The Littlest Kobold
\nA Story by Michael DeAngelo
\n-Part One-
\nNarrated by Cristina Cruz<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
In the fading evening light, the forest had taken on a golden tint.\u00a0 Fallen leaves were scattered everywhere, and the branches above were bare.\u00a0 Autumn was a beautiful time in Daltain, but it was also a reminder of the harsh winter to come.<\/p>\n
For the littlest kobold, it was a reminder of the crunch of leaves beneath a hasty retreat.\u00a0 Panting excessively, she braced herself on the nearest tree, her furry hand cracked from running on all fours.\u00a0 She looked around to collect her bearings, but she knew better than most that the unfamiliar territory would offer her no sanctuary.<\/p>\n
The howl of the hunting dog echoed through the forest.\u00a0 Despite the terror washing over her tiny body, the kobold couldn\u2019t stifle a nervous laugh.\u00a0 What kind of kobold was chased by a dog?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll find you, Hare!\u201d a voice in the distance called out.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter to show yourself now and be done with it,\u201d came another, warmer voice.<\/p>\n
Shaking her head, the tiny kobold took one last breath and charged forward.\u00a0 That time she ran on her back legs.\u00a0 Her pursuers had not been dissuaded by her simple trick.<\/p>\n
Brown and orange leaves were scattered this way and that, and her tracks would mean nothing to the hunting dog in the far reaches of the forest, though her large triangular ears caught the sound of a stream.\u00a0 The water could easily disguise her scent.<\/p>\n
She would be home in Warus before she knew it.<\/p>\n
The kobold leaned forward and bent low, charging ahead as fast as her little legs could carry her.\u00a0 That rush of adrenaline was all for naught, she realized, the moment she stepped on the hidden bramble.<\/p>\n
A burst of pain surged up her leg, eliciting a yelp she couldn\u2019t stifle.\u00a0 The agony sent her tumbling to the ground, crashing down among the leaves.\u00a0 The dog barked at the sound of her cry, and she knew there was not much time.\u00a0 Climbing to her feet once more, the kobold began forward.<\/p>\n
She was promptly upon the ground again, wincing away the pain in her right foot.\u00a0 Hushing a growl, she lifted her foot and gazed upon it.\u00a0 Between the padding just before her toes, a massive thorn was securely embedded and just out of reach for a simple extraction.<\/p>\n
The light trickle of the stream sounded so close, but the kobold knew it to be out of reach.\u00a0 Even if she crawled, the dog and its master would outpace her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome out, come out, Hare!\u201d she heard.<\/p>\n
Gulping a large pocket of air, the littlest kobold skittered toward the nearest tree.\u00a0 There, she lay on her back and gathered up piles of leaves until she was covered.\u00a0 Sifting through the pile, she made sure even her snout was hidden.\u00a0 She held her breath then, steadying herself in the darkness.<\/p>\n
The next few minutes felt like hours.\u00a0 The nearby fauna had stopped chattering, only the sounds of rustling retreats echoing out in the woods.<\/p>\n
When the kobold heard the dog\u2019s growl, she knew it to be right beside her.\u00a0 She nearly flinched in terror but somehow kept her composure, even as the scent of the dog\u2019s hot breath permeated the leaves above her nose.<\/p>\n
A snicker rose into the air beyond the dog.\u00a0 \u201cHold \u2018im, will ya?\u201d one of the men said.<\/p>\n
Several moments later, the leaves were swept away from the kobold\u2019s face.\u00a0 She stared at her pursuer, frozen by fear.\u00a0 He let a wry grin stretch his lips, showing two rows of crooked teeth.<\/p>\n
She swallowed hard and sat up.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for the kobold, I think she went that way,\u201d she said, pointing toward the stream.\u00a0 At that, she gathered up the leaves and spread them upon herself once more.<\/p>\n
Before she was able to cover herself completely, the two men were already chuckling.\u00a0 The closer one bent down and snatched her by the collar of her vest.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hare, back to the circus with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She could offer little resistance, allowing her head to bow and her body to go limp.\u00a0 Her lips parted for a moment, but she could not find the sentiment she wished to impart.<\/p>\n
\u201cOi, what were ye gonna say?\u201d the other man asked.<\/p>\n
A brief pause had silence passing in the forest.\u00a0 She finally looked up, her brow furled.\u00a0 \u201cMy name is Leah, and I\u2019m a kobold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAye, little one,\u201d the man holding her said.\u00a0 He lifted her up and sat her upon his shoulder.<\/p>\n
The other one tapped his dog on the rump and started away.\u00a0 \u201cBut to us, ye\u2019ll always be the Hare.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The scent of breakfast sausages and toasting bread pressed through the cloth tent.\u00a0 Camille Destrite was sitting up before she woke.\u00a0 As her eyes fluttered open, that delicious aroma was the only thing she could think of.\u00a0 She was sure it was powerful enough to rise over the hills to the northeast.<\/p>\n
Stepping out of the tent, she understood she was not the only one awake at that hour.\u00a0 The two eldest of her brothers, Jerrick and Abraham, sat upon rocks that circled the cooking fire, eagerly awaiting their meal.\u00a0 Leaning up against their wagon, her father, Virgil, was occupied by her one-year-old sister, Kira.\u00a0 Free of the burden, her mother, Nika, prepared a hearty breakfast for her family.<\/p>\n
The only one not in attendance was her youngest brother, Rion.<\/p>\n
\u201cNice of you to join us, Camille,\u201d her mother playfully jabbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, Mother,\u201d she returned, a sweet smile upon her face.\u00a0 She reached out, trying to snag a sizzling link of sausage from the pan.<\/p>\n
A gentle pivot had Nika away from her daughter.\u00a0 \u201cOh, no.\u00a0 You\u2019ve already got two strikes against you.\u00a0 You\u2019re the oldest, and you slept the longest \u2013 right through your chores.\u00a0 These boys have waited all morning.\u00a0 If you want to eat, you\u2019ll have to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPapa,\u201d Camille said.<\/p>\n
