Jenna couldn’t help but be amazed at the beautiful blue-green color of Knocker’s scales as they sparkled in the sun. He certainly was a magnificent creature, rightfully proud of himself as a protector of Ituria and Middle Forest.
“It is best if you walk in front of me, so I can see you on the path. As you can tell, there is not much room on either side, and I might accidentally bump you into a tree or something.”
Knocker was right, of course, they couldn’t walk beside him.
He continued, “There is a second entrance to Ituria’s home just up the path, not known to many creatures. Everyone must be able to swim, though. If you can’t swim, you may ride on my back.”
Thinking to herself, Jenna knew she could swim as a human, but as a wolf, she wasn’t sure. She was good at the doggie paddle, so probably this would work in her present form. The squirrels would need to ride on someone’s back, and the rest should be able to swim. “All right,” she said, “let’s go, and let’s hurry, so we don’t miss Trent, who may be on his way back to the path by now.”
Knocker agreed, “Yes, let’s hurry. It is only a few more minutes down the path.”
The group with its new member headed down the path. As Knocker had indicated earlier, it was only a few minutes before he called ahead to the others.
“Everyone, stop and look to your left. See a large tree with a smooth trunk? This hides a small underground cave with a river running next to Ituria’s home. Whoever is getting on my back, get on now. The rest of you, follow behind.”
Sedric and Fira climbed up on Knocker’s back, with a little help from Jenna. Knocker headed off the path and walked carefully around the tree. Just as he described, there was a cave, barely big enough to allow Knocker to enter.
There was nothing lighting up the cave, and Jenna was starting to have second thoughts about this. Could she swim in the dark? How would she know which way to go?
“Knocker,” she said, “How will we see in the dark?”
“Good point,” he replied. “I think it best if everyone gets on my back, and I will swim across the river. We will shortly be at Ituria’s home. However, you must keep your heads down as much as possible, as this cave barely allows me to pass through.”
Knocker kneeled, and the rest of the animals got on Knocker’s back, not without some difficulty. The scales were a little slippery, not slimy, but like climbing on glass. Each of them grabbed hold of a part of his folded wings and positioned themselves as close to Knocker’s body as they could. Knocker took off into the cave and waded into an underground river not much wider than Knocker himself. “Don’t worry about anything, I’ve got it all under control.”
Knocker swam down the river for about two or three minutes and exited the river on the other side.
Jenna could see shadows of plants and trees here, but nothing was familiar. It was getting lighter, so they must be close to leaving the cave.
“It is safe to get down now, if you wish,” said Knocker.
“You are welcome to stay if you desire, but most creatures find it a little scary to slide all over my scales as I walk. What do you think, Jenna?”
Jenna slid down the side of the dragon, jumping the last few feet. “I would agree, Knocker, I think I will walk from here. Thank you for the ride over the river,” she said politely. Glad she didn’t have to swim in the dark, she was also glad to have her feet back on the ground.
“We should be at Ituria’s home in a few minutes, Trent should be there,” said Knocker, “Follow me!”
Knocker started walking quickly through a narrow path in the woods, bumping trees on either side as he went. He wasn’t trying to hit them, Jenna noted, it was that he was so large even staying to the middle of the path, he touched the trees. Jenna thought to herself he was a large dragon indeed.
The others followed Knocker, with Jenna taking up the rear with Sedric on her back. Jenna could not help but look at the trees as they walked. Many of them had large fruit-like objects hanging from them, but nothing she could identify.
Thinking of fruit made Jenna think of food, and she realized she was famished. She had not eaten anything yet today, and her stomach was starting to rumble. Remembering Knocker said there were lots of trees that had food for him to eat, she wondered if she could eat them too.
She watched the small deer in front of her, and her mind started calculating. If I take one by the neck and bite down hard, it will provide me with a good meal. It won’t take much to capture one of them…
Jenna stopped walking. What am I thinking? The wolf thought process must be kicking in, figuring out where her next meal was coming from!
She shook her head to try and get those thoughts out, and called out to Knocker, “Hey, Knocker, what is there to eat around here?”
Although she tried to sound calm, even to her the question seemed out of place. They were almost to Ituria’s home, she should wait until she got there.
Everyone stopped and looked at Jenna, the smaller animals had frightened looks on their faces. Knocker glanced over his shoulder at Jenna with a quizzical look. Sedric, who was riding on Jenna’s back, asked, “Jenna, are you okay?”
Jenna replied, a bit too quickly, trying to quell the panic in the others’ eyes, “My stomach is kind of rumbling. I have not eaten since I came to Middle Forest, and Knocker said there were lots of edible fruits.” Attempting to explain further her unusual outburst, she continued, “I was just looking at the trees to try and decide which ones we could eat. Don’t worry, I can wait until after we find Trent and Ituria.”
The smaller animals nodded and smiled, and she smiled back. Jenna was glad they didn’t know what she had really been thinking only a few moments ago.
Maybe they were all hungry, no one had eaten today. She really didn’t think she could kill anything anyway, so she would be quite happy with whatever was edible.
