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Lazybones's Keep on the Shadowfell/Thunderspire Labyrinth
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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 4422993" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 10</p><p></p><p></p><p>A horse made its way up the winding mountain path. The air was cold, almost bracingly so, for all that the first snowfalls were still at least a month off. Pine trees stuck up out of the stony soil at irregular intervals, like sentinels warding the route up into the mountains. </p><p></p><p>The horse bore two riders, a gray-haired woman and a girl, easy to miss as she clung to the woman’s back. The girl’s golden hair was swallowed inside a fur-lined cowl somewhat too big for her, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. Every now and again she would lean over to try to get a look at the trail ahead, which caused the horse to shift and inevitably drew a rebuke from the woman. </p><p></p><p>“Are we almost there?”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know.”</p><p></p><p>The finality in those words silenced the girl for several minutes. The horse’s hooves clattered on the trail, and a wind blew up, tugging at the riders’ cloaks. </p><p></p><p>“I don’t want to go,” the girl finally said. </p><p></p><p>“You have to,” the woman replied. She clucked her tongue in annoyance. “There is naught to fear. He is your kin, and your mother wrote him, ere she war carried off.”</p><p></p><p>“Can’t I go home with you?” the girl persisted. </p><p></p><p>“No. What use would I have for a little child? Now that your parents are dead, there is no coin to keep food in your mouth; I’ve barely enough to support meself.” After a moment’s silence, the woman added, “Nay, you’ll go to your uncle, that I promised your mother. And that is the end of that. Now be silent, Mara, lest some mountain cat hear your chatter and come seeking to make a meal out of both of us.”</p><p></p><p>The girl desisted, although it was clear from the way she looked around that the woman’s words had not eased her fears. After a time, however, she grew weary, and leaned her head against the back of the old woman’s cloak. She fell into a sort of doze, and shook awake only when the horse came to a halt. </p><p></p><p>“What...” the girl asked, rubbing her face with a gloved hand. </p><p></p><p>“We’re here,” the woman announced. She reached back and pulled the girl out of the saddle, jouncing her arm as she lowered her to the ground. She did not herself dismount. </p><p></p><p>Mara looked around, blinking against the wind. There was a cabin here, a rough construct of heavy logs that was perched in the lee of a stony ridge that ran back as far as she could see. A curl of smoke rose from the chimney, and a faint hint of cooked meat floated on the air that caused her empty stomach to grumble. </p><p></p><p>“Well, here she is,” the old woman said. </p><p></p><p>“Aye, so it be,” a voice rumbled. </p><p></p><p>She hadn’t noticed the man at first, and even after he spoke she couldn’t clearly see him until he stepped out from the shadows under the cabin’s covered porch. He was huge, covered in furs and leathers from head to toe. He had a dense beard, and bore both a long knife in his belt and a bigger weapon, maybe a sword or axe, slung across his back. His eyes were as blue and cold as mountain lakes, and they fixed her with an intensity that made her feel like she wanted to sit down. </p><p></p><p>“Well? Say hello to your uncle Torvan, girl.”</p><p></p><p>Mara could not have spoken then if her life had depended on it. Fortunately, the giant didn’t seem to take offense. The old woman recovered a bundle from the horse’s saddlebags and handed it down to Mara; she had to shake it at her several times before the girl recovered enough to take it. Clucking her tongue again, she turned the horse and headed back down the path without so much as a goodbye. </p><p></p><p>Mara barely noticed her leaving; she was still held captive by her uncle’s big eyes. He seemed to weigh her with a look that felt like the scales she’d seen at the mercantile exchange, back when her father used to take her to his place of business. But now all that was gone. She felt a tremble, and clung desperately to the control that she felt slipping away. </p><p></p><p>“So, you’re Mara, eh?” the big man said, shaking her out of her reverie. She tried to speak, but her voice still betrayed her. Her uncle rubbed his head and muttered something to himself. </p><p></p><p>“Well, best come inside, then,” he said. </p><p></p><p>She followed, reluctantly, but ultimately cold, hunger, and curiosity prevailed. The cabin was roomier than it looked out the outside, and most of it seemed to be taken up by a single large room. It was fairly dark, with only a single small window of thick glass set into an iron frame. A low fire burned on the hearth, adding a cheery warmth to the room. The smells she’d detected earlier seemed to be coming from a black iron pot suspended over the flames. She could see a bed through the single door in the far wall that was slightly ajar. </p><p></p><p>“You’ll sleep there,” her uncle said, and Mara noticed the narrow pallet set up in the corner, behind the hearth. It would be warm there, at least. “Leave your things there. See that bucket? Get that. There’s a stream up the trail a bit, behind the cabin and up along the ridge. Bring water for supper.”