The One-Eyed Wolf - Return Of The Ranger

[Killing Spree]

"Well, let me see..." Began Li, suddenly wishing he had a pipe or some ale or something to keep himself busy. "Before my hair went gray I just wandered around, getting into mischief. You know, howling at the moon, scaring the pop-tarts out of folks, stealing people's girlfriends, going on adventures... But eh... I settled down here about 300 ago. Trained a bunch of rangers and had a family." He nodded happily. "No regrets there. Though I do wish I would have set a few more people on fire..." He winked at Jas. "Now you wanna see some real gene work, you should see my grandchild! Lynae's the damn prettiest thing you'll ever see, I bet." He boasted.

Maverick took one last sharp breath. "That's all I know."

Chani pushed him aside, and Maverick instantly took of running. A pained expression crossed the half-elf's face, and she took Deiter's hand and squeezed it for support. "Why is life so miserable?" She asked, looking up at him as if he would know all the answers to her troubles.

Arrakis's eyes widened and he staggered back, hissing in pain. The blood poured strongly from the scythe, as though it had it's own beating heart, pumping out blood. Two wretched tears slid down his cheeks, and he ululated in agony. He couldn't bear to look at the person who was causing him so much pain! Sobbing audibly, he lay down in the grass, writhing in pain. "Stop! Stop hurting me!" He stumbled to his feet and tried to run, but tripped again. His vision was going red...

[Larry_OHF]

Larry

Larry had been there, cradling his feverish wife that seemed to be as unconscious as one could get, then she woke up and darted away too fast for him to react. She was already out the door and far away by the time Larry pushed the crowd away to get a clear shot at the door, as many flocked to the open door to see her running away. Larry growled his frustrations as he could no longer even see her, as she had moved with unnatural speed away from him and everything. Yet, he was grateful that she still left a trail to follow.
Larry picked up on the trail and ran as fast as he could keep his eyes on the visible signs of Mistral's passing. It would take a while to make sure he didn't lose her, but he had no other way of finding her. Nor did he know if he was being followed. All Larry knew was that Mistral had suffered a strange episode that rendered her tormented to a great extent, then in a desperate battle to free herself of it...she sprang up and ran as that was the only logical way out of a predictament.

Larry was feeling rather useless as her husband now. If his sword and strength could not save his wife in her most desperate need, he was only a thorn in her side. He had to make sure he was there for her, as he knew that if anything were to happen to her and he was not there to die by her side...his soul would be forever lost.

[Deiter Leafblade]

Jas nodded, "I think I saw her when we arrived at the village. Now if only I was a couple hundred years younger..." He grinned at the daggers Li was shooting at him. "Gah! I'm kidding! I'd probably go grandpa on her..." He grumbled then laughed softly.

He gave her a comforting smile. "Without pain, we wouldn't know how to treasure the good moments in life." He knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it was all he could say at the moment. Taking a step closer to her he wrapped his arms around her. He wished that he could shield the pain of the world from her in his warm embrace. A few minutes later he let go, "We should get inside." Leaning forward, he kissed her gently. "Lets go." His hand found hers again, and they set off for the tavern.

[ 08-26-2002, 12:05 AM: Message edited by: Deiter Leafblade ]

[mistral4543]

Mistral

Blind impulse drove her staggering towards the quivering figure which repelled her even in this moment of weakness. She reached out, her trembling hand freezing as it made contact with the glowing spot. The mucus-like fluid was warm and smelt raw, so that she nearly retched.

Blood...

Afterward, she would not be able to recall how, in her delirious state, she had been able to carry his rock-hard body into his house, hearing his alternating muttered and loud oaths. All that was a blur. She only knew one thing: her heart was driving her, willing her to render whatever service she could to this man.

As he lay there now, she unsheathed the Shattered Reality and cupped his hands over the hilt, hoping that he could somehow be rejuvenated by its regeneration properties.

