Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Augra 2, 1418 Wrapped in a woolen blanket, and held securely againt her fathers chest, a small child sleeps soundlessly, largely unaware of the goings on around her as her father takes her along on his daily errands. Within her small minds, the simple thoughts of a child swirl in a steadying cycle: Sleep; eat; cry; poop; the only things she knows so far, yet one other thought clicks into her mind as she lays peacefully in her fathers arms: [INDENT]Mommy and Daddy are here... You are safe... [/INDENT]Barely six weeks old, her small mind finds the understanding to recognize the security of her parents arms. A long life lies before her, along with all the choices, uncertainties, and concerns that come along with it, yet in her mind she knows, as long as Mommy and Daddy are near, she will be fine.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Finger; grab; mouth; chew.  New concepts to the four month old mind of Tyra, but ones she uses in earnest.  Anything she can grab, be it food, wood, paper, metal, she will try to put in her mouth.
[INDENT]Why does my mouth hurt....  Oh...  *chew chew*  That feels better...
[/INDENT]So she looks for more things to chew on, more things to stick in her mouth.

Daddy; Mommy; Home; Safe.  Her understanding grows the more she is with them.  Her mother and father are never far from her, or if one leaves the other always remains.  Daddy especially.  Many times a day she finds herself nestled in his arms as he goes about his business in the cities.  And at night she returns to the arms of her mother, as she goes about her own business around their home and the country side., until her father comes home, to rock her to sleep while he tells her a short story, drifting into dream land to the sound of his voice.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

"Maaaah-mee....."
"Honey! Honey, She said it! Come back!"
"Maaaah-me.... Mah-me"
"By Beryl..."
"Mah-me.... Mommy..."

Tyra's first word came on her first birthday as she played with the brand new teddy bear Valmara made for her out of rags from one of Shiff's old shirts.

The first year had held a great deal of love within it for the small child. Whether it was her mother, or her father, or dear "aunts and uncles", Tyra was always in the arms, or within reach, of someone who cared for her.

Regardless of what Tyra was doing, one peron who could always be found close behind the mobile one year old was her Mother, Valmara.  Regardless of whether Tyra was crawling about at home and getting into trouble, or outside getting all dirty, Valmara was always there to pick her up, kiss boo-boos and dust her off.  Tyra loved her mother dearly.  With her father often away from home, Tyra bonded with her mother very closely, and despite cause her mother constant headaches, Tyra adored Valmara.

After her mother though, her life seemed to revolve around her Father.  Always happy to see her, Shiff would often be found just fooling around with his daughter, rolling on the floor or pretending to be Tyra's pony.  Shiff adroed Tyra, and Tyra adored her father, almost as much as she adored her mother, and she loved the time she got to spend with him.

After her Parents, came the seemingly endless number of "Aunt and Uncles", but of them all, three stood out the most:  Krysthalien; Elohanna; and Rose.  Regardless of time spent or anything else, Tyra loved spending time with these people.  Her Uncle Krys, always adoring everything she did, was the only other male she loved, enjoying ever one of the few moments she got to spend with him.  Her Aunt Elohanna, being Uncle Krys's wife, was another favorite.  Always one to be delighted by magic, Tyra loved spending time with Elohanna, enjoying the playful magic shows Elohanna would put on for her (with the help of her handsome assistant Krys, of course).  Then came Rose.  Only by being Tyra's true mother Could Rose have earned any more of Tyra's affection.  Tyra did not know why, nor did anyone else, but if Shiff and Valmara could not calm Tyra for some reason, Rose could.  There was no magic, no silly tricks, just the acceptance and love Rose seemed to pour into the time she spent with little Tyra, earning Rose the title of "Frower" from Tyra.  Though nothing could match the feelings Tyra had for her adoring parents, Rose was a close second.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Febra 1, 1420

Mephits, Magic, and Mysteries

That was the theme of the day.  For reason's unknown, Tyra became the subject of an Ice Mephit's curiousity, as well as some other things left unsaid.  Delivering cryptic messages to her Father and Rose as they sat together by the pond in Port Hempstead, the creature came and went, much to Tyra's amusement.  Having no comprehension of the anxiety her father expressed at the Mephit's unusual interest in her, she was happy to have the funny looking creature flying around.  It was new, and different, and Tyra enjoyed having it around.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra sits at the small round table at home, various vials of colored ink spread out around a pile of blank parchments.  She sits drawing whatever comes to mind, often having to be interpreted by each individual that sees the end results.  She then looks up, and before her stands a elf-like five-year-old, a pair of swirling blue eyes looking back into her own violet orbs, a look of mixed fear-and-wonder in the other girls face.  Tyra flashes her warm, winning smile, and says, "Hello..." to the new face, earning a smile from the blue-eyed girl.  She sits down next to Tyra, and introduces herself as Seras, and the two begin painting.

Tyra had never gotten the chance to meet any other children.  Being not even three years yet of age, Tyra was kept close to her mother and father, but this new comer was a treat.  Tyra drew her family as she knew it; her Father and mother, herself, and Shadow (the families horse), while Seras did her best to show up the cheerful two and 3/4 year old.  But Tyra showed no concern that her new and older friend had more skill then her.  Tyra knew what she was drawing, and so did mommy and daddy.  That's all she cared about.

After finishing, she runs over to her Father, a proud smile on her face, yelling, "Lookey!  Look!" and stuffing the still damp parchment in her fathers face.  After earning her fathers praise, and a compliment from Seras' mommy, Tyra jumped back in her seat to draw the same picture again, this time with their home in the background.  For only one thing seemed to be the focus of Tyra's life at her age, her family.

