Sylvana yawned as the first morning light stroke her face. She stood up and went outside the barn to plunge her head in the bucket of cold water next to the door.
"Woah!" Her fair shout resounded in the clearing, a few frightened birds flying away in the sun.
"Great day today! The girania and the patkineses will certainly have blossomed in the night, ready for me to pluck them. Let's go!"
As a druid, Sylvana used to converse with the surrounding nature, a thing as noble and normal where others considered she was crazy. To any human, she looked like a ten year old, but she was already eighteen, slender on her muscular legs, and small, yet four and a half feet tall. That was quite a lot for a halfling.
She went back in and slipped into her brown jerkin and leggins, straightening her clothes with a large brown leather belt. She fixed a few pouches on it, and strapped her shoulder bag. Looking at the mirror splitter next to the door, she took a comb and tried to straighten her curly hair.
"Nice try..." she mumbled at her reflection, smiling under her freckles. It was not the first time she had cursed the rusty lion mane nature had given her. Anway, she was not going to find her prince on that day!
She went out, barefooted as it was her habit. A little river meandered behind the barn she had found abandoned some time before, and had then claimed hers, no soul coming ever to protest. Having passed the shadowy wall where a few hens where picking the grass, she whistled between her teeth a high-pitched tone.
Immediately, a hoarse and dark groan rose from the very farthest corner of her modest property, next to the north path of the clearing.
"Muchpinks! Where are you, lousy, lazy creature? We've got work to do, come on!" she yelled.
A slight vibration at her feet let her know Muchpinks had began to march off in her direction.
"Come on, old boy!" She smiled as she saw a tiger paw appear behind the wooden wall. He was really of great stature, brown with black stripes, his greenish eyes slightly twinkling in the early sunlight.
"Where we go now?" he whispered softly.
"To the southern path. We have one hour until the girania and the patkineses close their petal crowns and hide their precious gift from us. You know that I am quicker on your back than on my little feet, don't you?"
Muchpinks nodded involuntarily.
She bent forwards, close enough to his furry ears. "I've seen a couple of juicy rat-rabbits there yesterday. I suppose that they are no match for a grown-up Tilly tiger like you. Or am I wrong?"
Muchpinks' ears twitched of delight. He did not need further motivation to go down the smooth slope of the clearing and disappear within the chilly shadows of the southern path.
***
"You could have let me try, at least!"
Muchpinks was laying on his full tummy, gnawing on a remaining bone. These rat-rabbits were simply delicious. But maybe with some berries, or salmon fish, would they taste even better? Muchpinks was thinking about new receipes, Sylvana in the corner of his eyes, as his ears caught a faint sound coming from the left.
Sylvana straightened up from the girania she had just milked, sealing the pouch with a small cork. She put a finger on her lips but Muchpinks had already sniffed the danger.
All of a sudden, without any warning, a troop of five goblins came out of the shadows. This would have been no problem for Muchpinks if they had not been flanked by three dire wolves, fletching with their teeth, and longing to taste blood.
Sylvana stared at each one before turning to Muchpinks. In that very moment, she really regretted her stupidity, having left her quarterstaff in the barn, next to her bed camp.
***
What will Sylvana and Muchpinks do now?
1) Escape?
2) Attack?
3) Bargain?
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
