A Giant's Return {Open To ALL; Please come join}

[Asfaloth]

   As the first rays of dawn break over the highest peaks an eagle flies high above the Mountains of Mist, once more reveling in the sheer joy of flight.  With a small movement of a single feather, an almost imperceptible twitch, his flight path adjusts as he catches sight of a hawk flying far below.  Straining his sight all the way to the ground even further down he notices the mouse the hawk is hunting and another minuscule adjustment of his tail marks his final flight correction.

   The hawk, meanwhile, flies along intent upon his prey and oblivious to all else around or above him.  He watches patiently as the mouse (at a distance less than half that of the distance between himself and the eagle flying unnoticed above him) sniffs the air suspiciously then quickly darts out into the clearing.  In that very instant the hawk folds his wings and dives, accelerating as he approaches the ground.  Making near-constant adjustments to his approach he can practically taste the juicy morsel that the mouse will be.  Then, not even halfway to his goal, the wind is knocked out of his lungs as his chest is pierced and the hunter becomes prey himself.

   The eagle had started his dive while the mouse was still under the cover of the trees.  But, unlike the hawk, his dive was not so much about achieving maximum speed as it was about attaining perfectly precise timing, a maneuver driven as much by cunning as speed.  Even before he felt his talons pierce the hawk's chest he was already altering course to head back into the cloudless sky that was his domain, reaching down with his beak to twist the hawk's neck as he flew, snuffing out his feeble attempts to hold on to life.

   The mouse scampered across the filed, blissfully unaware of his brush with death, while on a cliff overlooking the valley a man and a wolf watched the whole scene unfold.  The young man, barely twenty years of age, wished for the umpteenth time that he still had a bow so he could shoot the birds out of the sky together.  Then he vowed once more to find or make a bow that wouldn't snap in half when he forgot his own strength and pulled too hard on the draw.  Since leaving the city of Illian in the trusted and watchful eyes of his half-brother he'd broken three longbows and countless strings.

   "You see, Puppy, the eagle, like myself, is not scared of his great size, and neither should you be."

   Looking down at the wolf at his side, the man couldn't quite keep the laughter out of his tone, "So now you'd have me learn to hunt from a bird, Brother?"

   With a snarl, a twist of his spine and a speed that belied his massive size the gray wolf jumped on his companion, the shock knocking the bog man off balance and leaving him sprawled on his back in the grass.  "Mountain Fury!  I will use whatever means I see fit to teach you to be comfortable in the skin you were given."

   Then, with a snap of his teeth and a laugh Storm Hunter rolled off the big man he'd taken it upon himself to teach and continued the lesson.  "Given its proximity and its speed, the ignorant observer might have guessed the hawk to have had plenty of time to get his prey and make his escape.  Can you tell me what two ways such a casual observer would have underestimated the larger eagle to make such an error?"

   Burrich considere3d again the scene they had just witnessed and reviewed all that he'd been taught by this wolf he'd come to love as a brother.  "First, a casual observer would not have realized that the eagle is much faster than its massive size would indicate.  Second, and more importantly, the eagle's greatest gift is neither its size nor its speed but its intelligence and cunning, which allowed him to outsmart both the mouse and the hawk."

   "Oh, thank the light, he can be taught," Storm laughed as he scampered away from Burrich's retaliatory swipe.  "But remember Mountain, those same two truths of the eagle are true for you as well.  You would do well to keep your speed hidden as the surprise will be to your advantage in battle; but your mind, and the wisdom you've always kept hidden?  These must be shared if you ever want people to see you and not just your massive bulk as you fear they do."

   That was something Burrich had heard many times over the past few months as Storm tried to break him of his shyness around others.  Having heard it so many times before, but not having had opportunities recently to put it into practice, there was really nothing left to be said.

   Burrich buried his small fire from the night before and meticulously removed all other traces of his presence.  Then he mounted Midnight, the large black stallion with the white diamond on his nose, turned toward the Stedding and traveled the last few miles that would bring him home after an absence of nearly six months.