[Frances]

Mommy and Daddy had been gone for so long.  Tyra enjoyed playing with her Auntie Elohanna, she liked the little baby Coreth, but she missed her parents.  They had been gone before, usually her Daddy more than Mommy, but now they were both gone, and it had been a looong time.

Suddenly, Tyra heard the voices she loved more than any in the world.  She jumped to her feet and ran to find them.  Finding her Daddy first, she gave him a flying hug.  Shiff picked her up, laughing and swinging her around.  Her Mommy joined them, squeezing Tyra in between her parents, all of them smiling and laughing together.

They walked home, Tyra in her father's arms, not quite willing to let him go.  When they got to her home, Tyra squirmed out of her Daddy's arms, running to her toys she left.  But something was wrong; there were two strange men in her home, seated by the fireplace.  One of them stood carefully, smiling at the family.  Tyra ran and hid behind her mother's skirts, peeking out carefully.  Val picked her up, turning to face the men.  "This is your Grandpa, sweetie.  Tell him hi".  Tyra turned her face into her mother's shoulder, then carefully turned one eye to look at the man who had walked shakily over toward them.  Tyra eventually deigned to say "Hi Gwampa", before turning her face back to her mother's shoulder.

"Give her a little time, Dad, she'll warm up to you."  Her mother was right; within an hour, she was gracing her grandfather and her uncle Sammack with smiles, and by the end of the day, she was playing with them a little.  They seemed tired though, and couldn't play the way Mommy and Daddy did, and Tyra could tell they hurt.  

With a week, Tyra had accepted Gwampa and Unca Sam as family.  Mommy loved them, and Tyra began to trust them.  They were getting stronger, and Tyra loved to play with them, but Mommy and Daddy were still more fun.

Then, one day when Daddy was away, Mommy took her to see Auntie El.  "I just have to go check on something.  I'll be back in a little while.  You'll be fine here, and Grandpa and Uncle Sam will be by to visit."  To Auntie El she said, "I'd leave her with my dad and brother, but they're not quite strong enough yet to handle her.  I think they'll be fine by themselves, but if you could look in on them, I'd appreciate it."  Auntie El nodded to Mommy, and Tyra squirmed down so she could go play.  Mommy told her, "I'll be back soon, I promise", then turned to go, giving her a smile as she was walking out the door.  Tyra smiled back, saying, "Wuv you Mommy".  Tyra knew her Mommy would be back soon, and Daddy.  She'd play until they got back.  It wouldn't be long...

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

While Tyra and Aunt Ely enjoyed some time playing with and watching baby Coreth, a knock came at the door.  It was Daddy, and upon seeing him she ran to him, hugging his as soon as she could.  Daddy picked her up into the air, hugging her tight as if he'd missed her for so long, but something about Daddy that day made her sad.  She leaned back to look at her daddy, her warm smile and beautiful violet eyes hoping to earn her some of her daddy's affection, but Daddy only smiled back, something lingering in his eyes the young girl was not yet able to understand.  "Thanks Ely...  I hope she wasn't much trouble."  Aunt Ely smiled and thanked Shiff for the time, and told Shiff that Val had gone off on business.  Tyra could almost sense the fear the ripped through her Daddy, and Tyra frowned and hugged him, hoping to comfort her Daddy.  "Whats wong Daddy..."  Daddy smiled at Tyra and then Aunt Ely.  "I'll see you around Elohanna...  Say goodbye sweety..."  Tyra waved and smiled at her Aunt and uttered a warm "Buh-Bye."  Little did Tyra know it would be the last time she would see her Aunt for a long time.

Upon exiting Aunt Ely's house, Tyra saw Grampa and Uncle Sam sitting on Two horses, Daddy's Shadow tied up along side.  "Tyra...  We are going on a trip, okay?  Daddy is bringing you and Grampa and Uncle Sam to see where Mommy and Daddy got Married..."  He sits Tyra on Shadow's neck.  "Hold on, sweety..."  Daddy steps up onto Shadow behind Tyra, slipping his arm around her to keep her close, and Tyra snuggled back against her father, hoping nothing was wrong.

They rode for day's, stopping in Port Hempstead to rest a few hours at the Scamp's Mug, then taking the long voyage by see to Mariner's Hold to rest at the Weary Traveller.  There, while Tyra was supposed to be sleeping, she crawled off her futon, stood shakily onto her little feet, and stumbled through the dark to the door of the room she was in, partially open to let in some light from the main hall.  Creaking the door open slowly, she cried out softly for her father.  "Daddy...  I'm firsty...  Can I hab some juice, pwea-"  She stopped mid sentence when she saw her father in his armor, something she had never done before.  It scared her, the bloody red of the Adamantium, and the fierce visage of a mighty dragon across his chest, its talons gripping a bleeding Golden heart, and she stood rooted in fear.  Had she not known the kind face that sat upon the face of the fierce figure of her father, she would have screamed.  But she did not.  She just stood their, watching.  "Quill, I need to get my family to safety tomorrow...  I've already waited to long, and I saw someone clad in black robes stalking my home in Fort Llast.  I can't wait any longer..."  The man Daddy was talking to was funny looking, about a foot shorter then her father, wearing a dark outfit.  He had pointy ears like Aunt Ely, but something seemed wild about him.  He noded at Daddy and turned to smile at Tyra, drawing her fathers attention to her.  Daddy frowned only slightly before walking over to pick up Tyra and hold her as Tyra asked, "Where Mommy..."  Daddy simply responded, "I'm gonna go get here right now...  you go with Mister Quill here along with Grampa and Uncle Sam and Daddy and Mommy will he back soon..."  

