Lonely's Adventure
By Lonelyrider

Story highlights:
Journey
Peril
Lone female
Brains
Success
Bravery
Quest
White mule mare
Horse & carriage

Seeking to gift her brawny fiance with wing armor, Lonely travels to her man's favorite dwarven smith to learn the stout man doesn't carry it; if she truly wants to gift James armor for his wings, she'll need to make a perilous journey to a far off angelic foundry in the red mountains, which ogres and others call their home.

The dwarf smith looked up from his work to see the smiling, busty figure of a pretty white mule anthro mare holding a big embroidered floral coin purse and wearing a ruffled white peasant dress with a pretty green corset about her waist.
"Aye, I know ye. You're James's sweetheart. What can I do for ye? If he's sent ye to pick up the sword he ordered, I'm not quite finished with it yet; almost, miss." The dwarf told her.
"Oh, thank you sir, I'll be sure to tell Jamesey it's nearly ready. I've actually come to place my own order with you." Lonely said with a polite little curtsy. The dwarf nodded and chucked his complex order form at her, like he did with his swordsmen customers, then he thought better of it and got out a pen and paper.
"Me apologies, madam. I'm used to dealing with sweaty lads. What is it you desire?" The smith asked, Lonely nodded at him happily.
"Oh, no problem sir, James speaks so highly of you and your work, you're his favorite smithy! I was just hoping you could make me some wing armor for him to wear, to go with his many arms and armor collections. It'd look so dashing on him, & keep his pretty wings safe." Lonely sighed wistfully.
The dwarf pulled back, pocketing his notepad.
"Aye miss, I do wish I could help ye with that, but as it is, I only practice dwarven smithing, and we don't include that as part of our craft. I wish I did, sweetheart. Now, if you desire that sort of piece, you'll need to visit an angelic smithy. I know of one in the red mountains, in their city of mostly winged folks, it's called Pine City I think. You need to be careful on the way there, some unsavory types about on those roads. Here's the way. Also, take this." The dwarf gifted Lonely a pretty little dwarven steel shield, in a rhombus shape. Made for a teen boy; it fit her well, and as he'd hoped, didn't overwhelm her frame or prove too heavy like the men's shields he sold. "& here, a dagger for ye too, in case of emergency. I know James thinks the absolute world of thee. Got to keep the girlfriend oh, excuse me miss, fiancee of my finest customer safe. Now, take this road up the hillside, and be quick about it. Don't stop for any reason. You particularly need to take care in that fancy carriage, they'll assume you have money. Do you know any magic?"
"I do sir, my priest and dear friend taught me a handful of holy spells, both healing and offense." Lonely said with a head bow. "Thank you so much for the lovely shield and dagger, I'll keep them on me the whole trip through. Thank you for all your help, and be well sir!" Lonely called with a friendly wave, getting into her pretty maroon and black cabriolet with her draft pony mare hitched at the front.
"Aye. Be careful, milady." The dwarf waved at her and she called to him and waved back and was off at a brisk trot with her mare leading her carriage, the shield on her forearm and push dagger on a belt about her waist.
Lonely and Bridgette, her pony, made it with no incidents to Pine City, she was overwhelmed by the many choices of angelic and other winged race vendors and was able to use her savings to buy James not only 1 set of wing armor but two. She was so excited as she tucked the heavy armor safely into the storage compartment at the back of her little cabriolet, locking it securely.
"I got him a handsome black set with roses and thorns wound about it, and a fancy gold set with tiger's eye gems set every few inches. They're heavy to me, but the vendor said given baby's size he'd barely notice them on. Oooh, I do hope he likes them, girl. Oh...what's this?" Lonely gently eased back on the reins as she'd been talking to Bridgette as they walked down the mountain road. A small group of full-sized ogres had set up a blockade with spiked stakes. They paced back and forth, armed with clubs and maces, and one approached her. Lonely gulped, quickly reminding herself that her man was quarter ogre and that he had befriended them many times. Perhaps she could as well.
"Who you be? You pay toll to use ogre road, & maybe we not squish you and horsie." The ogre grunted at her.
"Why of course, how much, my good man?" Lonely asked, opening her oversized coin purse, the ogre was clearly taken aback by the polite response.
"Uhh...3 gold coin." He said, Lonely fetched them and placed them in his huge meaty hand.
"Here you are. How are you today? Me ogre bride." Lonely pointed to herself, switching to ogre-style talk, and the brute speaking with her pocketed her toll and put his club down, leaning on it.
"You...marry ogre?" He asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"My fiance quarter ogre, maybe more. He strong and huge. Related to ogre king and humie queen, she bear him many ogres. I tell him of your settlement, maybe he come trade with you?" Lonely pointed to herself and the ogre back and forth, her face kindly.
"We have many thing for trade. If he part ogre, he come back here yes. He trade. You have him many ogre sons." The male wagged his finger at her, she smiled with a happy blush and giggled joyfully.
"Oh, me will, sir! Me bring him wing armor, he part angel. His name James LightningSword, look for him on big white horse. Me Lonely, soon ogre wife. Me glad to meet you."
"Make way, her ogre wife, let her pass ogre lands. You promise send ogre husband back to trade with us." The ogre male said.
Lonely nodded at him, her mouth slightly open as she was listening.
"Me promise to do! He come back very soon. He can bring you dwarf armor and weapons, bring dwarf smith to sell to ogres, firewood, he strong and big. He bring meat and berries." Lonely told the huge male. A younger male approached and the larger ogre waved him off, engrossed and fascinated by the conversation he was having with Lonely; he'd never met a non-ogre who could speak like one and knew their culture.
"Good, he come. Females make jewelry good for ogre wife, fine furs to wear n' keep her warm. Ogres sell weapons and armor too, maybe fit part ogre husband. Here, take jerky. Made of pronghorn. It good."
Lonely gasped happily and rummaged in her pack; the ogre watched her warily.
"Here, me give this. Nice neck scarf for ogre lady. It make pretty." Lonely handed the guard one of her extra long soft floral scarves, and he marveled at it, before stuffing it roughly in his belt sack.
"Good! Me give to wife. No trouble on way home, ogres just patrolled road down mountain, fox thieves scared off. If you see them, you say ogres smash them again if they bother you. Go home to ogre husband, make him feel good. Go."
Lonely blushed shyly, knowing what he was referring to, and she waved and gently shook Bridgette's reins, as the next traveler in a wagon pulled up and got into an argument with the ogres, as he wasn't polite like she'd been.
"Oh Bridgette, I just can't wait till he sees his armor sets and I can tell him all about today! I'm sure he'd be intrigued on trading with that ogre town, and maybe his smith friend can come along as well and sell his wares? Oh wouldn't that be nice? Okay girl, let's stop in on Jamesey and visit Thunder, hyah sweetie!" Lonely called and gently shook the reins harder; Bridgette let out an ethusiastic whinny, recognizing the mention of James's huge draft stallion Thunder; Lonely had guessed right, her animal was just as eager to see her own beau as she was to see hers, and the two females hurried along on the hill road as it leveled off and Lonely, Bridgette and their cabriolet cantered into the safer regions nearing their town and countryside leaving the red mountains behind them.





A big ty & shoutout to the photographer 📸
https://unsplash.com/photos/green-l.....ee-H2NxLma8uCE