Queen of Fire – Chapter V

 The following is an excerpt from book one of the Leather Book Tales fantasy series ©Regine Haensel. More excerpts from the series will be available on this blog on Sundays this month.

 

Rowan rides south to try and find her father and brother, whom she has recently found out about.

I wander in a dark wood, barefoot and cold. Water drips down my neck, but the cold and wet isn’t as bad as the knowledge that something stalks me, has sniffed out my scent in spite of the rain I have called to wash it away. I rub strong-smelling herbs on my feet and all over my body to disguise my odour. Suddenly I come to a break in the trees and eyes look at me out of the darkness. They seem to be staring right at me but can’t see me. I hear the creature draw in a breath, but it can’t smell me either. I am encircled and protected by light. There comes a sharp barking call.

Moonlight lies across my eyes; the rain has stopped. The donkey leans against one of the walls, probably asleep. I’m cold and glance at the glowing coals. Stretch out an arm to reach for more wood and  freeze as I spot a pair of shining eyes in a nearby bush. Branches rustle slightly and a black nose followed by a long muzzle emerges.For a moment I think it’s a dog and wonder if there’s a farm nearby after all.

There’s an odour, though, not the smell of dog, but something wild. What if it’s a wolf, the one that Father wrote about; but a wolf wouldn’t live that long. Perhaps it’s the one Mother feared. Why would wolves hang about our family? Another rustle and the creature moves forward. It’s a fox – sleek red-brown fur, white-tipped busy tail. I’m barely breathing, avoiding any movement that might startle it. Is it looking for food? Would it attack me? I think I could beat it away; it’s not that big, but would the bite of a fox cause much damage? The animal simply sits there and the two of us regard each other. I wonder what it thinks of me. The forest is quiet except for the occasional drip, drip of water. Eventually the fox fades back into the bushes. Perhaps I’ve merely been inspected and found harmless. On the other hand, if this were an old tale, the fox might be  messenger, but if so I don’t understand the loll of a tongue, the sniff of a nose, the tilt of a head or the twitch of a tail.

 

The Leather Books fantasy series (Queen of Fire, Child of Dragons, Companion of Eagles, Daughter of Earth) is available through the Saskatchewan Library system, for purchase online from SaskBooks, [Bookstore (skbooks.com)]on Amazon, or from booksserimuse@gmail.com.