Nothing left to do, but say goodbye-Stay alive my love

[WhiteWolf]

Owen stopped pulling at the ropes and went deathly still, not because of anything that Lorelai had said, but because he could feel the blood trickling down his wrists from the course rope. Willing himself to be calm, Owen focused all his anger and hurt and fed them into the Spring, totally immersing himself in that technique that he had known for such a long time. Raising his head, eyes like molten gold, piercing into Lorelai’s eyes and seeming to hold her gaze. Owen spoke in a voice that contained no emotion, the words sounding flat and lifeless. “You do not want to be doing this Lorelai, you are starting along a path that you do not want to walk.” With that said, Owen turned his gaze away from her, he did not want to hurt her, but if she insisted on this course, she had to know he would not accept it and would meet out retribution to anyone who stood in his way and right now that was Lorelai.

 

Owen sat, head bowed, covered by the hood of hius cloak, listening to Lorelai and this Dilora talk. If his mood had not been so dark, he would have laughed at Lorelai’s attempt to not be over heard, as it was it just deepened his paranoia and added to his growing determination to get free and find out what had happened to Iris and her family. So far removed from his normal self, Owen had even started to believe the others were working against him, and this feeling was heightened by what he had over heard Lorelai and Dilora talking about.

 

To think she would take a two-leg over one of her own

 

Owen’s disgust grew as he considered that thought, and he never sought to question where such a thought had come from. This was out of character for him, he had always been the one to champion the sense of brotherhood the Wolfkin shared, and it was almost unbelievable for him to now question that loyalty.

 

All I need to do is wait them out, sooner or later they will make a second error and I will take my chances then, they will not hold me for long. No one else has been able to, so why should they.

 

As these thoughts tumbled through Owen’s mind, the distant sound of laughter could be heard, or would have been if Owen had been listening. The source of that laughter had not made it’s presence known for quite some time, and at least one member of this party had been on the receiving end of the source. The laughter in Owen’s mind faded away, but the source of it grew, and would bide it’s time.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[Winter Mist]

~Dilora~

 

She was not a Wisdom, so it could not be expected any of the medicines to work with one hundred percent efficacy. She was not a Wise Woman; she had merely been shown the rudiments of which herb is good for such and such, or which bark is a good cure for whatever. Still, she knew if she brewed this particular leaf from her stores into a tea, it would bring sleep to all but the most troubled of minds. It worried her nonetheless. She had no idea why the man had been knocked out and then tied up, and at the time Dilora had only been grateful that he had been. He had almost knocked her out, after all.

 

Dilora regarded her companions wearily. Their eyes burned in the diminishing light of day, animals in human form. It was not right that she had rescued them only for one of their number to be once again restrained. No human should be restrained! Dilora valued her freedom and her right to roam more than anything, and resented the strings that others sometimes tied to her. It was this sense of righteousness that had made her to free these golden-eyed strangers in the first place.

 

The woman that had apologized had given the tied up man the tea now. Dark shadows were beginning to caress the edges of their camp; the firelight giving mad glows around the wagon and it’s occupants. Dilora was hungry – it had been a long time since breakfast. Deep, dark thoughts lingered in her mind: unusual for Dilora, but the tone around the camp was sombre. It was not often she felt a prisoner in her own camp. Forcing a smile to her face, Dilora dug out some dried meat, bread and cheese, and distributed it around the camp to the remaining people. They were safe here, for now, and a chance to recover with a couple of hours sleep would not do any of them any harm. Add to that the fact that Dilora did not want to risk Altie going lame trying to negotiate roads in the darkness. She would be a peddler, tending sick relatives before moving on if anyone approached, or asked. Someone would only immediately rule out Yelloweye fever that had knowledge in the healing arts, and she doubted a handful of villagers would know. True, she’d have to sleep in the porch and watch over them all. She settled back, resting her head against the wagon, and waited for everything to settle.

 

Quietly, Dilora crept around to make sure everyone was settled. Her gaze fell on the silver-haired captive and she bent her head to him, making certain he was asleep. She could see the steady rise and fall of his chest, apparently peaceful in a violent pose. It was not right that his bonds were so tight. Making sure no one could see, Dilora loosened the ropes at his wrists so they didn’t chafe anywhere near as much as they did. The red raw patches there looked painful, and she wished she could do more than just remove the cause of the burn to ease it.

[WhiteWolf]

Through slitted eyes, Owen watched Lorelai approach him with the mug of tea that contained the sleeping draught. He kept his gaze firmly on Lorelai as she handed the mug to Owen, a slight shake of his head to show he would not drink her only response. Sighing to herself she called John and Sosumo over and while they held a limp Owen in place, Lorelai finally managed to get some of the liquid down Owen’s throat. She hoped there amount would be enough, but wondered if it would. She did not have to wait long to see the expected effects as Owen’s eyes slowly fluttered, obviously he was fighting the effects of the drug, but eventually his eyes closed and his body fully relaxed. Giving Owen one last glance Lorelai made her way to where John and Sosumo were. “You will be in for it when Owen wakes Lorelai, he will have no love for you at all.” Lorelai did not respond to John’s taunt, instead she helped herself to a bowl of stew and sat down to eat it, her gaze never leaving the wagon where Owen was held captive.