 

   As he approached his heightened senses alerted him to the Rangers serving as sentries and he silently thanked the Creator for his having spent enough time among them that they did not impede his return with unnecessary questions.  Knowing that word of his return would make it to Owen faster than he could, and having no idea where the leader of the Rangers would be found at this time of day, Burrich made his way to the Hole in the Wall inn to have breakfast and see who else was out and about this morning.

   Attending his father's funeral and helping his brother secure his seat on the Council of Nine against their father's political rivals had been a cathartic experience, allowing him to finally let go of the remaining bitterness he'd held toward his father and more fully embrace his new family here in the Stedding.

 

OOC: I've intentionally stopped short of describing the occupants of the inn to leave it as open as possible for anyone at all to join.

   Oh, and if your character has been here longer than Burrich's six-month absence feel free to assume a casual acquaintanceship (even if they have never officially met) or not, however you want to play it.  Burrich's size and the fact that he worked at the inn before he left makes it unlikely that you wouldn't have at least seen him around before.

   For a better description see Burrich's reposted bio here : http://forums.dragonmount.com/index.php/topic,45843.0.html

[Winterwinds]

The day was bright and rather inviting, though harshly cold due to the long winter, and Forest Shadow had yet again dragged Winter out for a walk to see the sights of the stedding, and to mingle with the people he had been thrown in with.

 

Lucky for Winter he had been born and raised in the Boarder-Lands, where it got cold alot, so this weather did not bother him too much, but he had still covered up in a heavy coat and cloak.

 

As they made their way towards the Hole in the Wall they were stopped in their tracks by the sight of a large man, larger then any both had ever seen before. They almost bolted, both held no trust for outsiders after the event that had catapulted Winter into the Stedding, when Forest noticed the wolf next to the mountain of a man.

 

"Brother, he is of the 'Kin as well, one that we have never seen before." She sent to the eddgy Winter.

 

"Your point sister?" He sent back.

 

"Perhaps we should go meet him and his compainion?"

 

"Right, and you are going to sprout wings and fly." He said jokingly. A few seconds later he regreted those words as Forest Shadow took his cloak in her mouth, muttered something about it tasting like a befouled watering hole, and dragged him as she had so many other times over to meet the tall stranger.

 

When they reached him Winter cleared his throat and said "Forgive me for my intrusion, but I do not think we have met, as I am new around here and have not learned the names of all who live here." He waited for the large man to turn around and acknowlage him, he then extened his hand, "I am Jonathan Va...Winterwinds, a wanderer who has recently come, may I inquire who you are?"

 

Behind him Forest Shadow laughed a little, "Little brother, you are learning to interact with people, I am so proud."

 

"Oh, eat it up sister, this wont happen often." He glared at her over his shoulder.

 

"Not if I have anyhting to say about it." she said with a laugh that made Winter groan.

 

Winterwinds and Forest Shadow.

Interacting.

[Asfaloth]

When he reached the inn Burrich led Midnight to the stable and unsaddled him before putting him in the nearest empty stall, giving him so hay and a scoop of oats and promising to return to groom him later.  Stooping down he scratched Storm in that spot behind his ear that was so hard for the wolf to reach himself and sighed.  "Well, back into the thick of things eh, Brother."

 

"Yes, Mountain.  Don't worry, Pup, you can do this.  Just head in there and open up to your brothers and sisters.  You may have to make yourself vulnerable but you can trust that these are your family and they will not intentionally hurt you."

 

"Thank you Storm.  Just stay with me please."

 

"I will Pup.  I will stay as long as you need me to, but you really can do this on your own."

 

Burrich stood back up and headed out of the stable and across the yard toward the inn.  He saw a man close to his age walking toward him with a wolf at his side.  They both stopped short at the sight of him and Burrich groaned.  There it was again, despite Storm's assurances to the contrary, even here in the Stedding there were those who found his appearance frightening.  Burrich straightened up and took a deep breath, he would just have to get used to it.

 

The young man overcame his fear and introduced himself as a Wanderer.  "Well, Jonathan Va...Winterwinds." Burrich grinned and winked at the young man the shook his hand and introduced himself, "My name is Burrich Fallstar, though the wolves call me Mountain Fury.  You may call me whatever you like."

