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justariderGame Received: Nimue and Mulan's extent of frienship game, Day 376, Night
Team Played With: various (John Constantine, Ao, Page, Zephyr, Nia, Jade, Sarah, Robin, Constellations, Night)
Memory Form: a batch of magic bubbles of water and a small dagger. Slice the bubble to get your memory. Can be used 3 times.
The nature of her dreams changed abruptly. She heard fair voices in song
and talk around her. The voices weren't intrusive, but soothing, though she
could not understand the words. She awakened once, and a myriad of stars
brightened the sky like beacons, and silhouetted the tops of evergreens.
She lay in a great round clearing softened by deer moss that looked like
clumps of snow in the starlight. Stars flickered among the trees… no, not
stars, but moonstones… dozens of them. She was not alone.
Light followed in the wake of folk tall and slender, who glided across
the clearing and disappeared among the trees. She sat up with a start that
set her head ringing.
"Easy, youngling," a quiet voice said. A gentle but firm hand on her
shoulder eased her back down. "There is nothing to harm you here. You've
the good fortune of being found by friends in your time of need. You need
not fear the Tree Kindred of the Elt Wood."
As Karigan drifted back into sleep, she heard the eagle say, My Lord
Drannonair of the Mountains calls me. I confess I've no wish to get mixed
up in the affairs of earthbound creatures, and it was time I left.
The quiet-voiced one laughed, and it was a sound of joy. "But,
Softfeather, you are always betraying yourself!"
Someone put a cool hand on Karigan's burning forehead, and she fell
into deep slumber. She dreamed of feasting, of fair folk amidst the
moonstones singing and laughing, and dancing to music that could not be
heard. The women, clad in long and simple dresses, spun and danced with
fluid grace as if their movements were some flowing language. If so, what
were they saying? The swaying, dipping, leaping figures were strong in
her vision, but after a time, they faded into the moonstone light.
The singing continued for a time, and though Karigan didn't know the
language, it seemed she understood the words nonetheless:
By bright of light in Laurelyn's step,
By the brilliant light of Moonman's beam,
We leave the shadows of the night,
In the realm of poison dreams.
Our hearts will lift at the hour,
When the light conquers the dark,
And when poison from the heart is driven,
We dance in a glade in Laurelyn's step.
The song faded, and the men entered the clearing and picked up on the
rhythm of the unheard music where the women had left off. They danced
for a short time, but could have as easily surpassed the Ages.
Karigan dimly perceived a change of light from dusk to dawn. Stars still
dangled above as the sky transformed into the blue blush of day. The
dance went on and the strains of a song she could not hear carried through
her dreams. When the dance stopped and the women reentered the
clearing, Karigan moved to join them, but the cool hand on her forehead
cast her into a deeper sleep where dreams would not disturb her.
• • •
When she awakened again, stars still dotted the sky and moonstones
shimmered in the woods as before, and the clearing was not so far
removed from her dreams, except now it was empty of dancers. It was all
she could do to open her eyes, so overcome with weakness was she.
"So you are with us again, youngling."
Karigan recognized the voice, but the speaker wasn't within her vision.
When she struggled to her elbows, the clearing and stars spun.
"None of that," the voice said. "You are too weak yet."
Hands pressed her shoulders down. When the spinning ceased, a young
man such as she had never seen before knelt beside her. At least, he was
young in appearance, though the weight of years could be felt through his
mild manner. Long hair shimmered silver in the starlight, though she
could not be sure that silver was its true color. Wide bright eyes of pale
gray set into a fine-boned face gazed down at her merrily. He was slender
like a reed, but not bereft of heft and muscle.
"Who—" she croaked. Her mouth and throat were parched.
He lifted a skin of water to her lips and helped her drink. It was cold
and clear as if it had been drawn from the root of all waters, from a
mountain spring that flowed into a sunny glade where the trees around it
grew taller than any she had ever seen.
"I am Somial," the man said. "I am Somial of Eletia, or the Elt Wood as
your folk would call it."
Karigan choked on the water. Eletia! "Eletians are legend," she
whispered.
"If that is so," he said with a smile, "I must then be a legend."
"Estral always claimed there were still Eletians around, but I never
believed her."
"Your Estral, then, is most wise."
"The Horse—" She tried to sit up again, but Somial pressed her firmly
to the ground.
