The Faithful Ones

Part 1- Chapter 3

Stamping out a beat, Sunny sang as she spun in a complex leaping pattern. Matthew and Freya galloped around the fire in some kind of tangled dance that looked difficult.
"Fire, fire, like the sun,/ brightness always again will come./ Green, green, like the leaves/ of the oak's spirit that never leaves./ Water, water, like the sky,/ giving life to all that fly," Sunny sang the song many times, and by the ends everyone was singing it until the last repeat of the chorus.
"Oh sun, oh sun,/ give us life!/ Oh sun, oh sun,/ keep away strife!"

Then they all dances to the energetic beat of leaping feet whose legs carried their owners cavorting around the flames as the sun set. Raine, Rose, Sunny, Salma, Freya, Matthew,and Blaze sang and danced for a little while more, then sat and listen to Roe and Salma.
"Sleep, sleep, little one,/ you are free./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ you are safe." That was the new part, and it was sun between each of the old verses. "Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the wind is kind./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the wind is strong./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the stars are bright./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the stars are here./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the river runs./ Sleep, sleep, little one,/ the river sings." Rose's voice could reach higher than Salma's, creating a beautiful harmony.

Now the stars had taken the sun's place, and a sliver of moon hung just above the west. The fire began to die down as the seven prepared to sleep. Raine turned away from the embers, unable to face it any longer. It was easier to think about things other than the fire on some days, something Raine was glad of. The summer had been good so far, and the friends had fallen into routine. It was simple, and all they had to do was keep going north.

Raine dreamed of the leopardess again, and again she wondered what it meant. By noon she'd gotten distracted by talking about what the future held; each was curious about what they had to do at the Dwarvern Caverns. Rose was certain they'd have to help the dwarves with something, but Salma said they'd find pout when they arrived. Raine usually agreed with Salma, not wanting to add something to her list of things she pondered over in her spare time. She tended to get distracted when they were talking about the tasks, thinking about how the strange tasks could set them free from whatever it was that held them captive. Nimue had said it was this life and this world, but it didn't make much sense.

"We're running out of water, and we need some food before nightfall," Raine announced.
"I'll get some water," Freya said.
"Salma, Matthew, and I will find some food," Sunny volunteered, smiling as always. So off they went, leaving the other three to rest.
"How long until we get to the Dwarvern Caverns? Rose asked.
"I'd say a couple of months," Raine answered.
"We'll probably have Autrin's Ehv before we reach them, Raine," Blaze said, "so will we do the same as what we did for the Midsummer Feast?"
"Yep. It's not that soon though, is it?
"It's in a month or so."
"But Midsummer was two weeks ago." Blaze nodded, and Rose sighed as if to say 'really, haven't you noticed that Autrin's Ehv is at the very end of summer?' Raine hadn't been counting the days like Blaze had been.

Raine tore a strip of fabric off the bottom of her dress, which was already fraying a little. Her aunt had given her a sewing needle and threads a while ago, and Raine had brought them. Now she had a use for it: She was going to embroider the fabric with the adventures they were having. with the blue, she depicted water and showed the lighthouse and the seven with the black. Raine only did simple pictures, wanting to save the thread. It took a while and the others were back before she finished, but the beginning of the fabric was embroidered by nightfall.

The sun rose to a cloudless day, and they got ready for another day of travelling. the landscape was beginning to look the same however far they travelled, and very little changed. Raine had dreamed that she talked to the leopardess, as she sometimes did. The usual dream went first, and after the big cat said Raine was lost she replied that she didn't know what they had to do at the Dwarvern Caverns, or when they would arrive.
"You'll be there by the end of the fourth moon. As to what you must do, you'll have to remember all that Nimue told you and remember why you're there," the leopardess answered . Sometimes Raine asked a question in her dream that she wanted to know, and each time the leopardess answered in a somewhat vague way.There had been a strange smile that hinted at future things and a yearning in the big cat's eyes at the end of the dream. Raine had seen those things before, and more often lately the yearning was there momentarily. She wondered what it mean and, unable to find answers, gave up. As it usually is with dreams, the wonder they bring is gone when the day starts to take hold on one's thoughts. So Raine looked up from the ground to see a little more land laid out before them.

They stood catching their breath, having just climbed a steep hill. Before them were green folds in the earth just like the folds in Raine's dress. On the horizon was a thin, dark smudge that must have been the Northern Rang. Raine, Rose, Sunny, Salma, Freya, Matthew and Blaze stood a while on the hilltop before descending. There were berry bushes in the little valleys between hills, and in one valley there ran a stream flanked by oaks. The seven split into three groups to search the area for what food they could find. Raine, Sunny, and Salma found some rosehips, and gathered as many of the small fruits as they could. They'd boil some water and make tea with them. Birds sang and the water bubbled over the pebbles. The three headed back, walking in the stream as all the dust on their feet was washed away. The hills provided a beautiful supply of food, and the group enjoyed it. After they ate, they splashed in the water, laughing as they attacked each other with wide smiles and handfuls of water emptying over their heads. Then they moved on as the afternoon took hold of the day, exploring a little as they traversed the hills.

Some hills had little cliffs, and others were covered in heather and wildflowers. Sunny danced along, a bit ahead of the others, picking flowers to make a chain with. She hummed as she went, sounding vaguely like a bee. Salma was deep in thought, possibly daydreaming, while Blaze and Freya walked facing the sky as they watched the clouds twist and morph. When night came, Rose carefully braided Raine's hair. Matthew sat close to the fire, needing the light to carve. Then, later, when the others slept and she couldn't, Raine listened to the night. Crickets chirped a light breeze rustled the grass and bushes, and the dying fire crackled gently. A few creatures called out, but other than that it was quiet. And somehow it wasn't that different from the day, because everyone had run out of stories to tell.