CHAPTER 6
Everyone was dead asleep as soon as their heads hit their makeshift beds. A herd of elephants could have walked through the room and no one would have heard them. Tammy was the first to wake and looked around trying to remember where she was. She woke everyone else up as she stirred. Tammy said, “Sorry, but I have to go to the bathroom so bad.” Everyone exited the tent. Sara said, “Let’s go to the other small room and use that as the bathroom.” Everyone took turns, the girls together, then one guy, then the other.
George gathered some wood debris that was lying around and started a small fire. Jake rigged some boards to form a rack so they could hang a small pot over to heat up some water. Breakfast was simple and consisted of oatmeal and a cup of hot chocolate. After eating, Tammy said, “We need to find a water source soon or we’re going to run out.” Sara said, “We have about two or three days’ worth, so if we don’t find something in the next day, we may have to turn back.” George added, “Now that you say that, I just realized that there are no sounds of dripping water in this place. To be exact, there are no sounds in here at all, except for the noise we are making.”
After thinking about it for a minute Jake said, “You know what, you’re right. No snakes, bats or even bugs. Don’t you think that is odd?” Sara said, “It may be odd, but I’m thankful nevertheless.” Tammy said, “If there were spiders or snakes, I would be headed back out.” Jake said, “That’s a good point you just brought up, too. There are no spider webs.” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place without spider webs,” Sara mused.
***
They worked together to pack all the supplies. After repacking all the gear, they started back down the steps. Steps led to more steps, which led to-more steps. Six hours later George said,” I think we’re near the bottom.” Jake held his torch over the side and everyone looked over the wall to see flat ground with brown dirt about 30 feet down. Excited and exhausted they finally made it to the bottom. They dropped their packs and fell to the ground to rest.
With the torches laying on the ground, they weren’t putting off much light. George rolled over to face Tammy when he yelled, “Check it out!” startling everyone. Jake jumped to his feet with his spear ready. Coming from the side of the mountain was a source of light. The light appeared to be coming from a tunnel.
Jake and George grabbed the torches and headed towards the light. When the torches started burning brighter, they could see it was a tunnel cut through the mountain, with no seams or blemishes at all. It was a little over ten feet high and just as wide. George said, “I’ll bet it took someone a long time to carve that out.” They picked up their gear and cautiously proceeded inside the tunnel. The inside of it was free of debris and had a dirt path that was smooth.
Sara made the comment, “There is no debris, marks or anything out of place in here. It doesn’t even look as if this tunnel has ever been used.” After walking about twenty-five feet, the cave angled to the right. Another twenty-five feet it angled back toward to the left. When they made the turn to the left, they could see an opening.
As they walked out of the tunnel, they stepped into another world.
CHAPTER 7
It was like nothing they had ever seen. There was bright sunlight coming from above. There was green grass and trees, various animal noises could be heard, in the distance they could see hills and mountains, it seemed all of creation was there. No one moved. They were all wide-eyed and checking out every incredible thing. Jake finally broke the silence, “I don’t believe what I’m seeing.” Tammy knelt down and was feeling the grass to see if it was real. George was pointing toward a stream of crystal clear blue water. It looked as if it was from fresh-fallen snow. Jake said, “Let’s fill up our bottles.” The group was still gawking as they moved toward the stream. Once there, George tasted the water and said, “Wow, this is better than bottled water.” Tammy and Sara just shook their heads and Jake said “You don’t say.”
Jake then continued, “If there are people around here, they’ll need water. So I think we should stay close to the stream and see if we can find anyone.” George asked, “What if we run into someone that isn’t too happy to see us, then what?” Jake replied, “I guess we will deal with it when the time comes.” As Jake started following the stream, Sara walked up beside him. George and Tammy fell in behind. Not certain what to expect the group stayed close together.
It seemed like such a peaceful place. It was unspoiled nature at its finest... No smog, no pollution and a gentle, fresh breeze in their faces. The group kept moving at a steady pace along the stream, toward what looked like a very dense, old forest. The more they walked, the more they realized that the forest had looked a lot closer than it really was. The open land soon gave way to trees, low-lying shrubs and bushes. The walk was not difficult by any means, but still the group moved at a slow, steady pace, while looking around in wonder.
***
After walking for a couple of hours, Sara suggested, “Let’s stop and take a break. We’ve been walking for what seems like miles.” Finding a fallen tree they stopped to rest for a bit. They had no more than set their gear down when Tammy noticed the bush to their left moved. George and Jake were now on their feet and pointing their spears at the bush. Sara said, “I would hate to be whatever is in there if it jumps out at us.” With that said, a huge rabbit popped out of the brush. No one had to say a word; both of guys simultaneously stabbed at the rabbit. It avoided the end of Jake’s spear, but was not so lucky avoiding George’s. George impaled it and the rabbit thrashed for a few seconds, then went still.
