Exsanguination Suits Yoiu Admirably Attn Leila

[Lwena]

ooc: AGH. It got le eaten *pout*

 

ic:

 

Leila, too, listened to what Erik had to say about what was happening in the Borderlands, though for different reasons than Owen; she had not heard from this area for some time, for the reasons that Erik spoke of and because of what had happened to her agent, and now she was thirsty for any news that she could get. She didn’t like not knowing, and she could go so far as to shove aside her own insecurities to find out, take note, and mentally sort through what she heard. Erik’s news troubled her, as well, again for the same reason that Owen was concerned – Manetheren and all of that. She supposed Owen would take care of that and made a mental note to ask him later what he thought, for while the troubles in the Borderlands weren’t a threat to them now, they were a threat eventually, and obviously that had to concern the Council. Of course, Owen was a Ranger, in charge of protection, so it was more his job than hers, but it a hole in her network that led to these things being new news, instead of something that they had already known about.

 

Well, that, and Leila didn’t want to be completely left out of the loop. She’d been a Watcher too long to be comfortable with at least not knowing what was going on, despite her self-doubt.

 

However, it wasn’t all forbidding news – the mention of Owen’s music caused Lei to laugh a bit before she caught herself and acted as if the noise had never happened at all, choosing instead to regard the two men soberly. It wasn’t like Erik knew her well enough to note the small tells in her behaviours, though Owen probably knew the laugh for what it was. If she’d know what Erik was wondering about, wondering if their trip up had consisted of monotonous conversation and expressionless faces, she probably would have laughed even harder, and not bothered to stop herself; no, she, at least, was more relaxed than that, and comfortable enough around Owen that she didn’t feel the need to watch herself around him. He was the first of the Wolfkin that she’d met, and had saved her life on more than one occasion; of course she was comfortable around him. Now, though, she probably couldn’t have relaxed if she’d tried, not while they were being pursued, not while she was around someone she didn’t know well at all, not while things weren’t safe. It was for that reason that she couldn’t help but let herself sigh in relief when they arrived at a place to settle down, and she helped set camp in a practiced manner, unable to push aside the feeling of relief that swelled up within her.

 

However, it didn’t take long for the relief to vanish; by the next morning, it was clear that Owen was worried, and the wolves too. The combination was bound to make anyone worry, Lei included, but she didn’t say anything as doing so wouldn’t help their problem, if there even was one. Shadow seemed to be sticking to her side like a burr, Leila thought, though she knew she mostly felt that way because she hadn’t had a wolf companion for – well, ever. The two cubs she’d spent most of her time with as a Wanderer and Wolf Cub had moved on, and she was alright with being solitary. To her, it felt like Shadow was hovering over her, though in reality the wolf was probably just keeping an eye on her and nothing more. As they pushed on, changing their traveling patterns so as not to be spotted, Leila couldn’t help but become more and more worried. Finally, she asked Owen,

 

"Whoever it is, they're persistent - do you think they've been following since Chachin?"

 

-Lei

Trying to remember what was there before

[WhiteWolf]

“I’m not totally certain, but I do know we have been very careful, covering our tracks as best we can.” Owen’s reply sounded distracted, the problem was one he was used to, but he was at a loss to know how this group had been tracking them. He knew how to “disappear” in the wilds, as did all of the experienced Wolfkin, and they had been taking every precaution the three of them could think of. Erik was almost as capable as Owen in this, and Leila was a careful person who knew what she should not do. “Sometimes no matter what you do, events conspire to work against you, I am thinking this is one such time, and no matter what we do we are either going to have to turn and face this threat, or be over taken by it. Unless that is………”

 

Owen’s voice trailed off and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

 

“There is one other option, and I think this may now be the time for us to consider it.”

 

Owen noticed the puzzled expressions on Erik and Leila’s faces. “There is one thing Owen, you still talk in riddles, maybe even more than you used to.” Erik, ironically, chuckled softly at his own remark, but Leila did not join in “So what is this third option Owen, are you going to keep us waiting until we gather cobwebs?”

