Thursday, January 28, 2021

Kinderling 26

  In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....


"Surely you jest."  Father said.  I could tell he was a little thrown off by the formality,  "The High Elves are a myth."

"Oh, they are real alright, although they are rarely seen outside their forests, and even more rarely does anyone enter a High Elven forest and ever be seen again."  Watcher said,  "But I assure you, the True Gorfs occasionally trade with them as the High Elves are fond of some of the jewels we mine out of the deep."

"but..."  Father tried.

"Tadeus, I have seen them.  They are real."  Mama said.  One of these days I would have to sit Mama down for a chat.  First I hear she worked as an Army scout for the Men of Dorinth, and now she's seen High Elves?  And she never told me about these things?!

I thought Father's eyes were going to pop out.  Apparently, she hadn't told him either.

Then Mama really dropped the other shoe.

"It's funny, the High Elves were just as shocked to see me as I was to see them.  One had an arrow through her.  While I was tending their wounds, I noticed that their anatomy is very similar to ours.  The language they spoke wasn't all that different than Kinderling either.  It's not like we could hold a conversation, but we were able to get important points across."

"Yes, I have noticed that Kinderling is very similar to High Elven." Watcher added,  "When I went into exile, Kinderling was a lot easier to learn since I could already speak High Elven.  Legend says that when the Makers were done creating the High Elves, they had some scrap material left over.  One of the Muses, the Muse of Kindness, took the scraps and formed smaller, more simple versions of the High Elves to because they wanted a people of their own to love.  Many of the other Makers saw this and created their own beings out of jealousy.  Ultimately this lead to the the First War that all but destroyed the beautiful world the Makers created.  The teachings say, only Gorphom stayed out of the First War  preferring to keep his people deep underground and gifting us with the gems of the earth."

"I would love to see High Elves one day!"  I exclaimed.

"They are rude."  Mama said, "and not at all pleasant to talk to."

This, of course, made me giggle.  I had heard Mama described in much the same way many many times.  Mama gave me a disapproving glare, I'm sure she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Since we are using The Forms, I suggest we call the meeting to order."  Father said,  "I am willing to preside, unless you would like the honor, Watcher."

"Please, continue." Watcher said, "I see my place here as an interpreter, and advocate for my Fallen Cousins, rather than a direct party to the negotiations."

There were a lot more words back and forth where each side promised good behavior on their part, most of it revolved around making sure each side was assured that the other wasn't going to try to cook them and eat them.  How that eating other people thing ever got started in the first place is still a mystery to me.  The very idea made my stomach turn.

I couldn't be sure, not being able to hear much of Gorfish language - remember, a lot of how Gorfs communicate is in a lower register that Kinderlings can't hear- let alone understand it if I could hear it, but it seemed to me like Mouse, of all people, was the driving force behind the calls for assurances on the Gorf side.  Standing at my tallest, I didn't even come up to his knee.  Father, who I get my lack of height from, barely reached his knee but only if you were being generous.  While Mother and Uncle Zon, being tall for Kinderlings, did reach knee height on the enormous Gorf.  Needless to say, the largest of us were tiny by comparison.  Yet I caught him making frightened, sideways glances at us, as if we were dangerous creatures who were better left alone.

With all the promises and assurances over, the adults finally got to the reason for the meeting.

"Watcher, would it be possible to use the upper halls to rescue the Kinderlings being held in the caves?"  Uncle Zon asked.

"I am sorry, I received word from the Priesthood this morning.  The Priests have decided that the True Gorfs can not get involved in your current struggle." Watcher said.

A strained noise came from my throat.  They weren't going to help?

"However," added Watcher, "I am not here as a representative of the True Gorfs, I am here as an advocate for my lovely wife, and her... cousin...  whom you know as Mouse.  Mouse and Flower are more than capable of guiding you trough the caverns, but they ask for something in return.  Mouse's tribe has disappeared, and they are asking your for help finding them."

