Druid's Reckoning (Book 1 - Fennel's Sorrow)

Chapter 3 - The Hatchling

Now the Chaos must be rid

from the land it must be hid

and only one, the pure, a child

can see the Source and be the force

which puts the Chaos into order.

A cold, wet nose prodded Mara’s cheek. She groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. It was still gloomy under the canopy of the trees. She could not tell if it were day or night. She lay back down on the blanket, a light film of moisture beaded on the top of the wool. The dog pawed at her chest insisting that she wake up. She sat up again and saw a large, dead rabbit at her feet. The dog proudly nudged her again.

Mara smoothed his ears and told him he was a good boy. Piggles was still standing in the same spot that Mara had left her. The bush had become a snack for the horse.

Mara took the rabbit and quickly skinned it with Dillion’s knife. She did not want to risk a fire, so she cut up half of the bloody thing and gave it to the dog. The other half she wrapped in grape leaves and packed away. She also wrapped the rabbit pelt in grape leaves. She did not have any curatives, but as long as she kept the pelt moist, it could be cured later. It was a big rabbit and would make a fine hat.

Mara ate the last of one of the loaves of bread. She gave the dog the part that had already started to mold. She threw the blanket back over Piggles and hoisted herself onto the mare’s back. Piggles found the track immediately and began trotting up the slope of the wide path that the raiders had left driving the heard. Mara had lost all sense of time, but at least she felt awake, now. It was chilly, so she figured it was either very late night or very early morning. 

Mara heard the dog panting as he trotted behind Piggles. Watching the dog’s tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth, Mara was suddenly aware of her own thirst. She hoped they would find a stream. She hadn’t thought to bring a water skin. That was not very clever. For some reason she assumed water would be everywhere on the mountain side. Eventually she stopped Piggles and gathered some water that had beaded on the leaves of a giant five-star tree. It wet her mouth, but wasn’t enough to quench her thirst.

Mara could not really see very much, but knew they continued to follow the path. Much time passed and Mara became sleepy from the lull of the darkness and the rhythm of the movement of the horse. Perhaps she had fallen asleep for when she became aware, she saw a tiny light in the distance, but Piggles had come to a complete stop. Mara urged the mare forward. They were no longer going uphill, but had come to level ground. The tiny dot of light ahead became bigger and bigger. Thirst was now overwhelming her.

The end of the dark tunnel of trees spit them out into an expanse of green pastures and in the distance, Mara saw a lake. Lugh was so bright that her eyes took some time to get used to the light. The horse threw its head back and snorted. The mare seemed to be excited by the grass. But Mara did not allow her to munch. She needed water and urged the horse into a cantor. Piggles seemed something more than the broken down mare that had started the journey. 

They quickly came to the edge of the lake. The herd had been there before them. The bank of the lake was sloppy from the hooves of many cows. Mara practically vaulted from the horse.  She cared little about the mud and at the edge of the lake, got to her knees and began scooping the frigid water into her mouth. She couldn’t seem to get enough. The dog was beside her, lapping greedily at the water. Piggles had even joined the happy slurping.

Mara pulled herself out of the mud and began to survey the plateau. It was as if she had found the most beautiful part of the world. The massive forest surrounded part of the lake, but on her side there was a sloping green pasture dotted with boulders and rocks.