Another place; Another time

5: Tarlach

                  

"Duncan told you to bring these to a bear?" Nora asked as she examined the strange herbs.

Hedi nodded. "Yeah, he did. It's kind of weird, don't you think?"

Nora shrugged. "I've heard of weirder things. Where did he say this bear is?"

"Sidhe Sneatch."

"Are you serious?" Nora exclaimed, dropping the bundle. "It's always snowing up there, and it's infested with coyotes! What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go search for a bear." Hedi stated, her posture firm. Her voice, however, trembled with fear. As she stood, the young girl grabbed the herbs that lay at her feet. "You said you'd show me around town, and I'm grateful, but Morrighan needs me. If I'm going to help her, I need answers. Duncan said this bear would be able to teach me, and as crazy as that sounds, I trust him. I'm going to leave. Thank you for lunch; it was delicious."

Hedi reluctantly turned away from her friend. There was a brief silence before she heard a faint clatter of ceramic. A soft hand closed around her wrist, causing the girl to swiftly look back. Nora had thrust herself forward in order to stop Hedi from leaving; a once full bowl of fruit lay overturned beside her legs.

"Wait," Nora murmured, "I can't let you go unprepared. You could get hurt, or worse." She released her hold on Hedi's wrist once she was certain the child wasn't going to leave. She packed up the picnic in a hurry. Once the blanket was securely bundled, the pair headed back into town. Walking through the crowded town square, they headed towards the building with the spinning wheel and loom to the side of it.

Once inside, they were greeted by a young man with light blonde hair and brown eyes. He glanced up from the stringed instrument he had been cleaning. He studied Hedi with a kind grin. His eyes then wandered over to Nora, and his face lit up with admiration.

"Nora!" he cheerfully exclaimed, "Good afternoon! How are you? May I help you with anything?"

"I'm great, thanks Malcolm. Actually, yes, we do need your help. My friend, Hedi," she gestured to Hedi, who gave Malcolm a shy smile, "needs a coat and boots. We were hoping you have those things in stock."

"Of course! I just got a shipment yesterday. Come with me." He led the girls to the back of the store, setting the instrument on the front counter as they passed. Malcolm sat Hedi down and measured her feet. Nora sat next to her and observed. After a few moments, Malcolm stood and grabbed a pair of white fur boots from the wall display. He handed them to Hedi. She took them graciously and pulled them on. They fit snugly. She got up and took a few steps around the store.

"Those are lovely, Malcolm." Nora complimented as Hedi sat back down. "You didn't make them yourself, did you?" Malcolm shook his head.

"No, the fur comes from the arctic foxes around Vales. I get most of my winter stock from Zedar. He makes the boots and coats."

Hedi was confused. "Zedar?" she asked, turning towards Malcolm.

"Zedar is the general shop keeper and tailor in Vales, a city in the Physis region of Iria." Earning more confusion from the child, Malcolm continued to elaborate. "Iria is one of the three continents that make up Erinn. There's Iria, Belvast, and Uladh.

Uladh is the continent home to us humans. Belvast is a small continent used as a trade outpost. Iria is the biggest continent. The elves live in the deserts of Connous to the east, and the giants live in the snowy mountains of Physis to the north. Between them you have Rano and Courcle. Even further north of Physis is Zardine. Each section is separated by the flora and fauna of the area."

The young man took a breath allowing Hedi to absorb the new information. She was shocked by the fact that elves and giants existed in the world. This aroused many questions that she wanted answers to.

As she was caught in her thoughts, Malcolm had grabbed a coat matching the fur of the boots. He handed it to Nora, who helped Hedi slip it on. She stood again to button it up. It covered most of her body. Both the coat and boots were exceptionally warm. It didn't take long for Hedi to become uncomfortable.

"Well?" Malcolm inquired, "How do you feel?"

"Really warm." Hedi responded. The young man smiled.

"Good, that's how you should feel!"

He helped the child take the coat off and handed her the shoes she wore in. Hedi asked him for a bag she could use, and he happily gave her one. She shoved her other shoes into it. Nora stood as well, pulling a small coin purse out of a pocket on her dress.

"How much do we owe you?"

Malcolm seemed surprised that she even asked such a thing. He shook his head and pushed her money away. "You don't owe me anything, Nora. I'm just happy to help." Nora hesitated before putting the purse away. Taking the picnic supplies from her, Malcolm quickly added, "Let me take these back for you. It's less work on your part." She thanked Malcolm with a friendly hug. When she pulled away, Malcolm's face was flushed crimson. He helped the pair out and waved as they walked out of town.

Nora accompanied Hedi to the fork in the road. Once they arrived at the base of the mountain, Nora turned to her young friend.

"It may seem intimidating, but the journey isn't very long. Just head up the path. You shouldn't get lost." Hedi nodded. She pulled her coat on and adjusted her bag. Nora gently placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "Please, be careful. You don't want to be up there when it gets dark."

"Don't worry, I'll be alright." Hedi said, smiling. They hugged, then Hedi began to follow the path further into the woods.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The further Hedi walked, the colder it got. Soon, she made it to the end of the path. The Altar of Druids stood ahead of her. In the middle of the altar sat a large brown bear.

Hesitantly, Hedi stepped towards him. As she drew nearer, the bear lifted his head and stared at the girl. Every breath he took sent steam streaming out of his mouth. Hedi stopped where she stood and held out the bundle of blue herbs.

The bear considered them before sauntering over. He sniffed the herbs before taking them into his mouth. Hedi stayed as still as she could. She feared the bear would attack her. The bear, however, just turned and went back to the spot where he had been sitting. Hedi grew impatient. She had thought the bear would have shown a sign of understanding.

"Duncan said you would help me." she called out in desperation. "Morrighan appeared in my dream. Tir Na Nog is in danger. I don't know what to do. Please, help me." Hedi sniffed as she tried to hold back tears. Snow began to fall in a flurry around them.

The bear stopped in his tracks and dropped the herbs. He turned to look over his shoulder at the child; her dark hair and skin eerily contrasted against the white snow. He slowly twisted towards her. The bear moved one of his paws forward and dragged his claws through the snow. Hedi wiped her face and inched closer. The markings the bear was drawing turned into letters.

After a moment, the bear stopped writing. The word "Tarlach" was evident, until the icy wind covered it with a flurry of snowflakes.