"But we do not have them!"  Said Uncle Zon forcibly.

"I'll help in any way that I can!"  I blurted out before thinking.

After a couple grumbles and stiffs were passed between the three Gorfs.  

"Accepted."  Watcher said without fanfare.

"Wait, that's it?" Bez said seemingly confused.

"Looks like." Said Father, "What happened Bez, you take a little nap and miss it?"


Sunday, January 24, 2021

Kinderling 25

 In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....


I was worried.  

This meeting between Uncle Zon, Mama, and Watcher was an important one.  The fate of so many Kinderling villagers who were being held captive was resting on this one meeting, and I didn't feel like we had a lot to offer.  Sure, I could promise to help the big Surface Gorf find his tribe, but what could I really do about that?  Might as well promise to pull down the moon for him, but I don't think he would understand.  "I would pull the moon down from the sky for you" or words to that effect being a common romantic "sweet nothing" whispered between young Kinderlings who are in love.

We also needed a place to meet.  The garrison was not appropriate due to it's infamy among the Gorfs.  Eventually, Old Barrel was chosen.  There is really only one way in and out of that place, unless you were jumping into the lake from the top, and I was told that was so dangerous that nobody would try it.  Watcher asked to delay a day so that he could go find -grumble,- the big Surface Gorf, because he wanted the big Gorf to be present during the negotiations.

When the time came; Mama, Uncle Zon, and I made our way down the briar tunnel and across to Old Barrel.  Bez and Father came along too.  I thought of telling them not to come because I was afraid that having too many Kinderlings might make the Gorfs uncomfortable.  Then I thought I should ask Father what he thought about it because he is the best negotiator in the family.  In the whole village really.  Which made me realize, Father is the one Kinderling we do want at the meeting.

When we reached Old Barrel, we found Watcher had already arrived.  I was happy to see that Watcher had the big Surface Gorf with him.  I felt that he needed to be there.  To my delight, Watcher was also accompanied by  a small Gorf woman.  

"Young Tandy!" Watcher exclaimed when we arrived.  "I want you to meet my beautiful wife -grumble-.  In Gorfish, her name is the word used for the scent that a flower gives off when it is being crushed.  If there is a word for that in Kinderling, I don't know it.  She agreed that you may call her Flower, as long as you understand that it is imprecise and not really her name.  She's pretty insistent about that."

"I understand,  I don't know a Kinderling word for that either."  I said, "Flower, it is an honor to meet you."

I stepped forward and held out my hand, but she shied back behind Watcher.

"If you will please excuse her rudeness Tandy,"  Watcher explained, "She grew up listening to stories about how the last Kinderling King and his soldiers hunted her people, and the things they did to the youngsters and smaller Gorfs women.  I think she agreed to come to this meeting because she was afraid I would be tortured and eaten without her."

"We would never do such a thing!"  I asked.

"Sorry Tandy," Bez cut in, "I was hardly able to believe it myself, but I found references in the archives from the time of the last King to feasts held after successful raids.  They were quite graphic...  And don't even ask, I refuse to show them to you."

The very thought of such a thing...  I felt like my insides were being crushed.  I have known that whenever a Gorf captures a Kinderling, they usually end up in a cooking pot.  I have even seen evidence of it first hand, mostly in the form of gnawed Kinderling bones tossed out in a Gorfs refuse pile, and once even sneaked my way in to retrieve a family heirloom for a distraught friend of Mama's who lost her son that way.  It doesn't happen very often.  Most Kinderlings keep to the village and we have the Kinderling Patrol to protect us.  I didn't hate the Gorfs for any of this, they live like starving animals.  

But Kinderlings.  Kinderlings aren't like starving animals.  The idea of Kinderlings raiding Gorfs settlements, taking prisoners, and then eating them.  I couldn't help myself, I wrapped my arms around myself and started crying.  I can't be part of a people who would do this.

