private The Fall of Andalasia ~Book 1~

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"You need to watch over her, like a sister, Tullalily." the King spoke softly.

"That would make you my daddy, right?" Tulla replied quickly.

 

King Aiden had smiled gently, sadness in his eyes. Only stroking her brown hair in response.

 

Tulla deposited Finn back into Whispers lap "Heal him up, he should be good in a few days. We both know what a strong beastie he is. Just go sit by the fire and stick with Helena, Dresden and Robert, you know Indicus will be nearby. Sure, Adrass is a grumpy man and quite scary too but he has his own story Whisper. Not everybody was raised in a castle or with a family."

 

"I am not so naive!" Whisper quipped.

 

"No, but you don't even know what it's like being with someone? You must adapt princess; learn more magick, learn how to fight. Train with us so you're not useless. That's all the bards been doin' since we started." Tulla motioned over to Dresden and Robert. She then got up; rustling Whispers now black hair "Very sexy, princess."

 

"I won't have magic touching my fish! No offense but hunting is my thing. If I'm going to be a magick-less human I might as well make something of it." Tulla called out to Dresden " But I did set some traps earlier, we can check them for small game."

[Shadow Dancer 111]

Tulla was right away I was nearby I was indeed listening in the shadows, staying away form the light of the fire. During that time I wondered why I risked my life to save Tulla ago going as far as taking the poision into the poision in her body and putting it in my own. I could not think of a way to logicly explain my actions, that in themselves did not add up to my usual behavior.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

"Genuine skill and talent without selling ones integrity to achieve it. That's something I can agree with." Adrass agreed with an approving nod. Natural, healthy, hard work.

 

"May I? I'm no expert trapper, but none of us should take off alone when there might be more assassins about." Acting like friends or otherwise... at least the engineer and the bard could be trusted to fend him off in the hunters absence, should the need arise. "Besides, I could use getting away from all of this damnable witchcraft for a few moments..."

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@Flying Ace,@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

Robert sighed and got up. It's not like he knew what he was doing trying to practice something he barely understood anyway. "Right. Might as well cook something, while I'm at it. Fish stew sound good? It better, because that's all I can do with what we have. Tell the others there'll be food ready in thirty minutes or so. And Tulla- for what it's worth, I'd trade my magic for your skill and confidence any day."

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"Oh be quiet, I'm going to end up spoiled by all the compliments. " she waved him off playfully and motioned towards the tree line.

 

"Let's get to it hunter. Tugg, stay here and watch, blast anything suspicious." Tulla slunk into the brush quietly. Tugg had been about to devour the small pile of fish simply because he thought no one was looking but stopped at Tullas command.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

Robert shook his head. "You deserve to be spoiled. Anyway, don't be gone too long. The stew won't taste any good when it's cold." Robert gave Tugg a bit of a glare when he almost took the fish, but he couldn't stay mad for long. Tugg was his buddy, after all. He scooped up the fish and moved them further in from the shore, setting them down and preparing to make a cooking fire.

[Sekel 694]

Helena stopped twirling her dagger and noticed Adrass walk away from Zaddion. 'Seems like there won't be a fight after all.' Helena thoughto erself. Sigjing sadly, she reappeared and held her head, trying to quell the massive headache she felt. She stumbled out of the trees and into the clearing; falling to her knees. "Damn it ... I really hate headaches sometimes."

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

Hefting himself upright, the hunter strode towards the undergrowth, simply relieved to have something to do that would be getting away from his own thoughts. He paused, motioning for the young woman to lead the way. Since they weren't looking for mages - he was hardly qualified to lead after all.

 

"Unfortunately I was never much of a... traditional hunter." He smirked slightly. "Never went hungry, but there were times that luck needed to be on my side - turns out that rabbits are much harder to track and kill than arcane horrors, at least for me."

 

That was about all of the 'small talk' he had. It wasn't something he had quite mastered yet, much to his apprentices irritation back when they last travelled together. They had a job to do and this wasn't the time for chatting about the weather or such meaningless drivel - he knew that, but still felt like he should say something. Anything to focus his mind on something more productive.

