"Ark!" Elowen called out into the woods when she was just about to lose sight of the pup. Recall was still challenging especially if Ark's interest was piqued enough by something else. But this time, he stopped and turned.
"Come," she said and her heart picked up the pace a little like every time when it seemed that the pup was learning some commands. At first, he hesitated though but then came bounding down towards her between the trees.
Over the trials, the girl had figured out that Ark reacted the best if he was watching her. Then she knew that she had his attention and slowly but surely could teach him to listen to her.
The black pup arrived, tongue out, tail wagging and Elowen reached into her collecting basket where, in a bit of paper and on its own linen, there were some treats. These were not the ones from Cassander. Those had already been used up. These she had traded with the Inn for some herbs. So it was bones, boiled meat that really wasn't suited for a stew but gave it rich flavour. Ark didn't mind. As long as it was extra food, he was happy. That worried her sometimes because now added to training the dog, she also had to think about its well being.
Regardless, she gave him a treat for obeying. That also seemed to have been a hit with the dog. He would do almost anything for a snack which made her wonder if she was feeding him enough. But then there were also moments when she'd ask him to sit and he would do the whole jumble of commands he more or less knew, truly working hard to earn whatever Elowen was willing to give. It was funny and brought joy to her days. So much so it kept her mind from wandering to places it used to do when she was alone - like Meira's passing, her solitude, her ancestry.
The girl gritted her teeth and looked up between the branches for a step or two. There the sky was heavy with dark clouds that were brimming with unreleased rain. She had no doubt that they were going to burst soon and another unusual Saun downpour would assault the Mistral Woods. On the other hand, at least it was darker than the usual trial's gloom that had been so present throughout the whole season. She had always struggled a little towards the end of Saun with the light exposure, missing the darkness, craving it at times.
Sighing, she looked around for the pup. He tended to stick close to her unless there was something more entertaining elsewhere. Then he bolted. But now, he was sniffing around as they were walking back towards the shack with the trial's harvest in the basket - Willow Bark, some Old Man's Beard, and even less Golden Root. The girl twisted her lips when she thought about the plant she had to uproot in order to what she needed. That meant, the plant was as good as dead now even if it was in her basket and Elowen was planning to put it in a little vase. She wished there was a way that she could prevent what felt like a pointless waste. Some sort of regeneration of the plant so it would recover from the harvest.
But for now, she did not know of any such method. And so she carried the plants home with her, thinking about her newest acquaintance - Ekoh. Knowing a little bit more about the woman and her ailment, witnessing the severity of it over a period of three or four trials during their journey back from Lake Lovalus, Elowen took it to heart to try and put together a mixture that would help Ekoh. As far as the young apothecary could tell, the woman struggled with frequent headaches, some memory issues and in turn focus. Everything was relating to the head in one way or another so there were many aspects for the girl to consider. It was an unusual task and an unusual ailment for Elowen to tend to, but she liked the challenge. Folk in Mistral village had common illnesses and needs. Here was something that was out of the ordinary. A sliver of excitement in an otherwise mundane life. And whilst Elowen wasn't seeking grandeur or big adventures, she cherished this.
With a gentle smile on her lips, she realized that Ark had run off somewhere whilst she was in the middle of her musing.
"Not again..." The girl sighed and stopped, trying to see through the trees and the shadows. Even though there was an ever present light throughout Saun, somehow the woods kept holding onto some level of gloom which seemed even deeper today. Almost as if night was about to fall and it visited the woods first.
Elowen shifted. She did not mind darkness or the woods or both of them in combination. But she had been noticing something odd about Mistral. There were less animals roaming around, less sound. Mistral was not dead or dying, but it certainly wasn't as inviting as earlier in the cycle or ever in her living memory. True cold cycle might be around the corner which always brought around with it that winding down sensation. But this was still unusual.
"Ark!" Elowen called out. It did not help that he was black.
Where could he have run off too? This was becoming a recurrent, daily thought and a problem. Yet, she soon heard the pitter patter of paws and saw Ark coming through the trees, carrying something. Sometimes he would do that. He would bring her sticks, waiting for her to throw them. This seemed to be no different. Though the stick he was bringing was much larger. Too larger perhaps.
Elowen titled her head to a side and waited until the pup came all the way to her. Then she frowned. Ark had brought her an arm's thick log of dead wood, holding it by its tapering end, whilst the other...
