6 - Lakeshire Ladies

Vernon sat near the edge of the lake, a small campfire blazing, and two fish skewered, cooking on a spit. I sat close by, still confined to the contraption he had enclosed me within. All I knew was the fish smelled good and I did not want to miss out on the feast.

The fishing supplier looked down at me with one eyebrow cocked. "Now, I hope you're going to be reasonable when I take you out of there," he said.

I truly had no intention of being anything else, my stomach growled for the fish on that spit. I nonetheless eyed him warily as he untied the catch. My previous captor, Alarii, who although she was a tall lady - as are all night elves - had slender, delicate hands and needed both to hold me securely. Not so with Vernon. His hands were huge, he could easily hold me in one and still have room for a smaller avian relative. He reached inside and his fingers curled around me. Fish scales and dried blood were caked under his fingernails and embedded within the deep grooves of his callouses. A working man indeed, he was obviously not perturbed by the fish guts, muck or stench from his skin or clothing. Still, he was surprisingly gentle with me.

"Now then birdy, let's see what old Effcee managed to do to you." With his forefinger he lightly brushed my mantle up over my nape. "Ah, she got you lad. Never mind, I can fix you." He pulled a rag from his britches pocket and shook it out.

"And what on Azeroth are you going to do with that?" a female's voice came from behind us.

Vernon turned round, still keeping a firm but gentle grip on me. A slender woman in simple attire; a long brown skirt, white blouse and black bodice, stood, hands on hips looking down at Vernon.

"Hello Amy," Vernon's eyes crinkled as he smiled broadly. "Well, I was going to clean this bird's wound. That blasted fiend of a cat nailed this one too, would you believe it!"

The woman's eyes widened as she saw the rag in Vernon's hand. "I hope you weren't going to use that filthy thing to do it!" she said pointing at the cloth.

I glanced up at Vernon's face. I do believe I saw him flush a little. "I don't have anything else at hand Amy," he replied a little whiny.

She tutted and told him to stay put while she went and got something better. I watched her go back up the small incline and move towards a covered cart. She fumbled about under the canvas, looking for whatever it was she sought. Meanwhile, Vernon pulled the fish from the spit. He broke a bit off and after blowing on it to cool it down, handed me a generous morsel. I eagerly accepted. "Hey! Steady there boy. You nearly had my fingers." He smiled and proceeded to pull apart some more of the delicious flaky fish for me.

I was gulping the second offering when Amy returned. In one hand she held a small vial and a vastly cleaner rag than Vernon had considered using. In her other she carried a bowl of water. She placed it on the ground, then hitching her skirt a little to the side, she knelt down next to us. She placed the water in front of Vernon, then doused the rag and squeezed it out. "Hold him steady Vernon," she said bringing the rag towards the nape of my neck. "Easy now birdy," she cooed. I flinched as the ice cold water managed to trickle down my skin under my contours. She gently wiped down my neck, mantle and over the top of my scapulars. Vernon tightened his grip, not enough to hurt me, but sufficient to stop me from struggling.

Amy repeated the cleaning of my wound. I tried swiveling my head to see what she was doing as I heard a small popping noise. From the corner of my eye, I saw her empty some of the contents of the vial onto the rag. It turned the cloth a sickly ochre colour. I watched until my peripheral sight could no longer see her moving the cloth towards the back of my neck. I did however, feel it! It nipped quite severely, causing me to wriggle in Vernon's grip and cry out in my inimitable raven manner - a shrill repetitive croak.

"Steady now," Amy said. "You'll be fine." I caught sight of the cloth as she pulled it away. It was now a reddish, murky colour, so I deduced it was mingled with my blood. Effcee had indeed left her mark on me. Amy dabbed my wounds again, this time they didn't sting so much. Vernon fed me some more fish, which despite the momentary discomfort of being nursed by the soft-spoken Amy, was much appreciated and needed. My stomach was still grumbling for more.

Vernon carefully released me, settling me down beside him. I knew they were only trying to help me, and quite honestly, I was not leaving any of that fish behind. I only hoped that Effcee was not attracted by the aroma. Almost as if to reassure me, Vernon placed the spit beside me and allowed me to pick away to my heart's content. Both the fishing supplier and Amy patted my back gently as I tucked into my meal.

"So," I heard the woman saying, her tone somewhat teasing. "Are you coming to the shindig this evening, Vernon?"

I paused in my scoffing to glance up as I heard Vernon cough. He grinned, a slight glint in his eyes. "Oh I'll be there, though I admit it seems a bit disrespectful, considering."

Amy sighed. "'Tis sad news yes, but we have to also embrace the good things too, Vernon. We have all been saved a most unpleasant demise."

