Martin - 2000-02-22
uranog stiffened for a moment as the elf pointed at him and called out to the unseen watchers in the trees, whom the Shenmiri pyromancer was sure would be all around. Wishing angrily that his command of the elven tongue was more fluent, he listened closely to the elf's tirade at his unseen fellows, catching one word in three. On hearing 'peaceful' he relaxed, though only very slightly.
:A man was murdered in this clearing,: he thought to himself. :Anyone could be an enemy - no, anyone save the m'hara-: his thoughts grew dangerously intense as he speculated on this.
:Control! There must be control!: he heard Master Kyril's voice in his head. The memory was a powerful one, calming his raging thoughts.
Muranog nodded politely to the elf, as much of a bow as could be made from horseback.
"I greet you, Taletherion Darkecat," he addressed him in Shenmiri, glad that he had enough elven to understand the name. "What speech would you have of me?"
Amber - 2000-02-22
murmur ran through the trees like wind, a soft chattering sound as the elves debated among themselves. Then there was a soft rustle as a young man and woman stepped through the trees.
"Esteron and Quavellis are dead, as is the entire Clan of the Darkecats. You were supposed dead. How, may I ask, did thee escape?" The man asked, his voice low and steady. "We shall spare your companions, these.." his voice dripped with sarcasm "Outlanders. On the condition that they be out of this forest and away from our Clan by sunset. If not, they die."
"Aye, and ye too if ye dunnot leave now." Kestri said boldly, her voice becoming accented through her anger. Even tho she wasn't a true Redtooth, in reality she was a Bladeskin from the opposite side of the Forest, she was a Kethiel elf and hated the thought of any Outlanders in their Forest.
Turning, she gestured to the trees. "Aye, relax yer bows Redtooths." She turned back to Tal. "Ye have saved yer friends, but only because ye are of Darkecat blood, and Aye have special feelings for one of yer own." And with that, she turned and melded into the forest.
Talos glanced at her. "I am Talos Redtooth." He spoke softly, only for Taltherion's ears. "I remember your clan, and I am sorry for your loss. But..." He paused, uncertain. "Mayhaps the Darkcat Clan isn't as complete a loss as she had thought..." He said the last almost as if in an afterthought. Blinking, he turned and regarded the forest a moment.
Starting to walk away, he paused, and turned to Taltherion. "You are alone, the last of the Darkecat clan. But you are not completely alone. Your sister.. Jenra. Lives." He said it softly, with a smile of affection as he mentioned Jenra's name.
And with that, Talos disappeared into the underbrush, and, with a soft whisper like a breeze through the trees, was gone.
But not completely. A voice, Kestri's called out. "Remember! They must be gone by nightfall, or blood will flow!"
And then,.. then they were gone.
Abby - 2000-02-22
"Keleos gritted her teeth. That was just about enough. The thought of simply being stubbornly immovable crossed her mind, but was dismissed. She could stop one arrow, even two or three, but with the Kethiel it was never just one arrow.emember! They must be gone by nightfall, or blood will flow!"
"Fine," she said stiffly. "It is obvious that we are unwelcome. Our so-impatient guardians would do well to remember that he," she gestured sharply to Daemil, "was travelling innocently and was attacked, that I and my charge were brought here by his cry, and that he," another gesture, this time at Muranog, "was brought here by my charge's fire let your precious trees catch flame." Her voice fairly crackled with ice. "This clan's hospitality is sorely lacking. I found the Clan of the Black Sands much more to my taste."
Shaking her head briefly, Keleos continued, "Since we are so very unwelcome, we will depart now. The offer of shelter," her dark eyes flicked to Tal, "was kind, but unneeded. I am capable of caring for myself and my companion."
Spellbinder - 2000-02-26
revor remained silent through Selene's outbursts, trying to glean what information she was unwittingly supplying. He stood up slowly from the crouch he had been in and turned his attention to Tiel and said amiably, "Terethiel is it? Or should I say, Tiel?" He smiled and extended his hand, "Trevor Ainsley" He decided to dispense with the title. He usually used that to impress humans, especially female humans. The Felana were not impressed by words, or by any other race for that matter. Tiel was the first Felana he had seen traveling alone outside of her territory. He wondered briefly why Tiel had chosen Torrigan to visit.
His attention returned to Selene as she cursed. It seemed to be at odds with her graceful bearing and classic beauty. Trevor was beside himself with curiosity as to the identity of 'he', but held his peace. There would be time for revelations later. Right now he had to ensure their safety and depart the area before the hounds arrived.
