Continue reading]]> Chapter 75: Warning

In Which A Cryptic Message Is Discovered.

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Arrin: The three continue along the better part of the week, casually bantering amongst each other and forming something along the semblance of a friendship. Finally, on the fifth day, as evening grows closer and the sky begins to darken, Soquan turns to his two companions. We should start looking for camp.

Catamount: The ferret nods, searching around for a suitable camp. Away on the left is a small rocky outcropping while a little further ahead and to the right is a small stand of trees. “Two choices,  oneâ€s closer the other’s about another thirty minutes worth of walking.”

Chris: Holst shrugs. “Either.”

Arrin: Soquan thinks for a moment. “Tell me about them.”

Catamount: Jozra pauses for a moment, scanning across what has since changed from forest to scrubland to now near grassland. “The closer one’s a ridge of rocks, looks pretty sheltered and out of the way enough. There’s a couple old trees around. The other looks like it may be near some more water. Denser trees too, though it’s a bit more off the trail than the first.”

Arrin: The otter nods. “I vote for the further one. Softer ground.”

Chris: The fox nods and a short time later he’s placing his satchel near his chosen spot.

Arrin: Soquan places his pack on the ground and stretches out his back. “Why don’t I start making dinner. You wanna go look for firewood Joz?”

Catamount: The ferret dumps her own pack on the ground and rolls the slight stiffness out of her shoulders. “Sure.” With her long knife at her hip, Jozra makes her way back around the way they came, looking for dry wood.

Chris: Holst gets a few things out for Soq and places them within paw’s reach. “So what’s it tonight?”

Arrin: He settles on the ground. “I was thinking of cooking up that pheasant we found today. There’s no use in lugging around that carcass for long before it goes bad.”

Catamount: The ferret makes her way towards the path, away from the source of the water that lets such large trees grow in grassland. The firewood pickings are slim, it looks like the wooded area has been picked through several times before. Here and there she finds a few limbs that have been downed but aren’t soggy. Obviously she’d have better luck at the dead trees further away.

Chris: Holst leans back and lets the otter work his cooking magic, constantly scanning the trees and listening for incongruous sounds.

Arrin: Without fire, the otter can only do too much, and for the time being, he busies himself with preparing the unfortunate bird.

Catamount: The way out is a lot quicker than the way in as she is unburdened without her pack. Across the path and back the way they came a little, Jozra comes across the scattered stand of dead trees. She starts collecting what branches have already been felled, looking for something that might be easy to drag back to camp.

Chris: Holst blinks as he watches Soq. “Might as well do something productive…” He pulls out flint and tinder and nurtures a small twig fire along.

Arrin: Soquan pauses in his task to grin at the fox. “Thanks Holst.”

Catamount: Working back towards the camp, Jozra has nearly an armful of moderately sized branches and is dragging one that’s too long to fit in the crook of her arm when she runs across a large snag quite near the trail. Evidently she wasn’t paying nearly enough attention when they passed this particular tree the first time otherwise she might have had a hard time hiding her astonishment at finding a very specific symbol burned into the trunk.

Chris: Holst cocks a crooked grin at Soq. “Hey-now, don’t get any warm fuzzy ideas. I gotta eat, the fire just helps that along.”

Arrin: Soquan continues to smile. “As much as your fire helps. I can’t go any further until Joz comes back with more wood.”

Catamount: As it is, she drops her bundle of lumber and then realizes how obvious that would look to anyone on the path. Fortunately, there’s no one but she covers it anyway by faking as though she had stumbled over a rock. Of course, what with that symbol on the tree — cleverly disguised of course, any non-Scorpion would consider it just a fire scar — there was bound to a rock somewhere around here. Probably a flat one, palm sized or so…

Chris: Holst’s eyes turn cold and logical as his mind ticks a logic process over to a conclusion. He piles a good amount of twigs on his embryonic fire and stands.

Arrin: Soquan starts to hum softly to himself, clearing away the “extras” in the preparation.

Catamount: Aaaah… there it is. The river stone was placed in a rather unobtrusive spot near the roots of the tree. Jozra chances another look around, though there is nobody to be seen for miles out in the open grassland, and flips the rock over, reading the encoded message there left by one archer fox called Azrun. The ferret frowns severely but after reading it a second time, she uses a piece of charred bark to sketch in her symbol and replaces the stone.

Chris: Holst turns and looks in the direction Joz headed off in. “I’m gonna see if Joz needs any help. He begins walking off.

Arrin: The otter gives a wave. “Alright then.”

Catamount: Lost in thought, the ferret gathers her bundle of wood back up and exchanges the branch she had been dragging for a far more suitable one. Now the question is how does she convince her companions of the need to go to Afrin? Because there was no question of the urgency in Azrun’s message.

Chris: Holst peers through the trees as he pads through them softly, staying the clinking of his chain.

Catamount: Jozra is soon back on the path, though moving slower than before and not just due to the weight of the branches.

Chris: Holst breaks out of the forest onto the path and spies Joz. “Oh there you are.” He eyes the load. “You got that?”

Catamount: Jozra isn’t exactly surprised by Holst’s appearance, though she does feel as though she’s been rudely jerked back to earth. And then she realizes she’s been dawdling.  “…um, yeah. Though I won’t object if you want to carry some.”

Chris: He grins and takes a good chunk of the load. He’d learned there was a fine line to walk with Joz as to whether it was generous or belittling to offer help.

Catamount: With a lighter load — and her head out of the clouds — the way back to the campsite goes much quicker.

Arrin:  The otter’s head turns towards the pair as they approach. “Ah, back then?”

Chris: Holst dumps the wood and feeds his almost dead fire. “No worse for wear.”

Arrin: It’s not long before Soquan has the meal going on a makeshift spit above the fire, and soon, he turns towards his companions. “Dinner!”

Catamount: Jozra diverts her attention back to her companions at Soquan’s call, having let her mind wander again. “Smells good, Soq.”

Chris: Holst pounces over.

Arrin: The otter beams. “Eat up both of you, I don’t want to have to continue to lug this bird around.”

Catamount: Jozra takes her own portion and a somewhat absent minded bite. Of course, after that first bite, her undivided attention is focused upon her meal. “’s delicious!”

Chris: Holst shows no mercy to his meal.

Arrin:  Soquan digs in with gusto, and discreetly removes some of the meat for a nice lunch for the trio the following day.

Chris: Holst leans back with a full stomach. “This otter knows how to cook.”

Catamount: The ferret polishes off her own meal and chuckles at Holst’s comment. “That he does.”

Arrin: Soquan gives a sleepy, yet satisfied noise and begins to pack away supper things. “I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m ready to clink out right here.”

Chris: Holst nods and looks to Joz. “I can take first watch if you want you want some shuteye now.”

Catamount: Jozra lends Soquan a hand with packing things back up. She shrugs at Holst, distracted by her own thoughts once again. “Sure.”

Arrin: Once things are put away, the otter begins to settle down. “You feeling alright Joz? You seem a bit off tonight.”

Catamount: Sands! She’d forgotten how perceptive Soquan could be. Spreading out her blanket the ferret shakes her head. “I’m fine. Just… Thinking about home.”

Arrin: He gives a slight nod and brings his cloak over himself. “Alright.”

Chris: Holst’s eyes harden while he’s on watch. They always came back at night. He sighs, another long night.

Catamount: The ferret sighs almost inaudibly and beds down, still turning Azrun’s message over in her mind.

Chris: Nightfall on the travelers’ camp pads in on velvet paws, a cloak of cloud cover dulling the glinting stars and cooling the night air.

Catamount: Jozra had finally drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Azrun’s message still on her brain. The symbol on the tree kept flickering behind her eyelids and no wonder, it was a symbol that was easy to disguise but it meant that a terribly urgent situation had arisen. Of the kind that threatened everything about Oparanth.

Arrin: A few feet away from the ferret, Soquan struggles to slip into slumber. Somehow he knew the ferret was being less than honest with him, and while it bothered him that she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him, he realized that the matter shouldn’t be pushed, just like the other times.

Catamount: Had anyone actually been inside Jozra’s head to observe, the distinction between her preoccupation with the day’s discovery and the dream would have been very hard to make.

The flickering gradually became more pronounced until it was obvious that it was caused by an outside source. Azrun flung the torch he was using to scar the tree at a snow-dusted, thatched roof and quickly knocked another arrow as Jozra backed him up, stabbing the tree — which had somehow become a squirrel — with twin long-knives.  It was the usual nightmare, until a pack of hares ambushed the fox and carried him away before the ferret could react.

Jozra spun, ready to give chase to aid Azrun, who between cries of help was divulging state secrets to the hares, notably the location of their desert home. Her way was blocked by a certain otter who looked at her expectantly at first, and then with disgust and horror. A heavy paw landed on her shoulder and she whirled again to face The Badger whose face was marred by the hilt of one of her knives protruding from an eye socket.

Shrieking, she stabbed at it with her remaining knife as other members of the ill fated colony of Ostoria jarringly grabbed at her with disjointed and blackened limbs while above it all, Azrun still pleaded for help.

It was one thing to battle beasts, quite another to battle those that were quite obviously dead. Fighting desperately to save herself, Soquan and Azrun, she’s thrown completely off guard when a chain wraps around her neck and jerks backwards, pulling her off her feet and making her fumble her knife. She gurgles and then, catching her breath as she fumbles for her knife by her side, she lunges up towards her adversaries, screaming out her fear, pain and frustration.

Her scream rings out through the waking world as she jerks up, slashing at the night air, knife in paw.

