Path of the Mother (Book Three)

Chapter 1 Meeting With a Stranger

They weren't able to catch the old man Brannon at the stables. He wasn't there.  Nobody knew when he might show up either. That's the guy that Argo Simmons said could tell them something about the history of Drums.

Lilly asked Timony's dad, Johnah, where they might be able to find Brannon, and he said, "The old guy lives in a shack that's on the ridge overlooking the Pingle River about three miles out of Drums to the southwest."

"The road to Chance doesn't go anywhere close to the river," Lilly said.

"You can find the beginning of the trail to his house on the road. There's a big rock there that looks like a huge piece of lodestone. That rock is as big as a man. You're not going to miss it."

"Oh, okay. I've seen it," she said, "It's about halfway to Chance, on top of the ridge. About how far down the trail will we need to go?"

"It's quite a ways. It's out on the end of the sweep of the Broom. At least there isn't anything else down that way. There's not any other big trails leading off of that one either, just game trails," Johnah said. "When you see Brannon, tell him that the package arrived from Wynnit Falls for him. On second thought, if you're going that way, could you take a delivery for me?"

Duncan said cautiously, "What do you need delivered?" He sure didn't want to have to carry a big crate, a couple miles down a narrow path if he didn't have to.

"I think you guys will like this one," Johnah said. "Come back here and I'll set you up." He led them back to the last stall in the enclosed part of the stable. He was acting pretty mysterious and secretive to build up the suspense, and it was working too, on both Duncan and Lilly.

When he slowly opened the stall door, Lilly peeked in and she started gushing as soon as she saw what was in there. In the stall was a beautiful young donkey that still had curly hair on top of her head and back. It was frightened at the newcomers but Lilly wasn't going to let that stop her. She wanted to snuggle it up immediately.

Johnah said, "There's a guy that lives outside of Wynnit Falls that raises animals of all kinds for people. The mother of this one was killed by a Stirge, and a farmer found the baby crying beside the dead mother. People around there usually take animals to that guy to raise for them if they can't do it themselves. They say he's a natural at working with animals."

Duncan asked, "What's a Stirge?"

"It's kind of like a bat, but it doesn't hunt by sound like they do. This is a blood hunter, and goes after its prey by smell," Johnah said. "They look like a cross between a bat and a mosquito. The things swoop down and suck the life out of a creature. Shoot, the one getting sucked out doesn't even feel it. There's not too many around here, but the ridges around Wynnit Falls have a lot more caves and crannies. They have a big problem with them."

"I think we might have seen some of those climbing around in the Goblin cave where the kids went," Duncan said. "There was something like that anyway."

"If you saw them, then you're lucky you got out alive. Those kids were really lucky to have you two backing them up too," Johnah said. "I know I've already thanked you, but ... well ... there just isn't any way to thank you enough. You guys need anything, you just let me know."

Lilly was kneeling beside the donkey and it stretched out its muzzle and started pulling on her hair with its lips. She said laughing, "Why you little tugger," while she pulled her hair back out of the donkey's lips. "She's beautiful. Does she have a name?" she asked.

Johnah said, "I think that's going to be up to Brannon. He made a deal with the guy in Wynnit Falls for it. It's a beauty though ... friendly too."

"I need to let Gracie introduce herself," Lilly said. "Mind if I call her into the stable to say hi?"