What a sight I must have looked.  A tiny Kinderling girl bawling her eyes out, standing in front of three shocked Gorfs, while standing at the head of a delegation of Kinderling adults.

Poor Bez, not being used to being around young Kinderling girls, slowly backed away having no idea what to do.  Uncle Zon, Mama, and Father were further back because they were waiting to be introduced, probably hadn't heard the conversation so had no idea what was going on.

On the other side, the big Surface Gorf was getting agitated and started walking around in circles sniff sniff-ing and grumble grumbling to himself, probably something like "not my fault, this is totally not my fault, whatever this is."  All the while worried that he was going to get the blame. 

Watcher...  Seemed to understand.  Gorf facial expressions aren't exactly easy for a Kinderling to understand, but I think he at least could understand how distressed I was at finding out my people had done terrible things.

It was Flower's reaction that surprised me.  Grumbling and sniffing back and forth with Watcher, she slowly approached and patted me on the arm, as if consoling me, and re-assuring me that everything was going to be all right.  Oddly, through the blur of my tears, I noticed something I had never noticed about Gorfs before.  Flower had three fingers, and two thumbs on her hand.  We're all Gorfs like this?  I took a sideways glance at Watcher.  No, one thumb, four fingers.  Then I looked at Flower's hand again.  I hadn't imagined it.  There they were, three fingers, two thumbs.

Watcher noticed what I was looking at and guessed what I was thinking.

"The divine Gorphom is said to have three fingers and two thumbs on each hand.  Among the True Gorfs, we consider anyone born with two thumbs to be touched by Gorphom, and themselves divine.  Most of them are taken in and become part of the Priesthood.  Most of -grumble-... Flower's... tribe share this trait."

I looked over at the big Surface Gorf, trying to catch a glimpse of his hand.

"Well, the trait skips a few." Watcher said with what sounded like a little bit of humor.  "The Surface Gorfs, for whatever reason, generally look down on those with this trait.  -grumble- over there doesn't have it."

The big Gorf seemed to be settling down, and the rest of my party moved up.  I was surprised that Flower stayed with me, lightly resting her odd hand on my arm, as if to give me comfort.

I made introductions, "This is Watcher, of the Deep Gorfs.  His wife Flower, and that one is..."  Seeing me pause, Watcher and Flower grumbled back and forth for a few seconds.

"I believe Mouse is the most appropriate."  Watcher said.

Mouse?  I had a hard time not breaking into a fit of giggles.  I succeeded... just...

"Mouse." I finished.  "Watcher, this is my Mama, Bonnie.  My Father, Tadeus and my Uncle Zon who you've already met, and this is Bez."  I hadn't considered what order to introduce everyone in, but I suppose if didn't matter too much.

"Welcome, and I greet thee."  Watcher said and bowed in what seemed like formal perscribed manner.  To my surprise, after a short pause Father stepped forward.

"Thank you.  Welcome, and I greet thee."  Father said, also bowing.  "You'll have to excuse me, it has been a long time since I studied the Kinderling Forms of Formal Address, and I'm amazed to see them now."

"We of the True Gorfs still use them on formal occasions, although they didn't come from the Kinderlings, they were passed down from the High Elven courts.  Even Man used them for a time before they lost so much of their civility, only using a bastardized version of the Forms now."


Thursday, January 21, 2021

Kinderling 24

 In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....


I didn't know what to think.  Part of me bristled at the thought of my people being written off as being too weak and lacking faith, but part of me understood.  It's true.  Kinderlings don't have a central faith.  Everyone just figures things out for themselves.  Mama has a little shrine where she prays to the spirits of the herbs she uses for healing.  Father...  I don't know what Father does.  He seems to venerate history and knowledge.  At the same time, there is the little chapel in the village where weddings are sometimes held, and babies are dedicated to... well... whatever the parents want to dedicate them to.  I am told that I was dedicated to "Serving the good of the village", whatever that means.