The next day Tyra, Grampa and Uncle Sam arrived in Stone early the next morning, but still Mommy and Daddy had not come back.  Mister Quill brought them into a large underground cave, filled with shiney gems and light that made Tyra almost forget that she missed her mommy and Daddy very much.

Hour's went by as Tyra sat in an out-of-the-way room in the cave with a funny looking small person that constantly made sure Tyra didn't touch any of the fun looking glowy things all around.  Then she heard someone call for the funny-man, and Tyra was led back into the big cave.  There was mommy and Daddy.  She ran over to Daddy, she had been so scared and she wanted him to hold her, but Daddy was not to stay with Tyra.  Giving Tyra a large purple cloak, and the promise to see her whenever she hid beneath it, Daddy left Tyra and Mommy in the cave to be led down below the ground.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra wakes up in the middle of the night from a scary dream, safely wrapped up in the cloak her Daddy gave her.  She saw Daddy, standing in a field she did not recognize, surrounded by big, mean, and horrid looking meanies all around.  She tried to warn Daddy, but he couldn't hear her.  She tried to pull him to safety with her little arms, but he didn't not move.  She tried to scare the meanies away with her own little roar, but they only laughed at her and pushed her aside.  Then suddenly she was far away watching them all close in around Shiff, while he did nothing but stand there.

She shivered some in the stone room she shared with Mommy, clutching the gold locket with the Red Rose ontop her Aunt Flower gave her and pulling the cloak around her tighter.  After a few moments, she stood up on her little legs, waddling over to Mommy's bed and, after a bit of pulling and clawing on the sheets, climbed up beside her.

"What's wrong, dear..." said Mommy softly, pulling the covers over them both and snuggling Tyra close to her.

"I want my Daddy..." she utters softly as she begins to cry.

[Frances]

Tyra loves walking with Grampa.  He dotes on her, giving her sweets every chance he can.  Tyra knows that Mommy knows he does it, but she doesn't say anything about it.  Now she pulls Grampa along as they make their way down a slightly used tunnel.

After walking a few minutes, Grampa takes her off on another side tunnel, and suddenly Tyra is looking out over an underground lake, lit softly with lights she can't see.  Excited, Tyra runs down to the edge of the water and begins playing in the water.  The water is cold, but Tyra splashes happily, throwing small rocks in the water and getting her toes wet.

As she is playing, Grampa picks up a rock and throws it in.  Instead of making a splash and sinking, though, the rock skips across the surface of the water several times, before eventually disappearing.  Tyra shouts, "Do it agin, Grampa!"  He does it several more times, before Tyra begins trying it herself, throwing rocks in where Grampa did, but they just sink.

After a while, Grampa takes her hand and begins leading them back to the rooms they call home.  As they walk, Grampa says to her, "You know your mother loves you very much."  Tyra nods sagely.  Grampa continues, "She hasn't told you or me yet, but changes are coming for her, and for you.  I remember your Grandmother, who you never met... Anyway, Tyra, sweetheart, no matter what happens, your mother won't love you any less.  You can never run out of love."

Grampa sometimes said funny things like that.  Tyra nods, and skips on ahead.  She recognizes where they are, and she knows the way back to their rooms.  She looks back, keeping Grampa in sight.  Tyra knows that soon she will see Mommy.  Maybe Daddy will be there too, and they can go back to their real home.  Tyra runs to the door, just in case he is there.  She wants to see him real soon.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Ever since Daddy came back to her and Mommy, Tyra has been very happy.  And knowing she is going to be a big sister, she has been helping her Mommy in every way she can.  She helps her wash clothes, helps her make dinner, helps her clean after supper, but most of all, Tyra helps by constantly comfoting her Mommy when she is feeling sick.

When Daddy is home, she asks him to tell her stories about when she was a baby while laying in her fathers arms, and when Mommy is home, she cuddles with her when she's tired, rubbing her Mommy's belly like she sees Daddy do, and getting all excited when the baby kicks.  She even tells little kiddy stories (that only a four year old could tell) while laying her head on her Mommy's tummy, as if talking to her little sibling inside.

[Frances]

Tyra loves going on walks with Mommy.  It's just the two of them today; Drakie is home with Grampa and Grampa's friend.  Tyra likes Grampa's friend, so does Drakie. Tyra thinks Mommy likes her too, even if Mommy seemed a little hesitant at first.  But today, Tyra has Mommy all to herself as they walk along the path north of town.

As they walk along, Mommy pulls something out from under her cloak and hands it to Tyra.  It's long and heavy, with a handle at one end, and a set of leather straps and a belt.  Tyra recognizes it as a sword of some sort, having grown up with Mommy and Daddy.  But it's smaller than she's seen before, Tyra sized!

Mommy says, "This is for you, Tyra.  I was going to wait for your birthday, but I couldn't wait."  Mommy smiles. "I had it made up special for you.  It may be a bit big for you right now, but you'll grow into it.  Your Grampa made it, in fact, just for you!"

Mommy kneels down and buckles the sword belt in place, adjusting the straps until the sword hangs in the right spot.  She pulls the sword part way out of the scabbard and shows Tyra. "See, this sword is dull, it won't cut you.  The point's dull too, but it's still heavy, and this most definitely is not a toy.  Always treat your sword with respect, or you could get hurt.  Or someone you don't want to hurt, or you won't hurt someone you need to.  This one is about the size of a bastard sword in relation to you right now, but it'll be more like a longsword as you get bigger."