Then she backed away to a safe distance, still lingering at the locked door, her frantic eyes desperate to detect signs of his recovery. Little did she know that all this concern, all this inexplanable feeling was repelling the darkness for herself...

[Larry_OHF]

Larry

Larry continued to search out the trail that Mistral blazed through the grass and leaves. He stopped abruptly when he noticed two things of importance. Another person had been here near her tracks and there was blood on the ground and in the water. Larry nearly went berserk with worry. What had happened here just moments ago?! Looking for a visible sign, he found one pair of heavy foot prints leading away. He could not tell if Mistral had done the walking or not, but he presumed that she had been the one that was being carried...as that made more sense. Still unsure of what was even going on, Larry began to follow the trail and hope that he was not too late. His fear and the visions his mind was playing on him nearly broke his will-power to even walk, and he constantly faltered in his step as his heart was breaking at the possibilities of what had happened.

How did she slip out of his grasp and disappear so suddenly?

[Killing Spree]

"Hmm... I wonder about that girl sometimes. She's shy as a doe and twice as fast. I'm worried once she leaves Ravenwood she's gonna get her heart broken by some younger version of us." He winked at his friend, then turned his gaze distantly to the stars. "I don't think you ought to worry about that though. If anything Chani'll spoil that boy to death... You tried her lembas yet?" He looked back at his friend. "MmmmMmmm! Best damn thing I've ever eaten. Seven hundred fifty years of stuffing my face..."

A sudden, finally realized wave of fatigue washed over Chani as she stepped into the Fox's Den. With a mighty yawn, she leaned against Deiter, rubbing at her eyes and surveying the tavern quickly. She bit her lower lip, not seeing Arrakis, Mistral, or Larry. She shrugged though, being too tired to over think the situation. Arrakis was probably at home, and Larry and Mistral had probably gone upstairs and bedded down for the night. She yawned again then looked up at Deiter sleepily but happily. "What's the plan...?"

Arrakis was beginning to choke on his own blood when another shock of pain wretched through him. The sword, belonging to Mistral, was having a reverse effect on him and killing him even faster. Gathering all the strength in his disciplined muscles, Arrakis concentrated and tossed the blade aside. It skillfully spiraled through the air and imbedded itself in the doorframe. Staggering to get up, he then ran out of the home, bleeding and coughing, making his way for the woods.

[mistral4543]

Mistral

Never had she felt so alone as now.

Never mind that she was married... never mind that Isabeau was just a thousand miles away... never mind that somewhere, Kazara would once in a while think of her.

She knelt on the floor, staring listlessly at her own hands. Blood... everywhere... it was a sea of red, and perhaps the hilt of Brightblade would be smeared by his blood, too.

It did not matter.

Nothing did.

As she got to her feet, she floated to the yawning door and bolted it from the inside. It was odd, why she was doing all this. This was not her home. It was the home of her enemy. But somewhere, something was calling her... directing her...

Snuffing out the last flicker of light, she sprawled herself on the ground, staring into the darkness.

Enough was enough.

Time to put an end to the torment.

Her shaky hand reached for the Celestial Fury, she found herself sobbing quietly. Drawing it out, she aimed for her wrist...

[Deiter Leafblade]

Jas nodded then grinned. "It's starting to show," he stood up then and stretched. "Oh...! I'm starting to feel my age..." He grumbled something then the looked over at Li. "I'm going back to the tavern and call it a night. I may stop by tomorrow to see if you have sacred any more kids away." He laughed then started to walk back towards the tavern. The moonlight reflected from his white, silver streaked hair as he followed a path that lead past some closely bunched trees. He stopped suddenly as he heard a twig snap from behind one of the trees next to him. A frown took over his face as he slowly walked around the large tree. There was a hunched shadowed form looking around the other side. His hand darted out, grabbing the figures shirt while the other hand had flames dancing above his finger tips. "Teveriel Naturefury... I should of known..." He grumbled as the wood elves face came into veiw. "What in the nine hells are you doing here?"