Arrin:  Soquan is snapped quickly out of his lightly sleeping state, and after a brief struggle with freeing his legs from his blankets he makes his way over to her. Miraculously, while doing so he manages to somehow avoid the knife in her paw and while he gathers the trembling ferret close to himself he moves to gently disarm her while attempting to calm her.

Chris: Holst’s ears perk up as he’s ripped away from his thoughts by the shriek. He pads over swiftly, the weight of his chain gaining rotational momentum in his deft paws. He arrives expecting to draw blood, but his face contorts upon arriving. He tries to form words to express this, but Soq and Joz merely receive a blank, puzzled stare.

Catamount: It takes a moment for Soquan’s attentions to fully wake the ferret and when she does, she drops her blade, horrified that she actually drew it in her sleep.

Arrin: While Soquan continues to comfort the ferret, making soft shushing noises as he holds out the blade towards Holst, hoping the fox understands to hold onto the weapon for the evening.

Chris: Holst pauses, the chain slowly loosing its rotational momentum. His mind clicks.  He pads forward and grasps the blade’s handle. He begins padding away. Stops, another pause. Thought. His padding continues off into the trees.

Catamount: The ferret shudders, the smoke from her nightmare slowly fading away and clearing her mind. She grits her teeth and squeezes her eyes tight for a second, still terribly disturbed and now angry at herself.

Arrin: The otter continues to hold his companion close to himself, rocking her slightly. Unable to really think of how else to comfort the poor ferret, he finds himself murmuring quietly to her. “Shhh, it’s alright Joz, you’re safe. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

Chris: Holst leans against a tree a little ways away. Absentmindedly testing the balance of Joz’s blade with twirls and spins. So I’m not the only one…?

Catamount: Dammit, Jo, get a handle on yourself… She tries controlling her breathing first, letting herself believe Soquan’s words in the meantime. There was something to be said for siblings, even annoying ones too close to your own age: they had an uncanny way of snapping you out of ‘it’, even if it was just the memory of their voice and that look they’d get on their face.

Arrin: Soquan continues to hold her a bit longer, and once he feels Jozra start to relax in his arms, he pulls away a bit. “Better?”

Catamount: Jozra heaves a sigh and then nods. “Yeah…”

Arrin: The otter gives her a bit of a squeeze. “That must have been one hell of a nightmare, I was sleeping close and everything.” He hugs her again. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Catamount: Jozra shakes her head. She’d truly like to talk about it. There’s just so many secrets and lies to cover those secrets exposed by the nightmare that even just thinking of telling a vague version feels like treason to the ferret.

Arrin: Soquan nods slowly and nuzzles her gently. “Do you want me to stay here for the rest of the night?”

Catamount: The ferret rubs her face and responds somewhat hoarsely. “I’m okay, Soq. I think it’s time for my shift anyway…”

Arrin: Soquan rises with a nod and heads back towards his ‘bed.†“Alright, but I’m here if you want to talk.”

Chris: Holst remains leaning against the tree, Joz’s blade now still in his paw as he’s receded deeper into thought.

Catamount: Jozra nods and stands, her knees ever so slightly wobbly but she soon brings them under control as well. She’s about to set up watch near where Holst had been keeping watch when she realizes she’s missing something she’d like to have, just in case they did happen to get attacked.

Jozra quickly picks up on Holst’s trail, automatically falling into a silent, stalking mode. She realizes this before she gets too close to the fox and she purposely makes some noise as she approaches.

Chris: He tenses momentarily before realizing that it’s Joz. He turns, holding out her blade, grip first to her.

Catamount: She eyes the fox warily for half a second before accepting the blade back. “…thanks.”

Chris: He gives a crooked grin but his eyes betray him. He begins to speak. “Uh…” But a sigh and a couple pats on Joz’s shoulder as he walks away are all he has to give.

Catamount: The ferret puzzles over the fox’s actions as he walks away. Evidently she isn’t the only one hiding something. She re-sheaths her knife, feeling acutely the missing weight of its twin on her other hip, as she heads back towards the sentry spot.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 66: Bridge Makers

In Which One Does Not Merely Walk Across The River.

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Arrin Woodgreen: The duo make surprisingly good time for the day, and as it begins to grow dark out, they start to hear the noises of work beasts up ahead. Soquan turns to Jozra with a broad smile. “Sounds like we’re almost there.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, more than ready for a rest but too stubborn to admit it to herself, much less Soquan. “Sure sounds like it. Hopefully they’ve got the important parts of the bridge done.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and speeds up his pace just a bit. “You want to do the talking with these guys? Or do you want me to?”

Yazeth: Jozra smiles a little and stifles a would-be cough. “How about we figure that out when we get there?”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter stops suddenly grabbing his companion’s arm gently to stop her as well. He gives her an almost mischievous grin. “If you’re willing to play the pity card, I think I have a plan to get us across…”

Yazeth: The ferret cocks her head, more than curious. “Do tell.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smirks a bit. “Well, if I show up on the site, carrying a poor, exhausted ferret maid, and asking for a way a cross so the poor girl can rest for the night, don’t you think that they’d let us across?”

Yazeth: Jozra stares at Soquan blankly for a second and then begins to laugh. “Hoo! Soquan, you are a genius. Let’s do it.” To the tired ferret, the path of least resistance is more than acceptable, even if she does have to show weakness.

Arrin Woodgreen: He beams at his friend and reaches out a paw. “Pass me your pack so I can double-pack our things, then you can climb on up.”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs out of her pack straps, taking a moment to untie the feather and carefully push it up her sleeve as she’s not quite sure how the workers would react to that, if they even recognized it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He takes the ferret’s pack and adjusts her straps so the pack fits over his. With that done, he turns his attention back to her. “Ready?” He waits for Jozra’s conformation before stooping slightly and gathering her in his arms and straightening again.

Yazeth: As a finishing touch, the ferret musses up some of her head fur, leans her head on Soquan’s shoulder and lets her eyelids droop. “Let’s go.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snickers softly as he starts walking again. “Those workers won’t know what hit ’em. Oh wait, just one more finishing touch…” He frees a paw just for a moment to move a piece of cloth that had been tied around his neck to up over his eyes. “As long as we’re playing the sympathy card, we might has well milk it for all it’s worth ‘eh?”

Yazeth: The ferret raises an eyebrow at this but plays along, giving the occasional direction the otter might need.

Arrin Woodgreen: He drops his grin as they grow closer to the group. “Hello up there! Can any of you guys give my friend and I some directions? We were told we could find away across the river down here.”

Yazeth: The ferret blearily looks over the group of workers, observing them a lot more actively than it seems she is. A burly fox wipes his paws on his already dirty pants and looks to his crew. “I’m not sure who would have told you that… The bridge has been out for some time now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns sadly at the fox. “Really? Do you know a place where we could cross then? My friend here pushed herself pretty hard today, and we wanted to get across before we stopped for the night.”

Yazeth: The ferret smiles weakly at the crew of worker beasts. A rat stands and brushes saw dust off of himself. “Well, there is a fallen tree a few miles downstream. Me an Dross used that to get to the other side and set the…” He waves his paws, dismissing the more technical aspects of bridge building. “It should get you across but I wouldn’t advise it if you’re tired.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives the group the beast pleading look he can with a piece of cloth over his eyes. “Is there any way we could cross here if you have the basic structure up?”

Yazeth: Most beasts within hearing range turn to look at the ‘basic structure’ of the bridge. After sizing it up for a moment, Jozra whispers to Soquan. “It’s pretty basic… They’ve got support pilings up and some cross braces on but other than that it’s scrap wood and guy lines. It looks like they’re only just starting on the main beams.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He leans down to whisper to her, making it look like he’s fussing over her. “It’s up to you if we cross here or screw it and go down to that log that rat was just talking about.”

Yazeth: As the ferret turns to take a second critical look, the rat apologetically speaks up again. “I couldn’t let you go across here in good conscience. Elian fell in just this morning trying to cross here to set the guy lines, and he’s a squirrel.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives the rat a friendly grin. “And I’m an otter, it’s nothing to me if I fall, I’ve already been acquainted with this river much more than I want to.”

Yazeth: Any other time, Jozra would be more than up to the challenge of crossing here but the memory of her last experience with the river is too fresh in her mind and the actual span of the bridge is little more than planks nailed haphazardly across the pylons sunk into the stream. “Maybe, maybe that’s not such a great idea, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan looks down at the ferret in his arms and nods once before turning back to the construction beasts. “We’ll be going then. Thanks for your help.”

Yazeth: The fox waves and turns back to his work while the rat nods and says. “Sorry we couldn’t be more help. Next time you come this way, the bridge should be complete.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and starts to head off before stopping and turning back to the group. “Hey, you guys use cement right?”

Yazeth: The rat turns back to the pair. “To secure the beams on the land sides, sure.  On smaller bridges we use it on the pylons to, but that didn’t work here. We just had to make the pylons bigger and drive them in deeper.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “If you could somehow get some support pylons in the water and get it secured at the bottom of the river, it would allow more flexibility and support during flooding season.”

Yazeth: The rat nods. “That’s what we were thinking. I suppose it must be said that it’s no surprise we lost the other bridge. It was quite old.”
The fox grins a little. “Rotten too.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles. “If you could suspend it without too much underneath support, that would be a big help most likely. Anyway, we must be on our way. G’night.” He moves to walk away.

Yazeth: At the otter’s parting words, the rat and fox look at each other, the bridge, each other, and back down the path Soquan and Jozra took. Finally, the fox ventures, “Y’know, we never really looked Dross’ sister’s blueprints.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles softly as he hears theses words, and once out of sight he murmurs quietly to her. “Comfortable sweetheart?”

