Part 5 is here. Read up on previous parts below!
The years Lem spent on his own were challenging. Winters were cold and barren. Summers were spent arduously gathering resources to last through the bleak cold and snow of winter. It seemed endless, yet Lem pressed on.
There was one particularly bad year that had seen an exorbitant number of winter storms. The forest seemed to be falling down around him. A tree crashing through his the hut he had built woke him by narrowly missing him by a few feet. He scrambled together his day pack and made for safety in a nearby cave until the winds died. In the morning he inspected the destruction and gathered what little was left. He decided he better head to a less treacherous land.
His experience that night taught him to be more mobile. He decided being stationary in one camp was too dangerous and took to a more nomadic lifestyle. Traveling and hunting by day and resting by night allowed him the safety of having options. He learned how to find food in a pinch, read and remember landscapes by surveying them, and could find water in the most seemingly barren places. It was a life Lem grew comfortable with and learned to enjoy.
One night around his 38th birthday Lem was cleaning a pheasant he had just killed for dinner when he heard a voice off in the distance. He stowed his knife and crept to where he heard the voice. Crouching behind a fallen tree he peered his head over to find a single dwarf dressed in cleric's garb on her knees in a prayer. He must have made some noise because the cleric stopped her chant and looked in his direction.
“Is somebody there?” She asked uneasily. “Please, come join me if you wish.”
Lem didn't trust her, but he voice had no indication of malcontent. He stood up and hopped over the tree.
“I thought I heard somebody,” the cleric said, slightly joyed. “Come sit, are you hungry?”
Upon being asked Lem noticed a growl in his stomach and sat at a flat rock near her fire.
“I'm Nuen,” she said. “I wasn't really expecting company tonight. I haven't seen anybody my whole journey.”
“Nuen...,” Lem thought out loud. “I haven't heard a name like that before.”
“I'm from Sundabar. Been traveling to Locktet on a pilgrimage to join a covenant with my god, Sharindlar. What brings you around here?”
“Survival,” Lem stated. “I was exiled from my monastery when I failed my trials.”
“I'm sure you'll fail more on a stomach empty like that. I heard you growling from behind the tree over there. Here, have a plate,” Nuen said as she handed Lem a steaming plate of boiled rabbit and carrots.
“Thank you,” Lem said as he grabbed the plate.
“So, does a survivor such as you have a name?”
“Sorry,” Lem said with a mouth full of steaming rabbit. “I've forgotten my manners. I'm Lem.”
“Pleased to meet you Lem. It's nice to have company after this long journey.”
“And a warm plate, I'm sure.”
“Most definitely that, too,” Nuen chortled. “Say, could you help me out? I'm no good at logistics. I must be closed to Locktet but have yet to see any signs of it. Do you know where it is?”
“I do. I've seen the outskirts while hunting here. You've done well, which way were you heading at dawn?”
Nuen points behind her shoulder “That way, I think. Hard to tell being so dark out.”
Lem takes a look at the direction she points. “That'll get you close,” he stated matter of factly.
“That's reassuring that I'm not totally lost,” Nuen said with a smile. “Hey, would you mind helping me there? I could use the company.”
“Is that not against your custom for you pilgrimage?” Lem asked.
“No, not at all!” Nuen exclaimed. “Our pilgrimage is one of companionship and helping others. It's just that there's not really been anybody to befriend or help on my path. Roads between Locktet and Sundabar are none too civilized.”
“Very well, I will join you. I will gather my things.” Lem excused himself to gather his traveling bag and the kill he freshly cleaned. Upon returning he laid his bag at the edge of camp and laid out his sleeping roll. The two finished eating and cleaned up the camp before turning in for the night.
And there it is folks. As always constructive criticism is always welcomed because I truly want to improve my writing quality. Let me know what you think!
Images sourced from MabelAmber and Pexels, respectively, at Pixabay. Thank you!
