Traveller Probo
71. 11th Century England

The village had barely resumed a degree of normality when the new visitors arrived.

“I am not sure about these visits,” scolded Tatae gently as she squatted by the smoky fire. Michael was reminded he had to build a decent chimney, something none of the homes yet possessed, for any smoke escaped only from a simple hole in the roof. She busily stirred yet another concoction. “Some of the younger ones are replaceing it difficult to settle down. I know your people want what is best for us but there have been too many strange foods, too much excitement!” She stirred again and added a few ground up roots as she sang a sweet chant and then continued. “See here! Many have aching heads and runny noses. They lie in bed and are miserable.” She sighed. “I think your people brought this.” A knock came to the door and a few urchins stood with the family cauldron. The village healer hailed them and they chatted a while before she sent them off with the cooking pot filled with scalding hot elixirs. Tatae sat back onto her favourite stool, her cheeks a healthy pink, and continued. “Each time we visit your old home, we catch their illness. Some may think them special but they still get sick, don’t they?” She huffed happily as she filled another pot as more children clustered in their doorway. Clad warmly in furs and hoods, eyes shining in perpetual mischief, they seemed oblivious to the cold.

Tatae’s cat rolled onto its back and stretched by the fire as Latis grunted happily.

Soon it was Yffi who stood in the doorway with his thumbs in his breeches as was his want. Since the strangers had left, he had been in a foul mood and Michael was determined to learn the cause. They set off into the forest with the dogs, where Michael exclaimed, “Ahh, ’tis good to have our home to ourselves again. The visitors were good but now the seasons are changing it’s time for us to prepare for Spring.” Clumps of snow fell from the branches with a damp thump, indicating warmer weather was on its way.

Yffi nodded as he agreed, “Aye, they were good to have around. Good and warm I think.”

Michael frowned. “Good and bloody warm? What d’you mean? You thinking of the meals, the healers’ quarters, or one of the healers perhaps?”

Yffi laughed and replied, “Can’t say! All three?”

Michael stopped and thought a moment and then turned to his friend with a laugh, “The redhead! Did you get the redhead?”

Yffi pulled a face. “Get? I gave her everything I had! It seemed to make her stay much more enjoyable. Now that was a little creamy-skinned she-beast and all!”

“But Tatae never told me!” exclaimed Michael. “She knows everything that goes on.”

“Not this time,” smiled Yffi with obvious satisfaction. “She’s not the only one with secret places in the wilds. You know us better than that, Lord Michael.”

Michael was about to make a comment when Wuffa and a couple of his urchins were seen scarpering through the forest. They called out, “Lord Michael! Yffi! New strangers have come.”

“What? Oh, okay. Well we had best greet them,” grunted Michael in reply. Before the lads ran off he noticed one of them carried a calico bag, like the type given by the strangers.

“Oi! What do you have there?” he called.

The lads looked alarmed and turned to run but Yffi laughed as he crowed, “Go on lads, the dogs need a good hunt. Let’s see how far you get!”

Wuffa looked up at the men, as if cornered. “They wouldn’t, ’cos they love us, do them dogs!” he replied uncertainly.

“Well, it would be fun to try, wouldn’t it?” smiled Michael.

Wuffa snatched the bag from his friend and reluctantly handed it to Yffi’s outstretched hand. As the boys stood, torn between flight and retaining their possessions, Yffi and Michael looked into the bag to replace about fifty lollypops. “You thieving little shits!” exclaimed Yffi who promptly took about ten and placed them into one of his pouches. Yffi offered the bag to Michael, who shook his head, then handed it back to Wuffa. The small lad expertly dodged a cuff at the top of his head and ran into the forest with his mates.

“Those little buggers,” laughed Yffi, shaking his head in reluctant admiration. “They could steal the gold from the wee folk. But won’t they make grand hunters when they come of age”.

