The ranger cursed, dragging himself across the ground and propping himself against a tree, gasping for breath. He winced as he
covered the vicious slashes across his ribs, forcing his cloak against the wound to stem the flow of blood. The wolf whined and
whimpered only a few feet away from his, the arrow stuck firmly in its back, bleeding freely as it pawed at the muddy ground trying to
drag itself away.
The rush of battle, the thrill of the fight, the sound of your heart pulsing in your ears all fell from the ranger like the leaves from the trees.
All that remained was the whisper of the wind through the trees, the chatter of a few birds, the whimpering of the wolf and his own
harsh, ragged breathing. The forest hushed and stilled....as though watching the events between man and beast with great curiosity.
He glanced down at his cloak....it was soaked and black from the blood. His blood.
He cursed again, knowing full well it was a deep wound, and as the realisation hit him, he felt himself growing dizzy and weak, bile
rising from his stomach tasting sickly sweet. He'd lost a lot of blood....and would continue to. Likely he would lose consciousness soon,
and the question would raise its ugly head....would he wake up?
Resigned to his own fate, he regarded the wolf a moment still scrabbling away, and a look of pity crossed his face.
He had never meant to startle the beast. He had spotted it earlier in the undergrowth and tried to detour around it, recognising it was
half starved and would likely have attacked anything it saw as it scavenged relentlessly for food. He had been trying to cross these
woods for two days now, and had managed to avoid slaying anything he didn't need to.....until now.
And now is scraped and clawed at the dirt feebly, the arrow embedded deep, its grey fur now black and sticky as it slowly bled to death
before him. He leant forward and dragged his bow towards him from where it had dropped, cursing as the stretching sent waves of
pain rushing over him. Every movement an agony, he reached behind him, pulled an arrow from his quiver, and knocked it with shaky
hands, aiming at the beast.
It stopped its struggle a moment....and turned to look directly at him, its bright eyes seeming to bore into his soul, accepting its
end....almost welcoming it.
He held his aim....his arms shook from maintaining the hold....the strain drained him....and with a ragged, miserable sigh.... he dropped
the bow to the floor and fell back against the tree, defeated.
He couldn't do it....even now, when it would be preferable to end it rather than let the beast suffer....he couldn't do it.
Ripping his hood off, he rested his head against the firm trunk of the tree and closed his eyes.....waiting for darkness to over take him.
Then the feeling came....it drifted in just as it seemed he would sleep forever....and like a cold bucket of water to the face....he sat up
and opened his eyes,looking about alertly.
She stood at the threshold of a grove of trees, silent and still. It took him a moment to notice her, her clothes blended into the lush green
background perfectly and his eyes blurred over a little. She regarded him cooly, not a flicker of surprise or interest on her face and
strode over to him casually, not a twig snapping beneath her feet as she came, as though she glided.
She wore simple leathers, dyed green and browns that kept her camouflaged, hinting at her thing and agile figure. She was obviously
elven, the slight almond eyes, the delicate curves of her face, the tips of her ears piercing her short, black hair. She stopped a few feet
away from him, looked to the injured wolf, then to the bow on the floor, and finally back to the ranger.
Her face was marble, not a hint of emotion showed on her face, and it seemed for a moment as though she may have simply continued
walking and left the two for dead.
" Why did you not finish the wolf? Your bow is there....." she spoke softly, tonelessly, pointing to the bow.
Dizziness assailed him. He propped himself up further on the tree, and again, the movement sent painful shocks through his system
which seemed to clear his head. He kept his hand to his wound. It was warm and sticky, but the blood had slowed.
" Because....I.....couldn't...." he gasped, shifting his weight painfully on the tree.
She raised an eyebrow a moment and looked back to the bow at his feet. It was right in front of him, within easy reach, and an arrow
lay atop it, seeming to have been knocked already. She regarded him curiously a moment, then knelt down beside him, placing a hand
on his.
The smell of jasmine filled his lungs, strong and sweet. Her hair fell over her face as she bowed her head, clutching his hand tightly and
murmuring strange words. He gasped in surprise as the pain began subsiding, the dizziness receded, and he felt strength returning to
him.
Her hand clenched his tighter and pulled it away from the wound, pulling his cloak with it. Blood caked his leathers and skin, but she
poked the wound firmly, with little concern for his suffering, and nodded slightly.
" You will live" she said, getting gracefully to her feet and stepping back a little.
He glanced down at the wound. His skin was pink and health, albeit covered in blood, and the deep cuts from the wolfs claws were
gone. He looked up at her in surprise and forced a weak smile.
