Starting Anew

There was something blissfully delightful about the muted crunch of fallen pine needles underpaw, the bright aroma of resin filling lungs and clinging to fur in such a way the scent was hard to shake off even days later. It was for these reasons that Elkryn Stump loved the the tall pine by the wheelshed, hearth of the Woodtail clan who - quite opposite to the Willhearts in their secretive tunnels - made their homes tucked high and safe in the tight network of pine boughs. It was an ingenious albeit dizzying way of going about things, yet when Elk strode beneath it's evergreen shade he could not help the tightening in his stomach and the dryness in his mouth as he gazed upwards into it's vaulting heights and felt vertigo take hold of all his faculties. Like any mouse worth their salt in survival and had made it even this far into adulthood Elkryn knew how to climb and with the fear of death gnawing at the tip of his tail he could do so quite speedily, but the idea of spending all one's time up so high, commiserating with birds and squirrels seemed vastly unappealing to him. Besides, he was more in tune with the ground beneath his paws, covered in a blanket of pine needles or not, where he could get down close: sniff, taste and see both sign and spore of his fellow mouse, an enemy or a nearby predator. Terra firma held few secrets, yet the world on high was a mystery emblazoned. 

Elkryn never left his nest sans weapon, a strange and deadly frog's jaw blade very much like a saw folded against it's wooden handle and strapped across his broad shoulders alongside a crudely painted bottlecap beaten flat that served as a small yet effective shield. His primary function amongst the Colony was not that of a Guard yet he played on the duty seriously, for he knew his size and prowess made him a powerful asset in any confrontation. Elkryn was quite proud of his Tracker status yet the fiery blood of warriors aflow in his veins could not be denied. Were a predator to come upon his kin, like the Hellgates would he allow himself to be caught unawares twiddling his paws. Still he was not bedecked in armour, that was saved for missions abroad amongst the Foraging and Scouting parties, no today he wore naught but a simple kilt of soft, colourful fabric belted at his waist by a modest stretch of shed snakeskin. 

The buck ran his paw along the great pine's trunk, admiring it's natural armour, the bark thick and fissured with deep ruts like plates. Armour was the reason he had come here after all, to search amongst the needle litter for discarded pinecone scales or even better a whole specimen. His brigandine had become a little worn out of late and some of it's plating was in dire need of replacement. There was nothing more shameful than a soldier allowing his second protective skin to fall into disrepair and so here he was, a hulking black rat with a white face and two ever-smiling bi-colored eyes sniffing about the base of the tree. 

The near soundless scuffle of tiny paws on bark caused his large ears to satellite without prompt and Elk froze for a moment, detecting the sound from just around the base of a tree. A small, snowy doe dropped down, not seeming to notice him (not that he blamed her, standing completely still in the shadows of the tree he could become invisible if he wanted). She began to wander off and Elk had a brilliant idea. She lives in the tree, of course she would know the best place to find some pinecone scales, maybe even have some for trade. He started after her at a brisk pace, tail twitching in delight at his own genius. It did not take long to catch up and when he did he found her hunkered over having a drink. Elkryn drew up one paw to his face and let out a stifled cough, announcing his presence imperiously. He knew how flighty any mouse could be, especially if snuck up upon. 

"Ahem, I dare say madam that I  beg your deepest forgiveness for coming up on you like this. Would there happen to be enough drink to sup for another parched and weary mouse?" Off to a flowery start, as always, the vast buck seemed to speak as though he was the the lone player in some tragic theatrical work. "If not I will gladly take my leave at even your gentlest rebuke.. Yet before you send me on my way I am having a bit of a quandary and am in need of assistance." He flourished into a half bow, bending neatly at his middle before looking up and giving the doe a winning smile.

The eyes that turned and fell upon him went wide with a breed of surprise that Elk readily expected, even amongst one's kin the awe-filled gazes and sharply baited breath had become something commonplace for the buck as he strode through the market or any so readily busy turnstiles of the Colony's culture. Admittedly it was easy to feel one way or another about such gawking, the whispered words as he passed that denoted fear, amazement or sometimes both. One could take behind-the-back talks as disrespectful or even worrying, giving rise to the bile of anger. Or it could be taken as dumbfounded respect, elevating the object of their admiration - in this case a knight of the Willheart ilk - to arrogance. Elkryn himself liked to think he toed the line between the two equal yet opposite reactions both readily and easily.

Taking in the snow-clad doe in earnest now he could not help but admire her features: the soft, glistening brightness of her fur and the endearingly embarrassed ripple that swept across her entire body, giving leave to a habitual nervous fussing at the water droplets that clung to her pretty whiskers. Elk straightened back to his full height, unable to contain the enormous, welcoming grin that had taken up residence on his blunted muzzle. Her initial response of shock sloughed away quickly and Elk gleefully detected the tiniest of smiles tugging on her lips in response to the goofy array he had set up before her. To play the clown, to play the knight were oddly effortless to the fellow, they were but two facets of a grand production in which he acted out many parts. This ivory beauty stepped aside then, allowing Elk  and all of his bulk a direct path to her modest and seemingly personal source of water. 

Nodding in thanks the beast stepped gingerly passed her, showing almost dainty care in where each and every pawstep landed. Work as a swordsmouse and a trained tracker made for - in his humble opinion - a greater spatial awareness of his vast bulk and so he brushed passed Azura as easy as silk. Kneeled on one leg, staying semi propped on the other and drank heartily from the bowl made by his cupped forepaws ending in an an exuberantly satisfied exhale. "Aaaaah!"  The powerfully fresh and near minty flavour had almost him for a loop, sitting so close to the pine the natural resin essence the water that eventually trickled into the shallow concave of the stone bowl after rainfall or dewy mornings, imbuing it with an herbal quality. Elk in all of his time had never tasted anything like it and he glanced back up at the waiting doe with a brief flash of excitement running like electricity through mismatched eyes. "This is excellent!" he blurted. "Why if this is place is a secret of your own, if I were walking with your paws I would bottle this up, sell it at an exorbitant rate and then live out the rest of my days a rich miser never destined to set foot outside of the Colony's comforts evermore."

Elk still did not stand up from his crouch. In fact his eyes had seemed to have glazed over a little and his tongue went loose. Such was the affliction of noble Elkryn Stump, who's oral muscles could not stop waggling when some sudden spirit came upon him. He continued on his ramble, "Alas but would that not be the ultimate hell on earth for a creature not only trained in but who lives by the blade? Oh what a sad sort of fate it is to wither away, going grey in the whisker, counting meaningless coin when you could perish in glory upon the battlefield!" He clenched one first in front of him for dramatic emphasis before the haze on his mind cleared and he glanced over his shoulder to see the white doe staring at him silently. As if his strange little outburst had not happened he stood and brushed detritus from his thighs. Azura's prior question rushed back into his mind as if it had been freshly asked.

"Thanks and blessings upon your ancestors for your kindness Azura.. I should thank them twice for allowing me the pleasure of meeting one of their own who is as beautiful as she is dutiful." Laying it on thick was not a practice to which he was unfamiliar. "I am Elkryn Stump: Son of Willheart and tracker extraordinaire! But Elk will suffice just fine.  I brave the wilds beyond and my question stems from the age-old symbiosis between a knight and their armour. You see I make my modest fair from pinecone scales. They are loud but they are light and they will not yield easily to blade or club." He brushed his paw busily through the fur of his cheek. "I cannot imagine anymouse better suited to help me in this quest than a native of yon titanic evergreen."