Stranger Passing: The Sword and the Flame Novella

Chapter 7

The end of Cimble's quest was near at hand. The dire wolf could still smell the sweet, intoxicating aroma from the ham. The smell began growing faint, as if being hidden in something or trying to run away, but he knew he was drawing closer. Whether through stealth or luck, he found himself standing near the small house where the scent originated from without being seen. Licking his muzzle while slobber dripped from his mouth in a near-constant cascade, he didn't come close to resembling his prior controlled self.

He paused near a rounded corner of the house when he detected a familiar scent near the sweet-smelling flowers. Curious, he lowered his nose to get a better smell. After one intake of breath, his head rose and the fur along his back bristled. The mix of blood and steel sliced through his desire to eat the sweet meat, and he found himself becoming calm once more. Raising his nose into the air, he continued to sniff but couldn't detect another trace of the human. The scent brought back his senses and the memory of the human at the stream. Cimble was in a strange place surrounded by danger.

With his desire under control, Cimble backed away from the spot the human had slept but his hunger continued to gnaw at him. While the smell of cooked ham had dwindled, its memory caused the dire wolf's stomach to twist in its desire to have the pleasant meat. In a battle of will against instinct, his will finally won and he crept along his same path back to the stream. He needed to hunt, to find something to make his stomach forget about the smells his nose detected.

Once he reached the stream, the dire wolf paused and bent low to keep out of sight. One of the little ones crouched at the stream collecting water in some strange shape. Willing his stomach to be silent, he prepared to hunt.

*****

It took some effort and a great deal of patience, but Eron managed to coax Surie out of her room to help him gather some water from the stream behind their house. It was something he could've done himself, but he thought the gesture would help draw his sister out of her shell and maybe, with some luck, she'd forgive him for hurting her.

While she remained quiet during their hundred yard walk, she did show some signs of the old Surie as she lectured him about how he should be better prepared for what was to come. He took her opinions in the good nature they were meant, all the while wondering what she knew of being a warrior. After all their years as brother and sister, he was no closer to figuring her out then he'd been the day of her birth when she reached up and poked him in the eye. With a smile, Eron continued along the path happy in his ignorance of her ways. There would be enough time to try to figure out how her mind worked later. Once they reached the stream, he spotted a speckled frog leaping from stone to stone off to the left side of where the path ended. Without realizing it, he edged a dozen feet downstream into a grouping of long grass and reeds to catch the frog.

Seeing her brother's attention begin to waver, Surie shook her head and bent to fill the bucket and pitcher with fresh water. It was something she'd grown accustomed to dealing with over the years. Eron was, and would always be, his own person. No amount of her chiding or trying to influence him would work. She began to understand that while he talked to her through her bedroom door. Maybe she always understood it, but never wanted to admit she couldn't influence him as much as she wished.

When the bucket was full, Surie set it aside then held the ceramic pitcher as far under the water as she could without disturbing the bottom. The soft trickling sound of the water was hypnotizing to her. It was so peaceful that she wondered why she fought with her mom every time it was her turn to gather the water. Oh well, that would change soon since Eron would probably be leaving with Reinhart to begin his training. She thought it odd that her brother was going to be a warrior. Sure, there were stories of other Halflings doing it, but those were fairy tales. Despite her efforts to appease him, she didn't understand why Eron would want to do such a thing and embarrass himself and their mother. What good could being a warrior do?