There s nothing Outside the Forest, 2/3

  We were lucky.We all survived that night, and were able to travel the next day… slowly.

  Now, after all that happened, I think it is always lucky to survive a night.

  With my help, Tomm climbed atop our wounded bull, and I walked along side him. At every twist in that narrow valley, we feared an ambush from the Orc.

  The Orc are predictably, they will always try to kill us.

  Limping, as the wounded animals that we were, we left the shadow of the mountain. The river narrowed, and the trees grew thicker. The Great Lake and mountains were long gone. It was as though I was still close to my family next, and -again- it was as though there could be nothing outside the forest.

  

  The next day we came across a filthy and stinking camp of the Orc. They were long gone,the Orc stench remained.

  With our brave brother bull wounded, I feared the Orc greatly, almost as much as if I were alone.   

  Past the dirty Orc camp, we found many dead trees.

  Not slashed, maimed, and burn- in the orc way- but cut down at the base. The small branches had been cut or burnt away, and the trunks and bows had been dragged elsewhere.

  I could not understand this slaughter. The Orc are always burning, but why kill all the tree and take away the trunk.

  First we found a murdered Ash. Then five butchered Pines. Then patches where dozens of trees lay dead together.

  It was as bad as the skull piles. I held tomm close to me, I felt so tired. We had travelled so far and seen so much badness.

Freya

Was'hail Freya in the Sunset,
Hail the Lady in the Dawn,
See Her eyes where lovers have met,
Feel Her kiss on the Forlorn.

There is nothing Outside the Forest, part 2/2

My legs and arms were cut, but not bad. But Tomm’s left leg was cut to the bone, and the bulls flank was cut badly.

  “Wait here!” I shouted.

  I leapt from the bull, into the forest, and searched for the leaves that heal.

  There are many leaves, herbs and flowers in the forest. Some are nourishing, some healing, some deadly, some do nothing. Such is life.

  When I returned the bull as lying down, and Tomm was sat against his belly. There was too much blood.

  First I stuffed their wounds with the purple herb, then sealed their wounds with leaves, then gave them seeds of the sky flower for the pain.

  After that, I was my cuts in the river, then I hunted.

  I hoped we could travel the next dawn, and I really hoped the Orc would not return.

There Is Nothing Outside The Forest, part 2/2

We walked back down, away from the ice and snow, to the river, then through the valley under the Great Mountain.

  To something worse...

  First, I thought they were Sleep trees. A long line of sleep trees all across the valley. They were not. There were all kinds of trees, with all kinds of bones thrown in them. The bones and skulls of thousands. Across the ground also the bones of The People were cast. Many bones broken and many skulls smashed, and the bones of the orc lay amongst them. Weapons too, and parts of weapons. Hundreds of skulls, too, were piled up in mounds, the hollow eyes staring down at me.

  I held Tomm and wept. I had never seen such horror.

  Perhaps Tomm had. He was silent. His cold eyes were dry and his gaze was far away.

  There was a carved rock too, on the path by the river bank. Its runes read-

  “FEY DIE HERE.”

  I began to understand the meaning of the word ‘Fey’.

  Then the orc came.

  We heard them first, smashing through the trees. Then we smelt them. Then they were upon us.

  Tomm and I threw our knives at the leading orc. One to the belly, one to the head.

  Our bull charged on the narrow path, hammering two orc with his horns.

  Then they were around us. They knew then to avoid the bull’s horns and mighty rear hooves. They came from the sides, stabbing up at us with knives and spears. Hacking towards our legs and the bull with axes.

  I smashed one orc skull with my axe as it reached up to stab me.

  Next, the bull was hurt and went mad. Thrashing with his hooves and butting and goring. Leaping in circles, frantic to kill orc. He spun and kicked and roared in pain and rage… and all we could do was hold on.

  In a moment it was over.

  The orc fled into the forest, or jumped into the river and were washed away.

  Our bull calmed, and we caught our breath.

  My legs and arms were cut, but not bad. But Tomm’s left leg was cut to the bone, and the bulls flank was cut badly.

  “Wait here!” I shouted.

  I leapt from the bull, into the forest, and searched for the leaves that heal.

There is nothing outside the forest. Part 1 of 2

This is a story I started in 2014 and have continued.
The last part is on the link

http://postromanticnightmares.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/of-drums-grew-ever-louder-and-land-rose.html

PART 2

  At first, I found the Great Lake beautiful. The huge open space, the flocks of ducks, the strange fish, the cool wind, the way the water changed its colour from rock gray to a bright blue that I had never seen before. Most of all, I liked the way that it reflected the moon and stars at night.

  But I did not like the sky above the Great Lake. I was too big, and at midday the sun was too bright. It hurt my eyes.

  That sky was like a massive burden above me, that ought to fall at any moment, and I dared not look at it.

  On the lake bank I felt exposed… like a rabbit that smells a fox and is far from home…

  We walked on the lake bank, Tomm called it The Great Lake Shore, for many days. It was too big.

  On the first night there, I lept alone in a tree while Tomm slept on his bull on the shore.

  It was lonely, and I did not feel safe knowing that there was so much open space near by. If the orc came from the trees, where would I hide?

  On the second night lay in the tree, holding my axe against my chest with both hands for comfort. It did not help. It was too lonely.

  I climbed silently down and came up to Tomm and his bull. Without waking them, I climbed and curled up next to him. The bull’s belly was warm and it was good to know Tomm was so close.

  When I woke in the dawn I found that I was holding him. He smiled, and said nothing.

  We kept walking.

  After noon on the fourth day at the Great Lake, we rounded a corner on the shore and reached the mouth of a big river. The Great Mountain loomed above us.

  It cast a shadow over both land and water.

  I had never seen anything so high, or dreamed of anything so huge.

  Pines grew atop it, everywhere but the very top, which was covered with snow. I did not know snow could exist so early in the year.

  There was a strange thing at the river mouth. A rock, cut square with writing carved in it.

  We, the People rarely write the runes. Sometimes we mark a Sleep Tree or place signs to warn of danger. But we all know hw to cut and raad the runes.

  These runes were different. We cut smoothly into wood, but these were carved- straight and jagged- into rock.

  There seemed to be three words,

  “NO FEY HERE.”

  The word “Fey” had no meaning to me, maybe I had misread the strange runes.

  “Where now, Tomm?” I asked.

  “It was your dream,” he replied.

  I wanted to escape from the open water, and I hoped that- from the great height of the mountain- I might be able to see an end to the forest.

  It was a bad idea. Unlike a tree, the further you climb up a mountain, the colder you get. The first night on the mountain was cold. I could hear the bear, and wondered if the Great Shaman was with us. The second night, despite having Tomm in my arms, was the coldest I had ever been. It was too cold, and still the mountain towered above us.

  We walked back down.