The big man exhaled loudly. "True enough I suppose. He was a good man though. Met him once, and he was most affable."

Amy nodded. "He was kindly, that's for sure. I heard he had quite a wicked sense of humour too."

"So I believe, aye," Vernon laughed lightly. Then his face became somber again. "It's his woman and babe I feel so sorry for."

Amy lowered her head. She seemed to be contemplating what Vernon had said. Their conversation made me feel a little strange. I could not calibrate what exactly had me feeling suddenly jittery, but I sensed a very distant ... link, connection to what they discussed.

Out of the blue, Amy chuckled and it pulled me from my reverie. "So, will you be donning your finest, Vernon?"

The man dragged the back of his hand across his mouth and chin. "That all depends."

"And what will that be depending on then?" her eyes were once more bright.

"On whether you will make it worth my while," he whispered, leaning towards her.

She winked at him then pushed herself up. She brushed down her skirt and picked up the bowl, cloth and phial she had brought over. "Why Vernon, you know fine us ladies don't disappoint."

He grinned wider. "Aye, that I do." He made a grab for her ankle which she quickly dodged with a little backwards skip.

"Plenty time for that malarkey later, you big oaf. " She laughed. "But, you better scrub up well if you're requiring our attention this evening." She turned and left, humming a tune to herself as she climbed back up the incline.

My attention turned back to Vernon. His eyes were following Amy, then slowly they lowered to me. A slow grin crept over his mouth. "Aye, she's a wonder is that Amy Davenport," he said in a low voice. "I don't know whether I should marry her or not though."

Marry? I considered the term. Was he referring to mating with her? I pulled a bit flaky fish from the spit and gulped it down.

"Truth is there are a good few to choose from," Vernon continued quietly. "All of them pretty darned fine too, if you know what I mean, raven." He winked at me.

The sound of beating wings suddenly made us look up. To my astonishment another raven arrived and landed a short distance from where we sat. She was young and glossy, and by the looks of it hungry too. I croaked at her, inviting her to join us. Her head bobbed up and down and to the side as she eyed Vernon warily. She was right to be cautious at least, but I thought I would offer her some food. There was after all, plenty and I knew what it was to be hungry. I tore a piece off and skipped over with it for her. I laid it down nearby, then hopped back to Vernon's side. She stepped towards the offering, then stabbed at it a couple of times before she scooped it up and swallowed it down. She cawed her gratitude. I delivered another piece for her. Again, she accepted. I felt good within myself for sharing my meal with a fellow raven.

Vernon's laugh startled me a little and I eyed him questioningly. "Seems I won't be the only one getting his pleasure this evening." He raised his eyebrows at me then nodded over to the female bird. A few moments passed before I understood what he was inferring. Sweet Elune! He couldn't possibly mean that I would...No! I couldn't...for some reason. I knew not what that reason was but it was a definite no regardless!

As I turned my head towards the female, I saw her looking back at me. Her eyes shifted to the fish and she emitted a caw. I stayed put.

Vernon's big hand nudged me. "Go on boy, you started flirting with her, may as well go the whole hog now, she seems keen." His face held suppressed mirth. Started flirting? I most certainly did not! I merely offered her... I could feel my contours prickle as it dawned on me. I had, albeit inadvertently, began the mating ritual. I shook my head, utterly crestfallen. Why did I not think before I did that!

I flew onto Vernon's shoulder. That just made him laugh out loud. "Why boy! You shy now?" I huddled closer to his head, feeling both ashamed and decidedly nervous that I had misled the female raven. I peeked out from behind his jaw to see her cocking her head in my direction. She cawed again and hopped closer. Back I sat, hoping somehow to become invisible. The belated realisation of my desperate situation and pathetic attempt to hide was exacerbated further as second female raven landed. This time right where I had been prior to my seeking refuge upon Vernon's shoulder. That one too looked at me expectantly.

"Seems the Lakeshire Ladies are not just those of the human persuasion," the fishing supplier voiced, chuckling. The two females started cawing quite persistently. Their rather, amorous insistence had me starting to feel uncomfortable and hot. I had two options, dive into the lake to get cool, or pant. The former would not be a wise choice, I had glimpsed the eels in there, and they were vicious, no doubt quite capable of dragging me under. So, I started to pant, the only real option there was if I was honest.

Birds do not sweat, though at that moment I sorely wished we did for I was unbelievably hot. My attention was drawn to the right as a breeze caused the shack door to slam shut, then swing open a fraction again. Ah! My third option, I thought. I wasted no more time excogitating my predicament and immediately flew to the shack door. I just managed inside before it blew shut a second time. From the safety of indoors, I could hear Vernon hooting with laughter. Quite why he found this scenario so amusing, was beyond me. A few moments later, he came into the shack with some of the fish in hand. "Not quite your type those ladies I gather. Here then raven, you can eat in peace. I'll leave the window open enough for you to get out if you want."

