Chloë Read online

  Chloë

  by

  Marcus J. LaGrone

  Chloë

  © 2012 by Marcus J. LaGrone All rights reserved.

  Cover artwork was done by Minna Sundberg. http://www.minnasundberg.fi/ © 2012 held by Marcus J. LaGrone. All rights reserved.

  The resemblance of any character in this book to any real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This book may not be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the author’s explicit permission in writing except for brief excerpts which may be used for the purposes of writing reviews for publication.

  For more information on this title or other titles by the author, please visit: www.HighlandsOfAfon.com

  A brief introduction to the races can be found at the end of the book.

  1

  Chloë stretched as she fought the sleep from her eyes. She was cold, oh! so very cold and clammy. The small dugout she had used for cover for the night was cold and damp. It was much better than spending the night in the rain, but still far from pleasant. The sun was bright and clear, a welcome sight indeed! Her nightgown was soaked and her fur was matted. She ran her fingers through her hair: wet and tangled. She was wet and miserable… and hungry. Very hungry! She looked down at the bloody rabbit that she had tried to eat the night before and became ill just from looking at it. If only she had been able to build a fire last night…

  She stood there soaking up the sun and took in her surroundings: heavy forest that had until recently blocked the sky. Far in the distance she could start to make out mountains, probably only ten or twenty miles away. Not that she wanted to go climb them! But it made for a reference; she didn’t want to be walking in circles. She didn’t really know where she wanted to be, but going in circles certainly wasn’t going to help.

  She nervously looked around as she took off her wet nightgown. She was embarrassed to be standing there naked, but it wasn’t like she had seen anyone in two days. Timid or not, the sun felt good on her fur and she fluffed it in the sunbeams and tried to warm up. She wrung her nightgown out and waved it in the air trying to dry it off. She stretched her feline-like features and enjoyed the warmth. Her tail was a mess! But at least it was starting to dry off. It was going to take half a day of good brushing to straighten out her fur coat, but that was honestly the least of her concerns. Fifteen minutes later she re-dressed and headed out. She was much drier and warmer than before, but no less hungry.

  Food. She had to find food. Heck, water would be good right now, she thought. Something caught her attention as she strained her ears. Water. A small stream or a brook somewhere not too far away. She tried to think back to her geology and forestry classes: what would be the best way to make it to the stream. Last thing she wanted to do was find out she was walking parallel to it. She quickly gave up trying to think it through and just went by ear. She wasn’t sure if all her schooling would help anyway; this was not her home world after all.

  The massive trees thinned out and gave way to far narrower and easier to navigate birch trees. At least their branches were way high in the air! It was so much easier to walk around and among them. The sound of the stream was growing stronger, or she was delirious. She shook her head; she had to assume she was still in control of her faculties otherwise she might as well just give it all up now. With confidence born of frustration she walked on and was soon rewarded for her patience and perseverance: she found the stream!

  Stream indeed, it was more like a small river, but the bank was shallow and easy to navigate so whatever the nomenclature Chloë was happy with her find. She chose her footing carefully among the river stones, she didn’t want to get wet again if she could help it! Carefully she chose a shallow spot where the water was still moving quickly, less likely to have unpleasant things in the water. Oh! The water was cold! But it was crisp too and felt good as she drank her fill. One less critical situation to deal with.

  It was a gentle river, wide on the far side, heavy with large stones. It was a nice little river now, but it was probably quite treacherous in the spring melts. But the banks were solid, that meant little risk of overflow or fast erosion. That meant it was a good choice of water for people to live nearby. People. She hoped she would find Taiks like herself, elegant catlike people who had been roaming the stars for centuries. And here she was on some unknown rock lost in the middle of some primeval forest. Even if there were Taiks here, would they be some primitive tribe that time had forgotten?

  The loud retort from her stomach made one thing clear: primitive people or not, they would have food and she needed food sooner rather than later! With her stomach providing the marching orders, she started walking downstream. She had no clue if upstream or downstream would be more likely, she simply chose the easier path. When you haven’t had real food in two days, you tend to go with the more pragmatic choices!

  She climbed up to the top of the river bank and began her trek. The sun was out and bird song was thick so at least it was a far more pleasant trip than the last two days. She gritted her teeth and fought off the tears as the memory of her governess flashed through her mind. They had escaped and then flown for days following the giant Shukurae starships, drafting behind them as they opened up wormholes to shoot across the known worlds. Her governess had made an emergency landing on this world, whatever it was, and dropped her off. The plan had been for her to fly their small craft in the deep canyons they had spotted and then she would come back for Chloë. Chloë had watched in the distance as their craft wrecked in a violent storm, crashing and burning at the mouth of the canyon. She was on her own for the first time in her life. She had often wished to be alone, away from all the press of people at the palace, but this was a little more extreme than she had ever hoped for. Two days of peace and quiet, and desolation.

  Something clawed at her mind and her ears fluttered subconsciously. Voices. She was sure of it! She crouched low and picked up her pace. She wanted to find who it was, but on her own terms. They sounded young, but strange. The vocal patterns were consistent with Taik. She was glad it wasn’t a Shukurae or Gelkin world. She wouldn’t have even minded if it was a human world but her heart was light as she was certain they were Taik like her! Closer… must get closer.

