Escaping the Pyre, Part 8
by Jayel
And then, on top of everything else, Wolman and Morgan managed to kill a pig.
"It was an accident," Morgan insisted, standing with Wolman and the carcass of a fair-sized boar at the center of a circle of Eden Advancers in the middle of camp.
"An accident?" Devon said doubtfully, averting her eyes from the bloody mess.
"He came charging out of the trees at us," Morgan explained. "We were looking for deadwood in that little grove of saplings, and all of a sudden we heard this hideous snarling and stomping--"
"And you thought Danz was back," Baines joked.
"Not funny, Baines," Devon snapped, glowering at Alonzo, who had snickered in spite of himself.
"We thought we were about to be killed," Morgan insisted.
"He's right," Wolman agreed. "It was coming straight for us, full speed."
"And you thought that innocent animal was going to kill you?" Magus asked doubtfully.
"Innocent?" Morgan echoed. "Excuse me, have you seen the tusks on that thing?"
"Oh, please," Devon began.
"No, he's right," Julia interrupted. "It could definitely have done some damage, Devon. Wild boars back on earth were considered among the most dangerous of game animals--they were known to have ripped full-grown adults to shreds if not killed instantly." She glanced at the carcass. "Not that I condone killing this one."
"So you'd rather me or Morgan be the one lying here in a bloody heap?" Wolman asked.
"Of course not," Julia began, and soon a cacophony of varying opinions was raging around and across the circle like wildfire.
"What's all the hubbub?" Tara demanded, coming out of the bathing shelter with her hair wrapped in a towel and her ever-present VR gear dangling from one hand. "Hey, who killed the pig?"
"Morgan and Wolman," Baines explained. "They found it in those woods--or rather, it found them."
"Well, somebody better start cleaning and cooking soon," Tara advised, wrinkling her dainty little nose. "'Cause Brer Boar is commencing to smell."
"What, you mean we should eat it?" Alonzo asked her with a grin.
"What else?" she replied.
"I don't think we're ready to start feeding on the indigenous life on this planet," Devon said firmly.
"Well, I don't know why not," Wolman retorted. "The thing's dead, Dev, and no amount of feeling sorry's going to bring it back. We may as well get what good we can from it."
"It was alive until you and Morgan killed it," Devon shot back angrily. "By your logic, every time something or someone dies on this planet, we should make a meal of it--"
"Oh for pity's sake!" Tara exploded. "Devon, this is a *pig*! Not a person, not a Terrian, not even a Grendler! A dumb, dead, and potentially delicious pig!" She looked around at the rest of the group as if daring someone to dispute her, but no one said a word--Alonzo was actually snickering again, although Julia had stomped down hard on his foot to make him stop. "You know, Devon, sometimes I wonder how someone as sensitive as you managed to live on the stations, much less here," Tara went on, making Devon flush scarlet. "But then someone else always took care of the killing and the cooking back there, didn't they?"
Devon seemed at a loss as to how to reply to this. "Do any of you know how to butcher and cook a pig?" she said at last, looking past Tara like she wasn't there.
"I do," Julia said quickly, stepping between her two friends. "And if I don't have the stomach for it, I'm sure Alonzo and Wolman will help me."
Alonzo and Wolman hurriedly agreed, and the group slowly broke up, the more curious lagging behind to see if Devon and Tara would take up arms against each other. But Tara abandoned the field first, disappearing into her tent with True close behind.
"Not everyone here is a vegetarian, Devon," Julia suggested gently as Wolman and Alonzo began the process of cleaning and dressing the carcass.
"Of course not," Devon answered, hurriedly turning her back on this procedure. "I had just hoped that now that we were here, starting from scratch, we could avoid . . . " She glanced in the direction of Tara's tent and the color returned to her cheeks. "Her parents were Council members, for heaven's sake!" she protested angrily. "How much more privileged could a childhood be than that?"
"That's very true," Julia agreed, trying to remain neutral. In truth, her loyalties were fairly evenly divided. She thought Tara was probably right about the pig, but she considered her unprovoked attack on Devon unforgiveable. And unexplicable, for that matter. "You two just got off on the wrong foot back at the EVE ship," she ventured, unconsciously continuing her inward musings aloud.
"But I barely even remember that!" Devon insisted. "I know she's been ill and unhappy, and I've tried to reach out to her--"
"Some people just can't be reached," Julia said. "What I mean is . . . sometimes you have to let people come to you when they're ready. And Tara, apparently, isn't ready yet."
"Not for me, anyway," Devon agreed. "Let the men do the lifting, all right? The last thing we need is you making yourself sick over this silly pig."
"I promise," Julia smiled, crossing her heart. She supervised the butchering, then she and Alonzo left the barbecuing to Wolman's professed expertise.
"Well, that was fun," Alonzo joked weakly, washing the blood from his hands. "I've eaten my fair share of meat, but I've never been that close to the opening ceremonies before."
"I don't think I'll be eating any of this," Julia agreed, stripping out of her dirty outer clothing and helping him off with his shirt. "Although, surprisingly, I don't really feel sick."
"That's great, Doc," he said, giving her a hug which held the tantalizing promise of better things to come in its warmth. "So what's the deal with Tara and Devon?"
"Search me," Julia replied.
"You mean you don't know?" he asked.
"No," she said, tracing his clean-shaven jaw with one fingertip. "I said search me."
"Ohhh," he said, his snappy retort cut off with a tenderly passionate kiss. "Was this what Morgan was talking about?" he teased.
"Maybe," she replied with a grin, catching his lower lip briefly between her teeth. "Are you up to it?"
He bent and swept her literally off her feet. "I think I feel a second wind coming on," he growled, lowering her to the cot.
***
True had been playing with one of Tara's VR programs, but she quickly lost interest--as annoying as he could be, Uly did make such games a lot more fun, and he was busy with Yale. "I'll be glad when Uly's school is over," she remarked to Tara, who was apparently adding to her computer journal.
"Shouldn't you be in school with him?" Tara answered, her fingers still typing busily.
"I didn't feel like it," True answered, resisting the urge to ask her what she was writing. "Am I bothering you?"
"No, of course not," Tara answered, looking up long enough to flash her a smile.
"Good," True said, smiling back. "Do you think Dad's on his way back?"
"Very likely," Tara said, rubbing her forehead like it suddenly hurt her. "He told me he thought he'd be back today." She clenched both her fists and pressed them hard against her temples, her eyes tightly shut.
"Tara, are you okay?" True asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, honeybunch," Tara answered, but her voice sounded anything but. "It's just that smell's giving me a killer headache."
"What smell?" True asked, sniffing the air. "You mean Wolman's pig? I think it smells pretty good."
"Spoken like a true meat-eater," Tara said, managing a grin. "Hand me that sedaderm, will you, honey?" True brought it to her quickly, alarmed at the woman's sudden pallor--she looked like she was about to fall over dead. "I'm just going to catch a nap and see if that helps--"
"I'm going to get Julia," True decided.
"Don't you dare!" Tara ordered, her tone firm in spite of her smile. "I'll be okay when I wake up, kiddo, I promise." She went over to her bedroll and lifted the sedaderm to her neck. "Why don't you take that program and see if you can convince Ulysses to play hookey," she suggested.
"Okay," True agreed hesitantly, not entirely convinced. "But I'll be back later--"
"Great, honey," Tara cut her off. "I'll see you then."
End of Part 8.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Just a brief disclaimer--if G889 can have spiders, it can have pigs.--Jayel