The girl crouched and put her basket down next to her. Taking that as a sign of play, Ark released the wood and barked, backing up, his tail swishing side to side. But Elowen did not reach for the toy, she continued inspecting it.
It wasn't often that there was something wrong with a downed piece of wood. But this one smelled odd, not like forest rot. Also the part that wasn't slobbered on by Ark...it glistened. It had a sheen to it as if wet, or soaked in something. But it hadn't rained in a trial or two. Any moisture soaked into the ground by now. This did not.
Ark barked again and pumped with his front legs.
Elowen looked up at him, still frowning. "Where did you find it, hm?" She asked him. The pup barked again and the sound bounced around them almost like it would in a hollow place. She pointed at the piece of wood and repeated: "Where?"
Ark's barking was becoming impatient. She could tell from the way he couldn't stay in one spot and how he started tossing his head.
Elowen kept pointing. "Find," she tried and hoped for the best. She did not think the pup would get it. She had never asked him to find anything. And so he just stood there as could be expected.
The girl got up and Ark tried to grab the log. It was perhaps to convince her to a play of fetch. But Elowen pushed him away from it. "No, no. Yuck. No toy. No, Ark." There was a momentary push and shove between the two of them, until Ark snorted and took off.
Concerned as she was, Elowen quickly followed after him. She didn't want to lose sight, but he was also going the wrong way. "Ark!" This time, he ignored her. Irritated, but glad that Ark wasn't running full pelt, Elowen managed to track him, walking briskly through the trees. She saw Ark arrive at a heap of sort. Moments later, she realized what it was.
"Ark, no! Away! Away!" She ran the rest of the way, swaying her basket at the dog to no effect. "Ark! Ark!" He bounced away and back towards the unnatural pile of deadwood. In desperate move, Elowen grabbed all the snacks from the basket. She had to get him away for a moment. "Hey, hey! Look!" She waved them above her head. It took maybe two trills for Ark to refocus before he started barking excitedly. She threw all the treats some distance and watched the pup be fooled..
When Elowen was convinced that Ark was not coming back just yet, she looked back at what her dog had discovered and a shiver ran over her.
Finding dead wood here and there was not unusual in a forest. What was unusual was the amount of it here, the arrangement and the same foul stench. With some imagination and knowledge, one could identify certain parts as body, legs, head.
The girl looked around. Then drew in a sharp breath when her eyes fell on a nearby tree. There were marks on it. Not quite claws, not quite blade slashes but they were deep and the naked flesh of the tree was still bright and not dry. It was not an old wound. Something had happened here. Something that resulted in a small fight and a collapsed Sorrowcall.
Who would be after a Sorrowcall? Who would want to harm the protectors of Mistral? Or what was the Sorrowcall after itself? Whatever happened, Elowen had an impression of certain planning having gone into it. Someone wanted to be undisturbed whilst in Mistral, whilst doing something that the woods' guards did not like. She discarded bandit. Although they sometimes hid out on the edges of the woods to surprise unsuspecting travellers, they were focused on taking from people, not the forest. No...this was different. This was violent. This was an attack.
In that moment, she recalled how often had Mistral shifted in the past cycle. More than she could remember. Then her meeting with the blue skinned traveller in the woods popped into her mind. It was the first time she happened upon a soul trapped by the woods and she told him about Mistral protecting itself. And finally, she saw a Sorrowcall with Cassander actively seeking something, someone.
Her chest tightened. Sickness came to her stomach. She could see connections in some places, not in others. But one thing was clear to her - something was happing around her home and she didn't know what it was or who was perpetrating. She had no way of protecting the woods.
She walked over to Ark, stroked his fur, and watched him eat. She looked around now and again since she didn't know if the danger still lingered around. Perhaps she should start thinking more seriously about learning blades or other form of self defence.
When Ark had finished devouring the treets, Elowen began pushing him a way from the site and back towards home. This time, her gestures and body language probably told the pup that there was no play only urgency as he didn't protest much. As they were walking away, Elowen looked back just once at the pile of dead wood and the deep marks on the tree. She remembered the stench and she worried. She worried that whatever was going on in the forest was more than it seemed, was worse than it seemed. And that she was powerless in stopping it, clueless in truly knowing what the threat was.
