Troll Hunting is a short story in parallel to the novel Youngspell – both written by J. Rae Moore.
“Cagord ‘ears ya, chicken,” a deep voice bellowed from the dark depths of the cave. “Ya shall suffer for da murderin’ of da daughters,” it continued. “Cagord will grind ya bones to make me bread, ya hear?”
Juliana shivered. She knew the words were directed at her. She glanced across the rocky terrain at the three stone figures in front of the cave. “Daughters?” she muttered. Until then, she’d thought the petrified trolls were boys. Their exaggerated, wart-heavy features showed no sign of femininity. She shrugged. “Who knew?”
It had been her folly that brought Cagord’s daughters to their ends. She hadn’t meant to harm them—not to the point of death anyway—but the potion she needed to complete called for troll beard stubble, and she was going to get it. Since both male and female trolls grew facial hair from the age of two, it should have been easy to collect. After a long and weary night of trying to convince the young trolls to come out of the cave, it was the offer of human flesh for their tasting that finally did it. Success fluttered in Juliana’s chest as they’d tiptoed out, but, unfortunately, the sun had decided to break over the horizon at the same moment, petrifying the youngsters before Juliana got a chance to swipe her blade across the bristle covering their faces.
“Ya get ya sleep out there, chicken,” Cagord hollered. “Tonight Cagord hunt ya.”
Since she was forced to wait, Juliana sat back and noted the position of the sun. It had passed its zenith and was drooping toward the west. She had a few hours until sunset. She shoved a rolled up shirt behind her head. Cagord was right about one thing. She needed to sleep. As she settled in and closed her eyes, she also realized that the troll was also wrong. He might think he was going to be the one after her, but in reality, it was Juliana who was going to be doing the hunting.
As promised, Cagord emerged the moment the sun’s rays had extinguished for the day. He was a typical mountain troll with gray, porous skin and a flabby yet powerful body. His neck swelled with fatty bulges as if it cultivated a new one each year. A horn sprouted from the crown of his head and wrapped around his skull twice. Juliana was pleased to spot a thick layer of black stubble covering his chin and cheeks. He shook a fist above his head as he scanned the area. “Come out, ya green-eyed chicken,” he shouted.
Then, there was another troll beside him. Slightly smaller than Cagord, the new troll was the size of a shed with a head of wild, brown hair, a collection of large warts across the bridge of her nose, and a face full of stubble. The new troll pushed ahead of Cagord and touched each of the stone trolls. “Me poors poors babies,” she sobbed. Juliana ducked behind a boulder as the smaller troll swung her large, muddy brown eyes along the edges of the space. “Baloneen gots a pot just right for yas, bawk-bawk chickadee,” the troll called. She continued to bawk like a chicken as if Juliana would be drawn to the call.
Juliana checked her dagger and confirmed that her carpetbag was hitched high on her shoulder. She hadn’t intended on having to deal with two full-grown mountain trolls. This was going to be a bit harder than she’d thought. She was so busy trying to come up with a new strategy she didn’t realize the trolls had found her until she heard Cagord say, “Yas a stupid chicken, ain’t yas?” as he made a grab for her.
Juliana jumped up from her spot and sliced at his large, gnarled hand.
“Owwww!” Cagord bellowed, holding the wound to his mouth.
Juliana scrambled away from him, up the side of the rocky hill behind her only to be seized by the back of her shirt by the other troll. With one arm, Baloneen held her up like a pup by the scruff and studied her—face-to-face. “Yas a bad bawk-bawk chickadee,” the female troll seethed between her teeth.
Juliana dry-heaved as the troll’s breath swirled around her and wrapped her in its fumes. The stench stung her eyes, immediately causing them to water.
“Give Cagord chicken,” Cagord ordered. He reached for Juliana but Baloneen pulled her out of his reach.
“No, Baloneen smash it,” Baloneen argued, still dangling Juliana at arm’s length.
Cagord stomped a foot. “Cagord crush it!”
“Baloneen smash!”
“Cagord crush!”
Juliana saw her chance. She twisted hard to the left and a loud rip split the air. She landed on the ground with a muffled thump and scuttled away, leaving Baloneen holding only a scrap of her dress.
The rest of the night was a series of hides and finds with Juliana and the trolls trading turns for each. It was after another narrow escape that Juliana found herself hiding once again. This time, she crouched between two boulders the same size as the trolls who hunted her. There, she fought to regain her breath all the while listening for the footfalls of her pursuers.