Yazeth: Jozra flushes at Soquan’s words and veers the topic to the more practical. “What do you think of an early dinner? We can cross that tree in the morning.”

Arrin Woodgreen: “Early dinner sounds wonderful m’dear, just say when you’ve spotted a nice place to bed down for the night.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, fingering the end of the feather still in her sleeve. Not too much longer later, she notices a small hill off the path, dented on one side and screened by shrubs just starting to leaf out. “That looks like a good place there, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and veers off in the direction she pointed out and once at the spot he sets her down gently. “There you go Joz.”

Yazeth: Jozra crouches where Soquan set her for a moment. If it were anybody else, she would have snapped at them for handling her like a fragile glass statuette by now. She spots some promising firewood and drags it into the center of the hollow. “Why don’t you get dinner started? I’m pretty hungry.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan nods slowly and sets down their packs to start rummaging through them. “What do you feel like eating tonight, sweetheart?”

Yazeth: The ferret shrugs offhandedly as she piles kindling in her makeshift fire-pit. “Anything we got sounds good.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He decides on heating up some of the soup that Joseph had packed up for them, and once a fire is going, he puts it on to heat.

Yazeth: Soon the soup is warm and then eaten and it’s not too much longer before the sky turns towards shades of black and Jozra is yawning, sitting near the fire wrapped in her cloak. “Hrm, no stories to read tonight, Soq. Guess we’ll just have to call it a day and start again tomorrow.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He looks over at her from where he’s packing up their meal things. “Right then. You want me to dig out a place for us to sleep?”

Yazeth: The ferret stifles a yawn. “If you like, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snickers softly and expands a bit of a natural curve in the ground. After that’s done he walks back over to her and smirks slightly before gathering her up like earlier and moving her to their ‘bed.â€

Yazeth: The ferret mutters sleepily and draws her cloak up around her, snuggling into the ‘bed’. “Goodnight, Soq.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grabs his own cloak and joins the ferret on the ground, lying close to her. “’Night Joz.”

Yazeth: For a while, Jozra’s mind continues to run as she snuggles there, eyes closed. Soquan’s sweet and all but the constant kid-glove handling was beginning to get on her nerves a little. Granted, sniggered a little voice in the back of her mind, you kind of need to be handled that way. Awww, little delicate Jozzy… The ferret angrily dashed those thoughts and concentrated on the road ahead until she drifted off to sleep.

Arrin Woodgreen: Settled snugly behind the ferret, Soquan relaxes, dozing in and out of consciousness for a while before dropping off to sleep.

Yazeth: The night wears on and the stars dance their way across the sky. A few hours before dawn, Jozra’s otherwise dreamless sleep suddenly takes a turn for the worse. As most of her dreams began, this one started with flames. Behind her, Azrun knocked another arrow and let fly. Something was different, though. It took a while for the dream Jozra to realize there wasn’t any snow on the ground. With that realization, the dreamscape shifted wildly.
The town of Ostoria faded away to be replaced with another, unfamiliar town and many well-armed beasts. A squirrel came too close and the fox pegged him in the ear with the end of his bow but that didn’t stop the second and third and fourth. Azrun was soon overwhelmed and dragged off while Jozra could do nothing but watch, her attempts to aid him restrained by some dream physics. AZRUN!

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is jerked out of sleep by his companion’s distressed cry after a moment of listening for the usual whimpers and crying that usually accompanies the ferret’s nightmares. He settles back down behind her, nuzzling Jozra’s shoulder gently while doing so.

Yazeth: Jozra’s own cry didn’t wake her and she continued to struggle against whatever was keeping her from helping the fox for a while before realizing that she should, and more importantly, that she could wake up. Hazy dimness greeted her eyes as she opened them and the night began to give way to morning.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter is still fast asleep at this point, still curled around the ferret with his muzzle pressed into the back of her shoulder while he snores softly.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 63: Dreams In Triplet

In Which Destiny Begins To Assert Itself.

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Arrin: While the ferret falls asleep, Soquan is currently dreaming of walking down some random stretch of road while talking to his ferret companion about lighthearted things. Suddenly, his dreamscape shifts and the otter looks around the area. Being able to see doesnâ€t faze the dream-otter’s consciousness as he comes to the conclusion that he’s somewhere far North of Donfin. To the East, he spots smoke rising from above the trees of the snowy landscape and a sense of urgency fills the otter as he runs towards the origin of the smoke.

Yazeth: Elsewhere, flames flicker. The ferret rolls over in her sleep and into a depressingly familiar scene. Behind her, Azrun lights another flaming arrow and sends it arching onto a tightly thatched roof. Once again she whirls and pegs a squirrel that crumples to the ground but then stares at her with accusing eyes.

Through the smoky haze the ferret notices something… different, and then she finds herself looking into the eyes of a very familiar otter. Distracted, the Badger’s approach is completely unnoticed. The claws, however, are not.

Arrin: In the otter’s dream, he arrives in the burning village and after a few minutes of searching he spots Jozra in the midst of the chaos. He locks eyes with her for a second before he spots the badger behind her. “Joz! Look out!” He moves to assist his friend, his staff appearing in his paws.

Chris: A fox’s figure in the distance leans casually against the trunk of a tree, his form obscured by a dark haze. He pushes off from the tree, the mist following him as he walks through the destruction. His heart sinks.  Beasts die every day.  It’s not my problem …  He turns to see a quizzical scene.

A badger, an otter with a staff, and a ferret?  He begins to think about it, but he turns away.

Yazeth: Any enraged badger is a terrifying sight but this one takes a turn to macabre. In place of a right eye is the hilt of a slightly curved knife which looks like the twin of the knife Jozra has clenched in her left paw. By all rights, the badger should be very dead but instead she lunges at the ferret who can’t seem to bring herself to even roll out of the way.

Arrin: Soquan arrives just in time to knock the ferret out of the way, gritting his teeth as the badger’s claws graze his right shoulder. He gives her a grin as he rolls them out of the way from a second shot. “Just can’t stay out of trouble without me, can you?” He springs to his feet to try and fight off the Badger.

Chris: The various shrieks and screams of the town slow the fox’s pace.  It’s NOT my problem.  He stops and turns back to view the town. … but some things are just plain wrong.

The dark haze begins to turn white, blackened eyes to golden light. It didn’t matter who was right or whose fault it was.
Someone was hurting.
Badly.
And it had to be stopped. The sinking had to be stopped. The fox looks down at his paws.  They’re meatier. And so are his arms. Like a boxerâ€s. He knows what he has to do. He begins to run towards the perplexing trio.
Quickly.

Yazeth: Jozra squeezes her eyes shut tight and grinds her paws into her ears, trying to block it all out as the remaining Scorpions fade away and the dead beasts of Ostoria get up to torment her but she knows from experience now she can’t stop it.

The badger lunges for her again around the otter’s staff and the ferret waits for the part where Soquan looks at her in horror and disgust.

Arrin: However much the scene has changed, the otter dosen’t look at her in horror and disgust. He still ties to defend his friend from the badger with his staff, taking yet another blow meant for the ferret.

Chris: The fox arrives at breakneck speed, a readied fist hits the badger square in the jaw line. A loud crack resounds through the plane of the dream, seemingly moving the air even. The fox’s glowing eyes meet that of the otter’s, never leaving them as a paw grabs the mad badger’s scruff and lands another blow heavy blow to the temple. And your heart just can’t take seeing the world like this anymore.

Yazeth: The ferret’s eyes pop open in surprise. When they happen frequently enough, you become familiar with your nightmares and demons and this was definitely out of the ordinary.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jozra catches a glimpse of looming dark iron gates but the unfamiliar fox and dedicated otter both protecting her from the Badger and thus the other beasts of Ostoria command her attention. She sits, watching in wonder until a small movement sends her leaping towards Soquan to bat a small arachnid away.
The stinger meant for the otter finds its way into her paw but the flood of poison is followed only by newfound strength. There is a reason they are called Scorpions.

Arrin: Soquan doesnâ€t see Jozra rise, or bat away the scorpion, but he notices that she’s on her feet and at his side. “Well there you are Joz, pulled yourself together have you?” He grins at her and ducks just in time to avoid a swipe from the Badger. He straightens to watch the mysterious fox finally subdue the Badger and he turns towards the ferret to find his friend as white as a sheet. “What’s the matter Joz? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Chris: The fox’s eyes are now locked into Jozra’s. An ethereal voice, almost simply Joz’s own thinking speaks.
“Forgiveness is all you have.”
An emblem begins to glow white hot in his forearm before he breaks the gaze to face the large black gates opening to monstrous things shrouded in haze and only hinting at their ferocity.  Damn them all.

Yazeth: The ferret’s gaze follows the fox’s as the otter slips his paw into hers. The gates seem to encompass the entire dream world now but the three manage to stay just beyond the threshold. Jozra squeezes Soquan’s paw and tries to burn the fox’s features into her memory as she whispers, “There is a chance at redemption…”
The dream world begins to lose its clarity.

Arrin: As the dream word begins to twist and fade, Soquan squeezes back at Jozra’s paw. His gaze however, is not focused on the fox, like Jozra’s is, but alternating between the badger slumped on the ground to the large black gate. Closing his eyes, he murmurs to himself, “She needs me.”

Chris: As the image is about to fade, the fox’s figure can be seen standing at the foot of the gates, his body braced as if against some huge force. And suddenly, before the image snaps away, he rushes forward. But the image is gone.

