#ZattyWriMo 2021

It was a chilly but not too cold spring morning when she woke up. The wind was rustling the half tent above her bedroll, but otherwise the camp was mostly quiet. She had only just registrered that it was morning when she was suddenly wide awake, excited by the memory of what the day would bring. Today would be the day the caravan reached the dryad village and she had never seen or even met one of the forest people. And today she would not only see, not only meet, but actually get to talk and trade with some of them.

She quickly got in the clothes she had picked out for today - a long sleeved green shift and the most flowery and flowing skirt she owned - and packed up her bedroll.

After packing up her tiny shelter and storing it on the wagon she'd been sleeping next to, she headed for the breakfast fire that was being started in the middle of the camp. When she arrived, she found the flames already going strong. The man who'd been assigned the day's breakfast cooking shift was hauling over a large pot of water for porridge.

Grabbing a tiny three legged stool, she sat down next her best friend and greeted her with a sideways hug. "Good morning, best friend! You're up earlier than usual, did you sleep well?"

"Not as well as you, judging by that grin on your face. Excited to meet the dryads, much?" Her friend gave a quick one-armed hug back while staring sleepily into the fire.

"You know I am. Are you implying you're not excited, just because you've met them three hundred and seventy four times before?"

"Hey, I'm older than you, but I'm not that old! We only visit twice some years, so it's definitely fewer times than I can count on my own two hands."

After a short chit chat back and forth they sat in silence and enjoyed the fire. The porridge was bubbling on the fire and the crowd around it slowly grew as people finished packing up their sleeping arrangements. After breakfast, the leader of the caravan stood up and cleared his throat.

"As you all know, today we arrive at the dryad village," he started his briefing, "and my wife and I sat up late last night finalizing booth assignments for stay."

He started listing names and matched them with categories of goods, and the still unnamed main character of this story and her best friend were assigned herbs and spices.

"Oh no, I've never been in charge of herbs before, and I never could remember all the names my mother tried to teach me" the young main character exclaimed once the leader finished the briefing.

"Don't worry! I'll be there to help you. Also, everything is labeled and we have a reference book with descriptions of all the herbs we sell," the best friend replied, "with luck, you'll even be able to remember a few of the plant names when we leave the dryad village."

"I really don't think I will. You have no idea how lousy I am at remembering names and small details in leaf shapes and what not. But with your help, I think I'll make it through the days."

They parted with a hug and went about their business cleaning up after breakfast and helping with the general packing of the camp. Soon the caravan would start rolling across the meadows and it wouldn't be long before forest appeared.

It was early afternoon when the caravan rolled into the small circular glade that was the dryad village center.