  Ahead she could make out an alpine meadow to her right, the voices were from there. The downside, of course, was that the meadow would offer no cover. She gritted her teeth as she moved closer but kept to the edge of the trees. Not too far ahead she could make out a large stone bridge spanning the river. It was a simple but utilitarian bridge, most likely there for centuries. Even if this wasn’t a primitive world, there was no reason to get rid of such a simple but effective bridge. She was none the wiser of the culture, but at least she knew she was close.

  She watched from the edge of the forest while her stomach urged her closer. Half an hour would make no difference in getting something to eat, but it might make a big difference in how she interacted with the local peoples. Her stomach all but called for a coup as the smell of fresh food wafted past her. Oh, she was hungry!

  Children. Lots of them. Easily a dozen, maybe more. Most were younger than she was, but one of the older girls looked about sixteen or so, same as Chloë. Their clothing was simple but elegant and bright. Girls. They were all girls. No sign of an adult. She strained her ears to try to place their language and she was stunned with the response. Old Tongue, a very old tongue indeed. Mostly only spoken on the old world of Afon, and then only in the Highlands of Afon. Well, she was definitely in “highlands,” whether or not it was the Highlands of Afon. She silently cursed to herself, wishing she had studied the Old Tongue better when her tutors had presented it. She could speak eight languages flawlessly, and the one she needed now was an obscure language only used by scholars back home.

/>   Chloë’s fur bristled with confusion. Some of the girls had solid white fur coats and matching white hair, a few of the others had solid black fur and hair. And while the balance seemed to have normal coats, spots, stripes and rosettes, not unlike her own snow leopard coat, she had never seen people with solid coats. She’d seen countless people in her life, but never ever had she seen such Taiks. It almost didn’t seem natural. Her stomach, on the other hand, was color blind and was seriously interested in food.

  Food. She knew enough of the language to ask for food, politely in fact. And that was going to have to do! A gentle breeze reminded her that she was still wearing just a nightgown, but that was going to have to do as well. Modesty and dignity gave way as her stomach threatened to hold her spleen hostage, and she made up her mind and stepped out into the open at the edge of the meadow.

  Almost immediately the older girl, the one about Chloë’s own age, spotted her and waved. Her fur coat was a simple base color with a stripe of white underneath, but it was that base color that stuck out so well, a brilliant reddish-orange and her hair was an even more brilliant curly red. Her simple but well cut dress almost seemed even more secondary, her own natural fur was so bright and cheerful. The girl had a warm but inquisitive smile as she approached.

  “Hello! I’m Heather! You okay? You look kind of lost, well, wearing a nightgown and all.” Her voice was bright and cheerful and felt wonderfully sincere in her enthusiasm. Most of those who Chloë had grown up around always seemed to have a forced fake smile as they wandered through the palace. Heather’s accent was crisp and clean, and while Chloë wasn’t as confident in the language as she would have liked, hearing it spoken in the vernacular rather than in a scholarly way made it much more intelligible.

  “Chloë. My name is Chloë,” she offered carefully choosing her words.

  “Hi, Chloë! Glad to meet you! You a lowlander? Not that I want to be pushy or anything.” The girl was just bouncy and delightfully cheerful. Chloë needed that.

  “Off-worlder actually. I… Well, how I got here was a bit of a mess…”

  Heather wrinkled her eyebrows and then laughed, “Whatever, however, glad to meet you! You need something better to wear, I’m sure. Oh, where are my manners! Are you hungry? If you’re lost in the woods in a nightgown, odds are you haven’t been eating too well!”

  Her enthusiasm was contagious! Chloë had a hard time not feeling better just talking with her. “I don’t mean to impose, but please. If you could spare anything to eat, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

  Heather blew a raspberry and laughed, “No imposition at all! Come on, let’s go meet my Second Mothers and get you back to the house! Come on!” She bound across the field calling out, “Maria! Gwen!” To which a pair of adults responded, standing up in the distance.

  Oh, so there were adults out there. They were just lying in the tall grass while the children played. Second Mothers? What was that about? There were two ladies there and so… well, it just didn’t make sense. Chloë stomached her confusion as she swallowed her pride walking across the field in the nightgown. A pair of very small children called out, remarking that she must have forgotten to change her clothes. They were small children, and Chloë couldn’t help but to smile at them in spite of their comments. They were just children being children.

  The taller of the two adults had a brilliant white coat and hair like several of the children. Her green dress looked stunning on her and her hair elegantly draped all the way down to her tail. Oh, how Chloë wished her hair was that long and silky! The lady looked her over quickly before introducing herself. “I’m Maria Stratford, Second Mother here. Are you all right young lady?”

  Chloë bobbed politely, “My name is Chloë. I’m more than a little lost and would be terribly grateful if you could spare me anything to eat.” She did her best to be humble; these people didn’t know her station and she preferred it that way.

  Maria’s face immediately melted with concern, “Of course we can!” She quickly turned to the second adult, “Gwen, stay here with the children, I’m taking our young guest to the house.”

