That became their new routine: They’d go out, hunt, gather, make a fire, eat, hunt and gather some more, eat, and go back. But the diet was rather boring, and they didn’t have any bread. It got boring. Mecora really liked Spreak, but just one person wasn’t enough company.
Finally, they decided that Mecora should go into town and try to trade, and maybe find out from Handa’s mother what other fruits there were in the forest.

Spreak sang, moving their little cubbyhole up to where it was before, so that Mecora could go out onto the steps to the monastery. She picked up the satchel, heavy with rabbits and assorted fruits, and stepped out into the morning. The forest was still shady, but the little sky that was visible through the leaves was blue. The brids were singing, of course, a racket that Mecora had actually begun to take for granted.
She decided to try trading away the rabbits first, so she went to the butcher, Luyne. “Well, Mecora! We were beginning to think you’d run away for good.”
“Nah. I couldn’t do that.”
“You might as well. You mother’s heartbroken as it is.”
“Look, I didn’t come here to talk about my mother.” The butcher looked as if he’d been bitten, and she regretted her tone. She plunged on. “I have some rabbits here, and I need some flour, milk, and eggs. Do you have any of those?”
“Not enough to trade, but I have some monameat for the miller. How many rabbits do you have?”
“Five.”
“Five! Well, I could ask how you got them, but I won’t. I’ll take your five rabbits for my three monas. The miller will give you a leaber of flour for them. Is that enough?”
“Yes, plenty. But don’t you need the flour?”
“Not really. I’ll get another chance. I can just buy some if I need to.”
“Well, thanks!” She handed over the rabbits.
Luyne took them and looked at them closely. “Nice, nice. Those should make a good meal. So, you’re very welcome. Pleasure doing business with you.” He gave her the monameat. “Come back soon!”
“I hope so.”
Kelwom’s real miller had been a rather stout light Vle, and Mecora thought his dark replacement was blind. The flour was now coarser, and had more grit and other stuff in it. But, even she had to admit Hallu was improving.
The mill was not near the plaza, but on the other side of the western tree. It used a long, ‘sung branch, connected to a natural branch far above, to drive the grindstone with the movement of the wind. And it didn’t take much wind to move it. She stepped in, the noise of the stone muted but still very audible from outside. “Hallu? Are you here?”
Hallu, a graying woman, stepped in from the next room. “Ah, Mecora! Your mother needs more?”
“How should I know? I just gave Luyne five rabbits for the monameat he said was for you.”
“Oh, so the flour is for you and the spy.”
“He’s not a spy! Why the burning forest would he want to spy here?”
“How should I know?” Hallu shot back. “Anyway, I’ll give you the flour. Lities have to eat, too.”
Mecora was mad enough to just storm out, but they needed the flour. She bit her tongue, but she couldn’t keep her face still. The rest of the transaction was conducted without a word.
Next stop: Holice’s. She’d know just what fruits were good. Mecora hoped she could also help get some milk and eggs.
The herbal remedy shop didn’t have any customers yet, even though the morning had made it into their canopy. “Good morning, Holice.”
“Well, if it isn’t Kelwom’s own Moral Queen.”
Burn the forest! Did everyone have to criticize her this morning? Only she didn’t have a retort for Handa’s mother.
“I have some fruits and berries. I was hoping you might be able to tell me what’s edible and what isn’t.”
“Sure,” was the cheery reply, as if her previous comment was of no consequence. “Let me have a look.”
Mecora put the satchel on the counter and opened it as widely as it could go. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
Holice nodded. “I see some flooms...” She pulled out the three flooms, and a bunch of small oblong blue berries. “Ah, some kripers. Don’t eat them. But one or two are good for constipation.” She put her hand in again, and brought out another assortment. “These little green bunches are verberries. Good. The purple bunches are thaleberries, also good. Don’t eat these yellow bunches. They’re not ripe yet. Ah! These red squishy ones? They’re gooshballs, of course. Messy, but delectable. Good for pies.”
“Is there enough there to get some eggs and milk?”
Holice eyed the collection again. “Well, if it’s all ripe...” She pawed through and brought out some more. “I might be able to give you some.”
Right now? This was easier than she expected! “Oh, please? I haven’t had any bread for days.”
“No, I suppose not.” Was there more criticism in that? Mecora wondered. “Okay. How does a woner of milk and four eggs sound? A deal?”
Mecora couldn’t think of any reason it couldn’t be a deal, although she thought it seemd too easy. But it sounded good anyway, and how could Holice short-change her? “Yeah, it’s a deal.”
“Wonderful!” She went into the back room, and brought out the quantities they’d agreed on. “Can I look forward to seeing you again with more?”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Good! You know, it’s...” Holice began conversationally, but then she appeared to notice something outside. “It’s been nice doing business with you. Come again!
