Star Stable: Wildwoods

Chapter Ten: A New Adventure

The morning sun shone down on the great fortress of Jarlaheim. The crowds were beginning to come through the marketplace as the heat of the day begun to rise. The early yellow light made the buildings and balconies gleamed like ancient silver. Locals inspected the produce and goods. But among them wandered foreigners in unique clothes and women with equally unique makeup.
But a little away from the crowds of the people was Erika on Geist.
The girl and her horse scanned the crowd of Jarlaheim curiously, but a faint look of curiosity entered her blue eyes as gazed at the crowds of people. The girl sighed wearily and started walking through the town carefully.
A group of young girls stared at Erika on Geist, some with envy while others gave her looks of old admiration. The looks she received from the young men were less divisive. They stared with widened eyes and mouths opened ajar, some even winked and flexed their muscles. Erika rolled her eyes at the sight and looked away from them.
The children's reactions were more pleasant. They waved and and smiled with innocent enthusiasm. A few elderly villagers and younger people were also friendly. Her eyes softened when she saw an elderly couple sitting on a bench. The husband gifted his wife a rose. Erika felt her heart lifted at the beautiful sight in Jarlaheim.
The Trader's Market was more energetic than Erika expected. There were people coming to and from various shops and stands to sell a variety of items like handcrafted jewelry, plates, and pottery, some being made right there next to the stands as a crowd of people watched the artists at work. Performers entertained the locals and visitors, minstrels playing on their lutes, accordions, and pipes. The music was infectious, pulling Sierra to join in the group of people who got up to dance in the town square.
People were selling cooked meat and deep-fried kabobs on sticks, cooked fish sliced up and served with lemon at an outdoor restaurant, fresh berries being squeezed into wine for the grownups and juice for the children, and of course sugary treats like caramel apples, pies, ice cream, and bars of chocolate, some molded into the form of animals like dogs, horses, and bears. A few were shaped like dragons or griffins, and even bunny rabbits. Erika's stomach grumbled as she took in the smell. Every aroma intermixing in a way that made her hunger grow with each breath.
Luckily for her, Geist shared her sentiment. Erika paid for her horse and her meals. Erika was amazed by how good the food tasted. The spaghetti and shrimp was delicious and the ice cream she was offered was addictively sweet. The oats was pretty good for Geist and a cone full of blueberries and strawberries with mini carrots.
When she saw a boy around her age with a gray Jorvik terrier by his side. He has warm brown eyes, dark skin and messy black hair. He was wearing a Jorvik ranger uniform. He was holding out flyers for something, Erika had walked towards the incoming crowd as her curiosity had started to kick in. Erika started walking towards the boy curiously, but she flinched back when the boy's dog had started barking and her mare whinnied protectively.
"Wolfe, heel!" scolded the boy and his dog quieted down, he smiled reassuringly at Erika and Geist. "I'm Matthew."
"I'm Erika," replied Erika. "What are you doing in these parts?"
"I need some volunteers to help the Jorvik Rangers and explore the unknown," Matthew explained as he showed the flyer to her.
Erika took the flyer and looked down at it curiously at the sight of Mistfall before she looked up at the open, friendly face of in front her. "I might be interested in this offer."
"Really?" Matthew smiled at her, which made her smiled back shyly. "Great." He soon showed Erika some paperwork and she immediately signed it, since she knew in her heart that she's making the right choice.
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Erika and Geist were both at the docks, ready to leave with their bags. She hugged Linda and shook hands with Herman and Imane to say her goodbye while Geist nuzzled the two horses (Meteor and Flame) before the ferry had arrived.
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Erika was looking around curiously from her seat in the ferry boat. Erika inched closer to her seat, she looked over over the ferry's railing while Geist standing next to her shoulder. The landscape had changed dramatically. Her home was long gone behind her, and the sea lay in front of her. Erika could hear the sounds of the sea, but when she looked down she saw all sorts of sea life underneath the shimmering waves of the sea. She saw a pod of dolphins herding a school of fish. Erika caught a glimpse of a group of seals playing in the water. For a brief moment, Erika thought she saw a faint outline of a Jorvik Wild within the mist on a rock. She heard stories about a nature spirit of a horse. The Songsorrows seem tame, even pitiful, until it is too late to escape the vicious water horse. In some accounts the water source was created by the horse's tears after losing their rider, and now the spirit waits for their rider's return, crying a haunting song that lures the unsuspecting onto their back. The person may be released when the Songsorrow realizes the human on their back is not the one they are waiting for. The other possibility is the Songsorrow, in a grief stricken rage, will drag the human into the water never to be seen again. Songsorrows, as embodiments of water, are versatile in temperament. They can be calm or dangerous, frozen or boiling, and should be treated with caution.
