background noise at the beginning of the clip is the hot water warming for my coffee.
Calliope has the tiniest little girl meow, while her brother Oliver has the deeper meow.
Lucy appears at the beginning of the clip in the background and is the angry hiss and spit in the middle of the clip.
Several days after their near encounter with the spotted black caped elves, Lyri noticed that Thalion had been especially quiet since leaving that part of the forest. Finding him at the edge of a creek while she was gathering wood for their evening fire, she sat beside him.
"Do you still hear Vondran's voice in your head or in your dreams?"
Thal continued looking at the water, watching tadpoles in the shallows. "No, and it is starting to worry me. What if all of it was just my imagination, and I've put our lives in danger?"
She put a hand on his arm to comfort him. "It hasn't been your imagination. Elder Elowin confirmed some of the things that he had told you before we left. You mustn't let doubt enter your thoughts, Thal. I know we've put a lot of pressure on you to lead us. Perhaps we should rest another day or two here."
Thal nodded, and Lyri left him to his thoughts and returned to where Eldrin and Kael were setting up makeshift lean-tos as they did every evening.
~*~*~
While the elves were sleeping on the ground for their part of the journey, Alexander was choosing more modern amenities for his portion. Five-star hotels were far and few between, but he would rather not settle for less so long as he was still able to meet with the gnoll's Chieftan each evening before he slept.
Now, Alexander and the elves traveled by day and the gnoll's by night. In the beginning, he had kept the same schedule as the gnolls and traveled at night. But sleep evaded him during the day, and after a particularly bad case of influenza which took all of his physical strength and left him bedridden for a week, he realized that he could no longer drive at night. He may have had gnoll DNA, but his body and organs were weakly human.
His original anger and desire to destroy Kael and all the wood elves had manifested into a small, pea-sized bilirubin pigment stone, the color of pumpkin orange, in his gallbladder. For now, its presence was only an occasional twinge in his right side that went away after three or six shots of bourbon. But as the days passed without any sign of the elves, and Alexander's evening "nightcap" increasing in frequency during the day, there came another, as the original stone became larger.
There was now a race within Alexander's body that his mind was thus far unaware of. Would he die of an infection caused by the stones? Would he die of a heart attack from the stress of the journey? Or would the gnoll Chieftan finally have enough and make a meal of him?
The gnolls were already placing bids for his appendages, and bets for how much longer Alexander would live....
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
Several generations before that of Thal, Kael, Lyri, and Eldrin, and even before that of Vondran, there had been peace in the forests for most of each year. There were trade and commerce between the wood elves, gnomes, and fairies.
But at some point, a more competitive wood elf suggested that they hold an annual competition of Olympian style games to see who was really "the best" in the forest. Naturally, each of the competitors had the full support of their villages, and it was all fun and games. For a while, anyway.
No one remembers the whole story of what happened, but what was passed down from generation to generation was that it was suggested one year to have feral tabby cat races down the mountain. As one could imagine, the race didn't go as planned. Cats, feral or domesticated, are not known for their willingness to follow commands, especially when there is something small and possibly tasty riding on their backs.
Later, the story that was shared by the men folk around fireplaces with warm whiskey making the tales longer, was that the village of the spotted black caped clan had deliberately sabotaged the games in order to gain a trade monopoly in the forest.
The women whispered across clotheslines that it had been the oak clans, while others insisted it was the river clans, or the mountain clans who had been responsible for the massacre.
Regardless of who or why, the damage was done. Darkness and distrust began to spread in the forests, and friendships between the elves, gnomes, and fairies were sharply severed. Soon the wars would begin, kingdoms toppled, gnolls rose up from the black earth and shadows, and The Grimma was born.
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
I've been remiss in my continuity of photos ...
I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted any pictures ...
Stay strong out there... Ci💚
Thal and Kael quietly crept through the trees until they could see the village and its inhabitants. They weren't wood elves like themselves, but they also weren't gnolls much to Kael's relief.
He whispered to Thal, "What are you feeling? Friendly or not? Has Vondran told you anything more?"
Thal slowly shook his head no, and motioned to the group before he whispered, "Look. They are wearing spotted black cloaks."
Kael's eyes grew wide, and he began to back away into the shadow of the forest when the unthinkable happened. Stepping on a large stick that cracked loudly, the two of them froze in place as the singing and dancing group stopped and turned to stare in their direction.
