Dar- A Letter Home

Another snippet from the new book.. enjoy.. all rights reserved, do not repost, blah blah blah you know the drill.

Mother, Kindly Thegn, and Heart’s Brother Hardenein-

With Urgency and Rue do I put these words to page, that Others may take notice and avoid my Dire Fate.

I have been some Weeks upon the plains, a veritable Sea of Waving Greens, Blues, and Golds that I have found Captivating. While it is a land with some small Lazy  Streams and seasonal Watering Places, the tall trees of our Home do not thrive here.

I Wish I had the words to describe Justly- Mother, perhaps with your Time in the World you can do better. It is a World in Motion as the grasses that rise Above my Head dance in response to the Slightest Stirring of the Air. One more than one Occasion I admit that I have Hidden in them off the trail when Word came of Unsavory Travelers Abroad.

Once it was a Contingent upon Dark Creatures that I cannot even now put a Name to. Their passage left me feeling somewhat Chill as the Hissing Sounds of their Speech fell wrong upon my ears. I believe they were Aware of my presence but their mission was of Some Urgency, for I did not see their fires further up the trail at all that Night.

Another night I was able to Camp atop what the Horse Folk called a Mesa and look down upon the vast Plains, roiling wildly with the Winds that Coursed Through. I sat for as long as the Light Held, watching tirelessly and feeling I was the Only Being in the World, tiny and Insignificant. 

This had been the way of my Travels for a Month and More, each day the Same but Delightful to the senses in Knowing a certain Space and Freedom that does not exist in these times in our Beloved Home. 

In Truth, I had been feeling a bit Homesick for our cool Mountains, now too far to the North to be seen, and Chose a path one of my Dryad Acquaintances told me would lead to a small River Valley with trees much like our Home. 

And at first, my side Adventure was all I could have wished for. The evergreens rose tall and dark against the sky, and the Burbling of the more vigorous River, in which I had Tempting Thoughts of catching a fine fat Trout to fry for my Supper. The cooler, damper Air was as bracing as one of Grandmother’s Tonics, and I could not breathe deeply enough of it.

Intent upon my Mission to procure my scaly Quarry before the shadows grew Too Long, I stopped in a peaceful glade across the trail from the Gleaming Promise of the sparkling River. I did not wish to Sleep beside it, as the sound of the flowing water may Obscure Noises of other travelers.

The ground was soft due to a Recent Rain that had washed all the Trees and Grasses, making them smell all the sweeter. I made good use of my felted Ground Cloth, and took care to set my pegs well into the damp soil; I had some Thought of Remaining for a day or two. I had the most Excellent Reasons, you know, Scruff had been Sore Footed, a leather Water Carrier wanted Mending, but if we are honest, I was a Victim of Seduction by that Crystalline Water and the splash of the Wily Trout. Truly, they Taunted me even as I set up my tent for a somewhat Extended Stay.

All of this I Shared with Scruff in the Most Reasonable of Tones, yet he Regarded me with his Dark Liquid Eye of Judgment before Waggling his Ears and tending to the succulent Tender Grasses of our little Glade, and I knew him to be Content with my Plan.

Feeling somewhat like a Boy Released from Lessons, within the hour of my Decision, I found myself wading in the Swift Current, my lures beckoning to my Dinner.

Luck was with me, and I soon had strung several Fine Fat Fish upon a stick, well enough to Serve for Dinner, Breakfast, and Dinner Again. But, to my Sorrow, I did not Retire, as the sun was warm upon my back, the Feeling of Home was strong, and I was overly contented.

Even as I have Stated, the rushing of all that Water makes hearing other Sounds troublesome, and so it was that  I did not take special Notice of the large dark Creature that had Joined me upon the riverbank.

Understand, that most of the Creatures that have approached me thusly have the Gift of Speech, so I think my most Courteous Greeting of Names and Ties to the Creature was Appropriate.

Now I got a good look at it for the First Time, a long, short legged beast reminiscent of our Badgers in the Distinctive Stripe down its long face, stretching down it’s body to a Large, Prominent Tail. I think I may be Forgiven in that Chiefest of my notice at the time, beyond that it did not Respond in Kind to my Greeting was that the beast had my Whole String of Fish captive within it’s Slavering Jaws!

Shocked at the Effrontery af the Strange Creature and Unwilling to Surrender the Fruits (or more precisely Fish) of my Labors, I bellowed forth a Challenge, and cast down my pole as though it was a Gauntlet. The Creature turned, and I swear it is true, and Gave me such a Look, as though I was the Thief! When I Stomped a Foot at it and reached for what Remained of my Dreamt of Repast, the Beast also Stamped it’s short front feet and Hissed in Unmistakeable Tones of Menace.

We took a moment then, we Duellists, at the Impasse of the Situation. Our Eyes locked, and each of us were Still, as though we were Attempting to Gauge the Seriousness of one another. My fine Fishing Rod was still within my Hands, and while I do not Relish the taking of Life of a Creature I do not Intend to Eat, I felt certain I could at least Drive Away the curious beast and Recover my Dinner. And Breakfast. And Dinner Again. And it was that which decided me upon my Cursed Course, as my Stomach had been making its Complaints Known for the past half hour.

In Retrospect, I do not believe the Creature was all that Concerned with whatever Feeble Efforts I would Employ. It merely wanted to be Certain that its Actions were Merited before Executing Upon its Foul Intent.

When I Brandished my Pole with all of the Seriousness of a Challenger, the Creature did likewise, only its far more formidable Weapon of Choice was contained within its Tail. With a Rapidity I can only admire now, the Creature’s hissing became a low growl before it whipped around and took Unerring Aim upon me, the would be Assailant.

Gentles, I never before have hated breathing. I have no way to Impart the Tear and Vomit Inducing Stench that Issued Forth from my Striped Adversary. I admitted Instant Defeat and Sued for Peace by casting my Inadequate Weapon aside and leaping into the River until I was Entirely Covered. By the time I emerged, prudently Upstream and Upwind, the Hero had Honorably Retired from the Field of Battle to claim their Just Rewards.

Scruff did not have any Comradely Empathy for my Mishap and Refused my Company by the Fire that night. And the next. And the next. 

I suppose there were two Beneficial Outcomes; as it happened, I did not feel In Need of any Meal that Evening. And I have learned to have a Greater Respect for Strange Creatures and their Ways. 

So heed my Lesson- if a Striped Beast such as I have described lays Claim to your Dinner, let it go and be quits with the Marauding Invader. Swiftly.