Yazeth: Sand blasts out of the remnants of the dreamscape and with a jolt, Jozra wakes to find her paw in Soquan’s. For once the sense of overpowering doom that had been hanging over the ferret finds its self coming in a sorry second to the near-overwhelming curiosity as to who the fox was and what the whole dream meant.

Arrin: Soquan wakes from the dream with a start, his heart still racing. The otter stares unseeing at the ceiling for a few moments, not saying anything, although he gives her paw a gentle squeeze. Finally he rolls towards the ferret and draws her close.

Yazeth: Jozra sighs into the otter’s fur, wondering if she’ll ever be rid of her nightmares. Of course, if the owl is right…
The ferret finds herself awake again, realizing she had dozed off in the middle of a thought but for the life of her, she can’t remember what it was. Oh well. She snuggles a little closer to Soquan and falls back to sleep.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan murmurs some comforting phrase sleepily and kisses the top of her head softly before completely dropping off into a much less confusing dream.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 55: Isolation

In Which Jozraâ€s Subconscious Is Really Kind Of A Jerk.

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Yazeth: As the quiet sounds of beast sleeping slip through the night, Jozra briefly awakens somewhat troubled but she is far too tired to ponder why. She rolls over and swiftly falls back asleep, breathing a little easier but still with a bit of a rasp.

Were she not as exhausted, she might’ve awakened again as the troubled feeling returns but she does not. Jozra’s nightmares, though quite vivid, are usually disjointed. A muddle of images and snippets from memories she would rather forget. Tonight the flames do not rise up in her inner eye as they have before.

Tonight she simply recalls one beast, a young squirrel on the brink of adulthood. His eyes gleam in fear as he catches the movement of the ferret out of the corner of his eye and then drops dead with one of Jozra’s dark, double bladed throwing knives protruding from his throat.

The transition between memory and dreamscape is imperceptible. Dream-Jozra becomes aware of the squirrel again. There’s the version lying dead and the version that she saw grinning triumphantly at her, eyes narrowed cruelly, when she… When she…

Jozra bolts upright in bed, only to be overcome by a series of painful, wracking coughs.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sadly is not awaked by this and the otter continues to sleep soundly in the cot not too far away from her bed. His whiskers twitch and he shifts, his soft snoring stopping for a moment as he does so. No one else seems to wake up either and the sounds of beasts sleeping can be heard in the next room.

Yazeth: The coughing fit sputters to an end and Jozra leans back, wheezing and exhausted and very, very disturbed. The second she shuts her eyes, though, the face of the squirrel reappears. Again she eyes fly open as a thin whine escapes her muzzle. Where’s Soquan?

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan mutters something about ‘killer bed sheets†and rolls over.

Yazeth: The ferret sighs in relief as she hears her companion nearby. She gingerly rolls onto her side and looks out into the dim room, looking and not looking at the same time.  Eventually, her vision hazes again and she begins to doze.

Falling asleep seems to be Jozra’s Big Mistake of the evening. She begins to recall each and every villager that fell to one of her knives, each one that showed up at Dark Forest’s gates, in exquisite detail. Jozra becomes more and more troubled as the dreams progress until she awakens herself with her own sobs. Without even really thinking about it, she moves towards Soquan until she’s nearly standing woozily between her bed and Soquan’s cot, tears still streaming down her face.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan sleeps on deeply, unaware of the female’s presence and sobbing. He mutters some more and is now sleeping on his back.

Yazeth: Jozra stumbles slightly and more or less falls into the cot next to Soquan.  She wraps her arms tightly about herself and buries her head into his shoulder.

Arrin Woodgreen: He jerks awake as Jozra falls onto him and he blinks a little, just a bit confused as to what’s going on. His hears perk up as he hears sobbing and finally notices the ferret rather awkwardly pressed against him. He wraps his arms around her and immediately tries to calm her. “Easy, Sweetheart, it’s okay.”

Yazeth: The ferret’s only answer is to cling tighter to the otter, her sobs now muffled in his fur. Though terrifying in their own right, what’s bothering her now is her conscience.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan rubs her back and rocks her slightly, muttering the usual comforting phrases.

Yazeth: Nearly an hour passes like this before the ferret begins to drop off again, worn out by tears and illness. Deep, dreamless sleep thankfully claims her for a while, but not long enough.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan breathes a sigh of relief as she begins to drop off and carefully lies back, bringing the ferret with him. He cuddles her close as he slowly drops off.

Yazeth: The ferret sighs in her sleep. As the dampness of the fur around her freshly re-dyed mask evaporates, her sub-consciousness begins to surface. For once her dreams take on a distinctly dream like quality: surreal yet entirely believable.

Jozra’s dream self crunches through the snow, forging the way through the drifts with paws tipped with her throwing daggers instead of claws. The snow reaches to the horizon and glitters coldly in the hazy light of this dream world. A pain shoots up her foot as she takes a step and the dream Jozra finds that she has stepped on her own long knife, or rather the twin to the long knife strapped to her hip.

She straps this second knife to her other hip, noting in the process that she is dressed in desert garb even in all of this snow. Dream-Jozra pivots in place looking back down the trail she has cut in the snow. The aspect shifts and though the trail remains the same, the snow becomes golden stalks of grass, bobbing gently in the non-existent breeze.

The ferret hurries down the path as the sound of a beast under attack reaches her ears. The grassland transitions very abruptly into forest but the ferret doesn’t take notice of this, nor the fact that she is now clad in a hooded cloak. Warily she approaches the sound of battle to see a tall, broad figure fall under the blows of several other beasts.

Instinctively, the dream ferret slaps out, sending little black blades spinning through the air, each one finding a mark. The aggressors drop to the forest floor and the beast that had been under attack stands, revealing himself to be Soquan, or at least a dream version.

Though still blind, the dream-Soquan can see the bodies littered around him. He gapes at them and then stares at the dream-Jozra in horror. “What have you done?!”  Jozra looks again, surprised to find something other than Dromb and his cronies.  Instead of the few thugs, the corpses have multiplied and have changed into the villagers from Ostoria.

The forest twists and darkens, heavy branches hang over the ferret’s head and stifle the air in the grove she is standing in. Ghosts of the villagers flicker through the trees harassing the ferret on the edge of her vision but the worst part is the dream-otter’s reaction. He backs away from Jozra in fear and horror. “How could you do such a thing?!”  But the ferret has no words for her own defense and the ghosts crowd closer, jeeringly repeating the otter’s words.

She awakes yet again, shaking and ashamed.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shifts a bit, still asleep. He mutters something along the lines of ‘faster than the speed of ketchup†and continues snoring softly.

Yazeth: Tears slowly track down the ferret’s face, rewetting her just dried mask. Slivers of moonlight filter through the curtains adding to the soft glow from the fireplace. In the near darkness, Jozra turns to face the otter and whispers almost soundlessly, “Would you hate me if you knew?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan shifts again, cuddling her closer to himself as he sleeps onward.

Yazeth: Jozra shudders as she decides that he probably would. Who wouldn’t? Just the other Scorpions that were there, and they’re probably all dead. As the night starts to progress towards morning, Jozra finds herself feeling more and more hopeless.

Even in death she won’t be free of the guilt and shame. Especially not there, because They are waiting for her. The ferret sniffles and rolls away from Soquan, ashamed. The movement prompts another coughing attack and Jozra nearly falls out of the cot, which isn’t terribly difficult considering it wasn’t very big to begin with.

Arrin Woodgreen: He wakes at Jozra’s coughing and after a moment he moves to support her, patting her back gently as she coughs.

Yazeth: The coughing fit ends, leaving the ferret breathless for several minutes. She’s moved by Soquan’s support and feels even more dispirited by the idea that if he knew he would hate her. The dream-Soquan’s words echo in her head.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nuzzles her comfortingly. “Why don’t we move over to the bed? There’s more room that way.”

Yazeth: Jozra hiccoughs and nods reluctantly. She attempts to stand but finds her knees to be too weak to carry her for some reason, not to mention the empty feeling in her chest.

Arrin Woodgreen: “C’mon.” He lifts her carefully and carries to the bed. He lays her down gently and crawls in after her, pulls up the covers. He slowly brings up a paw to caress her cheek, wiping away the residue left behind by the tears.

Yazeth: The otter’s tenderness only brings more tears and the ferret sighs brokenheartedly. She’s physically ill, her thoughts are desolate and she’s not entirely sure if she wants to move South, especially if the mission is anything like her last.

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to wipe away her tears for a few moments then pulls her close, cuddling her against him. “It’s going to be okay, you’ll see. We’ll be well enough to continue South, and you’ll get to see your parents, don’t you worry.”

Yazeth: Jozra chokes on a bitter laugh at the comment, dully hoping that the otter interpreted the sound as a sob. All she’s done is lie to the otter and still he believes her.

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns slightly. “What’s wrong Jozra? Please tell me what’s wrong so I can try and make it better for you.”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head and mutters. “Just bad dreams…” See? More lies.

Arrin Woodgreen: He cuddles her a bit longer and kisses her forehead affectionately. “Try and think of positive things when you’re drifting off, it might help.”

Yazeth: Jozra sighs and nods weakly. “I’ll try.” Of course, it doesn’t help that she can’t really think of any positive thoughts at all.  She is distracted for a while by the mental search for a truly happy memory though.

Arrin Woodgreen: He settles down in the bed and cuddles close as she thinks. He nuzzles her slightly and whispers quietly. “Try to get some rest, you really need it.” He sounds just as tired as the ferret.

