^^^^^^^^^^^
As usual, the morning was uneventful. They had been traveling several hours now and the vigor they had started the day off with was quickly wearing away as the steady rhythm of travel took over.
Boring, boring, boring. Kahli yawned, jaw stretching and eyes closing with the force of it. A sudden shout of, "Duck!" made her startle to alertness, just in time to see the branch directly in front of her. Too late she tried to dodge, and the thick limb connected with her forehead, knocking her back in her saddle. Hard.
"Ouch!" she yelped before she could stop herself. "Oh…" Dazed, she reached forward to grip the saddle-horn and pull herself forward again. "That felt lovely." she sighed, seeing stars. Kahli moved a hand up to her forehead, trying vainly to rub the throbbing pain away. It slowly subsided, but the splitting she now felt from inside her skull gave away that the morning would be spent with a headache.
'…you have to stay alert or you'll miss things…' Her father's words echoed annoyingly. "That's not what he meant," she muttered to herself irritably, glaring down at her pony's mane. Somehow, neither made her feel better. The pounding in her head grew steady, alternating with the hoofbeats of her mount.
The energy Copp had started out with had faded long ago, and the little copper-colored pony was lagging with the elders, head bobbing slightly with each plodding step. Ever on went the road, stretching out mile upon mile before them. In the sky the sun shone weakly through the grey-tinted clouds and the air held a very slight nip of cold, enough to make the dwarves pull their cloaks tight about them to keep it out. Not a breath of air was about, a thankful thing for the temperature, and the birds in the steadily thickening forest sang their respective songs blissfully.
Slowly the day dragged on, the sun rising higher into the sky behind its cloudy cover. Midday approached and the caravan of traders began to look for their noontime stop. Unfortunately this only served to make things drag out longer, each minute of waiting becoming more like an hour. Finally, weary of the boredom on the trail, someone from the back of the line began to hum an old journey tune. Gradually, people around him started to hum along. The sound swelled and became louder as yet another person got up the courage to sing the words. Voices joined in and in a matter of minutes the larger percent of the group was singing raucously, laughing and swaying in their saddles as though they were sitting around, completely drunk, in a bar rather than on a pony.
Sensing their riders' spirits lifted, the ponies also began to perk up, pricking their ears at the noise, lifted their heads and picked up their pace, trotting along more eagerly than they had started.
From the back of the caravan Nahli chuckled to himself.
()()()()()()()()()
Song after song followed the first, each growing louder in volume and ruder in content. But the hearts of the group were lightened and in only a short time, or so it seemed, the lunch break had arrived. A shout rang out above the thunderous singing and the caravan's leader called an abrupt but much welcomed halt. Instantly the plodding ceased and chaos ensued. Like a poked beehive the dwarves swarmed about, tying up ponies, unpacking food, setting up areas to eat and wandering about to find specific companions to spend the hour with.
Among them was Kahli, leading her pony through the milling crowd. As usual her father had gone from the head of the line to somewhere, she was never sure exactly, in the line. She found herself sighing heavily, shoulders slumping. "Guess I gotta work for my supper, don't I?" was muttered to Copp, who had bumped her shoulder with his muzzle when her pace slowed. The only reply she received was a little swivel of ears and a blink. "Yup. C'mon." Smiling wryly at him, she turned and started off again. Only to promptly run into a snow-white beard. "Oof!" she grunted, stumbling backwards in surprise. A strong hand caught her arm to keep her from falling and merry black eyes sparkled at her from beneath bushy eyebrows.
"Being a little careless, are we?" her father chuckled. When the younger dwarf finally managed to regain her balance, she blinked at him in disbelief. How had he gotten there all of a sudden? She could have sworn he hadn't been there about ten seconds ago when she had turned around to look at Copp. From what she had seen he hadn't even been nearby!
"I… uh…" Confused, but rather used to her father's occasional strangeness, she grinned lop-sidedly at him. "I must've been. No other way I could've run into you, normally can see you comin' a way's away." Her mild tease about the older, quite sturdy dwarf earned her a mock scold.
"Youngsters these days. No respect, I tell you," Nahli shook his head gravely, though the look in his eyes gave away the act. "You better well respect the one who has all the food!" The sack that hung at his side was patted pointedly. "If you don't want to go hungry, that is." That was quite enough. At the mention of food Kahli lost all interest in teasing and her eyes were immediately glued to the bag. Her father saw this immediately and any attempt to stay serious was dropped when he laughed. "Go tie your pony next to Kazor and meet me there," He pointed to more secluded tree, away from the bustle.