 

Jumping from his horse, Owen signalled to Leila to keep watch, than he and Erik walked a small distance away from where she was. “It’s like this Erik, you can take Lei with you and strike out for the Stedding or even the Citadel, both of you would be safe there. I will lead our pursuers off in a different direction and lose them. Then I will turn for home and meet you there.”

 

“Why can’t all three of us make our way home Owen? We can lose these two-legs, can we not?”

 

“We haven’t so far Erik, despite our best efforts they are still closing in. One of us has to get home with the news Leila and I carry, so our best option is to split up. You take my horse, that way the two of you can make better time. If you leave tonight you will have the advantage, especially if I leave a trail that even a blind man could see.” Erik was obviously unhappy with Owen’s plan, but he knew him well enough to know that when Owen’s mind was made up it would take nothing short of a cataclysmic event to change it, so instead of arguing he reluctantly nodded his agreement. “I doubt Leila will agree with this course of events Owen.”

 

“I know my friend, but I cannot see any other option, and we need to get the information to those who can make best use of it. I think Shadow will go with Leila, he seems to be forming a bond with her, and I take it Scar will go with you as well. So Ice and I will head off as soon as you and Lei are clear.” With that the two men returned to where Leila was keeping watch.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

 

OOC: You two know what to do, Lei get in touch with Franklin and let him know what is going on and have him contact Amon. I will take it from there,ok? Erik, don’t take no for an answer from Lei*bg* Drag her off by her ankles if you have to*weg*

[Lwena]

Leila couldn’t help but feel a little irritated when Owen signaled for her to stand watch while he and Erik went off and had a little discussion – out of earshot, so that she couldn’t get close enough to even catch snatches of conversation without Owen noticing what she was doing. Oh, and he would notice, there was no doubt about it; Leila could be subtle, but he wasn’t stupid, and the way that they were set up meant that she would have had to move at least five feet, probably closer to ten, and… it just wasn’t worth it to even try. Besides, she was keeping watch, and if Owen didn’t want her to overhear something, he probably had good reason. That, or he knew that whatever he was suggesting she wouldn’t like, and therefore would just leave her out of the loop until she couldn’t do anything about it…

 

Which sucked, and was frustrating, but life. When the two men returned, she simply fixed them both with a cold, irritated, golden stare and resisted the urge to sniff and flip her hair over her shoulder. That probably would have just been perceived as immature, and if they couldn’t figure out she was a little irritated by the look she’d just given them, then men weren’t as bright as she’d previously given them credit for. However, moments later, she realized that even if she was irritated it wasn’t going to change Owen’s plan, which Erik pass on – in a manner of speaking. Instead of telling her that Owen was going to remain behind, he waited until she was essentially on her way before informing her that the Ranger leader wasn’t accompanying them.

 

Her reaction was less than pleasant.

 

Unfortunately, Owen seemed to have told Erik not to let her remain behind as well, as the Tracker practically manhandled her back onto her horse and they were off before she had much more of a chance to protest. By the time she was actually able to turn back around, she’d come to her senses (somewhat) and reluctantly agreed not to go back, so long as they’d keep in touch with Owen, or knew that he was safe. The Ranger could take care of himself, true, but considering the fact that whoever was tracking them had managed to keep up with the three of them and their combined talents, she couldn’t help but feel worried; if they could do that, could they also take Owen on with a sword? Could he manage to lose them? Light, she hoped so, but at the back of her mind she wasn’t so sure.

 

Once they were a safe enough distance from where they had left Owen and Erik determined they were no longer being tracked, Leila contacted Franklin, because then she could actually get a decent night of ‘sleep’ and not worry about waking up with a knife in her chest. The other Watcher was trouble to hear of what had transpired in Chachin and that they were being followed – or that now it was presumably Owen who was being followed – and promised to pass her message on, but when she woke in the morning, Leila was still not satisfied. Something needed to be done, still… and she wasn’t sure what.

[Wolfsbane]

Erik rubbed the bruise on his left side and suppressed a growl. The woman had managed to avoid the old wounds and bruises but had given him a few decent new ones.

He wouldn't have called it manhandling.. But it had been close enough, just to keep her in the saddle and not going back for Owen.

