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nice.”
    Mother nods.  Then suddenly a tear runs down her cheek.  “My Gunther… is getting married!”  And then she hugs me and sobs into my shoulder.  I’m assuming they’re tears of happiness, but I’m still second-guessing Gunther’s advice to get a girl.
    The she looks up at me and smiles like I’m the one getting married.  “When?”
    “In a few weeks.  I don’t know the exact date.”
    “So I can begin to expect grandchildren…”  She starts to look a little faint, so I go to put my arm around her.  That’s exactly what she does, however:  faint.  I put her in her bed and go to the kitchen to fill my stomach.
    When Father comes home, he greets me with a pat and asks me how the trip went.  I decide to let Mother tell him about Gunther’s engagement, and just say it went well.
    Mother makes the announcement at dinner.
    Everybody is shocked.  I can’t believe that they’re speechless because Gunther was bound to get married sometime, the strong young man that he is.
    I wake up and milk Ann, the brown cow in our little shed.  It’s usually what Nathaniel’s supposed to do, but since it’s his birthday I decided to let him have the day off.
    We have breakfast as a family and decide to do Nathaniel’s celebration before Father and I have to go work in the forge.  Nathaniel appreciates the blanket, saying “Thanks!  My old one’s been through way too much.  If it had any more holes, it would only be a wad of stitching!”
    Nathaniel just about falls over when he sees the knife I have made for him.  “You made this?”
    “Why does that surprise you?”
    “I don’t think you’ve done any work before that’s this good!”
    “Thanks,” I say lamely.
    Just a few minutes later, Father and I head for the forge.
    We’re quiet.  Leon’s knives are almost done, and the less talking we do, the more work we do.  The sounds made in the forge are some of the best in my opinion.
    “When are you leaving tomorrow?” asks Father.
    It takes me a few seconds to realize that I’m going hunting with Nathaniel tomorrow.  “Probably as soon as we get up.  That way, we can get to the Redwood Forest by noon.”
    “That quickly?”
    “We’ve done it before.”
    “That’s a fast trip.  Good luck hunting; I hear good hunting is hard to come across.  Tygnar must be hunting the animals down.”
    “Tygnar doesn’t reach to the Redwood Forest.”
    “True…”  A while later he says, “I appreciate you going with Nathaniel.  He’s always loved hunting, but it’s not what I do.  I can strike with a hammer but can’t hit the side of our house with a bow and arrow.”  He smiles at me, his facial hair hiding it slightly from view.  “But you are multitalented, Kadmus.  You can work fine material in the forge.  You can shoot with a bow.  You’re a great knife thrower.  You are compassionate and humble.”  He nods at me.  “I am blessed to have such a son.”
    I have no idea what to say, but he doesn’t expect me to say anything.  He just goes back to his project.  “Thank you,” I say quietly.
    The next morning Nathaniel and I leave early.  We’ve got enough food with us to last us a couple of days at least, but if we’re successful we can stay out for even longer.  Nicholas and Ethan are supposed to cover our chores, but no guarantees.
    Nathaniel is excited to use the new knife I have given him.  He talks ecstatically about how he is going to gut various animals with it, but I only listen half-heartedly.  Despite how much I care for my brother, I’m not one for hunting and ripping the guts out of animals.
    The road stops long before it reaches the forest, but the river doesn’t.  The Fravora guides us at a steady downward grade until we reach the edge of the forest, where it cuts a path through the trees into the heart of the woodland.  We stop in this familiar spot to eat lunch, and I end up studying the area.  Grasses are starting to gain color as the day