Chapter Five
Merlo was quite embarrassed when he woke up with his tribe leaders curled up in his sleeping furs with him; he'd slept with his parents like that when he was a kitling (and probably a few years passed that), but Teir and Ember were hardly his parents. It'd taken a good eight minutes before he'd stopped blushing enough for some of the blood in his face to retreat to his brain where he needed it to make his apologies come out coherently. Ember had almost laughed at his reaction, but kept herself composed enough to assure Merlo that she wasn't angry with him about the fight; laughing at him would only cause the young elf even more discomfort.
"You can leave your den, if you want," she told him and added with a knowing smile, "Just as long as you don't into any more trouble, all right?"
"Y-Yes, Ember," Merlo stuttered, cheeks slowly losing their embarrassed color. Inching his way out of the den, he thanked Ember for her leniency before he made it to the entrance and took off, undoubtedly to find Scouter.
Ember couldn't help but wonder what the young elf would do once he realized that the Wolfrider scout was most likely sleeping in his den with his lifemates.
Exiting the Sun Villager's den, Teir held out a hand over his eyes to block out the sharp glare of the morning sun. It'll be a bright day today with the sun out this early. It'd probably be better to stick to a daytime schedule with high sun sleep, then evening activities. Teir looked to his lifemate at his side, watching as she took her own assessment of the current conditions.
That should be good, Ember confirmed at length, stretching her slightly cramped muscles. Merlo's furs were definitely not made to hold three. But there's still some time before we should wake anyone, and I could use a little more sleep.
Hands wrapped around Ember's waist and Teir pulled her in tightly against his body. Sleep, beloved?
A sneaky smile curled the Wolfrider Chieftess' lips and she turned in her lifemate's arms to tap her finger against his lips teasingly. I suppose I could be talked into doing something else.
Kini was humming excitedly as she pulled out the rest of her collection of zwoot yarn and settled beside Tyleet who was tending her newest batch of hides. The red haired Wolfrider watched her companion out of the corner of her eye, surprised and curious about the Sun Villager's good mood, and pleased to see Kini happy to be left behind for once. Merlo, who sat before Tyleet, watching the tanner work her hides, also enjoyed the lift in his sister's spirits, amused smile tugging the upper corners of his lips constantly. Catching Tyleet's eyes, he got up and circled around Kini with only slightly more stealth than usual.
"Decided to take up that hobby I suggested?" Merlo asked, settling beside his sister's pile of zwoot yarn. Automatically he started to straighten out the tangled string for his sister's use, just as he used to back in the Palace.
Kini smiled as her brother so quickly fell into their former routine. "No, I'm doing my part as a member of this tribe."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." Proudly Kini lifted her head and beamed as she stated, "I'm going to be responsible for the tribe's white cold coverings. Plus, I'm going to be experimenting once I'm done to make something wearable in the other seasons, too. That way I'll be able to help out all year long."
Merlo chuckled at the enthusiasm in his sister's voice. "Didn't take so long to settle in after all, did it?"
Kini didn't reply, but instead held out a partial front shirt to her brother as if trying to estimate his body size. "I think this color will look good on you."
Merlo appraised the contrast of white against his dark skin and nodded in approval. "I think so to."
"And it'll help you hide better in the white cold."
Merlo's amusement faded at Kini's future plans and he laid down the mass of yarn to hug his knees. "Of course, that's assuming I'm even here for the white cold."
Kini laughed cheerfully as she brought out his metal needles to start her knitting. "Don't worry about it, dreamy head. Ember promised that she wouldn't send either of us back to the Palace. We're part of this tribe now."
The look on Merlo's face was still dubious, but he knew better than to refute Kini's proclamation; it'd only work to break her good mood, which he didn't want to happen. It was easy for Kini to believe so full-heartedly in Ember's promise of keeping them. After all, Eber had found her a job in the tribe, a way to contribute, even if it were only for a season out of the year. He on the other hand…
"Hey, Merlo." Mender came up behind the Sun Villager, clamping a hand onto his shoulder. Merlo jumped a little surprise, then tried to ignore the blush that his shame of being taken so easily off guard brought. The elven healer didn't even think to mention it and continued cordially, "Ember's sending me to do some early trading with Drub and Flam for some metal arrow heads. Want to come along?"