Jake said, “You know the rules of hunting, right? You kill it, you clean it!” George was having no part of that and shook his head. Jake said, “It’s as good a time as any to eat. We need to grab some fire wood so we can cook it.” George whined, “I’ve never cleaned an animal before. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Jake replied, “I’ll give you a hand.” He took the rabbit and showed George how to clean it.
By the time Jake and George were finished, the girls had gathered a good bit of fire wood. It didn’t take long to get a nice cook fire going. They took several branches and made a rack to hang the rabbit above the fire. Before long, Jake had the rabbit on a stick and was roasting it. After it was done, they had devoured it in no time at all.
Sara said, “Don’t you think Tammy and I should have some kind of a weapon like your spears to protect ourselves with?” Jake said, “Yes, we can make a half-decent spear out of a tree sapling.” It didn’t take Jake long to find two straight trees and he used a hatchet to cut them to the right size. He then used his hunting knife to start a point on each. Jake handed each of the girls one of the sticks and directed, “Take your knives and work on the spear ends while we rest. You need them to have a sharp point.” Sara looked at hers and said, “You may think you’re Tarzan, but I’m surely not Jane.” Tammy and George started laughing. Jake turned away, blushing. After the makeshift spears were completed, the fire was doused out and the group was once again on the move.
As they moved deeper into the forest, the noises went from peaceful to more like warning sounds. Everyone instantly noticed. The strange sounds were odd calls and cries that they had never heard before. Tammy whispered, “Does anyone have a clue as to what kinds of animals are making those noises?” Jake said, “No, but we may want to be very quiet so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.” Their heads moved from side to side with every new noise. George whispered, “I don’t like this. Something doesn’t feel right.” Jake replied, “Yea, I know what you mean. This seem a
bit odd to me too.”
The group was now so cautious that their walk had slowed to just above a crawl. Uncertainty plagued them, making everyone a bit jumpy. Jake whispered over to George, “I get the feeling we are being watched… or even being followed,” “I thought that was just me giving myself the creeps and just being paranoid, but with you having the same feeling; that concerns me,” George replied. Sara and Tammy were now wide-eyed and looking all around. “Let’s just keep moving forward until we can find a safe spot and rest,” George said.
***
They entered the area where the massive old trees were located. With the size and amount of foliage they bore, the light from above was now being blocked out. It seemed to go from daylight to dusk in a matter of a few yards. No one had spoken for at least 30 minutes until Tammy said, “This is getting very creepy. I don’t like this.” Jake murmured, “I agree. We still need to be quiet and try not to cause any commotion. There has to be an area we can find a secure a spot and set up camp.” Sara shook her head, “I don’t think I could sleep out here.” Tammy readily agreed
All of the sudden there were whimpering and barking noises coming from behind and to the left of them. It appeared as though several small animals were rushing toward them. They could see the bushes moving and hear twigs being snapped. George turned in the direction of the noises, coming from behind them, and started walking backward. Jake instinctively led the group forward and to the right. All eyes were wide open looking for anything out of the ordinary. As the minutes dragged by, the noises seemed to be amplified.
They continued moving away from the noises, emerging out of the underbrush into a small clearing. The clearing was only about 15 yards around and surround by thick underbrush. As Jake was looking for a trail, something whizzed past Jake’s head. Jake ducked, as did the rest of the group. More objects were whizzing by. “Ouch!” George cried out. He grabbed his left arm where he had been hit. A small rock came to rest on the ground in front of him.
The bushes in front of them opened up and five odd looking creatures came running out. They yapped like little dogs barking at the mailman. They stood just over two feet tall, their skin was a scaly, dark rust brown, and their eyes were glowing red. They had a human type quality to them. Their clothes were torn and tattered and at one time may have been a red fabric. Each was jabbing a short spear at Jake and Sara.
Just when everyone thought things can’t get any worst, three more of the little creatures popped out of the underbrush behind the group. Jake poked his spear at the one closest to him. It knocked his spear to the side and charged him. Jake was shocked, but recovered quickly. Before the creature got too close, Jake impaled it in the neck. The other creatures all at once started yapping twice as loud, then they all ran toward the group at once.
George was the next to kill one of the creatures. Sara had stuck one in the arm, but only hurt it. Tammy, on the other hand, was whacking at them. She hit one on the top of its head. She didn’t cause any damage, but it sure did make the little creature mad. “I’m going to beat the stuffing out every last one of you!” Tammy screamed at them. Jake yelled, “Don’t whack at them! You need to stab them in the chest!”
Jake had downed another one. George and Sara each dropped one. Tammy had paid Jake no mind about stabbing them; she continued to whack. She had managed to break one’s nose. All of a sudden, one creature standing in front of Jake went flying backwards. The one with the broken nose was suddenly pinned to a tree by an arrow. The last one turned to run away, but just after it turned, an arrow struck it in the back of the head.
The group ducked and formed a tight circle. They were looking for anything that moved and the source of the arrows. The area was now too silent; the only thing they could hear was their heartbeats and hard breathing. Suddenly, Tammy said, “Someone’s coming,” and pointed to a man making his way toward them. Everyone turned to see who it was. Jake and George moved to get between him and the girls.
