Gallimaufry

Story Idea # 2

The wind caused the water to lap playfully at her canoe while she paddled against it, feeling the light craft bounce in counter rhythm to her paddling. Only the sounds of the water and her paddle broke the silence as she coasted along the familiar shore toward the far end of the lake, where dark storm clouds were gathering.

She was not going anywhere in particular, she took to the water to clear her mind, to allow herself to think as she left the worries of the world behind her. Her last birthday was less than a week ago, marked by the elaborate tattoo that still stung on her arm from a hunt she had successfully made that winter. She had been talking about adventures, explorations and war parties in response to the rumours of outsiders that had arrived on their shores.

Bedecca wanted to be one of those brave fighters to hunt through the forest and watch the strange people from across the oceans. She wanted to prepare for necessary fighting, or raids to convince them to leave her lands alone, and she had been full of hope over the upcoming council, hope that she would be selected in another month to be one of those lucky few.

Then her grandmother had silenced Bedecca and told her that her calling was for something more than the childish games of war and hunting. That Bedecca should be preparing to carry on her mother's legacy as a leader, should be looking for at least one husband, possibly two, to continue on the line of female warriors that stretched back several generations.

Bedecca's oldest sister had become a shaman priestess, a calling decided by the earth and powers that moved within the wilderness around them, leaving Bedecca to be considered the heir for her mother. Her younger siblings and cousins could be warriors and go off hunting in small skirmishes.

Bedecca had fallen silent and had remained so for a week, listening to the plans and lessons that swirled around her, teaching her to lead fighters now, not merely fight. Teaching her diplomacy, not tracking. She knew enough about tracking, she excelled at it, but they were trying to teach her to become more than that.

When her silence and their noise had become too much, she had pushed off into the water and paddled until their village was left behind, and even the birdsong didn't reach her ears. Her eyes continued to turn left, toward the distant shores that belonged to the ancient beasts and spirits that could sometimes be trusted, but not often.

Dryads of the forests and nymphs of the water were glimpsed by others, by those chosen to be the spiritual leaders of their people, but not for warriors like Bedecca. Still, she had always felt a draw to that side of the lake, a looming silence from within that shadowy wall of greenery that beckoned.

Feeling more frustrated than she had before she left, possibly because of the peace, Bedecca followed that draw, turning her craft to cut through the water and skim over the water that continued to rock her back and forth with the gentle teasing of the wind.

Closer.

With every lap of the waves or splash of her near silent paddling, she carved across the wide distance of the lake until she entered a quiet bay. There, she turned her boat a safe distance away from shore, smelling the wild and intoxicating sweetness of the spirit's world as she coasted back in the direction of home. But now that she was along the other shore, the wind had disappeared, leaving the surface a clear glass that reflected the sky perfectly.

Something rustled through the trees in the woods beside her, though her eyes could only pick up shadows that disappeared when she turned to look at them fully. Bedecca felt a thrill of adrenaline and a slow grin of adventure formed on her face as she allowed herself to coast, turning fully to look into those magical, dangerous depths.

Then she saw it.

Rocks formed steps out into the water, leading into what appeared to be more natural steps along a path into the trees. A quick paddle stopped her progress and turned her to face the entrance into the forest, straining her eyes and ears to catch any hint of what could be waiting for her within.

The water began to ripple around her, though there was no wind or current, it was just as if it were dancing around her canoe, silently, impatiently. The air buzzed with insects and in both directions, dark clouds loomed on the horizon.

Bedecca could turn home. With the stagnant breeze, she could make it to her village with plenty of time before the rain began. She could return to her lessons and listen to her mother and the council instruct her on what the council of tribes would be debating. She would be expected to take part in the ceremonies, assisting her mother and the rest of them, presenting her own gifts to the others and being given a voice to speak her thoughts.

Or Bedecca could turn to those woods, with only a knife and her bow and arrows, and see just what was calling her from within those woods. The playful creatures did not want her to be a priestess, she knew that. They would have appeared to her as a young child, as they had for her sister. They had been inseparable before the day Caullua had finally seen the dryad who had given her a sign as to her chosen fate. Bedecca would have been right there with her older sister, oblivious to the wise forest spirit, because it had not wanted her.

And she did not want to be a priestess, they did not adventure. They did not fight. They blessed things, spoke with ancestors and read the weather for signs of omens. Bedecca would not have been able to sit still to become a priestess.

But now. For some reason, she felt as if she were being called. Summoned. Lured to her demise, perhaps. If they wanted to sacrifice her to balance the world, she would have to accept that, though her sister had not mentioned anything that morning.

In fact, Caullua had told her to follow her heart.

As if her sister had known exactly what turmoil was within her. Bedecca nodded to herself and paddled forward, reaching a soft, sand shore beside the steps and pulling her canoe up out of the water completely, then tying it to a tree.

"Please forgive me, but I will need a way to go home." She murmured to the massive tree, ducking her head in reverence.

When it did not respond, she shouldered her bow and quiver and stepped onto the stairs, walking up into the woods without a backward glance. The humidity filled her senses with overwhelming scents of wood and spice, the dampened sounds of the wind rustling above the towering treetops overhead.

By the time the stone steps ended, delivering her onto a well-worn dirt path that continued to lead deeper into the forest, she was dripping with sweat and struggling to understand why she could smell the alluring scent of a shaman's fire.

Bedecca lost track of time, the world a muted darkness that continued to draw her forward with no concern as to what was behind her. Her body moved outside of her own volition and her mind felt heavy with contentment.

There were no more thoughts of conflict or frustrations. No demands to worry about or silence to seek. Bedecca only needed to concern herself with the now, the forest, the peace of everything around her.

"There she is." The voice sounded out across the distance as she stepped into a clearing that had not been in front of her a moment before.

A bright light danced like flames in front of her, blinding her.