Chap. 269 Who Owns the Trees?

Chap. 269 Who owns the trees?

He was almost finished copying his rough field notes into neat ones for turn in to the Library.

I don’t like letting people down, he thought, especially Elene. He stopped writing, contemplating the day that had just ended.

They’d spent that morning just looking at the rain forest.

Their fire lizards led the way.

They’d followed an unusually wide game trail into the forest, the vegetation creating a green roof over their heads. The sultry air filled with the buzzing of countless insects. After ten minutes of sometimes strenuous walking, they emerged from the trail to find a clearing created by a fallen giant. It had fallen so long ago the canopy had closed over it. Young trees were already growing from its remains.

They stood in stunned, reverent silence for what seemed hours, craning their necks to see the impossibly high canopy. The trees were enormous. Creepers and vines dangled from horizontal limbs many meters above their heads. Birds, wherries of all shapes and sizes, moved between the trees. Now and then a quorl could be seen skittering up a massive trunk.

After long, long moments, K’ndar almost reluctantly broke their reverie.

“If you can believe this,” he’d said to Francie and Elene, “this is even more beautiful than the spot I saw from Rand’s cothold.”

“It’s…unbelievable,” Francie sighed.

A small creature appeared atop the fallen tree, chittering. The fire lizards dove as one but it eluded them. They landed on the tree and began to scour tit.

Francie laughed. “That ought to keep them occupied, for a while.”

“We might be the first humans that little creature has ever seen,” Elene said.

“This forest appears to be completely untouched,” K’ndar said, “I see no signs of any human activity. This trail wasn’t man made. Some animal made it. A BIG one.”

He dropped to his knees to sift the soil. Under the carpet of leaves, twigs and moss, the soil was hard and compacted. Something heavy had used this trail on a regular basis. A whole lot of somethings.

A fairly large insect emerged from the short undergrowth. It reached his knee and stopped. Two sets of antenna examined his pant leg, taking in data about this unexpected road block.

“Hello, there,” he said, not at all abashed at talking to a bug. He could see it was carrying a bundle of something in its jaws.

The insect detoured around his knee and continued on its way.

“You have a friend, there?” Francie said.

“Aye. It…it’s some sort of insect, carrying something.” Still knee walking, he followed the insect until it came to a leaf on the path, one longer than his arm.

Siskin, attracted to his actions, landed on the path next to the leaf.

The insect, unperturbed, crept under the leaf. Siskin hopped to the opposite side of the leaf, fully expecting the insect to emerge.

It didn’t.

After several moments of inactivity, K’ndar gently lifted the leaf.

Several insects of several different types milled around, most fleeing their sudden exposure.

The original insect was poised at the opening to a small burrow. As he watched, a second insect emerged from the burrow, took the first one’s burden, and disappeared into the earth. The first one turned and returned the way it had come.

Siskin pounced on it.

Arggh! he cried, but it was too late. Siskin crunched the insect and ate it.

He was momentarily aggravated, but…it’s what happens, he thought. He’s a fire lizard, not a biologist.

The others had missed it.

“What’s the matter?” Francie asked.

“This insect, it was carrying something, gave it to its mate??? and then Siskin killed it. “

“Do insects have mates?”

“Well, not normally, but..this one was more like a provider? Insects don’t have families, usually. I confess I don’t know much about bugs, so I don’t know what I don’t know. This may not be normal insect behaviour.”

Francie took pictures of the burrow. K’ndar sketched it and took notes, hoping the bug in the burrow would reveal itself. It didn’t.

He replaced the leaf and got to his feet.

Francie’s three fire lizards arrived, drawn by their activity. Siskin nosed under the leaf and began to dig. K’ndar doubted he’d get the other insect.

“Oh, here’s a big one,” Elene said, behind them. “Right here, next to the path. And another, and, oh, there’s several.”

K’ndar looked. “Yes! It’s the same kind.” There were several of them, all working on a pile of semi damp…dung.

“That looks like dung,” Elene said.