"He fares well," he assured her. "We have been caring for him most
diligently."
Karigan struggled no more. She hadn't the strength to. "A long night,"
she murmured.
Somial arched his right brow. "Yes. This night and the last two."
"I've been—?"
"Yes, messenger. Your fight only just began when you slew the creature
of Kanmorhan Vane. Softfeather told us of your courage. Such courage is
not often found among your folk, nor such resilience. The poison of the
beast raged hot and thick through your veins."
Karigan couldn't get over the feeling he was secretly laughing at her,
but his gaze and tone were sincere enough. "Softfeather? Who—?"
"The gray eagle. He, too, is a messenger of sorts among his folk."
Karigan closed her eyes. The lights around her had begun to dim and
flare, and dim again. How was it the Eletians had come to be here at this
time? Were they just another fever dream?
"How did you find me?"
Somial said, "We are tiendan, hunters, or watchers for the king. We
walk the lands, even outside our beloved Eletia. Long it has been since last
we traveled Sacoridia's fine northern forest. Our king and his son have
sensed a great unease in the world, and the creature of Kanmorhan Vane
only confirms some unrest of the dark powers. We would that we could
have come to your aid sooner, but we only knew of you when we saw the
light of the muna'riel. Curious that a mortal should possess one. We don't
know what to make of it."
"You mean my moonstone?"
"Yes, your moonstone. You have been touched by the light of Laurelyn.
It makes you a friend of the Elt Wood, though our king cares little for your
kind."
"It was a gift," Karigan said, a little defensively.
"And a worthy one. As is this." He held in his palm, a tiny white petal.
With a clear ringing laugh, he tossed it into the air and it might have
vanished, but to Karigan, it seemed to become a star. She couldn't hold on
any longer, and as she slipped again into slumber, Somial said, "Your
wounds were grave, the poison is still within you, but you shall be well
soon. Do not fear the night or the creatures within. We shall watch over
you, Karigan of Sacoridia, till you have regained the strength to continue
your endeavor."
"Can you take my message to Sacor City?" she asked in a groggy
whisper.
"Your path lies long and dark," came the quiet reply. He brushed damp
hair from her forehead. "But you've the will and strength, and the
muna'riel. Laurelyn's light can shatter the strength of the dark powers.
Yours is not our mission, youngling. We seldom venture where
humankind dwells."
"Youngling…" she protested.
"Though I am young among my folk at nigh on two hundred years, you
are younger still." He kissed her forehead, a gesture that reminded her of
her mother, and as she slipped into oblivion, she thought she heard him
say, "May Laurelyn light your way."
Karigan drifted off and did not know how long she slept, and though the
sleep was deep and healing, she was always aware of the rhythm of the
music. The Eletians watched over her, and thus reassured, her sleep was
peaceful.
• • •
When she did awaken, the clearing was awash in the glow of late
morning sunshine. Experimentally she moved each limb. Her right leg was
still sore, and when she inspected her ankle, it was bruised black. There
were numerous purple marks on her legs where the hatchlings had stung
her, but the swelling was gone and the marks were not very painful.
Her wrists were wrapped in a gauzy material where the creature's blood
had burned her. In all, she felt as anyone else coming out of illness: weak
but renewed, and grateful to be well.
There was no sign of Somial or any other Eletians in the area. They had
tended her wounds well. She lay on her bedroll wrapped in her blanket,
her head pillowed on the greatcoat, just as she had slept so many nights
during her journey. Maybe Somial and the Eletians had been dreams, but
her tended wounds proved otherwise.
Nearby, The Horse's tack and her packs lay on the ground, and beside
them, the unsheathed saber which glared in the sun. Someone had cleaned
it of black blood. She shivered as she remembered that night, and
wondered how many nights had since passed.
A loud rattling of branches on the outskirts of the clearing made her
heart leap. She took up the saber expecting another creature to attack her,
but relaxed when The Horse emerged from the trees. She staggered to her
feet and limped over to meet him halfway across the clearing. When she
saw no evidence of his sting wound, she wrapped her arms around his
neck. He nickered softly.
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see you, you stubborn old horse."
Karigan lingered another day and night in the clearing trying to regain
the old strength that still eluded her. There was no trace of the Eletians,
though when she slept, she could still feel the rhythm of their silent song.
