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**Reviewed and corrected 11/01/2013**

Chapter Three

The fire crackled constantly as new twigs and small pieces of kindling were added to the small fire pit we had set up in the centre of the camp, which was tightly knit, and arranged in a circle, letting the wagons form a type of barrier to the outside. It was not a barrier for wind or the elements as the air inside the Malendri was dead it seemed, it did not move, the tall thick trees prevented any such movement of air in the form of wind. There was not even a cool breeze. All was silent save for the crackling fire, another useful skill I learned was how to make a fire which was smokeless or nearly, we had brought larger pieces of wood in the wagons and some tinder to aid in the starting of the fire but I was told that the former, when used, would cause too much smoke initially for us to remain undetected. So to create a smokeless fire you had to cut the larger logs you would normally use once the fire was going into small fine pieces no more than half a digit thick, and slowly maintain the fire, keeping it small and controlled. This created the red hot embers at the base of the fire pit you needed to cook with, this fire was for warmth only however, cooking created a very strong smell as anyone could tell you. One which is easily traceable. We had spent two nights already in the forest and the remaining journey would take six more, Faral had said. Duloren had not asked for me to regale the group with a story or song thus far into the journey, I thought it would be an appropriate time to initiate something everyone could join in, we had had a cheerful days travel and perhaps some light conversation would continue to maintain our spirits.

"Now then Friends, what about a song or story as the evening gets late?" I said, sat close to the fire, my backed propped up against Duloren's wagon, Duloren was sat to my right and Faral would have been on my left if it wasn't his turn to watch that night, he was sat in the back of wagon behind me, watching the trees from his vantage point, he was in a foul mood, unable to smoke his pipe during the journey so we did not attract unwanted attention had left him with nothing to pass the time, he had very keen eyes in the dark often pointing out holes in the road before we had come across them in the dark of the trees, dogs do not usually have such good eyesight relying on their ears and nose primarily, but Faral was an exception.

"A good idea, I think the little ones would like a story before they turn in for the night," it was Lucea who spoke, the mother wolf, she was sat across from me and her two cubs were leaning on her, one of them yawned as if on cue.

"Aye a good story from you Zerah." said Duloren, nodding in agreement.

"What shall we have then?" I had many a story in my repertoire, some were of heroes and fantasy, others were dark and only told around large fires amongst friends. Funnily enough my new companions had no idea what they wanted to hear, classic audience.

"How about the tale of the founding of Aldri Zerah?" suggested Armand, the Lion was a cheerful chap, quiet and strong as all Lions are yet with dignity and honour.

"Yes!" shouted Sal the six summers old wold cub "Papa tells it so boringly, would you tell it us Mister Bard?" The cub asked so nicely I just couldn't refuse, the young ones had taken to calling me 'Mister Bard,' I swear Duloren encouraged it, he was finicky about politeness and consequently the correct way of addressing someone, as I had no family name I was dubbed Mister Bard.

"It is a good tale, so I shall tell it, now gather round little ones." I said in my story telling voice, thick with added enunciation and dynamics. The three of them sat nearer to me, the wolf cubs Sal and Luchea on my left, Sal led on his belly holding his head up with his paws and the antelope buck Mikaki cross-legged like Luchea but sat on my right.

"Long ago everyone in Gundir lived in the land which we now call Daram, in the South, it was and still is a beautiful place to live. Back in those days everyone lived in little tribes with a certain amount of territory, and all the species kept apart, the wolves had their tribes and the antelope had theirs. It was time of peace and quiet living. The number of tribes and furs in them grew, this meant that the land became crowded, now if you have lived in Daram as long as I have you will know that sometimes food becomes scarce and Food was becoming scarce. The Carek were becoming small in number and before long they may all have been eaten, occasionally fights broke out over who could hunt where. The people needed a new land to prosper and live in."

