even though he was fully aware of the threat of the rangers appearing and terminating him at any moment, being here in the cave, watching the warm firelight dance over Nora and Adam as they slept, he could only feel happy. The last time he'd felt this content was when he'd helped the dying insider back in the dead zone. And that's what had got him into this trouble in the first place. But he knew he wouldn't trade any of it, whatever it was or what it became, for any amount of what had been his previous existence.

When the medicine had cooled, Mabon poured a small measure into a used infant nutrifier tube and the rest into Nora's water bottle. He carried both over to where Nora lay in fitful sleep and woke her up, being careful not to touch her.

Nora started when she woke. It took her a moment to remember where she was and whom she was with. “What's going on?” she asked.

“I have medicine for you, to help your breathing,” Mabon said. “You can go back to sleep after you take it.”

Nora rubbed her eyes and sat up a bit. Mabon handed her the bottle and she held it up to her nose and sniffed it. “Smells terrible,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

“It works,” said Mabon.

Nora took a sip of the warm liquid and coughed violently. “Tastes terrible, too!”

Mabon smiled. “But it works.”

“You lit a fire,” Nora said, looking around. “Isn't that dangerous?”

“Yes,” said Mabon. “But I had to mix the medicine and heat it. We won't get very far if you're sick…or dead.”

“Oh,” Nora said, embarrassed. She swallowed the rest of the bitter tonic. “Are you sure this will help?”

“I'm sure. It's a mixture of yarrow, swamp willow bark, and other things. It always works for me.”

“Then maybe we should give some to Adam.”

“Here,” he said, handing her the nutrifier tube.

Nora held the tube up to Adam's mouth and squeezed some
of the liquid into it. His face scrunched up and turned bright red, and he let out a terrible howl. Nora desperately tried to
muffle his cries, but Mabon just laughed. “Looks like he doesn't like it, either.”

Nora managed to get Adam to settle down and take a few more drops of the medicine. A minute later, he was fast asleep again. Nora could hear his breathing starting to relax and get deeper. She lay him down on the ground and curled up next to him.

As she settled back down, she thought about Mabon. He was an outsider. He was tall and strong, fearless and determined, but also fierce and violent when he had to be. The scene with the pack of dogs kept playing over and over in her head. She'd never seen anyone so much as lay a finger on another living creature in a menacing way, but the way he'd defended himself against those dogs had seemed almost natural to him, as if violence was part of his genetic makeup. She knew he had the power to hurt her if he wanted to. And everything she'd ever been told about outsiders had taught her that he would, the second he had a chance. But she was no longer as afraid of him as she'd been when she'd first met him. In his own way, he seemed gentler and kinder than many insiders she had known. She didn't understand. She drifted into sleep with these questions playing in her mind.

Sometime during the night, Mabon woke up to a rustling sound coming from outside, near the cave entrance. He was on his feet instantly. He picked up a small chunk of broken granite, crept closer to the entrance of the cave, and braced himself. The fire had gone completely cold, and it was pitch dark now. Even so, he knew anyone venturing close to the cave would be able to smell that there had been a fire inside recently.

He listened intently as who or whatever it was made its way closer to the cave entrance. Mabon could hear laboured breathing now, as if the prowler had just completed a difficult climb. He lifted the chunk of granite over his head, ready to bring it down at any moment.

Suddenly, he heard a small, mournful whine. He saw the silhouette of an animal slip inside the cave, sniffing around as it drew
nearer. His heart lifted and he smiled warmly as the creature
stepped into a patch of moonlight. The young dog was all right. It had survived and it had come home. Contented that it must not be hurt too badly if it was able to track them here, Mabon patted the dog's head and then went back to sleep. He would see to it in the morning.

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When Nora opened her eyes the next morning, she was startled
to see Mabon sleeping only a few feet away, facing her. For the first time since she'd met him, she took a close look at him. His reddish-brown curls were dishevelled, and they formed a fiery halo around his sun-browned face, almost fully obscuring a wound on his neck, just behind his ear. Nora wondered who or what could have caused an injury in such a strange place. Her gaze followed his neck over his well-defined jaw and across his straight nose. Mabon's eyes were closed, and she watched his long, dark lashes flutter as he slept. He was wearing dirty orange coveralls that fit snugly against his solid body, accentuating his lean but muscular physique. His two large fists were drawn up against his full mouth, which was set in a crooked grin, as if he were amused by the world around him. On his left wrist was a tattoo with an identification code: FR065419XK.

It was a strange sensation, watching this outsider as he slept — just intimate enough to make her feel equally uncomfortable and inquisitive, repelled and compelled. His large, rough, masculine features were alien to her, almost unpleasant, but somehow she felt herself drawn to him at the same time. She looked down at Adam, who was lying on the ground between them, and tried to imagine what he'd look like when he was grown. She wondered if he could grow as tall and as strong as Mabon. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't picture him as anything but the sweet, gentle child he was.

