Games of the Powerful
Page 8
~~~~
Celedryl walked carefully down a narrow mountain trail sometimes only a few feet wide with a treacherous fall on her left side to the valley floor far below. On her right side, the slate gray granite of the mountain impeded her view. She stopped to look far beyond the valley to the surrounding mountains. Every time she came this way, she would stop and admire the beauty of a valley she has come love very much. She let her gaze slowly drift across the valley to the mountains beyond covered in green lichen and mountain grass growing haphazardly on ledges and across the face of the granite peaks. This caused a sharp contrast between the green color and the slate gray of the mountain range but added to the beauty of it. Looking left toward the opposite end of the valley toward Mount Gaea she gazed upon its natural beauty. Legend says that the mountain is the home of the fairy and its name means goddess in the old language. A massive waterfall about halfway down the side of the mountain branches into three waterfalls feeding the valley below. During spring, the water from the snowmelt flooded the valley bringing fertile sediment into it enriching the soil in the process.
She continued warily down the trail toward the valley floor being careful not to fall to her death. Celedryl is a tall girl as is most men and woman of her clan. Where most had blond hair and blue eyes, she had dark hair and brown eyes sparkling with the love of life. This dissimilarity hinted of mixed blood but no one had the heart to ask any questions or bring it up. Her long dark hair cascaded of over her leather pullover long sleeve shirt in ringlets and waves almost to her waist. Covering her long shapely legs her leather pants fit perfectly accenting her slim waist wrapped with a brown leather belt and brass buckle. Hanging from the belt a foot long hunting knife sheathed in leather with a solid white bone handle and brass guard gave her an appearance of an accomplished feline huntress. On her back, she had a small pack and a leather quiver filled with arrows for the bow she carried in her left hand. The soft fur lined leather mountain boots on her feet although comfortable are sturdy enough to protect her feet in the harshest of environments.
When she reached the end of the trail leading into the valley, she stopped letting her gaze drift across the valley floor. The valley looked so much different to her now that she is on the valley floor instead of up on the side of the mountain. The length of the valley is roughly two leagues with the distance across about a league. Everywhere she could see the late fall flowers were still in bloom, honey bees frantically buzzing around them, and small mountain blue birds picking up dead grass to make their winter nests in the cracks and tiny holes on the sides of the surrounding mountains. A cool breeze hinting of the winter to come blew across the valley making the knee-high grass bend and move like the waves of an ocean. The few trees dotting the valley floor are mostly hardy black oak and fir trees.
Celedryl loved to come to this valley and walk its length and breadth. Her main reasons to come here, is the privacy the valley afforded her, and to get away from the village life with the trials and responsibilities that living in a large village entailed. She liked to hunt for food here too and with the abundance of small game like rabbits, ground squirrels, and small deer, she could feed herself quite easily. She especially enjoyed bathing in the streams and soaking in the warm sunshine afterward to dry. This would be her last chance to do that before winter set in and it would be back to bathing in the large kettles in the women’s communal baths.
Making her way toward the nearest oak tree to find some wood for a fire, a wolf black as night with a mouth full of long fangs and sharp teeth suddenly leaped on her knocking her to the ground. Dropping her bow, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and laughed delighted to see him. He licked her all over her face until she finally had enough. “Get off me you big oaf!”
Pushing him off her, she kneeled in front of the big wolf that happily walked into her waiting arms for another hug and some scratching behind the ears. “Where have you been Farwalker? I have not seen you for a week or more.” He looked at her turning his head from side to side as if he understood everything she said.
She thought about the time she found him as a pup sitting next to his dead mother. Looking at the tracks on the ground and the terrible wounds on her body, Celedryl determined that a mountain bear had killed her. She remembered that she found him not far from here and to this day wondered why a mountain bear was in the valley. He was so cute sitting there a tiny thing that he was guarding his mother’s body. His little growl won her over and she knew she could not leave him to starve and die a lonely a death.
She pulled off her pack and sat a few feet away from him so she would not be so menacing to him. Gently with no quick movements, she set her bow to the side digging in her pack for some dried meat she kept there for emergencies. She took a small piece gently tossing it to him landing on the ground in front of him. She had to smile when he stretched his little nose out as far as he could without moving his feet and sniffed it. He decided it smelled good so he quickly ate it. Celedryl repeated the process until gradually he came closer to her. Finally, he was sniffing the tips of her fingers, then the piece of meat in her hand. He snatched the meat and ran as fast as his tiny legs would go back to stand next to his mother’s body.
Celedryl took that as a small victory and made ready for the night. She took out her ground blanket and laid it on the ground grabbing her pack to use as a pillow. Lying down with her head on her pack, she looked at the stars starting to show in the beautiful night sky as the sun went down behind the mountains enjoying the peace and solitude of the valley. After a time passed she was about to fall asleep, when she felt a furry little head on her arm snuggling closer to her. Smiling to herself, she drifted off to sleep.
Farwalker licked her face again jerking her out of her reflections of the past. Standing she scratched him once more on his head before grabbing her bow from the ground. “Come Farwalker, I need to find some wood for a fire.”
With the wolf following, Celedryl reached the oak tree, gathered an adequate amount of wood for her fire, and proceeded to her favorite campsite. The campsite is next to one of the many streams intersecting the valley floor. Nearing the stream, the ground gently sloped downward until it reached the streambed. Farwalker walked to the stream to get a drink while she began setting up camp. She took out her hunting knife and flint out of her pack to start a fire and after a few tries of striking her knife on the flint; she got a small fire going. She carefully fed the small fire until she had a warm fire going.
Grabbing her ground blanket from her pack, she laid it out next to her fire making sure her bow and quiver of arrows were next to the blanket so they would be in easy reach. The valley has always been a safe place but danger can lurk anywhere intruding on her secret place. She unbuckled her belt letting her hunting knife fall to the ground next to the blanket. Pulling her leather shirt over her head, she folded it neatly setting it on her pack. Quickly pulling off her boots and pants eager to bathe in the stream, she paused for a moment, looking at her shapely legs and thighs wondering if she is beautiful, and what kind of man would find her desirable. Not a young girl any longer, she had grown to be a young women coming of marriage age.
Walking barefoot into the stream, she plunged under the cold water quickly bringing chills up and down her body. She luxuriated in the cold stream closing her eyes and letting the water soothe her as it gently flowed passed her. After a time she decided she had better get out and let the sun dry her before she caught a chill. Quickly stepping out of the stream, she hurried to her warm fire and blanket running her fingers through her long hair she pulled it gently behind her slightly pointed ears.
Sitting cross her legged on her blanket, she luxuriated in the warmth of the fire and sun on her back. After a time, she lay back on the blanket with her legs out in front of her enjoying the sun on her body starting to feel sleepy when Farwalker growled menacingly. Sitting up quickly looking about her for any danger, she could see what had Farwalker so alarmed. Something was falling from the sky from over
the tops of the mountains toward this valley. Two objects, with sails trailing behind them reminding her of the pictures of sailing ships she had seen in her tutor’s books, came screaming out of the high clouds heading straight toward her. Awed at the sight of these things falling from the sky, never in her short life has she seen such a thing, she became afraid wondering what it meant to her. She had a feeling her life was about to change for the better or for the worst she was not sure.