"There was an otter by a stream,
Come ringle dum o lady,
Who fell asleep and had a dream,
All on the bank so shady.
He dreamt the stream was made of wine,
It flowed along so merry,
And when he drank it tasted fine,
Like plum and elderberry.
And all the banks were made of cake,
Come ringle ding my dearie,
As nice as any cook could bake,
That otter felt quite cheery.
He drank and ate with right good will,
Till wakened by his daughter.
She said, 'I hope you've had your fill,
Of mud and cold stream water!'
Come ringle doo fol doodle day,
Come wisebeast or come witty,
A fool who dreams to dine that way,
Must waken to self-pity."
Elli Wardance sang aloud as she strolled along the river's edge, the young otter wandering without a hurry. As far as she was concerned all was right in the world. The sky was bright, the sun warm and the water clear. The pack on her back was pleasantly light and she had nowhere to be. The otter continued humming as she watched a pair of dragon flies buzz past her in play.
Elli was your average river otter hardened by life on her own. Her chocolate colored fur was smooth and shiny and her amber eyes sparkled. Beneath the silky fur were wiry muscles, hard and lithe from seasons of fighting and traveling. On her back was slung her weapon, a double ended sword. The entire thing was like a long, double edged sword save for the center were a handle was. Wrapped around her waist like a belt was her sling.
As Elli continued her wanderings she kept up her humming. Before long it was past mid-day and she began to look for a place to stay the night in. Or maybe a fortnight in. The area was peaceful and was plentiful in food. It wouldn't do the young otter any harm to stay for a while. She began scanning the river banks as she walked. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for.
Along the banks and hidden behind a mess of reeds was the opening of a cave. Without farther thought, Elli gracefully dived into the water and pooped back up in front of the entrance. She pulled herself onto the ledge and looked around.
The place must have been somebeasts home in by gone days. There were several other caves that ran off and connected to the one she was currently in. She stood up and wandered around. Beyond the first cave was another, larger one with stone tables and ledges. Once it might have been a dining room or a common room. Another cave branched directly off and resembled a kitchen. Still other caves were reminiscent of bedrooms and storage. All in total, counting the first cave, there were ten or more caverns. Elli walked back to the front of the cave and studied the entrance.
The top of the entrance over hung the opening and jutted out slightly over the water. Reeds grew at the front, hiding the entrance. The floor of the opening curved inward and sloped down slightly, allowing the water to form a small area of still water. Along the sides of the cave hung strands of lichen. With a little bit of work the entrance could be made undetectable.
Elli immediately got to work. The area was a perfect paradise for the loner.
By night fall Elli had perfected the hidden entrance so that t was impossible to see it from the other bank. The young otter had made a curtain from a spare cloak she had, she had several, and hung it in the entrance that connected the first cave with the rest of the caves. Now not a drop of light would be seen outside during the night from any fires on the inside.
In one of the caves that served as a bedroom, she lined one of the ledges with moss and bedstraw, which she had found growing all along the banks of the stream. The ledges in the bedrooms were slightly hollowed out, allowing bedding to be placed down while still preventing the sleeper for falling out of bed. Elli promptly fell asleep in the bed, a cloak pulled over her for warmth.