Sample Chapter

            “You can’t catch me!”

           Linnea spun around to face the direction from which the voice originated. A flash of bright blond hair and worn gray clothes popped out of a blackberry bush and darted across the small clearing.

           So, he is still small enough to fit in his hiding spot. Good to know.

           She chuckled when her brother almost tripped on a twig, but even with his stumble, Nathaniel reached the other side of the small meadow before she could start chasing him. He left a trail of trampled turf behind as he blazed through the tall weeds that covered the hillside.

           “I bet I can!” Linnea hollered back before she took off after him.

           Her legs were much longer than her brother’s, so she reached the tree line in only five large bounds. Nathaniel had been sneaky and tried to challenge her by running straight through the patch of briers at the edge of the clearing. Luckily, the sharp points slid right off of the legs of her overalls. She’d recently learned to wear her more protective clothing during their outings. They rarely went on an adventure where she wasn’t having to chase her brother at some point.

           After dodging her first obstacle, Linnea raced up the slope, weaving through the thick oak and pine trees that made up their forest. Beyond the hill she was climbing, the trees stretched on for miles in every direction. Too often she was distracted by wondering how many there actually were. It was easy to forget how vast their forest was when they stuck to exploring a small segment of it.

           When she reached the top of the small hill, Nathaniel was waiting for her. He stood slumped against an abnormally large tree. He tried to look as bored as possible while twirling the fraying ends of his shirt through his fingers. His cute little nose was scrunched up like it always was when he was either teasing her or thinking too hard about something. He impatiently tapped his foot on the ground and even faked a yawn when he saw her.

           “What took you so long, slowpoke?” Her brother’s tone was taunting, but his heavy breathing betrayed his show of superiority.

           “At least I’m not the one panting like a dog,” Linnea retorted while trying to hide her own labored breathing. “Besides, you can’t call me slow when I wasn’t told we were racing.”

           She thought his little show of impatience was adorable, but she would never tell him that. Nathaniel was prideful of his ability to act mature for his age, and he hated it when his older sister told him that he was cute. Yet she couldn’t help but giggle when he rolled his eyes and claimed his triumph in their unfair race. He was so competitive, a trait that he had inherited from their father.

           Linnea skipped over towards him and rustled his short hair. That was one of the things he disliked, but she didn’t care. Other than their grandmother, Nathaniel was the only family that she had left. Nathaniel acted like he hated it because he wanted to act tough and be the man of the house, but she knew that he secretly liked it. He never pulled away from a hug or loving gesture, and he never told her to stop, even if he did act embarrassed. Part of it was that he liked the attention, but Linnea suspected that he also loved how close their bond was.

           It was just the two of them against the world, and Linnea had grown to like it that way, even if she did miss their parents.

           A large, solid stick near her feet caught her attention. A smile played at the corner of her lips. In one fluid motion, she dropped down to grasp the stick in her right hand before bringing it up so that it pointed at Nathaniel’s chest.

           “Defend yourself.”

           That’s what her father used to playfully tell her whenever they’d pretend to be warriors defending their kingdoms. As a castle guard, her father had thought swordsmanship was an essential skill, and he’d started training Linnea long before she could actually lift a sword. Since Nathaniel had never gotten to play the warrior game with their father, she’d taken it upon herself to teach him once he was old enough not to cry every time she accidentally hit him. Now, at ten years old, her brother was almost as good as she was. In her own way, she found the skill to be as important as her father had described. With a whole forest of animals to protect, she and her brother got to be their own kind of warriors every day.

           A twinkle appeared in Nathaniel’s eyes after his initial surprise wore off, and he scanned the forest floor for a weapon of his own. There weren’t many choices to pick from. Linnea hadn’t made it easy when she’d picked the only blade-sized stick, but Nathaniel settled for a long branch that was almost as tall as he was. Linnea didn’t bother to hide her amusement when he almost went tumbling backward from raising the branch above his head.

           A quick side step was all she needed to dodge the hefty weapon. Splinters went flying when the wood crashed onto the ground beside her. Adrenaline surged through her, and Linnea swung her stick forward towards her brother’s head. He blocked the strike with the half of his stick that remained, which appeared easier to maneuver now that it was closer to the size of hers. He flashed a devious smile towards her while holding the parry. They both shared a joyous laugh before continuing their game.

           For several long minutes, they danced around the hilltop with their make-believe swords clashing. Nathaniel scored a good whack at her ankles that forced Linnea to trip backward, but she got him back by slashing her stick across his shoulder. Her brother was getting smarter and lighter on his feet. Some of the feints she used to test him weren’t working anymore. Even though it was just a game, she was proud of his improvements. He wanted to grow up to be like their father. Nathaniel didn’t remember much about him, but he’d created a mental image of their father from all the stories that he’d been told. While Linnea sometimes worried that her brother was putting too much pressure on himself, she had to admit that Nathaniel’s form and agile movements had started reminding her of how their father had looked when they practiced together long ago.

           After a while, Nathaniel grew frustrated with himself for not being able to land another hit on her. Even though she’d explained numerous times that her four extra years of experience would challenge him, he was still pushing himself too hard. Ever since he was gifted their father’s dagger for his last birthday, her brother had been serious about becoming a trained warrior, more serious than a ten-year-old should be. He put way too much pressure on himself given the fact that he’d never actually held a sword before, but he wanted to fill the shoes of the father that he’d barely known.