Yazeth: The ferret nods again and settles back, hoping that she will finally get some undisturbed sleep, though she seriously doubts it. A few moments later her eyes pop open again and she smiles slightly. Of course, why didn’t she remember it earlier? The midsummer celebration where everything was going so right… She sighs again, once again homesick for the desert.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan give a yawn from his spot beside here and pecks her on the cheek before rolling over. “Sweet dreams, Jozra.”

Yazeth: Sands, she hopes so…  She drifts off to flames flickering at the edge of her awareness but this time it’s the cheerful bonfires that lit the midsummer celebration and not the raging fire that destroyed Ostoria.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 51: Dark Forest

In Which Things Take A Turn For The Worse.

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Yazeth: Joseph putters quietly about the kitchen before briefly retreating to his bedroom to dress for the day. He pays a visit to his herb garden, harvesting some leaves and removing snails. By this time the sun has been fully up for about an hour and he decides to check the ferret’s condition again.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan is still sleeping. He has moved a little though, and now sleeps beside the ferret rather than underneath.

Yazeth: Placing a paw on the ferret’s nose, the mouse frowns. Despite the tea her temperature has climbed. Preoccupied by worrying a little about this fact, Joseph is startled when a swift, muffled knock comes at his door.

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles something in his sleep as the knock sounds and he snuggles closer to the feverish ferret.

Yazeth: The beast on the other side doesn’t even bother waiting for the healer mouse to open the door. Instead, Fiarah lets herself in, with Jinx trailing behind swiftly. The vixen grins at her mentor. “Finally able to get away without Kirrian noticing. How are they doing?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx peers around Fiarah, searching around the room for the pair of beasts.

Yazeth: The mouse smiles warmly at his protégé. “I didn’t catch the name of your, of your little friend here.” His brow furrows. “Business first. The otter is fine but the ferret…  She, ah, she seems to have developed a fever. While it was still low I gave her some tea to help but it didn’t, it didn’t work, apparently.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Jinx frowns a bit then asks the old mouse. “What about Soquan’s foot? He was limping pretty bad yesterday.”

Yazeth: Joseph blinks at the young ferret for a second. “Oh! The foot!” He frowns in dismay. “I’d, ah, forgotten about, about that. He seemed to, to get around fine while helping me, ah, earlier.”

Arrin Woodgreen: She quirks an eyebrow. “Really? Interesting.”

Yazeth: The mouse moves over to the bed to check on Jozra again, indicating the vixen should feel free to join him and loan her experience.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan begins to wake groggily, the noises around him bringing him closer and closer to consciousness.

Yazeth: Fiarah leans over the bed to check on Jozra. She frowns after a moment, glancing at her mentor. To her surprise, his brow is furrowed with worry. “Her tempera, temperature’s risen in the past few minutes.” Fiarah shakes her head, standing back from the bed. “That’s too high, too fast.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan awakes, propping himself up on an elbow. “What’s too high too fast?”

Yazeth: The vixen frowns and murmurs, “Her temperature…” Joseph wrings his paws. “We should, we should try a larger dose of fevervew.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Okay… Is she going to be okay?”

Yazeth: Jinx, who had perched herself on a counter in the meantime, watches the conversation intently. Fiarah looks at Joseph who shrugs helplessly. “Fevers, fevers are tricky. Usually, ah, usually the beast will be okay but…” He glances at the vixen.

“But,” she continues for the mouse, “her temperature has risen quite high for such a short amount of time.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods slowly. “Oh…”

Yazeth: Fiarah moves to the counter, gesturing to Jinx. “You can watch while I prepare Jozra’s tea.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Now worried, Soquan checks Jozra’s fever for himself.

Yazeth: The poor ferret’s temperature is quite high, now dangerously high in fact. Even with his lack of medical skills, the otter is sure to feel her pulse racing as well.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan frowns, taking his paw away. “That is hot… Her heart’s going like crazy.”

Yazeth: Joseph looks sharply at the otter. “It, it is?” Fiarah looks perplexed, pausing in the midst of crushing some medicinal leaves. “It wasn’t a minute ago.” The mouse beats the vixen to the ferret’s bedside.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves back a bit, allowing the mouse to check Jozra over.

Yazeth: Now the healer mouse IS worried. VERY worried. He looks to the vixen, thinking exactly what she’s thinking. “She’s… she’s going into shock.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan listens helplessly. “She’s what?”

Yazeth: Fiarah shakes her head. No time to explain. Jozra’s pulse is too high and her breathing’s thin and reedy. “Jinx, bring some pillows to prop up her feet, now!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan hops out of the bed, listening as the young ferret scampers off to get the pillows.

Yazeth: Jinx returns quickly with the pillows. As Fiarah settles them under the ferret’s legs she looks at the mouse attending to Jozra. “Do you think maybe she was allergic to something in the drink you gave her?”

Arrin Woodgreen: His anxiety barely contained, the otter paces restlessly.

Yazeth: The mouse shakes his head. “It’s possible, ah, but none of the herbs were very, very potent.” His brow furrows in worry.

Arrin Woodgreen: Pace. Sit. Fidget. Pace. Fidget. Pace. Sit. Fidget. Pace.

Yazeth: Fiarah, who had been cooling Jozra’s face with a damp cloth, suddenly glances up at her mentor in horror as the ferret’s breath catches.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stops and stiffens as he senses the sudden increase in tension in the room. “What? What’s wrong?”

Yazeth: Even Jinx sits up and pays attention as a tense look passes between the mouse and the vixen. The elder healer moves to the ferret’s head, ignoring the otter. “Check her airway.” The command is unnecessary, though, for that is what the vixen is doing.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan remains motionless, every bit of his focus aimed at Jozra’s prone form.

Yazeth: The vixen shakes her head in consternation. “Nothing…” Joseph lays his more experienced paw on the ferret’s wrist. The mouse had been an exceptional healer thanks this light touch. “Her blood pressure is too low.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter is forgotten as the healers work. “Some poppy might help that,” Fiarah offers.

Yazeth: The mouse nods. “See to it.” Fiarah’s movement is hampered, though, by the breath catching in the ferret’s throat again. This time it stays there.

Arrin Woodgreen: She whirls back around and the four conscious beasts echo the same word. “No!”

Yazeth: Jozra walks along the path, a thought vaguely escaping her grasp. She pauses along the path and in another moment she has the thought by the tail. Quirking an eyebrow and looking about she asks one of the most fundamental questions of the universe, Where the hell am I, and what am I doing here?

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan flies to the bedside. “No! No Jozra!” Joseph quickly checks her over. “She, she’s gone…”

Yazeth: Fiarah shakes her head, a stubborn light suddenly in her eye. “Not if I can help it.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah begins to pump at the ferret’s chest. “C’mon, c’mon…” She plugs Jozra’s nostrils and breathes air into her lungs.

Yazeth: The only way to find that out was to follow the path one way or the other and forward felt the most obvious. After a moment, she rounds a bend in the path and spies a massive forest just ahead of her. Perplexed, she tries to stop along the path.

Logically she would have been able to see the forest from where she was previously, as the path wound across flatlands. Logic is such a liar. Her feet continue to move along the path despite her direct order for them to stop.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah begins the procedure again. “Come on! Breathe!” Soquan, on the verge of hysteria, stands tense as he listens to what’s going on.

Yazeth: The trees ahead look… Well, some of them look ominous, others look downright welcoming. At the head of the path is a… Jozra squints and in a moment the object, a massive wrought iron gate, is brought into sharp focus. The ferret blinks and pinches herself. As real as all her dreams and nightmares have felt to her, they were all wraiths compared to this. This couldn’t be Dark Forest, could it?  But she can’t ignore the yawning gate, or the fact that her feet won’t stop moving towards it.

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah now pounds the ferret’s chest. “Breathe damnit!” Soquan takes up pacing again, his mind whirling.

Yazeth: The ferret snarls to herself. This is stupid, she doesn’t remember dying. She glares at the gates trying harder than ever to stop her feet. Had she a pulse at the time, it would have stopped, again, once she realized what was just beyond the gate. Her eyes widening in horror, a small whimper escapes her throat.

There beyond the gate stands a large group of beasts: old, young, in their prime. Each of the beasts glare at her but they all have a somewhat satisfied expression on their face, as if saying, ‘Finally.†Standing tall over the mass of villagers is The Badger. Never before had Jozra ever been so terrified. She backpedals ferociously, frantic to escape the pull, “No!NononoNONO!!”

Arrin Woodgreen: Fiarah continues to pound on and breathe into the ferret. “No, no, no… Breathe, you’re supposed to breathe!” Soquan’s anger flares and he strides over to the bedside with a growl. “Let me at it.” He moves Fiarah out of the way and puts some air into Jozra’s lungs before giving her chest a strong, solid thump.

Yazeth: The ferret grabs hold at anything and everything as she is pulled inexorably forward, tears streaming. She digs her heels into the dirt and scrabbles with her paws for purchase. “NO! NO!” The expressions on the faces of the murdered villagers gleam with righteousness and then…

For a second everything hangs in delicate balance. The villager’s faces fall as they realize their revenge may have to be postponed. Snarling, they reach for the ferret. The forest twists, Jozra vision hazes…

And in the real world, she sucks in a rasping breath.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stops once she breathes, giving a sigh of relief as he nearly collapses overtop Jozra.

Yazeth: The ferret’s cough reflex takes over as a collective sigh of relief is breathed about the room. Joseph moves to roll Jozra to the side as she coughs up fluid. Fiarah rubs her eyes. “Of course… It never occurred to me that there was water in her lungs. I thought it would have been coughed up before now.” The coughing fit stops and Jozra groans miserably as she leans back into the pillow.