Yffi’s dogs heard them first. Stealthy footsteps were never quiet enough for the dogs to miss, so the men set up an ambush and waited for the strangers to pass. Moments later, Hurley, Wicks and Morris were seen as they crept carefully. Though many of the trees were budding, the skeletal cover offered by the forest was too little for the men not to be identified easily. As they passed, Yffi muttered, “Better, much better but you are mine now you know. I’d have your cocks hanging from my gate, except they would be too wee to bother with.”

The men turned to replace the three dogs arrayed about them, their ears forward as they watched alertly. Hurley cursed and the big Canadian, Morris, laughed his huge laugh. That seemed to be the catalyst for the huge, shaggy mutts to run at the men and almost knock them over in their affections. There was a great deal of shoulder-slapping in greeting, for the men were well-known by the villagers and welcome. “No wonder they want us to upgrade our training,” muttered Hurley with a little chagrin.

Michael grunted unhappily and Hurley turned to his friend. “What? Is something wrong?”

“You’re always welcome here my friend,” exclaimed Michael. “As are these lads but Giolgrave is becoming bloody High Street the way everyone wants to visit. The medical mission became an excuse for anyone who is anyone to be Transported and grab a few hours in Giolgrave, and it hasn’t been a completely positive experience for the villagers. To make matters worse, I’ve been advised that any training schedule is to move from strictly reconnaissance and survival skills to weapons testing. By the sound of things, it’s not going to be a bloody new type of bow and arrow.”

“So, they want to test new weapons here, in the forests around Saxon Giolgrave,” replied Hurley incredulously. “Well, I suppose I can see their logic, because from a military standpoint, it’s the ideal place. It’s out of view from prying eyes by a thousand years. I shouldn’t be surprised, should I? Any idea what kind of weapons?” he asked.

Michael shook his head, “No, no idea at all. I was hoping you could tell me. It’s all very hush-hush. What concerns me is what they’re not saying. You know the drill. What I do know is that your training here is a prototype, so a camp can be set up for platoon-strength training schools.”

Morris frowned. “But what about the impacts on local populations, not to mention our historical time-line?” he asked.

Michael shook his head in dismay, “Well, there you have it! What indeed!”

The men started to walk to the village and Michael watched Yffi move to the front with the dogs. They could speak plainly at least.

“The sticky fingers of politics are beginning to be seen in all Traveller missions,” Hurley added quietly. “As you see, I’ve been seconded to this training programme when I should be managing the final months of training for Kiev Traveller. They’ve been fending off takeover advances by the Russians.”

“The Russians?” exclaimed Michael in surprise. “Well, I can see that would work!”

Hurley gave an exasperated laugh. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly! And now they have to put up with my absence for a month. The Ukrainians are furious!”

Morris gave a grunt and Wicks walked silently, neither willing to contribute.

“Cameras off,” muttered Michael.

“Cameras off,” replied each in turn as their cameras were turned off.

“I think it might be obvious but you guys should know that my priorities are beginning to change,” admitted Michael. “It’s nothing personal but I feel like I’m the only thing between that typical Machiavellian political decision-making process and the people of Giolgrave.” Michael looked around at the newly budding forest, then to the dogs as they happily trotted in front of the men. As Yffi strode with them silently, Michael was suddenly enveloped with an enormous fondness for the hunter, the dogs and indeed his home. “In a way, Yffi and the people of Giolgrave are as innocent and powerless to make decisions as are these big dogs here.” Yffi paused at the mention of his name and looked to his friend. “These people rely on me to make sure they don’t become victims of stupid decisions made by politicians, the military, and the burgeoning careers of historians. None can ever say I’m not a good soldier, because I’ve fought and bled for them, as have you blokes but if anyone decides that these people and my wife are going to be threatened by a new training camp, or to be an area where weapons are tested ...”

He simply shook his head but no completion of his sentence was necessary. The others walked with him, their flames of excitement extinguished by the unhappy circumstances surrounding their presence.