"Yessir!" Kahli answered eagerly, nodding her head and whirling about in the same movement. Poor Copp was nearly dragged to the stake where her father's large black pony was tied. With swift skill the knots were tied, his saddle removed and his sweaty coat rubbed down. Then she waited to see he was quietly grazing alongside his elder before giving him a fond pat and turning away to join her father for lunch.
The spot selected was as picture perfect as could be found on an overcast day such as this. It was covered with soft green grass and the big tree that Nahli sat against would have provided a wonderful shade on sunny days. She could only guess at how beautiful it was on a nice day, with the sky blue and the sun bright and warm, the air light and the trees swaying in a gentle breeze. As she sank down beside her father and picked up the most bruised apple (and therefore the sweetest) of the bunch, she couldn't help but wish they couldn't remain there for a little while. Not a short rest as in a mere hour break. Awhile as in a few days, a week maybe, until the day she dreamed about came to pass. So she could see it for herself. But, no, she knew well enough that couldn't happen. They were traders and traders with a deadline. The goods they carried had to make it to the next city in a week and a half, and they still had at least a good week's travel to go yet, leaving them few days of leeway, should a setback come upon them. Their pace needed to pick up, if anything. Not slow down.
She leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, closed her eyes, and sighed. What if she got tired of all this? Could she ever leave? Her whole life had been spent on the road, or at least the part she could remember. Yes, in truth she had lived in a quiet village with her mother at one point, though that time was only a vague memory. While she was still very young her mother had died, and there was no choice but for her to travel with her father on his journeys. But, all in all, it hadn't been that bad. She had learned quickly how things worked and before long she was allowed to help out with minor duties. As she grew more responsibility had been given, first with the care of the ponies, aiding their keepers with the work. And then as she reached a more mature age her father had given their care over to both her and Oror. They had, he had told them, proved themselves to be capable of the job and he trusted them as full members of the company. It had been a wonderful day, the one she heard those words.
And yet… she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like in a village. Watching the seasons pass, constant shelter, far less work…
These thoughts were pushed from her mind sharply. No point in bothering with them, was there? This was life and it wasn't all that bad. At least she got to see far-off places that most didn't, have a place to belong, a set pattern to the day. It was comfortable and she really had no reason to complain.
Satisfied, she opened her eyes again and took a large bite from her apple. The fruit crunched satisfactorily and she smiled to herself around an overly large mouthful. Yes, the day was looking up. They would be arriving in a city soon, after all. That in itself was a pleasant thing to look forward to. Her thoughts turned to the upcoming trading opportunity, wandering off on various things that branched from that. So lost in this did she become, that the droning snore of her father was nearly missed. But an exceptionally loud noise got her attention and she glanced over at the sleeping figure, grinning. She'd let him go for awhile, they still had at least an hour's half until they had to get the band of traders moving again. No point in disturbing his exceptional noise making.
Several minutes passed and three apples, two slices of bread and a sliver of salted meat had been polished off on her part when suddenly something happened. A lone shout, alarmingly louder than the racket of the camp. About two seconds later complete disorder broke out. From somewhere a pony shrieked in fear. The sound of yelling reached her ears, along with the distinct sounds of trouble. No way to describe them, but unmistakable.
Cold fear tightened her chest and she sat motionless for a moment, eyes wide. No. This couldn't be happening. There hadn't been a raid on her father's caravan since… ever. It couldn't happen now. Obviously there was some sort of mistake.
The sound of yelling. It wasn't in their language. Ponies screaming. She knew them. The highest had to be Teiar, the friendly dun mare she liked. And that one was Byi. And Wirke. No.
"Father! Father, something's happening!" Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she urgently shook her father, clutching at his arm. Oh how she wanted to scream right now! But her voice just wouldn't obey. Instead she could only croak, "Father!"
The old dwarf was awake in a moment from her shaking and on his feet with surprising speed. There was a deadly fury in his eyes that had replaced the usual merry sparkle the very instant he realized what was happening. "Stay as far away as you can. Run if you must," he ordered swiftly, already striding forward into the chaotic mess.
"But— "
"Do as I say! Do not follow!"