Mommy steps back, and moves her own cloak to uncover the sword she has at her waist. "Try and draw it like this." She demonstrates.  Tyra tries to do as Mommy did it, but she can't do it anywhere near as smooth as Mommy made it look.  Mommy sheathes her sword and begins showing Tyra how to hold it, various to move it to block or to strike, body stance, foot positioning, and other things.  Tyra is soon whacking bushes and saplings, with Mommy always guiding her to move this way or that, or to shift her grip like this, or position her arms or her feet.  After a while, Tyra gets tired, and Mommy and her head back to town.

Tyra is so excited to have her own sword, just like Mommy and Daddy have!  Now, she can really be a big sister and take care of her little brother.  Mommy lets her wear it home, so she can get used to the feel.  But something occurs to Tyra.  "But Mommy, Daddy keeps asking me what I want to do when I get big.  What if I don't want to use a sword?"

Mommy smiles at her. "Honey, you don't have to use a sword.  But I wanted you to at least know how, in case you ever have to."  They walk on quietly for a while, before Mommy says one more thing, "Oh, and don't tell Daddy.  I'm not sure he's ready for this just yet."

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra smiles as she waves goodbye to Trouble as his mother take him home.  she enjoyed the playdates with him, even if he would always get them into trouble with "something."  Today it was Daddy, who despite having thrown it out, was none to pleased that Tyra and Trouble decided to shoot their old couch full of arrows, and set it on fire.  Tyra thought it was funny, of course, more because it was all Trouble's idea, but regardless, she was in trouble too.

She spent the night in her bed, and despite having told her should wouldn't be having dinner, Daddy brought her some bread and an apple before he went to bed.  She could always count on Daddy being like that, but she knew he was mad, and figured that next time, she'd at least try to convince Trouble its a bad idea, before helping him.

The next morning Daddy gave her a little black book, filled with blank pieces of parchment, along with a quill and a bottle of ink.

"What's this for, Daddy?"
"Well since you are learning how to read and write, I thought I'd give you something to practice in.  It's a journal.  You can keep your thoughts in it, write about things you find interesting or odd, or whatever.  Daddy writes in one too, about things that you and Drakie and Mommy and Daddy do."
"Neat!  Thank you, Daddy."
"Now run along, Aunt Flower is coming over soon to pick you up for your lessons."

Later that day, after Tyra got done with her lessons with Aunt Rose, she got her new journal out and opened it to the first page. After a bit of thinking, she began to write:
 
 

Journal of Tyra Dragonheart

 
 She turned the page and began to write in earnest.
 
 My name is Tyra Dragonheart. My Daddy is Shiff Dragonheart and my Mommy is Valmara Dragonheart. Aunt Rose is my teacher and she taught me to write pretty letters. Daddy calls her Aunt Flower but I know her name is Rose. My best friend is Trouble Tempest and he's really fun.
 
Mommy and Daddy both teach me to use swords and bows and stuff. It's fun. When I grow up I want to be big like Mommy and Daddy and Aunt Rose and use swords and stuff to protect people and help them.
 
I have a little brother. His name is Drakie. Mommy says he's named after Grampa and Daddy's dad. He's lots of fun to play with but sometimes he gets into my stuff when he's not supposed to.
 
Grampa lives with us.  He's really nice and he loves us lots.  He has a friend named Nana.  She's really nice too.
 
I don't know what else to say.  I guess I will write more when I do.

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra comes home one night, all dirty from playing in the woods with Trouble.  She giggles a bit when Daddy sees her, yelling at her a bit for being dirty, but Mommy calms him down and gets her ready for a bath.

A while later, Tyra climbs up into her bunk and pulls her journal out from under her pillow, before prancing into the living room to sit at her fathers desk while Daddy played with Drakie, wrestling on the couch.  She lays it down and opens it, opening a bottle of ink and dipping in her quill, before going to write,

[INDENT]Decilar 20

I had fun today!  Me and Trouble went for a walk in the woods when we found this neat hole!  It was all dirty inside but it was okay.  Trouble mad his nose glow and I followed him.  But he found this huge cave!  IT'S SO BIG!  Like, if Daddy came, and Mommy and Grampa and Nanna they wouldn't even make a dent it was SO BIG!  But then we saw these mean thingys, Trouble called then Gnolls.  That was funny, Gnolls in a hole, but I remember Daddy telling me about them and I made Trouble leave with me.  I don't wanna tell Daddy because he wouldn't let me play there anymore, but since me and Trouble covered the whole with rocks and sticks and leaves and he promised me not to go down again I hope he listens.  That hole was scary.  But Fun!  We found another somewhere else that just had a bunch of water at the bottom but its hard to get down.  Trouble said he's gonna try to get some rope from home so we could go down, but I gotta make sure Drakie doesn't see us...  He could fall in and it would be my fault.  Drakie is wrestling with Daddy now though so he's safe.  I love my little brother, even if he is a pain some time.  Oh well.  Goodnight Journal!  Mommy says its bed time and I don't wanna miss Daddy's story!  He was telling us about this Great Pumpkin that did funny things last night!  =)  Goodnight Journal!
[/INDENT]She hurries to put the ink away, disregarding the splashes her writing sent all over her fathers desk as she clutched her journal to her chest, running to her bed yelling, "Wait for me Daddy!"

[Frances]

Tyra and Trouble were playing in the forest near Tyra's home.  Trouble had taught Screech to hide behind trees and throw out stuffed targets for Tyra to shoot.  Though Trouble had first started as the better archer when they started shooting years ago, Tyra was now the more skilled archer.  Trouble was thoroughly entertained enjoying the nature around him, but Tyra was growing bored.  Despite Trouble's name, Tyra also often came up with mischief for the pair to get into.
   
