Campfire Interlude 2: Friends by the Fire

When I started the fire, Lita was mesmerized by the flickering flames. [So warm...]

"You won't even need to look for berries tonight--I brought food!" Shauna grinned as she prepared some ground beef for cooking.

"Thanks...saves me a lot of trouble." I smiled. "I have some food too, in case it doesn't turn out good."

"Relax--I learned a few recipes good for a campfire before we left, so we shouldn't be messing with stomachaches from bad food." Shauna assured me.

"I'll take your word for it, then." I replied as I pitched my tent

Lita seemed interested in what Shauna was making, so Shauna explained every step of her recipe to her. "First, I'm gonna fold the aluminum foil so there's two layers..." After doing this, she explained "Then I'm gonna put about a burger patty sized mound of meat inside...put a little oil over it...add some vegetables....then fold the foil so that it makes a flat packet..."

She then reached for some tongs. "Then you put it over the fire and let it all cook for a few minutes."

[Mm... smells delicious...] Lita smiled as Shauna watched the packets, making sure to turn them so that they cooked evenly.

[I agree...] Kitsune agreed.

After a few tense seconds, Shauna removed the packets from the fire, carefully opened one, and poked one of the potatoes with a fork. When it went through easily, she smiled. "Okay! Let's eat!"

I took the other packet and took a bite. "Hm....wow...Shauna, this is great!"

"My family always makes these when we go camping--it's Shauna's Dinner in a Packet!" Shauna grinned. "Really easy to clean up, too, so we don't have to worry about wild Pokemon getting into our stuff."

After securing the trash in a tree (not that there were Ursarings in the forest, but Shauna wanted to be absolutely sure, just in case) and doing the dishes, she decided to let out her Chespin. "Come on out, Chester!"

"Chester?" I asked as her Chespin materialized on the grass.

"I thought the name was cute." Shauna replied as she fed Chester what was left of her packet.

Kitsune, meanwhile, romped up to Chester. [No hard feelings about before, okay?]

[No offense taken.] he assured her. [Ya were always the most determined ta win a battle, even if ya did scorch me good back there.]

Then he spotted my guitar case. [Oh boy! We're gonna have a sing-along!]

[And stories, too!] Kitsune added.

Lita, meanwhile, was intrigued as I started tuning up. [What kind of stories do you tell?]

"All kinds--adventure tales, funny stories, scary stories, stories about why things are, and some true stories from our regional history." I explained.

[She even takes requests!] Kitsune added.

[You'll love it!] Rouge agreed.

As soon as I was tuned, Shauna sang at the top of her lungs We'll be coming round the mountain when we come! We'll be coming round the mountain when we come!.... as I played along.

[But we're nowhere near a mountain....] Lita interjected, stopping the song.

"It's just how the song goes, okay?" I assured Lita as I started the song again.

We'll be coming round the mountain when we come! We'll be coming round the mountain when we come! Shauna sang again. We'll be coming around the mountain, we'll be coming round the mountain, we'll be coming round the mountain when we come...

---------

"Okay, Serena...what kind of story do you have for us tonight?" Shauna asked as the last chord of "Yellow Submarine" faded into the night.

I thought for a moment for a story Shauna and Chester would probably like, then began. "There was once a prince that had three sons. The first two followed in their father's footsteps, but the third--we'll call him Harrison--did not. He said he wanted to be a ranger."

[What's a ranger?] Lita asked.

"Someone who takes care of parks and forests, and guides people through forests." Shauna explained.

"The father was angry and kicked him out of the house." I continued over a sad interlude. "He gave him shepherd's garb, and Harrison went out into the world."

[That's not very nice!] Lita gasped, sparking a little.

"He had been walking through a forest for three days. He was hungry and cold, and everything seemed to be against him. He was tired too, and he finally fell asleep under a tree." I continued. "As he was sleeping, an old mage came to him. He would not leave him to sleep, but woke him up. Harrison was understandably frightened at first, but the mage told him there was no need to be afraid--he only used his powers to do good things."