“Yeah, thanks! I’ll be seeing you.” Mecora headed for the door, feeling as if she’d been dismissed. She held the door open for some customers coming in, who looked surprised, and a little disdainful at her.
She decided to waste no time getting out of town and back to the hole. She walked determinedly through town, weaving in and out, glad that most of the Vle who got in her way just didn’t notice her.
But one in particular did notice. “Mecora!”
Mecora froze. It was definitely her mom’s voice, just as disapproving as ever. She decided to just walk on, pretend she hadn’t heard.
But a strong hand held her shoulder. “Just hold on, young lady,” said one of the elders, “I think we need to have a talk.”
“About what?” Mecora asked defiantly as she found herself surrounded by officers of the council.
“About that enemy of the King you’re harboring.”
“Spreak is not an enemy of the King, and no one’s going to tell me otherwise!” Mecora caught her mother’s eye, who was hanging a safe distance outside the circle, looking worried. Why wouldn’t her mother help her? “Now let me out!”
“I’m sorry, Mecora, but we’re not going to let you make this mistake. Now, just tell us where you two have been hiding, and everything will be just fine.”
“No, it won’t! I won’t betray my friend! Let me go!”
“Sorry. You’ll have to stay with your mother until you tell us, and help our King.”
“Oh, well, okay.” She could slip from her mother at any time.
The group opened as they began to head for her mother’s home, and the elder was saying something about an officer of the council being nearby at all times, and Mecora realized that the officer was going to keep her at home and that now was her only chance: she slipped the satchel off her shoulder, went with them a few more paces, and then ducked into the crowd.
The elders raised an alarm, but Mecora was just too fast. Across the bridge, up the steps, the council officers not that far behind. She whistled urgently, and the hole opened. She dove in, saying, “Close it and move us!!!!”
Spreak sang, loudly, and this time there was a sensation of movement: Up. For a long, long time. But they were safe.

So the next day they left town and struck out into the forest. It meant they could no longer eat bread once they ran out of the supply they carried with them. It meant no contact with anyone else for a while, at least until they happened upon another town. And both hoped that wouldn’t happen for as long as possible.
They wandered in the same general direction they had before, toward the little hollow, and followed it to find the lowest point. It was the second day out when they found it— and the spot was already occupied.
By the largest tree either of them had ever seen in their lives.
The bark was significantly different from that of other trees, and the leaves on the ground were interspersed with soft but sharp things that looked like sewing needles. The trunk was straight as far up as the eye could see.
“Let’s go up there,” said Spreak.
“Yeah,” agreed Mecora breathlessly. She tried to imagine what she might see, but her imagination failed her.
Spreak sang, opening a chair-like hole in the side of the tree. They sat, and he sang them up
And up
And up
And up.
Canopy after canopy passed, obscuring the forest floor, and still the trunk did not seem to be getting any smaller. Finally, branches of the tree itself began to complicate his singing, and the single beautiful tone that had borne them up so far wavered into discordant and fast-moving tones. Then, the top canopy of the other trees passed. Mecora began to feel a little less secure as the vast green rug spread out before them. She could see for what seemed like forever, and the immense blue sky nearly overwhelmed her. She moved a little closer to Spreak.
He stopped singing. “The trunk can’t stretch any more above here.”
“That’s okay,” said Mecora a little uneasily. She judged them to be about as high above the other treetops as Kelwom was above the ground. In the distance, the rolling, uneven rug seemed to have some holes, which she supposed were meadows far below. Farther off were some hills that were either totally devoid of trees or had trees on them only partway up. Above, the blue sky was interrupted by some large white puffs. “What are those white puffs?” she asked.
“I think they’re called clouds. My father took me up to see them once. He says that when they gather and cover the whole sky, they can turn grey and then pour out the rain.”
“Oh! And here I thought the Creator just used a celestial watering can!”
“Well, there’s a piece of one of his cans.”
“It looks so innocent, just floating there, stretching, and shifting, looking for its friends so they can get together and rain.”
Spreak smiled. “My mom once said you can see shapes in clouds.”
“Shapes? You mean, like the rabbit ears?”
“Hey, yeah, you’re right! Just like that!” And on and on they named the shapes they could see in the few clouds there were floating above. They even rotated so the sun could fully fall on their faces.
That sun sank in the sky, and they both observed their very first sunset.

They woke hungry the next morning— a rationed meal of bread just couldn’t last them through the night. So, it was time to hunt, and move on to see just what other natural wonders they might find.
After a meal of squirrel and flooms, they headed out of the valley. It was hard to enjoy the walk— compared to yesterday’s experience, it felt now as if they really had no way to tell where they were going. Seeing the world this way was to see only the very tiniest pieces at a time.
They reached the crest of a hill by midday and had another meal there before moving back down. Spreak said he wanted to find another low spot by nightfall.
