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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 5:20:26 GMT -5
He laughed lightly, a sound that hadn't been heard from the ranger in a long time. His growing comraderie with Emeric was tugging at a part of him nearly dead... his human side.
He lapsed into silence again, pondering over this. If he didn't respect Emeric he may chide himself for getting soft. He shrugged inwardly. Just this once...
After calling for a halt, the night was calm. The pack of wolves no longer persued them, and the men were tired from today's excitement, though they wouldn't admit it aloud.
Quite early in the morning, Vladik left the group behind to see if he couldn't find some fresh meat to supplement their diminishing supplies. Because of the detour, time had been lost and therefore food may run out before they arrived at their destination.
He slunk into the woods silently, keeping his eyes open for the tracks of deer or some other suitable animal. He knew how to be silent, and to keep downwind so he was not scented.
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 16:32:55 GMT -5
Emeric set Markus on watch, a little bit of punishment, allowing the others to rest, and went to the door of the wagon. He opened it and peered through the darkness, holding a small lamp in. Rauni pulled back away from the light, hissing softly at him. He frowned. "I suppose you're proud of yourself." He knew she couldn't answer him but he found it oddly soothing to speak at her. "Luring Markus would have been child's play for you, although I'm interested as to how you wore the spell off the door." He ran his fingers around the doorjamb. The spells looked aged and worn and he didn't know how she'd done it.
Rauni just glared at him sullenly.
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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 21:46:40 GMT -5
Fresh tracks. A deer had passed this way. He was not suprised, many of them were attracted to the natural salt in the rocks nearby. Picking up the pace, he followed the tracks.
Soon, he could hear the deer rusting among the rocks, wrestling each other for choice spots. He crouched down in the bush and quietly knocked an arrow on his bow. Their hot breath plumed in the air. He watched them, patient, until a suitable deer passed to close range. He chose a young buck and pulled back on the bow. The arrow hummed through the air, hitting the deer in the chest, right in the heart. It let out a tortured cry of pain and fell to the ground into a heap. The rest of the herd shied away and fled.
He replaced the bow in his long quiver and walked towards the deer, and started to drag it away from the rocks. After several feet he started to butcher the deer, cutting it up into more manageable pieces. Wrapping a rope around the deer's corpse, he threw the other end over a branch and pulled. When the deer was out of reach of any scavenders, he left the rest to freeze in the cold and come back for the rest later.
He wrapped up the venison and slipped it into a rough canvas sack, throwing it over his shoulder and returning to camp.
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 21:51:24 GMT -5
Emeric and the rest of the group were milling about when he returned. Emeric himself was reorganizing their supplies but surprisingly Rauni was nearby, collared to a large rock, very still as if she was afraid to move though she lifted her eyes when Vladik came into camp, simply watching him, utterly expressionless. At Vladik's look, Emeric shrugged. "I figured letting her out now and again will calm her a bit plus it gives her less of a chance of wearing the spells away again if I can keep an eye on her."
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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 22:07:02 GMT -5
A good fire had been made, expectantly, and Vladik hadn't disappointed when he said he would bring back fresh game. The large cooking pot that had been filled with water from a nearby stream by one of the militia was set to hang above the fire and boil. Vladik eased down the bag of vension and busied himself by cutting it up into smaller pieces, tossing the pieces of meat into the pot with potatoes and other various vegetables and left to simmer until the stew was done.
From time to time, he looked at the girl and realized that he didn't know her name. She was watching him, but what was in her mind he did not know. He asked a couple of the men to return to the kill and bring back the rest of the meat.
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 22:18:21 GMT -5
One of the younger ones nodded and headed out.
Emeric laid out a couple vials of spices near the pot. "What'd you think of those? I've never tried them in a stew before. Picked them up at the marketplace. Rauni..." His voice went sharp, his eyes fixing on the girl, who was tugging experimentally at her chain. She glared at him and settled again. Her fingers and teeth were utterly normal, just looking at her you wouldn't expect she had teeth or claws.
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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 23:03:15 GMT -5
He looked over the spices, taking a minute pinch of each and tasting it on his tongue. "This one," he decided picking the vial up and handing it over. "It should do quite nicely."
"She fidgets." He observed, nodding in Rauni's direction.
