Black Water, White Dragon (part 1)

The Water, chapter 1, part 1

Etin squinted against the glaring autumn sun. Newly fallen snow glittered white over house and barn and trees at Apple hill farm, and shone on the high peaks surrounding the mountain farm. An icy wind tugged at her brown curls, and she tied her woolen shawl tightly around her head. Against the snow and blue sky she noticed the contour of a bird of prey circling, but it was far off and she could hear the chickens clucking down in the coop. She hoped the bird would stay away and took the broom leaning against the wall of their main house.

"And the basket, Etin," Mum called from the inside.

Etin grabbed the woven willow basket from the hook inside the door. "I have it, mum. What do you think of me?"

She heard a grunting laughter. That was probably old Gran waking up on the kitchen bench.

Etin trotted down to the chicken coop to start her daily chores. She let the creatures out into yard for them to feed while she swept, but they flocked around her legs and puffed their feathers. It was a cold morning for both people and animals.

A shadow passed in front of the sun. Etin looked up. A Tsik-bird! The predator with the humanoid face perched on an apple branch and grinned down at her with sharp teeth. The Tsiks weren't rare, but they were bad news for any who had lambs or chickens or rabbits. The body was as large as a small eagle, but the head was just like the real Kindreds - humans, elves and dwarves.

Etin shuddered. She would never get used to that face. Black eyed, narrow and sharp, and yet undoubtedly humanish.

The chickens ran to their coop again, but Etin had to finish her job. There was straw to be changed, dirt to be swept and food and water needed to be refilled. The Tsik wasn't so stupid as to attack while she was there, was it?

The work made her hot and sweaty. She stopped for a moment to stretch and loosen the shawl, and wondered if she should have waited with the underskirt until later.

It was that moment the Tsik needed. It shot like an arrow into the flock of chickens, claws first.

Etin gasped and struck at it with her broom. The Tsik fluttered in one direction, and a chicken in the other. The rest of the flock clucked and cooed and ran all over the yard.

Etin hit it again. Once, twice. She had to get it away.

The large Tsik-bird flew more lightly than she expected, and with a couple of strong wing beats it was back up in the apple tree.

Etin looked around. The chickens ran around wildly, except one. It stood shivering with blood dripping from its side.

What would Mum say? It was Etin's responsibility to watch them. No wonder Mum kept ordering her around!

She picked up a fallen apple her little brothers had overlooked, and lobbed it at the Tsik. It missed and the bird glanced at her, before starting to clean its feathers. The apple landed instead back in the snow with a soft thud, and rolled down towards the food loft. Etin glared at the Tsik. She wished it would leave.

She herded the hens back into the cozy chicken coop. First she gathered the eggs, then she used her apron to wrap up the wounded bird. She felt for it, but still had a small hope of fresh sunday dinner. The lambs were already slaughtered and salted and hung in the loft for winter, and Dad wouldn't be taking the pig before another couple of weeks. Fresh meat was rare at Apple Hill, and her mouth watered.

Etin brought the chicken with her outside. It stirred in her apron, but she had to show Mum. It was she who made decisions about the food at Apple Hill. Etin kept the eggbasket in her other hand. There was an icy wind down the mountain side, but worse was the Tsik which might take eggs if it didn't get chicken. Etin decided to clean the eggs indoors for once.

The bird of prey was still in the apple tree. Etin picked up another apple and threw at it. Again she missed, and the Tsik let out a hoarse screech that eerily resembled human laughter. Etin mumbled a few words she was glad Mum didn't hear, and went up the stone steps to the main house of the farm.

Behind her, she heard the heavy beating of strong wings, and she turned to see the Tsik fly back to the mountain peaks. For a moment she thought she saw smoke up there, but it was perhaps just a cloud.