Horrified, Kahli watched him march across the space separating their tree from the fight that was now full-blown with grim purpose. His hand gripped the hilt of the sword that hung at his hip and he drew it at the edge of the brawl. He hesitated only a moment before joining the fight, mixing with the blur of motion until she could no longer make him out. The commotion was more than she could watch. Dwarves had sprung to protect the goods they carried from the raiders with a ferocity that could have only sprung from anger at having been attacked. As for the attackers, it took a moment for their race to be determined. But, in the end, it was unmistakable. Not orcs, as she had first guessed. Men. The rouges of their civilization, her father had once told her. Not all were like this. Only a few, like these, lusted after the wealth of the traders enough to actually attack them.
Anger welled up in her as she thought these things, suppressing the fear she had previously felt. How dare they do this! Had they no hearts? Her people had traveled hard, journeyed far, come through much and they sought to undo it all so easily? Not if she could help it!
But then the reality hit her. What could she do about it? How would running into the mess, weaponless, to duke it out with them change anything? No, she needed a plan. A way to help out that would be worth something and wouldn't be as foolhardy as trying to take on an entire group of raiders.
Amidst the turmoil the ponies' cries could be heard. And then she realized something. They had been cut loose! In their terror the creatures were only adding to the confusion and succeeding only in making it worse for the dwarves and better for the attackers. No good. On top of that, now that she listened, she heard another sound. One much like barking. A growl started in the back her throat and she narrowed her eyes in anger. They had thought of everything, hadn't they? Dogs. No wonder the ponies sounded so frightened.
These things going through her mind, she deducted quickly. They were either trying to round up and capture the ponies, or, since that would be dreadfully difficult seeing how scared they were, their objective was to drive them away. The latter seemed suspiciously correct when she caught two ponies fleeing into the woods from the corner of her eye.
That settled things. She was set on doing something and here it was, laid out before her. Those ponies were the lifeblood of the caravan. There was a deadline to meet, and without the loyal beasts of burden it would never be met. So she had to go after as many as she could and bring them back.
Nodding resolutely to herself, Kahli took off at a run toward the place Copp had been tied, praying silently to Mahal in hopes that her pony was still there.
^^^^^^^^^^^
As usual, the morning was uneventful. They had been traveling several hours now and the vigor they had started the day off with was quickly wearing away as the steady rhythm of travel took over.
Boring, boring, boring. Kahli yawned, jaw stretching and eyes closing with the force of it. A sudden shout of, "Duck!" made her startle to alertness, just in time to see the branch directly in front of her. Too late she tried to dodge, and the thick limb connected with her forehead, knocking her back in her saddle. Hard.
"Ouch!" she yelped before she could stop herself. "Oh…" Dazed, she reached forward to grip the saddle-horn and pull herself forward again. "That felt lovely." she sighed, seeing stars. Kahli moved a hand up to her forehead, trying vainly to rub the throbbing pain away. It slowly subsided, but the splitting she now felt from inside her skull gave away that the morning would be spent with a headache.
'…you have to stay alert or you'll miss things…' Her father's words echoed annoyingly. "That's not what he meant," she muttered to herself irritably, glaring down at her pony's mane. Somehow, neither made her feel better. The pounding in her head grew steady, alternating with the hoofbeats of her mount.
The energy Copp had started out with had faded long ago, and the little copper-colored pony was lagging with the elders, head bobbing slightly with each plodding step. Ever on went the road, stretching out mile upon mile before them. In the sky the sun shone weakly through the grey-tinted clouds and the air held a very slight nip of cold, enough to make the dwarves pull their cloaks tight about them to keep it out. Not a breath of air was about, a thankful thing for the temperature, and the birds in the steadily thickening forest sang their respective songs blissfully.
Slowly the day dragged on, the sun rising higher into the sky behind its cloudy cover. Midday approached and the caravan of traders began to look for their noontime stop. Unfortunately this only served to make things drag out longer, each minute of waiting becoming more like an hour. Finally, weary of the boredom on the trail, someone from the back of the line began to hum an old journey tune. Gradually, people around him started to hum along. The sound swelled and became louder as yet another person got up the courage to sing the words. Voices joined in and in a matter of minutes the larger percent of the group was singing raucously, laughing and swaying in their saddles as though they were sitting around, completely drunk, in a bar rather than on a pony.
