The Shepherd Kids

Part 5 of Doy of the Marshes

Doy saw, heard and smelled them coming from miles away. Such is your power when goblin blood runs on your veins, even if tainted with that from bohboh humans. And even more so when what's coming at you is a whole herd of sheep, their shepherds and seven burly mastiffs.

He did what any good goblin kid would've done: to hide. That had already kept him out of trouble many times in his mission. So he jumped after a particularly dense bush, laid low with this dusty cape covering every bit of his body, and set himself to wait the danger out.

But that time he was facing mastiffs, who distrusted with passionate zeal anybody who hid close to their sheep and the humans they'd protect with their lives, too. It was worse for poor Doy as the acute dogs' noses could still smell the scent of wolf in his body. Right away, three mastiffs darted in the boy's direction, the others barking and grouping the herd in a close pack.

Doy, seeing this, got to his dagger and stood to fight them off. There was little chance in this action for him, not being yet 13 years old. But what else could he do? Less of a chance he'd have running away through these vast plains. The dogs would catch him from behind and… But there was no more time for thinking. Two of the dogs had already reached him, with another flanking him. Doy got his back against the bush, so close that the barbers pierced his skin and showed his small blade to the animals. These barked ever louder, but the poor hwblin couldn't tell their demands. Get away, get away, get away, wolf!

And then one human teen also ran at him, brandishing a heavy shepherd staff, shouting in his horrible language. He'd whined, begged to be spared even, but there was no use, the human was still too far away and the dogs were growing ever angrier. If those three jumped at him at the same time, he'd become a mushy red bag. Just then he remembered what truant puppies did when their elders showed their anger, and he did the same: dropping his dagger, he laid down with his back on the dust.

The mastiffs stopped for a second, confused, but kept on barking until the human teen reached them. Soon the shepherd calmed them down and said something that Doy couldn't understand quite well, something that had the human word for “right”, accompanied by a smile. Doy, a slave himself, had learned a few human words from human captives back home. It was nice to have new friends to play, but soon those human kids forgot their tongue, so the human tongue had never been much useful to him.

Doy kneeled up and waited there for a sign to stand. The human boy, with the dogs after him, moved forward.

He looked ok, for a human, that is. Tanned skin, dark hair, brown eyes, lean and muscular and dressed in a simple, dusty tunic. And his eyes didn't tell anything of hate, anger or fear, but of welcome.

“Can I go away?” He asked in his tongue.

The human didn't understand, of course. So instead of turning away and letting Doy go, he reached him and said something back, then gestured for Doy to come.

Half an hour later, Doy was among the flock. The mastiffs had thoroughly smelled him and no longer were concerned about him. The humans had welcomed the boy, so he wasn't a threat to the sheep. As for Doy he had learned a few things, that the humans were called Nwrea, a girl, and Arlew, a boy, that they both looked about 15; and that they were jolly good folks. Now the plan was to share some foodstuffs and a few laughs and then part ways. He made a great effort to get their faces in his mind so, back home, he could tell Count Teddus not to bother those kids, for they weren't evil as many other bohboh humans were.

But then Nwrea asked him something. It had the human word for “where” in it, and she made two of her fingers do a figure of a wee person walking on her arm.

“Caddair,” Doy said, and the human kids got thrilled.

“Caddair too,” they said in one voice, and this time Doy could understand them.

Doy accepted. It was perfect, now nobody would think he was some kind of threat. He'll be just another shepherd kid. And, besides, those folks were quite nice. Nothing to fear for a long, long while.

On they went, the flock enlarged peacefully under the lovely summer rain. Doy walked with Nwrea for an hour, with Arlew for another one. Tough talks were by necessity short and simple, it was the simple thing of feeling safe amid the sea of grass and the distant dark peaks that warmed his spirit. And when the day was coming to its close, the flock reached the surroundings of Castle Moon. By their white walls, the sheep lay for their rest and the kids gathered with their mastiffs to dine and have a laugh.

Arlew set up an old canvas tarp, Nwrea made a fire and Doy, seizing the pot, offered himself as cook. There were ingredients enough for a warm goblin soup: garlic, parsley, paprika, and salted fat, though bits of dry bread had to pretend to be tatties. Never mind, the food was excellent, and even the dogs enjoyed some. Well eaten, Nwrea approached Arlew and sat by his side, their hands touching. Meanwhile, poor Doy saw himself surrounded by those same dogs that hours ago would've torn his flesh from bone. Thankfully, they have discovered in him not a foe but kin, even if he smelled a bit of wolf.

End of Part 5