Trevor let his eyes fall on Selene's face and looked into her troubled eyes, which belied the easy smile she wore. "Very well, we shall leave then." He said after a moment. The Knight led the way to his horse and with a creak of leather from his armor, he swung into the saddle. After settling himself, he extended a hand to Selene, who brushed it aside and climbed into place in front of Trevor with practiced ease. Trevor raised his eyebrows, but again, said nothing. He suddenly realized that he would not be able to reach his sword with Selene sitting in front of him. He leaned back and released his scabbard and moved it to his right side. At least he could now reach it. He also realized that the reins were still around the saddle horn. "Er, excuse me, Selene." He said as he reached around her slender waist and grasped the reins in his left hand, as was customary for one who was right handed and wanted to keep the sword hand free. He placed his free hand on his knee, ready to catch Selene should she start to fall if there was any quick movement that caught her by surprise. He didn’t want to put his arm around her, as he sometimes did when riding double in rough territory. He could imagine the reaction he would experience if he did. Selene impressed him as one who was extremely high spirited. However, she didn’t seem to mind that he had to keep his left arm around her to hold the reins. He murmured "Sorry for the delay." He clicked his tongue at his horse, who started walking, careful to pick his way through the mud and trees. With Selene sitting so close, Trevor could smell the perfume she was wearing and occasionally the wind blew her hair into his face. It was soft and sweet smelling. He swallowed hard and tried to concentrate on controlling his horse.
Joel - 2000-03-02
Tal shifting his voice lower for a second. "If the truth be known, perhaps it is I who needs your shelter. And most importantly, it is I who must ask a boon of you. I hope we might find a quietier place to discuss this."
"If you are willing or not, I still suggest gathering your belongings and starting to move off while I will make one last attempt to take them off this foolish path they walk."
Amber - 2000-03-02
elene sighed and relaxed, or, at least, tried to. The horse beneath her wasn’t as high spirited as her own mount had been.. She sighed as a soft breeze whipped through the trees and cooled her face. She was nervous, and every time a hound bayed, she unconsciously tensed.. Her father was *really* mad this time.. No small wonder.. She *had* run away on her wedding night. She suppressed a shiver.
Trevor guided the horse with expert ease, seemingly completely at home. She spared a glance at her surroundings, forcefully keeping her mind off of the man in back of her. She’d never met any men besides the nobles and the suitors that invariably flocked to her door, and they were all idiots and nincompoops, certainly not noble and courteous and brave like this Knight of Torrigan was...
She turned slightly, on the pretense of looking at a bird fluttering by, examining him out of the corner of her eye. She’d learned to be discreet at the court, where it was a capital error to be seen staring at *anyone*...
A hound bayed again, this time sounding so close that it made her shiver. She looked down at her hands and licked her lips. Turning, she placed a hand on Trevor’s, looking at him. "Stop here for a moment please..." She said softly, and, when he did so, a curious expression on his face, she jumped off the horse, looking around.
"Move the horse into the bushes, off the path please." She said, watching him do so. When the bushes had hid them, she hurriedly snuffed out any trace of their passing. Working quickly, she snapped a few branches, taking a shred of her cloak and putting it on a thorn, effectively making a path in the opposite way they were traveling. "Stay here." She ordered, and disappeared in to the forest.
She didn’t even imagine him disobeying; she was of nobility and one *never* disobeyed *her*.. So she set about her work quickly and efficiently. Glancing around, she found a stream and splashed a rock in it, making mud splashes on the banks. Going a bit further, stepping on the stones in the stream, she placed another shred of her cloak on a low overhanging brush.
Next she found a large rock and knelt on it, reaching under her cloak to pull out a small pouch. Opening it, she pulled out a small white rock and placed it on the larger, laying her hand on it and concentrating, recalling *everything* Cornelius had told her. With a few sudden words and gestures, the spell was complete.
A picture, illusion, of herself ran out of the bushes, looked back with a slight scream, and then disappeared down the streambed. She added a few splashes, and was done. Turning, she carefully crept back to Trevor and Tiel, swinging on the horse quickly, trying not to show her fatigue. She wasn’t very good at magic yet, and it always drained her when she cast her will, even a small spell. That was why she was so reluctant to use it.
That done, she nodded to show she was ready, and Trevor clucked at the horse and they took off. Placing a hand on her head, she tried to stop the swirling of the road around her. Her head was pounding... It was her own fault for not practicing more... She leaned back against Trevor’s chest, not really thinking about what she was doing, just barely conscious that he was looking at her with an expression of concern.
"I’m fine.. Just a little tired that is all." She said calmly, and fell asleep...
Copyright (c) 1999-2000 Abigail Laughlin and the members of the Circle of Stone.