 

"It's good that you didn't die: you seem very... resourceful." He shrugged in a mostly offhand (and somewhat blunt) tone. "It would have been unfortunate - the princess listens to you alone it seems. You must have known her for a long time to build such a bond?"

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

"Rabbits can be a bit more cunning then mages. The weaker aomething is of the more afraid, the more it fights for its life. Now humans, unlike rabbits suffer from one weakness. Sentiment." Tulla said as she took point.

 

She was glad she had someone to talk to besides Tugg on her hunting trip. Adrass was trying, that much she could tell. She shared his grudge with magick but not to his extremes.

 

"I was brought over when I was little, as a plaything for the princess, so she wouldn't be lonely. I don't remember where I come from really, all but for memories of a seagull. Strange, right?"

[Shadow Dancer 111]

I ignored my odd behavior and sat just beyond the fire's ring of light. I relaxed a little keeping enough tention as to be prepared to take care of possible threats to the princess. I did not want her hurt after all, that would turn out poorly and I would have to deal with so many others, and kill some guards to escape both kingdoms and live in some forest.

[Flying Ace 142]

Dresden waded into the water as Robert got the fire ready, he figured he should keep practicing until he got his daggers. He stopped when the water got to his waist; he reared his arms back and shot out a ball of aqua that soared over the water until Dresden clenched his fist that caused the sphere to stop dead in its track and dive into the lake. Dresden pulled his hand back to bring the sphere back towards him which Dresden caught easily.

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

"I can only imagine: I have few memories of before my tutorage, but that's mostly because they were meaningless and no sense in retaining." Mumbled the hunter: keeping his voice low so as to not spook any creatures that might be nearby. "To have nothing at all... and through no choice of your own?"

 

Falling silent, he trailed after the girl - he would have offered his condolences for her suspiciously absent past, but felt like his pity would be wasted on her. She didn't need apologies from strangers for things that they weren't responsible for - better to wait and watch, and see if anything more of this story emerged on their travels.

 

Following closely and quietly as she did her work, he mostly mirrored the girls movement. Better to follow the experts guidance on any endeavour - it had been years since he had killed for food without using a gun and now wasn't the tine to bring up forgotten skills. After a short while of thinking however, he spoke again.

 

"You know, my kind used to hunt creatures like that beast of yours and the pet dragon." He said. "It's a part of our history that's mostly died out - a few still try, but most of them get eaten. Can't say I'm sad that its a dying practise though: animals are more reliable than people in most situations, I find. Did you raise him yourself?"

[Torrent505 370]

Clarke frowned of course he received no thanks from the princess, trying to organize and help in his little ways would get no attention from the others, no praise or grateful words. It was fine he was used to being overlooked, accept when others wanted something from him. It just proved what he had already known, none of these people would mean anything more to him than anyone else in his life, just passing through.

 

He walked back to his cart; away from the camp. Pulling a lever the machine started to chug and churn again, a small light above it lit the area and he once again picked up a hosed tool in each hand to start working again. He only paused to open a cabinet and nibble on some of his jerky supply. Eventually when he was satisfied with his work he pulled out a bed roll and prepared to sleep next to the comforting presence of his machine.

 

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

 

Serafinno gave a gurgling croak, his throat hurt something fierce and he felt far heavier than he had ever felt before. Opening his eyes he whimpered as he couldn't see anything the world was only a grey smudge but he smelled Whisper and knew it was her holding him, her heartbeat was strong and steady being able to hear it assured him that everything would be alright. He nuzzled into her embrace.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Torrent505

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

@,

 

Tulla had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh, after catching herself she apologized "I'm sorry, the thought of Hunters getting eaten by creatures in the wild...is really quite amusing."

