The large red squirrel sniffed at the air and stood at it's hind paws scouting, tail twitching. Mirra lay in the bushes waiting for it to calm down. Her furry little hands twined the hemp fibers harder, knotting them into a suitable lasso. With slow movements she checked her upper left pocket for the cookie crumbles; making sure they were safe.
The squirrel sat down again, focusing on cleaning his muzzle and chattering quietly to himself about whatever it is squirrels find interesting. Nuts, she figured. Squirrels like nuts.
Her beady little eyes shone out of the dirt she had rubbed on her face to mask the scent of troll and give her ample camouflage. Rolling over on her stomach she started creeping towards her target, hemp lasso slung over one shoulder. She was close now; only a few inches to go.
The big red creature hissed loudly as she jumped on its back and threw the lasso around its neck in one agile motion and then they were off. The speed alone was enough to make her dizzy but what made it worse was the world occasionally disappearing underneath her as the squirrel jumped from tree to tree in a state of panic.
The hemp rope held firm and she clutched at its neck with her legs, initially rather clumsily but after a couple of seconds she got the spirit of it. "Yeeeee haaaaaa!" she shouted smiling wildly; urging the critter on.
Hrafnir had just woken up. He yawned towards the bright mid-day sun and was making a motion to sit up as the little rider on her red steed slammed into his belly. The mount got knocked out by the impact and fell down on his lap and with it so did the forest troll.
"Hey watch it you big fat lump of rock! This is no place for loitering!" she shouted as she jumped up to check on the squirrel. She examined it carefully and shoved some of her cookie crumbles in its mouth.
"It'll be alright, don't worry tiny" she continued, addressing the squirrel. "I'm going to take care of you and explore the world beyond these dull trees."
Hrafnir stared bewildered at the two of them; slightly confused with the abrupt start of the day. "I'm sorry little girl, I didn't mean to hurt you" he rumbled. "I was just waking up. Didn't mean to sit in the wrong place. I'm new here, you see, I'm an adventurer." The last part was said with a hint of pride. "Is there something I can do to make it better? Do you like flowers?" he stretched one of his thick, stubby arms over his shoulder and picked a bluebell; presenting it to the girl.
Mirra looked at the mountain troll, tilting her head, but accepted the flower and placed it on her head. "I like blue" she smiled back at him.
"Where are you going'?"
"I don't know. I'm wandering for a while. The mountains don't fit me any longer" Hrafnir responded, pondering her words. Mirra looked at him appraisingly. "Since you knocked out my squirrel you might as well help me do the same thing then. I won't be going near any mountains, that's for sure. They give me the shivers."
"I like that! You probably know more about this forest than I do; like how to get out of it for example. Is there something beyond it? I heard stories when I was smaller.."
"You're still pretty small, for a mountain troll. And flowery."
"I like flowers, they smell good and never hurt anything" he stated defiantly; provoking an odd glance from his furry companion.
"You sound like my uncle Hazer, he's always talking about peace and love" she said. "I don't like calm! The wind in your hair and new sites to see! Are you sure that you're an adventurer?"
Resolutely, Hrafnir picked up the girl and placed her on a mossy patch on his shoulder. Carefully holding the unconscious squirrel he rose to the sound of grinding rocks.
"I am Hrafnir: orphan of mount Starheim. All that is left to me is adventuring."
"My name is Mirra. I think if you head towards that tree over there and keep heading in that same direction you'll eventually reach something other than the forest" she said, gesturing towards the southern end of the clearing. "But don't ask me what".
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