Yet, the heat in her chest rose and with it a conviction. Whatever it was, if Elowen came across it, she would do all in her power to hamper it.
"Come," she said and her heart picked up the pace a little like every time when it seemed that the pup was learning some commands. At first, he hesitated though but then came bounding down towards her between the trees.
Over the trials, the girl had figured out that Ark reacted the best if he was watching her. Then she knew that she had his attention and slowly but surely could teach him to listen to her.
The black pup arrived, tongue out, tail wagging and Elowen reached into her collecting basket where, in a bit of paper and on its own linen, there were some treats. These were not the ones from Cassander. Those had already been used up. These she had traded with the Inn for some herbs. So it was bones, boiled meat that really wasn't suited for a stew but gave it rich flavour. Ark didn't mind. As long as it was extra food, he was happy. That worried her sometimes because now added to training the dog, she also had to think about its well being.
Regardless, she gave him a treat for obeying. That also seemed to have been a hit with the dog. He would do almost anything for a snack which made her wonder if she was feeding him enough. But then there were also moments when she'd ask him to sit and he would do the whole jumble of commands he more or less knew, truly working hard to earn whatever Elowen was willing to give. It was funny and brought joy to her days. So much so it kept her mind from wandering to places it used to do when she was alone - like Meira's passing, her solitude, her ancestry.
The girl gritted her teeth and looked up between the branches for a step or two. There the sky was heavy with dark clouds that were brimming with unreleased rain. She had no doubt that they were going to burst soon and another unusual Saun downpour would assault the Mistral Woods. On the other hand, at least it was darker than the usual trial's gloom that had been so present throughout the whole season. She had always struggled a little towards the end of Saun with the light exposure, missing the darkness, craving it at times.
Sighing, she looked around for the pup. He tended to stick close to her unless there was something more entertaining elsewhere. Then he bolted. But now, he was sniffing around as they were walking back towards the shack with the trial's harvest in the basket - Willow Bark, some Old Man's Beard, and even less Golden Root. The girl twisted her lips when she thought about the plant she had to uproot in order to what she needed. That meant, the plant was as good as dead now even if it was in her basket and Elowen was planning to put it in a little vase. She wished there was a way that she could prevent what felt like a pointless waste. Some sort of regeneration of the plant so it would recover from the harvest.
But for now, she did not know of any such method. And so she carried the plants home with her, thinking about her newest acquaintance - Ekoh. Knowing a little bit more about the woman and her ailment, witnessing the severity of it over a period of three or four trials during their journey back from Lake Lovalus, Elowen took it to heart to try and put together a mixture that would help Ekoh. As far as the young apothecary could tell, the woman struggled with frequent headaches, some memory issues and in turn focus. Everything was relating to the head in one way or another so there were many aspects for the girl to consider. It was an unusual task and an unusual ailment for Elowen to tend to, but she liked the challenge. Folk in Mistral village had common illnesses and needs. Here was something that was out of the ordinary. A sliver of excitement in an otherwise mundane life. And whilst Elowen wasn't seeking grandeur or big adventures, she cherished this.
With a gentle smile on her lips, she realized that Ark had run off somewhere whilst she was in the middle of her musing.
"Not again..." The girl sighed and stopped, trying to see through the trees and the shadows. Even though there was an ever present light throughout Saun, somehow the woods kept holding onto some level of gloom which seemed even deeper today. Almost as if night was about to fall and it visited the woods first.
Elowen shifted. She did not mind darkness or the woods or both of them in combination. But she had been noticing something odd about Mistral. There were less animals roaming around, less sound. Mistral was not dead or dying, but it certainly wasn't as inviting as earlier in the cycle or ever in her living memory. True cold cycle might be around the corner which always brought around with it that winding down sensation. But this was still unusual.
"Ark!" Elowen called out. It did not help that he was black.
Where could he have run off too? This was becoming a recurrent, daily thought and a problem. Yet, she soon heard the pitter patter of paws and saw Ark coming through the trees, carrying something. Sometimes he would do that. He would bring her sticks, waiting for her to throw them. This seemed to be no different. Though the stick he was bringing was much larger. Too larger perhaps.
Elowen titled her head to a side and waited until the pup came all the way to her. Then she frowned. Ark had brought her an arm's thick log of dead wood, holding it by its tapering end, whilst the other...