"Uh…" Merlo looked over at Kini and Tyleet, who were already conversing about Kini's new material like sisters sharing a secret. He knew that if he stuck around, he'd feel like the odd elf out all day. "Sure, okay."
"Great." Mender led Merlo away from the girls, catching Kini's eyes and winking at the female Sun Villager charmingly. Kini giggled and turned back to Tyleet without giving her brother another thought; she knew that Mender would look after him.
When Ember had asked him to take Merlo with him to visit the trolls, Mender hadn't believed that the quiet Sun Villager would have agreed to come. Merlo barely seemed comfortable with anyone other than Scouter and his sister, and maybe Scouter's lifemates (whom he seemed to enjoy being with, but tended to blush whenever he was around them). However, Ember had been right that Merlo had an eagerness to bond with his all of his tribemates, which would override the young elf's timidity. He just hoped that eagerness held up after he met Mender's wolf-friend, not a dangerous wolf but rather one of the more energetic and spirited members of the pack.
Standing at the bottom of Howling Rock with packs of items for bartering slung onto both shoulders, the healer elf whistled sharply and the next instant his newest wolf-friend, Growler, came running eagerly over. Merlo's eyes grew large as the wolf approached them, making the oddest growling noises; he couldn't tell if the wolf was happy to see them or angry at being called away from whatever he was previously doing. However, Mender simply laughed at his wolf-friend, giving him a firm scratch behind the ears before stepping to the side to let Growler see Merlo.
"C'mon, Merlo. Say hello. Growler won't bite."
"O…kay…" Fearfully Merlo reached out a shaking hand, fingertips barely touching the wolf's head before retracting. The wolf continued making its growling noises and Mender laughed affectionately.
"Don't worry. Growler always makes that noise, especially when he's happy. Trying to purr like that Stubtail that hangs around Sust, huh, you rabbit-snatcher?" The wolf licked Mender's cheek playfully and the Wolfrider let him slobbering on him for a few moments before shoving him away. "Merlo say hello to Growler."
"He-Hello…G-G-Growler," Merlo greeted the wolf cautiously, feeling his brain go numb as the wolf strolled up to him. He squeaked in terror as the wolf reared up and placed his front paws on Merlo's shoulders. "What's he doing?" The Sun Villager was nearly brought down immediately when the wolf placed so much of his weight upon him, but he managed to keep to his feet. However, Growler kept his paws in place also, clawing Merlo's shoulders to keep his balance. "Mender!"
"No, no, you stupid fuzz brain," Mender scolded his wolf-friend as dumped his supply pack to roughly push Growler away from the other elf. "He's not-" Merlo gasped in pain as sharp wolf claws opened large new wounds on his shoulders as the wolf was moved. Mender was all too aware of the injury, but had to hold off seeing to the Sun Villager to explain Merlo to his wolf. When he'd sufficiently calmed his wolf-friend, he turned his attention back to Merlo.
"Did I do s-something…wrong?" Merlo half-sobbed, clutching his bleeding shoulders and trembling with fear. He looked at Mender with his violet eyes lost and confused by the recent events.
Mender didn't answer right away; the smell of blood and fear would draw the others of the pack if he didn't hurry. "Here, let me take care of those cuts." Magic flowed from Mender's hands to the wounds, soothing the stinging pain and closing them within seconds. "No, Merlo, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that Growler's second-chief of the pack and takes his duties very seriously."
"His duties?" The Sun Villager couldn't keep the squeak of panic out of his voice, and the slight croak of tears.
"If the Chief wolf isn't around, his second looks after the pack, especially against strangers. Most of the time, wolves will challenge newcomers by placing their paws on their shoulders, to test if they're weaklings or a threat."
"Oh." Merlo touched his shoulder, skin tingling from the use of Mender's magic, and tried to smile. "Well, that's okay. I'm fine now."
Mender knew that the Sun Villager wasn't, but to point that out would only cause more problems, so he chose to let the lie slide and turned his attention to strapping on the supply packs to the sides of his wolf. "Well, Growler will let you ride him now without any problems. So let's get going, huh?" With practiced ease, the blond elf climbed onto the back of the large wolf.
