Stinkfoot Chapter 3
Author: Ellen Million
Disclaimer: Setting and characters belong to rushwaterholt.com, EQ and all are not mine.
"You'll wear out your boots if you keep beating on them like that."
Lovemaker looked up to see Sweet Tear perched on a rock just above him. He was chest-deep in one of the calmer pools of Rushwater, trying in vain to wash the smell out of his boots. He sighed and swam to the base of the rock where Sweet Tear sat with her skirt tucked primly about her.
"I don't even know why I bother. I am just going to make them smell worse when we go pick more of those awful plants." He tossed the soggy boot to land next to Sweet Tear. She wrinkled her nose and scooted away from it.
"Is it helping?"
Lovemaker shrugged. "I think it is starting to. I'm willing to try it for a little longer"
"Well, let your poor boots dry and air out here and we can go find more of those smelly plants." Sweet Tear stood, brushing her skirt out.
Mother Moon was full, and Child Moon was almost full so plenty of light bathed the path up the canyon. Sweet Tear clung to Honeypaw, who paced sure-footedly up the incline. Lovemaker watched the back of her golden haired head. This path to the top of the canyons where the redvein grew was not very steep and it didn't have any drop-offs but now that Lovemaker knew the extent of Sweet Tear's fear of heights, he was amazed at her courage.
Much had changed in his head regarding Sweet Tear. Where once he had thought her uncommonly timid, he now had to recognize that she was quite brave and her shy and dreamy exterior hid a sharp wit and a sense of humour. Her capacity to appreciate beauty astonished him. She pointed out sights he had never noticed, showing him the beauty of tiny dew-hung spider webs that he would have brushed aside, pointing out the way that shadows from the moonlight over bushes made strange waving shapes and admiring a tiny flower that he never would have noticed.
When they gained the top of the canyon, away from the edge, but near the growing site of the redveins, Sweet Tear turned to look at him, golden hair almost silver in the moonlight. "Now that I know the scent of that horrible stuff, I can actually smell it from here!"
They rode to the patch of plants and dismounted, Sweet Tear with typical elfin grace, Lovemaker with much grumbling and limping on his sore feet. "High Ones, I hope this gets better soon," he complained.
Sweet Tear knelt near the plants and began gathering the thickest, tearing them neatly at the base. "The Holt thinks you are off on one of your usual hunting trips. They might find it strange if you come back with no game."
Lovemaker sank to his knees a little ways from her. "I haven't been able to hunt, or track, or anything."
Sweet Tear grinned at him, a mischievous expression that was rare on her face. "Or live up to your name?"
Lovemaker threw up his arms in mock disgust. "Or that either." He ripped up a few plants and tore off the roots.
"Don't take it out on those poor plants," Sweet Tear chided. "It's not their fault your feet stink so bad that no one could bear you."
Lovemaker laughed. No, he wouldn't have guessed at this sense of humour a hand of days ago. "I should change my name. I can be Stink, or Foulsmell."
"Stinkfoot," Sweet Tear laughed back. "You should change your name to Stinkfoot. You can be the defender of the Holt, for none would dare approach when you threaten to take off your boots."
Lovemaker threw one of the plants at her. "How dare you mock my serious malady!"
When they had enough redvein to pack Lovemaker's boots, they started back down the path. Sweet Tear clung to Honeypaw's ruff, glad to keep both hands buried in fur, and both eyes firmly on the back of Lovemaker's head. Going down was much more frightening than going up.
She concentrated on Lovemaker's curls rather than the distance that stretched steeply before and below. She marvelled that he seemed to bring out something of self-confidence in her. When they laughed together, she could completely forget the yawning depth of the canyon and she never seemed to remember to be embarrassed around him anymore.
He only offered friendship and good-humoured company and though Sweet Tear longed for more, she was thrilled by what she had and she held their budding friendship dearly close to her heart. She wished that she were alluring and exciting like Windspear or Marshclay but sighed. Lovemaker would never be attracted to a boring treewee like her. For now, it was enough that he was her friend.
****
Lovemaker wiggled his toes in the water, marveling at the way they stretched and curled without pain. His boots, beside him on the rock, still wafted foul odours but it was more from the herbs packed inside than from anything new from between his toes. He had told Sweet Tear that his feet were better, but hadn't indicated how much and it puzzled him. He was wise enough to realize that he was pretending that his feet were worse than they were to spend more time with Sweet Tear, but his actions baffled him. He had courted plenty of elves, but he had never resorted to such underhanded methods to win someone's company before.