</p><p></p><p>“Outside?” Mara asked, stupidly, she thought once the words were out of her mouth. </p><p></p><p>Her uncle looked at her as if wondering if she were feeble-minded. “Aye. It’s not far, within sight of the cabin, and the sooner you go, the sooner we can eat.”</p><p></p><p>He seemed to forget about her at that point, so there was nothing she could do but pick up the bucket and head for the door. Before she could leave, however, he stopped her. </p><p></p><p>“Hold, girl. I suppose you’re going to need this, sooner or later, might as well give it to you now.”</p><p></p><p>He gave her a stick that he took off one of the shelves built into the cabin’s walls. Or at least it looked like a stick at first glance; as she took it she realized that it was a sword, only made of wood rather than metal. It was about as long as her leg, and she took it a bit awkwardly, having difficulty with the bucket in her other hand. </p><p></p><p>“Try putting it through your belt,” her uncle suggested. “But keep it in reach at all times. You must always be ready to defend yourself. I will teach you to use it later, for now you need to learn how to carry it.”</p><p></p><p>Again he didn’t give her a chance to respond or protest, turning and heading into the back room before she could muster enough courage to ask a question. So she had to do as he said, tucking the wooden sword through her belt, and then taking up the bucket in both hands. She found the trail that her uncle had indicated, and followed it up into a cleft in the ridge. She could hear the noise of the stream before she saw it, a faint trickle that emerged from the rocks. She hurried forward, all too aware of her own growing hunger. </p><p></p><p>That was when she saw the monster. </p><p></p><p>She was out of breath when she reached the cabin again. Her uncle was sitting in the big chair by the fire; he looked up from a book as she burst through the door. </p><p></p><p>“Where is the water, girl? For that matter, where is my bucket?”</p><p></p><p>“Monster... stream...” she managed. She almost fell, but the wooden sword caught on the floorboards, twisting her legs awkwardly. </p><p></p><p>“Some creature has taken up residence at my stream, is that what you’re saying, girl? Take a breath, the news will keep.”</p><p></p><p>She gulped down a breath of air. “Yes... big... monster.” </p><p></p><p>“And this creature attacked you?”</p><p></p><p>Mara opened her mouth, but realized that technically, the monster had just <em>laid</em> there, looking at her. But it had been big, that much she hadn’t missed. </p><p></p><p>Her uncle nodded to himself at her hesitation. “Can you describe this monster? A scout is of little use if it cannot provide specific information to her superiors that is of help in drawing up a plan of action.” </p><p></p><p>“It was big, and gray... furry... it had four legs, and big teeth, and big yellow eyes. It was...” she screwed up her face in concentration. “It was sitting on a big rock by the stream.”</p><p></p><p>Torvan nodded. “Well, we can’t have a big gray monster blocking our water supply. You’ll have to go scare it off. And don’t forget the bucket, and the water, when you come back.”</p><p></p><p>Mara looked at him incredulously. “But I’m just a little girl!” </p><p></p><p>Her uncle raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”</p><p></p><p>“I can’t frighten off a big monster!” </p><p></p><p>Torvan leaned forward in his chair, and looked intently at her. “Listen to me, girl. If you are going to live here, you are going to have to contribute to the operation of this household. I don’t think that fetching water is too much to ask. As for this monster, you’ll learn that most of our neighbors are just as scared of us as we are of them. Some aren’t, but you’ll learn how to deal with those as well. You have a weapon. If the creature is too much for you to handle, gather what information you can, report back, and we’ll devise our plan of action from there.”</p><p></p><p>He leaned back and picked up his book. Seeing her still standing there, he said, “Well? Was there something else?”