Father once told me that the village infirmary, which is located next door to the chapel, was once Priests of the chapel, and not to push Mama about why she didn't work in the infirmary because some of the Priests teaching still held sway there.

But what does that mean to us today?  Did the Kinderlings once have faith?  Did that make us less dangerous now that we lost it?  Why would faith make us dangerous?

Then I thought about the last Kinderling King.  Did he have faith?  Was that how he nearly wiped out the Surface Gorfs?  I almost asked Watcher, but then thought better of it.  Would he know?  Would I get an honest answer?  How would I know if I did or not?

"I see from the look on your face that I gave you much to ponder."  Watcher said.  "I believe you that the lost tribe isn't here, and it seems you Kinderlings have a lot more to worry about than a few lost fallen."

"Wait!  Maybe we could help each other."  I begged.  "Mama and Uncle Zon were looking for you to ask if you could help us find a way to rescue the Kinderling villagers who are being held in the mines.  If you can do that, in turn maybe I can help you find your missing Gorfs."

"They aren't mine!"  Watcher exclaimed, "They are -grumble- tribe...  And I suppose they are kin to my wife, who I hold dear.  What do you have in mind."

"You know the caves and tunnels connecting to the mines better than we do, can you think of a path that would allow us sneak in and get our people out?"

"That should be simple enough.  I can show you the way."  Watcher said.  "You will need to promise me that none of your people will use that knowledge to try to contact the Deep Gorfs.  They would not be happy that I helped.  I think they would rather you Kinderlings kill each other off."

"Really?  I thought you said they thought we were too weak and faithless to be a danger."

"Weak and faithless yes, and try as I might to explain to them the magic that many of you Kinderlings use, they think I'm just making it up to ingratiate myself with the Priesthood so I can end my exile.  Truth is, I don't want to go back.  I love -grumble-, every day she amazes me with how kind and brilliant she can be.  If the Priesthood found out about her, they would name me a blasphemer, and say our marriage is an affront to Gorphom.  They're wrong though, I have taught her, she has learned to read and write, and appreciate art."

"I would love to meet her one day, she sounds wonderful."

"And you shall.  But first we must free your people, then we can look towards finding -grumble- people too." Watcher was on a roll.  "I think it's time I met your Mama, and had a talk with your Uncle Zon."


Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Kinderling 23

 In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....


It felt strange how easily the old Gorf and I fell into a companionable conversation.  I asked after his wife, he said she was doing well and was probably sniffing and grumbling about him being late for dinner.  He did such a comical imitation of the surface Gorfs' "sniff sniff grumble grumble" that I couldn't help but burst out in a fit of giggles.

"I wonder, do you realize that is their language?"  The old Gorf said. "I actually said there 'when is that old -grumble- going to come get his dinner'" 

"I got most of that, except for the -grumble- part."  I said.  I tried to say the -grumble- part the same way he had, but I could tell I didn't get very close.

It was his turn to laugh.  "-grumble- is my name in Gorf language.  I don't expect that you would be able to fathom it out though.  There is a lot of subtleties in a lower register that I don't think you are capable of hearing."

"Well Mr. -grumble-" again, I'm pretty sure I didn't get it right, "My name is Tandy, it's nice to make your acquaintance." 

He smiled.  "That was almost painful.  Please, call me Watcher.  That name will be much easier on your voice and my ears."

When I was small - well, small-er, as in younger.  I'm practically tiny by Kinderlings of my age standards - I was terrified of Gorfs.  They were the evil that bumped in the night.  Looking back, my parents never used scary Gorf stories to keep us in line, but I heard them enough from the other children to know they were common.  As I grew, the Gorfs became the terror that lived outside the village.  Father's best friend, the one I call Uncle Zon although he isn't my real uncle as far as I know, was a member of the Patrol.  He and his fellow Patrollers kept that terror at bay.  Not once do I recall a Gorf breaking through and coming anywhere near the village.  

