| Subject: Re: A Time For Change |
Author:
Angie, et. al
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Date Posted: 14:51:12 02/02/04 Mon
In reply to:
Alexis/Monet/NobelNomis/Kira
's message, "Re: A Time For Change" on 08:46:01 02/02/04 Mon
Carefully tamping her fury, Angie stared at the little elf and tried to analyze its ambivalent talk. Kira's dark eyes betrayed nothing of the quick mind beneath them, and Angie's eyes narrowed in suspicion. At last, with a slight shrug, she tilted her head saucily (and her fiery hair spilled down over her shoulder in a manner that would have been quite charming, had the hair been clean and combed). "You're right," she said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I don't need anyone." And with that she brushed past Kira, continuing on up the path.
Angie would have been perfectly happy to have made her escape right then - to keep walking, leaving the fools behind. Even though the confounded male Silent Paw had been over the mountains and therefore must know the way, his manner was too callous to allow him much patience in dealing with softies like Alexis and Jeff. He would simply cease to care and leave them behind - or so it seemed to Angie - and so much the better. Alone, the pale girl and Fuzzy would never make it to the summits, much less down the eastern slopes; the mountains would defeat them. They would turn back, and Angie would be completely free. Her memories of the Blue Valleys would be untainted by her clingy travel companions. The more she considered it, the more it angered her - that a wretch like that boy Jeff should set foot among the blue grasses seemed intolerable. His mind was closed; he could not possibly appreciate the beauty and magic of the East. Yes, this was the best way - to leave now, so that the boy - whose heart, of all those she had ever encountered, contained the least capacity to appreciate the gift of magic - would never leave the dull West. Here, the only traces of remaining magic were in the Cheysuli, but even they were in ever increasing danger, ever decreasing in number. In fact, if -
She was startled from her thoughts and whipped around to stare back down the path, heart pounding in her throat. For a long moment she did not move, eyes skittering over the boulders in the pre-dawn half-light. At last she relaxed, unclenching her fists, and cursed herself for being so jumpy. But then the sound came again, faint but unmistakable, and Angelina's blood ran cold.
Fen-hawks.
She had never heard of them coming into the West, but perhaps that was due to the Guardian. His conspicuous absence from the mountains had obviously presented them an opportunity too great to pass up. Angie's eyes fixed upon the flickering campfire, now some distance below her - to any enemy it would be a beacon, sending a clear message: here we are, inexperienced and unprotected travelers! come and get it!
Her arms trembled slightly as she stood in terrible indecision, still staring glassily at the distant fire. She could see the shape of Alexis in the dim grey light, and what might have been the shadow of NobelNomis there to one side. And there, up in the clouds over the forest - there were the flickering, slithering shadows of fierce, cunning predators. Only two - but two were more than enough.
(you're leaving leaving leaving them what are you leaving them to you're going to leave going to leave them to without you they'll are you just going to leave die they'll die die die picked off one by one carried to the dark nests fed alive bit by bit to the screaming hatchlings but you you you know how you can escape you can get them out get them to cover fight off the hawks you know how you watched you learned you can do it but will you will you will you leave them to die or will you)
"NO!" Angie shouted, and started running. "No, no, not like this, maybe I wanted it but not like this it's all wrong so stupid aw dammit what am I doing? No, I won't let it, not like this, fine, just one last time but don't expect it ever again...." She was still muttering under her breath, along these lines, when she reached the campfire again, bursting among them so that the masked Silent Paw, in the boy's lap, awoke with a jerk, claws splaying.
Without so much as glancing at Alexis, Angie kicked dirt onto the fire and stomped straight over to Jeff. Seizing Gwennie round the middle, the girl tossed the cat to Alexis with a simple order: "Take her." A sizzling hiss floated down to them on the breeze and Angie shivered, biting back her fear. Dropping to her skinned knees beside Jeff (who was still asleep, the deep and dreamless sleep of those who are very weary in body and mind), grabbed both of his arms, and pulled them over her shoulders from behind. Her face twisted in agonizing effort as she staggered to her feet, hauling Jeff onto her back.
"Run. You, too, tiger, if you value your life. Don't ask!" she said sharply, cutting off Alexis' protest; the hissing came again and there was a visible flicker of ear in Angie's eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at the sky. "No time, there's no time, get up the path NOW!"
Jeff's toes dragged against the ground even when Angie bent double, but the girl took no notice. Once she got going, he didn't seem so heavy, and she stumbled up the path at a fairly quick pace. Behind and above, she could hear the great wingbeats of the fen-hawks. Jeff moaned slightly but did not stir. Alexis was not keeping up, obviously bewildered, and Angie called over her shoulder: "Get on with it, girl, move your feet or you'll die! You have to trust me!"
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