Unexpectedly the wind picked up, blowing hot embers from the bonfire onto the thatched roof of a cottage opposite of where Thal and Kael were standing in the shadows. Suddenly, all attention was on the fire that was quickly growing in size and threatening to spread.
As the dancers ran to get water to douse the fire, the two young wood elves took the opportunity to further disappear into the trees and made their way back to where Lyri and Eldrin were waiting for them.
"No time to fish, Eldrin, or do any shopping for dinner in the village, Lyri They are the spotted blacks that Vondran said to avoid, so we must hit the road quickly and get this trip moving. As quietly as you can, we must circle around the village in the shadows." Thal spoke with a harsh urgency that revealed his fear.
He didn't know why he felt so afraid of them and wasn't sure he wanted to ask Vondran for more details. But he sensed that the further away from the village they could get before dark, the better.
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
As they drew closer to the music, they began to hear actual lyrics, although they didn't necessarily understand what the song was about.
"Something about a ship wreck," mused Lyri, "but I'm not sure why any kind of a wreck would be something to sing about, and I don't know what a ship is."
"I think a ship is like a boat," Eldrin offered. "Bigger than a raft or a canoe, and much bigger than a boat. Something to go on the water, maybe a lake bigger than anything we've ever seen? Speaking of which, I was just looking at this creek and there seems to be some large trout in it. Lyri, do you have something I can use to make a hook, and I'll catch us some for dinner in case they aren't friendly?"
"Do you ever stop thinking of food, Eldrin?"
"No need to get testy. I was thinking for all of us."
"Which is quite unexpected, to be honest. I may have something you can use, just one moment. Thal, do you think we should stop here and wait while you and Kael go forward to see if they are friendly?"
"That's not a bad idea. You and El wait here, while Kael and I scout it out. Don't light a fire in any case until we know if we have to leave quickly."
"Oh, what I would give for some of your mother's buttermilk biscuits, Lyri, to have with some fresh trout!"
Thal rolled his eyes, "And keep El quiet if you can. We don't need to announce ourselves just yet, and all his talk about food is making my stomach growl."
"I'd love to shove a biscuit in his mouth if it would shut him up," Kael remarked under his breath. He clenched his fists until they were white-knuckled. The last few days together had made all of them just a little buggy with familiarity, and what he wouldn't give for some peace and quiet.
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
Now that the four of them were free to travel during the daylight hours, they were making better time than they previously had. On the second day, they could see a village in the distance, and the smell of food being prepared was reaching them occasionally on the breeze.
Naturally, Eldrin was the first to remark on the scent in the air. "Oh, my goodness, I can't believe how much I've missed real cooking. I hope they invite us to stay a night. No offense, Lyri, but purple beauty berries and weeds just don't fill me up like a good rabbit roast does."
Lyri side-eyed him, "Umph. See if I try to cook for you again." When she had been born, the fairies had given her the gift of conviviality which had served her well as she got older. Others in their forest community, not just Kael and Thalion, had developed an adoration for her, and whether she knew it or not, she'd often been protected from harm by the forest animals. It was taking Kael a great deal of willpower on this journey to not speak of his feelings for her because he could clearly see that Lyri and Thal cared deeply for each other although neither of them showed it in front of him or Eldrin. It was as it should be, and the change in Kael kept him from speaking out and risking his newfound friendship with both of them.
The closer they got to the village, the more they could hear the mellow, gentle sounds of a guitar. "Perhaps it is a celebration?" Lyri remarked. "It would be nice for one night to relax and dance, don't you think, Thal?"
"Hmmm. Perhaps. We will have to see what kind of a reception we get from them when we arrive. These are unfamiliar woods, and we don't know if they are wood elves who would welcome us or something else. I think it would be wise to observe from a distance before we just waltz into their village." Vondran's warning to him that not everything in the forest was friendly to wood elves was still on the back of his mind.
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
As their journey continued, Thalion woke every day with a new story that Vondran had given him which he then shared with Lyri, Eldrin, and Kael. Mile after mile, as they walked toward the horizon he told them of the heir's life and all the things that he had experienced or learned. At some point, Thal realized that Vondran was mentoring him to become the king he hadn't been able to be when he was alive. It was as if Vondran's consciousness was joining with Thalion's, but that wasn't something he shared with the others.