Later still, after the incident with the bullies, I started going out into the forest and seeing the Gorfs first hand.  At first, of course, I was relegated to places in the forest where - via Uncle Zon - my parent's were reasonably sure were clear of Gorfs.  I gradually moved out from there and encountered real Gorfs in their home setting.  I wasn't terrified anymore.  Sure, I was still aware that they were dangerous, if I was caught there was a real danger that I would end up in a Gorf cooking pot, but it was a healthy fear of a very real danger, not the unreasoned terror of the unknown.  I eventually came to understand the Gorfs and even pitied them.  They lived like animals on the edge of starvation.  They had no fields or mushroom farms, no homes.  I am now finding that I was wrong to think of them as nothing more than animals.  It was a belief born of ignorance.  Ignorance is seditious that way, it hides itself by being itself.

We eventually got around to what brought Watcher and the big Surface Gorf to seek me out.  

"My wife brought -grumble- to me.  He is related to her, although Surface Gorf family structure is odd even by Gorf standards, so I'm not sure how to describe how."  Watcher said, "He is distraught because he finally recovered his tribe's totem stick, only to return to their cave and find that his tribe is gone.  He believes that your people took them, and he wants you to give them back.  That is part of why he is so distraught that we are here, he's afraid his tribe is inside and historically that would mean they are dead."  This time the -grumble- sounded different, but I couldn't really describe how nor could I emulate the difference.  My voice doesn't do those sounds.

"Bez?"  I asked loudly in the direction I thought the speaking tube was in.  It was only a guess, but better than nothing.  "Do you have any Gorfs in there that I don't know about?"

"No Tandy, whatever would we want with Gorfs?"  Came Bez's voice from the rocks.

I turned back to Watcher, "There is a Kinderling named Baot, and his minion Daggi who seem to be working with some Gorfs in the village.  Could they be there?"

"Perhaps." Watcher replied, "-grumble- tribe is a small one, only consisting of three families, and while he is large, the rest of the family is relatively small in stature.  Most of the Surface Gorfs that I have seen marching around appear to be from one of the larger tribes.  They live further up the mountain from your village.  They tend to grow larger in size because they have better caves with mushroom farms and keep mountain goat herds."

I was shocked.  Gorfs actually farming?  But then again, perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised with all that I have now seen.  

"I'm sorry, we don't have them."  Keeping Gorfs captive doesn't seem like a very Kinderling way of doing things.  What use would we have of them?  Then I thought about the Gorf - platoon?  is that the word Uncle Zon used? - that we saw marching around the village.  Those Gorfs seemed to be working with, or for, Baot and Daggi.  What if they were somehow being controlled?  That would explain how that many Gorf males could be in one place without fighting.

"Watcher, those Gorfs who are marching together.  Does it seem odd to you that that many Gorfs are all marching and living together without a whole bunch of fights breaking out?"

"For Deep Gorfs, not odd at all, violence is rare among the Deep Gorfs, and there is far too much to do for Deep Gorfs society to put up with such uncivilized behavior.  The Surface Gorfs on the other hand are different.  The larger tribes are somewhat civilized, so within a tribe that kind of cooperation might be possible for a short amount of time, but there would still be some jockeying for position, which I didn't see.  The shocking part about the - platoon did you call it? - is that I saw Gorfs with markings from three or four distinct tribes.  Some of them dread enemies.  Those Gorfs would normally be at each other's throats the moment they saw each other.  Yet something is holding them in check, they were marching side-by-side."

"Bout is claiming that he has a treaty, I guess that could explain it."

"No." Watcher explained, "Treaties are unheard of among the Gorfs, even the Deep Gorfs do not have them.  Deep Gorfs society isn't structured in a way that they would be useful, and the Surface Gorfs would only be confused by them." 

"Could you be underestimating the Surface Gorfs?  Most of what I thought I knew about them has proven wrong in the last few days, and I thought I understood Gorfs better than just about anyone."