</p><p></p><p>Mara wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and cry, but there was something in those blue eyes that would not let her. So she went back outside. </p><p></p><p>Standing there alone in front of the cabin, she felt more alone than she ever had in her life. She looked back at the door to the cabin, turned toward it, hesitated, and then headed—slowly—back down the path. </p><p></p><p>She drew out the wooden sword. It felt heavy and cumbersome, even held in both hands. </p><p></p><p>She tried to be as quiet as she could as she made her way back to the stream. At one point she paused to pick up some rocks; she couldn’t easily carry them and the sword at the same time, but she felt better with a few of them in her pocket. </p><p></p><p>Thinking <em>invisible, I’m invisible</em>, she pushed her way slowly through the bushes that flanked the stream. </p><p></p><p>The monster was still there. But as she watched it, she realized that it was really a big dog, a mastiff. It <em>was</em> bigger than any dog she’d ever seen in her life, but as she stared at it, she realized that it was old, as well. There were patches along its flanks where its fur was almost gone, and two old scars were visible along its right shoulder, one running up its neck almost to its ear. </p><p></p><p>The dog lifted its head, and barked at her, not loudly, but enough to let her know that it knew she was there. </p><p></p><p>Moving very slowly, she stepped forward into view. </p><p></p><p>The dog lifted its head, and looked at her. One of its eyes was milky, and Mara guessed it was blind in that eye. But the other eye was sharp, and the mastiff’s growl was no less menacing as it looked at her. She realized that it was looking at her sword. </p><p></p><p>She quickly lowered the weapon. “Nice doggy,” she said. Slowly she moved to the side, toward the bucket she’d dropped before. The dog watched her. It barked again. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said. “I just want to get some water, okay?”</p><p></p><p>The dog didn’t respond, but kept watching her. She realized that she was going to have to put down the sword to manage the bucket. Keeping her back to the cliff wall, she slid the sword back through her belt, and then took up the bucket. She shoved it under the stream where it trickled down through the rocks, letting it fill to the point where she could still carry it. </p><p></p><p>The dog stirred itself, and jumped down from the rock where it had been lying. Mara’s heart thumped in her chest as it came over to her, but she held onto the bucket, trying to look stern. The dog sniffed at her for a moment, and then walked over to the trail. She waited until it was gone, then took a breath and followed it. </p><p></p><p>It took her longer getting back to the cabin, and she sloshed some of the water onto her leggings and boots. But she made it back, and pushed the door open with her back. </p><p></p><p>Her uncle was still sitting in his chair, and he looked up as she came in. The big gray dog was there as well, lying on the floor at Torvan’s feet. </p><p></p><p>“I see you’ve met Growl,” he said.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 4422993, member: 143"] Chapter 10 A horse made its way up the winding mountain path. The air was cold, almost bracingly so, for all that the first snowfalls were still at least a month off. Pine trees stuck up out of the stony soil at irregular intervals, like sentinels warding the route up into the mountains. The horse bore two riders, a gray-haired woman and a girl, easy to miss as she clung to the woman’s back. The girl’s golden hair was swallowed inside a fur-lined cowl somewhat too big for her, and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. Every now and again she would lean over to try to get a look at the trail ahead, which caused the horse to shift and inevitably drew a rebuke from the woman. “Are we almost there?” “I don’t know.” The finality in those words silenced the girl for several minutes. The horse’s hooves clattered on the trail, and a wind blew up, tugging at the riders’ cloaks. “I don’t want to go,” the girl finally said. “You have to,” the woman replied. She clucked her tongue in annoyance. “There is naught to fear. He is your kin, and your mother wrote him, ere she war carried off.” “Can’t I go home with you?” the girl persisted. “No. What use would I have for a little child? Now that your parents are dead, there is no coin to keep food in your mouth; I’ve barely enough to support meself.” After a moment’s silence, the woman added, “Nay, you’ll go to your uncle, that I promised your mother. And that is the end of that. Now be silent, Mara, lest some mountain cat hear your chatter and come seeking to make a meal out of both of us.” The girl desisted, although it was clear from the way she looked around that the woman’s words had not eased her fears. After a time, however, she grew weary, and leaned her head against the back of the old woman’s cloak. She fell into a sort of doze, and shook awake only when the horse came to a