His thighs shook as they gripped onto the horse, his chest muscles tired, it had been too long since riding horse. If the Watcher Leader had wanted to, she could have knocked him off his horse if she tried hard enough and go back for Owen.

But she had agreed, reluctantly, and had settled into a bristled mood as they rode. Which was fine by him. Women were hard enough to understand when you were talking to them, and with his luck, he had forgotten how to talk to them all together.

 

Erik scanned the horizon again, the way they had come and the light gust coming from behind them.

"We aren't being followed. Whatever Owen is doing, he is doing well."

He closed his mouth and continued to look around their surroundings as she gave him a look that said who she would rather distracting the hunters.

Holding in another growl, he nodded towards a small clearing with little debris and the look of an old resting point for horse teams, before the road eroded away and Caralain had a capital.

 

They ate their meal of a fat quail in silence, the low fire crackling as the horses snored happily, stars blooming overhead. He sat back and watched the cosmos. He had since he was little, and seeing it on a clear night were the joys in his life that had remained.

He let the quiet roll around him as the fire died and his new travelling companion settled down to sleep.

It was safe. No one was following them.

His eyes finally closed as the rhythm of the wind and the horse's snoring, and Leila's breathing, eased him to sleep.

He may be out of danger, but Owen was on a razor's edge pulling whoever was hunting him along after, so they could escape. He was doing what his friend asked him to, he had a small purple bruise on his chest to testify to that--he actually apologized when it had hurt her hitting him-- but guilt still nestled in him.

He could be doing much more. He could be there. He could.. and Leila needed to be safe, he knew that too.

He woke as the first rays of sunlight began to bathe the land in gold glow, and the need to do something remained. If only.. If only he knew what.

[WhiteWolf]

Once Erik and Leila had left the campsite, Owen cleared away any sign of the direction they left in, hiding their tracks. Once this was done, he returned to their small campsite and started to get ready, checking his supply of arrows, making sure all of the feathers were in good order, checking the points for any nicks. Once satisfied with this, he did the same with his sword and his knife, and then he packed all he had into his one sack and then cleared any signs that they had been in the small clearing. There was one more thing left to do to help in the upcoming task. Owen donned a pair of thin grown leather gloves and pulled the brown facemask on, thus hiding most of the signs of his skin colour. Taking a deep breath Owen and Ice left the clearing and headed back along their trail, moving towards their hunters, who had now become the hunted, only they did not know it yet.

 

It had taken Owen two days to find an opportune moment to spy on the people who had been giving chase. They had finally made camp in a smallbowl in the foothills, and it was the closest Owen had been able to get to them, as he now peered over the edge of the bowl. Ice waited for him back in the woods, her opinion of Owen’s tactics all to clear to him. In front of Owen there were 14 men, all with horses and heavily armed. Although he had seen no bows yet, they all carried spears, two on their saddles and one to hand at all times. As well as the spears, they all carried a sword and dagger. Some also had shields slug on their saddles, but not all did so. Who the leader was Owen had not yet been able to determine, no one appeared to give orders, things just got done. This said one thing to Owen, these men were well organised and had worked together before.

 

Sliding back down the slope, Owen made his way back to the treeline and crouched down next to Ice. Mounting an attack on their camp was something he did not want to do, the odds of succeeding were not good, and Owen did not intend to throw his life away in a futile gesture of defiance, he would leave that for the heroic dead. Just then he heard a sound to his right, and then a man’s curse. Just then the sound of horses approaching fast could be heard, and Owen realised he had been here far too long, jumping to his feet he turned his back on the camp and ran into the woods Ice leading the way.

 

***************************************

 

That was two days ago now, and Owen had still not stopped running, twice he had had to turn and fight, shooting four arrows of his swindling supply, to scare off his pursuers. He thought he had hit two men, but was not sure if he had only injured them, at the time his only thought had been to get away. The after noon wore on and still Owen and Ice ran, they were heading towards the north side of the wood they were in, where low hills might provide some cover, or a respite, for them.