Trouble was listening intently.  Tyra, seeing this, thought it would be good time to talk to him.  "Trouble, have you ever thought about us?  I mean... what we'll do when we grow up?"  Getting no response, she continued, "Look at our parents.  Your mother's talent with magic, my father's talent with the sword... Is that what were going to do?  More magic with you, and the sword for me?  I like it, I suppose, but I like the bow too..."  Looking up, she noticed that though Trouble was listening, it wasn't to her.  She walked over to him and gave him a nudge. "Trouble, can't you focus on what's going on?"
   
"Huh?"  Trouble gave her a look that said she was the one not paying attention.  "Hush and listen... The birds are complaining."
   
Tyra rolled her eyes in a fair imitation of her mother.  Trouble continued, "They're complaining about people in their clearing in the forest."  Tyra sighed but actually stayed quiet a bit and listened to the chirping of the birds.  She had learned that when it came to things of nature, Trouble was generally right.  But as she listened, she realized that that was what the birdsong meant.  It didn't translate into words in Common, but she could tell they were complaining, and it was about people.
   
As she listened, Tyra soon heard something else.  "Someone's coming."  A mischievous grin crept on to her face.  "I bet it's your parents or mine.  Let's hide and scare 'em when they get close."  It was Trouble's turn to roll his eyes, but he played along.  He gestured to Screech to stay where he was hiding, waiting to throw another target for Tyra.
   
As whoever was approaching got closer, though, Tyra whispered in Trouble's ear.   "Wait.  That doesn't sound like either of our parents.  They're too noisy and not at all used to being here."  The two stayed in hiding.  Tyra kept a sharp lookout for the first view of the interlopers, but Trouble's attention had strayed back to the birds.  He didn't move, though, so Tyra didn't say anything.
   
As the strangers blundered past their hiding place, Tyra watched them quietly and whispered to Trouble.  "Huh.  Wonder what they're doing here?"

Trouble glanced over at them.  "Hunters maybe?  Or wood cutters?" he said with some disgust in his voice.  "Nah... guards or something?"

Tyra was looking at him with some bewilderment.  "Trouble Tempest, sometimes you make no sense at all.  If I had to guess, I'd say they were soldiers or something."  She looked in the direction they had gone a minute longer.  "Let's see what they're up to."  Trouble nodded, and held out his arms to Screech, who ran into to them, climbing to his usual perch.

They followed along after the visitors, Tyra leading the way.  Trouble definitely understood nature better than she did, but she could notice the little disturbances caused by someone traveling through the forest better than he could.  "I don't think those two know quite where they're going.  They're not following anything like a straight path."  She pondered a moment.  "I wonder if they're trying to find that little meadow that's out this way.  Hey, I wonder if that's the meadow the birds were complaining about."

"Could be, I guess.  The birds weren't exactly specific, and I didn't ask."  It was Trouble's turn to get a mischievous grin.  "I can get us there ahead of them."

"How?  It may be just over there, but you gotta walk all the way around to the north unless you want to scramble through enough blackberry bushes to scratch up a mithril golem."  She wasn't sure what that was, but her father said they were very tough.

His only answer was a grin.  He walked over to the bushes in question and began to speak softly.  Tyra couldn't hear what he was saying, but the little she could hear sounded more like a song then words.  As she watched, the bushes began to sway as if in a breeze that she couldn't feel.  As they stopped swaying, she saw that they had shifted slightly to open a narrow path.  It was a bit twisty and you still had to move carefully to avoid the thorny blackberry vines, but it was definitely passable.  "That's still neat every time you do something like that.  You gotta teach me that trick."

"I've tried.  You never get it."

Tyra frowned.  "I know, I know... I can sorta understand the idea of animal talk.  But plants...?"  She sighed.  "Let's go.  And quietly, all right?"  Trouble bristled a little at Tyra's implication that he was less than skilled in moving quietly.  His father had taught him well how to move carefully through the woods, but he had to admit that Tyra had a real knack for moving quietly, so silently she could sneak up on most of the animals in the forest.  

Tyra and Trouble headed down the path to the meadow.  As they got close, Tyra suddenly pulled Trouble down.  "There's people down there," she whispered in his ear.  "At least three, probably more."  They slipped quietly to the edge of the bushes where they could look out.

"I see... two, three guards?  And I think that guy's their leader."  As they watched, the two interlopers who originally piqued their interest approached from the opposite side of the little clearing.  It seemed they were expected by the group already there.

The human soldier spoke to the leader, "You Percy?  You're the one who hired us?"

"I am.  I have a little job I need doing.  You don't have any problem with using those blades, I assume?"  The leader grinned evilly and began explaining his plan to the two newcomers.

The two youngsters listened in silence as Percy explained his plan to take over as boss of the gang of criminals he was in.  His boss, Kohlman, was about to have two new recruits join, the pair who had just blundered into the woods.  They would pick a quarrel with Kohlman and kill him, or just stab him in the back if the opportunity presented itself, then disappear, ostensibly to avoid further trouble with the gang.

Tyra and Trouble looked at each other with some fear.  These criminals wouldn't have any reason not to kill them if they were found out.  Percy and the others were deep in their conversation now, discussing details, but the guards were still watching.

Trouble strained to hear the details.  "I'm going to move a bit closer," he whispered in Tyra's ear.  

"Trouble wait--"  She was talking to herself.  He had already moved off.

