Chapter 1--Little Bird/The Thunder Tales of Rodi and Cai--Revised

I have posted some about them before, however this is Chapter One of their saga. Please enjoy and feedback is most welcome and encouraged.

Little Bird

The little bird hopped his way down the branch. It was a bright clear morning in the highlands. It was midsummer now and the sun had already climbed quite high and the heather was very warm. He hopped about and as he did so he craned his neck and turned his little head side-to-side looking.

He was looking down trying to decide if that was a worm or what. Looking some more with sideways glances he thought better because someone was there. Down below.

It was a young girl sitting by the tree, and what he was seeing was not a worm but a length of leather string she was entertaining herself with.

This is Sorcha MacDougal. Her friends and family call her Cai. She has come to her favorite place and as far as she knows her own personal secret place where she can be alone sometimes. The warmth of the day has persuaded her to slip out of her soft soled leather slippers and enjoy the cool grass on her soles and between her toes. More often that not she wouldn’t have even had the slippers with her. She was still a very young girl of about 14 who loved to be at play when not at work.

.

And all the while she thought about her life and her dreams.Her Da was the village tanner hence she had plenty of little leather scraps to amuse herself with. Of course she also helped in the family business as well.

And she thought also of Rodi. Rodidh Stuart that is. He was the son of the servant and groundskeeper at Eilean Donan castle. And Rodi was her boy.

She turned her thoughts toward Rodi and the times the had recently shared. Now Cai was really something of a shy young girl who did not open herself to others with ease. Rodi had been different to her and she felt very at ease and comfortable, even safe with him.

And at that moment she became startled,”Oy lass!” called a voice.”Is nae good bein out in th’ heather byself. Mights get caught by a highwayman!”

It was Rodi! How had he known where to find her? Och, her clothes! And her hair!

“I be alright Rodidh Stuart! Why ye be out and aboot here?” She really hadn’t expected this and tried to shy back a bit.

“Joost takin keave a bit from th’ grounds and coom abouts here. Seein’ a girlie sittin over here and took a fancy to look.”

“Ah, um, yeh I well takin’ a walk meself.”

“Wall then, mayhap I coulds keep company?”

“Oh, well I have to go back soon.”

“Oh alright. Joost hopin fer to look a bit at me little greenies.” Meaning her eyes, which made her look at his.

That was something she could do for all day as she would find herself getting lost in those grayish blue eyes. He had a grin that made hers appear also.

She was looking and he had walked towards her and she had backed against the tree, one toe tracing a line in the bare spot by the roots. “Don’t spose yud set a spell?”

And Rodi did sit with her for a time and they did something she loved almost as much as his eyes. They spent time in quiet talk where the golden threads of bonding are spun between youngsters of the like.

When he got up to leave she watched as he walked off slowly. She studied his walk and his posture and his manner and added those to the things she already had understood of him.

When he looked back she was standing at the tree leaning with her hands against it. There was a glow to those little green eyes that told him all he needed to know.

As for Cai she may have been young but she knew what she liked.

The Thunder

Rodi lay on his pallet in his room. His shutters were open to the night air. It had grown late by now. He was tired and needed to sleep but could not manage the task of falling asleep. He was relaxed and calm.

Everywhere but in his mind.

He couldn’t understand why but his thoughts would not be still for him to close his eyes.

He stood for a time and looked out his window into the night. He could still see some reflection from the now setting moon off the loch below. If his room were differently located he could have even seen the tree where he and Cai had been just a short while ago.

He was still thinking of her and that was his problem. She inhabited his thoughts in this way of late and distraction had become something he was trying to learn how to deal with.

The disquiet was so it was as if there were a great thunderstorm rolling across the open loch toward the castle walls. It was the thunder from that in his mind.

He would continue remembering the evening:

He was sitting with his back to the tree. Waiting.

How long exactly he had been there he wasn’t real sure but he knew she was normally here. Frustration mixed with a little worry for her although there was little to fear from her working in her family’s leather shop and the short trek across the well known and traveled path to the bridge and just beyond to the tree.

He swatted at his ear. Looked at the loch. Swatted by his ear again. Midges!!

Another annoyance and a swat and then he heard a muffled sound that could only be one thing. Looking around he found himself face to face with Cai and her small hand clapped over her own mouth to keep from laughing.

“You Midgefly!” Rodi yelled and grabbed the girl around the waist and swung her around to face him. All that did was make the giggling worse. This of course precipitated some obligatory wrestling and tickling which caused her to cry out a little.

On the battlements a watchman took note.

“Och!” he thought. “These again!” Shaking his head he looked the other way slightly. No danger with those two except possibly to each other. He reminded himself to speak to wife about their own daughter nearly Sorcha’s age.

Rodi had taken respite from the struggles. “It’s spankin ye be needin’! Makin me wait overlong!”

“Oh don’t be mean to me Sar! I’m joost only a wee bairn!” And with that Cai pushed her bottom lip out in an outrageous pout. Her green eyes became like little saucers. She did indeed appear waiflike, but so comically so that Rodi fell into a long laughter from it and took several moments to catch himself. Looking back she didn’t quite have the same expression but was mugging now for all the more laughter which she knew she could get and indeed did.

“Ah me little silly I do love your jest so.” Rodi said as he looked upon her now in the moonlight.

Cai stood up “And is there aught else ye likes besides me silly?”

“Dinnae. May has to have closer look.”

And Cai came and sat beside him so that they faced each other. “What noo?” she asked.

“I’m lookin so as to be sartin.”

Cai reached out her small hand and touched Rodi very lightly on the cheek. It was as if arm and hand and cheek and torso became one. As she drew her arm slowly back all those parts moved as one without hesistation or resistance. This all the way to her lips and then the lightest of kisses and quick glances as that first spark of the energy was transferred. And then more of the tender sweet little kisses that were what he knew was her special thing for him alone. The eyes no longer saucer-like but the sweet expression of tenderness.

This was the thunder that rolled in Rodi’s head and made sleep quite impossible.

On this and many other nights to come.

Copyright 2007, 2011 J.S.Chambers