Mission in the Woods

Some weeks pass like this, when one day, Renard’s father invites him to go trapping.

Though initially hesitant, Renard takes it as a sign of his father’s approval. More than that, it feels like his father offering to help him regain his confidence. The privacy of the woods is an excellent starting place for venturing out again, and even if things have been strained, the company is reassuring while the work provides an opportunity to reconcile and bond. His father is a man who shows his emotions through work, after all, and for Renard to express his seriousness is just a matter of not jesting too much and doing that work well.

Maybe it’s too hopeful a thought, but this might be the start of them putting Isen behind them, and beginning again with something new.

Renard agrees to the trip. As he and his father tramp into the woods, the simple pleasures of the wind on his skin and blood pumping from physical activity refresh and invigorate him. He cannot stop himself from making casual conversation of the sights around them, then sunnily cracking some jokes.

Though his father does respond to the chitchat, the jokes don’t land with any laughter. Rather, they repulse the man utterly, ignored with stern dismissal as his father returns to tramping. Unease twists in Renard’s gut. He remembers now why he never did pursue his father’s vocation — he could not get through a trip with a serious enough attitude for his father to enjoy teaching him, (Isen, of course, would nail it), hence Renard always found these experiences extremely nerve-wracking, (especially when Isen was absent), and not a place to focus his ethic.

Pushing that unease aside, Renard forces himself to keep quiet and let the uncomfortable, sombre air predominate.

They reach the heart of the forest and begin checking the traps. Shortly, Renard’s father rules they split up; he’ll check and lay traps on the west path, while Renard takes the east. Accepting this, Renard tends to the job, dedicating himself to stay properly sober instead of dallying with his usual malarkey, even though his father’s not watching. The work goes fine — his antics always made him just slower, not worse.

Coming near to the end of the eastern trail, Renard arrives at the lip of a valley. An abrupt feeling of alarm overtakes him.

The last trap he needs to lay is a little ways into this valley. However, as Renard stares over the gulf, he finds himself incapable of understanding how he is meant to return to the trail after descending to the demarcated spot. The incline down is ferociously steep, and if there’s a path, Renard can’t see it.

If he goes down into this, he might not be able to get out. He freezes, forced to think.

He could trust his gut, not go down there, and — what? Return to his father after failing such a simple task? Or does he discard the trap, lie, and hope his father never checks? He can’t do that. Besides, if—

Renard’s fists tremble around the trap and his eyes squeeze out tears as he makes the horrible, horrible connection that his father may not be expecting him to return from placing this trap, either. From the loose dirt and undisturbed foliage, it doesn’t look like anybody has gone into this valley in years, if ever.

Should he run? But—discarding this entire train of thought, Renard again looks over the valley. A river runs through its length. Many old settlements are built on rivers like these, so if he follows it long enough, he should reach civilisation somewhere. Then imagine his father’s face, having thought Renard was gone, only for him to parade himself back into town a week later with such an incredible story as that!

Fixated on this image, Renard inspires himself to descend. He sets the trap, but as expected, finds no path back up the steep incline, which is also too sheer to scale. Turning silently away from the cliff-face to the valley, Renard puffs out his chest.

Very well! He laughs. What is this silly valley, but another worthy challenge to conquer!

With this audacious bravado shielding him from confronting the possible implications of the situation, and from seeing his own fears that underpin this decision, Renard disappears into the bush.

The sky overhead turns purple with the evening light. On the other side of the forest, Renard’s father heaves himself up from the stump where he has been waiting. If this much time has passed, Renard isn’t coming back.

He leaves the woods and returns to town. People ask him, where is Renard?

Boy got fed up doing the work, he answers. Threw down the traps, said he’d make himself in the city, ran off without another word.

The townspeople nod.

That does sound like Renard.