Jhabow had been born on an eastern facing hill where the sun shone bright from the moment it arrived on the horizon. Cautious morning eyes were a habit he had never grown out of, even here in the jungle where the trees shaded the glare and the dawn was a gently lifting light. He always slept standing up, and could go from deep sleep to alert and angry in a matter of seconds if a night predator dared to approach. But nothing had disturbed him that morning and knowing that he had a long day ahead, he allowed himself the luxury of waking up slowly. He felt the light over his thick lids and then let the energy flow along his shoulders and back until it finally reached his tree trunk like feet and he lifted them to shake off the last grains of the night.

Chyarmanine would be back today. How long would they have together? By the afternoon it would be his turn to go out into The Valley and she would stay and help build the new village. Seng Nu has been clearing the forest in order to widen the camp ground and Jhabow had been carrying the dead timber to the men, who then cut it into planks and beams for the new buildings. He allowed his thoughts to turn to gifts that might be coming from the Valley. He closed his eyes again and felt his mouth water at the thought of redcorn cobs from Seesan town and white cherries from The Hillfeet.

“HMMPHHHH!”

Chyar! He turned around to meet her and raised his trunk in delight and responded with a happy trumpet. On her face was a smile that asked “were you thinking of me or food just now, huh?”

Jhabow answered with his trunk, hugging it around hers..

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Buttersweet was becoming more than just a work camp for timber. An area twice as large as the original camp had been cleared away, and the foundations of new buildings were being driven into what was once forest floor. At the northern end, the camp was being extended closer to the river, and a channel was being dug so that it might water the crops in new fields. With more people came a need for a source of food year round, and Zaw had taken charge, collecting seeds and drawing up planting rotations. Seng Nu was helping to dig the channel, using her powers to scoop the earth from where it lay. But it was much more strenuous for her than simply plucking an apple or even uprooting a tree and she could not manage more than a few metres a day.

Families had begun arriving too. The sounds of the camp became more lighter and liquid as the voices of women and children joined the gravel of the men. Not all the houses had been built yet, so the old rest station was turned into a dormitory for arriving women and their babies. While the older children were given a hut of their own for boys and girls, much to their delight. The camp was swelling and though it felt like it was bursting at the seams, it was content. Each new arrival was celebrated and the elephants too had begun to notice there were more people around. They had never seen human children before and the young elephants were happy to make new friends their age, even if the mothers on both sides were a little protective at first.

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The Gate of Winter had arrived. In previous years, celebrations at the camp had been mostly an excuse for the men to stuff themselves full of hot food and drink sky beer until the early hours of the morning. They would still ring open the gate at midnight, but this was mostly just an interruption in between the gluttony.

With the families here, this year was different, and while the mood was no longer gluttonous, it was just as high spirited. Ribbons had been strung up from tree to tree and even some of the elephants were wearing sashes tied into oversized bows around their necks. There was music too, which had begun to inspire the night’s first dancers, the young children who were jumping and spinning in instinctive joy.

As the sun went down, long tables were placed in the open ground by the Big House for the feast. There were no arranged places, people sat where they pleased and many changed places after portions, not because they disliked their neighbours, but because they wanted to share the meal with as many people as possible.

“What are you thinking lad?” Seng Nu called across the table to Jakan who seemed to be lost in his own world.

“Don’t you like my cooking?” added Zaw. “You haven’t touched the candied sweetpeas”.

Jakan took a sweetpea and popped it in his mouth. “It’s delicious Zaw” he said without thinking. “Do trees die like humans? I mean, if we didn’t cut them down would they live forever or would they die of old age like us?”

“That is a question you are too young to be asking” said Dai.

“well what question should I be asking Uncle”

“How about if you swallow a melon seed will a melon grow in your stomach?” Said Seng Nu

“Don’t be silly Seng Nu, that a question you are too old to ask” Dai leaned closer across the table to Jakan and spoke in a undertone, just loud enough for only the table to hear. At your age, Son, what you should be asking is should I give her apple or cherry blossom flowers to tie in her hair tonight?”

Jakan frowned in confusion “Who?”

“The girl, who happens to be my niece, sitting on the table next to us. She’s been watching you for a long time and it’s not your considered opinion on the sweetpeas she’s interested in.”

Jakan couldn’t help but look directly over to the next table. The girl there looked away as he made eye contact with her. Then she looked back.

xxx

“There’s a lady at the gates.”

Sut was looking at his feet as he spoke to Zaw.

“Well whose family is she? Why haven’t you taken her to the women’s hut? Find her some bedding?”

Sut knew whose family she was, but he didn’t want to be the first to say the name out loud. “She wants to speak to you, Zaw.”