The amber glow of the setting sun started to kiss the tree line. Noticing that Zena stepped off road way to find a place to set up a camp sight. Finding a spot with two trees growing close together setting the bag down. She started to look around for some wood to use finding it quickly bathing up as many twigs and limbs laying around with that in hand she went back to here bag. After stacking everything up they way she want. Striking the flint an steel. A shower of glowing sparks showered on to the pile. Blowing softly to stock the embers into a gentile flame. Soon the pile was warming up the little area. Grabbing the two eggs from her bag. Placing them close enough to make sure they are still warm.
"There you go little ones" feeling the eggs Zena could tell that it wouldn't be long now till they both hatched.
"In the morning we will crass the street once we do that little ones we be at the village by dusk tomorrow"
Zena continued to talk to the eggs as she busied herself with the fire making it large enough to cook with, pulling out a leather cooking pouch that held a stone inside of it. She then took the stone putting it in the fire to heat it up. As she waited Zena hung the leather pouch from a stick and field it with water. This pouch had been gift from her father. She bit her lip repressing the tears as she remembered her thirteenth birthday of six years pass.
"Zena come her my little one."
"Yes daddy. What is it?"
" Have a gift for your thirteenth birthday, you will be going on your first solo trapping trip soon." "So close your eyes and hold your hands out."
With out any hesitation she did as her dad said. But a soon as she closed her eyes the started jumping from one foot to the other. With an explosion of laughter her dad started smiling an said "Little toad stop your jumping long enough to get your birthday gift." As soon as she came still he set a small pouch in her hand. "Now Zena you may open your eyes."
Looking down she saw the little pouch and then looked up at her fathers smile on his face and his seafoam green beard. With a confused expression on her face she replied "Thank you?" with a slight pause.
"Um what is it?"
"Heeheehe well little toad its a cooking pouch. It the stomach of a baby Saehrimnir there there stomachs are heat resisted and have some stretch to them after they have been cleaned and processed right." "This one is big enough for you to cook a stew big enough for two people."
With a blank look on her face she asked "What is a Saehrimnir?"
"Well if you had been studying you're "Book of Beast" you would remember that its a breed of giant boars that can grow up to six tusk"
Before he could finish talking she had hugged him an ran off laughing.
Crack puuuh the sound of one of the twigs popping brought Zena out of her memory's. Reaching up and wiping away the steam of tears she had running down her face she turned her attention back to making her meal. huuuuu hooo taking a few deep breaths in and out as she checked on the stone heating up. It wouldn't need much longer now. Digging into the pouch on her hip she pulled out a small case that fit into the palm of her hand. Opening it up it unfolded showing both side was a total of four small round tubs. Grabbing the one with the letter H on it and pulled it out and set the case on the ground next to her. Then taking her family knife out and stabbing the tip into the ground an in the same movement pulling it back out an sheathing it in it's dragon hide scabbard. There was a small incision from where the knife had punctured the earth. Then she removed the cork stopper from the tub and dropped three seeds into her hand before placing them into the slit in the soil.
Placing her hand over them she channeled her energy into the seeds. With in a few seconds the seeds sprouted and grew to be about a meter tall. The aroma suddenly changes into an enriching sent of rosemary, thyme, and mint. She harvested a few leaves from the rosemary and thyme, and dropped them into the cooking pouch. After that she fished out some jerky and cutting it into bit size cubs she dropped them in also. A quick glance down at the stone she could tell it was ready to be dropped in also. Snatching up a limb with a crooked v shape for at the end of it. She moved the scorching hot stone over to the pouch with the stick.
Wooosh accompanied by a soft plop as the stone suck to the bottom. The boiling and rumbling sounds slowly dwindled as the stew started simmering. Letting it sit for half an hour before eating the warm stew. She left half of it for her morning breakfast. Once she was full she crawled into her bed role pulled the eggs in with her and just started crying for the lost of her family, friends, and her childhood home.
As the radiant golden beams of light started to peak through the fresh young foliage of the trees they passed across the young woman's faces as to gently wake her from her slumber and dispel the grief from the night before.
As she roused her self from sleep she looked at her two eggs. "Good morning little ones, not much long now. I can feel you moving around more". Removing here hand from the one on here left, she extracted herself from the bed role.
The stew was look warm so she eat it quickly and drank from the water skin. With a few quick movements she packed everything up the and gently put two eggs inside there bags an attached the to her pack. Before leaving she walked over to the three plants and harvested about a third of the plant off of each pant leaving the rest to grow. Zena knew she could sell most of the fresh herbs in the village once she was there. The trip today would only take her a few hours an be there by mid morning. Thinking to herself "I hope someone can tell me what truly happened and why everyone was killed."
Slowly and quietly she slipped back on to the roadway after making sure no one saw her leave the woods. A few hours later she got her first glimpse at the Treeriver Village it was a medium size village. It housed around two hundred people or so. It lay nessaled in the bend of the river. Sticking out into the river like fingers reaching out was four boat docks an a fifth being built. Along with that there was a small sawmill on the downriver side and up river was a grain mill that need some repairs to the water wheel.
She hadn't seen the village since before the first snow of this past winter. She was hopping most of the people there didn't remember her. She did have a few friends in the village though. She pulled her hood up over her ivy green hair that would give her away as to bing a Nymfay. Zena interned into town though the west gate. People where bustling about, reaching out to the nears person, will not really a person, but a Merfolk. The Merfolk gruffly snapped at Zena. "What do you want girl?" As he continued to glare at her.
"Where is the nearest Inn at. I have some herbs I would like to sell or trade."
He angrily point. "It's down on your left side." "It's called Barrel Rider"
"Thank you"
She hurried off and made the left as she was told and found the building and its big sign. "Barrel Rider Inn."