“Ella!”

            “WHAT?! I didn’t do anything!”

            “Calm down, you’re not in trouble…. this time.” Ella’s mother said.

            Ella and her mother didn’t get along. By outward appearance, Ella was her mother's daughter. There was no mistaking that. Their personalities, though not the opposite, didn't align. Ella’s mother excelled at making a home life for her children as comfortable as possible. People love being around Ella’s mother. She created an environment that drew people in.

            Ella couldn’t care less about being cozy, warm, and inviting. Ella wanted to see the world. She wanted adventure, fame and fortune, the life of a career fighter. Her father was a blacksmith and well versed in many weapons. He taught Ella everything he knew about weapons and combat skills, but her thirst for perfection could not be quenched. She constantly begged for more lessons, or a chance to train with the youth groups at the local Fighter’s Guild academy. Ella would do anything to keep learning any type of combat skill. She wanted to be the best. Ella’s drive for perfection is the one trait she shared with her mother. Both were strong willed, focused and not shy to speak their mind. With such similarities, it seemed they would get along fine. But their different views of the world created constant conflict.

            “I need a favor,” Ella’s mother asked. “I need some wild berries, and you have a knack for finding the best berries in the forest. It’s a gift you have. Do you think you could collect some for me this afternoon?”

            Ella’s countenance changed. “Yeah, sure, I could do that. I don't mind.” Ella displayed a rare moment of compliance.

            “And remember, be back before dusk. I’ll have dinner ready, and we eat together.”

            “Yes, I remember.” With a roll of her eyes, Ella gathered her berry picking gear, then opened the door to leave.

            “Ella!” her mom called out

            “Yeah mom?”

            “Thanks. I appreciate it. I love it when you help around the house.”

            “Sure, mom, anytime,” Ella said with a smile to her mother. Ella acted unusually compliant and happy about the request.

            That's because Ella’s mother didn't know where she got the berries.

            In the past, Ella hated doing chores for her mother, especially berry picking. Despite her vehement opposition, she would eventually lose the battle of wills stomping off into the woods to collect berries. Then, on one occasion, she wandered far from her house into the lower foothills of the area and found some wild berry bushes growing high on a cliff side. They were large, plump and free from the constant plucking of other townsfolk. The danger of the cliff kept them safe from human hands. Ella found her opportunity.

            She found great satisfaction procuring the best berries in the forest, although Ella’s true intentions were practicing her climbing skills. Yes, it was dangerous. True, her mother would lecture her for hours if she found out, but Ella didn't have many opportunities to practice such dangerous activities. Ella reached to her side, ensuring her favorite dagger remained secured to her waist. The cliff wasn’t the only thing she didn’t want her mother to find out about.

            Ella looked for any opportunity to travel into the wilderness. Any venture into the woods meant she could encounter a wild beast, like a bear, a wild boar, possibly an iyla cat, or, if the luck in her mind would have it, something much worse. A victory over a savage wild beast might be her ticket into the Fighter’s Guild. Ella’s mother strongly disapproved of Ella’s dreams of joining the Fighter’s Guild, so Ella planned carefully to take any opportunity she could get without her mother knowing.

            Despite her dreams of heroic battles as she trekked through the wild, chopping down ferns and giant leaves to clear the path seemed to be the most action her sword ever saw. She preferred her sword, but it was heavy, and drew too much attention from her mother. After giving up on hopes of a face-to-face combat, she left her armory home to focus on her climbing skills. Ella still brought her dagger and bow for the sake of safety. If she came face to face with any wild animal, she had to be victoriously unscathed to avoid lectures from her mother about wandering too far from home.

            Ella arrived at her cliff and began climbing. She challenged herself this time to take a different route that would push her skills. This alternative path became far more dangerous than previous climbs, but Ella felt it would be good practice. Wild vines covered the cliff side, so she figured worst-case scenario, she could cling onto the vines and climb her way down if necessary.