"R-Right," Merlo mumbled, accepting the hand Mender held out to help him mount the wolf's back. Mender had to practically bear all of Merlo's weight to pull him onboard and quietly hoped the Sun Villager didn't dislocate anything in the process. After several rough tugs and pulling of wolf hair, Merlo managed to get astride the beast and clung like a newborn treewee. However, it was uncomfortable for the former Palace dweller to sit upon Growler's back; he just couldn't get used to the feeling of the beast's muscles moving underneath him, constantly shifting the comfort level of his seating. Unfortunately, Merlo was convinced that if he were to attempt to readjust himself into a more tolerable position, he would fall off the wolf.
"Here, sit like this." Mender physically moved the Sun Villager more towards the center of his wolf's body, helping him find the correct way to ride, which would take the strain of manually trying to balance his two riders and the packs from Growler. Even though Merlo refused to release the hold he had on Growler throughout Mender's repositioning- thus yanking on the wolf's fur harshly -the wolf didn't even blink an eye. He merely stood, patiently waiting for Merlo and Mender to finish preparing themselves to start their journey.
Merlo chuckled dryly at his own awkwardness dealing with the wolf in an attempt to keep himself from feeling too embarrassed. "Well, I guess it's safe to say Growler didn't find me to be a threat after his challenge."
"No," Mender said off handedly, finally decided that Merlo was balanced enough to them to start moving. He gave Growler the signal to start and the wolf headed off in the familiar direction of the trolls' hidden caves. "I told him you were a cub of our tribe. Cubs of the tribe don't get challenged, strangers or not."
For some reason, this answer didn't settle well with Merlo and he couldn't help but pout as he said, "I'm not a cub, Mender."
The healer elf was a little surprised by the seriousness in Merlo' tone, but shrugged all the same. "It's better that Growler doesn't need to know that. If he thinks you're a cub, he'll leave you alone, and make sure that the others in the pack do, too."
Merlo's anger faded slightly as his curiosity rose. "Really?"
Mender grinned at the disbelief in the Sun Villager's voice. "Wolves care about their cubs just like we do, Merlo. And they treat our cubs like their own."
"Wow," Merlo whispered in awe, then Growler made a sharp turn and the male Sun Villager clutched the wolf's sides with his arms and legs automatically. Mender couldn't help but laugh at the other elf's awkwardness, though he hoped Merlo didn't take his laughter too seriously, and placed his arms on either side of his companion to help steady him on Growler's back.
"Hold on, Merlo. Just an hour more riding to go."
Kini was humming under her breath as she worked her knitting needles. It was a working song- as her mother had called the tune -that always remained her of home in the Sun Village where she would play in her mother's lap watching her father tend their garden. She'd only spent a year or so of her life in the Sun Village, but her memories of her time there were striking clear, especially when it came to the times she had spent with her mother and father. Just thinking about her parents made something inside Kini's chest tightened and her song waived for a second before she recovered herself. Yes, she was feeling a touch of homesickness, but the female Sun Villager was determined that she was not going to look back; she'd chosen to live with the Wild Hunt.
"Those look interesting."
Kini yelped in surprise as a voice spoke close to her ear and she had to pant for a few seconds before she was calm enough to recognize the elf who'd spoken. "Sust, must you always sneak up on me?"
"Oh course," the male answered with an irresistible smile as he sat beside Kini. "How else would I get the chance to talk to you without Pool around?"
"And why is it so important that Pool not be around?"
A mischievous smile inherited by his father graced Sust's face as he leaned in and whispered in Kini's ear, "So I can get you all to myself."
The Sun Villager giggled childishly and gave the other elf an impish smile that could have meant a dozen things and nothing. She leaned closer to him, bringing their lips an inch apart and reached over around him. "Well, since you do have me all to yourself…be useful." From behind Sust, she grabbed her pile of yarn and placed it in his lap as she sat back up. "I need you to untangle my lead string while I knit."
Sust stared at the female in disbelief, stunned by the change in their conversation and how he'd been saddled with such an odd job. However, unable to think of an excuse that wouldn't make him look like a jackass in front of the female he wanted to impress, he did as she told him. Kini couldn't help but laugh at the confusion on Sust's face and gave him a smile in thanks for his indulgence towards her. That smile was enough to awaken Sust out of his momentary funk and he practically swelled with pride being Kini's assistant in her knitting. Even if Kini just had him working beside her, at least the female was giving him attention; attention that she wasn't giving to Pool.