I looked up at him. I admit I was experiencing a sense of foolishness and his laughing at me just made me more embarrassed. As he closed the door behind him and I heard the latch drop, I pecked and tore at the food he left me. In my solitude, I tried to delineate why I was going through these strange emotions.

My head swam with visions of Alarii and her drawings; Jevon and how he admitted having feelings for her; that look in his eyes when his gaze met hers; the earlier exchange between Amy and Vernon. The horrifying prospect of ... well, being intimate I suppose with the female raven. I shuddered. Then the wet-eyed woman came into my thoughts. Her face rippled before my mind's eye as if I was watching her in a clear pool. I lingered on the memory of her. Why did she - haunt me so? Once more a tightening sensation in my chest followed the image of her suffering a sorrow I did not understand, yet I felt inexplicably connected to her pain. An overwhelming sense of something important was just outwith my reach.

Confusion seemed to be setting in. I believed I had always thought things through in a logical and practical fashion, that I was not prone to fancy and improbability. Now however, as I sat on a table, strewn with fishing tackle (another little bit of suppressed knowledge leaked) and flaked fish, I started to consider there was something I was not seeing. Something unusual about my circumstance. An allurement of some description, critical to me but which was missing, frustratingly unattainable.

A scratching sound pulled me abruptly from my thoughts. There at the window was the irascible Effcee; her yellow eyes growing blacker by the second as her pupils dilated, her attention on me unshakable. Her jaw chattered as a series of irritated clicks fell from her deadly maw. Her tail swished furiously back and forth. She tilted her head a little and to my horror she squeezed in through the narrow gap afforded by the open window. He lithe body followed quickly and I flew up to the narrow lintel above the door just as she pounced on the table. I was quite smug I had outsmarted her. That was soon erased however, as her face conveyed a superbity of her own. I watched with growing annoyance as she started to devour the remainder of the fish.

I cawed my irritation but she just continued eating, a look of victory in her oval eyes. This was unacceptable. I had enough of being attacked by creatures and now having my food stolen. I spread my wings and swooped down at her, screeching as I did so. My beak was a fair weapon in its own right and I jabbed at the top of her head as I flew over. She hissed and yowled, a paw lashing out, but missing me. I landed on the opposite lintel and turned to stare down at her. Her hackles were raised with tail fluffed out making her look three times her original size. Her eyes burned fierce - utter hatred flaring from them.

I watched with a mild amusement as she lowered herself on her haunches ready to pounce. As she launched herself in my direction I flew over again and back to the original lintel. Her mew this time was laced with frustration. I cawed at her again. Once more she was poised on the table, her body shuddering as her muscles tensed ready for attack. When she leapt, I omitted a shrill croak.

This expostulation was entirely different to previous ones however. I stared in disbelief as a sizzling bright blue bolt left my beak. It travelled with an excruciatingly lethargic momentum and hit Effcee square on her chest. The cat was thrown backwards. Her agile body twisted and writhed in mid air. The razor-filled mouth opened soundlessly. When her feet finally met the edge of the table, time corrected itself and suddenly she was racing round the walls, increasing acceleration with each circuit and yowling madly. As her body passed under where I still sat perched, I could see her fur was singed where the mysterious bolt had hit her. Her maniacal tour of the shack walls continued until I heard the door open. "What the blazes is going - ." Vernon's voice bellowed into the wooden room. A mew of relief and Effcee was out the door quicker than a mage could blink. Sweet Elune! Another erudite snippet of knowledge came to the fore.

"Bloody cat!" I heard him rant. "Raven! Where are you?" I watched from above as his huge frame came into the shack. I cawed. He turned and found me on the door lintel. "Not exactly your day, is it lad?" he mused as he visually checked I had not acquired any further injuries. Shaking his head and grinning to himself, he beckoned me down. "Come on then, I think you'll be safer with me at home. Business will be slow today as celebrations are afoot, so I will close up."

The rest of the day was spent at Vernon's home. It was a very pleasant abode as far as human accommodation went and surprisingly clean and tidy. I had somehow thought it would be just a larger scale version of the fishing shack, but it was far removed from it. The interior was mainly neutral, with a splash of bright colours on the soft plump cushions, seating and drapes at the windows. Some wood carved figurines, birds mostly, lined the mantel above a generous fireplace. All in all, it was a cozy little house.

He allowed me free reign of his house and ample food. He also checked my wounds, courtesy of Effcee's successful attack earlier that day. There was not much discomfort now and Vernon confirmed that they seemed to be healing nicely.

