define('WP_CACHE', true); {"id":293,"date":"2014-03-12T03:00:57","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T11:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/?p=293"},"modified":"2014-01-29T23:26:19","modified_gmt":"2014-01-30T07:26:19","slug":"chapter-39-soquans-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/archives\/293","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 39: Soquan’s Nightmare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 39: Soquan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Nightmare<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

In Which\u00c2\u00a0Jozra Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t The Only One With Bad Dreams.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen:\u00c2\u00a0 His dream starts simply enough; he’s walking down a forest path, coming to the top of a tall hill.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yazeth:\u00c2\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He hunches over against the strong wind, trying to keep himself warm.\u00c2\u00a0 The thunder and lightning come closer and closer as he moves.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She settles back in her chair, sipping the tea and trying to remember happier times.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra jerks to full alertness, spilling a little of her tea in the process. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soq…\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hastily setting the tea down, she charges up the stairs, ignoring the stares of the other bewildered beasts.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret bursts into the room, skidding to a halt just before running into the end of the bed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soq?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra lays a paw on Soquan’s foot-paw, saying louder and more firmly this time, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soquan<\/i>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret shakes his foot a little saying again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Soquan. It’s me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: The ghost-ish look about him fades as he sits up. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Joz?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: She smiles faintly at him. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Looks like I’m not the only one with nightmares around here.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins back weakly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I guess so.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They’re serving tea downstairs if you want some.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d She straightens, still feeling all around uncomfortable. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Besides, I thought I smelled breakfast nearly ready while I was down there.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and climbs out of the bed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I’m not going to sleep any more today, so let’s go.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Yazeth: The ferret nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why don’t we take everything with us? We can check out right after breakfast that way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sounds good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He straightens the bed a bit and begins to gather his things.<\/p>\n

Yazeth: Jozra hefts her own pack, wincing slightly as it pulls at still-sore muscles. She glances around the brightening room before asking Soquan, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ready to go?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin Woodgreen: He lifts his pack, grinning slightly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ready.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He walks out the door behind her and closes the door to their room.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 39: Soquan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Nightmare In Which\u00c2\u00a0Jozra Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t The Only One With Bad Dreams. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d Arrin Woodgreen:\u00c2\u00a0 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 … <\/p>\n