"Whatcha making?" he asked at length. Honestly he didn't have much practice talking to girls; all of the females in his tribe were already lifemated, except for Yun, who didn't typically hesitate to state exactly what she wanted. Oh, she played the regular games, but was never so…unreadable as Kini.
Unaware of Sust's internal musings, Kini lifted her work to show him what she'd done so far. "I'm making coats for the white cold, see? This one will be for Merlo. I just started it and want to get it done before the week's over."
"Can you do it?"
"I'm really hoping I can. I'm dressing everyone in white, so it'll be easier for us to hide when it snows." She held out the half-finished coat against Sust for a moment. "You're larger than Merlo. I'll need more yarn for yours."
Sust puffed out his chest proudly as he said, "Of course I'm bigger. I'm a warrior."
"Oh, really?" Kini giggled and looked over her shoulder at Sust coyly. "I haven't seen you doing much fighting."
With the point of his tongue sitting out of the corner of his mouth, Sust focused on untangling the string Kini was using and off handedly commented, "That's only because there haven't been any humans around since Yun's human cub died. If there were any humans still around-"
Kini paused in her knitting to gape at Sust in puzzlement. "What's a human? And how in the world could Yun have one as a cub?"
"It's a long story," Sust shrugged.
"I love stories," Kini replied a matter of factly, scooting closer to the Go-Back. "Besides, I work better when I'm entertained."
Merlo was a trembling bundle of nerves by the time he and Mender made it to the troll's cave. When Mender eased him off of Growler back to the ground, he immediately fell, unable to hold himself up. He whimpered and moaned in pain as he tried to get his legs to obey him, but Mender ended up having to heal his weary and saddle sore muscles so they could conduct their business.
"I suppose it was a rather long ride for a first timer," Mender said in half apology as, with both supply pack slung over his shoulders, he absently searched for the dark tunnel that was the entrance to the trolls' inner sanctuary. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
"I hope so," Merlo groaned, then looked over at the Wolfrider carrying his burden. "Do you want me to carry one of those?"
As if he hadn't heard Merlo's comment, Mender whispered to himself, "Here we are," when he found the hole and he only waved Merlo forward before venturing forth in the blackness of the cave.
Merlo hurried to catch up with Mender, clinging to his arm when he did, and looked around the darkness fearfully. "How will they know we're here?"
"This way." Mender cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Flam! It's me, Mender!"
After a few heartbeats of silence, a torch lit up the darkness and there stood Flam, beaming at the sight of his elf friend. Merlo squeaked in terror at the sight of the troll and fell flat on his rear trying to jump away. If he even noticed Merlo's reaction, Flam didn't get any outward sign; the troll threw a thick arm around Mender's shoulders.
"Hey there, wisp. Good thing you called out. I was ready to spring our defenses on you. Worked up a good one that would have even you elves hard pressed to escape."
Mender chuckled, smiling at his troll friend. "Like I would ever fall for a troll trap, gristle beard."
The troll guffawed in pure amusement, then reminded the elf, "It's happened before, wisp."
Flam started Mender down the hall and Mender off handedly gestured for Merlo to follow him. The Sun Villager still looked very afraid, but hurriedly scuttled after the pair. The last thing he wanted was to get lost in the dark tunnels.
"Wasn't expecting to see you so early, wisp" the dark bearded troll continued, eyeing the packs that Mender wore. "White cold trading isn't supposed to start for months now."
"Yes, but hunting's been good for us, so good that we're in need of some more arrow heads sooner than we thought we would be."
Flam licked his thick lips hungrily, taking a deep whiff of the contents of the sacks, and stated, "That mean's there'll be plenty of meat to barter."
"And nuts and berries, not to mention warm furs later. As long as you cave diggers have kept up with our request load."
Flam laughed loudly and slapped Mender heavily on the back, nearly knocking the elf off his feet. "You mean that tiny little thing? We've finished it already. Didn't take more than a moon cycle."