 

Putting his arm around the young Wanderer he guided him toward the door of the inn and continued as they walked in, "So, have you been here for long?  Have you met many of the others yet?  Have you been assigned a mentor to see you through the early stages of your training?"

[Jehaine]

Arienna sat over her cup of water, drumming her fingers on the table as she contemplated murder. Well, maybe not literally, but her memory still hadn't returned, and with the addition of several revelations over the past couple of days that she would have written off as nothing short of nonsense had they not been proven she was feeling understandably miffed. Talking wolves be damned, but she would be making sense of this and report back to Lord Maric if it was the last thing she did!

 

She didn't look up when she heard people talking, though her ears ruthlessly made her follow the conversation whether she wanted to or not. For the most part, she still distrusted the Wolfkin openly, and was gathering informatioon almost as if she was waiting for one of them to slip up and hint at a larger goal. The fact that she had been unable to catch on to even a rumor of one was the cause of yet another piece of doubt springing up, and considering her mood that was just about the last thing she needed right then.

 

 

Arienna

Paranoid

[TaiDashan]

OOC: Sorry, completely spaced this one...  :-[

 

Rahien sat dozing against one side of the large fireplace in the Hole in The Wall next to Snow. The heat had warmed him and the innkeeper had long since removed his cup of tea. Snow's warm fur nestled against his side, her chin on his lap. Her warmth added to the drowsiness as well as the long day he had had hunting and practicing with his bow. He still had not found a suitable spot for his home and spent much of his free time mapping out the Stedding with Snow.

 

So there he sat, pleasantly dozing and unaware of the goings on of the Inn. A breeze of cold air coupled with voices close by brought him nearer to consciousness.

 

~Brother~ Came Snow's sending, breaking through the drowsiness. ~Wake brother,  wake and see~

 

Rahien opened one eye regretfully. He had been dreaming of a pretty girl and...He quickly abandoned that line of thought in favor of a blush and sat up to investigate his surroundings. With great interest he saw a rather large man walking with Winter. Now most people might be frightened of the man's size, but Rahien was about used to surprises at this point and anything short of the Dark One popping out of a hole in the air to say "Boo!" was merely interesting.

 

~Mountain Fury~ came the sending. Apparently Snow had been talking with the man's wolf companion. It was a little odd knowing the man's wolf name before the name human's had given him, odd and somehow natural. Sighing at himself he got to his feet and grabbed his things. Slinging the bow across his chest he strode over waving at Winter. He would be friendly and come out of this shell Aislyn was always talking about yet. The feeling of pride from Snow made him grin. Thrusting out his hand he took the liberty of introducing himself.

 

"Hello, my name is Rahien A'Din. Don't think we have met yet but I must say I would like to become friends with someone as strong as you look." He chuckled to let the man know it was a compliment and added, "The wolves call me Dawn Brother if your wolf companion hasn't told you already, or maybe its Brother of the Dawn." He paused scratching his head ruefully. "It is hard to tell exactly how those images translate sometimes.."

[Asfaloth]

Burrich listened to Winterwind's story, or at least what he was willing to share of it, as they walked up to the bar.  He signaled for the serving girl at the other end and groaned when he saw who it was.  She was a nice enough but she was a shameless flirt, as usual.  She'd tried on several occasions to pursue something more serious with him but he'd politely refused each time.  He was flattered by the attention but, as he'd explained to her several times, he was too tied up in his training to think about a relationship rigtht now.  She was too stubborn to accept that though, so her flirtations continued to embarass him in front of the inn's patrons.  Which is why when they ordered Burrich asked her to bring it to their table when she saw that they'd found one.  Sitting at a table instead of the bar where she was stationed for this shift should allow him some breathing space and keep her from trying to sit on his lap to flirt even more outrageously and humiliate him further.  The truth was that Burrich still wasn't comfortable around women, despite all the attention he often received from them.

  Heading to his favorite table in the back corner he noticed the man he'd noticed earlier sleeping by the fire get up and approach them.  Burrich was pleasantly surprised to sense no fear from the man, just a very strong scent of curiosity.

