The New Druid

The gull flew over the root and entered into the meadow section where the villager’s busied around, if only to keep their minds away from the future. She landed on a post near the tavern and saw the white bearded man with a group.

“I heard Cathal’s daughter has gone missing. You were one of the last ones too see her. Ain’t that right Orin?” The baker’s wife asked.

The man with the white beard jolted. “Aye, I suppose I was,” He took a long sip out of his mug and scowled at the taste.

“Suppose you remember what you were talking about?” The baker said. He swirled his mug and the ale splashed inside the cup.

Orin downed his drink, “Dunno I was a little drunk, maybe another round will help me remember.”

The baker sighed and looked to his wife, she nodded. He grumbled and reached into his coin pouch and put a copper piece on the table. The drunk reached for it, but the baker pulled it away. “If you get any drunker we won’t understand you. You're going to have to earn this coin.”

Orin scowled and scratched at his beard. “She came to me last night, mighty angry. She taunted me with drinks just like you. Thank the Grand Elm my late wife can’t see me now.” He leaned onto the table and frowned. The baker’s wife moved to his side of the bench and patted him on the back.

The baker folded his arms and shook his head. “How many times do we have to tell you Orin, the Grand Elm is no god, It’s a gift from the Earth Mother. You’ll rile up the mainlanders again.”

“And your dismissal is what caused it to turn on us.” Orin slammed his fist on the table and glared up from his empty mug at the baker.

The bakers face turned red and he snatched up the coin. He stood from his bench and walked around the table grabbing his wife’s shoulder. “C’mon, this old fool and his myths will get us all lynched.”

The baker’s wife looked down on the old man eyes full of pity. Orin shook his head and sat up turning to the baker. “I told her about the Druid. I told her the druid is the one who would always break the curses in the past.”

The baker clenched his fists and shook them angrily. “So you filled a child’s head with such nonsense?”

“Una is no child! She’s our champion.” Orin protested.

Una shifted uncomfortably on the wooden post. She felt as foolish as a child, but she continued to watch.

The baker raised his fist, but his wife grabbed his arm and shook her head ‘no.’ The baker’s face faded to its normal color, and he let out a deep breath. He flicked the coin from his hand and it landed in the mud. “There’s your coin. Enjoy your drink, drunken fool.” and stormed off. The baker’s wife took another look at the old man and bit her lip, but soon followed after her husband.

Orin fell off the bench grabbing the coin, he looked at it painfully and sobbed. “Una, please save this town.”

Una cocked her head. But Orin continued to hold the coin in a prayer to the Grand Elm. Una shifted into a mouse and ran beside the man and touched him lightly, sniffing with her little nose. Orin opened his eyes and turned to the white mouse and smiled a wide yellow toothy grin. His eyes opened wide and he scooped up the mouse. He held it close to his face. “Una?”

After cringing from the smell of his breath Una nodded her head and stood up on her hind legs clapping her little paws together.

“Oh Blessed be the Grand Elm. She has not forgotten us. Una, what must be done? Please give me anything to do.”

The mouse shifted in his hands and gnawed on the coin still lodged between his fingers. She pushed on it until it fell back down in the mud. She turned back up to the white bearded man, seeing if he understood. Tears formed in his eyes and he nodded. “You’re right, druid. I’ll give it up for good. Thank you, I wasn’t a fool. The Grand Elm still blesses us.”

Una squeaked her approval and hopped out of the man’s hands and shifted into the white cat. She meowed happily and trotted away.

Orin held his hands up to the tree with an enormous smile on his face. “Thank you, Grand Elm, thank you.”

Una began to run blushing, she felt like she could actually make a difference in the world. Orin believed in her, there had to be others. She saw the baker, but he wasn’t headed for his shop. He was headed straight for Cathal’s post. Una’s eyes widened and she began to chase after.

Cathal sat on the stoops of the Guard tower, inspecting arrows. He wore his hunting boots and gloves. a scowl carved on his stone face. The baker approached him softening his steps in the presence of Cathal’s palpable rage.

“Um, Cathal.”

“Hm,” Cathal grunted. He was busy staring down an arrow’s shaft and sighed, placing it on his left deciding it wasn’t good enough. Then he picked up another.

“About your daughter.”

Cathal paused. He set the new arrow down on his right and leaned on a knee. “What.”

The baker scratched at the back of his neck. “That fool, Orin, he’s the one who sent her on a fool’s quest. He told her about the druid.”