"Now, there was a rather clever and strong Lion by the name of Ariel, who was the leader of a large tribe of Lions, his mane was golden brown, long and thick, making him look regal. His people followed him loyally, he had a plan to find more land, but the only places to go were the mountains to the West, the forest to the North, the sea to the East, and the desert to the South. The forest was the only choice, the mountains were too cold, they would freeze, the sea and desert were both impassable, they did not have the skill to travel in those directions. So they headed north."

"Ariel's tribe numbered around one hundred Lions, including the elders and cubs, but only forty males were chosen to travel north and find the new land, that way they could make quick progress through whatever they encountered. In the spring the chosen band left for the North in what great scholars call 'The Great Journey of Ariel'. The forest, the one we now sit in, was just as it is now, dark, smelly and misty. However the Lions and Ariel had no road to guide them, no stars to navigate and no sun to tell them the direction of the East. Soon then became lost, many were becoming ill from Malendri sickness. They used their tools to chop down trees and make fires to keep the sick warm, but this only Angered the natives, the lynx were merciless. They chased the Lions through the forest, ambushing and killing many of the Lions."

"In despair and sadness, the Great Lion collapsed with the rest of his fellow travellers at the edge of a forest pool and called for help from the heavens, strangely the water was clean, clear like and spotless like a gemstone. He drank deep of this water and was blessed with a vision of a green land, with rivers and rolling hills, he asked who had granted him this knowledge, and received no answer, vowing to reach this land. He could feel its presence, the direction was known to him now, and he pulled his men to their feet and told them hat he had seen, they would have thought him mad if not for his appearance, he had been changed. He stood taller, his fur was white and his mane shone like the sun, they followed him without rest."

"Ariel and his company broke through forest edge after days of hurried travel since the vision at the forest pool, it was just has he had seen, a great vast land full of green grass and rolling hills, everything in the land was bright and welcoming. Overcome with joy the shining lion roared with tremendous power and proclaimed the land Aldri. Such was the strength of the roar that its sound carried over the dark forest and with it came a wind rustling the trees and bending their tips, and upon reaching Daram everyone stood and knew its meaning for the people of Ariel left behind had told the other tribes of his venture. Moved by the roar they packed up their belongings and made for the roars origin with haste."

"There were so many paws and wagon wheels moving through the forest that the mist road was formed out of the trodden down earth, even the lynx were scared into hiding during the move leaving the mass of people alone, and after days of tireless marching the thousands of people gathered around the Lion who was stood on a rock not too far from the forest's edge. He proclaimed with a mighty voice, 'My people, I have found for us a land of prosperity, a land of beauty and harmony and land where we can raise our young and never go hungry, a land for all, The land Of Aldri!' His people cheered and followed him to a wide calm river and founded the city Arben, which is now the capital of his great empire. All of the great Lion's descendants inherited his white fur as a sign of their right to rule."

After a pause for effect I said, "That is how Aldri was founded." It was a fine story, it left the youngest members of our group with an awe filled look in their eyes.

"Now then cubs off to bed with you." Carius the male wolf spoke first, the two wolf cubs made sounds of protest but reluctantly did as they were told, Carius was a stern father but a good one all the same. Ogondo also told Mikaki the same and the young antelope also followed.

"Thanks for the story Mister Bard, I liked it, did Ariel's fur really change colour?" asked Mikaki.

"Yes, it was said that the gods granted him this gift as a sign to his follower, to make sure that they believed him." Mikaki went to the covered wagon the antelopes were living out of during the trip, I smiled and waved him goodnight. The Mothers went to see to their children giving goodnight kisses and reassurances that the Lynx wouldn't come that night.

"Faral how is everything up their?" Duloren asked of the grumpy Dalmatian.

"Fine...Silent as the grave" the dog replied. He really was in a bad mood, he often came out with chilling statements like that, Carius followed up on his unusual behaviour.

"Faral isn't the most cheerful of fellows is he Zerah?" Carius uttered in a quiet voice clearly not wishing to offend the Dalmatian.