Percy passed the human and the dwarf a small bag each.  The dwarf felt the weight of his and spoke gruffly, "Five hunnert fer each o' us.  Not total."

"You'll get the rest when the job's done."  At that moment, Trouble's luck in moving quietly thus far ran out, and a twig suddenly snapped under his step.  "What was that?  You sold us out to Kohlman, didn't you?  Curse you!"  Arrows suddenly began flying in the youngster's direction from the guards, and there was the sound of blades being drawn.  

Tyra suddenly had a flash of inspiration.  She whistled a bit of birdsong she knew.  This one did translate well into Common, but that was due to its simplicity and use in the animal world.  It meant simply, "Run away!"

Trouble made his way back to her, more noisily than Tyra would have liked, but the others in the clearing were so intent on fighting one another they didn't notice.  Trouble and Screech were both wide-eyed and frightened.  Tyra didn't realize it, but she looked about the same.  The three of them huddled quietly, listening to the bandits fighting one another.  After a bit, it was clear the fighting was over.  

"Are they all dead?"  Tyra asked.  Trouble just shrugged.  Wordlessly, they moved in unison to look.  Three heads, two human and one Belinarian monkey, peeked out and began looking around the clearing.

There were several bodies in the clearing.  It was obvious a couple were dead, based on their injuries, and the rest weren't moving either, except for one.  Percy had managed to survive the loss of his cronies and the mercenaries he was trying to hire.  He was cursing softly to himself.  "Dead, dammit, all my men are dead!  Curse Kohlman!  I never should have trusted him."  As he surveyed the carnage, he happened to look up at the right moment to notice the youngsters watching him from across the clearing.  They ducked, but he let out a shout.  "It's just a couple of kids!  I'll kill you!"  

Thinking quickly, Trouble started speaking softly to the plants again.  As Percy ran across the clearing towards them, vines suddenly began sprouting around him.  He danced nimbly, avoiding most of them, but one wrapped around his leg, holding him in place.  Yelling wordlessly, he drew his sword and hacked at the vine.  "I'm going to get you kids!  You ruined my plans!"

Tyra and Trouble turned to the path they took through the blackberry brambles, but they had gotten turned around and couldn't find the path.  Tyra grabbed Trouble's arm, "Open another path!  We gotta get outta here!"

"I can't!  I can't focus enough to make the plants hear me!"

Tyra grabbed his arm again and pulled him in another direction.  "Then we gotta go!  It's the only other way outta this clearing!"  She yanked him along, almost pulling him off his feet.  Screech managed to avoid falling off Trouble's shoulder only by grabbing tightly onto Trouble's hair.

They pelted off down a narrow cut.  The stream that flowed through the meadow came in through this narrow ravine.  Trouble did his best to keep up with Tyra.  With her longer legs, she could outrun him, but she would never leave him behind.  "You know... where this path... leads... don't you?" Trouble asked between breaths.

"Sure... it leads..."  Tyra stopped as they entered a small clearing, no more than twenty feet across.  A small cliff, only fifteen feet high or so covered one side, over which a small waterfall tumbled to feed a small pool and then the stream.  Dense woods and brush grew over the other sides, forming an impassable wall everywhere except the path they had used to get in.  "It leads here," Tyra finished lamely.  "What do we do?"  Both of them looked around desperately for a way out.  The brush looked completely impassable.  They might climb the cliff, but it looked dangerous.  However, it was definitely dangerous to wait for Percy here.  They could tell by the sounds behind them that he'd gotten free from the vines and was blundering down the cut they had ran down.  They had minutes at most.

Tyra brushed her hair out of her face and surveyed the cliff.  Trouble pointed, "Let's try there.  That rock on that part looks loose; stay away from it."  He turned to Tyra, who had suddenly stopped.  

She grinned, "I've got an idea.  Trouble, can you get me a long vine, like thirty or forty feet?"  Trouble just grinned and started speaking low and soft again.  At her feet, a single vine sprouted and grew, running along the ground until it reached the cliff, then it ran up the cliff to the top.  Tyra drew her knife and cut the vine off, ignoring Trouble's sudden frown.  She quickly tied a loop in the end of it, and presented it to Trouble.  "Can you get Screech to throw this around that rock at the top right there?"

Trouble took it and did his best to get Screech to do as she asked.  It took some coaxing, but Trouble and Screech had long ago learned well to understand one another.  Meanwhile, Tyra ran the other end of the vine around a couple of trees and around a bee's nest on one side of the little clearing, then back to the center.  She grabbed a piece of wood, cut it carefully, and arranged the vines.  Then she climbed partway up the cliff and pulled loose a couple of rocks, causing a small shower of dirt on herself in the process.  "Now we just need to hide right over here."  She pulled Trouble and Screech down behind some bushes on one side of the clearing.

Trouble obviously couldn't understand what she was up to.  "What the bloody hell--"

Just then a shout cut him off.  "Hah!  There's no way out of here, you kids!  You ruined my plans, now I'm going to ruin you!  No more running away for you!"  Percy advanced into the clearing them with his sword drawn and began looking around.  Trouble and Tyra clung to each other, Screech in between them, certain that he would spot them any moment.

Then Percy reached the spot where Tyra had arranged the vines.  As he stepped into it, the loose rock on the cliff tumbled down, and before Percy could see what was happening, he found himself getting a bee's nest thrown in his face, complete with bees.  Angry bees.

"Come on!"  Tyra grabbed Trouble's hand and both of them sprinted past the now thoroughly distracted Percy.  His yells followed them down the cut, but it was clear he was spending his time trying to use the pool to evade the bees.  The noise he was making soon faded, but Tyra and Trouble ran until they were completely out of breath, and most of the way home.