Virgil stepped forward, away from the carriage, with a smile on his face.\u00a0 Nika was quick to turn and face her husband, a challenging stare pointed in his direction.\u00a0 Tightening his grip on young Kira, he fell back against their wagon.\u00a0 \u201cDo as your mother says,\u201d he bade.<\/p>\n
Their eldest child blew out a quick, shallow sigh, and her shoulders slumped.\u00a0 \u201cWhat should I do?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor starters, you can go and get your brother,\u201d Nika said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been just over that ridge all morning, up before any of us.\u00a0 When you bring him back, you can both eat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stifling a groan, Camille took her leave, abandoning the hypnotizing smell that lingered in her nostrils.\u00a0 She made quick work of ascending the hill and reached the ridge Nika had told her of.\u00a0 The trees were densely packed there, shedding their leaves before winter arrived.\u00a0 If they had been farther south, the heat would have kept them green and in place all year.<\/p>\n
As Camille crunched forward, she rose over the final expanse.\u00a0 In the distance, she saw the massive yellow and red tent at the base of the hill, just beyond the outskirts of Aspica.\u00a0 The circus arrived in the fall, and her father had promised his children for years they would one day visit.<\/p>\n
Camille stood in awe for a moment, for the circus tent stretched farther than she imagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cCami?\u201d<\/p>\n
She drew her gaze from the magnificent circus tent and looked to her side.\u00a0 Rion sat there upon a pile of rocks, his knees pulled up to his chest.\u00a0 He faced the tent as well but remained focused on his sister once she arrived.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing all alone out here?\u201d she asked, approaching her younger sibling.\u00a0 \u201cMama made breakfast.\u00a0 Can\u2019t you smell it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rion swallowed hard and looked away.\u00a0 \u201cIf I don\u2019t eat, maybe I don\u2019t have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the circus?\u201d Camille asked with arched eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t you want to go there?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you know that\u2019s the whole reason we came all this way?\u00a0 It\u2019s why Papa rented the carriage and put Theodore in charge of the store and \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m scared,\u201d he interjected, releasing the tight grip on his legs.\u00a0 He slid off the rock and stepped toward the edge of the ridge, looking past the trees at the huge canvas tent.<\/p>\n
Camille sat beside him a moment later.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019re braver than you realize.\u00a0 And you know Jerrick and I were only teasing.\u00a0 If they do have a gryphon, I doubt they\u2019d let it swoop down and eat children your age.\u00a0 Now, Kira on the other hand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
A smile reached Rion\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that.\u00a0 I \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you\u2019re worried about the elephants, I\u2019m sure they\u2019re an especially docile bunch.\u00a0 They want to keep their customers coming back, so they won\u2019t allow a stampede.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not scared of elephants, Cami.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what has you so frightened you would willingly avoid breakfast?\u00a0 Mama is cooking up sausage down there!\u201d<\/p>\n
Rion swallowed hard and turned to his sister.\u00a0 \u201cThere are clowns at the circus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staring at him for a moment, Camille crooked her neck as if to see the madness in her brother\u2019s mind.\u00a0 \u201cYes, that is usually the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I like clowns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Camille sucked in her lips and clasped them together.\u00a0 Despite that, a smile still started to stretch the corners of her mouth.\u00a0 She did her best to stifle a chortle, but when that failed, she turned away from her brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t funny,\u201d Rion asserted.<\/p>\n
Steadying herself, she pivoted on her heel and looked upon her sibling once more.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 We have a real dilemma here.\u201d \u00a0A laugh burst out of her as her inflection rose.\u00a0 She covered her face in a futile attempt to shroud her reaction, but Rion stormed off, stomping down the hill toward their campsite.\u00a0 Camille righted herself and caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have anything to worry about,\u201d she promised, sincerity overwhelming in her tone.\u00a0 \u201cThe clowns aren\u2019t there to hurt or scare you, and if any of them did, just know I\u2019d punch them in their foolish faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her little brother wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her in a tight embrace.\u00a0 She tousled his hair and urged him on, continuing his return to the campsite.\u00a0 With a bright smile stretching her lips, she turned once more to see the sprawling circus tent in the valley below.<\/p>\n
Camille clapped her hands together and followed Rion back to their family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hey there everyone! \u00a0Way back in February of 2015, we featured a story called The Littlest Kobold on this site. \u00a0Since then, some pretty big things have happened for Tellest. \u00a0We’ve begun selling audiobooks, the titular kobold, Leah, became an upcoming card game character, and we’ve made a bunch of new friends. One of those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[145,146],"tags":[1544,277,784,1545,1543,767],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Littlest-Kobold-Read-Along.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-1pQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5449,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5446\/revisions\/5449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}