What they found this time was far better. Ahead, they could see more and more light, less and less vegetation. And suddenly they broke out of the forest onto the bank of a lake. Its beauty left Mecora breathless: the vast expanse of dark water, the tree limbs hanging over the bank. Of course, she’d never seen a lake before. She reached down to touch the water.
And just as she did so, a pale shape streaked past her and splashed into the water, getting her somewhat wet in the process. But into her indignation intruded a question: “Are you... naked?!”
“Would you suggest walking around the forest in wet clothes?”
“Well... no...”
“So go behind a tree, leave your clothes there, and join me.”
“Spreak, I... I can’t even swim.”
“You can stand here, trust me. Now quit being a wuss.”
“Ok, but you have to promise to look away while I get in the water.”
“I promise.”
Mecora didn’t really believe him, but she went behind a tree anyway and got undressed. “Turn around.”
“I’m not looking!”
Mecora looked from behind the tree anyway just to be sure. True to his word, he was looking out across to the other side, so she ran in as fast as she could. It was cool, but very refreshing. A few times she forgot herself enough to almost stand up out of the water, but each time she stopped herself. And she found that it was possible to move in the water by kicking and moving her arms, though not very quickly without exposing her posterior.
Eventually, they got out with their backs to each other and got dressed for dinner.

More walking, clockwise halfway around the lake and then up the hill into the next valley to their next adventure, energized by the last two. Which was probably why they felt so let down when all they found was a road.
But there was some traveling noise coming from down the road, so they made an unspoken agreement to investigate. It was soon clear that the travelers were approaching. They caught glimpses through the trees of mounted Vle, giving the two youths pause. And then the army was almost upon them.
A horn blared as the two youngsters darted away from the road. “A deep voice ordered, “By the authority of the King I command you to obey his Proclamation!” Neither of the runners chose to recognize that authority at that moment.
Which of course, led to the next step: The army behind them loosed the dogs, and from the sound of the crashing forest, half the platoon itself was following. They needed a large tree, but in this particular part of the forest, the trees were barely wider than a single Vle. Finally, one appeared ahead of them. Could they reach its safety in time? Mecora worried. Spreak could treesing well, but they both were getting out of breath. He sang in gasps and spurts, creating the oddest looking hole in the tree Mecora had ever seen. It was tough to get into, in fact, but Spreak was able to close it before the first mounted Vle could been seen in the brush.
There was no way to fool the dogs, however. Their barks could be heard as Spreak breathlessly sang their way up the tree. For the moment, in the top canopy, they were safe.
“They aren’t gonna just walk away,” observed Mecora.
“I know,” Spreak gasped. He gulped some more air.
They sat there, wondering just how they were going to get out of their predicament. Then, Mecora said, “It would be nice if we could just get to the next tree somehow.”
“Yeah.... and there just might be a way.” He sang open a hole, allowing them to look at the next tree, its canopy mingling with that of the tree they were hidden in. He sang some more; that next tree grew a thick web of branches reaching toward them, but it was still quite a distance from them.
“What are you thinking?” asked Mecora curiously.
“Can you jump far?”
“Oh, no. I don’t think I can—”
“Unless you can think of something better.”
“It’s such a long way down! Vle weren’t meant to fly!”
“I know! That’s what that web is for... like a net, to catch us.”
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
“Thanks for your honesty.”
“You’re welcome. Now, come on.” With that, he gave a mighty heave, landing squarely, heavily in the middle of the web. Mecora winced, his “Ooof!” riding the wind to her ears. He didn’t move at first. Then, slowly, he stood, straightened, and looked up at her. He beckoned silently with his hand.
Mecora sighed, counted to three, and chickened out. She held her breath, and tried again. The third time, her own muscles surprised her with a fantastic shove. The passing air rushed by her ears, and nearly panicked. But she didn’t scream. Suddnely, she landed, and she could hear some of her joints popping. “Ow,” she whimpered when she finally was still.
“Are you hurt?”
She wasn’t sure. She had to check herself. Already, the pain was gone, but it felt like every muscle and joint she had was strained. “No, I suppose not.”
“Good. We need to keep going.”
“You mean, we have to do it again?!”
“Yes! We might have to do this for a day before we can get away!”
“Can’t we rest a little after each jump?”
“Well, the trees are going to be closer together, so we don’t have to jump so far or so far down.”
“Please?”
“Mecora, I’m sure the army has their own treesingers. If they want us badly enough, they could find one and bring him in. The farther away we get before he arrives, the better.”
Mecora had to agree with the logic of that. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.” Slowly, she stood, and followed him into another trunk hole. And another jump, not nearly so far. Another hole, another jump, and soon the forest was so thick they could simply step out of the hole onto the web. Spreak was always careful to sing away the web after them.
It wasn’t long before they heard more noise below. Another army? Or, hopefully, just a town? They listened, and since they heard music and the clamber of thousands of feet on wood, they decided it was indeed a town. They came down just enough to check it out.
It was Kelwome.