“It is.” K’ndar dug out a specimen jar. He carefully edged it under an insect and the dung it was collecting. He felt a bit of guilt…was he taking away a provider?

It’s an insect, he thought. They serve to feed fire lizards and just about everything else carnivorous.

Siskin chipped and gave up his digging. A creature like the one on the fallen tree shrilled at them from somewhere. The four fire lizards launched and began searching the area.

Francie laughed. “Sisi is aggravated, she knows that little beast is taunting her.”

He tucked the jar into his backpack and then filled in the data in his notebook.

“Will I be seeing some notebooks in the near future?” Elene said, teasing.

K’ndar grinned. “Yes, ma’am, yes, I’ve been…negligent.”

“It’s okay, K’ndar. Standing here, seeing this beautiful place, I can truly understand how you can be distracted.”

“By forests like this? I certainly am distracted,” Francie said.

The trees soared to unimaginable heights. The shade was pierced everywhere by dusty beams of sunlight, reaching the forest floor through gaps in the canopy. The resulting light speckled the forest floor, the bright spots moving with the breeze in the tree tops. The light filled the forest, making it appear as if it was coming from the forest floor rather than the sky. Flutters and other insects danced in the beams of light, and tiny birds darted after tiny insects.

“I think…I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” Elene said, “I don’t think there’s anything in the database that even mentions these trees.”

She shuddered despite the heat. “We must be the first people to see it. I’m certain Lord Toric would have already started cutting them down.”

“I would do everything I could to keep that from happening,”Francie said, with fierce determination, “if I only knew how.”

K’ndar shook his head. “I’m cynical enough to say just us three wouldn’t stop Toric, or anyone else, from destroying it. It’s what the Earth people did. They destroyed Earth, little by little, piece by piece. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m betting that there were Earthers like us, seeing it for a beautiful place, but not having enough…clout? to make the nobility listen. Or even care.”

The two woman nodded, depressed.

“I probably have read far more history than you, K’ndar, if only because I read what’s in my library and in the database. You’re right. There WERE people like us who protested the exploitation of earth, but there were more millions of people who didn’t care, who were more interested in making money. There were people, cotholders, just ordinary people, who HAD to exploit in order to survive. And finally, there were people who had no idea places, like this spot, even existed.

What you don’t know exists, you don’t try to protect.

We’re no different, those of us who have never had the opportunity or the dragons to wander. For instance, this is the first time in my life I’ve actually gone somewhere just to “see” something that wasn’t involved with making a living.

Unlike dragonriders, who go nomading all over the planet. I’m quite sure you both have seen places on Pern that the vast majority of Pernese never have and never will.”

Francie grimaced, feeling as if she were being accused of being favored.

She sighed, contemplating the trees. “That’s true, Elene. I have, and we have. But, Elene, it’s not a ‘privilege’ to be a riding dragon, no more than it’s a privilege to wander the oceans in a ship. We earned it, K’ndar, me, so many others. We have the luxury of going ‘nomading’ NOW, unlike the thousands of dragonriders before us. But that luxury came at a price.

In the days of Thread, we didn’t have the time to actually nomad, or just skyhoot off. Our days off were few and far between. There was never a time when a weyr was completely off duty.

We spent our lives doing one of three things-preparing for the next thread fall, fighting the thread fall, and recovering from the latest thread fall. It was never ending. The fact that we managed to do anything else, like have kids or learn a trade or a craft, is amazing. What was even more amazing was that a Weyrleader or a Weyrwoman was also responsible for managing a weyr, training replacements, charting threadfall, dealing with Holders, doing all sorts of administrative tasks. Weyrwomen also had to manage their queens, when they were in clutch, or a hatching was about to happen-where did they get the energy? It was always, always ‘prepare to fight thread and do everything else in between falls.’

In the mornings when I knew we were about to fight Thread, my stomach was so knotted with fear I couldn’t eat. I was always afraid. Always. Every time we launched, I wondered, is this the day I get scored, or my dragon get hurt or even killed? Will I ever kiss Raylan again? Is this the last day of my life?”

