warm, with a fire going."
"No difficulty," said the Purple Green. "We will find a good cave."
Relkin nodded, the great damned things had thought it all out. He was going to be a cave dweller the rest of his days. He would wear skins, and stink of smoke and sweat.
He swallowed and shook his head angrily. Unfortunately, it now appeared that no matter how daft this scheme was, it was going to be his life. He was going to be a ragged, half-starved wildling, living in the northern forests with a pair of eternally cranky dragons.
"Have faith in us," said the Purple Green. "We will be good hunters."
"And we will not be alone," said Bazil.
"What does that mean?"
"We will find High Wings, and my children. We will all live together."
"She will want to return to Dragon Home. She will never agree to live this close to humankind. Besides, dragons don't mate for life."
"We will go north as well."
"Brrr. It's cold up there, eternal snow and ice and all that."
"We are hunters, we will live where the game is."
"Bazil hasn't hunted since he was a sprat. Since we lived in the village."
"You have your bow. We know you are good with it. We will drive the game, you will kill it, or wound it and slow it up enough for us to kill it. I have thought it all out."
Relkin felt something very heavy in his chest. He shrugged and then let out a great groan. There was nothing to be done now. To go back meant a hanging for sure, before the entire legion.
After a while he recovered the circulation in his limbs, and stood up and exercised briefly. It was incredible but true, his old life, the only life he had ever known, was over and done with. From now on he would be renegade. He would never see the cities of the Argonath again. These thoughts depressed him, and he shook his head to try and drive them away.
"We must move on," said the Purple Green, "I am getting hungry; we need to hunt."
Relkin sighed. "And we need to get farther away from the river. The legion will send out search parties for us, and they won't take long to work out where we've gone. They know that your ladylove is living up on Mt. Ulmo right now."
"We go there first, to find her."
There wasn't much alternative.
"Let's move it then. We've got a long way to go."
They set off, heading up the great Argo Valley toward the distant mountains. As they went they kept a sharp eye for anything edible.
After a couple of hours, they found a porcupine. When challenged, it climbed the nearest tree. The dragons eyed it carefully. At the most it promised a couple of mouthfuls, no more. After careful appraisal, they left the porcupine behind as not being worth the effort and continued their march.
Hours passed and they grew hungry. As the sun began to sink into the west, all three were ravenous.
And then at last the Purple Green's sensitive nose caught the scent of meat.
"There is open flesh, blood, not far from here, upwind."
They turned off their trail and headed due north, into an area of bare rock with small pines and oaks clutching to it in the cracks.
Quite suddenly the smell strengthened to the point where even Relkin could detect it. They came over a small ridge and found the source ahead. An elk carcass, torn open and half devoured.
They also came upon the owners of the kill, a pack of six wolves who rose with a snarl at the sight of Relkin and then withdrew to a safe distance when he drew his bow. Then when the two dragons showed themselves, the wolves yipped in surprise and vanished into the short forest.
Relkin and the two dragons were left to inventory the carcass. The wolves contented themselves with staring at them from the safety of the trees.
The wolves had killed the elk that morning and had fed on it all day. The fat had been stripped from it, the liver and choice internal meats had gone first. What was left was the stringy flesh of the lower legs and neck, plus the back and the bones.
Relkin cut himself some ragged strips and built a fire and held them over it
"No difficulty," said the Purple Green. "We will find a good cave."
Relkin nodded, the great damned things had thought it all out. He was going to be a cave dweller the rest of his days. He would wear skins, and stink of smoke and sweat.
He swallowed and shook his head angrily. Unfortunately, it now appeared that no matter how daft this scheme was, it was going to be his life. He was going to be a ragged, half-starved wildling, living in the northern forests with a pair of eternally cranky dragons.
"Have faith in us," said the Purple Green. "We will be good hunters."
"And we will not be alone," said Bazil.
"What does that mean?"
"We will find High Wings, and my children. We will all live together."
"She will want to return to Dragon Home. She will never agree to live this close to humankind. Besides, dragons don't mate for life."
"We will go north as well."
"Brrr. It's cold up there, eternal snow and ice and all that."
"We are hunters, we will live where the game is."
"Bazil hasn't hunted since he was a sprat. Since we lived in the village."
"You have your bow. We know you are good with it. We will drive the game, you will kill it, or wound it and slow it up enough for us to kill it. I have thought it all out."
Relkin felt something very heavy in his chest. He shrugged and then let out a great groan. There was nothing to be done now. To go back meant a hanging for sure, before the entire legion.
After a while he recovered the circulation in his limbs, and stood up and exercised briefly. It was incredible but true, his old life, the only life he had ever known, was over and done with. From now on he would be renegade. He would never see the cities of the Argonath again. These thoughts depressed him, and he shook his head to try and drive them away.
"We must move on," said the Purple Green, "I am getting hungry; we need to hunt."
Relkin sighed. "And we need to get farther away from the river. The legion will send out search parties for us, and they won't take long to work out where we've gone. They know that your ladylove is living up on Mt. Ulmo right now."
"We go there first, to find her."
There wasn't much alternative.
"Let's move it then. We've got a long way to go."
They set off, heading up the great Argo Valley toward the distant mountains. As they went they kept a sharp eye for anything edible.
After a couple of hours, they found a porcupine. When challenged, it climbed the nearest tree. The dragons eyed it carefully. At the most it promised a couple of mouthfuls, no more. After careful appraisal, they left the porcupine behind as not being worth the effort and continued their march.
Hours passed and they grew hungry. As the sun began to sink into the west, all three were ravenous.
And then at last the Purple Green's sensitive nose caught the scent of meat.
"There is open flesh, blood, not far from here, upwind."
They turned off their trail and headed due north, into an area of bare rock with small pines and oaks clutching to it in the cracks.
Quite suddenly the smell strengthened to the point where even Relkin could detect it. They came over a small ridge and found the source ahead. An elk carcass, torn open and half devoured.
They also came upon the owners of the kill, a pack of six wolves who rose with a snarl at the sight of Relkin and then withdrew to a safe distance when he drew his bow. Then when the two dragons showed themselves, the wolves yipped in surprise and vanished into the short forest.
Relkin and the two dragons were left to inventory the carcass. The wolves contented themselves with staring at them from the safety of the trees.
The wolves had killed the elk that morning and had fed on it all day. The fat had been stripped from it, the liver and choice internal meats had gone first. What was left was the stringy flesh of the lower legs and neck, plus the back and the bones.
Relkin cut himself some ragged strips and built a fire and held them over it
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