Juliana wiped the sweat from her brow and checked the edge of her blade. Cagord and his wife had proved to be fast for big, fat buggers and they were relentless in their pursuit. It would have been a lot easier if she’d only had to deal with one troll at a time, but whenever she got the drop on one, the other would rush her and she’d be forced to retreat. “Not this time,” Juliana swore under her breath. She plunged her hand into her carpetbag and pulled out Vena, her magical broom. “This time, I even the odds.”
Juliana tapped the broom twice, bringing it to life. She swung a leg over to straddle it then silently levitated into the sky.
On the other side of the boulder mound, the husband and wife team were searching a small clearing for her. Baloneen pushed apart the branches of a large pricker bush, bawking, while Cagord was looking under the rocks.
“Dat chicken ‘ere somewhere,” Cagord commented, picking up a large boulder and peeking beneath it. He grunted when he realized he’d guessed wrong and chucked the boulder behind him. It landed with an earth-quaking thump. Cagord scratched his scalp before he bent down and lifted another boulder. “Nope.”
Now, Juliana thought. With her dagger at the ready, she steered toward Cagord and shot at him at an amazing speed. It would have been a clean shave had Cagord not looked up just as Juliana was about to graze his cheek. Before she knew it, his giant arm swung upward and knocked her out of the sky. She went sailing into the same pricker bush Baloneen was searching. She landed with a bump and rolled into a seated position, her legs spread wide. A small groan escaped her lips as the pain registered. Giant pricker bush thorns poked into her at every angle.
“Looky, looky,” Baloneen exclaimed. She wrapped a fist around Juliana’s head, lifted her out of the bush, and held her up triumphantly. “Bawk bawk bawk, Baloneen got it. Baloneen got da chicken. Bawk bawk bawk.”
Cagord cast away the most current boulder and threw his hands up. “Got da chicken,” he sang, shuffling a jig in the dirt. “Got da chicken. Now be time da eat da chicken.”
Still keeping a firm grip on Juliana’s cranium, Baloneen joined her husband’s dance. “Got da chicken. Got da chicken. Now be time da eat da chicken,” they sang together.
Ignoring the pain the troll’s grasp caused through her head and neck, Juliana squeezed her hand. She still held the dagger. Next, she searched the area for Vena. As she was being jostled around in the trolls’ victory celebration, it took a while to locate the broom. It was lying near one of the boulders Cagord had discarded earlier. She narrowed her eyes. She had to time this just right or she’d be troll chow for sure.
“It’s too bad about your daughters there, Baloneen,” she yelled above the trolls’ singing.
Baloneen stopped dancing and let out a tooth-rattling growl. She brought Juliana’s face to hers. “Ya murdered da girls, even da baby.” Baloneen spoke with her teeth clenched.
Juliana fought against the sudden urge to puke at the scent of her breath again. She was just close enough. The pressure around her head increased.
“Baloneen smash…” Baloneen’s threat ended there as Juliana reached out and sliced off a large chunk of the troll’s cheek.
Baloneen screamed, dropping Juliana and grabbing her bleeding face.
Cagord stomped over, nearly stepping on Juliana, and wrapped his arms around his crying wife. He inspected the wound. “Baloneen. Yas beauty face. Oh, poors Baloneen.”
In the meantime, Juliana scrambled to retrieve the pound of flesh she had hacked away from Baloneen. Just as she retrieved the bloody prize and shoved it into her bag, Cagord spotted her. “Ya evil chicken. Cagord crush ya,” the troll bellowed, lifting his hay barrel-sized foot and aiming it at her.
Juliana rolled away just before his foot hit the dirt with a ground-shaking blow. The troll bent low and slowly lifted his foot. As he examined the bottom of it, Juliana made a dash for Vena. She’d made it just as Cagord realized he’d missed her. It didn’t take long for him to find her again.
“Cagord crush evil chicken,” Cagord said, stomping her way.
“Wake up, Vena,” Juliana said. She tapped the broom and Vena buzzed to life. Juliana kicked up into the air but she didn’t get far when the broom stopped suddenly. She glanced behind her and saw Cagord holding the broom’s bristles between two fat fingers.
“Evil chicken no fly,” he stated.
“Get off my broom, you big-headed behemoth.” Juliana kicked at the troll’s hand but Cagord held tight.
Suddenly, a stream of red fire shot from the broom’s end and hit the troll’s hand. Cagord let go immediately, screaming.
Juliana shot high into the sky while Cagord stood below, pumping his fist at her. “Evil chicken come back.”
Juliana cackled. “Not anytime soon, oh Cagord, my pal.”
Cagord’s threats and Baloneen’s sobs followed Juliana as she sailed smoothly through the night sky. She still had several oversized thorns sunk deep into her skin—that would be a pain not soon forgotten—but she was smiling. She patted her bag then the handle of her broom. “Ah, Vena, old girl, you’ve still got a few tricks in you, don’t you.”
