turning, rising and falling ever deeper into the forest. It was one thing for the Bears with their long legs, and quite another for him, as he seemed to be taking two paces to every one of theirs, and by the time they eventually neared the edge of their territory, he felt absolutely exhausted.
The ale had not helped the way he was feeling either, and although the hangover cure had worked to remove the pounding of a hundred drummers in his head, the rest of his body was still suffering. If he had learnt anything from his time with them, then it was not to drink so much!
The ale was a good deal stronger than anything that he had ever tasted before, and had left him with an overall numbness. Maybe next time he would keep to his promise, and not drink nearly as much of it as he had done on the previous two occasions!
Up ahead, he could see a stone pillar, which stuck out of the ground casting a long shadow down onto the path. When they got a little closer, he could clearly see the image of the Great King carved upon it. His heart sank, as the pillar marked the edge of the Bear Kingdom, and from this point on, he would be travelling alone.
How he wished that the big burly Bears of the Royal Guard could have accompanied him on the rest of his journey, but that was not possible, as Bears rarely venture out of their own territory. He had asked, but had been politely refused, much to his disappointment.
Roggie thanked them for accompanying him this far and sighed deeply, as they turned and began to walk back the way that they had come. He watched them until they had gone out of sight, and taking a deep breath, walked past the stone carving with his face strewn across it.
It was still very strange to see his image carved on rocks, wooden boxes, scrolls, and on a variety of other items. It seemed as though there was no shortage of them throughout the Bear Kingdom. It was still a mystery as to how he so closely resembled the Great King, although to the Bear Sisters and the Council members, it was simple - the Great King had returned.
It was quite a responsibility, as they clearly believed that he had indeed returned, and had based all their hopes, not to mention their new regime on that fact. They had also stood up to the Men, and by doing so, they now faced the very real prospect of armed conflict!
It was all too much for poor Roggie, who still longed for his burrow and his warm comfortable bed. Those days seemed so far away, as he trudged along the path towards whatever fate had in store for him. When he thought about it, he did wonder whether it was fate or destiny that was guiding him?
There were just too many co-incidences and things mysteriously fitting into place, and how was it that he and the Great King looked so much alike?
At least he had a lot to think about, which occupied his mind as the path led away ever deeper into the trees. It, like his thoughts, seemed endless, as everything began to weigh heavily on his shoulders. From what he gathered, the Bears were counting on him for support. Support was one thing, although what they were actually asking him for was a great deal more than that!
Now that they were not going to let the Men take all of their gold, it probably meant that they would have to prepare for battle; he was sure from his own encounters with them, that they would not just calmly walk away.
That was the thing that he wished to do, although deep down inside, he knew that he could not just abandon them. He would have to return, and when he did, he got the distinct impression that they were expecting him to arrive with an army!
He was not the Great King, and he certainly did not have an army to command.
Roggie frowned!
The path began to climb as the tree line stretched endlessly in front of him like a never ending sea of green. He seemed to have been walking all day, and by what the Royal Guards had told him, he would have to travel some distance before he reached the clearing of the Wise Old Griffin. This land was not part of the Bear Kingdom, and in fact, it was not really part of any kingdom at all, as it sat in a type of buffer zone between kingdoms.
By an ancient agreement it was a free land, where no one ruled, and sat at the junction of several other lands of the ancient kingdom of Elphamia. On the one side lay The Land of the Bears, which he had just left, then there was The Land of the Moors and Woods, where his village lay, The Land of the Forests and Mountains, where other Elphin folk lived, The Land of Men, and finally The Bad Lands. These Bad Lands stretched out far and wide and contained a variety of other creatures - some good, and some not quite so good!
There was really very little knowledge of what it contained, only a few tales which were enough to give you nightmares!
Roggie shivered at the very thought of it, hoping that he would not have to venture anywhere near it. Tales of weird creatures and strange phenomena filled his mind, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as a bird rustled the branches of a nearby tree. It was enough to make you scared of your own shadow, and he decided to put all thoughts of it to the back of his mind. He was hoping that the Griffin would sort everything out for him, and then he would be able to return home to the safety of his lovely warm comfortable bed!
Now that was a very comforting thought, and one which sustained him as he trudged along what seemed like an endless journey.
Seventeen
Time seemed to drift on unabated, as the path showed no sign of ending. It was just as though he had been walking in a circle, as he appeared not to be making any progress at all. The sun was still in the same direction though, even if the trees that he passed did all look the same. His journey to the village of the Bear King had been really easy, as he had been pulled on a cart by the Bear Sisters. Now they were Queen and Princess respectively, and their cart pulling days were now well and truly over!
Roggie sighed, wishing that they were still with him, merrily pulling the cart along, with him sitting upon it. What use was it looking like the Great King, if there was no one here to attend him?
Roggie sighed again, looking at the dirt path with the undergrowth and trees framing it on either side. He must have walked miles and miles, and yet he had no reference. The only indication that he had seen was his own image carved upon the stone marker, which signalled the end of The Land of the Bears, and that seem nothing more than a distant memory.
His thoughts then turned inevitably back towards the Wise Old Griffin. From those three words he could deduce that the creature was wise, and old, but that was as far as he could go. Most people, including Roggie, had absolutely no idea what a Griffin was, or what it could do.
It is fair to say that Griffins, are quite unusual creatures, in fact it could also be said that they are unique. They have the body of a Lion, and the head and wings of an Eagle, with a Lion’s tail, long ears and clawed feet. Some people say that they are nothing more than a myth, although when you actually meet one, they are very real indeed!
Griffin’s are masters of both the earth and the sky, and are noted for their great wisdom. They tend to live a life of solitude, and contemplation, spending their time considering all that they have experienced. The Griffin that Roggie was hoping to meet was one of the oldest that had ever lived, and so it went without saying that he was also one of the wisest.
According to the Bears, he had been alive during the time of the Great King, although Roggie found that very hard to believe. The village elder was quite old, as Elphin Rabbits tended to live very long lives in comparison to Men, although even they had many generations stretching far back to those distant days.
Roggie was only young in comparison, with most of his life in front of him, although what had happened to him over the last few days made him wonder whether he was going to reach old age!
If he did, then he would have quite a tale to tell the young ones when he was a village elder himself, although by the looks of things, his story still had a long way to run.
He was beginning to feel tired and hungry, his legs ached and his feet were sore after all of the walking. The path was never ending, and as he looked up through the trees he noticed that the sun was getting low in the sky. It would be getting dark
soon, and he would have to make camp. The Bears had given him some food, and there seemed to be enough wood lying about to make a decent fire, although there did not seem to be anywhere suitable to stop. The path was quite narrow, as it wound its way through the forest, and so far he had not come across a single clearing. The undergrowth was very dense on either side too, and he had no idea what lay hidden within it.
The Bears had warned him not to venture off the path, as they were unsure of what lay beyond it. If the Bears felt unsure, then the last thing he wanted to do was to find out. After all, Bears were big strong creatures, and more than capable of looking after themselves. If they did not feel comfortable, then what was an Elphin Rabbit supposed to feel?
All that Roggie had to protect himself was his spear, and although he was able to throw it further than anyone else in his village, using it in combat was a totally different matter entirely!
He shivered when he thought about what could lie beyond the thick undergrowth and the line of never ending trees. His thoughts drifting to The Bad Lands themselves, and the name itself was enough to unsettle him. He could imagine all sorts of strange creatures lurking just behind the trees, ready to pounce on him at any minute!
Roggie began to feel very insecure, and gripped his spear tightly as