The Faithful Ones

Part 1- Chapter 5

"How are you, Rain?" asked Blaze.
"I'm alright. You?"
"Yeah," he smiled then looked at the hand-high mountains, thinking for a moment, "What do you think the dwarves will be like?"
"I don't know... What did the Sage say? They're headstrong, spirited, fierce, and yet not warlike. They sound like they'll get on well with Rose," Blaze replied and Raine nodded.
"But they speak Dwarvern. How will we be able to understand them?"
"We'll have to learn Dwarvern."
"Didn't we learn a bit a long time ago?" Raine asked.
"The only think I remember is that 'Tekzû' means hello," Blaze sighed.

The winds blew harder and colder, and the days seemed slow although they were shortening. Raine found herself anxiously checking the mountains to see if they were any closer a few times The journey was long and the seven were tired, but the leopardess had told Raine that they'd reach the Dwarvern Caverns by the end of the fourth moon. The moon was only just beginning to wane; they were almost there.

Clouds began to gather overhead and darken, making twilight come early. When Raine looked up after eating the midday meal, she decided that they shouldn't continue travelling that afternoon. With what they could find, they built a shelter from branches and leaves. Sitting furthest from the small fire, Raine same with her friends.
"Rain pitter, rain patter./ Sing louder, together./ Glow fire, glow brighter./ Keep warming forever./ Rain pitter, rain patter./ Be stronger, hope always./ Sing louder, together./ Grow taller, grow trusting./ Let loving continue./ Rain pitter, rain patter./ Stand braver, leave nothing./ Be stronger, hope always./ Sing louder, together./ Come arise, come answer./ Wind drifting away."

The rain was a steady drumming on the roof of their shelter. Outside, it was cold, but in their little stick tent the seven were warm. Crickets chirped and the fire crackled. Raine glared at it, annoyed that fire was such a vital part of life -- it was dangerous -- but there was nothing she could do about it, so she started a game.
"Riddle time! I have a heart that never beats, a hope but i never sleep. I love to play games with my brothers. I'm a king among fools. Who am I?"
"How am I supposed to know? It's been ages since I heard that one!" laughed Sunny.
"This is the one one we we learnt that time the Sage showed us the Buchod Room, right?" Salma asked.
"I got it! It's a King of Hearts!" Matthew cried, and Raine nodded.

"What is red and blue, purple and green? Nobody can reach it it, not even a queen. What is it?" Matthew asked. Freya tried to think, but neither she nor Blaze knew the answer
"It's got something to do with Raine somehow..." Rose couldn't figure out the answer either.
"No it doesn't!" Raine refused.
"Yes it does! It's a rainbow!" shouted Sunny, and they all groaned. "It is tall when it's young and short when it's old. By some, but not all, time can be told. What is it?" Salma asked for the riddle to be repeated, then slowly muttered the words to herself.
"This is one of my favourite riddles," said Matthew.
"What, because you can never remember the answer?" teased Sunny, and they all laughed.
"We heard this in the Buchod Room on a rainy day, not that that helps us remember the answer," said Rose. They puzzled over it for a bit, then Raine remembered the answer.
"Candles!"
"Yes. Now who else has a riddle?" Sunny said.
"I do," Blaze replied. "A farmer sells half his chickens at the market plus one, and has one left over. How many did he have before coming to market?"
"Easy: three," answered Salma. They continued to ask each other riddles for a while.

Nightfall came, and the rain hadn't stopped since it started. Rose and Freya had a few vegetables in their packs, and although they weren't quite enough, the seven enjoyed them . They slept. Raine dreamt of lonely comforts in the Dwarvern Caverns but it turned into a nightmare where everything was on fire. Then she was running, running, running, and it was winter and the wolves were hunting her. she climbed a tree and the leopardess came. The usual words were spoken, then the leopardess said the fire was only a dream and she told Raine not to worry. As the dreams faded into bright morning the leopardess' eyes took on the yearning look they sometimes had.

The sun glittered off water beads in the grass and an icy wind tossed the girls' hair. The mountains were so much closer now, and there were only a few days left until the end of the moon Excited, the seven ran a little through the day, and when they had breath they sang. Matthew finished the fairy for Raine. when he gave it to her she gasped at how well it was made; each line and mark showed his craftsmanship. Raine wanted to make something, but she didn't know what and she had nothing to make with.

How close the mountains were, that the day seemed slow.
"we're so close, but the mountains aren't getting any nearer," Freya sighed.
"we'll be there soon," replied Raine.
"Ha! They'll be here soon, will they? I say to them, 'open your eyes!'" a voice called. Raine and Freya looked up in surprise. There, in an opening into the mountains, were two dwarves.