  "Hello, my name is Rahien A'Din.  Don't think we've met yet but I must say I would like to become friends with someone as strong as you look."

  Burrich shook the man's hand and laughed along as he continued, "The wolves call me Dawn Brother if your wolf companion hasn't told you already, or maybe it's Brother of the Dawn.  It is hard to tell exactly how those images translate sometimes..."

  "Burrich Fallstar, or Mountain's Fury if you prefer wolf names.  Winter and I were about to share a drink, would you care to join us?"  He led the way to the table and they sat down, Burrich himself taking the seat in the corner where he could observe the whole room with an unobstructed view.

  Filtering through the various smells in the room he caught the scent of nervousness, distrust, and even a small touch of fear coming from the young woman at a table across the room.  Obviously new to the Stedding, she seemed to be having a difficult time adjusting to her new life and surroundings.  Making sure his voice would carry to her as a warning of his intentions he stood and excused himself, "Pardon me gentlemen but I think I'll ask the young lady at yonder table to join us."

  Kneeling down across the table from her to lessen his height and not appear quite as intimidating, he cleared his throat and waited patiently for her to acknowledge him.  He decided in her current state humor might have a better chance of breaking the ice and earning her trust than any other.  "It's a sad world we live in indeed, to see a beautiful woman all alone.  Would you do my new friends and me the supreme honor of joining us at our table for drinks and conversation?"

  Then, with a dramatic stage-whisper he knew would be heard at their table he winked and went on, "I would greatly appreciate the aesthetic appeal you would bring to our table saving me from having to look at my companions."

  As he waited for her response he sensed more than heard Storm's shock and amusement from where he lay curled up behind Burrich's chair.  Wow Little Brother, I'm shocked!  This early in the day and you've already met three new people.  And one of them a pretty female your own age.  I'm impressed!

  Well don't get too excited Storm, we don't know if she'll even accept the invitation as yet.

[Jehaine]

Arienna winced visibly as someone addressed her, and the smell of distrust would border open hostility for a brief instant before being pushed down again. Though there was little about her save for the wince that reached her face, the smell betrayed the mental battle she was having that was currently forcing herself to be in the Inn, in the middle of people she could trust about as far as she could throw them... Up a steep hill that was. And judging by the brief pause in her breathing when she looked at Burrich, she had managed to avoid attacking him by an inch.

 

"Light, calm DOWN girl, you're just here to gather some information, and then you'll be gone. No need to be so tense."

 

Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up, deliberately letting go of the mug, chair, table or anything she could use to try and break Burrich's skull with, and addressed him in a voice that sounded... forcefully calm. She figured a little warning would be in order though, Burrich had certainly sounded cordial enough, and it would only be proper for her to react in much the same way. After all, it wasn't his fault that she had ended up in here.

 

- "...Very well. I'd appreciate it if you'd not talk in... well, you know. Still getting used to this."

 

As she spoke, she tried to use her hands to show that she was referring to having people think at her or sending images that were not hers in her mind. The wolves had gotten the message already as they did not contact her, so if these... people could do the same she'd appreciate it. Or rather, that wouldn't exactly helping her win the mental battle against her temper that she was only barely winning at the moment. She had broken her Tracker's jaw at the time after all.

 

 

Arienna

No mindspeak, please.

[Asfaloth]

  Burrich could tell she was still exceedingly nervous but she did at least agree to accompany him back to the table.  He completed his humorously over-exaggerated impression of a nobleman by bowing and holding out his arm for her, mimicking what he had seen from his brother over the last six months.

  After a moment's hesitation, during which Burrich could both see and smell her fury and suspicuion rise, she got control of her temper.  She must have finally realized his innocent intentions because she eventually took his arm and allowed him to lead the way to his table.

  "My lady, allow me to introduce these fine gentlemen.  Rahien A'Din and John Winterwinds, both newly arrived at the Stedding, though not as newly arrived as you I'd wager.  My name is Burrich Fallstar and I thank you again for joining us."