K’ndar gulped, remembering. And he hadn’t spent years fighting thread, not like Francie, or just about any dragonrider older than him. His class and those like his at other Weyrs, had been the last to actually fly against Thread.

“Yes,” he said, in a strangled tone. “Me, too. I was always afraid.”

Elene apologetically touched Francie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you, any dragonrider, was above the rest of us.”

“I know, but, Elene, that’s what we got from ‘the rest’ of Pern. It’s only gotten worse, now that thread is gone. The average Pernese, one who hasn’t impressed a dragon, is always ready to resent us, or grumble about favoritism, accuse us of laziness, jealous of our ability to, as you say, go anywhere on the planet. You’ve read your history. You know why the Old Timers came forward, because Thread had stopped, for now, we know, a 250 year break. Within days, dragonriders stopped being lifesavers and were then considered moochers. It’s getting that way, now! The Holders, the Crafters, turned on us. We were called “moochers”. “No money, dragonrider? Get out, then!” And where did a dragonrider get money? No one PAID us to fly thread, we did it because that’s what dragonriders DO. Where did I get money when I had no job other than flying thread? I never had so much as a coin until I married Raylan, until that time I lived in a weyr that bartered for things or was tithed, sometimes grudgingly, everything from the food on the table to the glows in my weyr.

Ground folks didn’t understand, or want to take into account that the reason we weren’t out in the fields digging roots out of the ground was because we were making it so they COULD. It always was thus, and gets worse now that thread is gone. We’re ‘parasites’.”

She paused, embarrassed at taking her ire out on the older woman.

“I’m…I’m sorry, Elene. You didn’t have that coming.”

Elene nodded. “II understand, and I’m sorry, too, Francie, I can’t apologize for the rest of Pern. I KNOW you are right. But, in my defense, please, hear me out.

She sighed. “It’s being in places like this beautiful forest that brought home to me that I’ve been a ground pounder my entire life, and will never get a chance to get here without the forbearance or favor of a dragonrider.

And I KNOW better. I do. So many people turn it into resentment. Deep down inside, they know…I hope they know better, but it’s easier to gripe about how unfair it is than to realize that it just comes down to fate. Some people, like you, like K’ndar, are born with the ability to hear a dragon. And then you were found, and taken to a weyr, and trained up to ride that dragon. I’m certain there are many people out there who can hear dragons, but have never been searched.

Did I resent dragonriders? Yes. I was a child. I saw these beautiful creatures, their male riders so rugged and brave, because back then, girls didn’t impress any dragons but a gold. I’d see the wings flying over head and think, how unfair that I was born female destined for nothing but caring for the many children I was expected to bear.

And now I see this magnificent forest and think, how long I have lived without seeing it’s grandeur, and it’s all because I never impressed a dragon. A lot of folks will think that, without thinking what you paid for that ‘’privilege’.

I don’t want us to do what happened to Earth. I don’t want to see people doing like they did before the Charter, before Aivas taught us what we’d forgotten for over 2500 years. There were too many people on earth. Billions. We mustn’t ever let that happen here.

I would like to see more people see this forest, and places like Woochick beach, or even that place where K’ndar found the smandas. Then they might work to protect the trees, the islands, rather than exploit them.

Holders, like Lord Toric would see this forest as a place to exploit. Certainly he expects his cotholders to plant “two trees for every one” cut, but is that being DONE? Is there any enforcement? I doubt it. Who grows the little trees? Only the odd fellow, like Rand.

If we can make people realize that some places, like this forest, should be set aside, untouched and unmodified by a wealthy holder, we can hopefully avoid what happened to earth. The only way I can think it to give more people the opportunity to see it…like I am, right now. Bring people in, in small groups, on dragonback. just to see it. If they can learn to love it, like I suddenly have, maybe they’ll work to preserve it. We could, well, you could, I suppose, serve as both transport and guide. Or perhaps someone like Rand, to tell the people about the forest, how it is full of wildlife. Then people would understand why things like “plant two for one’ or ‘Just Two’ children are such important concepts.”

