Chapter 5

A really short travel day. Almost funny how different this stuff is from what I write now, especially as far as length goes.

  In the morning, the trio lit a fire and ate two of the scones apiece and part of the cheese. In the full daylight they saw the true wonder of the place they had camped. They were in a pine grove with some wildflowers growing around in various places. They quickly broke camp and started the jouney up river. As they walked they noticed the river turned clearer as they continued eastward. It also ran faster The river soon bent northward. They continued along the river and saw it bent sharply back soutward.

  "I think the river bends toward the west again soon. At that bend, we can stop to eat lunch," Flattle said.

  "Soond lahk a plan, lad," Stone agreed.

  "Fine by me. I could use a break," Moac replied.

  When they sat down, Stone handed out some veggie pastries. They sat in silence, wondering what the Elder would be like. Would he be friendly or demanding? Would he have food? What would he give them to aid them? What advice would he give? Would he really be all that old? They rose back up and continued on their journey aksing themselves these questions.

  As they jouneyed onward, Flattle pulled out his reed flute and began to play a tune named The Wanderer's Promise. Stone began to hum along and asked,"Moac, yew got a good voíce. Whah doon't ya sing this song for us?"

  In a fine baritone voice Moac began as Flattle began his third time through.

     As I wandered oe'r the hill and dale

     I thought of my home in the vale.

     The words I had said to my sis,

     She was one I would miss.

     I gave her the wanderer's promise

   

     I shall return again

     I will come around the bend.

     Though we're near or far

     We'll look up to our star.

     I shall return again.

     I remembered my mother there

     She had gray in her hair.

     Her face I would miss,

     And her tender kiss,

     So I gave her the wanderer's promise.

     I shall return again

     I will come around the bend.

     Though we're near or far

     We'll look up to our star.

     I shall return again.

  

     I then thought of my true love

     Whom was gentle as a dove

     I took from her a kiss

     Twas such great bliss,

     And I gave her the wanderer's promise.

 

     I shall return again

     I will come around the bend.

     Though we're near or far

     We'll look up to our star.

     I shall return again.

  As Flattle trilled of the final notes of that song, Stone asked," Why did ya stoop playen, lad?"

  Flattle answered by asking,"Do you remember the last time I played?"

  "O' course Ah remembeh, lad. Et was the day o' your fathehs passing service."

  "My father had taught me to play. He was the one who would play for me when I would go to bed. We would come up with songs to play together. We would play for my mother when she had suffered through a bad day. We would play when there were celebrations in the village. We would play when there was no reason to play other than we had nothing else to do. He help me when I was frustated by my fear of water by playing a calming tune on his flute and then giving me mine to join him. He taught me every song, every note, everything I knew about musiic and he was gone in an instant. He was the first one to accept me as who I am, fear and all, and he was gone. And there was nothing that could be done about it." He started to choke back tears. "I stopped playing because my father stopped breathing." He fell to his knees and let the tears flow as a narrow river. 

  Moac knelt down beside him and hugged him. He then turned to Stone and said, "I think we had best make camp here for the night. The sun's going down, and I don't think we'll be moving for awhile."

  Stone went to gather some wood from the nearby ash grove. She came back with some thin, small logs and a few twigs for kindling. She put them in the center of a ring of stones Moac had claimed from the river. He started the fire and use one of the sticks to roast some of the scones with some cheese over them. He tried to offer one to Flattle, but he was already asleep. 

  "Ah cannae blame 'im. After reliving that, Ah'd beh exausted too." Stone commented.

  "His father was his refuge. He was always there when he needed him. His mother did well, but she could never quite fill the position. His brother, Hyven, tried but he had enough trouble with other otters his age because he was the brother of an otter that couldn't swim and a chameleon living with his family."

  "How did yew deal weth bein the only reptahl known for a great distance?"

  "I never focused on my own problems. I focused on helping Flattle become great at other things. For example, how many otters do you know that can climb trees other than Flattle?"

  "Bank can climb tres, lad."

  "Bank climbs trees because Flattle climbs trees. He only taught himself how to do it because he saw Flattle do it and decided he had to add tree climbing to his list of things he was best at."

  "Bank thenks he has tah beh best aht everehthin. He can really get on mah nehvs." She yawned and commented,"Ah  thenk et's tahme to get some sleep"

  "Great idea," Moac agreed."Goodnight,"

  After their rough day, the three friends were all out.