 

So tired was he, that when the ground started to rise, Owen nearly stumbled, and would have fallen, if he had not managed to catch himself on a tree. Breathing deeply, Owen stopped for a moment, regaining his equilibrium, and then continuing on up the slope, his pursuers still not in earshot. Stumbling over the top of the small rise, Owen ran down the other side, and then started up the far slope, keeping to the densest parts of the forest. Once he had climbed the slope, Owen turned to his right and ran along the length of it, until he could not longer see the point where he had crossed over the top. Dropping to the floor, Owen remained there for some time, not caring if he was found, only wanting to have a break from the continuous running. After a while, his senses returning, Owen started to realise how quiet the woods around him were, an almost unnatural quietness, it was the time of the day when the creatures of the night started to stir, and the day creatures were looking for somewhere to sleep for the coming night. Instead, you could hear nothing, and this set Owen’s senses off. Quickly he looked around for Ice, but could not see her, this was nothing to worry about, but he did wish she would let him know before disappearing.

 

Peering over the ledge top, Owen could not make out any movement in the forest below, nor to either side of his position. Sliding back down the ledge, Owen picked up his bow and started to head further up the slope, hoping the uneven ground would give him a further advantage.

 

As he was crossing a more open piece of ground, Owen heard the sound of hoof beats on the hard packed dirt. At first he could not work out where they were coming from, and only just got his head around in time to see one of his opponents riding him down. Throwing himself to oneside, narrowly being missed by the horse and rider, Owen fell to the ground and rolled further away. Coming up in a crouch, Owen’s hand came up with his sword, the dull red blade gleaming with it’s own inner light. The rider turned his horse and started back at Owen, his long spear held out in front of him, seeing this Owen waited till the last moment and then dropped his sword.

 

Reaching up, Owen grabbed at the spear and dragged the rider from his horse, not giving the man time to get up, Owen leapt on him, drawing his knife at the same time. Just as he went to cut the mans throat, the sound of a person moving behind him caused him to react quicker than thinking and Owen released the rider and dove to his right, a short bladed sword ripping through his cloak. Jumping to his feet, Owen drew his sword and started to circle around the rider, who was still prone on the ground, and his new attacker. Who was a much larger man than the first, and smelt even worse, like a pigpen that had not been cleaned out in a year.

 

The new comer checked the man on the ground, who waved him away, and then turned towards Owen. He was armed with a short sword and a large shield, which was unadorned. Slowly he moved to wards Owen, working to find the best spot to launch his attack. When it came the man was quicker than Owen though he would be for his size, and he only just managed to parry the first blow, but caught the shield on his shoulder, knocking him backwards. Regaining his balance, Owen stayed on the defensive, letting the bigger man tire himself out, but then Owen heard a horn blowing to the southwest, followed by one to the northeast, there were others still out here and Owen could not be delayed.

 

**********************

 

It was fully dark now, and Owen had managed to reach a cave on one of the lower slopes of the hill. He could not risk lighting a fire, but the vantage point allowed him to survey the land for some distance, as it was higher than the surrounding tree line. Dropping his pack to the ground, Owen sat down and leant back against it, all of his muscles screaming for release from the constant motion of the past three days. For now though he could not rest fully, he needed to eat, and to check his weapons, he also needed to check out Ice, she had come too close to getting a sword in the side when she had helped defeat the two men Owen had been attacked by. Once he had made a through check of Ice, and much to her dislike, Owen dug some cold rations from his pack and washed this down with the last of his water. Once finished Owen stretched out his body and tried to find his Wal, allowing this state of peace to seep through his bones, while still remaining alert. While this was not as good as sleeping, it was the next best thing and would allow Owen to continue for another day.

 

The next morning, Owen was out of the cave while it was still dark, having managed to rest for most of the night. Ice again ran with him, but slight off to one side, as if covering his flank, and the fact it was the one most likely for an attack to come from, that was just a coincidence and not her protecting him again. They were moving across a large open plain, and hoped to clear it before the sun came up, so their pace was fast, but despite the hours of rest, Owen was still bone weary, and could not maintain the necessary speed, so it was well after sun up that Owen and ice finally made the trees, All that day they ran, stopping twice when Owen heard water and they were able to drink their fill from a fast flowing stream, and refill Owen’s water bottles.