Sensing their riders' spirits lifted, the ponies also began to perk up, pricking their ears at the noise, lifted their heads and picked up their pace, trotting along more eagerly than they had started.
From the back of the caravan Nahli chuckled to himself.
()()()()()()()()()
Song after song followed the first, each growing louder in volume and ruder in content. But the hearts of the group were lightened and in only a short time, or so it seemed, the lunch break had arrived. A shout rang out above the thunderous singing and the caravan's leader called an abrupt but much welcomed halt. Instantly the plodding ceased and chaos ensued. Like a poked beehive the dwarves swarmed about, tying up ponies, unpacking food, setting up areas to eat and wandering about to find specific companions to spend the hour with.
Among them was Kahli, leading her pony through the milling crowd. As usual her father had gone from the head of the line to somewhere, she was never sure exactly, in the line. She found herself sighing heavily, shoulders slumping. "Guess I gotta work for my supper, don't I?" was muttered to Copp, who had bumped her shoulder with his muzzle when her pace slowed. The only reply she received was a little swivel of ears and a blink. "Yup. C'mon." Smiling wryly at him, she turned and started off again. Only to promptly run into a snow-white beard. "Oof!" she grunted, stumbling backwards in surprise. A strong hand caught her arm to keep her from falling and merry black eyes sparkled at her from beneath bushy eyebrows.
"Being a little careless, are we?" her father chuckled. When the younger dwarf finally managed to regain her balance, she blinked at him in disbelief. How had he gotten there all of a sudden? She could have sworn he hadn't been there about ten seconds ago when she had turned around to look at Copp. From what she had seen he hadn't even been nearby!
"I… uh…" Confused, but rather used to her father's occasional strangeness, she grinned lop-sidedly at him. "I must've been. No other way I could've run into you, normally can see you comin' a way's away." Her mild tease about the older, quite sturdy dwarf earned her a mock scold.
"Youngsters these days. No respect, I tell you," Nahli shook his head gravely, though the look in his eyes gave away the act. "You better well respect the one who has all the food!" The sack that hung at his side was patted pointedly. "If you don't want to go hungry, that is." That was quite enough. At the mention of food Kahli lost all interest in teasing and her eyes were immediately glued to the bag. Her father saw this immediately and any attempt to stay serious was dropped when he laughed. "Go tie your pony next to Kazor and meet me there," He pointed to more secluded tree, away from the bustle.
"Yessir!" Kahli answered eagerly, nodding her head and whirling about in the same movement. Poor Copp was nearly dragged to the stake where her father's large black pony was tied. With swift skill the knots were tied, his saddle removed and his sweaty coat rubbed down. Then she waited to see he was quietly grazing alongside his elder before giving him a fond pat and turning away to join her father for lunch.
The spot selected was as picture perfect as could be found on an overcast day such as this. It was covered with soft green grass and the big tree that Nahli sat against would have provided a wonderful shade on sunny days. She could only guess at how beautiful it was on a nice day, with the sky blue and the sun bright and warm, the air light and the trees swaying in a gentle breeze. As she sank down beside her father and picked up the most bruised apple (and therefore the sweetest) of the bunch, she couldn't help but wish they couldn't remain there for a little while. Not a short rest as in a mere hour break. Awhile as in a few days, a week maybe, until the day she dreamed about came to pass. So she could see it for herself. But, no, she knew well enough that couldn't happen. They were traders and traders with a deadline. The goods they carried had to make it to the next city in a week and a half, and they still had at least a good week's travel to go yet, leaving them few days of leeway, should a setback come upon them. Their pace needed to pick up, if anything. Not slow down.
She leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, closed her eyes, and sighed. What if she got tired of all this? Could she ever leave? Her whole life had been spent on the road, or at least the part she could remember. Yes, in truth she had lived in a quiet village with her mother at one point, though that time was only a vague memory. While she was still very young her mother had died, and there was no choice but for her to travel with her father on his journeys. But, all in all, it hadn't been that bad. She had learned quickly how things worked and before long she was allowed to help out with minor duties. As she grew more responsibility had been given, first with the care of the ponies, aiding their keepers with the work. And then as she reached a more mature age her father had given their care over to both her and Oror. They had, he had told them, proved themselves to be capable of the job and he trusted them as full members of the company. It had been a wonderful day, the one she heard those words.