Nora sat up, and was surprised to see the dog dozing on the floor on the other side of Mabon, close to where he slept. She was happy to see it.

Nora cleared her throat quietly. This morning it felt less scratchy and sore, and she was thankful for Mabon's medicine, as unpalatable as it had been. She picked Adam up and listened to his breathing. It was much steadier now. Adam whimpered and suddenly Mabon sat up, instantly alert. His eyes focused on Nora and the child and then the dog. He relaxed and his crooked smile returned.

“Sorry I slept so long. I wanted to be up ahead of you.”

“You were exhausted,” Nora said. She wondered if he could somehow sense that she'd been watching him, and blushed. “You needed the sleep.”

Mabon rose from his bedroll and reached for the black and tan dog. It growled and then let out a yip as the young man rubbed its ears. The dog got to its feet, its tail wagging happily.

“Lie down and let's see your wound,” Mabon cooed softly to the dog. He inspected the pup's underbelly and flanks. There were several small cuts, but none that were serious. “You're not hurt too bad. You're a tough guy. But you're lucky to be alive.” He turned to Nora, “We should call him Lucky.”

Nora smiled and nodded.

Nora fed Adam while Mabon brought his belongings to the
rear of the cave and washed his face with water he scooped from the pool.

“The medicine's working,” she said. “I feel much better this morning, and Adam's breathing is stronger.”

“I'll make a fire and heat some more for both of you. We'll go once you feel better.”

“Is that wise?” Nora asked. “Adam and I are both just starting to feel better. I'm not sure how long either of us will be able to travel.”

Mabon laid out a few small bits of wood across a fistful of dried grass and lit them. “We can't stay here. If we stay too long, the rangers will find us.”

“Do you know how to get to this Manuhome place?” asked Nora.

“It's been a long time. But I think I can find the way. I just hope Dr. Ueland is still around. If he is, he'll do what he can to help us, I'm sure of that.”

“What if he isn't there?”

“Then we'll have to keep going, as far into the wild as we can. Away from Aahimsa, and out of the rangers' reach.”

“The wild's a terrible place. Everything's trying to kill everything else.”

Mabon watched the grey smoke rise and disappear through a gap in the rocks overhead. “All my life, I dreamed of going to the wild and being free,” he said. “I dreamed I'd disappear into the wild like this smoke,” he pointed to the opening overhead.

“Why didn't you ever try to get away?” Nora asked.

“I couldn't. I was always watched.” Mabon instinctively placed his hand on the wound under his ear. “Until Minn fell from the wall, I was controlled by a device that had been implanted in my neck when I was a small child. It could read my thoughts and hear my voice. If the controllers didn't like what they learned of me, they would make the device explode and terminate me.”

“Are all outsiders controlled by devices like that?” Nora asked.

“Only rangers,” said Mabon. “Unlike other outsider workers, the rangers need to be controlled in a way that doesn't destroy all their masculine instincts and powers, even though, like most other outsiders, they're still not able to make babies.” He blushed.

“Who was watching you?” Nora asked. She'd never known that the outsiders were watched so closely. She'd never really known much about the outsiders, actually, aside from the fact that they were violent and dangerous, but that their labour was necessary for the continued success of Aahimsa's society. Or at least, that was what Blanchefleur had always said.

“The insiders,” Mabon said, shifting his eyes down to his pack. He pulled the medicine roll from his kit and silently made his preparations. “The wild is a good place,” he said after a while. “You'll see. There are dangers, it's true, but that's nature. The real danger for outsiders like me always came from inside the wall.”

Nora didn't say anything. She didn't know what dangers exactly he was speaking of, and she didn't really want to ask. She'd always known Aahimsa to be a safe and peaceful place, and the thought of danger coming from within the city walls seemed almost absurd to her. Hearing this outsider, who had just yesterday killed another
creature, talk of the insiders as the dangerous ones was just
ridiculous.

“You're in danger, too, aren't you?” Mabon finally asked.

Nora looked him square in the eye. “The baby is the one in danger,” she said icily. “I'm not scared for myself.”

“You should be,” he said. “What will the insiders do if you get caught?” he asked. “Will they kill you, like they will Adam?”

“No,” she said, her face reddening. “I might lose my job and my privileges. I might be sent to do a job I'd hate. Or I might be just told off. Who knows? But they'd never terminate an insider. It's forbidden. Insiders are safe within the wall.” She turned away, set Adam on the ledge, and made a business of checking his diaper. Her head was spinning.

“You're sure?” Mabon asked, his voice rising. “You're outside the wall now, you know,” he said, stepping closer to her. “The rules could be different out here. You may know what the insiders' laws are now, but do you not know the past? Insiders killed all kinds of their own back then. Many women were murdered for siding with outsiders. They were told to choose. Those who refused or chose wrong were killed along with their husbands. Is it so hard to believe they could do it again?” He crossed his arms.

The tone of Mabon's voice scared Nora, but she was too angry to back down. Her eyes flashed with gold as she turned to face him.