" My....thanks miss....I.....owe you one." he spoke, his breathing slowing and becoming more steady.
She nodded slowly again and strode over calmy to the injured wolf. Panic flooded through him and he rushed to his feet, wincing at the
pain he expected to feel, even though the wound was fully healed.
" Miss wait....it's injured.....dying...." he spoke hurriedly, fearing the beast may fear her and attack. But the words died on his tongue.
Seeing her approach, the wolf whimpered pathetically and began scrabbling its way towards her, it's tail wagging slightly. She knelt
before it, patting its head, letting it lick her hand a moment, before looking carefully at the arrow which stuck from its back.
Softly, ever so softly, she whispered words to it, covered its eye gently with her hand, and in one quick motion, yanked the arrow from
its back. The beast shuddered and spasmed, yelping loudly in pain, but remaining by her. Blood began pouring from the wound, but
again, she placed her hand over it and began whispering words, her head bowed.
The Ranger stood and watched in awe, keeping a distance from the wolf. He regarded the woman curiously, solemnly, wondering if he
had ever seen a sight so beautiful. This elven lady of the woods, who healed the sick and spoke to the animals. Now he was aware of
it, he could sense something about her....something around her. It watched her, guided her, protected her, and he shrank before it,
suddenly feeling small in her presence.
" Who....who are you?" he asked.
She petted the wolf a moment, then rose to her feet and turned to face him, her face blank and emotionless, her eyes wide and
innocent.
" Iam Valaria la'Elis, Priestess of the Longstrider." she spoke slowly.
Unsure why, never having been a devout follower of Folian, feeling only that it was right to do so, he felt himself bow reverently to her.
She regarded him a moment at this and nodded slowly, then pointed eastward through the trees.
" The way through the woods is that way. Follow it for a day and you will find the lake and the road to Pranzt."
He looked in the direction she pointed, quickly noting landmarks and the suns position to be sure, then turned back to her. But she was
already walking away, moving gracefully from one tree to the next, touching each gently as she passed them, the wolf trotting along
beside her in full health.
He sighed a moment and shook his head. Reaching down, he grabbed his bow and replaced the arrow back in the quiver. His eyes
turned eastwards again, noting the sun slowly sinking from the sky and the grey clouds gathering on the far horizon.
"Why were you here?"
He spun around suddenly, a little alarmed, to find her standing by the tree again, the wolf obediently stood next to her, regarding him
with a fair amount of hatred. Again, she looked emotionlessly at him, as though he should have expected this.
" I'm not sure miss. I er....guess my feet just brought me here. They have a habit of doing that." he chuckles slightly at this.
She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly, almost curiously.
" You are an adventurer yes? You travel much?"
He pulled a small canteen from his belt and took a long quaff, nodding to her mid drink, hasping as the cool liquids calmed his parched
throat, then splashed some on his leathers where the blood still caked.
" I certainly try miss. I aint no frontlining beserker or anything though. I travel from here to there....again, where ever my feet take me."
He began rubbing his cloak against the leathers, trying to get the blood out and smiling politely. She raised an eyebrow slightly and
looked at him strangely, almost as though she recognised him from somewhere. The expression held a moment, as though she were
considering something, then she nodded slowly again, her mind made up.
" I will be leaving these woods one day, and will need a guide to explore further. Since you say you...owe me....could I count on you?"
He smiled warmly again, snapping the cloak off from around his neck and stuffing it into his pack which lay strewn on the floor.
" You certainly could miss....and it would be a pleasure to help and guide. I can't guarantee we wont get lost from time to time....my feet
seem to have a knack for that too. But..." he chuckles, shrugging slightly " I always seem to find my way home in the end."
A thin, chilly breeze suddenly gushed through the woods, shaking the trees awake and blowing leaves to dance about the air infront of
the the two. The sky darkened ever so slightly, but enough for the two of them to glance up at it together.
" So....you travel far....even though you may not know the way and may stray?" she asked, a small hint of curiousness and surprise
creeping in her voice.
" I do miss....bit of exploring. Path's cant take you every where there is to see.....and the world is so much bigger than a road."
He smiled warmly again, looking intently at her, noting she must live close by, as she carried no pack, no tools or weapons hung on her
belt. For a moment, he wondered whether she was really alone out here after all, and glanced about the trees.
" And who are you...that I should ask for?" she asked softly, stepping back a little whilst he seemed to get himself ready to leave.
Readjusting his pack on his back and securing the bow to his shoulder, he turned to her and nods politely, a slight gleam in his eyes.
" Just call me Sall....."
