Chapter 75

Would You be Able to Handle Deliveries?

BarnacleEyes

I led Thrush down the trail that led to my secret cove. I thought he might be able to help me. My last five rafts didn’t work and I’d seen Thrush repair the big goblin ships. A raft shouldn’t be this hard to make.

I smacked the ever growing ferns out of the way as we walked together. I told Thrush everything I’d done to build a better raft. I couldn’t figure out what kept going wrong.

“I already got the biggest logs I could find,” I told him. “As straight as I could find them. I shaved them and used Hawkin’s technique to twist vines and bark together to make some rope. I spent all week making as much as I could. My hands hurt. At least I’m ready to make another raft. Geez, I’ve tried so many times already, I don’t get it. I’m determined though. One of these days, I’ll sail upon the sea again. I’ll need a good paddle and a good sail. A mast too. I could hang a basket for a crow’s nest. Yea, that sounds good. I was hoping Hawkin could help also but he seemed very busy. Very busy. Also quiet. I wonder why he’s so quiet. Maybe he’s concentrating. Maybe-”

“Hawkin’s distraught right now,” Thrush said.

The monster’s eerie voice sent a chill up my spine. I’d gotten used to my own voice along the way and his sudden voice disturbed me. Being around him certainly took some getting used to, but I wasn’t afraid! Not of him; not of anyone!

“Distraught? Is that like being sad?” I said. “I wonder why. Oh, it’s because of the orcs, isn’t it? He mentioned they were building something down by the coast. Is that why Hawkin’s sad?”

“He’s leaving,” Thrush said.

“Where to this time? Is he picking strawberries?”

“He’s going on a quest. It will take him far from here for a long time.”

“Hawkin?”

“Mhm.”

“Why?” I stopped to say.

“He’s losing his land. He wants to protect it.”

“When you want to protect something, then you bite and scratch and punch. You fight for it!”

“He’s fighting for his land in a different way,” Thrush said.

“Well, if it were up to me, I’d show those goblins and orcs a thing or two!”

“Hawkin is happy to be brewing as much beer as he is for GloomGlower and for the orcs. He wants two things at the same time. He wants the goblins and orcs to leave his land alone, but he still wants them around to buy his beers, and I have a hunch he’s doing that to help me with my merchant class. If he starts a fight, like you might prefer, it would pit hundreds of thousands of goblins against him and I.”

“So Hawkin wants two things at once,” I said. “He wants to pick his butt and nose with the same finger.” Thrush turned thoughtful for a moment before I continued. “That’s what SlimeTooth used to say.”

We continued on until reaching the cove. I was much more silent this time since my head was full of thoughts. I started to bear a grudge against Hawkin for abandoning me. It wasn’t right.

When we arrived at the coast, I gave Thrush a tour of my materials. The logs. The cordage. The paddle. I directed him to help me tie everything together. We worked diligently and Thrush undid some of my knots to retie them.

“He’s going to be leaving you in charge of the brewery,” Thrush said after I brought up my distaste of Hawkin's decision.

“Me?” I said.

“He said you’re ready to brew the most inferior quality of goblin spit beer.”

“He-he said that about me? Really?”

Thrush nodded. I couldn’t help but smile as we worked. My smile turned into a hum. My hum turned into a whistle. Before I knew it, I was giddy with pleasure.

“Hawkin’s nice,” I said at last.

“You’ll have to say your goodbyes before the end of the week.”

“So soon?” I said.

“Alright,” Thrush said. “Let’s put this in the water and see what happens.”

Thrush lifted the raft with one hand. He tossed it out to sea and it floated. I splashed after it. After hoisting myself up, I shouted for the paddle. Thrush swam over with it.

“I’ll come with you,” he said as I began paddling out to sea.

The raft performed quite well. The weight of it sank just beneath the water, but at least it still floated. The water was frigid and I began to shiver after only a few minutes. Thrush swam beside me the whole time and I wondered why he didn’t seem very cold at all. The water splashed against his giant unblinking eyes as he followed.

After only half an hour, the water was up to my waist. The raft was sinking and I hurriedly tried to return to the cove. I didn’t make it halfway back before the raft became waterlogged and sank. Thrush hefted me onto his shoulders and he speedily returned to the cove.

We returned up the trail and stopped in a meadow to dry in the sun. Our conversation was light until I brought up Hawkin once more.

“Why does he have to go?” I said.

“He needs to find a root,” Thrush said.

“There’s lots of roots around here!”

“He needs a specific root.”

“Like that warm-warm root?”

“Yes.”

“I wish he could stay,” I said.

“He does too,” Thrush said.

“I’m going to kick his shins,” I said.

I couldn’t hide that I resented Hawkin for leaving. We could have been the best team. The best trio if we tried. He could have probably helped build a giant boat for us to sail. Now he was leaving and…

“It’s ok,” Thrush said. “It won’t be forever.”

“You’re ok with this?”

“Hawkin is his own person. He does whatever he wants. Just like me. Just like you. I wouldn’t worry too much about him leaving, though.”

“Wait. What? Why not?”

“I’ve been thinking about smoked fish a lot,” Thrush said.

“What does this have to do with fish?”

“Hawkin taught me how to smoke fish. That’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. Then he made a deal with the goblins so that I could get a Fable Stone. I wanted one to have an inventory so I could store all the smoked fish I wanted.”

“Hawkin did all that just for you? What makes you so special!”

Thrush laughed with his entire being.

“Hawkin repaired your boots, remember? He invited you to stay, he built you a shed, taught you a few things, and now he’s putting a great responsibility on your shoulders.”

“Does that mean I’m special too?”

“No. I think Hawkin would help anyone who came along. Beast, monster, or human.”

“Mmm—maybe it’s just that I’m special,” I said. “...that we’re special.”

“What if I asked you to handle the deliveries?” Thrush said after a few moments of basking in the sun.

“Why? Why can’t you do it?”

“Let’s say I’m not around.”

“Where would you be?”

“Don’t worry about that for now. Let’s say I’m not here, would you be able to handle deliveries?”

“I can count better than GloomGlower. Yea, I think I could do it.”