It suddenly occurred to him that he wanted more from Sweet Tear than just a tumble in the furs. Her gentle nature and dreamy imagination had quite captured him, and he didn't know what he was going to do about it. She had relaxed a bit from the stiff shy elf-maid that disapproved of him so thoroughly but she still offered no more than friendly warmth, with no hint of attraction or invitation. Lovemaker's personal code of honour forbade him from courting where he was uninvited and never before had it galled him so badly.
He looked at the angle of the sun and sighed. It was still too long before he was meeting Sweet Tear and yet not enough time. He drew himself to his now healthy feet and sighed. A swim before seeing Sweet Tear would hopefully cool him down enough that he didn't make a fool out of himself.
"...And Windspear said that she looked like a treewee and wouldn't attract a blind bristleboar!" Sweet Tear was laughing and holding her sides, recounting an event of the evening before with difficulty through her mirth.
Lovemaker hooted and slapped his knees, leaning against one of the rock outcroppings. They were sitting in the clearing where Sweet Tear had first discovered his unpleasant smelling boots. The offending boots had been newly repacked with the foul healing herbs and were laced firmly about Lovemaker's feet. The two had developed a habit of coming to this clearing after they gathered the redvein and Sweet Tear would share the news from the Holt. Lovemaker craved these times, and thought that it was more than just the isolation from other elves that made him treasure each moment of it.
Sweet Tear rose unsteadily to her feet, wiping tears of laugher away. "I should get back to the holt," she said. "I promised Firemoss that I would help her sort some herbs and hang them to dry."
Lovemaker, still chuckling, also stood, and extended one hand to steady Sweet Tear. He opened his mouth but whatever he had been planning to say was gone when his green eyes met Sweet Tear's blue pools, and he drowned on the spot. His laughter died into astonishment and Sweet Tear's soul name hit him square in the center of his heart.
Sweet Tear was lost, awash in endless green eyes and she realized the Recognition at the same moment Lovemaker did. She wrapped herself around the soul name that was suddenly in her head, happiness glowing through her.
But happiness was suddenly replaced by biting bitterness and she thought to herself, 'This is the only way he will ever be attracted to me,' followed by, 'It isn't enough!' She screwed her eyes shut with effort and a whimper escaped her lips.
Lovemaker, though not usually one to deny the urgings of his body, resisted the desire to draw Sweet Tear roughly into his arms and only took her hands, gently, fighting animal instincts at every step.
"I'm so sorry, Sweet Tear. I know this isn't what you wanted. It isn't how I thought it would be, but I'm so happy that it's you." Lovemaker stumbled over his words, speaking as clearly as he could in the overwhelming fullness of his heart. "Please don't hate me for this, Sweet Tear. I love you, and I know that you don't feel that way about me now, but give me time. I can try to be what you want me to be." He touched one cheek, aching at the tears that were leaking past her shut eyes.
But when she opened her eyes, she was smiling through her tears. "You love me?" She was hesitant, and laughed with a hint of hysteria. "I am dreaming again. You will vanish and I will be picking plants with Firemoss. I am afraid to close my eyes."
Lovemaker blinked. "Help me, Sweet Tear. I am being dense. You like me?" He grasped her hands more tightly and shook them frantically. "I am missing something very important here!"
Boldly, Sweet Tear reclaimed her hands and leaned forward, putting her arms around Lovemaker's neck. **I love you, Breii. I have loved you for a very, very long time.**
The clear truth in her sending was impossible to deny, and Lovemaker felt that something inside that had been empty was suddenly full.
**I thought that you disapproved of me. I never guessed that I would be welcome in your life.** He buried one hand and his face into her mane of golden hair, drawing her close to him with his other hand in the small of her back. **I have fallen entirely in love with you. I would have taken this stinkfoot illness for a hand of seasons to have won you.**
Sweet Tear drew back a little and put one finger on Lovmaker's lips. She wrinkled her nose and said in mock disgust. "Speaking of feet, I would appreciate it if you left your boots on."
Lovemaker laughed and lifted her into his arms. Sweet Tear laughed with him, and the clearing was as filled as their hearts with the sound of joy.