 

How much later it was, Owen could not say, the feeling of someone fumbling at his bonds had waked him, and slowly as his senses cleared he realised that the woman who had rescued them in the village, was now loosening his bonds. Willing himself to not move, Owen kept his breathing even, letting his heightened senses let him know when his bonds were loose enough for him to act. Thankfully, Dilora had loosened the ropes around his wrists first, and so when she went to loosen the ropes around his ankles, Owen further loosened the ropes on his wrists. When Dilora went to stand up, Owen quickly shed the ropes from his wrists and pushed himself to his feet, one hand instinctively going for her mouth to silence her, the other snaking around her body and pulling her tight into his.

 

“I have no intent on hurting you.” Owen spoke so softly that if his mouth was not next to her ear she would not have heard him. “I am not going to stay here a moment longer, and you can either help me or not, but you will not keep me here, and I will not let you raise the alarm.” Having said that Owen kicked the ropes off his ankles and, half carrying half pushing Dilora, made his way out of the wagon. Noting where the others were, Owen headed in the opposite direction, knowing it was leading away from the village. It was difficult keeping his hand over Dilora’s mouth, but he had no choice for now, as he did not trust her to keep quiet. Eventually though, there were far enough away from the camp that no matter how much she shouted they would not hear her.

 

“I apologise for the rough treatment, but I will not let these two-legs get away with what they have done. If you can tell me where they placed all of our gear I will be on my way. You can make your own way back to your wagon I have no doubt, all I ask is that you do it slowly. Now do you know where they took our gear?”

 

Dilora took her time before responding, mainly because she was slightly breathless after her enforced walk through the woods, also there was some stiffness in her neck where Owen’s hand had been. Slowly she massaged her neck, considering the man in front of her and his request. Eventually she found her voice and quickly described the location of the supplies and gear the villagers had taken from the Wolfkin. Owen almost sighed with relief when she told him, it was most important to him to recover all of their gear, but he desperately wanted he sword back. Giving Dilora his thanks, Owen set off through the woods at a slow, ground covering jog,

 

It was deep into the night and not a soul was awake in the village. Owen was crouched down on the edge of the village, watching the houses, wondering if he could get in and out without having to kill anyone. On his way back to the village he had decided that without any hard evidence, there was nothing he could do about avenging what he thought had happened to Iris, now all he wanted to do was recover their gear and be on his way. Quickly he ran across to the first house, seeking out the shadows wherever he could, to conceal his passing. Slowly he made his way from one patch of shadows to the next, drawing closer to his target with every step. In the center of the village there was one building that was used as a meeting place, and at the back of it there was a large shed, Dilora had said that was were the weapons and such were stored.

 

Unfortunately, for Owen, the door had a large lock on it, and would not budge unless Owen made a lot of noise. Without wasting time Owen started to inspect the walls of the shed, there were made from uncured planks, and Owen hoped he could find a loose one or one that he could work loose. As luck would have it there were several loose boards and it did not take Owen long to gain entrance to the shed, quickly he found the stash of gear and started to load himself up, first with his sword belt, that also contained his large hunting knife, then his quiver and bow. Next he started to sling the other sword belts across one shoulder, and slung the other bows over his other shoulder. Eventually he had as much as he could carry and made his exit from the shed. But once outside he stopped in his tracks and crouched down next to the shed. He had no intention of killing anyone, but he did not see why he could not cause them some discomfort. With that thought in mind he quickly went through his pack and found his flint and stone. It only took a moment for Owen to find the material to start a fire and in a few moments he was blowing on the sparks encouraging them into life. He had prepared three small torches and as soon as they were all alight, he took them inside the shed and dropped them into piles of straw and debris, quickly exiting the shed, Owen loaded himself up and made his way out of the village, but which time the flames from the fire had taken hold and were spreading rapidly. Owen stopped once to glance back at the blaze, a grim, bitter smile on his face, but his thoughts were of another place, one that had also been consumed, but by what he doubted he would ever find out.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[Nynaeve]

Lorelai raised her eyes to the sky. It was the scent that first put her on notice, her eyes now verifying it. Smoke. Coming from the direction the town lay. Closing her eyes and letting her head fall, she sighed. Disappointed by both Owen and herself. She tried her best to stop him, doing things that she had no desire to do, yet had to be done.