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 23:11:59 GMT -5
"Rauni? Yes...she generally doesn't make much noise when she's in the wagon though, no worries." He added some of the spice.
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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 23:26:50 GMT -5
He sighed a little, crossing his arms. He certainly wouldn't miss the girl... Rauni was her name? She seemed more trouble than she was worth. She looked on with so much hatred, but she was not fully to blame. By what Markus had said, she has lived a life of misery and torture. However, she did choose to retailiate to the invaders in her forest. She needs to be put out of her misery, he thought to himself.
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 23:29:45 GMT -5
"I'm surprised, you actually seem interested in her." Emeric looked at him as he stirred the pot, honestly curious.
Rauni was growing more and more agitated as the night fell. She let out a low keening sound that made Markus glare at her but she ignored it. There was something out there.
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Post by Jenny on Dec 12, 2010 23:43:45 GMT -5
He shook his head a little. "Not so much interested as..." he hesitated, looking up at Emeric. "...I almost feel sorry for her."
The group enjoyed a very satisfying meal around the fire. He stayed away from the girl, allowing Emeric to give her some of the stew so she would not starve herself.
A tingling feeling drew up his spine as he heard Rauni's keening. She was upset, but more agitated than usual. He searched the line of trees. Was something out in the woods, watching them? He pursed his lips and tilted his head to Emeric and spoke lowly.
"We should increase the number on patrol tonight. I have a very bad feeling... something isn't right out there."
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Post by KD on Dec 12, 2010 23:54:59 GMT -5
Emeric was also watching Rauni and his brow was creased in concern. "I agree...that isn't good. Nothing scares her....nothing natural is ever a threat enough to scare her..." He hesitated then moved forward. "Rauni..."
She didn't answer. She'd climbed up on top of the rock and was staring out into the woods, motionless as the trees around them. "Rauni." This time his voice was more firm. She turned her head to look at him, the rest of her body quiet and still. "Rauni, what is it?"
Something shifted across her face as she looked at him, her eyes flicking to the woods. Emeric felt a chill go right down to his core because it was clear she was weighing whether or not to just let whatever it was sweep over them. Of them all, she was the most likely to survive. The wild girl and the noblemen stared at each other for a long moment.
Let it come. A little voice in her head spoke, the voice that was tired of this existence of being a plaything to a sick, pathetic man who didn't have enough soul to really live. Was tired of countless, fruitless escape attempts. Let it come. Better to die at the hands of one of your own people than one of his...Better he can't use you to get to others...
They'd all die together, her tormentors and her. Her dark eyes swept over them all. Considering.
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Post by Jenny on Dec 13, 2010 1:23:19 GMT -5
That thought crossed his mind as well, and his brow grew dark and brooding, lapsing into the old Vladik. The survivalist, the hunter. She would get her revenge if she could. She would take him down with every last one of these men. An image struck his mind.
Rauni as she once was. A powerful fey, a wild and tameless thing. With no love of man, and no fear for man. She was in her element, standing in the grove. Her terrible wrath was guised in the most beautiful battle song a mortal man had ever heard, a siren song... but she was not luring the mortal men surrounding her, she was repelling them with everything she had.
Her hair whipped around her face as winds wrought by magic swept through the grove, and she was a terrible thing to behold in her wildness and wrath. Earth burst into the air as trees lifted their roots, lashing out at the intruders, branches like claws breaking men's bodies, crushing them into the ground.
He blinked as he faded back into awareness of the world around him. The girl perched up on the rock wasn't as strong as she once was, but just as fierce. She could not speak but he heard the wrath song coming from within. She was not afraid to die.
"She knows what's coming..."
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Post by KD on Dec 13, 2010 2:19:41 GMT -5
"Yes." Emeric's voice had gone cold. He walked forward slowly and spoke, whatever spells binding the fey to them flaring in his voice. "Rauni..."
She shuddered, folding in on herself, hissing low in her throat. "Rauni tell me what's coming..."
She slid off the rock, hating him with everything in her. She reached out a trembling hand and wrote something on the ground in front of her. "Chroum..."
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Post by Jenny on Dec 13, 2010 2:30:43 GMT -5
He shuddered when he heard the name of the beast and grimaced. "This isn't good..."
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