Out of the Wild Lands

Chapter Three

Having bid farewell to Ägidhardt and the dragons, Hagniwar was now traveling through a different stretch of the large forest in front of the cliffs. There were fewer birds, and in some places moss hung from tree limbs like curtains. He held a strand of moss in his hand, amazed at how even something like moss seemed so alive. And not only the moss, but Ägidhardt and the dragons, too. It made him feel small to see all the life of the forest around him, but he took a deep breath and kept going.

Bit by bit, the trees of the forest began to change. Hagniwar saw their leaves had different shapes, and their bark different textures and colors. It felt and looked warmer. "There was a lake on the map, right?" Hagniwar asked himself, checking his map. Sure enough, there it was, over to the southwest across a river. There had not been any running water in the city- at least, not that Hagniwar had seen. Most of the time you would have to have a jar set out to catch rain, or drink from the few gutters in the neighborhood. Just thinking of a real river made Hagniwar thirsty. He licked his lips and swallowed, and put the map away before thinking about the river could distract him.

The forest became a little thinner, and Hagniwar could see up to the sky between the trees. Looking ahead through them, there was a strange shape. It seemed to have mossy tree trunks in it, but then there was a part on top with grass. Then, under the grass next to the trunk: a window! Curious, Hagniwar walked around off towards its side, and found himself in a large clearing- a field. With the trees out of the way, Hagniwar realized with a shock the shape was a home! It had another window and a door on the front, and a stack of rocks on the roof that must have been a chimney. It seemed simple and peaceful and cozy, making Hagniwar's heart ache. He couldn't see anyone behind the window but he felt like someone was there. He thought for a moment of seeing who lived there, but that scared him, even though the people outside the city had been good so far. Then, when he saw the door begin to open, he started running towards the other side of the field.

"Wait!" Someone called out. Hagniwar didn't turn to look, and kept running. His mouth was dry, and he became thirstier than he had first thought he was. He got scratches on his arms and legs from running through the undergrowth, swatting aside thorny vines and branches. The time also seemed to pass in a frantic dash, until Hagniwar had stumbled out of the forest. He rested on his hands and knees, taking in big gulps of air, then curled down on his side. He thought of the dragon's memory, or receiving the medallion from the King, and of the words the King spoke to them. He was there in the courtyard with them, resting on the ground. He tried to understand the King's short words, mouthing them with him.

Coming up from the dragon's memory- kjérddis, he remembered the one who gave him the medallion calling it- Hagniwar saw a plain in front of him. He took out his map, and saw that the nearest one was on the other side of the forest. There were no mountains or hills on the horizon, which must have meant that he was getting closer to a river. He started running again, remembering his sprint to the bridge, and went as fast as he could.

There was a sound that Hagniwar could hear off in the distance. It was like nothing he had heard before, but it reminded him of rain falling on boxes and rooftops. "Is that it?" He asked himself. The grass was long and green, and though it slowed him down a little, Hagniwar kept running as fast as he could. Then, over the top of the grass, he saw light reflecting off something- and, coming closer, he saw it was a river!

It was wide and clear and deep, the water rippling around a few large boulders downstream. Thirstier than ever, Hagniwar walked up to the river bank and got down on his hands and knees. He cupped his hands and scooped up water to drink quickly. It was pure and clean. He wanted to swim in the water, to bathe in it, play in it and even rest in it. Hagniwar drank and drank from the river until he was full. When he was done, he sat back and looked at the other side. The river was wide, over a stone's throw across, and Hagniwar couldn't make out individual blades of grass on the other side. But, he remembered climbing up the cliff toward the cave, and decided to swim across. Though he was no longer thirsty, Hagniwar felt even more that he had to keep going.