Erika shook her head about the legendary water horses. She watched as the ferry sailed through a thick fog and heard the cries of a flock of sea gulls. But once the fog parted, Erika was stunned at the sight before her. She could see a village as the ferry slowly approached to the docks. She had seen astonishing pictures of Mistfall. High mountains, hills and slopes, and a rich shade of dark green that almost looked photoshopped. The sparkling, vast blue sea around the island seemed endless. It brought the stories of colorful fairy tales she'd read when she was little to life. She inched closer to the railing, not willing to be seen by anybody. Erika waited a few more minutes and watched as the others they either gotten off the ferry or had gotten onto the ferry. But it wasn't long till she and Geist had arrived to Mistfall. 
The ferry finally came to a stop, the ramp lowering to meet the wooden dock as the guard rail lifted. Multiple men immediately climbed aboard and began to unload the crates. Erika didn't say a word to any of them as she led Geist off the ferry and walked from the boat onto the dock, her and Geist's stuff in the saddlebags. It felt weird, having a solid surface be still after four hours of rocking, but it didn't take long for her legs to adjust and remember how to work. She looked at Dundull with wary admiration and curious fascination before focusing on her task at hand. The village was surrounded by the beautiful woods of Mistfall. Dundull seems to be characterized by Viking styled architecture. All of the houses are all made of wood with unique carvings and shields decorating the outer walls.
Erika smiled at the sight of her birthplace and mounted Geist. As she rode through the town, she admired the beauty around her. Erika saw some villagers here and there. Some were talking to each other, a few eating and talking to each other at the town's restaurant, a couple of children playing together (the youngest are around six and the oldest are around ten) with some balls and cuddling with some animals, and one or two Mistfall rangers were either by the fishing docks and in the courtyard.
Erika hummed thoughtfully as rode Geist in a calm trot on the trail. In the middle of town was a shimmering white tree with sparkling red leaves and moss-covered stones in the center of plazas. She convinced Grist to come to a stop to stare at the seemingly magical tree. But in the circle of stones was a boulder-made pedestal with information have been carved on the top.
Erika narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the sight of the pedestal and started reading it quietly. "This tree have been planted in honor of Inga Thrymson and her horse, Valkyrie. She had risked her life to protect the people of Dundull from the attack against a crew of pirates. With heroism, she became admired and respected for turning the tide against the terrible war." Erika's eyes softened when she a woman figure on a horse.
She clucked her tongue, which encouraged her mare to trot away from the the tree and into the woods. There's some mountains that seems quite rocky and tricky, it's not too far from her and it seems really tall. As she looked around, she could see that Mistfall is a great forest with extremely lush and saturated colors. The trees found in the area are evergreen or pine trees and many of the plants are blooming with fruits and berries. Sunbeams are coming down from the sky, illuminating the dark forest and casting warm golden glows around them. There are butterflies around the plants and birds flying high in the blue sky.
But she soon found some wooden buildings in a nearby forest clearing. She saw a wooden building that's probably the office. But she could see some wooden houses, a great hall for meals and meetings, and barn a few feet away with a paddock. In the center of the circle of buildings was an empty fireplace surrounded by some logs and a wooden flag pole with the flag of the Mistfall Rangers. There's four or five rangers there, four of them were tying the reins of their horses to the hitching poles and packing their last minute supplies into the saddlebags. But Erika was surprised when she saw a unique black Jorvik Wild mare with an orange mane and tail, along with some ranger riding tack.
"Hello." She dismounted her horse with the reins in hand and saw an adult ranch man with blue eyes, blond eyes, and a diamond beard. "I am Sam, Head of the Ranchers."
"Hi, I'm Erika." Erika and Sam both shook hands. She soon stepped back and let Geist lay her head on her shoulder, gently stroking her cheek. "And this is my partner, Geist." Geist whinnied. "We signed up for the exploration up north."
"I understand." Sam smiled at her warmly. "I'm pretty proud and impressed by your adventurous spirit."
Erika felt a little embarrassed, but proud at Sam's compliment. "Thanks Sam." He nodded to her and walked away.