"Young Tandy.  My position as Watcher isn't just to watch you Kinderlings.  In fact that is only a small portion of my work.  The Priesthood has long considered Kinderlings to be too weak and lacking of faith to be a threat.  Most of my job is to watch our surface cousins to make sure they don't re-discover their faith, or - in spite of what the Priesthood might think - something like your Kinderling treaties that would allow them to organize against us.  As it is, the Priesthood is demanding that I get to the bottom of this, or they say they will call down the might of Gorphom to cleanse the whole valley."

"That sounds serious!  Can they do that?" I was shocked.  What would happen if the Deep Gorfs Priests did that?  Do we need to evacuate?

"Sadly, my young friend, I do not know."  Watcher seemed truly sad, as if he had lost something and wasn't having much luck finding it.

Monday, January 18, 2021

Kinderling 22

 In case you are interested in starting this story at the beginning, Kinderling 1 can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Please don't judge the story or the writing too harshly, this story is written with little to no editing.  It is just meant to get me writing regularly for practice.  

Now back to our story, already in progress....


That day was a day of argument.  There wasn't a clear plan for rescuing the villagers from the mines, and the argument about that spilled over into the one thing we did, or at least I did, have a plan for.  The rescuing of Mizzy.

"No Tandy!  You can't just walk in and expect to walk right out again!"  Cried Father.

Mama was, nominally, on my side, "The stump is on the edge of the village on the North side, and not far from the forest.  The Gorfs don't patrol there very heavily, because nobody goes near that rotted stump except for Daggi.  I can be in and out before anyone notices that I am there."  

Clearly however, Mama was under the delusion that I would let her be the one who did the rescue.

"No good Bonnie," interjected Uncle Zon, "if we are going to have any chance of getting the villagers out of the mines and up here where it's safe, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I'm not sending my daughter out alone to rescue Mizzy!"  Mama was starting to get angry, but the entire argument ground to a screeching halt.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!

"What was that?"  I asked hoping someone would have an answer.

"That is the front door knocker Tandy."  Bez said calmly.  "Come along, you haven't seen this part of the garrison yet."

Bez took me through a couple doors, then down a corridor that angled upwards.  I thought we were heading in the general direction of the front door.  We ended up in a relatively small, bare room.  Along one side were benches, along the other side were openings.  I looked out and saw the undersides of plants and grasses.  Bez showed me how to carefully move the plants aside, just a little bit, and look out.  We were up high, but looking down a bit, I could see the front door.  Outside the front door was the Deep Gorf that we had met when we were escaping the mines.  With him was a large male Gorf.  After a few moments looking at him, I recognized the large male Gorf that I had made a treaty with by the underground lake.  I wondered what they were doing here.

"Hmm." Bez said, "I have never had a Gorf walk up and knock on the door before.  I've had a few try to grab me and eat me as I walked out the door, but I never had one just polite as a bird, walk up and knock."

I wasn't sure what birds Bez was talking about, but I recognized those two, and wanted to hear what they had to say.

"Bez, I know those two, although I didn't know that they knew each other, and I want to hear what they have to say.  Can we let them in?  At least through the tunnel to the inner courtyard?"

"I don't see why not.  We have the inner defenses in case they get out of hand."  Bez said as he walked to the end of the room and pulled a lever.  I looked out and the front door opened.  The two Gorfs stared at it for a moment, then the big one, ran.  Away.  Like the hounds of the Abyss were set upon him.

The Deep Gorf stepped back a few paces, then stood his ground.  "This place has an evil reputation to it.  If I go in, how do I know I will ever come out again?"

Bez quieted me before I could answer, and with a gesture lead me back up the hallway and then down a stairway cut right into the rock.  At the bottom, there was a room with a pipe coming out of the wall.  Bez took a cork out of the end of the pipe, and said "Talk into this and he'll be able to hear you."

"Don't be afraid, I promise you we wouldn't even think about eating you."  I said, willing my smile to reach my voice.