           Linnea didn’t want him to walk away upset. He had improved so much since the last time they practiced, and she wanted him to be proud of himself. When she found a moment to be discrete, she purposefully lost her footing and fell back onto the soft grass. Without hesitation, Nathaniel kicked the stick out of her hands, and she immediately felt pressure on her neck from where the point of her brother’s branch rested against her skin.

           The only sound she could hear was their heavy breathing. Nathaniel stood frozen, an intense look on his face. He’d gotten more engrossed in the exercise than she’d realized, but Linnea soon saw the realization hit him. She struggled not to smile or give away any sign of her planned defeat when she saw the pride take over her brother’s expression.

           “I won,” he muttered, stunned at what had happened. Then, after a brief moment, he lost his composure and tossed his stick aside before skipping around the small clearing. “I did it! I actually won! Ha ha, take that! I’m the better warrior!”

           Linnea leaned back on her elbows and watched him enjoy his little victory dance. He spun in circles, shouted in triumph, and even shook his butt in her direction to taunt her. Nathaniel was a crazy goofball, but she was thankful that he was her goofball.

           Once the excitement had overstayed its welcome, she calmed her brother down and reached out for him to help her up. After he pulled her up onto her feet, she patted him on the back.

           “Good job. You’ve definitely gotten faster. Your footwork is much better, but you’re still moving more than you need to.”

           “Hey, don’t get on to me because you can’t keep up,” he countered. He nudged her sideways, and she responded by sticking out her tongue.

           “Maybe you shouldn’t get feisty with me because you know I’m right.”

           She narrowly dodged the light-hearted punch that was aimed at her side. Her brother had never taken criticism well, and she always had to find the perfect time to get under his skin. She had to get her teasing out sometime. It was better to do it while they were out exploring since their grandmother wasn’t fond of the banter that their sibling rivalry caused.

           The thought of Gran made her wonder how long they’d been out. She cringed when she looked up through the trees and saw the earliest signs of orange and pink streaking through the sky. Gran hadn’t wanted them to be out all afternoon. She wanted help folding the clothes that were hanging out on the line, and they’d planned on making at least one run out to the spring to restock their water supply. There would be some disapproving words when they returned home.

           Nathaniel wandered off down the hill while she brushed the grass and dirt off of her clothes. When she looked towards him, she saw him staring at a bush with his head tilted to the side. After a few seconds, he ducked down and disappeared into one of the large bramble bushes.

           “This isn’t the time to play hide and seek,” she groaned. “You’re going home with enough new scratches as it is.”

           When no reply came, she trotted down to the edge of the patch of bushes. She tried to see into the one that was rustling, but she couldn’t make out much since her brother had crawled halfway through the thick foliage.

           “Nathaniel, come out of there,” she demanded. “We have to get home. I’m sure that Gran’s already sent Luca out to search for us.”

           Her frustration increased when she still didn’t get a response. She would already be in trouble for losing track of time. Did her brother have to make it worse by delaying the inevitable scolding?

           She was about to go in after him when he emerged from the opposite side of the bushes. As she expected, there were a few new scratches on his cheeks from the thorns. They’d have to stop at the river and clean him up before returning home.

           “Come on, we’ve got to go,” Linnea pleaded.

           She marched over to her brother and was about to drag him away from the bush, but she paused when she noticed that Nathaniel was cradling something in his hands. Her hand had already landed on his shoulder, so she gently spun him around so that they were facing each other. Small tufts of blue and white feathers stuck out from between his fingers, and she heard quiet chirping coming from the small creature.

           Her brother looked up at her to meet her gaze. Both concern and urgency swirled around in his bright blue eyes.

           “He needs to come home with us,” Nathaniel insisted. “He’s hurt.”

           Linnea didn’t argue. The baby bluebird had some blood on his neck, most likely from falling through the prickly bushes, and one of his wings was bent unnaturally. Linnea forgot about the trouble waiting for her at home and switched into her “nurse mode,” as her mother had called it. She was no longer worried about the sunset or Gran being upset with them. Her focus had shifted to getting their new patient home so that they could heal him. Helping the creatures of the forest had become the whole family’s goal when they’d moved in with Gran, and Linnea took her job as a protector seriously.

           “We’ll have to travel slow to not jostle him too much. That wing doesn’t need to endure any more trauma. You’ve got to be careful while holding him. Do you think you can handle that?”

           Nathaniel nodded and peered down at the tiny bird.

           “Don’t worry,” he said softly. “We’ll take care of you.”         

           He positioned the bird protectively against his chest. The little bluebird chirped in pain at the movement, but it soon settled down. Nathaniel lowered his head and kissed their new patient on its beak. Once he was certain that the bluebird was as comfortable as it could be, his eyes met Linnea’s again as he nodded to signal that he was ready. With that, she led the way back to the other side of the hill and towards the cottage.

           Number 98, she thought to herself as she snaked through the trees and underbrush. What do you think, Mom? Not a bad count for three years, huh? We’re getting pretty good at protecting the forest, just like you. 

​

​

​