Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Foundling ❯ An Odd Discovery ( Chapter 1 )

"Where are you going, Yellowthorn?" The voice was sleepy and came from under the pile of furs that had been scrunched up in the corner of her sleepnest; "It's not dark-time yet. No need to get up now."

"Oh, Go back to sleep, Darksnow." The mahogany-maned elf said, shaking her long tresses about her shoulders and replaiting her one side-braid, "I know how much you enjoy it."

In answer, her latest lovemate rolled over and buried his pale-haired head deeper into the furs. He was snoring even before she'd donned her boots and tied the leather strips in place. She shrugged and made her way out of the den, an empty basket slung across her forearm. She meant to go berry picking this morning and had been planning the outing for some time.

The holt was as silent as new snow falling in the hours just before nightfall. She was a bit surprised at this, even though her people were night-acting creatures by habit and design, in the days of the hot-sun season there were normally at least some still up and about, enjoying the weather.

Hmm, She thought as she called to Hardpaw, her aged wolf friend, who came running to her, eager, as always to be going someplace, Must have over-did it on dreamberries at the gathering the night before. She touched the side of her head with her finger-tip, thankful for the trace of healer blood running through her veins which allowed her to ease her head's ache that morning.

** Hunt now, Elf-friend? ** Hardpaw sent her an image of a rather fat waddle-foot caught between bloodied wolf jaws.

** Not today, my friend. ** Yellowthorn's amber eyes smiled at the wolf as she walked beside him. He was too old, now, for riding, and she knew that he was just dreaming if he thought he was still able to catch a waddle- foot. For all that they were somewhat clumsy on land, they were too soon in the air where they were extremely quick. It took a skilled archer to hit one once it was airborn. She wiggled the basket which, Reed, their gentle plantshaper, had made for her a few days ago. ** We are going to pick berries today.**

The old wolf snuffled in disgust at the image she sent to him showing herself surrounded by juicy red berries, a basketful, and himself sitting next to her, looking bored. She caught the vauge impression that the wolf agreed with her image of his boredom. She giggled but didn't say or send anything and the wolf, long accustomed to following where she led, continued to do so.

They hadn't gone far, in fact, the berry bushes were just ahead. She couldn't wait to try the redhazel and blackfruit berries. Reed had been out a few days before and said they were the ripest and fattest this season than he's ever seen them in recent history. Abruptly, the wolf halted, his gray-flecked ears, the right one with a tip missing from a fight with a longtooth he'd gotten into seasons past, pricked and swiveled, listening to something the elf's keen ears were already starting to pick up.

"What in the.?" Yellowthorn paused, looked about and listened again, "Something is there. It sounds odd..."

** Funny smell, too ** Hardpaw sent, sniffing the air, ** Like little one.but.strange.**

"Could it be humans?" She sniffed, but did not smell any of the five- fingered ones around at all. In fact, she only smelled.forest.and a faint hint of something that only seemed like it belonged here. She shrugged and decided that she'd better take a look. Hardpaw whined a bit but agreed to lead her to the odd-strange smell.

As they approached, Yellowthorn could smell it better and better until her sensitive nose was overwhelmed. The wolf padded towards a small opening set into a rock-side and peered in, growling deep in his throat. Yellowthorn shoved him aside and got down on her hands and knees, peering into the darkness herself.

The scent was the strongest here. She listened and heard small whimpering sounds, as of a wolf cub hurt and afraid. But she knew that no wolf-cub was inside that cave. The only comfort she knew was that it was not human either. She knew what they smelled like and this was definitly not human.

Well, nothing for it but. She said to herself as she started to reach inside. The opening was only large enough for a small animal to fit and she meant to reach in and bring out whatever it was that was within. She didn't stop to think that maybe leaving it be would have been the better choice. Yellowthorn was often reckless and spontaneous. Sometimes it yeilded disaster, sometimes it brought joy. It was a risk the headstrong female was willing to make, in either case, if her fellow holt-members were not.

Hardpaw watched, keeping some distance away, as his elf-friend pulled out the snarling, wriggling.thing.from the cave's dark maw. She stood up and held it out at an arm's length from her face, studying it as one might study some bizarre piece of rock spewed up from the stream, her head tilted in consentration, eyes narrowed.

As if sensing something was happening, the little thing stopped its snarling and wriggling and became still. It's dark eyes focused on the elf's amber orbs and they stayed that way, for more than a few heartbeats. Then, almost as suddenly, the thing opened it's mouth, a gray-blue tongue was revealed and let out a scream that made both wolf and elf ears hurt. Cringing, Hardpaw lay down on the ground and covered his head with his paw, trying in vain to shut out the horrible high-pitched squeal.

"Oh." Yellowthorn drew it to her and cooed under her breath, "Hardpaw! Stop cowering! It's just a cub! It's lost, I think. But, where's its mother.?"

She looked down at the infant she now held in the crook of her arm, and frowned. It was a baby all right. She could tell that blindfolded. But, what kind of baby was it? She had never seen a creature such as this before. For one thing, it was green! Not the green one gets from eating spoiled meat. It was as green as the leaves of a tree during the new-green time. As green as the grass she was standing on. It had large, tapered ears much like her own and small, curious 'stalks' above each eye. The child still looked scared and had begun crying again as she stared at it. Gingerly, she touched one of the 'stalks' with her finger and it quieted, making a contented gurgling sound as it's eyes closed.

Curious, Yellowthorn lifted the wrappings it had been bound in and gasped at what she saw. "It has no.it's neither male nor female.how can this be? What in Timmorn's Name are you, little one?"

As if in answer, the infant snuggled closer to her, grasping a lock of her long hair in it's small, clawed hand. She sighed and thought, Well, I can't keep thinking of you as 'it' I'll have to call you something and since you look to be male.if you had any gender at all.so I'll refer to you from now on as 'he'. Oh, but, where are your parents?

She looked around and sniffed the air but the only scent she smelled now was herself, her wolf-friend and now.this funny little green cub she held. She decided in an instant to take him back to the holt. She knew he'd be welcomed far more had he been anothr elf, but as least he wasn't a human so he had that going for him.

"What shall I call you, little one?" Yellowthorn asked, speaking to herself mostly, but the babe opened his eyes to gaze up at her, as if waiting for an answer, "Well, you look like a green leaf.and your so tiny.sooo.how about.Littleleaf?"

She smiled and said it a few times, liking the sound of it. ** Yes. Your name is Littleleaf. ** She sent to him, half out of habit, half out of experimentation, to see if he could receive her mind-touches. To her astonished delight, the infant could! It was evident by a slight widening of his eyes as her adult mind brushed against his infant one.