"He seems agreeable enough" Ogondo retorted, Ogondo had spoken to Faral at length about the history of the Antelopes and their tribe during the olden days, the antelope was interested in the encyclopaedia that Faral had so elegantly elaborated upon in the inn, Faral had graciously acted like he was interested and even pretended to take notes. He was very diligent with his lies.

"He has keen eyes and excellent hearing so i'm glad to have him along, but why does he speak so morbidly?" Duloren posed the question.

"He is a very good travelling companion. The reason for his mood is unknown to me however, he does not share his past, I have asked him about it and I don't think I will again, he didn't seemed willing to talk about it then and I don't think he will now." I answered

"I wonder why he is so funny about it" Lucea added.

"Who knows, all he said was 'The future is what matters,' he can be oddly profound" I said half smiling.

"Agh well it cannot be helped, it is late friends and it would be good to be up early so we can make enough progress to be out of this blasted forest as quickly as possible" Duloren said whilst standing, with a sigh he climbed under his wagon, which had enough space to lay down under for the night, enough room was available for myself and Faral.

"Goodnight all" I said and I also climbed under the wagon, covering myself with my travelling blanket, it was rough and smelt damp from years of use in wet conditions. Our little group made good progress in the following days, cheerful nights were spent around campfires and not a single misfortune transpired as we travelled. As we got deeper into the forest the land became more solid, less marsh-like and more like an ordinary forest, the trees stood thicker and were much more ancient, I didn't think it would be possible for a tree to become so large, but these giants defied all reason. Moss covered the roots like a green quilt around the base of the tree, the trunk was smooth and branchless until about forty feet of height, the thick branches then spread out joining the needle roof which blocked out the sky. It had been seven days since we had entered the Forrest, we predicted we had about one more day to go before we reached Aldri and that thought sent my mind on thoughts of the country. The huge cities, the green grass and hills, it was an exciting prospect entering this new country and I had to stop myself from setting off along the road at my own pace, bouncing from each step to the next like a new born colt. Faral had even entered a good mood telling a few jokes around our campfire and one little anecdote about a scullery made he had drunkenly made a joke about in an inn in Win Güden, a city which lies to the North, after all the minors had gone to sleep. This night has been fixed in my memory since, I often wake with a thought of it.

"I'm tired, I think I'll be off to bed, Faral I didn't know you were one for the stories as well, you've surprised us all, we had you down as the grumpy one" Zalen said standing.

Faral shrugged still chuckling at the end of his tale as was Duloren, "Well everyone has their own little funny tale, I just like to save mine for the best moment". Just as Faral had finished speaking, Zalen uttered a heart wrenching cry, the female antelope fell to the ground an arrow protruding from her back. The Carek were tied to a fallen log, they began cawing and stomping, agitated and alarmed.

"Arm yourselves!" Duloren shouted, rising with a curse on his lips, Ogondo sank to his knees beside his mate, with a contorted face of despair, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene, it remains with me to this day, the pool of blood, its scent filling my nostrils, iron and sickly.

"Zerah! Take the young under the wagon, keep them safe!" Duloren ordered, shocked I scrambled over to the antelope's wagon, awakening Mikaki.

"What's wrong Mister Bard?" The buck asked rubbing his eyes.

"No time for questions just come with me" I said an obvious tremor in my voice.

"But-"