 

So it went, day after day, running up one slope and down the other, always trying to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, and just managing it. All the time though, the fatigue was growing, and so was the hunger, this also had a strange side effect, as the time passed and Owen passed beyond the point of exhaustion, he started to feel a lightness that he could not explain. It was almost as if his sense of purpose was so great that nothing else mattered and he was able to focus fully on the task at hand, a sense of purpose he was so committed to that it left no room for doubt or error or concern. With lighter steps Owen made his way up the slope to the ridgeline and gazed out at the valley below.

 

 

To be continued……….

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[WhiteWolf]

“I will see you later tonight then, just make sure you keep things warm for me.” The only reply to Amon’s words was a throaty laugh and the sound of a hand smacking against leather. Franklin we stood just outside the door to Amon Turamber, or Tik-Tik to his friends, the second in Command of the Band of the Red Hand. Franklin’s position at the Citadel was as the Wolfkin’s liaison between the Band and the Wolfkin. It was an alliance that had worked well so far, each benefiting from the efforts of the others, what Franklin had to ask Amon would further exploit those benefits. Franklin was just about to knock on Amon’s door when the door opened and Franklin nearly over balanced and nearly fell into Amon’s arms. Recovering from his initial surprise, Amon managed to stop Franklin from falling over then enquired what he was doing lurking outside Amon’s door.

 

“Thank you for that Amon”; Franklin dusted himself down, trying to regain his composure. “There is an urgent matter that I must speak to you on, we have need of your Cavalry and we need it urgently.” Despite the meaning of the words, Amon knew there was something in the air just from Franklin’s demeanour; he was always calm and reflective, yet now seemed agitated and impatient. “Lets go over to the Commanders room, we can talk there without any problems. The two men set out for the office Amon shared with Mehrin, although Amon would not call it sharing, Mehrin was not the tidiest of Commanders. Once they arrived and cleared two seats, Franklin told Amon about the information that Leila had passed on to him the previous evening in the Wolf Dream. “I know it is a lot to ask, but Leila carries information that is crucial to all of us, not just the Wolfkin. I can give you directions, or better yet accompany you, but we need to act quickly otherwise Owen and the others could be in mortal danger.”

 

Amon did not have to think long on this, even though he and Owen had had troubles in the past, that was personnel, and this was business. “We can have a company up and to leave in half an hour, If you can wait till midday we can have a battalion ready, your choice.” Franklin thought for a moment before replying, he knew from Leila that the numbers chasing Owen were in the region of twenty to thirty men, and that they were very good at what they did. But a company of the Band were worth two or even three of any other Army, and Leila had said it was urgent. “A company would be best from what I know. I think that Owen will have killed a few of their number before you get there, you know what he is like when the Wolfkin are threatened.”

 

“One question, how do we find him?”

 

“When we find Leila and Erik, I think they will know, or at least I hope they do, they might not know where he is seeing as he made them leave so they would not be able to reveal his location if captured.”

 

Amon nodded his head, memories of Ehlana coming back unbidden by the mention of Owen’s name. Sighing, Amon looked at Franklin, taking in the man, and his golden eyes. “He always seems to find himself in trouble, you would think by now he would know better. Come on, the sooner we get started the sooner we will be there.” Amon led Franklin out of the office, after leaving Mehrin a note; after all he did not want his Commander worrying about him. Fat chance of that thought Amon with a grin.

 

 

It had taken three days of hard riding to reach their destination, and now they were waiting for Leila and Erik to appear. Franklin assured Amon that they knew where to meet them, how he would not say, and Amon could not speculate, but Franklin knew his business and had never led Amon, or the Band astray. “How long do you want us to wait here for them, would it not be better to crack on and look for Owen? Leila and Erik could catch up later.”

 

Amon scratched at his ear, and while waiting for Franklin to respond, looked around the campsite. As was their usual practice when away from the Citadel, the men had dug a moat, and erected a wooden wall around the perimeter of the camp. There was a small gate that lowered to cross the moat, so that there was a way out if they had to sally forth. The camp itself was well ordered, all the men’s equipment was cleaned and stowed within easy reach, the horse lines were clean and easily accessible, all in all a normal situation for the Band.

