Title: Stinkfoot, Chapter 1
Disclaimers, all the usual stuff (not mine), plus all the characters belong to www.rushwaterholt.com
Author: Ellen Million
"Sweet Tear, you are not paying any attention, are you!" Firemoss waved the plant underneath the blonde elf's nose and she startled and blushed.
"I'm sorry, Firemoss!" Sweet Tear gave the older elf a sweet smile. "What were you saying?"
Firemoss threw her arms in the air in mock offence. "I've been talking for a mark of sun and I don't think you've heard a word I said! I was telling you about these new plants I found."
Sweet Tear looked at them carefully. "They aren't a variety of mint? They smell rather like it."
"No, that's the interesting thing. They have a very strange taste, and see here how the leaves connect..."
Sweet Tear glanced off down the canyon and lost the train of Firemoss' lecture. Lovemaker was swimming downstream with Briarbrace and she could hear him laughing and teasing the silver haired elf. The two were out of sight but she could picture his tawny hair and flashing smile. The sound of the splashing made her think about how he must look with water droplets clinging to his eyelashes and the sunlight reflecting from his wet hair.
Firemoss looked up from her rapt fascination with the strange plant and saw that Sweet Tear was gazing dreamily of into space again. She sighed and stood up. "You know what it looks like now. Maybe we can gather some tomorrow after sundown. It won't do any good to pick them in the heat of the day."
Sweet Tear leapt to her feet, all apologies for being so dreamy. "It's all this sunshine," she explained, lamely to her own ears. "I just can't concentrate."
Firemoss smiled, not offended. "It's alright. I'm going back to talk to Softglare. I will meet you at sundown to pick these." And tucking the one leaf carefully into her pocket, Firemoss sauntered away.
Sweet Tear walked slowly in the other direction. Perhaps from a little further down the path along the river she would be able to see down to where Lovemaker was swimming with Briarbrance. He wouldn't notice her watching him. Sweet Tear sighed. He never noticed her. He would flirt with every other available maiden, but he was all kind abstraction with her. He was friendly and would talk to her but his eyes were always watching someone else walk by.
Sweet Tear twined one lock of hair around her finger. Maybe he still saw her as a silly little cub? But Windspear was only twenty turns, and Lovemaker had persuaded her into his furs many times. Sweet Tear kicked at a plant that covered her path.
Maybe, she thought suddenly, he thought she wasn't pretty. She leaned over the riverbank, trying to catch a glimpse of her reflection. The water was swirling too greatly and all she saw was a messy blur of yellow. She thought about how Sparrow and Firemoss always wore feathers in their hair and wondered how she would look. "Like a crazy yellow bird," she decided sadly. Not that Lovemaker would even notice.
A little further on, Sweet Tear found a meadow full of blooming red flowers. Eager to distract herself, she picked a heaping armful and wandered back towards the holt to weave them into a wreath. Perhaps Firemoss would like one to wear in her hair as an apology for her lack of attention this morning.
Sweet Tear had her face buried in her flowers, happily inhaling the luscious scent when a sudden familiar voice interrupted her.
"Sweet Tear, I was just going to find you." Lovemaker was blocking the path, hair still damp from his swim. He smiled easily at her, and Sweet Tear felt her heart rise up and choke her.
****
Lovemaker wondered if he had ever seen anything as lovely as Sweet Tear, with her soft golden hair shining in the late sunlight, her elfin face almost overwhelmed by her armful of brilliant scarlet flowers. There were a few stray blooms tucked into her hair, which bobbed and danced in a stray breeze.
She didn't say anything, just looked at him with her shy, beautiful eyes. Reproachfully, Lovemaker thought. She had no respect for his outgoing ways, he knew, and found his lack of discretion quite unnerving. So rather than telling her how lovely she looked, he only explained, "Firemoss asked me to tell you that she was going to be busy gathering moonherbs at the top of the canyon this evening. She was wondering if you could get the strange plants she showed you by yourself."
Sweet Tear blinked at him. "Oh, I...I suppose." She sounded disappointed and looked suddenly beyond Lovemaker's shoulder. Lovemaker turned to look, and saw Marshclay and Windspear waving from down the path. He waved back, and when he turned to say something more to Sweet Tear, she had vanished past him towards Rushwater Holt.
****
Sweet Tear could have kicked herself. "Why do I always sound like such a treewee when I'm talking to him?" she asked her toes. She walked slowly towards the place up the river where she had inspected the plants with Firemoss earlier. It was early evening of the next day but the meeting with Lovemaker was still fresh in her mind. Stars were just beginning to show through the canopy of leaves above, but Sweet Tear was far too intent on watching her feet and feeling glum to appreciate the beauty.
Ahead of her, she suddenly heard splashing from the river, erratic, like someone washing leathers with energy more suited for a hunt. Sweet Tear forgot her misery and detoured from her path to discover the source. In a small clearing just away from the river bank, she came across a pile of discarded clothing and a pair of short boots. Somewhere close was a terrible smell, a little like meat rot and a little like a bad mushroom soup.
Curious now, Sweet Tear crept forward on silent feet to inspect the pile of belongings. The smell seemed to be coming from the boots. Covering her nose, which was complaining bitterly, the blonde haired elf focused on the clothing, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened as she recognized the vest as Lovemaker's.
Sweet Tear turned to inspect the rest of the clearing, wondering if some animal nearby was dead and was amazed to find Lovemaker standing behind her, as naked as the day he was born, soaking wet and holding his equally wet sleeping furs, looking as surprised as she felt.