Team Played With: various (John Constantine, Ao, Page, Zephyr, Nia, Jade, Sarah, Robin, Constellations, Night)
Memory Form: a batch of magic bubbles of water and a small dagger. Slice the bubble to get your memory. Can be used 3 times.
The nature of her dreams changed abruptly. She heard fair voices in song
and talk around her. The voices weren't intrusive, but soothing, though she
could not understand the words. She awakened once, and a myriad of stars
brightened the sky like beacons, and silhouetted the tops of evergreens.
She lay in a great round clearing softened by deer moss that looked like
clumps of snow in the starlight. Stars flickered among the trees… no, not
stars, but moonstones… dozens of them. She was not alone.
Light followed in the wake of folk tall and slender, who glided across
the clearing and disappeared among the trees. She sat up with a start that
set her head ringing.
"Easy, youngling," a quiet voice said. A gentle but firm hand on her
shoulder eased her back down. "There is nothing to harm you here. You've
the good fortune of being found by friends in your time of need. You need
not fear the Tree Kindred of the Elt Wood."
As Karigan drifted back into sleep, she heard the eagle say, My Lord
Drannonair of the Mountains calls me. I confess I've no wish to get mixed
up in the affairs of earthbound creatures, and it was time I left.
The quiet-voiced one laughed, and it was a sound of joy. "But,
Softfeather, you are always betraying yourself!"
Someone put a cool hand on Karigan's burning forehead, and she fell
into deep slumber. She dreamed of feasting, of fair folk amidst the
moonstones singing and laughing, and dancing to music that could not be
heard. The women, clad in long and simple dresses, spun and danced with
fluid grace as if their movements were some flowing language. If so, what
were they saying? The swaying, dipping, leaping figures were strong in
her vision, but after a time, they faded into the moonstone light.
The singing continued for a time, and though Karigan didn't know the
language, it seemed she understood the words nonetheless:
By bright of light in Laurelyn's step,
By the brilliant light of Moonman's beam,
We leave the shadows of the night,
In the realm of poison dreams.
Our hearts will lift at the hour,
When the light conquers the dark,
And when poison from the heart is driven,
We dance in a glade in Laurelyn's step.
The song faded, and the men entered the clearing and picked up on the
rhythm of the unheard music where the women had left off. They danced
for a short time, but could have as easily surpassed the Ages.
Karigan dimly perceived a change of light from dusk to dawn. Stars still
dangled above as the sky transformed into the blue blush of day. The
dance went on and the strains of a song she could not hear carried through
her dreams. When the dance stopped and the women reentered the
clearing, Karigan moved to join them, but the cool hand on her forehead
cast her into a deeper sleep where dreams would not disturb her.
• • •
When she awakened again, stars still dotted the sky and moonstones
shimmered in the woods as before, and the clearing was not so far
removed from her dreams, except now it was empty of dancers. It was all
she could do to open her eyes, so overcome with weakness was she.
"So you are with us again, youngling."
Karigan recognized the voice, but the speaker wasn't within her vision.
When she struggled to her elbows, the clearing and stars spun.
"None of that," the voice said. "You are too weak yet."
Hands pressed her shoulders down. When the spinning ceased, a young
man such as she had never seen before knelt beside her. At least, he was
young in appearance, though the weight of years could be felt through his
mild manner. Long hair shimmered silver in the starlight, though she
could not be sure that silver was its true color. Wide bright eyes of pale
gray set into a fine-boned face gazed down at her merrily. He was slender
like a reed, but not bereft of heft and muscle.
"Who—" she croaked. Her mouth and throat were parched.
He lifted a skin of water to her lips and helped her drink. It was cold
and clear as if it had been drawn from the root of all waters, from a
mountain spring that flowed into a sunny glade where the trees around it
grew taller than any she had ever seen.
"I am Somial," the man said. "I am Somial of Eletia, or the Elt Wood as
your folk would call it."
Karigan choked on the water. Eletia! "Eletians are legend," she
whispered.
"If that is so," he said with a smile, "I must then be a legend."
"Estral always claimed there were still Eletians around, but I never
believed her."
"Your Estral, then, is most wise."
"The Horse—" She tried to sit up again, but Somial pressed her firmly
to the ground.
