The Dragonwalk Highway: The Fellowship of Thirteen

8 - The Wild

If arriving in the Mother's Womb was the equivalent of being welcomed to Paradise, the exit was the equivalent of having the Creator give the whole dozen of the Fellowship the 'ole boot-to-ass treatment. The colors and the pleasant odors faded and surrendered to the eerie sounds and primal smells of the Wild. The forest rose up around them with towering pine trees and the constant sound of running water although there was no water visible. The smell of wet moss became so overpowering it actually transformed from a smell into a taste. There were flowers along the road but they paled in comparison to the beauty of the flowers growing in the Mother's Womb and only reminded the group of the beauty and safety now far behind them. A feeling of dread encompassed the entire group, especially after suffering the first loss of their quest at the tendrils of a giant carnivorous plant. Somehow they knew the loss would not be the last.

Zelda realized that each step her horse took was the furthest she had ever been from the castle. It was exciting and terrifying and vomit-inducing all in a single nebulous emotion. She was doing it. She was questing. She would save her father and return a conquering hero.

The forest had reclaimed most of the highway over the years. It became difficult to navigate the farther they traveled into the forest. The trees leaned in toward the road, scratching and clawing at the horses with their branches. Oron moved to the front of the pack with Mo trotting at his side. Frederick rode just behind the duo jotting wildly on his parchments as his horse struggled to keep him balanced. Each time Oron lead the group back onto the road after it disappeared into the underbrush Frederick made a sound like a chicken cluck and made a note of it.

"Yes! Yes! We'll double our tax collectors' time through the woods. We'll put this road back together for the good of the kingdom...for tax purposes."

The Red Shirts flanked Zelda's horse on either side and boxed her in from the front and rear. They were on high alert, waiting for even the slightest hint of danger to throw themselves in harm's way for the Princess. The surviving servants followed with Sir Melthiar riding in the rear, his eyes drinking in everything. Zelda's horse, boxed in on all sides, bounced off each horse to the front, the left, the rear, and then the right with each trot. She struggled to stay on her horse with the constant jostling. She was also concerned because one of the Reds, the one who had been rolling around in the Ivy back at the Mother's Womb, was developing a fairly nasty rash all over his body.

"Uh—could we possibly spread out a bit?" she asked.

"Afraid not, Princess," Melthiar said. "Too dangerous out here. The Wild is too unpredictable. Can't take any unnecessary risks."

Zelda started to argue but decided it wasn't worth it. She just focused on remaining on the horse while the poor animal was assaulted on all sides.

The sun began to set, casting long shadows over the highway. The birds fell silent. Their calls were replaced with strange growls and hisses from the bushes from unseen specters. The horses pulled more tightly together and their pace quickened. Only Oron and Mo seemed unfazed by the fading light and the ominous soundtrack.

The convoy reached a fork in the road with a wooden sign indicating that the right path led to the realm of the Wood Elves while the left path continued deeper into the woods. Oron didn't even hesitate. He led the group down the left path.

"Whoa!" Melthiar called from the back. He trotted to the front of the pack to confer with Oron. Zelda, after escaping her horse box, trotted after him.

"Where are you taking us?" Melthiar demanded. "I know these woods well enough to know the fastest route to the mountains is through the land of the Wood Elves and we're already running low on daylight."

"Common misconception," Oron said. He began to trot off.

"Now hold on," Melthiar said. "If there was a quicker way to the mountains it would have been mapped long ago." He called back to Frederick and the royal surveyor joined the conference. "Is there a known route through these woods that gets us to the Ogre's Back by going around the land of the Wood Elves?"