Arrin Woodgreen: He crouches at the bedside, taking the ferret’s paw in his own. “Joz, speak to me…”

Yazeth: Jozra’s eyelids flutter but the light sears her brain and she decides to keep them shut tight. She tries squeezing the otter’s paw with her own and croaks, “Soq…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles in relief as she speaks, squeezing her paw in return. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods jerkily, not really believing the otter. Okay? She feels as though she’s been chewn up and spit out by a… by a… well she doesn’t know by what, exactly.  By something big. With teeth. What? Yes, teeth. Sands she’s hungry!

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her a slight grin. “Is there anything you want?”

Yazeth: Fiarah stands beside the bed and strokes the ferret’s head. “We can get you a little soup if you’d like that.” Jozra takes a moment to comprehend what’s being said before nodding jerkily.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan grips her paw a bit tighter. “How do you feel?”

Yazeth: The ferret grins slightly and rasps, “Like I’ve been crushed by a boulder.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “Where does it hurt?”

Yazeth: Jozra merely grits her teeth and shakes her head. The effort prompts another coughing attack, though fortunately less severe than the one before. As she gulps in a few deep breaths, Jinx, who is perched again on the counter across the room, states matter of factly, “Probably her ribs, from the coughing. She’s probably achy all over too, from th’ fever.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter nods, and to Jinx’s surprise, Soquan helps himself into the ferret’s bed, drawing her against him as he leans against the pillow. He gives her the gentlest of nuzzles, talking quietly to her. “Get some rest eh? I can tell you’re exhausted. I’ll wake you when your soup gets here.”

Yazeth: Jozra, eyes already closed in exhaustion, simply nods jerkily.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan smiles softly, giving her paw another squeeze. “I’ll look after you, don’t worry.”

Yazeth: The ferret only vaguely hears Soquan’s words as she drifts off again into the realm of unconsciousness. Jinx, who had been casually looking outside the window, suddenly realizes the time. In a loud whisper, not that the older ferret would wake if Jinx had used a normal tone of voice, Jinx calls to Fiarah. “They’re going to miss us if we aren’t back soon!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives a half yawn and settles off into a doze, his ears and whiskers twitching a bit.

Yazeth: The vixen leaves the soup preparation to the mouse and hurries to the door with Jinx, checking to make sure everything is in order. “We’ll be back this evening, Joseph.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The mouse, nods, waving at them absently as he adds some medicinal herbs to the soup. “G-go on then, I’ll see you la-later.”

Continue reading]]> Chapter 39: Soquanâ€s Nightmare

In Which Jozra Isnâ€t The Only One With Bad Dreams.

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Arrin Woodgreen:  His dream starts simply enough; he’s walking down a forest path, coming to the top of a tall hill.

Once he reaches the top, he can see large storm clouds gathering and the wind picks up heavily. There’s a low rumble of thunder and a flash in the distance and he sighs, pulling the hood of his cloak up in time to prevent being soaked by a sudden downpour.

Yazeth:  Jozra enters the large common room, slightly surprised to find several others already up. Outside of the kitchen stands an urn of hot tea and several cups. She takes some tea and seats herself near the fire but away from other beasts already sitting there.

Arrin Woodgreen: He hunches over against the strong wind, trying to keep himself warm.  The thunder and lightning come closer and closer as he moves.

Yazeth: She settles back in her chair, sipping the tea and trying to remember happier times.

Arrin Woodgreen: Suddenly there’s a loud crack above him and his world goes dark as he crumples to the ground with a yell that carries into the real world.

Yazeth: Jozra jerks to full alertness, spilling a little of her tea in the process. “Soq…” Hastily setting the tea down, she charges up the stairs, ignoring the stares of the other bewildered beasts.

Arrin Woodgreen: His dreams shift to a time where he’s still coping with his sight loss, stumbling around and losing many things to roadside thieves. He begins to toss and turn in the bed, muttering in his sleep.

Yazeth: The ferret bursts into the room, skidding to a halt just before running into the end of the bed. “Soq?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to become more and more ensnared in the bedcovers as his dream continues. His father dying and grieving with his sister.

Yazeth: Jozra lays a paw on Soquan’s foot-paw, saying louder and more firmly this time, “Soquan.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s jerked out of the nightmares, sitting up in a cold sweat. He stares sightlessly at the ceiling, trying to figure out what woke him up.

Yazeth: The ferret shakes his foot a little saying again. “Soquan. It’s me.”

Arrin Woodgreen: The ghost-ish look about him fades as he sits up. “Joz?”

Yazeth: She smiles faintly at him. “Looks like I’m not the only one with nightmares around here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins back weakly. “I guess so.”

Yazeth: “They’re serving tea downstairs if you want some.” She straightens, still feeling all around uncomfortable. “Besides, I thought I smelled breakfast nearly ready while I was down there.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and climbs out of the bed. “I’m not going to sleep any more today, so let’s go.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Why don’t we take everything with us? We can check out right after breakfast that way.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Sounds good.” He straightens the bed a bit and begins to gather his things.

Yazeth: Jozra hefts her own pack, wincing slightly as it pulls at still-sore muscles. She glances around the brightening room before asking Soquan, “Ready to go?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He lifts his pack, grinning slightly. “Ready.” He walks out the door behind her and closes the door to their room.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 38: Slipping Away

In Which Blades Fly.

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Arrin Woodgreen: He drags himself upstairs a while later slipping quietly into the room in case she’s sleeping.

Yazeth: Jozra is not exactly sleeping, curled on her bed. She’s not exactly awake either.  She’s spent the past hour or so since she finished packing — in which she spent several minutes trying to make a decision on the scorpion pendant before placing it safely back into her bag — drifting in and out of consciousness.

Arrin Woodgreen: He crawls quietly into bed without a word to the ferret, closing his eyes to sleep.

Yazeth: One moment Azrun is yelling violently as he fires arrow after arrow into the town, the next the arrow shafts fade into the grain of the wall Jozra is facing. She sighs and rolls onto her back, a little more awake now, and stares at the darkened ceiling. A moment later flames creep around the edges of her vision and she tosses violently, startled to complete wakefulness as one of her tiny daggers thud into the wall she had been facing before.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter is now snoring softly in the bed beside hers, unaware of what’s going on.

Yazeth: She stares at the dagger for a bit, perturbed at the knowledge that she can throw a dagger in her sleep. After a while, she stands and wiggles the knife out of the wood wondering blankly at what to do with it.

Arrin Woodgreen: The otter turns over in his sleep, mumbling something inaudibly.

Yazeth: The movement rouses the ferret from her reverie — she recalls for a second that she once stood exactly as she is now, only many miles away — and she puts the dagger away. Peeking outside through the curtains she can see the sky beginning to lighten.

Arrin Woodgreen: He murmurs again, curing up in the now warmed blankets.

Yazeth: She glances almost sadly at the otter before making up her mind. She takes some of the gold, much of which has long since been converted into useable currency, to provide her with something to use during her travels. As quietly as possible, Jozra moves to the door and opens it, wincing as it squeaks a little.

Arrin Woodgreen: The door doesn’t wake the otter up, but suddenly there’s a loud ruckus from outside that does. He sits up, rubbing at his barely rested eyes. “Wha?”

Yazeth: The ferret curses softly as a pair of shrews argue vehemently with the inn keeper just below their window. She mutters to the otter, “Go back to sleep.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He continues to paw at the sleep in his eyes. “What time is it?”

Yazeth: “Too early. Go back to bed.” The ferret starts out the door.

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “Where are you going then?”

Yazeth: She sighs. “South.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He wakes up a bit more, looking towards the ferret as he sits up. “What do you mean ‘South�”

Yazeth: Why did those shrews have to pick that moment to argue? “South. Home.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns. “You were going to leave without me?”

Yazeth: The ferret grimaces and nods sharply, catching herself when she remembers that he can’t see the gesture. “Yes.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands, taking a step towards her. “Why?”

Yazeth: Jozra sighs and looks away before muttering, “Because I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns again. “Why would you worry about me getting hurt? We’re both travelers, we’re bound to get hurt…”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head slightly. “I’m afraid I would hurt you…” Oh the melodrama.

Arrin Woodgreen: His frown remains. “Why would you hurt me?”

Yazeth: The ferret is silent for a long while. Finally, knowing she can’t leave without giving him some sort of explanation, she says hoarsely, “I attacked the wall last night.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves closer to the ferret. “So?”

Yazeth: “I was asleep when I did it.” She nearly chokes for a second but continues roughly. “If I had been facing the other direction I could have killed you.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He frowns at this, resisting the urge to rush forward and comfort the ferret as he catches the hitch in her voice. Instead he takes another step towards her. “But you werenâ€t facing the other way.”

Yazeth: She steps away, avoiding the otter. “But I could have been. And what if it happens again?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He thinks for a moment before replying. “Put them in your pack then when you go to bed.”

Yazeth: The ferret blinks, surprised she didn’t think of that after having it beaten into her head to never be unarmed.

Arrin Woodgreen: He quirks an eyebrow. “Well?”

Yazeth: She looks deliberately away from the otter. “It’s not just that.” She catches herself before making any sort of comment as to the real reason she’s heading South.

Arrin Woodgreen: He steps forward again and tilts her chin up so sheâ€s looking up at his face. “If it’s not that, then what is it?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head out of Soquan’s paw, retreating another step. Oh lots of things. You see I’m not what I say I am and I’m off to do the bidding of a secret group of spies for a government nobody’s heard of… It’s all she can do to keep from barking out a harsh laugh. “What if those beasts yesterday decided you were more of a threat? I got you into trouble there and you could have been hurt bad.” It’s lame and she knows it.