She reached into her shirt and pulled out the list of ingredients for the potion. Dabbing her finger into one of her wounds, she sighed as she used her own blood to mark off the box labeled Troll Beard Stubble.
J. Rae Moore 
Reblogged this on MDellert-dot-Com.
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It was nice of you to repost my story Troll Hunting on your page. I hope your followers enjoy it. I just wanted to say thank you for doing that. -J. Rae Moore –
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Oh, my pleasure. I enjoy your blog quite a bit. Please keep up the good work! 🙂
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Well written. Very detailed and vivid descriptions! My 3 teenage sons would love it!
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Dave,
I am thrilled you liked my story Troll Hunting. I hope your three sons did too if they got a chance to read it. I would just like to say thank you for taking the time to read it and leave a comment (and a very positive comment at that). Not everyone does that and I wanted you to know it’s appreciated.
-J. Rae Moore-
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Very well written. Not my particular genre, but you had my attention from the very beginning. Is it weird that I almost feel sorry for the trolls?
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Dear Mike,
Thank you for reading and commenting on my story Troll Hunting. I know it takes patience sometimes to read outside of your preferred genre and I am so happy you took the time to do so. Thank you for the positive words. -J. Rae Moore-
P.S. In the novel I wrote that parallels this story, (a story I am looking to yet publish) Juliana is not exactly a nice person. You have every right to feel sorry for the trolls.
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Just finished Trolling with You, I was there the whole time.It’s obvious to me J. that with your writing skills and unique imagination, the sky’s the limit with or without that fire red broom!
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Thanks for the kind words. I’ll be putting a new story up today. I hope you’ll have the chance to read that one too.
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I will asap,remember to check out She Writes, John.
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Imagery is wonderful! I felt like i was there watching the whole thing. Thank you for sharing. Now i want to know what happens next!
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I hope to someday have the novel that parallels this story published. (Still looking for an agent) Until then, I’ll keep on pounding away at the keyboard and trying to make some kind of sense on the screen. I’m writing today to say thank you for your review and I am so thrilled you liked the story. It means a lot to hear feedback (good and bad) from those who’ve read it. Many happy returns to you and yours.
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I like your style!
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Thank you very much.
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A very skillful characterisation of trolls. Without losing any of their ferocity or essential nastiness, the author presents trolls as sympathetic characters, with the human protagonist trailing along as a rather unpleasant opportunist. You can’t do this sort of thing unless you are a very accomplished writer, which J.Rae Moore clearly is. A short but very good read.
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Thank you for reading and commenting on my story Troll Hunting. The review you left lifted my spirits in a time I needed then lifted most. Again, Thanks.
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Delightful story for young readers. The dialogue is interactive. The characters unique, and the writer’s voice distinct and vibrant.
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I just wanted to take the time and tell you thank you for reading and commenting on my story Troll Hunting. Your thoughtful words made my day.
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Excellent writing, with great descriptions, so much so, that I could visualize the characters in detail. You left me wanting to read more. My son would love this, and he is quite beyond the middle grade years.
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was very impressed with this short story. surprised i didn’t have to pay for it or at least subscribe to your mailing list. would have been nice to pick up the story from her flying in on the broom so that part wasn’t a surprise. I mean she is a witch working on a spell so we should assume there would be a broom. but we wouldn’t know who she was referring to when she called it by name. And it would be nice to know what the broom looks like and what features it may have. keep up the great work, max
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I loved this it was lyrical and captured my attention. I would definitely want to read more and as another reader pointed out; I felt kind of bad for the trolls lol!! Great work!
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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I like the details around the trolls, young and old. The descriptions of beard stubble were nicely added, and the task wasn’t too simple, so it kept the action going, made the end satisfying. I did find myself wanting more description of the hill though. It had brambles and trees, but that’s all I really got for a visual of the surrounding hilly terrain. I’d have liked more. I also find myself wondering how long Vena is. The broom was in her carpet bag, which can be a big sized bag, but would it be large enough to ride on and not fall from? Little things really. It was quite good all in all.
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Reblogged this on Jeffrey M.Thompson Jr. and commented:
Great story for the fantasy readers!
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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Pingback: Troll Hunting – Jeffrey M.Thompson Jr.
I’m impressed! There was (for me) a few passive sentences and an odd turn of phrase but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it and I don’t read this type of fantasy! You have a future! I re blogged and shared on my social media. You deserve the attention.
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Thank you.
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Nicely done, with great character building. I’m already questioning Juliana’s motives behind the potion she’s brewing . . .
