by Nova Rose
Chapter VIII
Legend’s Road
Tesnayr’s pack weighed heavily on his shoulders. It wasn’t just the supplies that he brought, but the responsibility of finding a cure for the sick within the camp. All rested upon him. If he failed, they would die. If they continued traveling, they would die or risk spreading the sickness. No, he had to search for this mythical waterfall in the hope that it existed. The slight chance of success meant life.
The sun felt unusually warm upon him as he trekked an obscure trail through the mountains. He shifted his pack to ease the weight on his shoulders. Turyn trotted beside him humming merrily to himself. Tesnayr shook his head. Nothing seemed to dampen that cat’s spirits. He thought about what the fairies had told him about the waterfall.
“You must follow this trail until you see a rock that looks like a bird,” Sarwyn had told him.
“After that it gets more difficult,” added Serein.
“Once you find the rock, the path will only be visible at night. You can travel only then and must stop before dawn or it will disappear forever and you will never find your way back.
“You will know you are close to the falls when you hear the sound of a horn. It will be unlike any other you have heard. The second sign will be when you enter the place of eternal spring.
“I must warn you, Turyn will be tested as well. As your companion he must prove his faithfulness to you just as you must prove your pure intentions. If either one of you fail, you both risk wandering endlessly in the mountains until death.”
Tesnayr brooded over the last statement by Sarwyn. The thought of being forced to wander unceasingly because they failed some test worried him. What is it with these tests? A part of Tesnayr wanted to walk away. But he could not. He shifted his pack again as Turyn started another bout of humming.
“Why did you decide to follow me back in the village?” asked Tesnayr.
Turyn mulled over the question before lazily replying, “You were interesting.”
“How is it cats talk in this place?” The question had plagued Tesnayr for some time and he finally had the gumption to ask it.
“Not all cats do,” replied Turyn, “In fact most cats don’t. But occasionally a cat is born with the ability of speech. Those that talk live longer than the average house cat. I have always had the ability to speak. Though there have been a few instances of people being turned into cats, but that is not the case with me. Such incidents are rare. Those cats give the rest of us a bad name. I have walked this earth many decades and have always been coated in fur.”
The trail sloped upward. Tesnayr’s breathing increased as he trudged up the steep incline. He would never get used to the high altitude. His boots scraped the ground with each step. Leaning forward for balance, he made his way to the top knowing that the other side meant the easiness of going downhill. He wiped the sweat from his brow and paused.
The sight of the mountains nearly took his breath away. Majestic in their beauty, he never knew anything could look like this. Then, he saw it. The rock that looked like a bird rested straight across from him. So the stories were true, he thought. Maybe this journey would not be so difficult after all.
“Turyn,” said Tesnayr, “We found the rock. Now we must wait for nightfall.”