Cathal sat still and stared at the baker. He tapped a finger on his cheek then shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Una made the choice to go to him, even if he didn’t tell her anything, she would have found out somehow.” Cathal picked up another arrow and continued his inspection.

“Is now the right time to go hunting Cathal? Your daughter--”

“The druid took everything from me, I will hunt him down, and if he does not have Una, I’ll kill him.” Cathal’s eyes were dry and cold. The eyes of a man with only one thing on his mind, either him or the druid must die. Una gulped nervously and the hairs stood up on her back.

“Cathal, you can’t be serious. The man is a myth. If the Mainlanders catch a whiff of this it’ll be trouble for us all.” The baker said his face glowing red again. But when Cathal only grunted a response the baker turned around and stomped towards the village. Una ducked behind the cobble fence, and heard the baker say, “damn fool, he’s no better than Orin.”

Una peeked around the fence and watched as her father continued to Inspect arrows. She longed to be near him, wanting to tell him so many things. But she couldn’t approach, Cathal was too perceptive to not suspect a white cat. He was looking for the druid. The druid he wanted to kill.

The white hairless sheep blended in almost perfectly, so long as Cathal didn’t scour through the flock. She walked down the hill to where the other sheep were, grazing along the way. For some reason, the grass tasted great, though she would never admit it. But as her nerves got worse it helped to have a little snack. Her heart was thumping, the thought of her father putting an arrow in her back at any moment sent a chill down her spine.

When she reached the other sheep she ‘baa’d’ hopefully. Another sheep ‘baa’d’ in response. It stared blankly at her grinding its teeth on a patch of grass. Of course, they couldn’t understand her. She hung her head dejected. She was hopeful that if she were the same species she could talk to the others. After all, the Grand Elm did say that she could communicate with animals. She suddenly felt the sadness of the curse of the druid. Eburacon was about to expire, how long could she possibly last. The thoughts buzzed around in her head and she couldn’t stop worrying. She felt a comforting nudge on her snout, and the sheep stared blankly at her, but it was as if the animal was telling her to cheer up.

Una felt a heavy guilt. She planned to bring several sheep to the wolves as a tribute. If those monsters got their strength back, they could go back to the jungle to hunt. Unless the mainlanders had already killed off all of their prey. She walked ahead of the group of sheep and begged them to follow. But they just stared blankly.

In the distance she watched the shepherds herding the sheep, In each group a black and white dog, a fourth the size of the wolves, barked happily as it circled the sheep. The shepherd whistled, and the dog began darting in towards the sheep. They moved. The dog backed out and came from the other direction. His happy barks sending the sheep forward. Una wanted to slap her brow in frustration. It was obvious, sheep don’t lead sheep.

Una blinked and contorted her still sheep mouth. She couldn’t become a dog, what was so hard to understand the animals. She knew what they ate, what they did, how they sounded. Why were the dogs different than the cat sheep gull or mouse? She pondered. Then she figured it out, she had empathized with the others. She blinked and became the cat and prowled after the dog.

The dog's tongue waved from its mouth, and it wagged its tail as it’s master patted its head. The sheep had just been led to a clear patch where they grazed on taller grass. The shepherd stretched and cracked his back and sat beside the dog. The dog stood on guard, protecting its master. Its tail still wagging with the pleasure of doing a good job. It was so happy just to have a purpose. Hours passed and the sun began to set at the end of the root. The shepherd finally stood, and for the first time since he sat, the dog lowered its guard, it droopy smile facing its master. Una sighed in relief, she had forced herself to stay still the entire time. There were many times when the dog would turn her way causing her heart to stop. Her instincts told her a chase would end poorly for her.

The sun touched the ocean and the shepherd headed towards the tavern, The dog happily trotting along after him. Una felt envious of the dog, its relationship with the shepherd reminded her of how her and her father’s used to be. Her blood boiled at the thought, she was still reluctant to save those monsters. She closed her eyes, and when they opened her tongue dropped out of her mouth.

The moon was still above the tree, and the village was covered in darkness. Una wiggled her nose and stayed alert for any new smells. The wind rolled over the top of the meadow and brought with it a host of interesting smells. It was like she had gained a second pair of eyes the scents were so distinct. The full moon peeked over the top of the Grand Elm and covered the meadow in a soft blue light. She felt her fur rustle, and she looked over to the village with weary eyes. It would take quite some time to adjust to her new life. She laid her head down and sleep took her.