Pathfinder
06-09-06, 04:09 PM
"Hmph, it’s a cool morning for this time of year." Eli's mother, standing on the front porch, leaned out over the wooden railing to gain a better view of the sky. Sarah Hunter was a tall woman, whose softer features gave her a very motherly appearance. A few wrinkles, beneath her sharp green eyes, betrayed a woman of middle age. Those eyes themselves betrayed nothing but a firey spirit, and the wisdom of a woman who has seen many things. She was an attactive woman still, with long brown hair that still showed no sign age. "Aye, but the sky's clear, once the suns up, things will warm well enough." She cast a worried glance at her eldest son, "So your minds made up?"
"Aye mother, It is." Eli let out a small plume of smoke, and returned the cherry wood pipe to his mouth. Another long draw, and a moment of silence, "You know very well, I've been set on this for some time." He had indeed, and the preparations had been made ready for more than two weeks, his mind was set, and there would be no changing it. He reveled in the quiet for a moment, puffing ever so slowly. The hoot of an owl, nestling down for the day, broke through that pre-dawn silence. "I'll miss this though, mornings on the porch, waiting on the coming dawn." It was a his morning ritual, sitting on the front porch in his favorite rocking chair, smoking his favorite, and quietly talking with his mother before sunrise.
The sound of small feet broke his quiet reverie, and brought his attention to rest on the plump little face of his youngest sister. All blue eyes and blonde hair, and firmly attached to his right arm. Eli smiled down at her, "Oh lass, you're up a wee bit early today." Chuckling warmly, he picked her up, and dropped her down in his lap. Caroline was not quite six and the youngest of all the Hunter siblings, the only one still small enough to sit in his lap "Oh, what’s this here?" A look of grave concern came over his face.
Blue eyes wide, "What?" A shrill squeal, followed by a flood of giggling, Caroline fought gallantly, but to no avail. She devolved into a writhing ball of laughter, at the mercy of her big brothers persistent tickling, half-hearted protests did little to stop the onslaught. Two other faces soon emerged from the house. Thomas, a healthy, freckled little boy of nine years with short brown hair, and hazel eyes, just a bit tall for his age. Followed shortly by Elizabeth, who at thirteen was already giving signs that she would grow into quite a beautiful young woman, brown hair like her mother, and the same sharp green eyes. Both of them came heroically to the aide of their young sister, nearly toppling Eli out of his chair.
Eli disappeared beneath an assault of grave proportions, and a hail of giggles.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Several Hours Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A chuckle escaped him, at the thought of the tearful, but warm farewell. Caroline had cried, and clung to him, appealing to him in every way she could think of not to leave. Elizabeth had been brave for the youngster’s sake, but a few tears had escaped her as well. Thomas had looked a little envious, and kept insisting that he should be able to come as far at the edge of the Sweetwood, and had been quite disappointed when his mother told him he couldn't. Mrs. Hunter had given her son a long hug, and then fixed him with a mother's stare, demanding that he be careful, and to come back in one piece. He'd promised to do just that, and said his final farewell, before heading into town to make one last stop. Eli had a date with a young lady to keep, and he intended full well to do so.
Memories of that second warm farewell brought a smile to his face, and a dull pain to his heart. A deep sigh, "Well, I knew leaving would be difficult, but I'll see her again." His heart wasn't convinced, but he ploughed ahead anyway. A beautiful pair of brown eyes consuming his thoughts, and the remnants of a sweet kiss still bringing a tingle up his spine. She had made the decision to leave very hard, but he had known that he must. "I need to do this, I want to do this, and if I had stayed back because of her, it wouldn't have been right." That was it, he'd made the first mile now, and with that mile, he left all his doubts about this trip, and all his fears. Eli was not a person to dwell in the past, and now all those thoughts were in the past. Adventure lay before him, and he intended to pursue it with a great vigor.
"Aye mother, It is." Eli let out a small plume of smoke, and returned the cherry wood pipe to his mouth. Another long draw, and a moment of silence, "You know very well, I've been set on this for some time." He had indeed, and the preparations had been made ready for more than two weeks, his mind was set, and there would be no changing it. He reveled in the quiet for a moment, puffing ever so slowly. The hoot of an owl, nestling down for the day, broke through that pre-dawn silence. "I'll miss this though, mornings on the porch, waiting on the coming dawn." It was a his morning ritual, sitting on the front porch in his favorite rocking chair, smoking his favorite, and quietly talking with his mother before sunrise.
The sound of small feet broke his quiet reverie, and brought his attention to rest on the plump little face of his youngest sister. All blue eyes and blonde hair, and firmly attached to his right arm. Eli smiled down at her, "Oh lass, you're up a wee bit early today." Chuckling warmly, he picked her up, and dropped her down in his lap. Caroline was not quite six and the youngest of all the Hunter siblings, the only one still small enough to sit in his lap "Oh, what’s this here?" A look of grave concern came over his face.
Blue eyes wide, "What?" A shrill squeal, followed by a flood of giggling, Caroline fought gallantly, but to no avail. She devolved into a writhing ball of laughter, at the mercy of her big brothers persistent tickling, half-hearted protests did little to stop the onslaught. Two other faces soon emerged from the house. Thomas, a healthy, freckled little boy of nine years with short brown hair, and hazel eyes, just a bit tall for his age. Followed shortly by Elizabeth, who at thirteen was already giving signs that she would grow into quite a beautiful young woman, brown hair like her mother, and the same sharp green eyes. Both of them came heroically to the aide of their young sister, nearly toppling Eli out of his chair.
Eli disappeared beneath an assault of grave proportions, and a hail of giggles.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Several Hours Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A chuckle escaped him, at the thought of the tearful, but warm farewell. Caroline had cried, and clung to him, appealing to him in every way she could think of not to leave. Elizabeth had been brave for the youngster’s sake, but a few tears had escaped her as well. Thomas had looked a little envious, and kept insisting that he should be able to come as far at the edge of the Sweetwood, and had been quite disappointed when his mother told him he couldn't. Mrs. Hunter had given her son a long hug, and then fixed him with a mother's stare, demanding that he be careful, and to come back in one piece. He'd promised to do just that, and said his final farewell, before heading into town to make one last stop. Eli had a date with a young lady to keep, and he intended full well to do so.
Memories of that second warm farewell brought a smile to his face, and a dull pain to his heart. A deep sigh, "Well, I knew leaving would be difficult, but I'll see her again." His heart wasn't convinced, but he ploughed ahead anyway. A beautiful pair of brown eyes consuming his thoughts, and the remnants of a sweet kiss still bringing a tingle up his spine. She had made the decision to leave very hard, but he had known that he must. "I need to do this, I want to do this, and if I had stayed back because of her, it wouldn't have been right." That was it, he'd made the first mile now, and with that mile, he left all his doubts about this trip, and all his fears. Eli was not a person to dwell in the past, and now all those thoughts were in the past. Adventure lay before him, and he intended to pursue it with a great vigor.