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A delight to read! Great job! Oh them trolls eh? lol 🙂
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GREAT WORK OF ART
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The character’s are a hoot. I thoroughly enjoyed the read. And now I’m most curious about Juliana’s potion. It’s a wonderful piece!
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L liked this story – well written and an interesting role reversal with the not-so-nice witch being the predator instead of the prey for the trolls. I thought the trolls were very Tolkienesque (that’s got to be a word) and Juliana has the potential to be a really interesting character. You wouldn’t want to get between her and what she wants.
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I enjoyed the excitement of the pursuit, by both sides. The writing of both the action and descriptions are excellent.
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I was hooked immediately by the dialogue, especially the trolls’ way of talking, which continued to give the creatures depth as the story progressed. You have a knack for quickly establishing stakes and character motivation. Throughout the story I could visualize the action and characters. This is nicely done and leaves me wanting more. Can’t wait for the novel to come out!
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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Reblogged this on J. Rae Moore .
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Enjoyed this. Keep on writing . Good luck in the near future with your dark,magical, tales, book seriesI. I like your story telling technique.
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Spot On! Yes,Ms.Moore keep your momentum going, we truly are enthralled.
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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Great entertaining story!
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That was awesome. I love the descriptions. I also admire how you humanized the trolls, while making Juliana’s reason for hunting them understandable.
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Awesome!
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A very well written short story. I liked the use of dialogue and the flow of the story.
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Well written! I like your characters, trolls are characterized very well. what makes stories come alive are the details, great descriptions. I shared on my social media.
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Wow, sharing is like the best compliment. Thank you so much.
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I like the pacing and mix of action and narrative. I want to invite more about the protagonist
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I loved this! Keep writing more.
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Enjoyed this and definitely want to know more about Juliana!
Great writing and attention to detail. I feel as though I could draw the trolls from your description…if I could draw! 😄
Hope you’ll write more!
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Very well written with deep imagery. I really enjoyed it.
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I like your description of the trolls. It sounds as if you may have done some research there. I also like the way you have the trolls talk. It is quite amusing. This is a good, well written story. I think anyone who likes fantasy would enjoy it.
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I liked the description of the trolls. It sounded like you did some research. I also like the way you had the trolls talk. It was funny. This is a good, well written story that anyone who reads fantasy would like.
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This is a great read. Your writing skills are superb!I’m actually visualizing the characters in the story. Keep up the great work. Good Luck!
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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I very much enjoyed reading this short story. Very descriptive and fun! Do you have a complete novel? I would be interested in working with you.
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I quite enjoyed this little romp. I’ll be keeping up with this blog. I hope that the companion book goes well!
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Loved it from beginning to end. Started reading, then got my glasses out for better reading and enjoyed it more. Great story and look forward to reading more.
GMKelso
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Hmm, very interesting and well written. Good luck with the larger work! MM
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I enjoyed this little tale.
I will admit I was rooting for the trolls to bop that chicken witch the entire time. They lost their children after all. Okay sure, trolls eat people, but that doesn’t make them less sympathetic.
Also, I have a thing for monsters I guess.
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What a fun read! Wow, and the ingredient Julia needed for that potion 🙂 I haven’t seen a troll story in a long time, and this brought a smile to my face.
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that’s my kind of stories. it’s very interesting and expressive i liked all the details. i really enjoyed reading it.
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I would love to use this comment from you to enhance my author bio. If it’s alright, please reply and include your whole name and a list of your works. Thanks, J. Rae Moore
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That was fun. Thank you.
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Really atmospheric, a lovely story. Perfect for sharing with grandchildren on a dark night!
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I like the language of the trolls, depictive of their nature and yet again you humanised them by showing their show of empathy which I think is brilliant. And I can feel your voice lurking in the progressing plot. Finish the novel.
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I enjoyed your story and I’m sure my boys would as well. It was a fun and intriguing read. I can’t believe I feel sorry for a troll.
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Hey there. I just read Troll Hunting. It was really good. I liked the characterisation of the trolls, they came across really well and their dialogue was tip-top. I can see it working as just one episode in a larger plot. I especially liked the notion of Vena being sentient and having it’s own tricks. I will be very interested in the full book, and would definitely read it to my kids when they’re a little older.
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Very nice! It’s intriguing and interesting, keen to see how the full length turns out! 🙂
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I suppose it’s all been said; this is definitely a fine piece of fantasy! I like the tone of calm in the background. And the thoughts you’ve given each character, the wit and humour; without jeopardy to the plot.
A good read, thank you!😁
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Grammar and spelling flawless. Nice job.
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