Yellowhair: An Elf Hollow Prequel

FIVE | Trail Tales

Sometimes seemingly random choices have ripple effects—changing everyone's lives. A choice about love, an action, a journey, or step toward one direction or other—once put in motion new stories unfold.

CHAPTER FIVE

Trail Tales

Luu broke their silence. "Qelly-honey, I think we had better take a good long rest, now. It's colder still, here in the shadow. We'll make a small fire. A good cup of tea will keep you warm." Qello knew this wasn't her own want or need. Her mother, however, could sure use the rest. They stopped in an area where a fallen tree trunk hung over a pile of moss-covered rocks.

Luu took off the old yakel horn that hung on a cord around her shoulder and waist. Inside the horn was her own fire-bundle kit, with a tiny lit ember she had started this very morning from the fire in their house. She had thought well ahead about how to make firecraft easiest for her daughter to gradually master. Luu had more dry fire chunks inside her pack and pulled out already dried twigs from her pouch. Leaving them on a dry patch of stone, she then showed Qello how to gather bits of sap off the trunks of some trees and to start the fire quickly from embers. "Here poke this just a little, while I get us some water." She handed Qello a stick.

Soon two small water-filled pots were tucked into the flames.

With the fire easily lit, tea was made with nettles and honey. They munched on Luu's cheese biscuits, soaked sunflower seeds and apples left over from winter supplies. Luu's arms began to wave. She recounted quick bits of stories of far away villages, the lore of the land, folks far-flung to distant places intent on learning more about their true purpose or sagas of those rumoured to have secretive plans. Some men and women had journeyed a long way for study or to find their own luck in exciting trades and adventures—all telling stories. Qello and Luu relaxed, sipping hot tea for a leisurely time until bird chatter began to prompt the returning of strength now for Luu.

Luu had learned her storytelling skills from her father. Occasional stories appeared from imagined lands that were purely for fun! Luu's hands moved fast when she told these fabulous tales and Qello was often amused, always spellbound, as it was on this day. Luu became more animated.

"There is a story of a young girl collecting clams on a beach who found a cave on the seawall and against better judgement wandered into and down its corridor length. Making her way through the long tunnels, she marvelled at the size, as they seemed both wide and tall for a cave. Caught up in the awe of it, she did not hear the only warning she would receive—a subtle hiss. It was like steam escaping a large iron kettle."

Luu rubbed her hands together and again jabbed at the fire with a stick. "Is that the story you want—I should tell you...?" Qello was pleased. Luu had paused the story, as she always did to add extra tension on reaching the good parts.

Qello nodded. Luu went back to performing.

"Coming finally to the main chamber of the cave, the girl caught sight of a motion, up high above her, but before she could even gasp, she had tripped—falling over the tail of a dragon, and was quickly pinned by it. 'Why do you disturb my refuge?' the behemoth hissed." 

Again Luu paused, "Come, sit beside me, Honey. Here." Luu patted her leg and waited for Qello to settle in against the log. Qello liked it whenever Luu stroked her hair. She sat on the ground, head on Luu's knee.

Then Luu softened her voice and went on.

"Some awed light seemed to illuminate the darkness as the dragon spoke to the girl—his intruder. It hung in the air, like starlight. She tried to regain a scintilla of composure, tired as she was, yet, daring to deceive the dragon she'd met, she said, "I thought that you might be hungry, maybe."