Chapter Six, 'journey'

Not the whole clan, not even the whole town, was gathered to see her off. She had brought back word that the herds were returning from their winter grounds. With the hunt resuming the season had changed, and the time she had chosen for her departure had come. It was not a public event, most of the town wouldn't even miss her anyways. But there were a few who were glad to see her go, and they had come to see it for themselves.

The ones who cared about her were waiting beyond the gate in the forest. Her father and the sprites would not allow her to leave without every blessing or gift they could afford. The blacksmith and some of the elder hunters were there also, they remembered the time before the war and how the Nielda had come in peace; how so much of what the younger generation took for granted as a part of their culture had been given freely by the hairless giants from the sky. And they knew that Alicea was a more important part of their clan than her peers would ever acknowledge.

"What few of us our here would like to offer you what we can to aid you in your quest."
The blacksmith, Onai, stepped forward holding a wide box. He opened it and pulled the cloth away from the gift within it.
"Traveller, For your services to our clan we grant you these axes. They were forged by our strongest warrior, and the enchantments upon them were set by our most noble Shaman. May they serve you as well as they did their last bearer."
Alicea could barely restrain herself. She had forged and enchanted these axes under the prompting of her father. She'd been told that they were for the chieftain, but she had grown attached to them after the last three months of working on them. She'd been reluctant to let them go.

The chief weaver, Sieri, steeped forward. She handed a long brown travellers cloak to Alicea. "My sisters and I wove this for you. The dryad and your father have enchanted it so that even in the morning of the full moon you need not go unclothed. And while he could not be here to present it to you himself; Norr the leather worker made you this pack so that you can carry your supplies. It should keep them dry even under water."
Several of the other elders stepped forward, bearing pots, pans, and the instruments of cooking, cleaning, and general care for oneself. She received several fine sets of clothing, and plentiful supplies for repairing them. The effect of her feral spirit upon her clothes was no secret, and the mending of clothes had been one of the first skills she had learned.

Finally her father stepped forward.
"I have already offered all I can in my aid to the others, or by the lessons I have taught you. So I can grant now only a blessing and a fathers love for his daughter. May your journeys be not a hardship but a time of growth, and may the spirits guide your way. Go in peace, and know that my heart and thought is with you always."

"And may the spirit of the light watch over this place. May you find profit in every activity. Be not saddened, for your daughter will not forget your lessons nor shall she neglect you." Alicea had spent last night crying just so she could stay level headed today. If she could have stayed here the rest of her life she would have, but fate had seen it fit to guide her away and she would heed its call.

Shouldering her pack, raising her hood; Alicea strode on down the road in search of the place where towns grew rich from silver.