As they caught their breaths and finished their walk home, Trouble tried to act casually.  "You didn't have to cut that vine.  And you completely destroyed that bee's nest."  He frowned at her slightly.

"I did too have to cut it, and I got us out of there didn't I?  Besides, why didn't you just tie him up in vines?"  It was clear she thought he should have been more impressed with the bit of trickery she had come up with.  She, too, was trying to be casual about it, but was also very happy to be alive also.

"I didn't have the strength.  It takes a bit out of me to do that.  Maybe when I'm older I'll be able to do it more, like Mom does.  She can cast spells all day long."

As they left the forest and got close to home, Tyra's brother Drakie spotted them.  "Where have you two been?"  He looked them over quickly.  "Deep in the woods again?  Mom and Dad have been looking for you!"  He grinned mischievously.  "You two are in so much trouble!"  He ran off yelling, "Mom!  Dad!  I found them!  They were in the woods again!"  His yelling trailed off in the distance.

Trouble thought it wouldn't be too bad.  "We'll just tell them what really happened."

"Yeah, that'll go over well.  'We were listening to the birds complaining and decided to follow a couple of lowlifes into the forest.'  They won't believe us, and if they do they'll say we shouldn't have done what we did."

"They'll believe us, I think."  He sighed and looked over Tyra's now dirt-covered, scratched, and torn clothing. "Drakie's right, though.  We are in trouble."

As they drew within sight of Tyra's home, they saw four adults waiting for them, all of them with crossed arms and stern expressions.  "Come on," Trouble said, "we may as well get this over with."

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Trouble was right, Shiff, Valmara, Tegan, and Sallaron did believe them.  Or at least, they believed what Trouble told them.  Tyra stayed rather quite while Trouble explained how they were practicing with their bows when they saw something they wanted to follow, and did, then had to run for their lived when the thing spotted them.  While incredibly vague and absent of the truthful details, he did tell them what happen, just leaving out the details that kept him and Tyra from being grounded...
 
 ...forever.
 
 That, however, didn't save Tyra from punishment.  Her mother and father had told her many times not to go into the woods, and that doing so was dangerous.  While they gave Tyra permission to travel the borders of the woods for target practice, having gone deeper and almost getting hurt was beyond letting slide, and even her pouting at he father, her usual ploy to escape punishment, wouldn't work this time.
 
 Instead she was grounded to stay in her room except during meals and when her Aunt Rose came to take her to her lessons.  Luckily Drakie and the girl that was staying with them for a while, Mary, were allowed to go play with her.  She wasn't mad at her little brother for catching her, she was just happy he didn't tease her about it.  Mary though kept asking questions, like "Was it scary?" and  "Where they ugly?"  Mary seemed more excited about what Tyra did then Tyra herself.

A few weeks went by, and eventually Tyra was allowed off her punishment, though she kept much closer to the house this time.  Trouble seemed to not want to go near the woods either, and when he did come over they would tend to play in the market place more often then the woods.

Her Father though had surprised her one day.  Tyra had found a young mongoose when with her Aunt Rose one afternoon and wanted to keep it, though she knew it was best to late Rose watch it until her father talked to her about it.  Strangely though, her father skipped that step, and brought it home in a basket for her.

"Now Tyra, Rose told me all about the mongoose...  And yer mother isn't exactly happy about it either, but as long as you take care of it, you can keep it.  But remember, you start letting him get into things, making messes, and leaving little presents around the house he's out..."  Tyra just nodded, promised to take care of it, and brought it to her room.

Over the next few days she went around collecting things like food and bedding for it, making sure it got to go outside a few times a day.  She often had to rescue it from her mother when he wandered into her parents room, but otherwise everything was fine...  for now...

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Tyra had been spending a great deal of time in the woods lately. Whether its sneaking after Trouble when he goes to see his Bear friend Grumpy, or going on her own adventures with Mongrel, the Mongoose, she just seemed to get better and better at it. Though she still spent time practicing with her father with her sword, she knew she wasn't as good as him, but she loved picking up lose branches and catching her father off guard. She had become rather skilled at fighting with two weapons, and for her 14th birthday her Shiff actually bought her two short swords (blunt of course).  She didn't mind though.  She decided to give the longer sword her mother gave her to her little brother, and though he was excited, he couldn't quite pick it up.
 
 "Don't worry, Lil Bro.  Mommy and Daddy will show you how to use it."

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

She always thought her father would be there when she needed him. She always thought he would be there to hug her and kiss her cheek when she left home to become her own person. She always thought... Now she knew he wouldn't be there anymore.

She stormed out of the house, screaming at the clouds like her father once did. "WHY!? WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!?" Her mother couldn't sooth her pain either. She was hit just as hard as Tyra.

Drakie looked up at her from when she came back in. "Why can't Dad come home, Sis? Why! He always comes home! He said nothing could keep him from us!" All she could do is sit with her mom and brother, holding them both, as they cried.

That night Tyra left. She packed her things her father had given her. The two blunt short swords, an old cloak, and a gem. A single Phenalope was all she had to remember her father. She then snuck into her parents room, her mother still sobbing in their bed, and she stole what coin she could find in her father's desk. "I'm sorry Dad, but I need this now..."

The dark streets of Haven's farmland where not very welcoming that night, and she thanked Trouble Tempest for the many times they snuck through the forest, or in and out of danger, for her knack for keeping out of sight. Many times she had to hide in the shadows as a night watchman walked past, and it wasn't until she made it to the road that she travelled openly.