“That was long ago,” Mabon continued, “but nothing changes. You're an outlaw who stole an outsider child. You know what that means. You broke a mortal law, and there is danger for you and the child, whether you believe it or not.” By now, his voice was shaking with anger and resentment.

Nora took a step backward and held Adam close to her chest. The gold anger had faded from her eyes, and been replaced with deep green fear.

Nora's frightened eyes reminded Mabon of Minn's, and he instantly felt sorry for being so blunt. He'd never meant to scare her. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and conciliatory. “Minn told me about Adam before she died. She was terrified, for herself and her baby. She made me pick her up and she made me promise to help her and Adam. What would frighten her so much that she'd leave her baby and jump from the wall?”

“She knew that her baby would die and she couldn't stand knowing it or seeing it happen, I guess,” said Nora, relaxing just a tiny bit.

“Do you know how she managed to have him in the first place? I don't know much about how things work on the inside, but I'm assuming insiders aren't allowed to bear outsider children without being closely monitored.”

“She had illegal relations with a temple donor,” Nora explained, sitting down on the cave floor and bouncing Adam on her knee. “When she found out she was pregnant, she disappeared from her job at the Palace of the Temple Donors. She hid out underground in an abandoned church until after she'd had Adam, and then she tried to find a way to smuggle him out of Aahimsa. She died trying.” She looked up at him. “But you would know more about that than I would.”

Mabon nodded, and a faraway look came over him. He sat beside the fire, stirring the medicine, for a long time before he spoke again. “What are temple donors?” he asked.

Nora felt awkward talking to anyone, especially an outsider, about temple donors. It felt somehow unsuitable. She took a deep breath, and turned her green eyes to Mabon. “The temple donors provide the fluids used in the temple ceremony to start pregnancy and birth.” She paused, then stared at the baby. He gurgled happily.

“But how do they get the fluids?” he blushed. “I've heard something about that, but I don't know if it's true.”

Nora sighed and looked at him. “What did you hear?”

Mabon felt trapped in her eyes. His cheeks turned an even deeper crimson. “One of the rangers said they came from young outsiders who hadn't been…changed.”

“That sounds right,” Nora said. “The fluids come from young donors and they're stored in the freezing chambers at the temple. This is how babies are begun in the City of Aahimsa. In all other cities, it's different now. Outsiders don't exist anywhere in the whole world except for the lands of the city of Aahimsa. The other cities use cloning.”

“What's cloning?” asked Mabon.

“I don't know how it's done, but it doesn't require fluids. It makes a baby out of a woman's body without a man.”

Mabon tipped the medicine from the pot into Adam's nutrifier tube and Nora's bottle. “Your medicine's almost ready. It just has to cool. I'll put the fire out in case someone smells the smoke.” He paused. “No one in Aahimsa uses cloning?” he asked.

“A few insiders from Aahimsa go to other cities to make children by cloning. But only the rich have money for that. Blanchefleur says they're biting the hand that feeds them. She hates cloning and discourages it. She says it hasn't been properly tested and she thinks we'll lose what she calls ‘half of human evolution' forever.
She'd rather wait and see how things evolve. She swears that
there will be no cloning in Aahimsa. She's a practical woman, and she knows that Aahimsa's manufacturing, and its wealth, need the cheap labour of outsider workers. And the replacements for depleted workers come from those temple fluids.”

“Who conceives these workers?” asked Mabon.

“The poor do this as service for the community. They are paid well for it.”

“I think the medicine is cool enough,” Mabon said, carrying it over and sitting down next to Nora.

Nora again noticed his sharp animal smell. She felt an odd sort of comfort as they sat together. He handed her the warm cup. She tasted it, then drank it down. Mabon took the empty cup from her and handed her the nutrifier tube. She began to feed Adam his medicine, a happy tune she couldn't name playing in her head.

“Where did you learn the history of the insider?” she asked.

“At the ranger headquarters, when I was a boy and at the Manuhome with Dr. Ueland. The old workers told stories about the world before the walled city was built. We all know that outsiders ruled the earth, and that the insiders took our power away.”

“That's true,” Nora said, taking the empty nutrifier tube from where it had fallen on Adam's blanket. “Outsiders were always fighting about something or other and the world was always at war. Women, children, and the elderly suffered terribly and saw no hope for change. After a few wars too many, the planet was ruined.”

Mabon turned toward her, his side against the wall, his long arms around his knees, and listened as Nora continued telling him the history of the world as she knew it. He heard her words, and the sound of her voice relaxed him.

“Women knew something had to change. A few met and planned secretly, and eventually, after a great struggle, they convinced other women to join them. The leaders were patient, and they waited and planned and educated themselves until they had the political and economic power to change things. And then they did — quickly and effectively.”

Mabon rose to see to the fire, which had rekindled itself and begun to smoke again. He broke up some of the longer bits of tree branches and worked on building a kind of a frame to go above the fire.