Baelri peered through the trees. He could see the faintly glowing embers of the fire they'd lit. Good. All was well. He stood up, and casually swivelled an ear towards the rag-tag group. He strode up the thin trail they'd weathered through the brush over the years.
A few logs lay somewhat half-heartedly around the stone-encircled fire, providing a place for the norns to sit. This was supposedly a secret place, though it wasn't exactly secret. But it was most certainly their territory. He whistled, and the group looked towards him. He raised a hand in greeting, and grinned through the rapidly falling dusk. The flicker of the fire was reflected in his sea-green eyes, and his slick black fur shone in the half-light. Luetha stood, and turned towards Baelri. He pricked up a golden ear, and swivelled it experimentally. "Hey. What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. You all ready to go?"
Five of the six norns produced backpacks; Rídé and Tiaabra were sharing one.
"Good. That should be enough to last us the night. Shall we go then?"
The norns stood up. Baelri's gaze wandered over them as they made ready for the hike. Luetha was tall and thin. He had a shabby golden coat, with silver streaks. His hair was a mess of blonde strewn recklessly about his head, and gave the impression that it was trying to kidnap his ears. His eyes were a brilliant electric blue.
Theri and Gil were identical twin brothers. Their family had immigrated from the Eastern Ocean. Their eyes were faintly oriental, being angled slightly upwards, and of a deep brown. Their fur was black with brown patches, and both had identical white splotches on their noses.
Calryl stood next to Theri, pack on her shoulder, hands on her hips. Her fur was short, deep green with golden speckles. Her hair was golden, and it sparkled almost as much as her equally golden eyes did.
Rídé and Tiaabra were the oldest in the group, though not the founders. There had been talk of arrangements for their marriage, but Rídé and Tiaabra didn't need that kind of superficial agreement. They had been born to be together.
Tiaabra's fur was a cascade of pinks, from hot pink to almost magenta. Her hair was long, just past her shoulders, and matched her fur. Rídé's fur was a uniform shade of dulled green, speckled with orange. He stood behind Tiaabra, arms around her waist, head on her shoulder. He stared off into the trees, his big blue eyes vacant.
The night had settled in. Baelri led the norns up a rocky path, strewn with leaves and tiny red berries. They were no good for eating; Baelri knew from experience. That was one week he wished had never happened. Lining the path were huge poplar trees, the white undersides of their leaves visible still in the darkness.
He set a steady pace. He wanted to get to the cave in time for them to light a fire and have a bit of food. He looked forward along the path, then up the mountain. He estimated there'd only be another half-hour of walking; he'd made it in twenty minutes during the day.
The other norns chattered excitedly. They'd spent months planning this; with Baelri having done the scouting, the rest of the norns nagging their parents to let them go. They were finally getting away. It was almost like a coming-of-age ceremony; their parents were finally letting them do what they wanted, letting them get away for a few weeks together. Rídé smiled elusively at Tiaabra.