She didn't know where to turn now. She didn't want to be home. Home held memories to painful to be close to right now, but the road held nothing, except the footsteps of her father. Thats what she wanted to do right now. Follow him, find him. Find out why he wasn't coming back, why he wasn't going to be able to hold her again. And find out how to make sure he was proud of her.

Heading towards Hlint was harder then her father used to make it sound. The long road west was often muddy, and when it wasn't it was rocky and dusty. With her cloak pulled around her tight she wandered, but soon hunger got to her.

Tired and alone, she crept into the forest for the night while the sun was still in the sky. Knowing she had to eat though, she thought up a trap. finding the biggest rock she could find, tied a few vines around it and did her best to hang the rock from a tree. At the other end, she tied snare, and after pulling the vine rope over a branch to get the rock to dangle above, she took her sword and used it to pin the snare to the ground. She hoped it would work, and an hour later it did. But what she caught was not food.

"ACK! Get me down from here!" Screamed the man. "What is this!? A man goes to relieve himself and he gets caught in a snare?!" Tyra almost cried, but she was laughing to hard. After she cut the man down, she told him what she was trying to do, and the man sighed. "Well I got nothing to offer, but I can take you to Hlint. Its a few hours by wagon but I don't mind heading that way. Come on..."

The man dropped her off by the gates of Hlint, and she found herself where her father began his own legend. She frowned looking at the gates, and even looked around for Shiff's fabled dent in the wall, before walking through them.

The inside was not what she expected after hearing so many stories from her parents about the Town. It was almost lifeless. Even the benches seemed unused. It wasn't the town full of adventurers anymore, but it was a town with an Inn.

Walking inside was easy, listening to the chatter was not. Shiff dying seemed to have caused a stir around Mistone, and Tyra could see old men sitting around looking grim about the fate of Tyra's father. All she could bring herself to do was ask the innkeep for some food and a room, handing over some of the coins she stole from her Father.

The next morning, she over heard someone lamenting about Shiff, saying he used to be in Port Hempstead almost all the time trying to make sure people around there were safe, and thats when Tyra got the idea. Hempstead, thats where she needed to start. With Hlint as empty as it was it was the only option.

The next day she got a ride on a caravan heading to Hempstead through Fort Llast. At first she didn't realize where she was going, but when she saw the Temple to Toran, the temple her Aunt Rose used to teach her, she knew where she was. He quickly pulled the hood of her cloak around her face, and tried to avoid any passerbyer's eyes, and she got scared when she saw her "Aunt" Elohanna walk out of her house to tend to some business. She didn't want anyone to stop her, and knowing her Aunt, she couldn't risk being seen.

It was when the caravan arrived in Port Hempstead that she knew it was time. Hopping off the wagon she walked through the gates to start her own adventure, and maybe even figure out what made her Father so "famous".

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

The day finally came when Shiff was to be put to rest...
 
Tyra stayed in the back, her cloak tight around her, her hood pulls to conceal her as much as possible and but still letting her see. For a while she just stood there watching her Mother, Grandfather, and her little brother in silence. Her eyes would drift between them, but mostly they would stay on the small urn carrying what was left of her father.
 
When her Mother started speaking she looked up, a tear in her eye, and listened to the eulogy in silence. She shared her mother's pain, but after running away she had to remain unseen by her family and friends.
 
When everyone started to leave, Tyra stood back a bit from the rest, but close enough to see her fathers Helmet, and the hilt of his sword. She kept her cloak tight around her and her hood low, but she kept her eyes on whats left of her father. "I'll make you proud, Daddy... I promise..."

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Hey, you better have a good day or else!  :p  Don't let anyone poop on you today

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

Augra 3, 1436

It's been a while since I wrote in this journal, but since I'm starting my own story now I guess I best keep a record of it.

I meet these two really odd folks outside Port Hempstead.  One's an Elf named Rank, the other calls hims Wan, but both refer to themselves as Road Wardens.  I donno what that means entirely, but they make it seem like they are some sort of Guardians.  I might have to watch what it is they really do, but they took me to Fort Vehl (I think thats what they called it) to deal with some undead.  I was a bit scared though.  Only time I ever heard of Undead was from Mom and Dad, and sometimes Aunt Rose...  They made these things seem really dangerous...  I hope these ones aren't the same as the ones that took Dad away!  But if they are they are gonna learn what it means to mess with my family!

The Undertaker at Fort Vehl said he had a job for me.  Not so sure if I can handle it, though, but maybe these two Road Wardens will help me.  I'm sure they've handle stuff like that before.  I also got a job in Port Hempstead trying to find something in the sewers but the Rats are a bit too large for me to handle right now...  One almost bit my hand off!  I guess I'm not gonna be a big hero like my Dad...  Not until I can learn to kill a few rats, at least.

Note to self.  Those "Road Wardens" are really weird.  They are always talking about Watchfuls and Unwatchfuls.  I think they were refering to people that were Faithful to Toran but it sure sounded weird.  At least they were decent folk, if a bit screwy.

I also had a really bad experience in Krandor.  I was wondering around and tripped over a grave and this...  THING came out of it!  I tried to run but I couldn't make it go away, and when I tried to fight it...  everything went cold...  Then I woke up in Port Hempstead again at the foot of this huge cross-shaped rock...  Dad told me about these things but...  Did I die?  It felt strange...  and when I got up I hurt all over...  Body, head, hands...  I went back to Krandor thinking maybe I imagined it but...  No...  That cold feeling returned when I tried to fend the thing off again.  If thats death, I hope it was that painless for Dad...