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her a lop-sided grin. “I can look after myself well enough,” the grin fades, “besides, I need you. Things have been going so much better for me since you came along.” He pauses a moment. “I think you need me too. For your nightmares I mean. Who’ll keep them away if you go?”

Yazeth: Jozra looks into Soquan’s face for a while, a troubled expression on her own.  Too tired and disturbed to keep arguing she concedes his point. Heaving a sigh she says, “I suppose you’re right.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins and gives her a gentle hug. “Atta girl.”

Yazeth: She grins weakly. “If it’s no trouble with you, I’d still like to leave as soon as possible. I’d rather not stay longer in this town than I have to.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Can we sleep a bit longer? I swear I only just climbed into bed five minutes ago.”

Yazeth: Jozra nods. “I don’t think I’ll be getting much more sleep though.” She re-enters the room and sets down her pack to ease the otter’s fears of her leaving without him. “How about I go downstairs and come and get you when breakfast is ready?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles. “Tha’d be wonderful.” He grins again. “If you get too tired don’t hesitate to come back up here okay?”

Yazeth: She nods again before exiting the room, closing the door softly behind herself.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves towards the bed and flops down in the covers, falling asleep almost immediately.

Yazeth: Jozra remains just outside the door for a bit, thinking over their conversation. He needs me? She shakes herself and slowly navigates downstairs.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 35: Turning The Tables

In Which A Little Action Is Better Than Words.

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Yazeth: Kirrian, true to her word, is rather tired and returns directly to her room while Sola, Dawn and the cooks begin distributing meals throughout the house. Neither of them see fit to update Jozra on the situation, however, when they deliver her meal and the two of them take their meal with Dysa in the hallway leading to Jozra’s room.

Arrin Woodgreen:  He sighs rises, beginning to pace the room restlessly. After a while he climbs on top of one of the crates and settles down to rest a bit, ignoring his meal.

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan, who had scarfed down their meal quite quickly, allow the otter to roam. What’s he gonna do to a store room anyway, right? Jozra eats, albeit quite mechanically, returning Dysa’s previous skull-boring stare. Unfortunately, the rattesses set their table a ways a way and any conversation they have is held in hushed tones.

Arrin Woodgreen: He closes his eyes and allows his mind to wander as he begins to drop off.

Yazeth: Jozra has finished her meal long before the plates are cleared. This time, Sola and Dawn remain behind, but Dawn is quickly called away to speak with Kirrian. She returns a few moments later with a determined look on her face and something in her paw. Poking her head into the ferret’s room she says the first thing Jozra has had directed at her in hours. “Goodnight, Jozra. Sleep well.”

Jozra glances at the rattess curiously, realizing too late what Dawn intends to do as she closes the door firmly and clasps a lock on it. The ferret is on her feet in an instant. “HEY!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s soon fast asleep, dreaming of being somewhere far off away from here.

Yazeth: The ferret slams her fists down on the door, not that she expects to get through the solid piece of timber. Dawn calls from the other side. “Get some sleep! This is for your own protection. The lock will come off in the morning.”

Jozra merely growls softly in return as she hears Dawn pad off down the hallway. She stalks across the room, resuming her pacing route but is quickly irritated by it. She flings herself down on the bed, thoroughly disgusted with herself for getting caught, for Dawn and all of her stupid well intentioned friends, for, for, ergh!

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles something in his sleep and rolls over, an arm flopped over his face and the other over the side of the crate.

Yazeth: Exhausted by her frustration and the sparring the night before, Jozra falls asleep before realizing what she’s done, and where her proverbial ‘safety blanket’ is.

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles again, his whiskers twitching and his tail giving a slight wag.

Yazeth: It begins surprisingly innocently enough. She’s talking to Azrun, wrapped in a cloak and sitting perched on a rocky overlook.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all,” the archer-fox says. Jozra shakes her head darkly, “None of us do, Azer.”

She frowns in discomfort as she spies a mole staggering in the streets of the town, obviously infected and very delirious. This momentary distraction is enough for a young mouse the pair hadn’t noticed earlier, and he darts from the edge of town. Azrun spins and draws in the same instant, loosing his arrow but narrowly missing his target. Jozra hits him, though, and the mouse falls with a thud. The two cringe in shame and the ferret mutters through gritted teeth, “I HATE this.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shifts again, adjusting the shirt pillowed beneath his head.

Yazeth: The scene shifts, in that way that dreams do, taking a roundabout psychedelic route through conversations and slain villagers to a council of the Scorpions assigned to this distasteful duty. The council where the Nine hesitantly reach the conclusion that the town must be put to the torch. Azrun looses a flaming arrow, Lysiz flings a torch from a precipice to the roofs below, Jozra and the others cut down the escapees. A child shrieks in terror and the noise manifests its self in the real world.

Dawn jerks into wakefulness at the scream. Jozra is startled awake. She blinks and wonders, “Who?”

Arrin Woodgreen:  The otter jerks into reality as his ears pick up the sound of the Jozra’s scream. He practically flies towards the door, trying the door to find it locked. He pleads with the other two males. “Please let me go, she needs me!” There’s no short-temperedness or anger in the in the male’s actions any more, only severe worry.

Yazeth: The ferret groans as she realizes, due to Dawn’s frantic scratching at the lock on her door, that it was indeed herself that had screamed. Tired, irritated and frustrated, Jozra resolves to get herself, and Soquan, out of this situation post haste.

Nolan, who was jerked out of a doze at Jozra’s scream, looks wildly at Deke who is staring at Soquan, obviously confused.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sighs and rams his bodyweight into the door, surprised as it breaks easily.  He pauses only a moment to get his bearings as he darts towards the origin of the noise.

Yazeth: Jozra stands as the door finally bangs open and Dawn and Sola rush through, halfway through comforting words and phrases before they actually see the ferret standing there looking, well, irritated. Their confusion is nothing compared to Nolan and Deke’s, who stare dumbly at the shattered remains of the store room door, still trying to process what just happened. It is this delay that gives Soquan the head start he needs to find his way to the stairs and up them.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stumbles around for a few moments before he finds the stairs.  Once this is achieved he darts up them as fast as he can without endangering himself.

Yazeth: Dawn, who is only slightly put off by the fact that the ferret is not, in fact, whimpering and crying as she would have expected, enters the room and puts a kind paw on Jozra’s shoulder, attempting to lead her back to the bed. “There, there… I had a feeling something like this might happen. Don’t you see why we had to separate you from the cause of your pain? “

Jozra, much to the rattess’ surprise, shakes the paw off and glares at Dawn coldly. “You don’t know anything.”

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan suddenly bursts into the room, panting slightly from his run. Going into ‘protector†mode, he snarls at the two rattess’. “Get yer paws off’o’er!”

Yazeth: Much to her own surprise, Jozra crosses the room quickly and clings tightly to the otter. She mumbles a rather inadequate explanation by way of, “I hate those rotting things…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He wraps his arms tenderly around the female, he rubs her back gently, being careful of her bruises. “I know.” He nuzzles her gently, his muzzle bumping gently at her collarbone, neck and jaw. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, I don’t like you having these nightmares any more then you do.”

Yazeth: The jaws on the rattesses drop, but Dawn’s eyes glitter in frustration. Such a naive girl… she thinks, though the thought process is interrupted by the arrival of a very indignant Kirrian with Deke and Nolan almost immediately at her back, looking rather sheepish at letting the otter go.

Spurred on by the arrival of her superior, the rattess takes a step towards the couple glaring fiercely at Soquan. “You take your hands off of her!”

Before the words are barely out of the rattess’ mouth, Jozra moves and a little black dagger soars through the air, shearing the whiskers on one side of Dawn’s face and thudding ominously into the headboard of the bed.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands there, a bit confused at what happened, but cannot mistake the sound of metal into wood. “Jozra, be nice, they were only trying to keep you safe from the big, bad, female beating otter.” He gives her another slight nuzzle.

Yazeth: The ferret, however, has had enough of her would be ‘rescuers’ company. As Dawn stands stark still, utterly frozen by the turn of events, Jozra reaches past her to retrieve her blade. Muttering softly to Soquan, she pulls him by the arm towards the door, glaring at those blocking their path. “Lets get out of here.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He allows himself to be pulled behind the ferret, itâ€s the fastest way to move without his staff. “I’m right behind you.”

Yazeth: Deke and Nolan stand firm behind Kirrian, but Jozra draws herself up to her full height, which is just a hair taller than the slight vixen, and stares the head of the house in the eye. Each word she says is its own sentence. “I. Am. Perfectly. Capable. Of. Taking. Care. Of. My. Self.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He stands behind the ferret, his arms crossed as he listens.

Yazeth: To her credit, Kirrian does not flinch nor look away. She frowns and glances at Dawn, checking to make sure that the rattess is alright. “You have attacked one of my members and thus are no longer welcome in my house.”

The vixen gestures and Deke and Nolan stand aside, finally comfortable in their current role of ‘bodyguard.’

Arrin Woodgreen: He speaks from behind the ferret. “What about the stuff you took from me? Her extra set of clothes and my staff.”

Yazeth: Sola finally speaks up. “I put them in a crate just inside the kitchen, the door right next to the store room.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and strides past the small group to retrieve the things.

Yazeth: The pair quickly find their way downstairs and in the kitchen with a small group of followers who mind their distance. Jozra grabs her spare set of clothing and places Soquan’s staff into his paws.

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles faintly. “Thank you.” He shifts the staff to his unbitten paw. “Back to the inn then?”

