Ask The Old Writer

KURIN’S FOLLY

Part 2

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

23,699 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

writing begun  2006

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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New to the story?  Read from the beginning.  Part 1 is here

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Kurin looked up at him with a boldness that she did not really feel.  High Cloud was sharing his utter confidence in himself, as one of the premiere predators of the air, with her.  It helped.  A lot.  With that deceptive calmness that Master Juris had seen and learned to fear during the trial up north in the Dragon Sea, she replied  “Yes it is, isn’t it?”  Then she turned to the cabin boy and asked, “Bron, would you be so good as to get Captain Mord and Purser Alor?  Their presence is needed for legal reasons.”

“You don’t need to bother the Captain,” said Master Juris, with a sinking feeling.  He turned to try and stop Bron but the cabin boy was already gone on his errand.  

Learning that Kurin did not bluff had been a hard lesson and one that was still sinking in.  The years of Kurin’s apprenticeship to him had made him overconfident of his ability to manipulate her.  Now that she was an independent journeyman and had found out from the Grandalor what self-respect meant, she no longer needed to take his arrogance.

Shortly, Bron came back, leading both the Purser and Captain.  Both seemed upset.  It was Alor who spoke for them.  “Kurin, why didn’t you come to your welcome back party?  Most of the crew were hurt or angry that you didn’t even send us a note to say you would be late.”

Surprised, Kurin said, “There was a party?  When?”

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KURIN’S FOLLY

Part 1

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

23,699 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

writing begun  2006

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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Kurin looked bleakly out over the yellow gray rail of the Longin.  The water was as gray as the iron of legend.  The wind caught her white hair and blew it into fluttering wisps.  She wished that there really was something so tough and hard that it would cut anything known to man.  It would be so nice to be able to hack through all of her problems and let the pieces sink to the Dragons in the depths.

It was not to be.  Iron and all the other ‘metals’ (whatever they might have actually been) were only found in stories of ancient times, told for children.   Shell, bone, tooth, Strong Skin, glue and mussel fiber were the things of reality.  A Wide Wing soared overhead and, folding its wings, plunged down toward her.

Kurin did not even need to look up to know that High Cloud was coming.  She had felt the young Sea Hawk in the back of her mind from the day of his hatching. Unconsciously she braced herself.  Needlessly.  High Cloud flared his wings wide open, catching the air and settled to her shoulder gently, razor sharp claws adding a few more small rips to the padding that she always wore, strapped securely in place.

It was almost comic, the way that he balanced on Kurin’s shoulder and preened gently in the hair about her ear with a beak sharp enough to have sheared it off.  They were both upset by the change of ship, but the bird was trying to comfort her.  Kurin, with an effort, put aside the tears of her thirteen Gatherings old self and reached up to scratch High Cloud under a wing.  As she did, she felt the comfort flow between them along the invisible bond that joined girl and Hawk.

The bird had followed her from the Grandalor, the only home and rookery that it had ever known. That despised ship had been full of surprises for Kurin.