A Human Village and the Journey To

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:12 pm

OOC: fine...I wont kill Erin...if you dont kill Lyra...

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:13 pm

ooc: Can The Shadow kill Lyra, so I won't have to do it? Very Happy

Okay, fine... I won't kill her... Not HERE anyway.

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:04 am

OOC: very well... Erin lives...i think we can arrange for Shadow to have some fun with our characters, if you wish.

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:58 am

About a month later, Lyra was in a neighboring village, lying low and trying not to draw too much attention. She had succeeded and no one looked twice at her. She was known as 'Awen'. She lived as a beggar along the sides of the streets, playing a lyre to earn coin. Thanks to Alrog, she was more than talented and usually would earn enough money by the end of the day to buy herself something to eat. The lyre was interesting in itself, because she had suddenly been stopped in the street one day as she was entering the village for the first time by a big man with a wild mass of tangled black hair and beard. Without a word, he had shoved the instrument into her hands and had taken off into the throng of people milling around. Bewildered, she had tried to chase after him, but he was already gone.

So here she was, playing a lyre with her hood drawn up over her head and eyes on the ground. No one gave her a second glance, for those like her were a common sight. Thank goodness for that, anyway. Memories dogged her every step, memories of things and experiences best left unspoken. Now though, there was another, warmer one to drive them away. Erin Wolf, at least, had done some good to her.

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Mon Aug 13, 2012 9:21 am

Through the streets, something large loomed…and it was getting a lot of attention, but not the good kind.

A dire wolf, dirtied, muddied, bloodied, and with tangled fur was limping down the streets. The creature was a mess, bronze arrows sticking out of its body, at least a dozen, and yet, the dire wolf was not dead, at least, not yet. He hobbled along, a real sight to behold. He seemed to be looking for someone, anyone, to help him…but, he was a giant dire wolf…in a village of humans…not exactly a good proposition…

“Get away from my child you BEAST!!” A woman screamed and smacked the dire wolf’s muzzle with a broom until he stumbled away from the home, whining for help all the while. He had leather bags strapped to his body, and they bore a very unique insignia. The crest of the howling wolf had been emblazoned onto the leather bags; it was the crest of Erin Wolf, making this dire wolf…Shadow…

Shadow paused, ignoring the beating he was taking from an angry and fearful shop keeper’s newspaper that kept jarring the quill-like arrows in his back, causing his wounds to reopen, painfully, and begin leaking blood into his already tattered and blood stained fur. He smelled something…or someone…but he had given up his hopes on finding help anymore that someone…they’d made their choice long ago to go their separate way…But his master…Erin…was in trouble…perhaps…just perhaps…he could trace the smell back to its owner…

Shadow shambled forward at an alarmingly slow rate, on account for his injured paws, his front left and back right paws had been cut up from his break neck journey to find help for his master…The dire wolf rounded a corner and ended up snout to face with none other than, Lyra Clear-Waters.

That was too much for the poor beast. Blood loss, pain, and now shock at finding Lyra caused him to collapse unconscious at her feet, his chest barely rising with each labored breath and his saliva dribbled out of his half open jaws. His tongue was swollen; he’d not had a sip of water in days; hos paws were infected from all the muck that had gotten into the cuts; his back and fur was all bloody from the arrow wounds. He was a right mess now and facing the Gates of Death as he lay silently, unmoving.

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Mon Aug 13, 2012 10:18 am

When Shadow collapsed at her feet, Lyra almost screamed. She recognized the dire wolf, of course; Shadow was rather hard to mistake. What did shock her was the state that the wolf was in. It took her all of a second to put together that if Shadow was in this state, then Erin could hardly be in a better position. In fact, he was probably worse. She almost started crying at the hopelessness of it all, but that wouldn't change anything.

Instead, she set aside her instrument in the middle of a ballad about the sun and got to her feet. Without a backward glance, she shot off into the tavern across the street, bringing her earnings with her. After a few moments of hurried conversation, she re-emerged with bandages and a bowl of water. Lyra knelt down by the wolf and forced a trickle of water down his throat, tilting his head back so that he could swallow. She had restocked her medicine bag and carefully tended to his paws, smearing on a poultice and then binding his feet so that it wouldn't run and so that he would have an easier time of walking when he came to.

There was little she could do about his arrow wounds, but she did what she could. Basically, that meant pulling out the arrows and cleaning his fur of blood and muck the best she could. There was no point in applying a poultice to his wounds because it would only clump in his fur and he would likely only lick it off later. Besides, animal wounds healed far better than most humanoid ones.

Her work done, she sat back on her heels to gently stroke the wolf's shaggy head, warily watching the people gawking at them and whispering. None of it was friendly. She felt slightly intimidated, but there was nothing to be done. They knew her only as a poor beggar and a player of songs... the fact that an enormous, battle-scarred dire wolf had just collapsed at her feet both frightened and confused them. Something was wrong in the balance and they were afraid of what it might mean.