One day he woke to tell them that they no longer needed to travel by night, that they had left the danger far enough behind them that they could continue walking in the daylight. What he didn't tell them was that they were getting closer to their journey's end and they would need to be able to see distant landmarks and enemies.
They spent that day foraging for food and supplies in the forest, which were much easier to see since they did not need to rush to be on their way as the moon rose.
"You know, Thal," Eldrin began as the four sat relaxing on the edge of a small pond, "if I were a theorist who specialized in dreams, I would say that there is a great chance that some of yours have been more like nightmares lately. Not only might you be having dreams that Vondran is giving you, but you might also be having just normal dreams of your own. How can you tell them apart? Do you ever feel like his thoughts and memories enhance your own? Or is it more like an out-of-body experience where you enter his?"
Thal looked at him and blinked several times. "To be honest, I've never even thought of that. It has happened so gradually that I think now many of my dreams before I first heard his voice in my head were actually things he was showing me. Sometimes it's almost as if we are one in the same."
Kael looked over at Thal, "Before I encountered the man and the gnolls, I would sometimes see myself through your eyes when I'd been rude or dishonest about something. A part of me would want to take back whatever I'd said or done because I could see the hurt that I was causing. But then I would just continue to do it. It took me a while to realize that everything I decided not to change, I was actually choosing, and I began to dislike myself more and more every day. I don't want to be that person anymore. I want to be more like the three of you."
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
Vondran continued speaking to Thalion in his dreams, showing him bits and pieces of his life.
"It was difficult for me at times having an absent father. I envied my friends who had both parents and several siblings. But I never gave any of them the satisfaction of seeing me grieve for what I didn't have. I learned early on that it wasn't the combination of mothers and fathers, or siblings that made a happy or fun childhood. It was what I chose to make it, what I chose to focus on. When I wasted my day or night bemoaning what I lacked and wanted, it made it hard for what I needed to find me.
"It is like shouting "Hello" on a mountain top and waiting for the echo to come back to you. When you shout things that you regret, things you hate ... those are the things that come back to you tenfold. But when you shout with joy and celebration all the good things that you do have, then those are the things will come back to you like that "Hello" echo and surround you one hundred times more than you can imagine.
"Choosing to be happy doesn't make you exempt from things that can go wrong in life. But when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place it can help you to knuckle down and overcome any sadness or regret.
"As an only child of a single mother, I spent a lot of time with her and watched how she made choices between what she wanted and what we needed. I was not long in the tooth before I realized that she had sacrificed a great deal to ensure that I would be safe and have a happy childhood.
"She was a beautiful woman, with straw yellow hair, and I'm sure she could have married again so that she would not have had to struggle so hard. But she knew in her heart that one day I could be the true heir, and she did everything she could to ensure that when that time came, I would know what the people needed."
[This is an ongoing chapter a week story that began with the first Words for Wednesday for 2025 on 1 January. I'm hoping to continue it through 31 December, the last Wednesday of the year. To start from the beginning, click on the Words for Wednesday 2025 label to the right and it will pull up all of the weekly posts, beginning with the most recent. To start from the beginning, continue to click "Older Posts" at the bottom of the page until you get to 1 January 2025, then click "Newer Posts" to read the next date. You can thank Blogger for the inability to list them by chronological order under the labels.]
"Don't let how easy the walk has been thus far give you a false sense of security, Thalion. There are challenges ahead that you need to be prepared for. Consider yourself my student as I prepare you for what is ahead, and the invasions that put you on this path. While I never knew my father, or my siblings, I would encourage you to take heed of what I show you in your dreams. The life I had with my mother was at times difficult, and we struggled frequently to find safe housing, I have no regrets for not growing up in the splendor that my siblings knew. If anything, it gave me a much broader spectrum of knowledge for what the people and the land truly need in a leader.
If it were not for the coming of The Grimma again, and the evil of a particular man-kind who views life as some kind of gaud to be possessed and destroyed, I would not have presumed to send you on this quest. But throughout the moil and centuries since my own passing, there have been none more worthy than yourself to bring peace and union to the land.
Pore on what I will share with you as you journey towards your goal, for I gladly share my experiences and knowledge with you.
But first, let me introduce myself so that you may call me something more than 'the voice' or 'the heir' for you, young Master Thalion, are the true heir.
My name is Vondran, and when I was a young man, I had straw yellow hair, the same as yours."