I looked out the lattice window of his bedchamber and saw the small town lighting up. Small spheres on strings were wound round the eaves of the buildings and looped through fences and basically any structure the townsfolk could attach them to. Small floating lanterns were pushed out on the lake, their flickering golden light rippling over the water's surface. It was very pretty.

I flinched as Vernon's voice unexpectedly came through from a room where I had heard a lot of splashing, singing (his slightly off-key baritone vocalisation) and clattering of items. He appeared in the bedchamber, his shoulder-length hair darkened, being wet and a towel fastened round his waist with another slung over his shoulders. I noted a large scar on his side which ran from his right hip and up to the base of his ribcage. I heard Dana's words echo in my mind and wondered if Vernon had been the poor sap who had tackled the boar that ate the notorious Martie Jainrose's begonias. A rather strong, spicy but not entirely unpleasant fragrance drifted from him. "Now raven, you can have run of the house while I'm out, but try not to ... you know, mess all over the place."

I huffily turned my attention back to the street below. Why did some individuals have such a low opinion of my bowel movements and my ability to control them, I wondered. A soft splat on the floor beneath me then answered that very question. Vernon gasped. "Oh! Now looky there! Just what I was saying you were not to do!" Inwardly, I was ashamed, but I fixed my gaze to the festivities beginning outside and pretended not to notice my inappropriateness. I heard him mopping up my accident, grumbling as he did so. I gave him a sideways look. "I'm expecting to have some very pleasant company back here this evening, " he explained, tossing the soiled scrap of cloth he used into a metal container near the window. He then pointed at my tail. "So, I would appreciate if you point that end out the window at least, should you need to answer the call of nature."

I cawed with an indignant odium. I had merely been caught unawares, there really was no need to be so vocal about it. Us birds did not like our own nests soiled, and so I did not deliberately do my business in Vernon's abode. I shuffled my feathers, still coming to terms with my embarrassment.

Vernon then crossed the room to a vertical oblong container and pulled it open. Inside it hung some articles of clothing. He mumbled to himself as he took time selecting which items he would put on. Suddenly he whipped off the towel around his waist and started drying his torso rather roughly with it. He used the other towel to dry his hair. A few moments later he was dressed. I had to admit, he cut quite a handsome figure of a man once he was cleaned up and attired nicely.

"I'm going to leave this window open for you. No cats can get in here so no need to worry. Just remember what I said now about - you know what." And with that he left. I heard the front door close and I watched as he headed across the street with a confident stride making his way downhill towards the inn. The sudden quietness of the little house closed in on me.

Looking outside, I saw more people heading towards the inn while others were crossing the lake in small boats to where there were tables set up, laden with food and drinks and more of those little coloured spheres draped over makeshift supports for the overhead canvas that covered the tables. There was a definite vibe in the air; a sense of community, kinship and general well-being. Curiosity had the better of me, so I exited through the open window and flew over the town.

I glided down to the signage of the inn. It was an ideal perch from which I could see inside the window at all the festivities. There was much gaiety and music and laughter. I caught sight of Vernon near the back of the large room. There were three ladies around him, one being Amy, all smiling and talking to him. I watched with considerable awe when he leaned down and planted his lips on each of theirs. He put his arms around their waists and drew them closer to him. Their faces showed delight and I could hear their chuckles even from my viewpoint. He suddenly broke away with Amy and I watched as the two of them started swirling and stepping around the floor to the music. The other two women crossed over and joined in. He was soon cutting a jig with them all. Seemed Vernon was quite a hit with the ladies of Lakeshire. I found myself wondering which one would be his "very pleasant company" later as I saw him grabbing them by their behinds. Surely he wouldn't... No! Then again, as I continued to observe them, it seemed highly likely his company would consist of more than just one lady.

Shrieks of laughter came from further along the road towards the east of the town. Couples linking arms made their way to the stone bridge in a celebratory mood, laughter and singing carrying on the air. By all accounts not everyone wished to cross the lake by boat.

A low growl crept up from the bushes below me. I scanned the foliage, and there between the leaves I caught a glimpse of yellow eyes. Effcee. I flapped my wings and cawed shrilly at her. My beak chittered in satisfaction as I witnessed her shoot out from the shrubbery and run towards the stables at the far end of the docks. I knew then, I would not be bothered by her again.

All things and incidents considered, I had survived Lakeshire rather well. I flew back to Vernon's home and perched outside under the eaves, keeping myself concealed and sheltered. With one last lingering thought drifting towards the wet-eyed woman, I closed my eyes and wished her a peaceful night under the watchful eye of Elune.