"There is no time Mikaki!" I pulled the buck from his wagon, quite forcefully, it was the first time I had seen someone killed, my mind was a mess. I pulled the buck to the wagon, keeping him to my left so he couldn't see what had happened, and ushered him beside the wolf cubs who were shaking, Lucea had already shoved her cubs under Duloren's wagon, I think I was just as shaken as they were. I turned to see Carius, Faral, Armand, Duloren, Claude and Warren forming a tight circle around Ogondo and his fallen mate, who was trying to revive her. Our ambushers were prowling closer, going for the armed males first it seemed from where I was crouched. The Lynx were threatening in appearance, dirty yellow eyes glinting in the dark, the flickering fire accenting their long fur and hair which tufted upon the tips of their ears. Fierce faces were met with expressions of anger and stern conviction from our party. Approaching on padded feet the first Lynx charged at Duloren who was wielding a hammer in his right hand. Duloren met this challenge, his hammer's shaft colliding with the Lynx's long curved dagger with a metallic clang, the others also found opponents immediately after, the fight becoming a brawl quite quickly. The Bull's fist pummelled the Lynx in front him in the gut, who snarled and clawed at brown furred chest opening five red clawed gashes, Duloren bellowed and kicked towards his adversary, who tumbled backwards as the bull's hoof collided allowing a hammer blow to fall cleanly into the side of the feline's skull. My stomach churned. Faral had pulled his sword from its leather scabbard quickly as a brown lynx ran at him, slicing it across the midriff, it didn't stop and fall but knocked both of them to the ground, Feral growls and hisses followed as the two grappled for dominance on the floor, the Lynx clamped its jaws on Faral's forearm as he aimed a punch, who yelped in pain and brought up a dagger from his right boot and thrusted into the side of the cat's jugular. The fight carried on for a few more moments both sides taking more nicks and scrapes, the Lynxes had lost three of their number and were aware of this as Duloren and Faral leapt upon the rest. Warren the ferret had run his dual blades through another Lynx just as the fighters separated. Four verses six were bad odds, and it made them think, the leader ordering his three remaining followers back.

"Begone all of you, we are just simple travellers, not tree cutters!" Carius shouted, grasping his curved blade tighter.

The tallest Lynx hissed and spoke with an archaic voice, "You come, destroy home, Kill trees, so we kill, Fair" The Lynx spoke with absolutes, in a succinct manner.

"Walk away now and you won't lose anymore warriors, Lynx" Faral snarled, the blood stained on his white fur from his previous opponent made the dog look deadly, it was a terrible appearance, teeth bared and crimson spots, no longer just black.

"Lost too many good men, we go, we know your face dog, never come back, we'll be waiting!" The four of them turned with malevolent hisses, running for the trees, clambering up their trunks with clawed paws and darting away in the canopy. We all carried on gazing after them making sure they did not try to take us off guard again. As soon as it was clear, Mikaki scrambled too his feet and ran over to his father who was still knelt beside his mate.

"Mother!" he cried and began shaking the body, I had to look away at this point, it was too much to watch the buck shake her, wait for a reply, his father took him to their wagon and consoled him. I stood and joined the rest of them, the two young wolf cubs and mother joining us too, rushing towards Carius.

"I'm fine Lucea just a few scrapes" he said as his mate sat him down and began tending to his wounds, fussing over him, clearly the loss of Zalen had put a new perspective on things for her, everyone in fact.

"We are only one day away, one more day and this wouldn't have happened, one more blasted day!" Duloren cursed sitting down on the floor, this had hit him hard, he was our leader, I imagine he felt responsible, he would have been running through every precaution we should have taken at this point.

"We did everything we should have Duloren, every safety measure was taken" Warren said, the three hired males were clearly used to this, they looked shaken but they must have had ways of dealing with it. Duloren nodded sombrely. Faral was sat leaning against the wagon, cleaning his sword using a scrap of cloth and oil, it was a slender, basket hilted blade, I sat down next to him, my eyes wandering over his arms and face, his fur was actually crimson in places, the others had stains too but Faral's white fur caused it to be more vivid.

"Are you all right? Your arm is bad Faral" I asked, the wound looked mean, it wasn't bleeding anymore, the clean cut holes from the Lynx's jaw were small but deep it seemed.

"I'm okay Zerah, it looks worse than it is, his teeth were not very big. Most of this blood isn't mine." He replied quietly.

"I'll fetch some water and bandages, there are some in the wagon." I wanted to be of use, having not participated in the fight I felt like I should have done something to help.

"Thanks." He said.

I returned and set the bowl down next to the Dalmatian and a clean piece of cloth, "Pass me your arm I'll bandage that up for you." The Dalmatian raised and held out his paw and I rinsed it with the cloth, squeezing water onto it, washing it, once it was clean enough and the blood on his fur around it was washed away I bandaged it, so that a large area of his forearm was covered.

