Amber - 2000-02-09
elene regarded her savior for a moment, her heart still beating wildly in her chest. She was all to aware of the danger she’d just faced, and knew that if not for this brave young man, she would probably be dead right now.
"Thank you." She said softly, smiling at him. "My name is Selene." She said, feeling as if it was too short. "Selene Tsukine." She amended, her mind dimissing her important titles like the rain from the leaves. Under her, Star pranced, letting out a small snort and shaking his mane importantly. Frowning, she tightened her grip on the reins, giving the horse a light smack on the neck.
"Sorry." She said, still frowning at the horse. "He doesn’t seem to like me much." She glanced at her savior out of the corner of her eyes, teal ones meeting his blue-grey ones. He was handsome, his face expressive. She smiled slightly, all too aware of her disheveled appearance.
Tilting her head back to look up at him, for he was a lot taller than her, as was the case with many people, she smiled. "Where are you headed, good sir?" Hopefully, she thought, Away from Aleron. In the distance, a dog bayed, and she sighed. ‘Great.. now the dogs are out.. Dad must be *really* desperate...’ Glancing back, she clucked Stardust on faster, hoping to pick up the pace to get as far away from her house as possible...
Gina - 2000-02-09
ala had remained crouched behind the thorn bush, quietly watching the two men that searched the area. Their arguing had finally subsided, and now, the couple tromped about the woods, kicking leaves and fallen branches out of their way. Their search for the stolen venison was futile. It had been foolish thinking on their part; any animal would have consumed the delectable treat or have hidden it away by now.
But to these oafs, intelligence didn't seem to come naturally. As a matter of fact, it didn't seem to come at all; Tala frowned to herself with this thought, the hairs at the back of her neck rising. The two men where quite large, maybe a little rough looking, but they hardly reminded her of the renegades that traveled the Ronin. No, this couple didn't demand the fear or authority that the traveling bands did; this group was pitiful, almost to the point of amusement.
She snorted to herself and then froze as one of the men approached the bush she hid behind. Of course, they were still big enough to provide quite a struggle, if provoked, and their size did double that of Tala's. It was then that she noticed the soft patter of rain against the canopy of leaves and a small drip fell to her nose, making it tingle.
(Great), she thought, (more rain, more wonderfully col-)
Her inward grumbling was interrupted by a long piercing scream that stilled the wandering men and turned her head to the east. The cry was obviously calculated, but the horror and anger it told of was quite sincere.
"Fools! FOOLS!" The larger, and most vocal, man roared, "I can't leave you blockheads alone for a minute without-" He was interrupted by another scream from the young woman, "Damn it!; Go get packed and bring the horses east! We'll meet you at the crook of the river," he finished and stomped angrily towards the commotion, while the other man skittered off towards camp.
Tala had closed her eyes for a moment, listening cautiously, waves of adrenaline surged throughout her body as she felt the cold metal of a dagger press against her palm. A low growl reverberated within her throat, causing the angry man to turn his glare in her direction. Ever so slowly, his stride had stopped and Tala's lids rose.
Unease flickered across the man's face as his hazel eyes met with the golden stare of a predator. He would have sworn to himself that his heart had about stopped, but Tala could hear it's frantic beat. He was trying to control his fear, his panic...he was alone now.
She smiled to herself, a wild, delightful smile. She was confident that he could not see her figure. The woods had played to her advantage and continued to increase its shroud of darkness at a steady pace. She knew that the little light that did remain glinted through her long dark lashes and illuminated her metallic irises.
"Good Gods," the man mumbled a series of curses before turning in the opposite direction, following the path the other man had.
Again Tala had snorted, shaking her head. "Cowards," she murmured in Ronin, then rose and started off though the woods at a quick pace.
The rain was heavier the further east she had traveled and it had begun to mat her tangle of black curls. Many puddles of mud and leaves had pooled in the depressions along the forest floor, causing her speed of travel to be less than satisfactory. From here, the young woman's bellows were more than audible; they were grating and the grunts of laughter from the men enraged her.
Forcing herself to bottle that rage, she slowed even more, picking the places she chose to put her feet a bit better. Even though the downpour was a continuous roar, the snap of a twig would be a dead give away.
Spellbinder - 2000-02-10
He noticed the way she said her name, as if she was unaccustomed to saying her first name alone, without title. Her accent, however slight, was not of any in Torrigan that he knew of. Aleron, perhaps? If so, then she had journeyed a long way indeed. He glanced at Selene and replied, "Sir Trevor Ainsley, Knight of Torrigan, at your service." He said, enjoying the title and the way it fell off his tongue.
"You’re quite welcome, Selene, but the whole exercise would have been unnecessary had you used a little common sense. As you are now acutely aware this area is rife with bandits, cutthroats and other vermin just waiting to pounce on the unwary traveler foolish enough to venture out alone, especially young ladies like yourself. Pardon my candor, but I only want to impress on you the need for caution. The next time you may not be as fortunate as you were today." He took a deep breath and managed a small, insouciant smile.
"All right, enough preaching. I was enroute to the Order from my home when I heard your screams. It’s a good two day’s journey from here." He chuckled at the horse’s antics. "A bit high spirited, is he?"
She had the most fascinating eyes. They seemed to change color with her emotions. A sound interrupted his musing, causing him to look about for the source. It was a hound baying at something, a chilling sound for some reason. All the more so if you were the object of their search.
"Hmm, what's that about? They sound like tracking hounds. I wonder who or what they’re after?" He watched Selene out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to stiffen a bit at the sound of the hounds and from what he just said. Were they after her? If so, why and who was it? Trevor kept these questions to himself, waiting for more clues. No need to frighten her away. He decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, tell me about yourself, if you don’t mind my asking. Where are you from?" he smiled encouragingly, his eyes friendly.
Diana - 2000-02-11
(STOPPIT! This is how a Felana thinks. I left behind those beliefs when I left my family!)
She concentrated for a moment, forcing herself to *care* that the weak might not survive, and it was partly her obligation to help them if she could.
But that would weaken the ra-
(STOP!)
Tiel raced after the retreating form of the horse. Finding that bipedal running was too slow, she dropped to all fours and stretched out, lengthening her strides. As she bounded after the horse, she forced fear for the woman's life into her mind, moulding it to be real. She musn't think like the Felana, the people she forsook.
A sudden shower, soon a torrential rain, caught her off guard and she skidded into a puddle. (Thank goodness it wasn't mud, but still! Blech!)
"Eeeaugh!" she screamed, scrambling up and flicking water off. She stalked to the knight, of Torrigan he seemed, looking for all the world like a drowned...well...like a drowned cat.
"I'm. Wet." she stated archly, snatching his horse's reins and forcing the animal to stop. She didn't add that it wasn't so much the fact that she was wet that peeved her, but that she'd been clumsy enough to slip in a puddle.
She turned her attention to the young woman, releasing her grip on the reins. She scrutinized both her and her horse fiercly with a piercing blue-grey gaze.
"Your mount seems a bit spirited, Lady."
Her ears flicked rearward and she read the woman's body. Yes, the woman heard the hounds as well. But they wouldn't be here for some minutes yet. They could afford to dally, though not for long.
Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.