Tansy of the Wilds

Chapter Six

The next day, Tansy woke up early, stretching out her stiff back. She missed her bedroll but she figured it was a good reminder of her being alive to complain about lacking a bedroll rather than being dead in the forest somewhere. She shuffled to the side before she carefully started folding the blanket. She nearly jumped as Xer'tal grunted at her from the bed. She glanced over at him quickly and he was lacing his armour back on.

He made the bed seem extra small as he sat on it, his large legs spread and Tansy rubbed at her eyes to remove the fogginess of sleep as her belly gave a slow flip as she looked at him. She could remember how strong he had been last night. She could still feel the thick muscles underneath her palms as she had been sent sprawling over him by that shove.

Her cheeks heated slightly, "Good morning." She gave him a small smile as she stood up and stretched with a yawn. She turned away from him so she could try to get the slight flush off of her cheeks. He had made his stance known, she was a job and his loyalty went as far as the coin she paid him. Her becoming flushed over how strong and rugged he was and looked was not part of that. She had to be professional.

"Rarely anythin' good about it." He grunted it out, his voice gravelly with something akin to sleep and it made Tansy give a slight shiver at the rugged and raspy sound of it. "We'll be heading out to yer old camp. We'll salvage what there is before we head out to Kelpfar." She nodded and glanced over at him and he pulled on his last boot.

She looked away as she set the folded blanket over the back of a wooden chair, placing the pillow she had used on the seat. "The bandit probably took it all." Her voice was a touch small but she could hear her papa and her brothers as they scolded her for just leaving her supplies. It wasn't much but it was all she had for her trip to Kelpfar and it had been foolish to just run but she had been scared out of her mind last night once she had escaped.

"I think the piss ant was more concerned for his cock ya filleted than yer pack." The orc grumbled it out as he stood up but there was a serious edge of amusement to his voice and she looked up at him, studying his face. He was definitely battle hardened, the scars on his face were clear and there was a bump on the bridge of his nose from it being broken, causing it to hang a touch crooked.

"I didn't fillet it. I just... poked it a little." She clasped her hands together as she said it.

That actually had him letting out a bark of laughter. "With us men, lass, ya can bet that when it comes to our cocks, a poke or a slice makes no difference." He nudged her with his elbow as he walked past. "We have ground to cover. Kelpfar is a distance away." She nodded her agreement and fell into step behind him as he led her down the stairs.

He put in an order for some quick breakfast fare to the barkeep, placing two coppers on the bar top. The barkeep nodded and disappeared into the back. Once he returned, he handed over two wrapped packages and Xer'tal handed one over to her. "Eat, Wilde. Ya will need yer strength. I keep a good pace."

Tansy smiled up at him. "Thank you!" She unwrapped the cloth and there was some sausage, a bun, and some hard cheese. He didn't really respond to her thanks, just rumbled out something she couldn't quite hear as he led her to the door.

She nibbled on the sausage and cheese as she walked beside him. She was dodging puddles as she kept pace beside the large orc. It was actually a fairly warm day out and she's enjoying herself. "I didn't make camp too far from town." She said it quickly before she broke off a piece of cheese, bread, and sausage. "Here." She held it out without thinking and he glanced at her, seeming to study her with narrowed eyes.

"I don't need it." He looked away and Tansy shrugged as she ate it herself.

"I normally don't go anywhere but my family really wants to make trade negotiations with the Kelpfar kobolds for their iron and as I said last night, I was the only one available to go." Tansy jumped around two puddles, holding her breakfast close so she wouldn't drop it.

"Doesn't make sense they sent ya alone." He grunted it out. "Any idiot worth his tusks wouldn't send a bloody female out on her own in these times."

His words have her pausing slightly. "I was the only one who could. I'm not entirely helpless. Plus I'm the best at negotiating and the kobolds seem to like me. Something about how my penchant for rambling makes them feel more welcome because they never stop talking and I never stop talking so they like it more. Flixom, the leader of the scout group my family met, told me that it's because I don't make them feel odd for talking as much."

"Still don't like it." He grunted before he paused, "Rambling making them feel more welcome?" Xer'tal echoed with slightly sarcastic bemusement, scratching the scars on his face as Tansy looked up at him. "Never thought I'd see the day when someone appreciates another who talks their ears off. But then, kobolds are strange little reptiles."

She smiled up at Xer'tal. "They have a very interesting culture, I learned a lot from Flixom and her group." She gives a small hum. "Also, I'm fairly boring to be honest. This is as far from home as I have ever been. Not very exciting, well except for the whole bandit thing. I could have done without that."

He gave a dismissive snort at the words, shooting her an incredulous look. "If nonstop jabbering kobolds, life at the peak of a war, and ya nearly removing a bandit's cock is what ya consider boring, then I dread to know what excites ya, woman." He grunts, "As for the bandit, I imagine ya could have done without him as well." He grumbled it out before pointing. "That yer camp?"

At his words Tansy looked to where she was pointing and she nodded. "Yes, that's where I made camp." The moment the words left her mouth he unsheathed his large axe and stalked forward but it seemed unnecessary because there was nothing there. Tansy looked around and nothing was really disturbed but there was a fair amount of blood around. Certainly more than she would have expected.

"Ya caught him in the cock good. Enough to bring out wolves." Xer'tal crouched down, gesturing to where the grass was torn up. "He was trying to stem it but ye can see the tracks, they attacked him, and then here he scrambled. He bolted and they followed." He scoffed as he pointed out the scuff marks and tracks on the ground. "Serves the piss ant right." He slowly rose to his full height before looking around, his grip on his giant axe tight.

Tansy just nodded, unsure of what to say as she quickly gathered her things. She shook out her bedroll and then rolled it tight before putting it back on her pack. She went through it and smiled when she saw the dittany still in it. Clearly the bandit hadn't had a chance to look through anything before the wolves had appeared. Even her rations were still there, and her small metal pot and water bladder.

"I suppose this is yer filleting knife." At Xer'tal's rough and gravelly voice, Tansy glanced over. He was holding the dagger she dropped last night and she smiled with relief.

"Yes! That's my dagger!" She shouldered her pack and walked over to him. He held it out and she took it with a smile. "Thank you." She felt relieved to have it back in her possession.

He gave a small grunt in response, placing his axe back in its sheath, his eyes looking to the distant peaks. "Time to head to Kelpfar. Day is wastin' and we have a good clip to go."