Re: Wandering Through Wolsic - 119 4A

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie nodded. "Then your help is welcome," she smiled at him. She gestured for him to come with her to the dragon and showed him where to start.

During the afternoon, Lancaeriel prepared dinner for everyone, but by the time night fell again, the Earth Elves were still asleep, and those working on the dragon needed to rest as well. Once again, they took turns keeping watch. The following day, the Earth Elves were awake and rested, and just as Sabor had said, they were all grateful to have the group's promise to accompany them home again. In exchange, they offered their aid in taking care of the dragon, and with their help it was finished by the end of the day.

They stayed one more night just to rest up, and the following morning, they packed up and left once again.

[Kara Winters]

It was good to be on the road again and far away from what was left of the dragon (which wasn't much since so many parts of it could be used for something).

They were quite the group, since there were so many of them between the elves, the original group and the Pokemon.

While they traveled, it gave Eron time to catch up with the people there including Sabor.

[Nara-pyon]

Iorlas stayed close to Daeron and was very quiet while they traveled, but the rest of the group was pretty much the same as usual. Shoneah spoke with Uri and Jabek, while Talmon kept to himself and was very quiet.

Sabor explained to Eron what had happened in his village since he and Shoneah had left. For the first while things had been just fine, but then, four weeks ago, the dragon had appeared and begun to attack various villages in the area. Some of the villages had been destroyed entirely, and the survivors had gotten together to hunt the creature down. Even so, there were only a few of them ... and Eron knew the rest from there. For a week, they had followed the path of the dragon's aftermath, and day by day their party had grown smaller, until only the four who still remained were left.

"What about you?" he asked Eron finally, once his story was complete. "I see you've found Kyrie - but you're heading away from Caras Galadhon, where you were going to go. Have you heard about a way for you and Silverbirch to return home?"

[Kara Winters]

Eron nodded at this, and tilted his head towards where Lin was walking beside Earendil. He wasn't sure how much Sabor might have guessed that some of their traveling party were also not natives to this world.

"Lin, Shiro, Kaito, Miyuki and Andarien are originate from Gaia."

He said originate rather than native, because he recognized the fact that Andarien probably didn't see himself a native of the world, and while Miyuki took a lot of cues from the eastern culture there, she too probably didn't fully consider herself Gaian.

"They came here on purpose rather than by accident, there is apparently a portal back to Gaia in another continent, but they want to see this one first. So we'll be traveling with them and eventually end up back home."

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor nodded. "I see." He smiled faintly. "Well, I'm glad you found someone to help you out. Do you have an idea of when you might end up back home?"

Glancing at Shoneah, he added, "Silverbirch seems to be coping better with life here now."

He recalled how homesick she had been when he and his friends had first met her and Eron.

[Kara Winters]

"Probably not for years," Eron admitted, "They had only begun their trip and to see this whole continent? It doesn't even include the time it would take to sail back or even where the portal is."

He paused and then added.

"Though I'm told the time between both worlds are different, that Gaia time is slower so it won't seem as long to those there but for us here," he shrugged.

What could one do about it, it couldn't be helped.

"It helps that Silverbirch is being kept busy and Andarien and Miyuki are closer to her age."

Though more Miyuki than Andarien, but he had heard the two had bonded for the metal working which was a good sign.

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor nodded. "Keeping occupied is always a good way to distract one from one's grief," he murmured softly. He sighed. "I am not looking forward to telling their widows that their husbands are dead. Our village was small enough before, but now ..."

He put on a brave face. "But we will continue as we always have before. And who knows? Perhaps someday they will return."

[Kara Winters]

Eron nodded at this, while he was familiar with the concept of being reborn, he didn't know the details for the elves of this world. It hadn't been a topic he had talked about while spending time with anyone in the traveling group.

"I'm sure it will, and with time the village will recover," Eron replied with certainty.

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor smiled. "I'm sure it will. Time heals all wounds, after all."

He took a deep breath. "Well. And how are you adjusting to life in this world? I know it's quite different from what you are used to in your own world."

Eron seemed quite well adjusted to him. Especially considering that he knew the man had lived his whole life in a city.

[Kara Winters]

"It was hard at first," Eron admitted, "By the time we found this traveling group, Silverbirch and I were very tired."

He had to admit, part of the reason the adjustment went smoothly was because of the tents and the fact there were now many people around him who knew more about living and traveling like this than he.

"I also tried to keep busy, Lancaeriel is a mage and a good teacher. So I took up learning more about Earth magic, picked up kind of where I left off when I was younger. I don't really have anything better to do in that regard than to learn now."

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor nodded and smiled wider. "And how has that been coming?" he asked him. "What are you able to do now?"

He knew about Earth magic, after all. His magic was in manipulation; Tal's had been in identification and sensing; and the others' magic varied between the two extremes.