            Ella made good time. She tested out several new climbing maneuvers successfully. She owned the cliff. One of Ella’s gifts. She had a way of learning a physical task or a physical challenge and mastering it in a brief time. Her athleticism gave her exceptional ability to control the strength in her body. Then, as she rounded a section of the cliff, something caught her attention. A large and furry object moved. Her eyes fixed on the location. She crept around the edge of a large boulder to get a better vantage point. That's when she saw it.

            A mountain troll. A decent sized one. Not the largest ever recorded in the area, yet not a small one by any means. Trolls were vile creatures. They would come down into the foothills ravaging rancher’s livestock and attacking innocent wanderers in the woods. She hoped to encounter a wild beast on her berry picking adventures, although she never expected a mountain troll. Ella recognized the emotion of feeling nervous, yet her mind pushed it aside. Unlike other dangerous wildlife in the area, mountain trolls have erratic behavior. They are hard to predict, and attack spontaneously. The cliff side would normally offer protection from most dangerous animals, but mountain trolls were very proficient at climbing through the trees and the growth of the mountain.

            “OK deep breath,” Ella thought to herself. “If I mind my business, it'll mind its own and we'll both go our separate ways.” Ella tried to rationalize the next steps of action. The safest option would be to climb down and head home. Ella would not consider such an option. If she retreated, she would have to admit to her mother where the famed berries were located and why she couldn’t bring any home. Even if she found berries some place else in the woods, they would not be nearly large enough to maintain her status as the best berry picker in the family.

            She continued her climb and made it to the berries. She kept looking over her shoulder to keep track of the troll, but she could no longer see it. It must have been distracted or never noticed her to begin with. Ella sighed with relief. She collected her berries, filling her bag and began her descent.

            As she rounded a ledge, climbing her way down the cliff, she saw the troll looking straight at her, now much closer. Ella knew right away the dangers of such behavior. Trolls sometimes became curious about other creatures and enjoy watching them. But the troll moved closer to her, suggesting hunting behavior. The expression on a troll’s face is the same in either case, making it nearly impossible to decipher the potential danger. Ella weighed her options. If she hurried down the cliff, she could be on her way back home before the troll got too close. That would be the safest option. Even the courage of Ella knew it's best to steer clear of trolls unless equipped with weapons and armor to deal with their berserk style of attack. Her mind knew the risks.

            Her mind also pointed out another option. An idea lined with fame and glory.

            The troll was relatively large. Admittance into the fighters Guild required a collection of hunting trophies, or a significant vanquish in a fight or a battle. A troll this size wouldn't qualify for instant admittance, although a kill like this would force the Fighters Guild to pay attention to her. She already faced an uphill challenge trying to get into the Fighters Guild as a girl.

            Her mind weighed the risks and the rewards. Ella assessed her surroundings. She stood on a section of the Cliff easy to keep her feet planted, and if she leaned the right way, she could still maintain balance. She continued to stare at the troll, watching its every move. Ella wondered if she could even shoot her bow from this location.

            Her mind rationalized. “Pull out the bow and try it. See if it’s even possible. Besides, we must be ready to defend ourselves in case the troll wants to attack.”

            Ella pulled out her bow and armed it with an arrow.

            “See, that wasn't so bad.” Her mind told herself. “Now take aim at the troll, see if it's even possible. It doesn't mean you're going to take the shot.”

            She drew back her arrow and took sight of the troll. Her thinking was accurate, she could get a kill shot. Her mind continued to rationalize.

            “Wouldn't it be safer to kill the troll ensuring it doesn’t attack? Isn't that the safest thing to do? Isn't that what our mother would want us to do? Never mind the fact that a kill like a mountain troll would stir talk around the Fighters Guild. This is about safety, isn't it? This troll will eventually take food from the local farms and ranches, and inevitably attack some poor soul wandering in the woods. Plus, what if this troll got to Enok’s ranch and killed some of their rare Hongar goats? How could we face our friend again if we allowed that to happen? We are responsible for taking out this troll as an act of safety for the community, for the ranchers’ livestock, for our own safety and mostly for our mother’s precious wild berries!”