Disclaimers, all the usual stuff (not mine), plus all the characters belong to www.rushwaterholt.com
Author: Ellen Million
"Sweet Tear, you are not paying any attention, are you!" Firemoss waved the plant underneath the blonde elf's nose and she startled and blushed.
"I'm sorry, Firemoss!" Sweet Tear gave the older elf a sweet smile. "What were you saying?"
Firemoss threw her arms in the air in mock offence. "I've been talking for a mark of sun and I don't think you've heard a word I said! I was telling you about these new plants I found."
Sweet Tear looked at them carefully. "They aren't a variety of mint? They smell rather like it."
"No, that's the interesting thing. They have a very strange taste, and see here how the leaves connect..."
Sweet Tear glanced off down the canyon and lost the train of Firemoss' lecture. Lovemaker was swimming downstream with Briarbrace and she could hear him laughing and teasing the silver haired elf. The two were out of sight but she could picture his tawny hair and flashing smile. The sound of the splashing made her think about how he must look with water droplets clinging to his eyelashes and the sunlight reflecting from his wet hair.
Firemoss looked up from her rapt fascination with the strange plant and saw that Sweet Tear was gazing dreamily of into space again. She sighed and stood up. "You know what it looks like now. Maybe we can gather some tomorrow after sundown. It won't do any good to pick them in the heat of the day."
Sweet Tear leapt to her feet, all apologies for being so dreamy. "It's all this sunshine," she explained, lamely to her own ears. "I just can't concentrate."
Firemoss smiled, not offended. "It's alright. I'm going back to talk to Softglare. I will meet you at sundown to pick these." And tucking the one leaf carefully into her pocket, Firemoss sauntered away.
Sweet Tear walked slowly in the other direction. Perhaps from a little further down the path along the river she would be able to see down to where Lovemaker was swimming with Briarbrance. He wouldn't notice her watching him. Sweet Tear sighed. He never noticed her. He would flirt with every other available maiden, but he was all kind abstraction with her. He was friendly and would talk to her but his eyes were always watching someone else walk by.
Sweet Tear twined one lock of hair around her finger. Maybe he still saw her as a silly little cub? But Windspear was only twenty turns, and Lovemaker had persuaded her into his furs many times. Sweet Tear kicked at a plant that covered her path.
Maybe, she thought suddenly, he thought she wasn't pretty. She leaned over the riverbank, trying to catch a glimpse of her reflection. The water was swirling too greatly and all she saw was a messy blur of yellow. She thought about how Sparrow and Firemoss always wore feathers in their hair and wondered how she would look. "Like a crazy yellow bird," she decided sadly. Not that Lovemaker would even notice.
A little further on, Sweet Tear found a meadow full of blooming red flowers. Eager to distract herself, she picked a heaping armful and wandered back towards the holt to weave them into a wreath. Perhaps Firemoss would like one to wear in her hair as an apology for her lack of attention this morning.
Sweet Tear had her face buried in her flowers, happily inhaling the luscious scent when a sudden familiar voice interrupted her.
"Sweet Tear, I was just going to find you." Lovemaker was blocking the path, hair still damp from his swim. He smiled easily at her, and Sweet Tear felt her heart rise up and choke her.
****
Lovemaker wondered if he had ever seen anything as lovely as Sweet Tear, with her soft golden hair shining in the late sunlight, her elfin face almost overwhelmed by her armful of brilliant scarlet flowers. There were a few stray blooms tucked into her hair, which bobbed and danced in a stray breeze.
She didn't say anything, just looked at him with her shy, beautiful eyes. Reproachfully, Lovemaker thought. She had no respect for his outgoing ways, he knew, and found his lack of discretion quite unnerving. So rather than telling her how lovely she looked, he only explained, "Firemoss asked me to tell you that she was going to be busy gathering moonherbs at the top of the canyon this evening. She was wondering if you could get the strange plants she showed you by yourself."
Sweet Tear blinked at him. "Oh, I...I suppose." She sounded disappointed and looked suddenly beyond Lovemaker's shoulder. Lovemaker turned to look, and saw Marshclay and Windspear waving from down the path. He waved back, and when he turned to say something more to Sweet Tear, she had vanished past him towards Rushwater Holt.
****
Sweet Tear could have kicked herself. "Why do I always sound like such a treewee when I'm talking to him?" she asked her toes. She walked slowly towards the place up the river where she had inspected the plants with Firemoss earlier. It was early evening of the next day but the meeting with Lovemaker was still fresh in her mind. Stars were just beginning to show through the canopy of leaves above, but Sweet Tear was far too intent on watching her feet and feeling glum to appreciate the beauty.
Ahead of her, she suddenly heard splashing from the river, erratic, like someone washing leathers with energy more suited for a hunt. Sweet Tear forgot her misery and detoured from her path to discover the source. In a small clearing just away from the river bank, she came across a pile of discarded clothing and a pair of short boots. Somewhere close was a terrible smell, a little like meat rot and a little like a bad mushroom soup.
Curious now, Sweet Tear crept forward on silent feet to inspect the pile of belongings. The smell seemed to be coming from the boots. Covering her nose, which was complaining bitterly, the blonde haired elf focused on the clothing, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened as she recognized the vest as Lovemaker's.
Sweet Tear turned to inspect the rest of the clearing, wondering if some animal nearby was dead and was amazed to find Lovemaker standing behind her, as naked as the day he was born, soaking wet and holding his equally wet sleeping furs, looking as surprised as she felt.