 

Amon”Tik-Tik” Turamber

 

Under Commander, BotRH

 

Berserker for Life

 

 

BREAK

 

Owen groaned as he felt the branch digging into his back, as consciousness returned after a fitful nights sleep. The forest was quiet, as Owen took stock of his situation, food was running out, but he had been able to refill both his water skins from a stream running down from the distant mountains. He had set a few snares before climbing the tree for the night, and decided to check them before doing anything else. Slowly, his muscles stiff from the exertions of the previous days, Owen made his way down the trunk of the tree, and dropped the last few feet to the ground, remaining in a crouching position, until he was sure there was no one around. Just as he was about to stand up, Owen heard a sound from his right, and slowly turned in that direction, his hand going to his sword, instinctively. Owen tried to identify where the noise had come from, but was stopped in his search when Ice emerged from the undergrowth carrying two large rabbits, which she deposited at his feet then sat on her haunches and started to wash herself. Thank you my friend, I appreciate the gesture would be the human words for Owen’s reply, but that was not how the Wolfkin and the Wolves communicated, they did it using images. Owen quickly skinned and cleaned the rabbits, then packed away the meat and buried the remains, quickly covering any sign of their presence there.

 

Any further preparations were curtailed when Owen heard a horn blowing to the east, it was of the same timbre as the other horns he had heard and he knew that meant they were still out there, still tracking him and not Leila or Erik. That brought a grim smile to Owen’s face; so far he had killed four of them, and survived the encounters without any major injury, thanks to Ice. Picking up his pack, Owen slung it across his shoulders, winching slightly at the discomfort of the straps digging into skin worn raw from all the movement when he was running. Making his way through the forest,

Owen angled slightly to the west, hoping that the pursuers were not in that direction; he did not want another encounter with them today.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

 

OOC Erik, Lei, meet up with Amon and Franklin. Lei tell Amon that you know where Owen is, but not how you know obviously, then get us moving towards him,ok?

[Lwena]

Once Leila found out where she and Franklin could meet up, she pushed hard to get there – probably a little harder the necessary, but she was used to travel (if not to travel filled with this much excitement) and knew that Erik most likely was as well, being a Tracker and having lived outside of the Stedding for so long. However, no matter how fast they went they couldn’t simply be in one place at one moment, and another place at the next, and so they did not make it to the place where Franklin said that they’d meet before the Band did – which was alright, she supposed, since it was easier to find a large number of armed men then it was to find a certain landmark. Once they reached the campsite and actually made it to Franklin and the under commander, Amon, Leila found herself starting to relax a bit. Things didn’t seem impossible, now – they just needed to find Owen and get out. She had been keeping track of the Ranger Leader via the Dream and so she knew where he was and that he was, at least, still alive –

 

Simply being alive didn’t exactly reassure Leila, though. She didn’t think she’d actually completely relax until she could see that the Ranger Leader was alive and (mostly) uninjured and in a safe location.

 

After introductions had been made, Leila briskly moved onto business, not willing to delay any longer than she had to. She might not have looked it, but she was concerned, and she wasn’t going to sit around when Owen needed her help. Even if he hadn’t rescued her all those days ago, she would have been working to ensure his safety, but because he’d rescued her (again, anyway – it was the first time she’d been kidnapped, but not the first time Owen had gotten her out of trouble), she felt it even more her responsibility to make sure that he was fine. After informing Amon that she knew where Owen was, she expected them to start moving quickly – she wasn’t going to tell Amon how she knew where the Ranger was, of course, just as she assumed Franklin didn’t tell him how he knew that she was coming – and wasn’t disappointed. She did remember her manners, though, and thanked Franklin again before seeking out Amon.

 

“I wanted to thank you, while I had the chance,” She hadn’t expected such an immediate response, for all that she’d said it was urgent, but this was mostly because her dealings with the Band had been… Very few, and very far between. She communicated with Franklin often enough, of course, but that was different than talking with the Band proper. “The men who have been following Owen – they’re very persistent, and very good; the fact that they’re still following Owen worries me, and I feel much better now that we’ve got you with us.” Much, much better. If they didn’t – well, she wasn’t sure what they would have done.