            She snapped back to reality, telling herself to weigh the options again. On one hand—

            FFFsssshhhhheeeeewwww

            She took the shot. It’s all about safety.

            The arrow flew with a slight rustle of branches as the troll howled in pain. It grasped at its wound, then turning to Ella, it gave a shreiking growl. That's when Ella realized she had failed to notice the bushes near the line of fire. The arrow grazed some leaves, redirecting the arrow to the troll’s shoulder. A painful hit for sure, yet not one that would kill the troll.

            The troll growled in anger and pain, throwing rocks at Ella. Ella ducked underneath a ledge to avoid getting hit. Ella typically skipped the emotion of fear and moved directly into anger. She furrowed her eyebrows and listened. This troll stood between her and bringing her mother the berries, and Ella feared her mother more than the troll. Ella drew another arrow, remembering her stance and the troll’s location. She listened to the actions of the troll, then flipped around the rock and took another shot.

            The shot connected, hitting the troll’s other shoulder. The troll howled, then looked directly at Ella. Ella drew another arrow, but the troll climbed out of sight before she could take the shot.

            “Great!” she thought. “Looks like the troll is plotting my gory death.”

            Ella went into action, hastily descending the cliff. She hoped to get to the base level for a better fighting chance. She did not want to get into an altercation while hanging from the vines of the cliff. The troll would have the advantage on the vine covered cliff side. Suddenly, she smelled an awful stench!

            “Retreat!” her mind warned!

            Ella jumped back into a nook in the cliff as a long, hairy, clawed arm swung from above, grazing her shoulder. Ella analyzed the situation, her eyes quickly traced her surroundings. The overhang gave her protection. The troll couldn’t get to her, and if it tried, she could take an easy shot. Ella had a moment to think.

            The focused young woman took a deep breath. She could hear the troll moving around. Then all movement went silent. Ella edged along the rock wall to figure out its location. She found a long stick from a dead piece of wood and tapped it along the wall of the ledge up above her. The troll didn’t attack. It must have moved, looking for a way to get to her. Though troll behavior is harder to predict, they do like to surprise attack their prey, especially if the foe is Ella’s size.

            Along her intended pathway, a large rock wall turned at a ninety-degree corner. With a thin pathway and no visuals around the corner, Ella knew it would be an ideal location for an ambush. She reached out with her stick and tapped it along the wall. So far, so good. She crept a few steps closer, tapping the stick along the wall and vines, trying to mimic her moving along the rock face, tapping her stick closer and closer to the corner. Suddenly the hairy clawed armed reached around, swinging wildly at the stick, knocking it free from Ella’s hands.

            The troll leaned around the edge, its cold eyes sizing up Ella. A quick change, and it moved in her direction! Ella retreated to her nook, took her stance, drew her bow, and took another shot, landing an arrow deep in the arm. The troll screeched and scurried behind the cover of the rock face. It poked its head back around the corner and screeched at Ella. She drew an arrow to get another shot, but the troll retreated behind the cover of the rock face. The troll leaned out enough to observe her. It growled in a low growl and slowly pulled back behind the cover of the rock.

            “Wow, I guess trolls take things personally,” Ella thought to herself. Ella listened. She heard no movement. “GREAT! You’re going to sit there and wait for me, aren’t ya!?”

            She found another branch and tried luring the troll out from behind its cover, although it seemed to catch on to her stick tapping method. Even if she could lure the troll out, she would be too far from her nook to take a shooting stance. She looked around, realizing she couldn’t climb up, and climbing down would only take her so far, leaving her dangling in the air high above the uneven and rocky terrain below. She had to get around that corner. Ella’s mind flipped through several scenarios to get out of this situation.