[Kara Winters]

"I admit, I sometimes find the meditation difficult..."

Eron suddenly understand why students who were practicing mages generally had a better attention span, they needed to in order to get anything done.

"But I have been able to get better at sensing, and I've been practicing at extracting small amounts of mineral from the earth."

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor nodded. "And did you ever get the opportunity to find the materials Silverbirch needed for her ammunition?" he asked.

It had been a while, and he couldn't remember what her ammunition had been called; only that they had required some materials that were very difficult to come by. Someone - Tal, he supposed - had recommended they stop near a volcano for some of the materials before they headed west, but that didn't mean that they would have done so - of if they had, that they would have been successful in getting what they needed.

[Kara Winters]

"We did, fortunately something like that doesn't need a lot of gun powder to work, so I could make some even with only small amounts."

Though he had to convince Shoneah to let him make it instead of her do everything herself.

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor nodded. "Good. And your journey, I trust, was a safe one?"

Clearly they hadn't met any more dragons - or at least, any large ones such as the one that had brought their two groups together. But that didn't mean there were other dangers out there. Still, both Eron and Shoneah looked to be in good shape, so he wasn't terribly worried.

[Kara Winters]

"Yes," Eron replied, "It had been relatively safe, we didn't run into anything big on the way there and people were helpful, even if they were a bit suspicious of us."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"I admit, the number of times people thought we were going to Caras Galadhon because they thought we're a couple was very awkward..."

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Welcome to our land," he grinned at Eron. "Caras Galadhon is the country if interracial marriages, so that is almost always going to be the assumption."

Still, there were worse ones that could be made.

"Perhaps it's bullyish of me, but I have to ask," he chuckled. "How does Silverbirch take it when people make the assumption?"

[Kara Winters]

Eron chuckled at this, "It went from anywhere to being flustered to being utterly confused. She's not one for interracial marriage, so I think it was confusing at first for anyone to just assume we were together, and then well... she's young so I think sometimes it did fluster her a bit."

Shoneah was (still is) a bit on the serious side, perhaps too much so for someone of her age.

[Nara-pyon]

"Young?" Sabor chuckled again. "Perhaps, but young is a relative term. Though she may be young in years, in experience I think we can say she is quite grown up. Even before coming here, she had been through more than many people, I believe."

He shrugged. "Not that it's my business, of course."

He eyed Eron's clothing. "And I see you're more prepared for travel now, too," he commented. "Good sturdy boots and everything."

[Kara Winters]

Eron nodded at this, "Yes, the group have been very generous and helped us supply for the trip with them."

He was well aware that it had made Shoneah a bit uncomfortable, not use to owing anyone. However, Eron had heard things about the Winters (which he no doubted extended to everyone else in the traveling group), if they saw a need then would fulfill it no questions asked.

"Miyuki pretty much insisted and dragged us along into town to get everything."

He also knew Andarien was still trying to get Shoneah to accept a watch.

[Nara-pyon]

Sabor chuckled again. It felt good to be able to laugh after what had happened to his village ... to his friends.

"Well, it's good you found such a good group of people to travel with," he grinned.

Suddenly, ahead of them, Kyrie turned around and shushed everyone, then pointed at her ear and looked around. Listen, the gesture clearly meant.

[Kara Winters]

Eron stopped, but he wasn't sure what he was listening for.

Miyuki gripped her staff and twitched her ears, she wondered if it would be like last time. Where she was looking for the lack of sound rather than looking for a sound.

[Nara-pyon]

Andarien had learned his lesson well, and despite his inclination to ask what was going on and what they were supposed to be listening for, he remained completely silent, slowing his breathing so that even that would not be audible.

The only thing that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves around them as the wind blew gently through the trees; but Kyrie turned her head to the south as if she had heard something there. Mailon tilted his head slightly, and then he suddenly also faced the same direction. A moment later, the sound became audible enough for others to hear it.

It was a faint scraping sound, hardly distinguishable above the rustling of the leaves, but then suddenly there was a noise, almost like the braying of a donkey, but quieter, and then several squeaks.

[Kara Winters]

That, sounded a bit odd to Miyuki, as if they (whoever it was) was having trouble keeping quiet, or maybe they weren't trying at all. She tilted her head and looked over to where Kyrie was to see what she thought.

[Nara-pyon]

Kyrie looked back at the group.

"Mailon, Silverbirch, Daeron, Wren and Talmon, come with me," she said quietly, barely audibly, clearly trying to keep from attracting the attention of whatever was making the noise. "The rest of you, stay here. Be on your guard - if anything comes here that isn't us, shoot it."

The five she had named moved forward silently, and at Kyrie's instruction they readied their bows.

"We shouldn't be long," Kyrie told the rest of the group quietly; and then she led the five into the trees.

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