The girl crouched and put her basket down next to her. Taking that as a sign of play, Ark released the wood and barked, backing up, his tail swishing side to side. But Elowen did not reach for the toy, she continued inspecting it.
It wasn't often that there was something wrong with a downed piece of wood. But this one smelled odd, not like forest rot. Also the part that wasn't slobbered on by Ark...it glistened. It had a sheen to it as if wet, or soaked in something. But it hadn't rained in a trial or two. Any moisture soaked into the ground by now. This did not.
Ark barked again and pumped with his front legs.
Elowen looked up at him, still frowning. "Where did you find it, hm?" She asked him. The pup barked again and the sound bounced around them almost like it would in a hollow place. She pointed at the piece of wood and repeated: "Where?"
Ark's barking was becoming impatient. She could tell from the way he couldn't stay in one spot and how he started tossing his head.
Elowen kept pointing. "Find," she tried and hoped for the best. She did not think the pup would get it. She had never asked him to find anything. And so he just stood there as could be expected.
The girl got up and Ark tried to grab the log. It was perhaps to convince her to a play of fetch. But Elowen pushed him away from it. "No, no. Yuck. No toy. No, Ark." There was a momentary push and shove between the two of them, until Ark snorted and took off.
Concerned as she was, Elowen quickly followed after him. She didn't want to lose sight, but he was also going the wrong way. "Ark!" This time, he ignored her. Irritated, but glad that Ark wasn't running full pelt, Elowen managed to track him, walking briskly through the trees. She saw Ark arrive at a heap of sort. Moments later, she realized what it was.
"Ark, no! Away! Away!" She ran the rest of the way, swaying her basket at the dog to no effect. "Ark! Ark!" He bounced away and back towards the unnatural pile of deadwood. In desperate move, Elowen grabbed all the snacks from the basket. She had to get him away for a moment. "Hey, hey! Look!" She waved them above her head. It took maybe two trills for Ark to refocus before he started barking excitedly. She threw all the treats some distance and watched the pup be fooled..
When Elowen was convinced that Ark was not coming back just yet, she looked back at what her dog had discovered and a shiver ran over her.
Finding dead wood here and there was not unusual in a forest. What was unusual was the amount of it here, the arrangement and the same foul stench. With some imagination and knowledge, one could identify certain parts as body, legs, head.
The girl looked around. Then drew in a sharp breath when her eyes fell on a nearby tree. There were marks on it. Not quite claws, not quite blade slashes but they were deep and the naked flesh of the tree was still bright and not dry. It was not an old wound. Something had happened here. Something that resulted in a small fight and a collapsed Sorrowcall.
Who would be after a Sorrowcall? Who would want to harm the protectors of Mistral? Or what was the Sorrowcall after itself? Whatever happened, Elowen had an impression of certain planning having gone into it. Someone wanted to be undisturbed whilst in Mistral, whilst doing something that the woods' guards did not like. She discarded bandit. Although they sometimes hid out on the edges of the woods to surprise unsuspecting travellers, they were focused on taking from people, not the forest. No...this was different. This was violent. This was an attack.
In that moment, she recalled how often had Mistral shifted in the past cycle. More than she could remember. Then her meeting with the blue skinned traveller in the woods popped into her mind. It was the first time she happened upon a soul trapped by the woods and she told him about Mistral protecting itself. And finally, she saw a Sorrowcall with Cassander actively seeking something, someone.
Her chest tightened. Sickness came to her stomach. She could see connections in some places, not in others. But one thing was clear to her - something was happing around her home and she didn't know what it was or who was perpetrating. She had no way of protecting the woods.
She walked over to Ark, stroked his fur, and watched him eat. She looked around now and again since she didn't know if the danger still lingered around. Perhaps she should start thinking more seriously about learning blades or other form of self defence.
When Ark had finished devouring the treets, Elowen began pushing him a way from the site and back towards home. This time, her gestures and body language probably told the pup that there was no play only urgency as he didn't protest much. As they were walking away, Elowen looked back just once at the pile of dead wood and the deep marks on the tree. She remembered the stench and she worried. She worried that whatever was going on in the forest was more than it seemed, was worse than it seemed. And that she was powerless in stopping it, clueless in truly knowing what the threat was.
Yet, the heat in her chest rose and with it a conviction. Whatever it was, if Elowen came across it, she would do all in her power to hamper it.