"I'll be good as new in no time eh?" he said with a little chuckle he took the cloth and washed his face and hands, I smiled back at him, and he continued talking, saying, "It was your first proper life threatening fight wasn't it Zerah."

"I've never experienced death like that, killing I mean"

"Hmm, I know what you mean, you don't know what to do with yourself afterwards wandering and sitting silence, eventually if you see it enough you develop a routine to take your mind of things, look at Warren, Armand and Claude, they are making their hands busy, checking the gear and what not."

I nodded, "What's yours?"

"Well, I clean my sword, oil it, make it the same as it was before, my Father was a blacksmith you see, he would always tell me to keep any tool clean."

"I don't even know how to use one"

"Maybe you will learn someday...it would be nice to never have to though."

"You're not wrong there Faral, I never want to see anything like this again" I said just as Ogondo came out of the wagon, with eyes that looked sore. Lucea stood, "Can we do anything Ogondo?" she asked.

"Could you help me bury her? I would wait till a more appropriate time but I can't ...have her led there." He asked, the pain was clear in his voice, Armand had covered her body with a blanket shortly after the fighting had stopped.

"Of course we shall." Carius said. We all agreed to help, Ogondo picked a site by the edge of the road, and he, Carius and Armand dug a grave. The body placed inside carefully after the digging was finished Ogondo and his son who was by him stood a while longer by themselves, saying final goodbyes after our moments of silence for the fallen. Duloren told us to gather up our things and get ready to move out, none of us wanted to linger as our attackers might return for vengeance, we packed up speedily. The Carek were calm, thankfully, the birds could become troublesome when startled, they were wilfully harnessed up again and soon our party was back on the road. We were quiet and tired, none of us in the mood for conversation, it was one more days travel to Aldri, it was decided we wouldn't make camp again in the dark wood.

After the previous nights events we made haste, the Forrest didn't thin out as we approached Aldri, it came to an abrupt stop as we broke the tree line, the sun blinding us as we came to the end of the mist road. Blue sky, clouds and a cool breeze was a sublime feeling on my fur after eight days of no ambience, the grass was green, thick and healthy, and in the distance a huge sprawling settlement was visible, smoke rose from it, the buildings situated on both sides of a wide meandering river. Our spirits were raised by orders of magnitude as were began our joinery to the capital in the warm glow of daylight.

"That Zerah is Arben! Home of the court of Ariel and Capital of Aldri" Faral said, pointing towards the city.

"Arben" I whispered to myself, it was quite a sight, the marble stone of the palace glimmering in the sunshine much like the river it sat upon." It's massive" I said only now realising it was probably a hundred times larger than High Bank village.

"Aye, it's the busiest places on earth, the effect of wonder and awe wears off over time, there is such a thing as too many people you will realise." I kept my eyes on it as our convoy followed the now well surfaced stone road down to the city.

"Stone roads, it doesn't seem necessary" I claimed.

"The last ruler decided that stone roads would speed up travel and make trade easier, it does make the difference, wheels run much smoother here." Duloren stated from the front of the wagon. It seemed I was going to come across many new things here.

"What are our plans once we enter the capital Faral?"

"A trip to the great library will be in order, I need do some research you see." He said tapping the compartment of his bag which contained the scroll.

"Of course, what about a goodnights rest in a bed and a hot meal too?" I said grinning.

"Definitely that as well, I've had enough of cold meat. I'll have to introduce you to wine and some new foods Zerah"

"I'm very happy sticking to what I know" I chuckled, not wanting to many surprises.

"No no you must try everything." He gleefully replied. I was in for a few more surprises in the next few days, some welcome and some not so much, it would take me down a bumpy road.

Thanks for reading this chapter!

Feel free to message or comment with any feedback, I can only improve with it!

I try and post a chapter every week or so.

Thanks again, Faral ^.^