"He fares well," he assured her. "We have been caring for him most
diligently."
Karigan struggled no more. She hadn't the strength to. "A long night,"
she murmured.
Somial arched his right brow. "Yes. This night and the last two."
"I've been—?"
"Yes, messenger. Your fight only just began when you slew the creature
of Kanmorhan Vane. Softfeather told us of your courage. Such courage is
not often found among your folk, nor such resilience. The poison of the
beast raged hot and thick through your veins."
Karigan couldn't get over the feeling he was secretly laughing at her,
but his gaze and tone were sincere enough. "Softfeather? Who—?"
"The gray eagle. He, too, is a messenger of sorts among his folk."
Karigan closed her eyes. The lights around her had begun to dim and
flare, and dim again. How was it the Eletians had come to be here at this
time? Were they just another fever dream?
"How did you find me?"
Somial said, "We are tiendan, hunters, or watchers for the king. We
walk the lands, even outside our beloved Eletia. Long it has been since last
we traveled Sacoridia's fine northern forest. Our king and his son have
sensed a great unease in the world, and the creature of Kanmorhan Vane
only confirms some unrest of the dark powers. We would that we could
have come to your aid sooner, but we only knew of you when we saw the
light of the muna'riel. Curious that a mortal should possess one. We don't
know what to make of it."
"You mean my moonstone?"
"Yes, your moonstone. You have been touched by the light of Laurelyn.
It makes you a friend of the Elt Wood, though our king cares little for your
kind."
"It was a gift," Karigan said, a little defensively.
"And a worthy one. As is this." He held in his palm, a tiny white petal.
With a clear ringing laugh, he tossed it into the air and it might have
vanished, but to Karigan, it seemed to become a star. She couldn't hold on
any longer, and as she slipped again into slumber, Somial said, "Your
wounds were grave, the poison is still within you, but you shall be well
soon. Do not fear the night or the creatures within. We shall watch over
you, Karigan of Sacoridia, till you have regained the strength to continue
your endeavor."
"Can you take my message to Sacor City?" she asked in a groggy
whisper.
"Your path lies long and dark," came the quiet reply. He brushed damp
hair from her forehead. "But you've the will and strength, and the
muna'riel. Laurelyn's light can shatter the strength of the dark powers.
Yours is not our mission, youngling. We seldom venture where
humankind dwells."
"Youngling…" she protested.
"Though I am young among my folk at nigh on two hundred years, you
are younger still." He kissed her forehead, a gesture that reminded her of
her mother, and as she slipped into oblivion, she thought she heard him
say, "May Laurelyn light your way."
Karigan drifted off and did not know how long she slept, and though the
sleep was deep and healing, she was always aware of the rhythm of the
music. The Eletians watched over her, and thus reassured, her sleep was
peaceful.
• • •
When she did awaken, the clearing was awash in the glow of late
morning sunshine. Experimentally she moved each limb. Her right leg was
still sore, and when she inspected her ankle, it was bruised black. There
were numerous purple marks on her legs where the hatchlings had stung
her, but the swelling was gone and the marks were not very painful.
Her wrists were wrapped in a gauzy material where the creature's blood
had burned her. In all, she felt as anyone else coming out of illness: weak
but renewed, and grateful to be well.
There was no sign of Somial or any other Eletians in the area. They had
tended her wounds well. She lay on her bedroll wrapped in her blanket,
her head pillowed on the greatcoat, just as she had slept so many nights
during her journey. Maybe Somial and the Eletians had been dreams, but
her tended wounds proved otherwise.
Nearby, The Horse's tack and her packs lay on the ground, and beside
them, the unsheathed saber which glared in the sun. Someone had cleaned
it of black blood. She shivered as she remembered that night, and
wondered how many nights had since passed.
A loud rattling of branches on the outskirts of the clearing made her
heart leap. She took up the saber expecting another creature to attack her,
but relaxed when The Horse emerged from the trees. She staggered to her
feet and limped over to meet him halfway across the clearing. When she
saw no evidence of his sting wound, she wrapped her arms around his
neck. He nickered softly.
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see you, you stubborn old horse."
Karigan lingered another day and night in the clearing trying to regain
the old strength that still eluded her. There was no trace of the Eletians,
though when she slept, she could still feel the rhythm of their silent song.