 

Lorelai eyed Dilora as she passed her by and couldn't help but sniff. Foolish woman. If it wasn't for her Owen would have been safely tucked away. That was what happened when one let her emotion control her actions. Lorelai couldn't afford to operate that way.

 

Sighing again, Lorelai hoped that choosing to stay put after Dilora cautioned them about Owen's escape was wise. No one was sure what Owen was going to do and while Lorelai thought that they should search for him, Sosumo and John felt that as they were unaware of Owen's plans, their presence might put him at risk. But it wasn't Owen's life Lorelai was worried about and seeing the blackness in the sky only made that worry grow into fear.

 

Scouting the surroundings for a sign of Owen, Lorelai heard a twig snap behind her. In a way, that seemed intentional. A way to draw her attention. Turning, she found herself staring right into Owen's eyes. She frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Still alive, I see." Owen did not answer. He only stared at her.

 

"If it's an apology you're waiting for, Owen, then you are wasting your time. I imagine you have much to say to me concerning my recent behavior and I will take whatever penance you suggest, if you think it just. But before you speak, I must speak first."

 

Lorelai's eyes rose to the sky once again and then locked back on Owen's. "When you asked me to join the search for Iris, there was no doubt in my mind as to my answer. Abandoning family was out of the question. Avenging family is our task to carry and I would slit the throat of every person that was involved in burning the farm and sleep very well that night. But what you did... you might have harmed innocent people. Women, children. That makes you just as bad as the ones who tried to harm Iris and her family. They are beneath us, Owen. stooping to their level is inexcusable. Taking the lives of innocent two legs is not our way. I don't... recognize you anymore."

 

 

 

Lorelai

Ranger

[WhiteWolf]

It seemed to Owen that one moment he had been stood in the village, the next he was back in the Wolfkin’s camp, what had happened in between he could not say. Struggling slightly with all the gear he was carrying, Owen stopped in front of Lorelai and let her tirade wash over him. At first he considered just handing her, her things and walking by, but her tone and stance told him all he needed to know, she was letting her temper rule her. “Have you seen any bodies Lorelai? Where you in the village with me? Did you see me kill anyone? Have you ever seen me kill anything that did not deserve it?” Owen kept all emotion from his voice, she was not worth it, not now, not after what she had tried to do earlier. “As for taking innocent lives, were you at iris’s farm? I suppose they were not innocent, I suppose they deserved their fate. You do not recognise me anymore Lorelai? Well open up your eyes and view the world as it really is, this is no Gleeman’s tale you are living.”

 

With that, Owen dropped her gear on the ground and walked off, not bothering to wait and hear her response, she had shown her true colours as far as he was concerned and that was all he cared about.

 

Once he had given John and Sosumo their gear, Owen sort out Dilora, finding her about as far away from the other Wolfkin as she could get without leaving the vicinity of the wagon. Owen stopped approaching her and held his hands up in a sign of peace. “I have to apologise to you Dilora, twice now you have helped me, and as a result of it I have mistreated you twice. I offer no excuses for my behaviour and hope you will accept this apology in the spirit it is given. It is not the usual way of my people to mistreat anyone who has done us no harm. If it is in my ability to make amends with you I will.”

 

Having got that off his chest, Owen felt more like himself than he had done in the last few days. It had been out of character for him to have reacted the way he did to Dilora, and he could only put it down to the stress he had been feeling over Iris.

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[Winter Mist]

~Dilora~

 

She did not know what to think, how to feel. There was a kind of emptiness that warred inside her, threatening, bubbling with potential to spill over into a heated temper or to break down in a helpless sobbing. Dilora had not known what her simple act of kindness would unleash. She could smell smoke in the air, thick and heavy with more than oppressive relief that the night and her ordeal might soon be over. It held so much more than that. The look of surprise in many pairs of eyes as flames consumed their bodies. Some of them might have been innocent. Children, the elderly and infirm would not have stood a chance. Revenge was one thing, Dilora thought, but this bordered on inhumanity.

 

The pair of golden eyes sought her out while she tried to distance herself even from her own home. They were not bad people – they had been drugged, captured and tormented, likely humiliated by the majority of the population of a small village and had rightly fought back. Someone might have seen something though, and remembered in the future. Their treatment of their rescuer had left a lot to be desired, and in fairness she wondered how come she was still here. Practically hijacked, mistaken for a villager and captor when she had been bent on freeing them from that particular injustice and then duped by a pair of lupine eyes that deserved in the wild rather than being tied up. Now, she could see that there were times wild animals had to be restrained so nature wouldn’t eaten what had been carefully nurtured. True, in this case it had been badly treated and had turned; painting a deadly reputation that would likely haunt his steps for years. Dilora eyed him warily, but she could not look him in the eyes for long. That golden gaze made her shiver with the sounds of lots of screaming voices, voices that had been silenced by her loosing this animal’s bonds.