She realized though, she would need to be careful of new ideas slipping into her thoughts, to make sure no one would get hurt by what her wolf instincts wanted her to do. She was still a human inside after all, right?
Chapter Fourteen
Snack Time
Knocker took a minute or so to turn his body around and reply to Jenna. “No need to wait. Most of the fruit you see hanging from the trees is edible. There are only a few you should not touch, let alone eat. I will point these out to you as we go. Please feel free to snack as we walk along, I always do.”
Knocker reached up into a tall tree and picked two large fruits shaped like long thin red balloons. He handed one to Jenna and took a bite of the other himself.
“This plant,” he said after chewing for a moment, “is what we call the hanging cherry tree. Rather than make many small fruits, it has been transformed to make large fruit that can be easily picked and eaten.”
There are still pits in the middle, probably twenty or so, but I don’t worry about them, they are small and eating the pits won’t hurt you.”
Holding the fruit on the ground between her two paws, Jenna took a bite. It did taste a lot like cherry, a little sweeter and juicier than the ones she had tasted before. She chewed a little and found a pit in the cherry pulp. To her, it was a little big to swallow, so she spit it out.
What a mess this fruit made. After a few bites, Jenna’s paws were stained by the cherry juice, and she was sure it was also dripping down her face.
“Would anyone else like a bite?” Looking around, everyone looked a little hesitant at first, but joined in by taking little bites off the piece she still held in her paws.
Jenna looked up at Knocker. “Do you have anything not so messy?”
“Of course,” he replied, pointing to another plant. “The fruit from these plants are much crunchier and dry. I always refer to them as cruncher plants. I know they have another name, but I never remember it.”
This plant was lower to the ground, so J
enna was able to take some of the fruit from it herself. The fruit was shaped like large grapes. Although it had a hard outer-crust, it felt light, like a cheese puff or popcorn did so she took a bite.
Knocker was right; these were crunchy and delicious. Thinking what they reminded her of in the human world, she remembered those little cheese crackers she loved to snack on while watching TV.
Since she was hungry, they tasted great! Jenna got a few “crackers” down for all the smaller animals, and everyone sat down for a quick picnic. While they were eating, Jenna asked, “Knocker, how much longer before we get to Ituria’s home?”
“Not much longer at all,” he said. “Only a minute or two. I saw it from the path before you called us to stop. It even looked like Ituria, and Trent were standing out front. But judging by your faces, I think everyone should wash up before we go to meet Ituria, Trent and Celeste.”
Everyone looked at each other, each had dark red juice dripping from their mouths, and their paws were also covered. Not a good way to present yourself to the ruler of Middle Forest!
Luckily, Knocker had a solution.
“Around here,” he said, “there are plants called pitcher plants, and they are filled with water. I usually use them for drinking, but they are also good for washing up.”
He nodded toward another group of plants. “There are a few over here that will work well. But you must be extremely careful to use only the pitcher plants.”
“Why?” asked Jenna.
“There is a similar plant called the trapper plant, and its contents are not water, but a type of glue.” Knocker’s voice had a more serious tone as he continued. “Once stuck to the trapper plant, it is a slow, painful death, and there is not much I know to make it let go.”
As everyone looked at Knocker with alarm, he chuckled.
“Not to worry though,” Knocker explained. “You can tell the difference by the shape of the plant. Pitcher plants hold water in long slender tubes, while the trapper plants hold their glue in wide shallow bowls, much more tempting for those who are thirsty.”
Jenna shook her head, there is much about this forest she did not know that could hurt her if she did something without thinking it through. She would have to pay far more attention from now on.
Knocker directed them to the pitcher plants, and they took turns dipping their paws into them and washing their faces. “Much more presentable,” said Jenna looking at her companions, “shall we continue?”
Knocker managed to turn around on the path again, and the group was on its way. Within a few minutes, they reached Ituria and Trent, who were standing outside of a large cave entrance. The two seemed in deep conversation but looked pleasantly surprised to see the varied group of animals come walking up the path.
“Greetings,” said Knocker, “I am glad to see you both. I have brought those who claim to be your friends. If this is not so, please so advise and I will dispatch them immediately.”
Chapter Fifteen
New Friends
Jenna and the others looked quickly at Knocker, and Jenna realized no matter how nice Knocker might seem, he took his job as protector of Ituria seriously. He could easily kill all of them if he felt they were a threat, realizing he had helped them so he could keep track of them while he verified their story with Ituria.
“Thank you, Knocker.” Ituria’s solemn tone held a hint of humor. “These are indeed my friends and I thank you for bringing them to my home.”
Ituria’s voice became more relaxed as he explained. “These creatures have rescued me from Ranco and a group of hunters, who have both found their way into Middle Forest. Trent and I were discussing the dangers presently threatening Middle Forest animals, and we would be grateful if you would join us to determine the best way to resolve these problems.”
“I am at your service, and I would be glad to help in any way you wish,” said Knocker, bowing a most graceful bow, despite his large size.
“It is good to see you again, Jenna,” said Trent. “Very clever of you to light a fire to warn me not to come out of the forest. Skye saw the fire, went over to see what was happening, and came back to warn me.”
