Forest And Fawn

Chapter 1

Rani lay beneath the copse of trees with the sunlight shining bright behind her eyelids.

A furry creature twittered and squeaked at her nervously, continuously washing its face with its paws. When it got no response, it climbed on the girl and chattered in her ear.

Rani rolled and mumbled, waving the squirrel away, "One more minute."
She squinted at the forest canopy for a moment before she gasped and scrambled to her feet.

Tripping more than once on her skirts, she grabbed up a basket lying at the base of one of the trees.

She turned to a nearby tree and glared up at the lowest branch,
"You promised you would wake me,"

The squirrel chittered indignantly at her before scampering away.

Gripping the basket tightly prevent it from tipping in her haste, she hurriedly stepped out of the copse of trees.

She pressed her palms together and bowed, she whispered hastily, a bit out of breath, "Gratitude, Mother, for a pleasant rest."

She ran from the meadow, and soon found on the forest path and hurried towards the smoke rising on the horizon.

Rani went through the back of the house to the garden. A woman stood in the kitchen pounding herbs into a bowl.
"I don't believe gathering hollylock petals, would take you an entire morning, Rani." The brown haired woman spoke quietly, not looking up from the herbs she ground in a wooden bowl.

"I'm sorry," Rani grinned, still holding on to the basket. "The market was full today. I heard all the inns are full. A lot of travelers. And soldiers too, I hear."

The brown-haired woman frowned but said nothing. Wordlessly, Rani placed the petals on the wooden working table

Noa poured the petals into the herbs in her bowl and went the woman wringing her hands in the corner.

"Noa, he still has the fever," the woman tripped over her words,, her hands cluched by her sides, trying to be respectful.

"You should have brought him immediately," She passed the bowl to her. "This will bring bring relief and help him sleep. The next time he's working, please remind him to wear leather gloves."

The woman nodded, eager to get home to her husband. "The wood will be delivered tomorrow morning. As promised."

She turned and practically flew out the door.

Rani frowned. "We still have wood she brought from that time her son broke his wrist had a splinter, Noa."

The older woman laughed. "That just means we'll never get cold. Come now, the workspace needs cleaning."

Rani breathed heavily, ripping out weeds with more effort than it had taken a few hours. She wiped her face on her sleeve, holding her grimy hands out in front of her.

Many of the herbs in the garden grew naturally in the forest but Noa used them in such large quantities that it was best to have them available.

One of the women in the town had gone to see Noa, they were talking in hurried whispers but then after she hurried out a few minutes later, Noa still seemed worried.

Rani tried to focus on the blessings she was supposed to recite when working but she couldn't remember and the sun seemed to burn hard.

She gathered her skirts and walked into the house through the back door.

Noa took one look at her and frowned.
She was standing by the Treeheart just outside the kitchen. There were potted plants everywhere in the house with vines filling the cracks in the walls.

"I thought I told you to change your clothes when you garden." Noa eyed torn length of dress dragging behind her.

"A simple blessing would -"

"I didn't ask you what a blessing could do, Rani. Go wash those clothes and you best remember your needlework."

Noa spoke quietly but Rani noticed that the plants had shrank away from her completely and the sunlight that had spilled through the kitchen door wouldn't didn't seep into the corner Noa stood.

The younger girl made to argue for a moment but she said nothing realising Noa was in a bad mood. After a moment she said stiffly, "Yes, Noa."

Noa grabbed her cloak and made for the door. "And while you're still in the mood for it, you can bless the iron as well."