[Taymist]

Rhya sat staring out over the lake, absently picking at the reeds around her. Her almond shaped eyes were almost as glassy in their expression as the surface of the water and her skin was far paler than normal, showing the ravages of several sleepless nights. For once, the day was bright and dry making a welcome change from the recent intermittent snowfalls. The cold was bitter but she was oblivious to that, trapped somewhere in the neverending convolutions of her own mind, running over and over recent events yet resolving little. Shadow sat close by, a reassuring presence, barely touching Rhya’s shoulder but somehow aware that his company was a balm to the worst of her feelings.

 

Their companionable silence was broken eventually by voices floating faintly on the breeze from the direction of the Inn though Rhya paid no attention until Shadow nudged at her arm insistently.

 

~Cub needs company.~

 

“I’d rather be alone just now Shadow.”

 

The dark wolf nudged again. ~Too much time alone already. Dawn Brother is there. Cub should go join him.~

 

Rhya turned to look at him suspiciously. It wouldn’t be the first time the wolves had conspired to achieve what they thought best and she wondered whether Shadow had been speaking to Snow. Most likely, she thought ruefully, deciding it was wiser not to pursue the matter. She got to her feet instead, and started walking in the direction of the Hole in the Wall. A hot drink might be welcome about now, she acknowledged, rubbing her palms briskly up and down her arms as a shiver ran through her chilled body. Picking up her pace she reached the steps to the great stone building in minutes and, realising that Shadow had disappeared about his own business, pushed open the door to be hit by a wave of warmth and low murmur of voices.

 

With a solid thunk, the door closed once more, shutting the chilled air that had arrived with her outside where it belonged and Rhya moved further into the room scanning the occupants until she spotted several familiar faces.

 

"My lady, allow me to introduce these fine gentlemen. Rahien A'Din and John Winterwinds, both newly arrived at the Stedding, though not as newly arrived as you I'd wager. My name is Burrich Fallstar and I thank you again for joining us."

 

“You’d lose that wager, I’m afraid,” Rhya interjected with a faint smile, her tone laced with amusement. “Arienna has been here a good bit longer than both Winter and Rahien.” She nodded at the girl, noting the still wary look, and laid a hand briefly on Winter’s shoulder in greeting before continuing. “We have not seen you in a long time Burrich. Owen will be glad to have you back no doubt. How was your journey?”

 

Rhya had only met Burrich once or twice, along with the other Rangers, when she was still a fairly new arrival herself but he was hardly the type of person one forgot. Her smile warmed and deepened as she greeted Rahien last of all, taking a seat beside him and signalling for a drink. Perhaps company wasn’t such a bad idea.

 

 

 

 

OOC: Apologies for the delay! Oh and I'm assuming Rhya knows Burrich since he's only meant to have been gone 6 months and she's been at the Stedding for about a year.

[Asfaloth]

"The journey was....interesting.  And thank you for the warm welcome Rhya.  I hope the months have been good to you.  And how is Owen?  I am anxious to see him again."

 

Burrich then turned to Arienna, grateful that Rhya had provided a name since the young lady had as yet not shared such information.  "And I apologize for my assumptions, my good lady.  It was wrong of me to assume you were newer to the Stedding just because they seemed more comfortable.  We all go through the Howling in our own way, and in our own time.  Please know that I will do whatever I can to help you if help you ever need."

[Jehaine]

Arienna paused for a moment as she took in the two names, assessing John and Rahien for threat potential before greeting them with a simple nod. So far, no such threat had emerged that she could see, but she was a cautious person by nature, and she wasn't about to lower her guard just yet. Or ever, for that matter. The sight of one of the two Sages that had tried to answer her questions when she had arrived there was a small comfort, someone that pulled attention off of herself.

 

Still feeling a bit out of place, she simply sat down and seemed to fade into the background in the same way servants usually made themselves hard to notice. Not like hiding per se, but there was a trick or two that allowed people to overlook her more easily, which pretty much amounted to the same thing in the end. She'd listen in on the conversation, interested to find out just what Burrich would have been up to, and find out more of the Wolfkin at her own pace.

 

 

Arienna

Spymastering

[Taymist]

Bumping