  Gwen, didn’t say a word but just smiled and nodded to Maria. She never seemed to make eye contact with anyone or even offer a hint that she might want to speak up, but was still very much present. What a strange, but friendly looking, lady…

  “Heather, is Dawn’s old room presentable or did you girls make a mess in there again?” Maria asked as the three of them quickly started across the meadow and toward the bridge Chloë had seen earlier.

  “Um, I think we cleaned it up, Mom. If not, I’ll take care of it right quick.”

  “Dawn and Lynn still have some clothes here. Maybe some of them will fit Chloë.”

  “If not, some of mine might fit her,” offered Heather.

  Chloë was stunned, here she was a stranger in an unknown land, barely able to speak the local language and Heather was willing to share her wardrobe with a complete stranger.

  Heather must have been reading part of her mind, “Well, we can’t have you running around in your nightgown!”

  Chloë laughed and smiled, “Thank you all, and I don’t even know you.”

  Maria shrugged, “I’m sorry, a cold, wet, hungry girl comes wandering in out of the forest. Of course we are going to help you. It would be uncivilized not to!” Suddenly she looked at Chloë with a sense of horror, “You weren’t out in those woods during the thunderstorm yesterday were you?”

  Chloë nodded, “I’ve been walking in the rain for two days. Today was the first time I’ve seen the sun.”

  Maria’s fur bristled, “Oh, why didn’t someone find you before now! That must have been terribly cold and miserable!”

  Chloë would have responded but she was too busy soaking in her surroundings: it was a beautifully cultivated trail that led to the largest timber frame house she had ever seen. Such houses were a novelty back home, but here, among the tall trees, a timber frame seemed to fit so perfectly in place. Balance. That was what Chloë noticed. Their whole habitat seemed to flow in with the forest rather than standing out in harsh contrast. Oh, what a difference this was from home.

  The trio quickly entered the massive structure through a mud room and a set of dutch doors into a beautiful and elegant home. It was definitely a home not just a house; it had that sense of warmth and comfort Chloë had not felt since she was a small child.

  “Mind your claws on the wood floor,” Maria offered reflexively as they quickly marched down the hall past a massive staircase leading to the other floors. They were soon in a large, simple but efficient kitchen. “Chloë was it? Have a seat, I’ll see what I can find you right quick.”

  A second solid white adult lady entered the room with some curiosity. She was obviously younger than Maria but was still just as obviously an adult in the house. “Oh my word,” she began. “Was that girl out last night dressed like that?”

  “Yes, Moira. Two days in fact. I’m going to fix her something to eat. Can you tell Ivy we have a guest and then see if you can scrounge up some clothes that might fit her?”

  “I’ll help with the clothes,” beamed Heather.

  Without missing a beat, Moira and Heather quickly went about their duties. Maria frowned as she pulled items out of the ice box and fired up the stove, “I’m so very sorry. I forgot to introduce you. That was Moira, she is our Fourth Mother. Bacon over bread sound good to you? It does tend to be a favorite for quick hot food.”

  Chloë’s mind spun as she struggled to soak everything in, “Bacon. That sounds wonderful, ma’am. Pardon my ignorance, Fourth Mother?”

  “Oh, just call me Maria. Never took to ‘ma’am’ very well,” she smiled. Chloë needed that. Not the familiarity in itself, but rather the comfort and warmth that Maria just seemed to exude. “Well you are a lowlander or off-worlder so many of our customs will probably seem different to you. We will sort that out for you later, once you’ve had something solid on your tummy! You are doing quite well with our langu
age, I might add. Dawn’s the polyglot around here; she and her family live in town. Oh, there I go again, throwing around more names. Dawn is our oldest daughter; she’s married and moved out. Well, moved out was obvious I guess, if she lives in town, now isn’t it?”

  Chloë laughed, “Yes, ma’am. I mean Maria. I now only wished I had studied your language better.”

  Maria blew a raspberry and grinned, “You are doing fine, girl! Now here you go, eat up!”

  The plate in front of Chloë smelled wonderful and tasted even better. She was making a bit of a mess of herself and half her table manners were shot at this point, but she didn’t care: the food just felt so wonderful!

  Maria laughed as she watched Chloë eat, “Well then, I’ll cook you some more right quick! Try not to eat too fast, you can make yourself sick if you wolf food down too fast after not eating for two days.”

  Chloë nodded as she tried to slow down.

  “Good girl. Eat up and then we’ll see about getting you a nice hot bath and some proper clothes. There is time enough for questions on both sides later. Eat, enjoy!”

  Maria was the exact ray of sunshine Chloë needed. She and Heather both. Actually everyone she had met so far had been just so open and honest, it was a welcome respite. But the food beckoned and so that was her first priority.

  2

  Chloë smiled as she looked out her bedroom window. A hot bath and some fresh clean clothes later, she felt like a new person, and her hosts had offered her a bedroom just down the hall from Heather for the length of her stay, no matter how long that was. There was a caveat to that of course. She was going to need to speak with the mayor about her situation. She was a displaced minor after all. Chloë just hoped she could plead her case not to be sent home. Everyone around her so far had been so wonderful; hopefully the mayor was half as nice as the rest.