halt. “What...” the girl asked, rubbing her face with a gloved hand. “We’re here,” the woman announced. She reached back and pulled the girl out of the saddle, jouncing her arm as she lowered her to the ground. She did not herself dismount. Mara looked around, blinking against the wind. There was a cabin here, a rough construct of heavy logs that was perched in the lee of a stony ridge that ran back as far as she could see. A curl of smoke rose from the chimney, and a faint hint of cooked meat floated on the air that caused her empty stomach to grumble. “Well, here she is,” the old woman said. “Aye, so it be,” a voice rumbled. She hadn’t noticed the man at first, and even after he spoke she couldn’t clearly see him until he stepped out from the shadows under the cabin’s covered porch. He was huge, covered in furs and leathers from head to toe. He had a dense beard, and bore both a long knife in his belt and a bigger weapon, maybe a sword or axe, slung across his back. His eyes were as blue and cold as mountain lakes, and they fixed her with an intensity that made her feel like she wanted to sit down. “Well? Say hello to your uncle Torvan, girl.” Mara could not have spoken then if her life had depended on it. Fortunately, the giant didn’t seem to take offense. The old woman recovered a bundle from the horse’s saddlebags and handed it down to Mara; she had to shake it at her several times before the girl recovered enough to take it. Clucking her tongue again, she turned the horse and headed back down the path without so much as a goodbye. Mara barely noticed her leaving; she was still held captive by her uncle’s big eyes. He seemed to weigh her with a look that felt like the scales she’d seen at the mercantile exchange, back when her father used to take her to his place of business. But now all that was gone. She felt a tremble, and clung desperately to the control that she felt slipping away. “So, you’re Mara, eh?” the big man said, shaking her out of her reverie. She tried to speak, but her voice still betrayed her. Her uncle rubbed his head and muttered something to himself. “Well, best come inside, then,” he said. She followed, reluctantly, but ultimately cold, hunger, and curiosity prevailed. The cabin was roomier than it looked out the outside, and most of it seemed to be taken up by a single large room. It was fairly dark, with only a single small window of thick glass set into an iron frame. A low fire burned on the hearth, adding a cheery warmth to the room. The smells she’d detected earlier seemed to be coming from a black iron pot suspended over the flames. She could see a bed through the single door in the far wall that was slightly ajar. “You’ll sleep there,” her uncle said, and Mara noticed the narrow pallet set up in the corner, behind the hearth. It would be warm there, at least. “Leave your things there. See that bucket? Get that. There’s a stream up the trail a bit, behind the cabin and up along the ridge. Bring water for supper.” “Outside?” Mara asked, stupidly, she thought once the words were out of her mouth. Her uncle looked at her as if wondering if she were feeble-minded. “Aye. It’s not far, within sight of the cabin, and the sooner you go, the sooner we can eat.” He seemed to forget about her at that point, so there was nothing she could do but pick up the bucket and head for the door. Before she could leave, however, he stopped her. “Hold, girl. I suppose you’re going to need this, sooner or later, might as well give it to you now.” He gave her a stick that he took off one of the shelves built into the cabin’s walls. Or at least it looked like a stick at first glance; as she took it she realized that it was a sword, only made of wood rather than metal. It was about as long as her leg, and she took it a bit awkwardly, having difficulty with the bucket in her other hand. “Try putting it through your belt,” her uncle suggested. “But keep it in reach at all times. You must always be ready to defend yourself. I will teach you to use it later, for now you need to learn how to carry it.” Again he didn’t give her a chance to respond or protest, turning and heading into the back room before she could muster enough courage to ask a question. So she had to do as he said, tucking the wooden sword through her belt, and then taking up the bucket in both hands. She found the trail that her uncle had indicated, and followed it up into a cleft in the ridge. She could hear the noise of the stream before she saw it, a faint trickle that emerged from the rocks. She hurried forward, all too aware of her own growing hunger. That was when she saw the monster. She was out of breath when she reached the cabin again. Her uncle was sitting in the big chair by the fire; he looked up from a book as she burst through the door. “Where is the water, girl? For that matter, where is my bucket?” “Monster... stream...” she