“She told me there were several wolves waiting for me to step onto the path. Were it not for you and your small friends, I am sure Ranco, and his pack would have killed me when I came out onto the path. I’m also glad you met up with Knocker, Skye said you appeared to be hiding in his cave.”
“I’m relieved the fire worked,” replied Jenna. “I was so worried Ranco and his wolves would get you, but we could not do anything else. If Ranco had seen us, he would have killed us all. By trying to escape from Ranco, we found Knocker, who was able to lead us here. For this we are grateful. Thank you, Knocker, for your help in meeting back up with our friends, and for assisting us in finding some great food.”
Jenna wanted to be sure proper thanks had been given to Knocker, and Knocker was appreciative of her kind words, as he seemed almost to glow with pride on his work well done.
“I am always glad to be of service to friends of Ituria,” he said, nodding to Jenna.
“Since everyone is expressing thanks, please let me add mine,” said a beautiful unicorn walking out of the cave with a large hawk riding on her back.
While Ituria was certainly a magnificent creature, Celeste had a striking feminine beauty. Her long flowing mane seemed to float in the breeze as she approached. “I am Celeste, and I am grateful to all of you for your assistance in getting Ituria back to me. Thanks to our special herbs, his leg is almost better now.”
Celeste turned to look at the hawk. “This is my good friend, Skye. She keeps an eye on things from above. I am thankful she was able to warn Trent about Ranco’s scheme, as Trent is also a good friend of ours.”
Now Jenna could place a name to the hawk she had seen — Skye. She was a beautiful hawk, large and brown, with a white front section covered with small brown spots. Skye had given her courage on several occasions.
“Thanks to you also, Skye, for your help and encouragement, it was greatly appreciated.”
Skye nodded to Jenna and said, “I am glad I was able to help.”
Celeste looked at the group. “We should go into the cave and get comfortable. It appears Ituria, Trent, and Knocker have planning to do. There is food there for everyone, and you can find a place to rest.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, then followed her inside. Jenna hoped it was a large cave, especially if Knocker was joining them. Her last two experiences with caves worried her.
Knocker did not appear worried, motioning to the smaller creatures to enter before him, then he bent his head and stepped inside. Staying back with Trent and Ituria, she went in last, not knowing what she would find inside.
Chapter Sixteen
Planning A Quest
Once she stepped inside the doorway, she entered a big cavern-like room, and for some reason it was not dark, but had some type of lighting making it almost like walking into a house. As far as the size of the cave, Jenna had nothing to worry about. The ceiling was about twenty feet high, and the cave stretched back for more than a hundred feet, then broke up into smaller caves.
Looking to the sides, the cave was at least fifty feet wide, and the sides of the cave were lined with piles of various items. Some of the piles looked like hay, one looked like nuts of various types, and there was even a pile of the “crackers” they had tasted on the way in.
The air was fresh, not heavy, so there must be some type of ventilation system. Whatever she expected when she walked in, she was quite surprised and impressed.
On the left wall near the back of the cave, there was a waterfall coming from the roof to the floor created a small stream flowing about half the length of the left wall; at that point it went under the wall and out of the cave. Jenna was amazed, there was everything one could want in this cave: food, water, shelter—a home fi
t for the ruler of Middle Forest.
“My forest friends help keep our food supplies stocked,” said Celeste, “Please help yourself to whatever you want to eat, we have fresh water in the stream also. Once you have eaten, I can show you to some of the smaller caves lined with grass, so you can rest.”
Apart from Ituria, Trent and Knocker, all the animals went to the various piles to get some food. Jenna went to the “cracker” pile with Ralphie; Sedric and Fira when to eat nuts; and Frieda and Evan decided to go for the hay pile. While the others were eating, Ituria, Trent and Knocker talked quietly near the front of the cave. Jenna wasn’t close enough to hear them, so after eating for a few minutes, she lapped up some water from the stream and walked up to the front of the cave.
“Do you mind if I listen?” she asked.
“Not at all,” said Ituria. “We would welcome your input on how to deal with the two major threats to Middle Forest.”
He paused a moment to look outside through the cave entrance. “As you can already guess, the first problem is Ranco, who has gotten bolder and bolder as the months goes by since he became leader of the North Forest, coming into Middle Forest and killing my animal friends.” He continued, his voice filled with sadness, “My friends have never been hunted before, so don’t hide like most animals in other forests. This makes them easy prey. I was trying to track Ranco down to talk to him about his actions when I ran into the hunters.”
Sadness shifted to apprehension. “This brings us to the second problem,” he continued. “We have never had hunters come into Middle Forest before. There are some minor protective barriers to keep hunters out. Unfortunately, we need to make plans to first get them out of Middle Forest and determine how to keep them out.”
“Trent,” said Ituria. “Do you have any thoughts why Ranco would feel it necessary to come into Middle Forest to hunt? Before he became leader, his pack always stayed in North Forest, and we never had to worry about them.”
Jenna and the Legend of the White Wolf Page 6