"Young one!  I heard rumors that there was more activity than usual up here, and I was hoping to find you, even if in this horrible place."

I looked at Bez with an eyebrow raised.

He covered the speaking tube and said, "This place was built in the days of the last Kinderling King, way before even my time.  Back then, the King's army took a more... shall we say, active... roll in controlling the Gorf menace.  It's not something that we as a people are proud of, and I don't think they teach about it in schools anymore, but this garrison was a stepping off point for attacks on Gorfish strongholds."

"Strongholds?  They live in caves and sleep on the bare ground, believe me, I've seen a few Gorf settlements.  If it weren't for the fact that they are starving, they probably wouldn't even be a danger.  Any creature can be a danger if it's starving enough."

"That wasn't always the case, Tandy."  Bez explained,  "I have been reading the histories here in the Library.  It has really opened my eyes.  We Kinderlings weren't always very nice people.  The King  declared war on the Gorfs.  The surface ones anyway, I don't think they knew about the Deep Gorfs back then.  That war nearly killed off both sides, the surface Gorfs have never recovered.  The Kinderlings managed a little better, and once silver was found in the mines, our recovery was helped a lot by trade from the Men of Dorinth.  I always wondered why the Deep Gorfs didn't help their surface cousins the same way?"

"Religious dispute." I replied.  From the look on his face I don't think Bez was expecting an answer.

"Really?"  Bez cocked one eyebrow as if wondering how I would know that or if I was just guessing.

"Yep, I got it from the Gorf's mouth."  Indicating towards the speaking tube.

"You really know this creature?"

"He's a friend... of sorts."  

I couldn't blame Bez for being doubtful that religion could cause a people to turn their backs on their own kind.  Kinderlings don't have such problems.  Everyone tends to figure things out for themselves rather than rely upon centralized control.  That's why Baot trying to take over was so shocking.  When the last Kinderling King fell, we didn't bother crowning a new one.  Sure, there is the council, but according to my Father, they work hard to make sure that anything they decide upon is well thought out, because they know Kinderlings will ignore anything they think is stupid.

I indicated to Bez to uncover the tube.

"Until a few days ago, I didn't know this place existed.  If you are uncomfortable with the idea of coming in, I will come out."

Bez put the cover on the speaking tube.  "Now Tandy, I don't think that's a good idea.  What if they have more Gorfs with them?  What if that big one went off to get friends?  For that matter, that big one looks like he could kill us all, what if he comes back?"

"Don't worry Bez, they promised not to eat me."

"I only heard you promise not to eat them!"  Bez seemed very unhappy about the idea.  I couldn't blame him.  A mere few days ago I would have thought I was planning suicide by Gorf too, but I knew better now.  Or hoped I did.

Much to Bez's surprise, when I told them my plan, both my parents said "Oh, okay."  I expected to have to convince at very least my mother, so I had my whole argument laid out in my head before Bez and I got back to the common area.  

On the way out, I visited my pile of goodies, picking up an arrow-chucker, quiver, and a go-stick.  Seeing Bez watching me I said.  "What?  I may know these two Gorfs, but I'm not stupid."

Bez just laughed and shook his head.  "Always as nice as your father, and as practical as your mother.  If I were a hundred years younger, and not absolutely head over heals in love with Tilly,  I think my heart would be in danger."

It was... sort-of flattering... and don't get me wrong, I liked ol' Bez as a person, but the idea of being courted by him was a little creepy.

I exited the garrison through the murder tunnel, and out the door.  It was getting along to evening, and the sunset was behind the mountain, so it was a little darker than I would have liked, but the Deep Gorf was there waiting.

"Young lady, it is  a pleasure to see you again."  He said, "I have been trying to coax my companion from his hiding place in the bushes, but alas he seems unwilling to budge."  Since there wasn't any bushes on top of the outcropping, I expected he had climbed down one side or the other.  Either way, I would see him coming in time to get away. 



Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Kinderling 21

 Kinderling 1.  The start of this story. Can be found here:

The Tricycle of Thought: Kinderling 1

Now back to our story, already in progress....

Mama and Uncle Zon returned empty handed a few days later.  Well, Uncle Zon was empty handed.  Our Deep Gorf friend from our escape through the Upper Halls was nowhere to be found.  Mama, on the other hand, had gone to take a look at the village and at least had some new information... none of it good.

"The village is being patrolled by armed Gorfs.  Groups of thirteen rather than nine like the kinderling militia patrols.  It looks like they are checking people for some kind of identification.  Whenever a Kinderling is stopped, they show the Gorfs something and are let go.  I didn't get a look at what it is, and I didn't see what happens to someone if they don't have it.  It must be bad though, since everyone looks terrified." Mama reported.  "The Gorfs are camped on the East end of the village between the village and the mines around where the old smeltery used to be.  It looks more like a military camp than anything.  There must be a hundred or more there and in the village patrolling.  I couldn't get close enough to get an exact count."  

"This is all unnatural.  Gorfs usually only gather in small tribes.  More than a few adult males together is asking for trouble.  When you were saying over a hundred, were you talking about all ages, or just soldiers?"  I asked.

"Mostly soldiers.  Males and a few large females." Mama replied.  "No children, no elders.  There is a small sub-camp to one side with a few of the smaller females who are busy keeping them all fed."

"I'd hate to be in the middle of that.  Just that many males together it must be a war zone, add in a scarcity of females and we just have to wait for a bit, they'll kill each other off."  I said with more bravado than I felt.  I've been around Gorfs quite a bit, and tried to learn as much as I could about them to make it easier to avoid getting captured.  Causing a Gorf male who was chasing me to "accidentally" run into another male - particularly if it's from another tribe - is a sure way to get them off your tail.  

"No Tandy, that's just it." Mama corrected, "There isn't any fighting.  None at all.  The males seem to be ignoring each other, and ignoring the females.  It's the most professional military camp I've ever seen."

"Your mother would know."  Father said.

I looked from Mama to Father and back, "Why would Mother know about military camps, Father?"

"When we were not much older than you, Tandy, your mother, Uncle Zon, and a few others hired out to the Men from Dorinth to act as forest scouts.  The Men were having a war with each other, and needed someone who could navigate in the forest without being seen or heard."

"Sounds exciting!"

"Stop filling her heads with dumb ideas Tadius." Mama said. "Look Tandy, war is hours and hours of boredom, followed by a few moments of sheer terror, followed by hours and hours of boredom... If you are lucky to survive that long.  It is not exciting.  It is not glamorous.  It's cold, and hungry, and bloody, and deadly.

"Speaking of that.  Zon, the Gorfs... Platoons?" Mama looked exasperated.

"I was thinking the same thing Bonnie.  Man uses squads consisting of three teams of four, plus a squad leader, so thirteen.  Their platoons are generally made up of three squads, plus an officer in charge of the platoon.  We saw one of these Gorf platoons on the way here."

"Could the race of Man be behind all of this?"  Mama asked.

"Who even knows we're here?  The forest is surrounded on three sides by near-impassible mountains, and on the third side by Dorinth.  Dorinth probably still considers us to be subjects, if they remember us at all.  The race of Man is so short lived, if they remember us at all it might be as a myth." Uncle Zon replied. "I would never tell Baot, but when the three of us came up with the idea of sending someone to Dorinth, I didn't have a lot of hope that they would listen."

"No no." interjected Father, "I may not know the race of Man like the two of you do, but I do know bureaucracy and a bit of history.  Something like a treaty may be forgotten, but it will be archived somewhere.  As short lived as Man is, historically they do honor their treaties once reminded of them, even ones that they have forgotten."

"I wish I could trust that you are right my old friend, but I have met the race of Man, you have not."  Uncle Zon replied.  

His tone gave me the shivers.