>> |
Fix'd Again
11/25/08(Tue)20:38 No.3063903On the third evening around dusk, as I was bathing in the stream, I became aware of someone watching me. I peered over my shoulder, and there amongst the riverside brush was a small Kobold, peeking out at me. Half-lizard, half-mammal, a tiny thing dressed in rags. Up until now, they'd all left me alone, and kept to themselves among their earthen homes. At first I thought it had come to steal from me (or worse yet, attack me) but on realizing its position had been given away, it fled into the night. I put my clothes back on and spent an uneasy night alone back at the camp, my mind pouring over the baseless fears that crept in with the setting of the sun. The next morning I again found myself by the brook with my carving knife, whittling out a small canoe, when a soft scratching sound beside me caught my attention. I looked up in surprise to see the same Kobold from the night before -- I pulled the knife at it threateningly, before I caught myself and let my nerves settle. The Kobold startled, staring at the knife in my hands, but as I calmed, so did she. She wore a potato sack of threadbare cloth, her slight breasts outlined against the loose and thinning weave, and to my surprise, she smiled at me.
I felt awkward, since my interaction with Kobolds had been limited to chasing them off with a stick. So, hoping she understood common, I gestured at the brook. "Did you need a drink, or...?" She shook her head "no", then held out her small, clasped hands and opened them up to reveal a tiny, crudely-carved wooden boat. I smiled in spite of myself, and she smiled back warmly. She was awfully cute, for a Kobold. She tugged the hem of my tunic and lead me to the water's edge, where together, we launched our boats on the soft current. |