[Oh, a friendly wizard!] Chester smiled.

"So Harrison stayed with him for seven years and learned many languages, how to play the Pokeflute, and all kinds of other stuff." I went on. "Now, in that land there was a king who had an only daughter--we'll call her Ariana, since the moon was shining brightly on the night she was born. There was a fierce Noivern which was ravaging the whole of that kingdom, and everybody was forced to give him one Mareep and one person chosen by lot to appease him. So the lot fell on Princess Ariana too."

[Oh no...] Rouge puffed up her feathers a little in fear.

[Someone's gonna save her, okay?] Lita assured Rouge.

"The old mage told Harrison that something had to be done to deliver the people and to save Princess Ariana from being eaten by the Noivern." I continued. "He told him to go to the next house and ask to be hired as a shepherd, and in the morning he would have to drive the Mareep into the forest. So they said their goodbyes to each other, and Harrison was hired as a shepherd. The next morning, he drove the Mareep into the forest, where the old mage was waiting for him. When he came with the Mareep, the old mage gave him a wand and a ring, and said..."

"When you sing 'Karuto, ichiida shou'...to this ring, you will first be brought to a castle where a giant dwells, and you will have to fight the giant. This wand will help you to do it. Then you must take his robe, his Ponyta, and his sword. When you sing the spellsong again, you will be brought to the town, and it will be about the time that Princess Ariana will be brought out."

[And then?] Kitsune puffed out her ears in anticipation

"So Harrison took his leave and everything happened as the old mage had said. As he came near to the castle, the giant was looking outside, and he demanded to know what Harrison was looking for." I continued over a tense melody. "When Harrison replied he was looking for a fight, the giant got mad at this--how dare was a human stronger than him?"

The Pokemon giggled as I started the Zelda theme. "He was holding a great club in his hand, and he flung it at Harrison, but Harrison dodged it and the club sank deep into the ground, it had been flung with such force. So Harrison went right up to him, and zapped him with the wand."

[What spell did he cast?] Lita interrupted.

"I don't know, the tale never really says." I confessed. "Just assume it was something giants don't like."

Lita seemed to accept that answer, so I continued "The giant tumbled over, and Harrison took his sword and cut off his head. Then he took a crystal key out of the giant's pocket. He opened the lock, took the robe and the Ponyta, and dressed himself as a knight. Then he sang Karuto, iichiida shou... to the ring, and in a moment he found himself on the road along which they were bringing Princess Ariana to be devoured by the Noivern. When he saw the procession, he asked what was going on and why the people were crying. When told it was because Princess Ariana was to be eaten by a Noivern, Harrison asked to be led to the Noivern's den."

[And then?] Chester gasped, his eyes shining in anticipation.

"So he rode up to the Noivern's cave, and demanded a fight." I continued. But the Noivern answered that he wasn't in the mood to fight that day. If he wanted a fight, Harrison would have to come again the next day."

The camp exploded in laughter at the turn of events. "That's one lazy Noivern!" Shauna wheezed in between giggles.

I waited for the laughter to quiet, then went on. "So Harrison returned the next day. He rode towards them and said that the Noivern would not leave his den today. So they all went back to the town with the knight, and the king would not let him leave on any account...."

Some time later...

..."They brought him before the princess, and she made him tell her how he had got that ring and how he had been clothed." I continued over a love theme. "So he said: 'All those three days I was with you.'"

[Aw...] Chester sighed dreamily.

"Harrison did not go back to the marshal, though he complained of the loss of his shepherd." I continued. "He was clad in royal robes now, and they had a splendid wedding in the castle. But Princess Ariana did not know what his heritage was, although she could see that he was not a common man."

I then concluded "They lived together for a long time, and Harrison and the old mage went on many more adventures. But that is another story for another day!"

[YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!!!] Lita cheered as she applauded.

[Encore!] Chester agreed.

"I don't know what you do to learn all those cool stories..." Shauna smiled as she put out the campfire and started for her tent. "But whatever you do, please keep doing it!"