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:33 am

Shadow’s head lay on the elf girl’s lap his chest rising and falling rhythmically. He stirred slowly and looked up into Lyra’s gentle and caring face, his stormy grey eyes meeting her startlingly beautiful dark brown eyes. He whimpered softly and then rose to his feet. The dire wolf realized that she’d treated his wounds, again, and began to lick her hand furiously in thanks and rubbed this head against her soft cheek gratefully. That done he tilted his head down and slid the leather bags off his back and nosed through them. He pulled out Erin’s howling wolf ring…and it had a note tied onto it. Shadow passed the note to Lyra.

For whatever soul who reads this, I am Erin Wolf, Fire Legacy and Champion of the Goddess…I’ve been captured by slavers sent by the Shadow himself. They managed to place some sort of medallion over me that saps my strength and power making me no stronger and no more powerful than any normal human, and thus, they will eventually be able to overwhelm me…I am currently hiding behind some rocks as I write this…I can hear them getting closer…I don’t have the strength left to run or fight with this medallion around my neck, and I cannot touch it…it burns me if I try to pull it off…Shadow was sent to find help…I cannot get away on my own…I’ve got an arrow in my side and I have broken my sword hand…I cannot stand much longer…whoever is reading this…I beg the goddess you are a friendly or helpful sort…I overheard something about going back through Paludem…if you can arrange a rescue party to meet them there in one week’s time…I will pay you… 300 gold pieces…just get me away from them…please…I am not sure I can survive the medallion much longer…every day I wear it…it’s as though I feel a year of my life slipping away…please…for goddess’s sake…help me!

(The note is written messily on a ripped piece of parchment, suggesting the author was in a rush. There are strange red splotches smeared across parts of the note that look too much like blood to be anything else as well as some traces of mud from the journey. Scrawled at the bottom of the note, hastily, is the following… “Erin Wolf, last descendent and heir of Gerard Thalrun of Endar” and it was dated three days ago. There is nothing else on the note.)

Shadow looked up at Lyra and whined. People were crowding around them…and he was in little condition to fight, let alone barely walk. Shadow tried something…something soul creatures were not supposed to do…he tried mentally speaking to Lyra as he would have with Erin…

(A raspy voice begins to speak haltingly into Lyra’s mind)

Please? He’s dying…I have seen the way you looked at him…the way he looked at you…please…if he dies…then I die with him…he said the gold circle that steals his life day by day hurt him? I can feel it too…it steals my life just as it steals his…please…I know you owe him nothing…less than nothing…but he is my soul mate…I cannot let him die…and I’ll go after him myself if nothing else works…please?

Shadow looked up at her, hoping she could hear his thoughts…but it took an open mind to her thought-speak…and if she did hear it, what then?

Subject: Re: A Human Village and the Journey To Thu Aug 16, 2012 2:22 pm

Lyra took the note that the great, dire wolf passed to her. With trembling fingers, she read it quickly, then once more to make sure it wasn't an illusion. It was crumpled and smeared with dirt and blood, no doubt his own. At the thought, she shivered. The ink was smeared in places and the writing was almost illegible, as if it had been written in a great hurry. When she was done reading, the Elf didn't know what to think. Her mind felt numb. Erin, captured by Slavers. Erin, the man she loved, was dying. Oh Goddess, this was all her fault. If she hadn't left him alone all that time ago, if she hadn't been drawn to him to begin with, if, if, if.... But what if was irrelevant now. She had to focus on now and the repercussions of her actions. Here and now was what mattered, not past errors and misjudgments.

It was when the wolf's mind touched her own that she really snapped out of it. Her head shot up and she looked in astonishment at Shadow. What had just happened? For the wolf had just spoken directly into her mind with words that she heard as clear as day. Spoken in a rough growl, she nevertheless understood their meaning and the emotion underneath. For a moment, she only stared at the wolf, trying to process the information. She was still in shock.

Then, tentatively, she returned the communication.

Take me to him. I owe him my life; the least I can do for him now is return the favor.

Her words were blunt and sounded brittle, as if she was doing everything in her power to keep the emotion out. She didn't quite succeed, because the overwhelming fear that was pounding through her for him showed plainly in her eyes. If he died, it would be her fault. He meant the world to her, even if he was unaware of it himself. For Lyra, there was little choice in the matter. It was a decision of life or death... and she couldn't just let him die; not now that she had been offered the chance to help save him.

With a muffled sob, she covered her face with her hands. It was hopeless, so hopeless. What was she to do? The note was clearly intended for someone useful or powerful, and she unfortunately, was neither. All she was was a hunted Legacy, cursed with the most powerful amulet in the realms. What could she do to help without hurting him all the more? Very little, that was for sure. Well, if she was unable to help him directly, she could at least send help his way... She shook her head. But... what if they ended up betraying him? Whatever the case, she realized that she would have to go to him; there was no way out of it. Whatever punishment followed her, she'd do everything she could to keep him safe.

Lyra got to her feet, eyes haunted. The time to linger here was over. She had to move on. She had a duty to carry out; she owed it to Erin and Shadow to carry it out. The wolf leading, they moved southwards towards the realm of Paludem.

» Human village at night