            Ella could wait it out. Eventually, her family would come looking for her. Nope. Not worth the lectures about being irresponsible. Ella got herself into this situation. She would get herself out. Ella tugged at the vines on the cliff. Her devious mind churned a unique plan. The sun began to set. She had to act fast if she wanted to make it home for dinner and avoid questioning. She reached out, pulling several vines into her nook, rapidly weaving the bundle of vines together and tied them around her waist.

            Ella took a deep breath. Time to trust her work. She leaned into the vines around her waist and lowered her body until she stood perpendicular to the cliff still clinging to the vines with her hands. Slowly letting go, her legs pushed against the cliff to keep her stance perpendicular. Her heart raced, but it worked! She stood on the cliff! She laughed in excitement with her gravity defying plan.

            “Oh yeah, there's a troll to kill.”

            Ella tugged at the vines with the weight of her hips to make sure they supported her movement. She jumped perpendicularly off the cliff to test the vines, landing back onto the cliff wall and catching herself as she hung sideways by the vines. The exhilaration of defying death sparked an excitement in her soul. She knew her idea would work. She pulled her bow and prepped an arrow with a second arrow, just in case.

            Deep breath. Again, she visualized her actions. Run, leap, turn, then take the shot, make it count! She kept taking deep breaths, trying to control her heart rate. Then, with a deep exhale, she ran along the cliff face. When reaching the edge of the corner, she leaped with substantial force, launching her a suitable distance into the air. Time slowed as she glided through the air, away from the cliff and away from the troll. Ella twisted to look over her should and could see the troll flailing its arms wildly to attack, yet she remained out of reach. Her plan worked!

            Although Her mind forgot one thing. The balance of weight ratios.

            Her world began to spin. The vines wrapped around her hips were not high enough and the weight of her upper torso outweighed the lower portion of her body. Everything she imagined in her mind flipped upside down. Her mind quickly recalculated. She could never get an accurate shot upside down and in motion, so she targeted the troll’s largest area and let the arrow fly.

            The troll screeched in pain as it bent over to pull the arrow from its belly. As the troll reacted, Ella timed a swift kick to the head as she came crashing into the cliff side. Ella twisted and hit the cliff with her back, knocking the wind out of her. An instant discomfort, but far better than risking an injured shoulder, arm, or leg if she had to face hand to hand combat. With a slight twist and push, she reared back both legs, kicking the troll square in its torso, sending it loose of its footing. A moment of silence.

            THUMP! Crack, thud, stumble stumble.

            Ella grabbed at the cliff’s edge, working to reestablish her grounding, not knowing how long the vines would hold her. She pulled herself in close to the cliff side and focused on her breathing. Breathe slowly, breathe focused. As soon as she felt more stable, she looked over her shoulder to assess the health status of the troll. It laid on the ground and didn’t move. It could be temporarily unconscious. She couldn’t take a final shot. When she crashed into the cliff, the impact knocked her bow loose and scattered her arrows at the base of the cliff. Her mind told her to move. She had to retrieve her bow.

            Edging her way along the cliff, she got to a secure location, and cut her life saving vines free. Ella thanked them and climbed down. Ella landed on the sloping yet stable ground. With dagger in hand, she crept around the corner since her descent placed her outside the troll’s landing area. 

            As she climbed over a small rock formation, she saw the troll. She crept closer and closer, trying not to make a sound. Ella retrieved her bow and armed it with a nearby arrow, getting closer and closer. She held her breath as she looked for any movement or breathing from the troll. It didn’t move. A slight smile crept over her face; did she pull this off?! She laughed out loud, reacting to the news. Now more confident in her victory, she grabbed a stick, poked at the troll, and it didn’t move. It was dead.

            “Hhhhhoooooooowwwwwwwwaaaaaa” Ella gave a warrior’s victory cry into the woods! She spun around, claiming the cliff as her own territory, shouting out celebratory whoops. She looked back at the troll. “That was amazing!” Her entire face smiled. Then she felt a sticky liquid on her hands. “Oh no, am I bleeding?” she thought. A deep, dark red liquid covered her hand, although she didn’t feel any pain. It smelled fruity. Fruity?

