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Gwen / Jeff / Angie / Wes
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Date Posted: 08:29:51 08/17/03 Sun
In reply to:
Kira/Alexis/Monet/Rio
's message, "Re: Traveling" on 19:34:36 06/11/03 Wed
Gwenneveire watched the exchange, smiling a little. She saw her boy glance around nervously, as though afraid that more Avrielen would fall from the sky. His gaze settled on the far-off, hazy ridge of the Hedrons, and something shifted in his grey eyes.
"We don't care about the danger," he said. "We're going, and that's that."
The little elf looked about to protest, but Angie spoke up quickly. "It's 'cause I'm going home," she said. "I was born out east of the Hedrons, an' I'm going back to find my family. Jeff and Alexis are traveling with me. That's all."
She kept her expression mild, not flinching even when Jeff looked at Alexis in a very confused manner.
"Uh...yes, that's right," he said, catching on. "We're just taking Angie home. So you'll let us pass, Elf."
Gwenneth's smile widened. ::Clever girl.::
Suddenly, the liren's mind-sense was disturbed slightly. She lifted her head, turning her large ears all around and scenting the air. There was nothing unfamiliar to be seen, heard, or smelled, but she could not shake the feeling of being watched.
::Stay here,:: she told Monet and Rio. ::I must attend to something.::
She moved away through the shadows, her patchy fur blending well with the dappled light, and when she had traveled perhaps a quarter of a mile she paused, staring around. The sense was so clear---she could almost feel the eyes burning into her, but her physical senses could detect nothing.
::Show yourself!:: she commanded imperiously, opening up the link for all ready minds in the immediate vicinity (though careful not to bother her friends or the children). ::Your eyes are too close to my Clan for comfort, stranger. Come out and face me!::
::You are brave, fair liren,:: spoke a deep, powerful voice in her mind. ::But you do not know the ground on which you tread. Your silent paws echo in my mind.::
::Who are you?:: she asked, trying to trace the voice and finding herself unable---a disconcerting realization. ::Show your face!::
::Hold your tongue, young one.::
::Stay away from my clan!::
::By all means---if you will stay away from mine.::
::Where are you? Come out and face me, you coward!::
::Hush, little one. You try my patience.::
::Speak to my face, stalker! I will not have you near my clan!::
::Traveler, you do not know to whom you speak.::
::That's because you won't tell me to whom I speak! Blazing sheep-hearted coward!:: Gwenneth's hackles were raised and her teeth were bared as she looked this way and that, nearly desperate with the fierce desire to protect her clan. She did not see, hear, smell, or even Sense anything until it was too late.
A blow connected solidly with her shoulder and she was thrown to the ground, pinned there by two large, ruby-colored avian feet. The gleaming gold talons, wicked sharp, pricked gently at her skin as she was held immobile. She saw whirling colors above her and thought for a panicked moment that the woods were on fire, but then the clean scent of feathers filled her nostrils. At a close range, a pair of sky-blue eyes burned into hers.
::Dol'eira,:: she whispered, trembling.
::Yes,:: he replied in a low voice. ::I guard the mountain pass, traveler. Do not cross the Hedrons.::
For a moment more he remained there, holding her to the ground. In his strong grip she was powerless, and beneath his gaze her mind was wiped blank. She had never felt so helpless in her life, not even as a kitten. All of her magic and strength was as nothing before Dol'eira, the Guardian. He was power, was magic, was strength and might, and his presence felt more like a hurricane or a flood than that of a being whose heart beat the same as hers.
And then he was gone. There was a flash of flaming color and he had disappeared without a trace, though the boughs above her sighed and fluttered from his passage.
Gwenneveire lay on the ground, panting and shaking, and when she slowly picked herself up she was hardly able to believe that the entire encounter hadn't been a hallucination.
But there on the ground, a few feet from her paw, was a single feather, painted in tones of gold and fire-orange, shimmering in the sunlight and more beautiful than anything the liren had ever seen.
There was sudden pain in her shoulder and she saw three tiny drops of blood marring the pale fur, where the golden talons had rested. Shuddering involuntarily, Gwenneth carefully climbed to her feet and stepped over to the feather. She hesitated before touching, unsure that anything so lovely could survive the touch of a mortal, but when she took it gently in her dextrous paw it was very real.
She ran back as quickly as she could, hobbling on three legs and cradling the feather close to her chest.
::Monet!:: she called. ::Rio! Come...oh, come see!:: She was filled with an inexpressible joy and nearly capered around the feather as her friends hurried up. ::Look!:: she said, nosing the feather delightedly. ::Guardian! Dol'eira! He came to me, he spoke to me! Guardian! O Flame of the Hedrons! He was there, right beside me! He was....:: She trailed off, overcome by emotion, and sat down, gazing absently into the woods.
::He was beautiful. And terrible. And...oh, like fire....:: Gwenneth looked up at her friends suddenly, and her eyes were filled with tears. ::He guards the pass. He forbids us to cross. Oh, he is watching us, could be listening right now!:: She calmed herself with an effort, taking deep breaths and wishing she could convey the sheer wonder, the enormity of the encounter. ::What are we to do?::
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