And yet… she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like in a village. Watching the seasons pass, constant shelter, far less work…
These thoughts were pushed from her mind sharply. No point in bothering with them, was there? This was life and it wasn't all that bad. At least she got to see far-off places that most didn't, have a place to belong, a set pattern to the day. It was comfortable and she really had no reason to complain.
Satisfied, she opened her eyes again and took a large bite from her apple. The fruit crunched satisfactorily and she smiled to herself around an overly large mouthful. Yes, the day was looking up. They would be arriving in a city soon, after all. That in itself was a pleasant thing to look forward to. Her thoughts turned to the upcoming trading opportunity, wandering off on various things that branched from that. So lost in this did she become, that the droning snore of her father was nearly missed. But an exceptionally loud noise got her attention and she glanced over at the sleeping figure, grinning. She'd let him go for awhile, they still had at least an hour's half until they had to get the band of traders moving again. No point in disturbing his exceptional noise making.
Several minutes passed and three apples, two slices of bread and a sliver of salted meat had been polished off on her part when suddenly something happened. A lone shout, alarmingly louder than the racket of the camp. About two seconds later complete disorder broke out. From somewhere a pony shrieked in fear. The sound of yelling reached her ears, along with the distinct sounds of trouble. No way to describe them, but unmistakable.
Cold fear tightened her chest and she sat motionless for a moment, eyes wide. No. This couldn't be happening. There hadn't been a raid on her father's caravan since… ever. It couldn't happen now. Obviously there was some sort of mistake.
The sound of yelling. It wasn't in their language. Ponies screaming. She knew them. The highest had to be Teiar, the friendly dun mare she liked. And that one was Byi. And Wirke. No.
"Father! Father, something's happening!" Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she urgently shook her father, clutching at his arm. Oh how she wanted to scream right now! But her voice just wouldn't obey. Instead she could only croak, "Father!"
The old dwarf was awake in a moment from her shaking and on his feet with surprising speed. There was a deadly fury in his eyes that had replaced the usual merry sparkle the very instant he realized what was happening. "Stay as far away as you can. Run if you must," he ordered swiftly, already striding forward into the chaotic mess.
"But— "
"Do as I say! Do not follow!"
Horrified, Kahli watched him march across the space separating their tree from the fight that was now full-blown with grim purpose. His hand gripped the hilt of the sword that hung at his hip and he drew it at the edge of the brawl. He hesitated only a moment before joining the fight, mixing with the blur of motion until she could no longer make him out. The commotion was more than she could watch. Dwarves had sprung to protect the goods they carried from the raiders with a ferocity that could have only sprung from anger at having been attacked. As for the attackers, it took a moment for their race to be determined. But, in the end, it was unmistakable. Not orcs, as she had first guessed. Men. The rouges of their civilization, her father had once told her. Not all were like this. Only a few, like these, lusted after the wealth of the traders enough to actually attack them.
Anger welled up in her as she thought these things, suppressing the fear she had previously felt. How dare they do this! Had they no hearts? Her people had traveled hard, journeyed far, come through much and they sought to undo it all so easily? Not if she could help it!
But then the reality hit her. What could she do about it? How would running into the mess, weaponless, to duke it out with them change anything? No, she needed a plan. A way to help out that would be worth something and wouldn't be as foolhardy as trying to take on an entire group of raiders.
Amidst the turmoil the ponies' cries could be heard. And then she realized something. They had been cut loose! In their terror the creatures were only adding to the confusion and succeeding only in making it worse for the dwarves and better for the attackers. No good. On top of that, now that she listened, she heard another sound. One much like barking. A growl started in the back her throat and she narrowed her eyes in anger. They had thought of everything, hadn't they? Dogs. No wonder the ponies sounded so frightened.
These things going through her mind, she deducted quickly. They were either trying to round up and capture the ponies, or, since that would be dreadfully difficult seeing how scared they were, their objective was to drive them away. The latter seemed suspiciously correct when she caught two ponies fleeing into the woods from the corner of her eye.
That settled things. She was set on doing something and here it was, laid out before her. Those ponies were the lifeblood of the caravan. There was a deadline to meet, and without the loyal beasts of burden it would never be met. So she had to go after as many as she could and bring them back.
Nodding resolutely to herself, Kahli took off at a run toward the place Copp had been tied, praying silently to Mahal in hopes that her pony was still there.
^^^^^^^^^^^