Author: Ellen Million
Disclaimer: Setting and characters belong to rushwaterholt.com, EQ and all are not mine.
"You'll wear out your boots if you keep beating on them like that."
Lovemaker looked up to see Sweet Tear perched on a rock just above him. He was chest-deep in one of the calmer pools of Rushwater, trying in vain to wash the smell out of his boots. He sighed and swam to the base of the rock where Sweet Tear sat with her skirt tucked primly about her.
"I don't even know why I bother. I am just going to make them smell worse when we go pick more of those awful plants." He tossed the soggy boot to land next to Sweet Tear. She wrinkled her nose and scooted away from it.
"Is it helping?"
Lovemaker shrugged. "I think it is starting to. I'm willing to try it for a little longer"
"Well, let your poor boots dry and air out here and we can go find more of those smelly plants." Sweet Tear stood, brushing her skirt out.
Mother Moon was full, and Child Moon was almost full so plenty of light bathed the path up the canyon. Sweet Tear clung to Honeypaw, who paced sure-footedly up the incline. Lovemaker watched the back of her golden haired head. This path to the top of the canyons where the redvein grew was not very steep and it didn't have any drop-offs but now that Lovemaker knew the extent of Sweet Tear's fear of heights, he was amazed at her courage.
Much had changed in his head regarding Sweet Tear. Where once he had thought her uncommonly timid, he now had to recognize that she was quite brave and her shy and dreamy exterior hid a sharp wit and a sense of humour. Her capacity to appreciate beauty astonished him. She pointed out sights he had never noticed, showing him the beauty of tiny dew-hung spider webs that he would have brushed aside, pointing out the way that shadows from the moonlight over bushes made strange waving shapes and admiring a tiny flower that he never would have noticed.
When they gained the top of the canyon, away from the edge, but near the growing site of the redveins, Sweet Tear turned to look at him, golden hair almost silver in the moonlight. "Now that I know the scent of that horrible stuff, I can actually smell it from here!"
They rode to the patch of plants and dismounted, Sweet Tear with typical elfin grace, Lovemaker with much grumbling and limping on his sore feet. "High Ones, I hope this gets better soon," he complained.
Sweet Tear knelt near the plants and began gathering the thickest, tearing them neatly at the base. "The Holt thinks you are off on one of your usual hunting trips. They might find it strange if you come back with no game."
Lovemaker sank to his knees a little ways from her. "I haven't been able to hunt, or track, or anything."
Sweet Tear grinned at him, a mischievous expression that was rare on her face. "Or live up to your name?"
Lovemaker threw up his arms in mock disgust. "Or that either." He ripped up a few plants and tore off the roots.
"Don't take it out on those poor plants," Sweet Tear chided. "It's not their fault your feet stink so bad that no one could bear you."
Lovemaker laughed. No, he wouldn't have guessed at this sense of humour a hand of days ago. "I should change my name. I can be Stink, or Foulsmell."
"Stinkfoot," Sweet Tear laughed back. "You should change your name to Stinkfoot. You can be the defender of the Holt, for none would dare approach when you threaten to take off your boots."
Lovemaker threw one of the plants at her. "How dare you mock my serious malady!"
When they had enough redvein to pack Lovemaker's boots, they started back down the path. Sweet Tear clung to Honeypaw's ruff, glad to keep both hands buried in fur, and both eyes firmly on the back of Lovemaker's head. Going down was much more frightening than going up.
She concentrated on Lovemaker's curls rather than the distance that stretched steeply before and below. She marvelled that he seemed to bring out something of self-confidence in her. When they laughed together, she could completely forget the yawning depth of the canyon and she never seemed to remember to be embarrassed around him anymore.
He only offered friendship and good-humoured company and though Sweet Tear longed for more, she was thrilled by what she had and she held their budding friendship dearly close to her heart. She wished that she were alluring and exciting like Windspear or Marshclay but sighed. Lovemaker would never be attracted to a boring treewee like her. For now, it was enough that he was her friend.
****
Lovemaker wiggled his toes in the water, marveling at the way they stretched and curled without pain. His boots, beside him on the rock, still wafted foul odours but it was more from the herbs packed inside than from anything new from between his toes. He had told Sweet Tear that his feet were better, but hadn't indicated how much and it puzzled him. He was wise enough to realize that he was pretending that his feet were worse than they were to spend more time with Sweet Tear, but his actions baffled him. He had courted plenty of elves, but he had never resorted to such underhanded methods to win someone's company before.