K’ndar nodded, seeing the logic.

“The problem, though, ma’am, is that people like Lord Toric will be able to control what happens to this forest, or other places on Pern that belong to Lord Holders. He certainly won’t be told No you can’t. This is probably his land and technically, we’re trespassing. We could be put in a cell. Well, WE couldn’t, being staff of Landing, it’s probably riskier for a Holder to go head to head with the Council. But the average person? Like the Holdless, like Wanderers, like Rand? He’s going to pay for trespassing. Toric’s already got a rogue dragonrider in the way of T’ovar, who is probably acting as a watchman, going all over, looking for trespassers. He’s not above taking punishment into his own hands.”

Suddenly alert to the danger, he touched Raventh.

Listen for dragons. Especially T’ovar’s.

I will. I’ll tell Siskin to perch in the tree tops, like he did before. Motanith can send her three. Or two, one of the greens doesn’t like being told what to do.

Greens, eh?

Greens.

A few moments later, the four fire lizards rose to the treetops.

“Good idea, K’ndar,” Francie said. She dug out her datalink.

“What was a good idea?” Elene asked.

“K’ndar had the fire lizards go up to watch for Toric’s dragonrider. I don’t want him finding us, he’ll sure as sunrise tell Toric.”

Elene stiffened. “I’m not afraid of Toric.”

“I’m not either. But I AM afraid of the Council, and I don’t want to jeopardize anything…my job, my husband’s job, even the possibility of doing what you mention, showing this place and others to people, when we’re trespassing.”

“You’re right, Francie, but there comes a time when we, the ordinary person, needs to stand up to the Holder! It’s time we say…oh, who am I kidding? I’m trying to change the entire culture of Pern in one stroke.”

“Good luck with that,” K’ndar groused.

Elene smiled. “Actually, K’ndar it’s changing as we speak, but in painfully slow increments. It’s YOUR generation who must lead the change. And it won’t come easily..or gently. Some Holders might listen. T’oric? Not in my lifetime.”

“Oh!!!!!! This is interesting!” Francie said, looking at her datalink.

“This spot? It’s NOT on Lord Toric’s land. Not!! In fact, Rand’s Clearing isn’t, EITHER. This is all unclaimed. His boundaries are at least fifty kilometers north of here. It’s all…it’s all dragonrider lands, remember, after the end of Thread? The Conclave, what, forty years ago? decided it. This…this is OURs!”

“I mean,” she caught herself, “not ours, per se,” demurring to Elene, “it’s…well, you know what I mean?”

“I do,” Elene said, “The Conclave determined that all lands on Southern not held in Halls or Holds were to be Dragonlands. Hopefully, Weyrleaders will be more willing to share places like this. And, hopefully, that means it won’t be exploited.”

“Isn’t that typical of Lord Toric,” Francie said, “he did try to claim all of Southern Continent, and still believes himself to have been cheated.”

Elene shook her head. “You’ve seen how he acts, Francie. He’s..he’s a nuisance. But let’s never mind that, for now. We are too small to go head to head with him, that’s what the Council is for. I’ll approach them with this,” she said.

The thought that had been percolating in K’ndar’s head burst free.

“When you said, ‘guide’, did you mean people like me? bring people out here, like I did for you? Just to see it?”

“Yes,” Elene said.

“And how to get here…the easiest way is to get here on Dragonback. No roads created. Just fly in to that wonderfully wide spot where our dragons are, and follow this big game trail.”

What DID make that huge opening? It goes on and on. Something very BIG was foraging over our heads.

Francie’s datalink pinged. As did an unseen one.

K’ndar felt the datalink in his backpack vibrate. He fumbled for it in his backpack.

Francie grinned. “Good on you, K’ndar, you’re remembering to bring your datalink.”

He pulled it out. “Yes, after being beaten about the head and shoulders by the entire staff of Landing.”

“I think you got the same message, K’ndar. We’re wanted back at Landing, and this is from Admin, “What have you done with Elene?”

They laughed.