The heat of the trolls' metal workings hit Merlo right in the face and he gasped at the sudden rise in temperature that the forging fires created. His hands scrambled to get a grip on Mender's sleeve and the Sun Villager clung to the healer again as he tried to comprehend his surroundings. Dozens of trolls were working at the moment, creating sparks and smoke as they hammered pieces of tough metal into blades and sheets and all sorts of things. The sound of metal striking metal rang in his ears and head, causing it to ache like nothing he'd felt before.
"Mender…" he groaned.
The healer stopped and considered the young elf, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Merlo, what's wrong?"
"The heat, the smell, the noise…" Merlo's nose curled in disgust and he clamped his hands over his pointed ears as he tried to sort things out in his head.
"Huh? Who's the mump? What's wrong with him?" Flam acknowledged Merlo for the first time and cocked his head to the side to regard the newcomer.
"It's all right, Merlo," Mender whispered to the other elf, ignoring Flam's questions for the moment. "It's just trolls. You'll get used to it. Give it some time…" He stroked Merlo's back, soothing the little things he could with his healing power until the former Palace Dweller no longer looked like he was going to faint on his feet. "Flam, this is Merlo. He joined our pack a moon cycle ago."
"One of those dark skinned elves, huh? Weak stock by the looks of it," Flam sneered with a grin, hoping that Mender would take his bait for an argument. However, the healer was too busy with Merlo to take notice of Flam's insult, so the troll straightened himself and started off again. "This way, wisp."
Mender took Merlo's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "It's all right, Merlo. Meeting trolls for the first time can be a little daunting. We won't be here much longer." Merlo didn't say anything as Mender pulled him along and that worried the Wolfrider. He hadn't expected Merlo to have such a bad reaction to trolls, but then again, Merlo had been born in the Palace, grew up there, without ever even seeing a troll before. No doubt that, even without Wolfrider senses, such a new experience would be a somewhat harsh surprise. However, it still bothered the healer.
"Here we go," Flam announced as they stopped away from the fires to a room where dozens of weapons and items hung on the walls. He pulled out a basket that was filled with metal arrowheads, just ready and waiting to be placed on a proper shaft. "Now, what have you got in those sacks that's worth this craftsmanship, eh, elf?"
Mender released Merlo, placing him in a corner, and turned to inspect the metal objects. Hiding his pleasure with the weapons, Mender started their bargaining, knowing that Flam would be a worthy opponent. Still slightly dizzy from his initial encounter with the troll world, Merlo slid away from the protective spot he'd been settled on and wandered over to where one of the other grisly bearded trolls worked twisting long pieces of thick metal strands. Beside the male troll stood a young female who glowered down upon him fiercely as she threatened and complained about the worker.
"Careful with that, muck-nose," she screeched. "That's for my boodle-chest."
"Yes, Princess Trinket," the troll growled humbly, though it was clear from the look in his small brown eyes that he wasn't pleased saying such words.
Curious, Merlo strolled over to the pair and stood on his tiptoes to look over the worker's shoulder to see what he was doing. "What are you making?"
The male troll gave a startled shout, halting his hammer just a hairsbreadth above his thumb. Trinket whirled on the stranger, scowling darkly, and her large mouth, which was normally shaped in a pout, opened to yell at whoever had the nerve to sneak up on her, but her words didn't come out when she saw who the offender was. Merlo's eyes were wide with wonder as he stared at the female troll, stunned by how different, yet alike, she was from the male workers.
"Who are you?" Trinket demanded, leaning in to get a better look at the Sun Villager.
"Our newest packmate." Out of nowhere, Mender appeared again, taking Merlo under his wing as he moved forward to address the she-troll. Fortunately, Trinket's crush on the healer remained intact, despite several bad incidents that gotten her temper up, and she was much sweeter when he noticed her. At a time, Mender used to feel unease using the troll's affections to manipulate her, but when it came to keeping his tribe safe, he believed that, as long as not harm was done, it was for the greater good. "Cub, meet Trinket, Princess of this underground kingdom."
Merlo took his cue from Mender and bowed lowly to the female troll, hoping that he hadn't done anything Mender would have to smooth over later. Trinket enjoyed the way the elves were treating her, much like the way royalty like herself should be treated, though most of her subjects were too under Drub's influence to ever realize it. Seeing how caught up with his flattery Trinket now was, Mender took the opportunity to move Merlo back, keeping Trinket's attention on himself. However, the Sun Villager continued to look over Mender's shoulder, trying to see what the troll worker was doing since his question hadn't been answered.