It suddenly occurred to him that he wanted more from Sweet Tear than just a tumble in the furs. Her gentle nature and dreamy imagination had quite captured him, and he didn't know what he was going to do about it. She had relaxed a bit from the stiff shy elf-maid that disapproved of him so thoroughly but she still offered no more than friendly warmth, with no hint of attraction or invitation. Lovemaker's personal code of honour forbade him from courting where he was uninvited and never before had it galled him so badly.
He looked at the angle of the sun and sighed. It was still too long before he was meeting Sweet Tear and yet not enough time. He drew himself to his now healthy feet and sighed. A swim before seeing Sweet Tear would hopefully cool him down enough that he didn't make a fool out of himself.
"...And Windspear said that she looked like a treewee and wouldn't attract a blind bristleboar!" Sweet Tear was laughing and holding her sides, recounting an event of the evening before with difficulty through her mirth.
Lovemaker hooted and slapped his knees, leaning against one of the rock outcroppings. They were sitting in the clearing where Sweet Tear had first discovered his unpleasant smelling boots. The offending boots had been newly repacked with the foul healing herbs and were laced firmly about Lovemaker's feet. The two had developed a habit of coming to this clearing after they gathered the redvein and Sweet Tear would share the news from the Holt. Lovemaker craved these times, and thought that it was more than just the isolation from other elves that made him treasure each moment of it.
Sweet Tear rose unsteadily to her feet, wiping tears of laugher away. "I should get back to the holt," she said. "I promised Firemoss that I would help her sort some herbs and hang them to dry."
Lovemaker, still chuckling, also stood, and extended one hand to steady Sweet Tear. He opened his mouth but whatever he had been planning to say was gone when his green eyes met Sweet Tear's blue pools, and he drowned on the spot. His laughter died into astonishment and Sweet Tear's soul name hit him square in the center of his heart.
Sweet Tear was lost, awash in endless green eyes and she realized the Recognition at the same moment Lovemaker did. She wrapped herself around the soul name that was suddenly in her head, happiness glowing through her.
But happiness was suddenly replaced by biting bitterness and she thought to herself, 'This is the only way he will ever be attracted to me,' followed by, 'It isn't enough!' She screwed her eyes shut with effort and a whimper escaped her lips.
Lovemaker, though not usually one to deny the urgings of his body, resisted the desire to draw Sweet Tear roughly into his arms and only took her hands, gently, fighting animal instincts at every step.
"I'm so sorry, Sweet Tear. I know this isn't what you wanted. It isn't how I thought it would be, but I'm so happy that it's you." Lovemaker stumbled over his words, speaking as clearly as he could in the overwhelming fullness of his heart. "Please don't hate me for this, Sweet Tear. I love you, and I know that you don't feel that way about me now, but give me time. I can try to be what you want me to be." He touched one cheek, aching at the tears that were leaking past her shut eyes.
But when she opened her eyes, she was smiling through her tears. "You love me?" She was hesitant, and laughed with a hint of hysteria. "I am dreaming again. You will vanish and I will be picking plants with Firemoss. I am afraid to close my eyes."
Lovemaker blinked. "Help me, Sweet Tear. I am being dense. You like me?" He grasped her hands more tightly and shook them frantically. "I am missing something very important here!"
Boldly, Sweet Tear reclaimed her hands and leaned forward, putting her arms around Lovemaker's neck. **I love you, Breii. I have loved you for a very, very long time.**
The clear truth in her sending was impossible to deny, and Lovemaker felt that something inside that had been empty was suddenly full.
**I thought that you disapproved of me. I never guessed that I would be welcome in your life.** He buried one hand and his face into her mane of golden hair, drawing her close to him with his other hand in the small of her back. **I have fallen entirely in love with you. I would have taken this stinkfoot illness for a hand of seasons to have won you.**
Sweet Tear drew back a little and put one finger on Lovmaker's lips. She wrinkled her nose and said in mock disgust. "Speaking of feet, I would appreciate it if you left your boots on."
Lovemaker laughed and lifted her into his arms. Sweet Tear laughed with him, and the clearing was as filled as their hearts with the sound of joy.
