Trey returned half an hour later, pulling the carcass of a young buck by it's antlers, which he killed with a percise shot to the heart. Trey, with Connor's help, lifted the deer and placed it's head in the fork of a small tree. Then they went to work by cleaning the buck.
Nolan and Austin prepared the fire with piles of dry sticks, the pit was about three feet long and two feet wide. Then they expertly crafted a spit out of some firm twigs and placed it above the pile of sticks. By then Trey and Connor brought strips of meat over to them, sliding them onto the spit.
Then, with a muttered incanation, Nolan started a flameless fire, he also put another spell on the fire to keep anyone else from seeing the light it produced. Within seconds the fire sprange into a roaring, flickering mass of energy, speedily cooking the meat.
Trey mentioned that he applied salt and spices to the meat so it wasnt tastless. Nolan didn't argue with Trey because he knew that he was a good cook. While the meat cooked Nolan created a pot out of hardened clay, reenforcing it with magic, then sent Austin to fill it with water using the river they were camped next to.
When Austin returned Nolan had already made another fire with an arm that ran over the awaiting flames. Nolan easily attatched a hook to the pot an hung it from the arm. When the water was boiling he inserted the left over meat, along with salt, spices like parsely, garlic, and pepper. And from his bag he procured a sack of vegetables consisting of mushrooms, tomatoes, patatoes, and carrots, throwing some of each into the stew.
It took some time, but eventually the stew and strips of meat was thoroughly cooked. They ate their fill, occasionally complementing on the food, and then settled around the fire to stay warm as the cold mountain air rushed into the foothills, the surrounding trees rustling in the wind.
The next day they left their camp and entered a valley of the Beors. The landscape was dark, for the sun had not passed above the mountains yet. Nolan had to cast a spell that would brighten the path in front of them, added with the spells from the night before, he was trumendously tired.
They proceeded on through thickets, which were so thick at times that they were forced to cut a path through, over steep, rocky paths where they were in imminent danger of slipping to their curtain destruction. Once they slipped down the side of a hill when it began to rain, turning the ground to mud.
They were very stiff the next morning and at dusk the weather plunged them into a small snow storm which slowly shifted nto a steady rain. They were met with great misfortune when the mountains shadow forced them into darkness once agian, in which the rain termonated into sleet.
They were detained until that night when the weather settled. Nolan, ignoring his discomfort, cast a spell that would thaw the snow amoung the ground so they could sleep comfortably. For breakfast Trey killed another deer, this time a plump doe, and they cooked and ate. When they left their amp it was mid afternoon. Hours later they were nine miles above the valley floor, traveling along a steep, and almost inaxcessible route which was covered with fallen timber which increased their fatigue exceedingly, mainly due to them stepping over so many logs added with the steep accents and deccents of the mountains. The weather was wet and cold all day, and it often rained, snowed, and hailed too.
That night they reached a plateau with an adequate depression fit with soft grass and a canopy of leaves. But no water occupied the tableland so they concluded to make use of the snow they found on the top to cook the remnants of the deer. During their dinner the sky was cloudy and cold. That morning Austin looked out over the valley, from his point of view he observed high ruged mountains in every direction as far as he could see.
It began to snow three hours after they left and continued that way all day long, soon the snow was four inches deep, covering their trail. Nolan was wet and cold in every way he thought possible, and was, indeed, fearfull that his feet would freeze in the thin boots he wore. The setting was very similar to yesterdays, and Nolan began to wonder if they were traveling in circles.
The want for provisions together with the difficulty of passing those immence mountains dampened the spirits of their party which induced them to resort to some plan to revive their dispostion. When the sun set, they where encamped on a bold, running creek passing down the mountain side and flowed to the left where it plummeted about nine hundred feet to the valley floor. Nolan refered this river to "Eyddr Dymera", which, translated, means Empty Stomach, for they had nothing to eat that night.
When the glowing orb rose into the sky, they continued on through the Beors. They soon spotted samon swimming in the river. They ate a late breakfast of fish smoked over a small fire. Later that day the weather got worse and they were drenched by an unrelenting thunderstorm. By evening Nolan found that he was feeling unwell from eating fish and roots too freely.
The next day he puked several times, which lessened the uncomfortable pain in his stomach. He was sure that the others in his party were feeling the same. Their group weakened in strength as hours turned to days and days to weeks. Though they managed to get proper exercise and rarely had proper dinner. Their relationships with each other grew in might as they became closer. The next morning Austins attention was called to a species of reptile the likes of which he had never seen before. It had dappled green-brown scales that covered its serpentine body, occupanied by leathery wings. It's short, stubby legs helped it appear to slither like a snake with a ine of small spikes that slid down its back and to the end of its tail.
The creature's head looked over at Austin, keeping it's body exeremely still. Austin felt a presence of danger fall upon him, causing him to grab the hilt of his sword. With an immobilizing screech, which seemed to originate from a mental force, attacked Austin. He suddenly couldn't move and found that he had fallen to the ground.
The reptile gracefully slid of the rock it accomadated and made its way to the motionless body upon the ground. Opening its mouth, revealing long, dagger-like teeth, it prepared to snap its jaws down on Austin's arm.
But in a fast, silvery arc the creature was sliced in half.
"Told you to stay clear from the Fanghur." Said Nolan, sheathing his sword, the others of his group in tow.
Austin couldnt talk as he tried to return to himself after that frieghtening experiance.
Two weeks after they entered the Beors, they found, or at least what Nolan expected, that they were near the ancient Dwarf city of Dalgon. Nolan suggested traveling north until they reached the Beartooth river so they could easily travel to Tronjheim, and hopefully find the remnants of the dwarven race.
Author's note: Here is another chapter, hopefully it wasn't much of a wait for ya'll, and if it was then i am dearly sorry. But i wanted to make sure that this story starts to speed along so i can get to the dragon riders, cause hey, thats what the inheritance cycle is about right. Well i will try to hurry this along, and i also might start another fanfic, but not for some time, so just keep and eye out. So with that i will say, review and most of all enjoy!
-7RON