Chapter One: Bucko Bigbones
By: biacebaolck
She scavenged for herbs for her master in the forest. Her master had FINALLY allowed her to do it, since his wounds were now stinging with pain. Her freedom wasn't given, though. She was not even allowed to hunt for seashells along the shores. She didn't know why. It was perfectly harmless. Wasn't it?
Kagroo, her master, had made it clear that she come back to him by tomorrow midday or else she would face his whip and cutlass. 15 seasons of being whipped had helped her learn how to keep an emotionless and painless face while being whipped. She barely felt the whip anymore.
But, he always had his cutlass with him and even though she didn't feel the cutlass, she had never been able to get the scars from it to disappear.
A blur from her right knocked her down. As she held her aching head, quite dazed, she saw a large mountain hare, who looked like he was from the northern mountains, in front of her.
"Watch where you're going!" she said, angrily. She was sure she had nearly squashed her haversack, which contained her herbs and provisions.
"Ah'm sorry fer knockin' ye over, lassie." He apologized. "Ah wis doin' mah mornin' jog." He looked so upset, that she couldn't help but forgive him.
"It's all right." She stood up. "What's your name?"
"Ah'm Bucko Bigbones. Aye, that's mah name." He added hurriedly when he saw her raise an eyebrow.
"What's a mountain hare like you doing in these parts?" she asked suspiciously. "It's not cold enough around here for you to live normally." Bucko was so surprised, that he forgot to ask her name.
"How'd ye ken that ah'm frae the mountains?" he asked in astonishment.
"Well, there's the accent…" She inspected some plants on the ground, picked a few and placed them in her haversack.
"Och, whit are ye doin'?" he asked out of plain curiosity.
"They're herbs I need. Speaking of herbs, have you seen wintergreen around here? I'm nearly fresh out." When she noticed the confused look on his face, she took out a herb from her haversack and showed it to him. "This is wintergreen."
"Ah seen some o' that!" he said. " 'twas in a cavern ah passed!"
"Could you take me there?" she asked. Bucko nodded. When they arrived at the cavern, which was a very long distance, the sun was setting. She took one look at the plants inside and thanked him. She took a couple of them and put them in her haversack before looking at the sky.
"D'ye live 'round here?" he asked.
"No, I live underwater." She said rolling her eyes. "Well of course I live around here! The nearest village is two days travel from anywhere in this area!"
"Ah wis only checkin'." She could have sworn it was imagination, because she saw the mountain hare turn away, smiling and looking slightly happier than he had before. " 'twill be too late fer both of us tae go our ways. The sun has set and tis too dark."
She nodded and kneeled on the ground, starting a fire. He helped by adding tinder and branches to it as it began to burn. Once the fire was completely lit, she started questioning him.
"What kinds of friends do you have?" she wanted to know. She had never been outside these lands for Master Kagroo was getting old and despised traveling.
"Och, Dorothea, a lassie like yersel', had bad singin'. Her singing… Tis horrible!" he chuckled. He began to talk all about the friends he had made when Dotti and her friends had come for a little 'visit'.
She sat spellbound, listening to his every word, fascinated at the different personalities of each and every beast he described. Outside, it was dark and the moon was full. A wolf howled in the distance, butneither of them paid any attention to it.