Continue reading]]> Chapter 24: Comforting After The Nightmare

In Which Jozraâ€s Nightmares Are Back With A Vengeance.

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Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan enters and flops down beside Jozra. Arrin grins, “So tell me what happened to you guys.” Soquan nods and proceeds to tell her about their recent ‘Adventures.â€

Yazeth: As Soquan tells the tale, Jozra occasionally interjects with a detail or comment, but as time passes she becomes more tired and soon she’s sleeping quite soundly with her head on Soquan’s shoulder. Long days and rambunctious otters really can wear one out.

Arrin Woodgreen: It takes him a while to notice. “So here we are with this horde of mice coming at us an-” He pauses, looking over to Jozra. “Joz?”

Yazeth: The ferret merely twitches her nose in her sleep.

Arrin Woodgreen: He chuckles softly. “I’ll be right back Arrin.” Shifting the ferret as little as possible, he lifts her up gently, carrying her down the hall.

Yazeth: Jozra, surprisingly enough, doesn’t wake.  There’s something to be said about being in the company of friends to put one at ease.

Arrin Woodgreen: Laying her down gently, he slowly unlaces her boots, slipping them off of her feet carefully. He then puts them to the side and pulls the blankets up around her shoulders, tucking her in. He nuzzles her cheek somewhat affectionately before rising and leaving the room quietly. “Goodnight Jozra.”

Yazeth: The ferret merely snuggles down into the blankets, still sleeping soundly.

Arrin Woodgreen: He returns to the living room. “Now where was I?  Oh yeah, the army of mice…”

Yazeth: As the two otters talk on into the night, the ferret sleeps soundly. At least at first.  At some point or another, something again twinges in the back of her mind. Flames lick up and swirl across her mind’s eye.  Somewhere, somebody screams. If her nightmares the night before were bad, it was largely due to them no longer being horribly familiar.  Tonight they returned with crushing detail.

The ferret squirmed in her sheets as she watched Azrun take another arrow, grimace at his distasteful task, set it alight and then in a flaming arc onto the thatched roof of a building. Several more village beasts, some helping along the very ill, flooded out, trying to escape the flames. Jozra spun and nailed several with her tiny black daggers. They screamed in terror and reversed their direction, trying to escape elsewhere. There was no escape.

Jozra tosses and moans in horror at her own deed. More arrows shower into the village and in Arrin’s house, the ferret screams with the squirrel dying in her dreams.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan jumps, his fur standing on end. “What in the seasons was that?”

Arrin Woodgreen: Arrin shakes her head. “I don’t know, but it came from your room.” Soquan rises quickly and moves as quickly as he can to the said room, opening the door.

Yazeth: Jozra thrashes at the sheets, ending up precariously close to sliding off of the bed. Unfortunately, her own scream did not wake her.

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves swiftly over to Jozra’s sleeping form, shaking her gently. “Jozra? Jozra wake up!”

Yazeth: The ferret jerks awake and makes a grab for where her long dagger should be.  She stares at Soquan with haunted eyes before recognition clicks in and she sags against him.

Arrin Woodgreen: He hugs he close and sits on the bed, pulling her against himself. “It’s okay, it’s over, the dream’s over…”

Yazeth: She nods jerkily as she buries her head into his shoulder. ‘But that’s just the thing,’ a voice in her mind cries out, ‘it is over. An entire town… slaughtered.’  She shudders and clings tightly to the otter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He rubs the ferret’s back, rocking her gently. Arrin knocks softly on the now closed door. “Is everything okay in there? Soquan replies, “Yeah, everythingâ€s under control.”

Yazeth: After a while Jozra sighs. Then something piques her curiosity. This isn’t where she fell asleep… Furrowing her brow in confusion she asks, “Did I wake you up?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head. “No, I was talking to Arrin still.” His paw continues to rub her back. “Your scream scared the heck out of me and made my fur stand on end.”

Yazeth: This makes Jozra look up. “Scream?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Yeah.”

Yazeth: “Huh.” She takes a moment to look around. “Looks like I really made a mess of the bed.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs lightly. “It’s okay, you were really thrashing around.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods silently. After a moment she mentions, “I could really use a glass of water or something.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “I’ll go get you one.” He gently un-clings her from himself and heads for the kitchen.

Yazeth: Jozra sits still for a moment, surveying the ‘damage.’ She recalls the grab she made for her long dagger and looks around to see where that ended up. Spying it with the rest of her stuff she nods to herself. It’s fine there. She’s afraid of what she would have done if it had been on her before she realized who the otter was.

Arrin Woodgreen: He returns a few minutes later with a glass of water and sits on the edge of the bed. “Here you go.”

Yazeth: She takes the glass from him and downs it all almost immediately. “Thanks.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles at her. “Anytime.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods and hands the glass back.

Arrin Woodgreen: He puts the glass on the bedside table and looks towards her, putting an arm around her shoulder. “So are you okay now? That must have been some dream.”

Yazeth: Jozra hesitates a second before nodding her head. “I’m fine now.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins slightly and hugs her again. “Don’t scare me like that again okay?”

Yazeth: She nods again. “I’ll try not to.” She frowns a second and then looks at Soquan.  “It seems… I used to have these dreams. I guess I got used to them. They kind of went away after we started traveling together.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “I understand.”

Yazeth: The ferret blinks absently. “Yeah.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He leans back slightly. “It seems I’ll have to be more careful on leaving you alone when you’re asleep I guess.”

Yazeth: She sighs heavily but nods.

Arrin Woodgreen: He draws her a bit closer and rubs her back. “Get some rest, I’ll be right here ’till morning.”

Yazeth: Jozra yawns broadly and mumbles. “Good… idea…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He pays back against the pillows and closes his eyes. “Goodnight.”

Yazeth: She nods yet again, though quite sleepily this time. “’Night.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He snuggles a bit closer, rapidly dozing off.

Yazeth: Surprisingly enough, the ferret drops off quite quickly, clearly exhausted from the long journey, rambunctious afternoon and the hardly restful few hours of sleep she already had.

Arrin Woodgreen: He mumbles something inaudibly and drops off to sleep.

Continue reading]]> Chapter 18: Nightmare

In Which Jozra Doesnâ€t Get Sweet Dreams.

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Yazeth: “Goodnight.” She enters the room and sets down the light pack, empty of spare clothes, on a chair in the corner. She looks around the room intently for a moment before closing the door and climbing into bed. No candles needed if you know where everything is.

Arrin Woodgreen: He places his own pack down and readies for bed, climbing beneath the covers.

Yazeth: Jozra snuggles down, enjoying the warm blankets and comfortable bed before drifting off to sleep.

Arrin Woodgreen: He yawns and stretches out in his bed, letting his tired muscles relax. He falls asleep quickly, sprawled out across the bed.

Yazeth: Time passes as the pair sleep in their respective rooms. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of Jozra’s mind, something sparks. Flames flare into their horrible glory, never really quenched, just buried beneath locks and the immediacy of the present. Free again to roam as the subconscious awakes that which was never really forgotten, just put away.

Arrin Woodgreen: He sleeps a bit more peacefully, his mind roaming over old, pleasant memories.

Yazeth: She was there again, back in the north. Eight of her companions from her home were there as well. Each as disgusted with the task at hand, but helpless to what needed to be done. The plague couldn’t, COULDN’T spread beyond this town but did that really justify the utter containment? A dark knife sped from her fingertips, lodging itself in the throat of a villager, no doubt infected, who had tried to escape the burning village. And she hated herself for what she had to do.

Arrin Woodgreen: He murfs softly, rolling over.

Yazeth: Flames flickered and twisted as the ferret’s body squirmed and twisted the blankets. Abruptly she awoke, glad to be conscious so that she could bury the memories again. “Wha…” Jozra blinked in the safe darkness of the room as she tried to calm her racing heart. She hadn’t had one of those nightmares for quite a while now. What brought it on?

Arrin Woodgreen: An arm flops over the side of the bed and he murmurs something in his sleep.

Yazeth: Eventually, the ferret’s eyelids grow heavy again and she begins to drift off to sleep. The flames are waiting for her, though, and she jerks back awake. She hasn’t had those dreams since… since… It dawns on her then. “Since I met Soquan…” She sits up, mulling over this revelation. She whispers to herself. “This is silly. Our rooms are right next to each other. Why should a wall make such a difference?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He merfs again, rolling onto his back.

Yazeth: After a bit of thought, Jozra convinces herself to do what she must if she wishes to get any restful sleep this night. Quietly she slips off of her bed and cracks open the door. The hallway outside is lit dimly, with only every third torch burning. She crouches and slips over to Soquan’s door and pulls it open a crack. After a peek every which way, she slips inside, pulls the door shut and slides into the bed next to the otter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He grunts, waking up as the ferret’s weight shifts the bed. “Wha?”

Yazeth: The ferret mutters, muffled slightly as she snuggles under the blankets. “Nothin. Go back to sleep.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He blinks a few times. “Jozra? What’re you doin’ here?”

Yazeth: The ferret sighs. She does owe him an explanation, after all. She pulls the blankets away from her mouth and turns to speak in Soquan’s general direction. “I used to have these nightmares. They went away when I was traveling with you but they decided to come back tonight.” She mutters angrily. “Walls shouldn’t make that much of a difference…”

Arrin Woodgreen: He reaches over, patting her shoulder. “You alright then?”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “I just wanted to actually get some sleep tonight, that’s all.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He gives her a one armed hug, settling back down. “Alright then…”

Yazeth: Jozra pulls her covers back up to her chin. “Thanks for understanding. Goodnight.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles and moves to give her a bit of room. “’night.”