The young elf pulled Jas's hand off his leather tunic and frowned. "Great to see you too, Jas. Well, after you dumped me off in Waterdeep I started to follow you. Seems now I'm caught."

Jas glared at his former student, "I didn't dump you, I sent you off on an assignment and you never came back. Never knew finding some herbs could be so hard."

"I was ganged up on by some thugs! I'm not a full druid yet, I held them off the best I could. I was found later that night by some of the local guards." The blue eyed elf watched his old teacher with anger.

Jas's face started to soften. "I didn't know my boy. I thought you had ran off and gave up being a druid." He sighed then motioned for the druid to follow him. "I'm with some friends and my grandson staying at the tavern over there. Come join us."

Deiter grinned at her, "The plan is for you to get some rest, you're about to fall asleep standing up." He started to yawn also. "I should probably turn in too. It's been a long day." A familiar voice was coming from the other side of the tavern door. "I think Jas is back."

"Ha! I suppose you didn't take notes when I told you not to mix them." He laughed as he pulled open the tavern door. His eyes darted around spotting Deiter and Chani. "There you two are!" The two elves made their way over to the half-elves. "Deiter, Chani, this is a student of mine." He nodded towards Teveriel.

The young druid gave the two rangers an awkward smile. "Hello, the names Teveriel Naturefury."

[Killing Spree]

The tears flowed freely down Arrakis's face, mingling with fresh blood and crusted earth, then dropping in single file to further stain his sweaty tunic or fall to the ground. Sobs escaped his throat hoarsely between jagged breaths, echoing uncertainty and woe. The whispers that dashed through his mind would not leave him be. The cries, the mutters, the haunting voices and quick, flashing visions that he knew then with significant certainty would be the death of him. His feet carried him to the woods, where he quietly stumbled into a familiar, welcoming bed of leaves. He rubbed at his eyes, blinking severely to see clearly again through tears and blood and dirt. His whole body shuddered. With one hard swallow he forced himself to lay down, hugging his cloak close to his shoulders. Still breathing hard, he eyed the dark, starry sky. A dry mouth made it difficult to curse providence. He closed his eyes and curled his knees to his chest, trying to find sanctuary with the darkness. A cold, foreboding gust of wind rustled the leaves and tossed his dark brown locks. His jaw clenched tight, and his hand formed into a fist. Something was happening. He had to be there. It didn't matter if he died. He had to. Running on pure adreniline, he raised to his feet and ran back to his home, his hardened muscles breaking through the locked door. The scythe on his collarbone glowed ferociously, but as he had always done, he ignored pain, regarding it as weakness. His voice could only manage a whisper. He reached out his hand to Mistral. "Don't..."

Chani nodded and offered a sleepy grin in return. "Nice to meet you Teveriel." She yawned again, politely placing a hand over her mouth. She then chuckled a little. "Normally I'd come up with something witty to say here, but I'm posotively bushed. We were just heading off to get some rest, Jas, if you don't mind..."

[Deiter Leafblade]

"I don't mind, just going to talk to Teveriel some more then turn in myself. Good night." He sat down at the bar and ordered another ale. The young druid followed and took a seat next to him. "Are you wanting me to continue to teach you?"

"Alright then, see you two in the morning." He went up the stairs and into a bedroom.

He nodded, "Yes, I still wish to become a druid. I've never meet a druid before that had a thing for torching trees. It's very interesting being your student." The wood elf started to laugh.

"Gah! I have my reasons. Anyway, better get yourself to bed. I'm going to wake you up early!."

He grumbled, "Can't wait, see you in the morning." The wood elf went off to an available room and was soon asleep.

Jas opened up a small leather bound book and started to write in it. A few minutes later he stuck it in one of the pouchs and finished his ale. He got up and stretched again then went off to bed.

[ 08-26-2002, 10:47 PM: Message edited by: Deiter Leafblade ]