 

It was not her responsibility, and yet it was. The fierce golden-eyed woman had given her such a look of distaste that she wanted to leave her wagon so far behind and not see city or society for weeks to come, and the next time she did, it would be preferable to see it from the bottom of a wine barrel. Light, she needed a drink. Dilora passed a hand wearily over her face and scrubbed her right eye with the heel of her hand. If she did not accept his apology, would he hurt her too? It occurred to Dilora that he might have sought her out this far away from camp so no one would notice she had gone. That she had ‘slipped off to find survivors’ would have been the likely excuse for a constant reminder of his transgressions to be disposed of, and he had threatened and used violence against her before…

 

“I should disregard your apology and make a righteous claim on behalf of those villagers. I know what they did to you and your party, but was that necessary?” She jerked her head in the direction of the smoke, sending her dark hair spilling around her face. Brushing it away irritably, she could feel anger rising and Dilora knew she was about to go into a tirade about innocent life, but she had seen them drugged and then dragged out of that inn. She had seen their mistreatment with her own eyes. “I am just an ordinary peddler. If word gets around that my wagon was seen in that village and then moments later it was razed to the ground, my life and livelihood are in jeopardy. I would likely have to fend off guards and mercenaries after a quick profit to escape a mass murder charge like that. My own life would be forfeit!” She calmed her tone and willed herself to calmness. “I will do what I can to quench those fires of rumour, and in this case I accept your apology – even if it isn’t me you should really be apologizing to. But you will owe me a favour.”

[WhiteWolf]

“I should disregard your apology and make a righteous claim on behalf of those villagers. I know what they did to you and your party, but was that necessary?”

 

Like a smouldering fire suddenly being fanned back to life, so Owen’s anger suddenly flared at Dilora’s words. This time, however, his iron control reasserted itself before Dilora could notice any change in Owen. “And would you also make a righteous claim on behalf of the family someone in that village murdered?”

 

Confusion sprang into life on Dilora’s face at Owen’s words but she did not get chance to respond. “Of course you would not know about that would you? You see the family contained someone very dear to me and we know that someone in that village did this. We do not make that claim idly. We found someone lurking by the farm when we arrived. He would not answer our questions at first, but then Lorelai had a little chat with him and he indicated that those responsible came from the village. That part you did not know, but what happened next you do. By their actions have they damned themselves and whether or not you approve of my actions, I gave them more of a chance than they gave Iris and her family.”

 

Owen ran a hand through his long white hair, and gazed off at the smoke rising above the trees. “As for your wagon, that is easily mended. We have a place where we can transform your wagon and make it so no one will link your wagon with what has gone on here. Or you can tell everyone that we forced you to help us, I am sure you can spin a tale about golden eyed devils as easily as other’s can. I can also tell you that you would be most welcome in our home, and while you are with us you would have nothing to fear……the choice is yours. I suggest you make it quickly though, we do not want anyone to find us here.”

 

Owen

 

The WhiteWolf

 

Ranger Leader

[Winter Mist]

~Dilora~

 

“If you can transform my wagon, I’ll gladly accept and,” she could not lay a hand on his arm, or hold his gaze but she did understand his actions. “I can see why you did what you did. You had to do it, I can see that, and I apologise for jumping to conclusions.” It was a justice she felt herself better staying off out of, but she could see it’s necessity, if not it’s ferocity. If she got her wagon renovated though … Dilora could see all sorts of possibilities for advertising herself in a good way and a tale of her barely escaping from the clutches of the “golden eyed devils” would make a good fireside story to lure the more gullible into buying things. She shook her head, disgusted at herself for thinking of profits at such a time.

 

This Iris must have meant a lot to the silver-haired man for him to take such an action. Curiosity bubbled in her like a fountain, but she held it close. That decision was made partly in fear of his temper really, but partly because it was private, and he was unlikely to tell her anyway. He was right too, people would find them if they were not quick to depart this place. People from neighbouring villages that perhaps had relatives in the one put to torch; relatives with pitchforks, or swords or wood axes… She touched her throat briefly, almost as though making sure her head were still on her shoulders. Events were moving so fast!

 

“I accept, and agree we should make tracks as soon as we can. There are things no doubt you don’t understand about me and I accept that, just as I accept there are things I don’t know about you. For now, we have to work together.” Dilora gathered her wits and started to unnecessarily smooth her skirts down in a gesture that was a habit of women all over the world. “We should go.” A hint of her former amusement came back to her eyes when she remembered how she had hit one of the guards on the head with a pitcher, and bemoaned the drink that had been inside. She had another barrel at the wagon, and plenty of cups. “Besides, I could do with a drink.”

 

Leading the way back to the wagon, Dilora still felt confused, but knowing the anonymity of having her wagon painted and redesigned made her feel a lot better. And as the comforting wooden walls filled her vision once more, she began to have all kinds of ideas about how to improve it.