 

In any case, they managed to get on the road quickly, and were soon heading towards Owen’s position as fast as they could; Leila just hoped it wasn’t going to be too late.

 

-Lei

[Wolfsbane]

Erik paused as they came to the clearing, the milling soldiers all around them; the scents of a hundred different people washing over him, as Leila pushed on through. The determination written on her face, Erik wasn’t surprised the hardened men all gave her ample space as she moved among them.

Was it a full battalion? Erik couldn’t know the organization and if there were more scouting or catching up, if this was the main company or the only… All he knew was that this many people, this many soldiers, got his hackles up and made him nervous about any two-leg that watched him for too long.

The camp felt like it stretched at the sides, he had watched it as they approached, watched the Band, the mass of soldiers and tents and horse-lines.

He hastily handed the horse reins to a short boy tending the duns, and hurried after the fool woman.

Get a knife in her back… Trusting two-legs… This many of them, one’s bound to take exception…

Even if there had been more men he could still have easily followed her, compared to the musk of men, any woman would smell like lavender and spices; compared to the smell of a hundred men, any two-leg could have followed her path.

 

He shadowed his companion as she made introductions to her contact Franklin and the leader of the group, Amon Turamber, Under Commander of the Band of the Red Hand. Franklin struck him as nervous for a Wolfkin… Not an unfortunate characteristic, for a Watcher it may have kept him alive more than once, but just odd. Perhaps it’s me, Erik smiled lightly, a thing of moving his lips a hair and nothing else. He watched every direction at once, his pose relaxed, with a hand just so happening to be resting on his blade’s hilt, while Leila ignored him.

Something like a possession had overcome her in her drive to rescue Owen, each day it more and more apparent, while Erik sat quiet and made small conversation as he waited for an arrow to come from the tall grass.

 

Soon, perhaps not soon enough for Leila, but soon he was taking his and Leila’s horses back from the boy with sandy hair and a short fitting vest. He looked back at the boy as he was leaving… Must be… seventeen, eighteen Winters old… he figured.

Not more than five younger than me, but it wasn’t just his height that made him feel old… Bloodshed had a way of taking away a man’s years without him noticing it.

 

They mounted and moved with the group, Leila actually smiled at him, before she kicked her horse to the front of the line. A growl clawed its way up his throat before he found himself shadowing her again.

Hold on Owen. Not much longer now.

 

-erik

[WhiteWolf]

Although the day had started well for Owen, he had had his first hot meal in the past couple of days; it had soured quickly and had turned into one of those days you would rather forget. Owen had managed to surprise two of his pursuers, but a third had appeared and had been one of the few to carry a bow. As a result of that encounter Owen now had an arrow embedded in his upper thigh. Thankfully it had not hit the bone, or penetrated the muscle, it was deep in the fleshy part of the leg, and the only way to remove it would have been to push it completely through the leg. Owen did not think this a good idea as he the resultant blood flow would have been hard to staunch. So he had used his knife and cut the shaft of the arrow as close to his thigh as he could and then tied a scarf around the wound. It had slowed him considerable, but for the rest of the day he had managed to avoid being seen again, and with the help of a crutch he had made, Owen limped his way from his pursuers.

 

It was late in the night, and the temperature had cooled somewhat, but there was still sweat on Owen’s brow, and not all of it was from the exertion of the last few hours. He knew he was running a temperature, no doubt some infection from the wound in his leg, that combined with his near exhaustion had allowed the infection to spread quickly. To compound this, Owen had had no chance to search for any useful herbs, he knew that both Andilay Root and Worrynot Root could be found in this area, but in his weakened condition he had not had the time or energy to search for them. Continuing to move over the broken ground, Owen glanced up at the full moon, without any clouds to hide it, the light it provided would help his pursuers far more than it would him. Cursing his luck, Owen tried to increase his pace, his bow slapping against his leg as he made his way along, his now empty quiver discarded along with anything else that was not essential for survival.

