Authors: Samantha Forest
She shrugged his arm off, and sheathed the dagger she was currently holding. “Fine.”
“They’ll always be more bears,” Ivar said, now trying to catch up with the running warrior girl. “The mountains are full of them.”
Moira ignored him though he knew he was right. There was nothing special about this one in particular. It was just frustrating every time something like this happened.
What if that bear kills someone because I wasn’t able to kill it first? The blood would be on my hands.
As if reading her mind, Ivar said, “It’s not your duty to kill every bear you see, you know.”
“I know,” she replied, getting in line with the rest of the soldiers gathered in the village center.
But I am making it my duty.
Ivar sighed, knowing that the stubborn woman beside him would by no means give up on her foolish quest. But as looked at her dedicated expression and her beautiful form, he knew that he would never leave her side either.
“Keep your eyes forward, Griogal!” Saburo, Dùghlas’ second in command, roared as he walked along the ranks of fighters. “Your focus should be on the enemy. Not on your comrade.”
Moira shook her head slightly in embarrassment.
Oh Ivar.
Ivar gave the young leader a look of pure contempt, but said nothing.
However, Saburo Lios was not the type to let anything go quietly. “Do you have something to tell me, Ivar? Or should have make you shovel dung out of the stables?”
Clenching his hand into a fist, the only thing that stopped him from escalating the situation further was a pleading gaze from Moira. “No, sir.”
“Good,” Lios replied with a smirk. “Because-“
“Now, now, Saburo,” a calm, yet stern voice interrupted. Emerging from the main roundhouse, Chieftain Dùghlas added, “Let us not forget our true enemy.”
“Of course, sir,” he muttered, now appearing embarrassed himself.
“Moving onto the reason I have called you here. As you may have heard, there are rumors of foreign raiders on the northeastern border from the Fòlais clan. Although we have tried to live in peace, Pádruig Fòlais is determined to take over our land. This is unacceptable. Not only is that a breaking of the treaty we have so strictly followed, it is also an insult to our own ancestors which gave their very lives to ensure the safety of our clan.”
“Will we be planning a preemptive strike then?” asked Lios.
The chieftain shook his head. “No. Though they have been dishonorable by trespassing on our borders, however, we will not do the same. It would only make us seem as shameful as the Fòlais. Instead, I will be sending out guards to patrol the edges of our territory. We cannot allow for them to harm any of our people.”
Nodding in agreement with the leader’s wise words, Moira was surprised to see him suddenly turn towards her.
“Moira Buiseid. I hear that you are quite knowledgeable of the thick forests at the mountain peak. Is this true?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered.
“Good. I am then commanding you to survey the area from dusk to dawn.”
“It will be my honor, sir,” Moira stated, holding her head up high.
“I-I will join her in this patrol, Chief Dùghlas,” Ivar interjected. “I cannot allow my partner to go alone.”
Lios appeared to be ready to flog him right there, but Dùghlas only seemed amused. He nodded in approval before moving on to assigning the rest of the soldiers their duties.
As the two began to walk towards the long trail up Beinn Nibheis, Moira slugged her comrade in the arm. “It’s as if you want us to get demoted to manure duty,” she hissed.
The youth gave a grin as he replied, “It’d be worth it if I got to see you shoveling dung.”
Rather than waste her energy by hitting him again, Moira just silently swore that she would get him back later.
***
“You’re telling me that you have no interest in partaking in any Lughnasadh activities?” Ivar asked, kicking a stone out of the small path. “You have not to one event out of the entire week so far.”
“I have more important things to tend to than some silly summer dances and drinking around a bonfire,” Moira replied huffily, setting up a snare trap. “I’ve been busy trying to keep our clan safe. Didn’t you hear that Ezar and Uralas found tracks near the Nielm River? It’s only a matter of time before they try to come through the Wulf Pass here.”
Ivar sighed. “I was just trying to get you to enjoy yourself for once.”
“I enjoy myself plenty,” Moira responded. “By taking care of the enemy, and bears.”
“Speaking of which-“ Ivar started, motioning his head north of them.
Turning her head, Moira immediately went for her bow as she saw it.
It was the largest brown bear she had seen in a long while. The waning evening sunlight made it barely able to distinguish, but there was no mistake. It was there, and it was watching them. Or rather, it was watching her. But unlike every other ravenous bear that they had come across, it did not seem aggressive. In fact, its large, brown eyes appeared to be studying her with the same intensity as she was. If she had not known better, she would have said it looked intelligent.
As Ivar moved to get his own bow, the creature started to turn.
“Come on, Ivar!” Moira shouted, already on its trail. “We can’t let it get away!”
But even as the pair ran at full speed through the forest’s thick brush, the beast was already gone without a trace.
“Damn!” Moira cursed.
Throwing up his hands, Ivar began to pack his things.
“Where are you going?” she asked irritably.
“To the Lughnasadh festival,” he replied. “I’m sorry, Moira. But even Chieftain Dùghlas was willing to give us at least one night off to celebrate. And I plan on taking mine today.”
“Fine,” Moira spat. “I hope you get as drunk as you can possibly get.”
“I do, too,” he replied flatly.
And with that, Moira was left alone in the near total darkness of the forest. With only a small torch to light her way through the trail decided to go towards a special clearing located near a small pond. As usual, the moonlight shone on the water’s shimmering surface in a magnificent luster. On the grass meadow bank were a multitude of white night-blooming flowers.
With a large sigh, Moira picked one and took a deep breath. Letting the sweet, floral scent fill her senses, she whispered, “Why does it always seem as if I end up alone?”