"By the Palace!" Merlo suddenly cried out and shot out from behind Mender, shoving pass Trinket, to gape at the worker he'd just interrupted. "I can't believe it!" He looked over his shoulder at Mender, totally unaware of the anger building in the offended troll maiden. "A harp, Mender! The troll is making a harp!"
Mender didn't know the foreign word, nor why seeing such a thing would excite Merlo so greatly; however, before he could try to calm the young cub, Trinket shouted, "Oh, no you don't. Get away from that! That's for my boodle-chest!"
As if he didn't hear her, Merlo proceeded to exclaim, "A real harp, Mender. I haven't seen one of these since the Palace. How did you make this?" Merlo asked the troll worker who just gaped at him, not sure what he should say. Clearly if he humored the elf's interest, he'd get it from Trinket, and no troll (save perhaps the siblings Drub and Flam) ever wanted to be on the receiving end of one of her tantrums.
"That?" Flam barked, joining the group while munching on a bit of fruit, no doubt obtained during his trade with Mender. "It's just a toy, mump. Found one in the garbage the humans tossed downstream and Trinket decided she had to have one. She nearly chewed Mugwart's nose off before he agreed to make."
Trinket glowered at the black bearded troll, but instead of starting an argument with the older troll, focused her indignation on the Sun Villager who was still enraptured with his discovery. "I said, get away, you-"
"Trinket, maybe we could...trade for the harp," Mender suggested smoothly. "Maybe for something much more befitting a princess such as yourself."
"Like what?" Trinket asked suspiciously.
Flam's eyes also lit up with intrigue, curious as to what the Wolfrider could possibly have that would make Trinket willing to part with the thing she'd been complaining to be made for weeks. In truth, not even Mender was sure just what he could offer in trade. He'd just wanted to keep Trinket from harming Merlo in a burst of temper. He couldn't think of a thing he carried that would distract the troll maiden from her precious toy. Fortunately, Merlo stepped forward, digging into the pouch that Mender hadn't even realized he'd been wearing the entire trip.
"How about this?" From the pouch, Merlo produced a gleaming sapphire stone about the size of his fist set in a golden frame shaped like the sun. It was obvious that the stone was meant to be wore around the neck, though it borne no chain or string. On a troll, it would probably make a more fitting hair decoration, though considering who they were bartering with, that was more in their favor.
Trinket was instantly captivated by the jewel and reached out to snatch it, but Merlo pulled his hand back, scowling- though it looked more like a pout -and shook his head.
"Hey!" the troll maiden snarled. "Give that to me! I want it!"
"Do we have a trade, princess?" Mender inquired on Merlo's behalf. "The jewel for your harp?"
"Yes, yes," Trinket muttered. She turned to the troll who'd just finished cooling his creation and said grumpily, "Give that to the mump."
"But your highness-"
A foot smashed down on the worker's foot and Trinket's voice grew shrill as she yelled, "I said give it to him! I want that stone!"
Barely holding in his whimpers of pain, the troll forger handed the harp over to Merlo who immediately passed on his treasure to Trinket. The troll maiden clutched her newly obtained valuable for a moment before happily placing it in her hair, approving of how easily it fit in her mass of curls. Without giving anyone a second look, the princess ran out of the metal workings to find a pool to examine and admire her new beauty. Like the troll maiden, Merlo seemed to be in a state of euphoria, holding his harp to his chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world of two moons. Mender and Flam shared a weary sigh and said their brusque good-byes before going their separate ways. The healing Wolfrider knew his way out of the trolls' caves and, with him so preoccupied, Merlo was led away without any trouble.
"You did what!"
Scouter's furious shout startled all of the pack gathered around Howling Rock, causing them to stop in the middle of their nightly activities. Kini, who'd moved towards the fire to better work on her yarn during the dark night, dropped her knitting needles in surprise. Sust's hands sank into his lap as he refocused his attention to listening for more of the outburst. Detangling himself from Kini's yarn, the Go-Back youth carefully moved from his spot lower on the hill and crawled towards the other side where Scouter had confronted Ember before the nightly hunt. Just as curious as her companion, Kini put down the coat, careful to be sure not to stain the white yarn, and made her way over to Sust's side. She was too noisy to sneak up on Sust, but fortunately those below didn't notice her arrival.