 

Having walked all night, with only two brief stops, Owen did not present a figure of health as the sun rose on another day. Owen had lost count of how long he had been running, he knew it was at least four days, but thought it could have been as many as six, and it was his second guess that was correct. He had stumbled in the night and reopened the wound in his leg. The left leg of his breeches was encrusted with dried blood, and without realising, Owen had wiped his blood covered hand across his face and left a trail of red, contrasting sharply with the white of his skin. Ice had been with him all of the night, except when she went to hunt, she was faring much better than Owen was, game was plentiful in this area and she had been able to eat her fill, and still keep up. It was Ice who had provided Owen with the rabbits he had eaten on the day he received the wound, his last substantial meal.

 

As luck would have it, Owen’s path that morning, crossed an area of woodland and it was here that he found what he was looking for, nestled at the base of a large oak was some Worrynot Root, and Owen quickly gathered the root up, and then continued deep into the forest until he found an area where he could make a fire and prepare the herb. It was not long before Owen had ground the Worrynot Root into a powder, as he was doing this, the small bowl he had placed over the fire started to warm up and it was not long before it was boiling. Owen added the ground up root to the water and mixed it in. Soon the clear water had turned a greyish colour, and Owen poured the contents into his mug and slowly started to drink it. Owen poured the rest into one of his two water skins, although it had more healing powers if used when it was warm and fresh, even taken hours after preparation it would still do good.

 

Owen took this opportunity to cook some of the meat he had with him, using his knife to turn the meat on the rack he had made from four small branches. He still had some bread left, so once the meat was ready, Owen cut a couple of slices and had a quick meal, washed down with some of the cooling Worrynot Root. With his meal finished, Owen scattered the remains of the fire, and cleared away any tracks, leaving the small dell as he had found it.

 

Slowly he climbed out of the dell, and started to make his way towards a pass he knew about, it was the quickest way he knew, and had the advantage of placing him closure to the Citadel, and with any luck Leila and Erik would have been able to get help. He had not thought about them for a few days, and felt a pang of guilt; he had not spoken to Leila for two nights now, and knew she would be worried about him, as he was about her, and Erik.

 

(to be continued)

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[WhiteWolf]

The Unit under Amon’s Command made good time following Leila’s directions and fortunately they did not encounter anything to slow them down, which was just as well. Although Amon was usually not one to fret, the mood of the three Wolfkin had affected his normal insouciance and so any delay would have only added to his impatience.

 

Towards the end of the third day since meeting up with Leila and Erik, the Battalion of Cavalry approached a mountain pass. The path they were on was once an old road, skilfully cut into the side of the mountain and paved with huge slabs of granite, which could, mostly, still be seen although in places the grass had over grown road. As they approached the mouth of the pass, Amon signalled to one of the Lieutenants and two small groups of soldiers broke away from the main column and started to climb. Amon wanted flankers out just in case the enemy had found this pass and were waiting for Owen here, and by extension any rescue force.

 

Once again Amon signalled and the front four rows of Cavalry followed after Amon at the canter, while the rest watched and waited. They did not have long to wait; the pass was deserted so Amon had them start to construct a camp. While this was going on other soldiers started grooming the horses and staking them out for the night, making sure they were well fed and watered. Still others worked on constructing shelters for the night, and preparing an evening meal. Erik, Franklin and Leila kept much to themselves, helping where they could, but casting many an anxious glance outside of the stockade walls, wondering where Owen could be.

 

Eventually the stockade was built to Amon’s satisfaction and Franklin approached Amon asking if they could start searching for Owen now. “My brethren and I are worried about him and feel that we cannot lose a moment. We can handle a search of the immediate area ourselves, so if you cannot spare the manpower we will limit the search until tomorrow, although I fear that may be too late.”

 

A Sergeant approached Amon and Franklin and offered them both mugs of something brown that he assured them was tea. Amon sniffed at his, apprehensively, but a hot drink was welcome right now, as the air had taken a chill to it. Sipping at the liquid, Amon looked around the location of the camp, noting the possible areas from which an enemy could attack. “If you think you can do any good searching now then by all means do so, although I would have thought Owen would have made his presence known if he was here.”

 

Franklin drank the rest of the tea and handed the mug to Amon, thanking him for his permission then left to find Erik and Leila and inform them.

Amon Turamber

 

Under Commander, BotRH

 

Berserker for life