Another Man's Storm Chapter 4
and a few notes
Notes first.
This is why I’ve balked at publishing work-in-progress stories. Because things change! I’ve already had to make adjustments to the plot in the prior three chapters. So what you are reading now will change. I promise you it will be much richer come the finished product. In fact if I have to make too many changes I may just stop posting the story and go on with something else. How do you serial authors do this? It’s beyond me. I’ve posted on Royal Road and Wattpad and had to abort the story because I ended up making so many adjustments.
So, if you want to follow, I welcome your eyes and your critique. When it’s finally published as a novel, it might look totally different.
That being said, here is chapter 4
Chapter 4 First Night
The Telwa wayfarers traveled over the rugged terrain of the mountain in silence. The bells that hung around the neck of the lead reindeer clamored rhythmically as men, women, and pack animals followed. It had been a time-consuming, tedious trip, and Malosi shared with the others the aches of sitting too long in the saddle. The smell of musky wool penetrated not only his clothes, but everything he had brought with them—pots, blankets, and his saddlebags. As they rode along the mountain crest at sunset, Malosi stared out over the valley, envious of Teo and his dragon and how the two could travel long distances without suffering the dirt, monotony, and aches of a trail ride. They were probably near the castle by now, enjoying a hot meal cooked over a campfire. Malosi’s stomach gurgled at the thought.
“How are you holding up?” Galid asked.
Malosi, riding second behind Galid, stretched and yawned when his friend came to a halt. Stars glistened in the golden-hued sky, foretelling a clear evening. They had reached timberline where snow clung to crevices, iced against the Northside of the firs, but elsewhere the ground had dried, and the heavy reindeer had kicked up dust along the way which was still settling as they came to a stop.
“Do we rest yet?” Malosi asked as Galid turned in his saddle.
“It’s still light,” he said as he regarded the clouds on the horizon turning pink. “Though not for long.”
Malosi took a drink from his waterskin and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“I guess I could keep riding,”
The dust on Galid’s face cracked when he grinned, his eyelashes as dirty as the rest of him. With the sun casting an ominous shade of gold across the earth, he looked like a statue made of clay.
“Am I as filthy as you?” Malosi asked.
“Worse,” Galid laughed.
“Do you think we should keep riding?”
“I think we should take a rest if we aspire to be of any help when we get there. We’re already a measurable distance from home, and we’ve another reckonable distance to go. I’ve a mind to get off this beast, eat a bowl of stew boiled over a fire. Let’s camp and begin again before the sun rises.”