Ember sighed in frustration towards Scouter's predictable outburst at the news of Merlo's departure and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Scouter, calm down…"
"You sent Merlo with Mender to barter with the trolls!" Scouter's hands were waving about as if he were so angry, he didn't know what else to do with them. "Bearclaw's Beard, Ember, how could you? Merlo's never seen a troll before! I'd be surprised if he'd ever heard of them before."
"Then who better to make his first introduction than Mender?" Ember tried to sound reasonable instead of angry, but it was difficult. "He won't let any harm come to him, Scouter. Merlo's perfect fine…"
"How do we know that? He's never ridden a wolf before and you send him on one of the longest treks we make?"
Ember paused at this, crossing her arms around her waist. She hadn't honestly considered that point. Although a part of her was sure that Mender would ease away whatever pains Merlo accumulated from his first ride, she was angry at herself for not catching that problem herself; she was angrier than Scouter had to be the one who pointed it out in one of his overprotective tirades. She locked eyes with the Wolfrider scout, using her stronger will to overcome his rage.
"Scouter, Merlo…" Ember trailed off as a fair sound caught her ears and Scouter also dropped his scowl; his head cocked to the side, trying to capture more of the wondrous sound.
From their vantage point, Sust looked beyond the base of Howling Rock and spotted a lone figure on the plains. "Mender and Merlo are back," he called, though he couldn't honestly see the details of the figure. However, it was probably safe to assume who was coming home. When he received no answer to his declaration, Sust stood up and was about to shout down at his leader, but then the sound reached him as well.
In fact, the otherworldly music has reached all those at Howling Rock and they drifted over in the direction it was coming from. The entire pack was astounded when Growler came riding up to the base of the rocks with his elf-friend grinning like they'd just caught the biggest buck in the territory. Merlo sat before the healer, fingers flying gracefully and knowingly across tightly stretched strings, which produced the most beautiful sounds the Wolfriders had ever heard; his eyes were shut in concentration so that he was oblivious to the wonderment with which his fellow packmates stared at him. After a few more chords, the last two notes were allowed to ring out and fade into the night, and all together the Wild Hunt broke out of the spell.
Taking only a second or two to recover, a siege of questions, compliments, and exclamations were shot at Mender and the young Sun Villager. Merlo shrank away from all the noise, too stunned and confused about all the hubbub his playing had unknowingly caused. The only ones who appeared unaffected by Merlo's music were Teir and Kini, who ran through the crowd to greet her brother.
"Merlo, where under the two moons did you find a harp?" she half asked, half scolded fondly. With a smile, Merlo handed his sister his instrument for her inspection. "You left yours in the Palace."
"The trolls were making it and, well, I traded father's gift…" Merlo trailed off, staring at the ground shamefully.
"It'll be worth it," Kini assured him, touching her brother's shoulder gently.
"What did you call that thing?" Pike inquired, coming around Kini to get a look at the thing she held in her hands.
"A harp, a musical instrument," Kini explained.
"It's a little more difficult than the one I had," Merlo added as the others of the pack gathered around to see the device he'd bartered from the trolls. "A lot more strings and pitches, but I'm sure I'll get before when I use it more often."
"'Get better'? Your music is already enough to sooth the tribe with a single song," Teir stated simply, watching as Scouter ran his fingers over the metal rim of the harp. It'd been lucky that the two travelers had arrived when they did; there'd have been a pretty ugly fight brewing before Merlo's song had reached them.
Ember looked over the crowd to smile at Merlo, then gave a sly wink to Mender. "Looks like your trip to the trolls turned out better for you than we'd thought."
"A lot better." Mender had Growled lower himself onto his stomach so he could pulled Merlo off and tend to the sore muscles the ride had undoubtedly caused the young elf. A heartbeat later when Merlo was healed, he sent the male Sun Villager into the crowd to be greeted and praised by his pack while he took the arrowheads he'd gotten from Growler's back and handed them to his Chieftess' lifemate to be fetched into arrows.