            “The Berries!”

            Her face went from victory to panic. The berries! She pulled up her bag and examined it. Much like the troll, the berries did not fare too well against the cliff. But it was getting too late to find more berries. She had to get home before dark.

            Her mind recalculated. Ella didn’t have time to get more berries. She wouldn’t get home until after dusk, and couldn’t risk being out any later. She had to think up a story. A good story, so good, there were no loose ends. It can’t feel like an excuse. She gathered her arrows and turned to walk home when she thought to herself. “Take one last look at your victory”.

            Any other young fighter would brag for weeks with a kill like this. She wanted the Fighter’s guild to be impressed. Although if her parents ever found out, she would never leave the house again, and her father would take away her weapons. Well, the ones he knows about. She thought about any way to have both.

            Then her mind asked, “How good of a story do you think you can tell?” Ella’s eyes glimmered with a mischievous shine.

            “I AM THROUGH WITH PICKING BERRIES!” Ella burst open the door to her home and limped in as loud as she could. “That was the worst experience of my life!” Her volume drew the attention of her parents, finding Ella soaking wet, covered in mud, with a fuming look of anger on her face.

            “Wh- what happened Ella?” her mother asked, “whooaa, you smell awful!” Ella’s mother and father both stepped back from the horrible stench.

            Ella turned to her parents with a raised eyebrow and a look of utter frustration. “Well, you won’t believe it, but as you know, the best berries are the ones that get the most water, well yeah, you know that, everyone knows that, well there is a place way back in the forest up in the hills, that gets a little boggy after the rainy season, so they form these little ponds, or mud puddles, they usually dry up so it’s not like they are always there, but that’s where I find the best berries, and I was picking them, and since they are all boggy, they kind of stink, and well anyway, I tried to get some amazing berries when I fell in. Yeah, the worst! I was soaked in that awful boggy stench and mud! But I had to get you the best berries, that’s what I’m good at, so I finished collecting the berries, but then I started getting cold, because I’m soaked in stinky bog water, still pulling moss and algae out of my hair, so I began running, which usually isn’t a problem, I’m a good runner, but being soaking wet, when I came down a rocky slope, my foot slipped on a moss covered rock sending me tumbling…”

            Ella took a breath and tried to size up her parents’ reactions. The emotional cues on their face let her know she drew them in.

            “… and I landed on the berries whacking my knee hard on a rock. I laid there in pain for, I don’t know how long. At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to walk and would have to fashion a crutch out of some branches or something. Or even possibly crawl all the way back home. After all, I don’t want to be late for dinner. After resting a bit, I found I could eventually walk on it. So, I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

            “I’m sooo sorry honey, that sounds awful! Let’s get you cleaned up. I’ll warm up some water. Let’s get you out of those bog awful clothes.”

            Ella claimed another victory. She knew her mother’s affection stemmed from a lie. Well, a story, really, but she rarely has moments like this with her mother. Her mind pushed the deceit aside and enjoyed the rare moment of trust.

            Ella walked with a limp for the next week, calculating each day to show signs of improvement. The story of the smelly bog was partially true. Though not an accident, she simply possessed the determination to lower herself into that smelly stagnant bog of her own free will to help cover the scent of the troll.

            When villagers found a slain troll outside the Fighter’s Guild with an attached note, it quickly became the talk of the town. Many speculated that a new warrior came into town and wanted to show off to the Eknorians. Others believed it was their own sons they had enrolled in the Fighter’s Guild Academy, and some even tried to claim it as their own. But Ella didn’t care. Even without the credit, every story, speculation and theory of the mysterious slain troll fueled her excitement and fire.

            Ella was a force of nature. Like a mighty river flowing, she was intent on leaving her mark on this world. The storms of life made the river wilder and stronger. If she wanted to accomplish something, nothing would stop her from getting what she wanted.