managed. She almost fell, but the wooden sword caught on the floorboards, twisting her legs awkwardly. “Some creature has taken up residence at my stream, is that what you’re saying, girl? Take a breath, the news will keep.” She gulped down a breath of air. “Yes... big... monster.” “And this creature attacked you?” Mara opened her mouth, but realized that technically, the monster had just [i]laid[/i] there, looking at her. But it had been big, that much she hadn’t missed. Her uncle nodded to himself at her hesitation. “Can you describe this monster? A scout is of little use if it cannot provide specific information to her superiors that is of help in drawing up a plan of action.” “It was big, and gray... furry... it had four legs, and big teeth, and big yellow eyes. It was...” she screwed up her face in concentration. “It was sitting on a big rock by the stream.” Torvan nodded. “Well, we can’t have a big gray monster blocking our water supply. You’ll have to go scare it off. And don’t forget the bucket, and the water, when you come back.” Mara looked at him incredulously. “But I’m just a little girl!” Her uncle raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” “I can’t frighten off a big monster!” Torvan leaned forward in his chair, and looked intently at her. “Listen to me, girl. If you are going to live here, you are going to have to contribute to the operation of this household. I don’t think that fetching water is too much to ask. As for this monster, you’ll learn that most of our neighbors are just as scared of us as we are of them. Some aren’t, but you’ll learn how to deal with those as well. You have a weapon. If the creature is too much for you to handle, gather what information you can, report back, and we’ll devise our plan of action from there.” He leaned back and picked up his book. Seeing her still standing there, he said, “Well? Was there something else?” Mara wanted nothing more than to crawl into a corner and cry, but there was something in those blue eyes that would not let her. So she went back outside. Standing there alone in front of the cabin, she felt more alone than she ever had in her life. She looked back at the door to the cabin, turned toward it, hesitated, and then headed—slowly—back down the path. She drew out the wooden sword. It felt heavy and cumbersome, even held in both hands. She tried to be as quiet as she could as she made her way back to the stream. At one point she paused to pick up some rocks; she couldn’t easily carry them and the sword at the same time, but she felt better with a few of them in her pocket. Thinking [i]invisible, I’m invisible[/i], she pushed her way slowly through the bushes that flanked the stream. The monster was still there. But as she watched it, she realized that it was really a big dog, a mastiff. It [i]was[/i] bigger than any dog she’d ever seen in her life, but as she stared at it, she realized that it was old, as well. There were patches along its flanks where its fur was almost gone, and two old scars were visible along its right shoulder, one running up its neck almost to its ear. The dog lifted its head, and barked at her, not loudly, but enough to let her know that it knew she was there. Moving very slowly, she stepped forward into view. The dog lifted its head, and looked at her. One of its eyes was milky, and Mara guessed it was blind in that eye. But the other eye was sharp, and the mastiff’s growl was no less menacing as it looked at her. She realized that it was looking at her sword. She quickly lowered the weapon. “Nice doggy,” she said. Slowly she moved to the side, toward the bucket she’d dropped before. The dog watched her. It barked again. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said. “I just want to get some water, okay?” The dog didn’t respond, but kept watching her. She realized that she was going to have to put down the sword to manage the bucket. Keeping her back to the cliff wall, she slid the sword back through her belt, and then took up the bucket. She shoved it under the stream where it trickled down through the rocks, letting it fill to the point where she could still carry it. The dog stirred itself, and jumped down from the rock where it had been lying. Mara’s heart thumped in her chest as it came over to her, but she held onto the bucket, trying to look stern. The dog sniffed at her for a moment, and then walked over to the trail. She waited until it was gone, then took a breath and followed it. It took her longer getting back to the cabin, and she sloshed some of the water onto her leggings and boots. But she made it back, and pushed the door open with her back. Her uncle was still sitting in his chair, and he looked up as she came in. The big gray dog was there as well, lying on the floor at Torvan’s feet. “I see you’ve met Growl,” he said. [/QUOTE]
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