The man was just above five feet tall and was wearing clothes of an earthy green and brown. He wore a cloak matching his clothes that covered most of his face and body. He had various leaves and branches arranged throughout the cloak which perfectly camouflaged him. He was holding a finely crafted long bow that was about as long as he was tall. Hanging down to his side was a sword. What little they could see of his face showed he had a weathered, dark skin tone and long, dark hair. But when he lifted his head up a bit, they could see his eyes shone a bright golden color.
He said, “I am a friend. I mean you no harm. My name is Ralnor Dawntracker. I’m the warden for this area.” Jake cautiously lowered his spear and said, “Thanks for the help. What were those nasty little things?” Ralnor replied, “They are known as kobolds. They are fairly weak, but very crafty. They were trying to force you into a trap.” He walked past the group and tripped several nasty traps, right where Jake was about to lead them. Tammy and Sara jumped as each trap was tripped. Fear of what could have happened showed on all of their faces. Ralnor said, “These traps would not have killed you per se, but once you were in them and unable to flee, the kobolds would have killed you.”
Jake relaxed a bit and said, “Once again, I want to thank you for your help.” “As the warden for this area, it’s my job to keep everyone safe,” Ralnor replied. He then walked over to one of the kobolds and removed a small bag from around its neck and several things from its pockets. Ralnor noticed the group watching him, said, “We need to get the valuables from them. Anything of value will do them no good now.”
Jake and George started searching the kobolds closest to them. Sara and Tammy wanted no part of this until George pulled a small bag of coins off the one he was searching. The girls headed over to the next two and commenced to searching them. When they completed the search, they had 10 gold coins, 22 silver coins, 38 copper coins and two small bags of gems.
The excitement of finding coins and gems soon wore off when Jake commented about how close they had come to being killed. Ralnor then said, “It is getting late in the day. We need to be moving before it gets dark. This will be no place for you once the sun has gone down.” Jake asked, “Where should we go to?” Ralnor replied, “I will take you to my village that is about a league from here.” “A league is equivalent to about one hour’s walk,” Sara said with complete assurance. Impressed Jake asked, “How do you know that?” Smiling, Sara said cheekily, “I read it in a book. I do know how to read.” George, Tammy and Jake snickered.
***
Ralnor turned and lead them in the opposite direction they were heading, across a stream and through heavy underbrush. After a few minutes of being in heavy brush, they came upon a well-worn path. Walking on a path made the hike a lot easier than it had been before. Continuing to follow, several plants and flowers caught their eye. Ralnor pointed, explaining various plants or trees to stay away from, and others that could be useful or even eaten.
Just over an hour went by and the group approached the outskirts of Ralnor’s village. When Ralnor had said “village,” they didn’t expect what they found. The sight of the village was breathtaking. As they approached, they were amazed to see several children running up to greet them. All of the children had a dark skin tone like Ralnor and various shades of hair, but they all had pointy ears. Jake, George, Tammy and Sara looked at each other like what they were seeing wasn’t real. “Elves,” mouthed Jake. George and Sara nodded. Tammy was slack-jawed at the sight. “They have pointy ears… would you look at that!” Tammy said a bit louder than she intended too.
Ralnor turned slightly with a grin on his face and said, “Yes, we are w
ood elves.” Jake, Sara and George looked at Tammy with a look of I don’t believe she just said that. Tammy was unfazed by the look and asked, “Really?” Ralnor didn’t give a reply, he just smiled. The children continued to run all around them, causing a big commotion until Ralnor said something to them in his language and they scattered.
The sight before all was one of unmatched beauty. There were houses not only on the ground, but a multitude higher up in the trees. Rope bridges ran in every direction. Rope and vine ladders were everywhere. The houses blended with the surroundings, like nature had made them were they stood.
As the group approached the central intersection of the village, three older-looking elves were standing in front of a large hut, square in the center of the village. After the one in the middle spoke in elven to Ralnor, Jake asked, “What did he say?” Ralnor replied, “The elders want me to bring you to the hut so they may speak with you.” When they had moved in just a few feet away from the elders, Ralnor bowed and said, “Wise elders. I have rescued these lost humans from a band of kobolds in my ward. I could not leave them in the forest alone, so I have brought them here to you for your wise counsel.”
The three elders nodded and walked in the hut. Ralnor said to the group,” Wait here.” Ralnor followed the elders in and closed the door. Tammy whispered, “Do elves eat humans?” Jake started laughing, “No!” George said, “I think they just skin them and wear the skins as clothes.” “No they don’t,” cried Sara, as she hit George in the arm she continued, “They’re legendarily very social and environmentally conscious people.” Tammy asked, “Oh. So we’ll be safe here?” Sara nodded.
The door opened and Ralnor asked them to step in. Jake leaned his spears against the outside wall and the others followed his lead. The inside of the hut had far more room than it appeared from outside. The walls were decorated with various elven items. The plank floor was covered with the furs of different kinds of animals. The furniture was all handcrafted and looked very old.