Chapter 1

Hywel wandered along in the valley whistling cheerfully. He was a loner, a nomad who drifted from village to village spending time in each one before deciding to move on to the next. He couldn't understand how people stayed in one place for so long putting down their roots. He knew that that type of life wasn't for him, he liked his travels.

The deep valley he walked in had a history of coal-mines, long since closed. Now nothing remained of its history. Just memories of an industrial heritage for the people that still remained.

Hywel suddenly stopped his whistling. He thought he had heard a cry in the distance but couldn't be sure. He stopped walking and listened again. Yes, it sounded like someone was in distress. He looked around, scanning the area but couldn't see anything.

'Where was the sound coming from?' He listened carefully before walking up the side of the valley trying to locate the source. His eyes scanned the undergrowth and the floor of the forest. It was no use; he couldn't see anything but he could still hear the cry.

He felt that he had been searching for hours trying to locate the sound when he finally came across a small scrap of red material caught by a thorn on a briar in front of him. He wandered over to a bush nearby and behind it found the cause of the sobs.

A young girl was lying on the ground, her body trembling with the intensity of her tears. Hywel wondered for a short while what he could do. He wasn't used to dealing with people let alone a young crying female. He stood and stared at her for a minute while he summed up his feelings.

'I could leave her, she wouldn't even know that I had been here, that would be for the best.' Then he heard that other voice in his head which argued with him at times. 'Could you; are you able to leave another human in distress?' Hywel was racked with indecision before the answer was made on his behalf. The girl turned her head and looked at him.

She was older than he'd first thought. Not a young girl but more of a woman. Maybe around twenty years of age but then, he wasn't sure. After all, what did he know about people? He stayed away from them as much as he could.

This young lady attracted him though. He wasn't sure why but then Hywel had never had feelings like this before. He was confused. 'Why am I still here?' but then he saw the look of panic in her eyes. He instinctively reached out and touched her face tenderly, wanting to protect her from her fears.

Hywel's fingers reached into his pocket and he pulled out a grubby handkerchief. Smoothing it out, he cautiously dabbed at her tears. He wasn't sure if that was allowed but his natural instincts had already taken over his thoughts. She raised her head slightly and looked at him. Her tears slowing as she registered the kindness of his touch. She tried to speak but no sound came. "Sshh, give yourself some time," he uttered before his arm reached out to hold and comfort her.

He felt her body relax slightly and he smiled at her. No words were spoken by either of them as she acknowledged his presence. Hywel heard her breathing calm as she stretched back further and relaxed into his arms.

"That's better. Do you want to tell me what is so bad?"

"Sorry, I thought I was alone. Nobody usually walks along here." She sighed. "I just let a situation get the better of me and I'm not sure that I can cope with it any more."

"I must admit that I'm not used to talking with people," Hywel answered her. "I can't offer you any advice but I can listen if that will help."

He was surprised at his choice of words. 'Why was he encouraging her to talk to him?' He sought his peace in solitude, but something about this young lady appealed to him.

She nodded and started to speak. Not that she told him much. Just a few words about an elderly father and how she'd wanted to look after him.

Hywel listened to her words with a growing sense of bewilderment. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to know her intimately. He pushed his thoughts aside. 'I can't... I don't want to upset her even more.' He tried to analyse his feelings. When had he ever wanted to become friends with another human? The animals in the valley were his company, the foxes, the rabbits and even the birds. He didn't need human contact.