Too be quite honest, she was not very angry at Ivar for leaving her behind. Moira did not expect anyone to be as committed as she was when it came to hunting or patrolling – particularly when there was something as spectacular as the Lughnasadh going on. But what did sadden her was the fact that there was no one to match her. And the end result was usually this; sitting in the dark, wondering what her next move should be.
Perhaps… Erskina is right. Maybe I should just put the hunt behind me.
Grunting in frustration, Moira threw the flower into the dark water. Dusting herself off, she then began to make her way back to the village.
No, I cannot just give in that easily. It does not matter that I cannot count on anyone. I should not have to. I am perfectly capable on my own –
The young huntress was barely able to complete the thought when the ground underneath her feet gave way. Though the pit was only a few feet deep, the way she fell resulted in several bruises and a sprained ankle. Dazed and confused, Moira looked around the hole to realize that it was one of her own traps. She wanted to curse and fume at her own lack of observation and stupidity, but in her condition, the last thing she needed was to attract a hungry predator. And with her torch extinguished by the fall, it only made her that much easier a target.
Gulping at the thought of becoming food for a pack of hungry wolves, Moira began to feel around the walls for a way to escape. Unfortunately, it seemed that the sides of this pit had been smoothed evenly with extra care. Still refusing to admit defeat, she continued to try and climb up the muddy edges of the trap, but to no avail. Her vain attempts only resulted in fatigue and even more strain to her injuries.
In the end, Moira could only laugh at the bitter irony of the situation.
I suppose if I can just survive until morning I’ll be alright. Ivar will surely notice I’m missing by then.
Of course, that was assuming he had not drunk enough to incapacitate himself until noon. Having nothing else to do, Moira began to listen to the sounds of the forest; hoping that she may catch the sounds of a stray hunter or wood gatherer.
However, the next thing she heard sent chills up her spine. It started off faint, like leaves rustling, but soon it began to come from multiple directions. In a few moments, it was as if she was engulfed in a sea of whispers. Moira felt her heart nearly stop as she realized what it was.
Adders.
As a wind blew away several branches above her, the uncovered moonlight confirmed this to be true. She was now surrounded by a slithering, hissing mass of venomous adder snakes. If they had noticed her yet, they did not show it. But adders were an odd, deceptive creature. They could slumber peacefully at the feet of an unwitting hunter, or they could strike at the least suspecting moments.
Biting her lip, all the Moira could do was sit as still as possible and hope that they would leave her be. Fate appeared to have other plans, though, as the gentle breeze traveling through the trees abruptly became a strong gale. The old tree right over the pit then released several weak branches. Though only slightly larger than twigs, the stimulus was enough to send the serpents into a frenzy.
Knowing that there was no longer a point in being calm, Moira began to claw once again at the walls of the pit.
I cannot die this way
, she thought, picturing the swollen, bloated victims of adder bites she had witnessed in the past.
I cannot let this be my fate!
With a few of the serpents now threatening to attack her, Moira let out a horrified scream. Closing her eyes, she continued to reach towards the surface. To her shock, she then felt a strong grip grab her hand. Looking through her cloudy vision, Moira was able to see a tall, masculine figure lift her from the pit.
The young woman was only just able to make out the face of her rescuer in the darkness. With his tanned skin, blue eyes, and long dark hair, she knew immediately it was not of her clan. But as exhausted as she was from both exertion and terror, Moira could do nothing further as she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Moira awoke to a damp towel being dabbed onto her forehead. She was pushed down as she tried to get up.
“Stop moving, Moira!” The scolding voice of Erskina whispered harshly. “You should continue to sleep.”
The young woman groaned as her throbbing head and sore limbs shot pain throughout her body. “I… I can’t… I… have… guarding duty.”
“That is not until dusk. Now stop squirming and rest for at least a few more hours.” The old woman shook her head. “Honestly, collapsing at the front of the house like that. Not to mention being covered in all that dirt and leaves. I do not even want to know what you and Ivar were up to last night.”
Moira’s already red face turned a dark shade of crimson at the implication. “I did not do anything with Ivar last night!”
“Oh? And then how do you explain what happened to you?”
“I-I…” Her mind raced as she tried to come up with an explanation. It took a moment, but eventually the entireties of last night’s events were recalled. The fall into the pit and the mysterious stranger that saved her. But after the way Erskina was already worried about her constantly, Moira was hesitant to tell her the truth. “I-I was fighting with a few drunk rabble-rousers leaving the festival while I was hunting. One of them got the better of me for a moment. And I must have stopped to rest outside the house and fell asleep. It is nothing to be troubled about. Honest.”
Erskina’s blue eyes scrutinized her, looking for any sign of deceit. “And Ivar did not help you?”
“Ivar and I went our separate ways because I did not want to go to the festival.”
At least that part is true
, Moira thought, hoping that Erskina would just let the matter rest.
The old woman shook her head, but did not bother to interrogate her further. However, she did say one last thing she said before finally leaving to tend her garden. “No person can stand on their own forever, Moira. Eventually you will have to depend on others for help.”
The words rang in her ears as she lay in her bed.
Oh Erskina, it’s already happened.
The only question now was what to do next. Though she was grateful that the man had been merciful enough to save her, he was still an enemy. And there was no telling what he had been doing in the forest. Scouting for weakness? Setting traps for their troops? Even simply poaching their animals could be an offense punishable by death.
But as Moira strained to even get up, she knew that there was nothing she could do right now. As she hobbled over to the small fire pit to make some tea, Ivar suddenly appeared in the doorway.
“Moira? Are you alright?” he asked with concern.
“Never better,” she replied with a bitter laugh that ended in a cough.