 

"He was left out in the wild to die; since the Breeder didn't like Chimeras. The asshole. I found Tugg in a trap on one of my first hunting trips, Whisper was just a baby but she helped heal him as best as she could. So my Tugg is a wingless bastard but I don't think he minds it much. Did you know that they are born the size of a tiny horse? I-" she stopped and crouched beneath a bush; signaling Adrass to do the same. She peered through the leaves at a Jackolope nibbling away at berries not too far from her trap. Bigger than a hare and much more dangerous due to it's antlers; it was a sweet meat and sometimes hard to catch.

 

"I catch it you kill it" she mouthed silently. Tulla palmed a stone and with a flick of her wrist let it fly and smack the Jackalope right in the rear.It started up; leaping away in pain and confusion, springing the trap. The snare held the thrashing beast upside down in the air; it snarled as it tried to break free.

-----

 

Whisper smiled down at Serrafinno when he had stirred. She had been deep in thought at that point for she was very unhappy with how she was carrying herself thus far. She must seem so pathetic to these travelers. But it filled her with a need to better herself in some way, like the way Tulla had suggested. Firstly, she had changed and now carried her dragon and Roberts shirt over to the fire. She laid Finn close to the flames; to keep him nice and warm, and then stretched out Roberts shirt so it could dry.

 

Tugg watched the bard miserably; saddened by the loss of his fish. Whisper pet his hide and he growled softly in complaint; directing towards Robert. "Oh, don't be a baby, Tugg. Tulla will bring back something for you."

 

Then, she went to retrieve the cup and after much deliberation and pacing she decided to drink the contents and bring it back. The tinkerer scared her, intimidated her. He made her more nervous than Adrass. "Uhm...Clarke? This...this was delicious. Thank you. I-I washed it..." she held out the mug.

 

She was at a complete loss of words.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

@@RunsWithSquirlz,

 

Robert looked up from his stew at Tugg's growling. "Yeah, yeah. Just hold on a little bit longer and you'll get your share. I'm sure Tulla will have something for you, too. For what it's worth, buddy, I felt really bad taking them from you. I do kind of owe you, after all." 

[Torrent505 370]

Clarke actually jumped when the princess's voice came from behind him, he hadn't heard her approach and hadn't expected anyone to come over and talk with him while he worked. He wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and took off his goggles because they had darkened against the light of his work and the cart, still he felt somewhat vulnerable without them on. It didn't help that her comments and actions had caught him off guard as well. "Oh," was all he managed to said rather dumbly as he took the cup back. He stared at it for a moment, it was clean... nobles weren't supposed to wash their own dishes and definitely not someone else's cup, that irregularity nagged at him and made him stumble on what to say. "Thank you?... I mean you're welcome and thank you for cleaning it princ-Miss Whisp." He caught himself before calling her royalty, if this band wanted to survive they needed to start living their cover, but still curiosity got the better of him, "had, had you never had something like it before? I was certain you would have found it of a lesser quality than well you might have had... Where you come from." This was awkward, he felt awkward, he didn't know how to make it any less awkward, he wanted to put his goggles back on and go back to work but he couldn't he worked for her now, also she was nobility that demanded some respect and finally he had to admit he found something about her curious he didn't know what and that bugged him most of all.

 

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

 

Finn liked the warmth the fire offered, he felt much colder than he normally did and the burning air soothed his aching throat; half asleep he crawled fully into the fire and curled up to sleep for the night.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

She rocked back and forth on her heels "Well yes but food is food. I love sweets. I...ahem. I'm sorry about your cart, I didn't mean to...get blood all over it."

 

She said the last part with a bit of a smile and then motioned towards the fire "Would you sit with me? Well...all of us. If you want..." Whisper saw that she was making him nervous and wondered if her presence really bothered him that much.

[Sekel 694]

'Okay... I think the headache's gone ... I'll just sit by the fire and not talk to anyone.' Helena thought to herself as her headache subsided. It's lasted a lot longer than her other headaches which were fleeting at best. She crawled to the fire and sat, hugging her knees against her chest.

[Flying Ace 142]

@@Torrent505, @@RunsWithSquirlz,

"I Agree with whisp; come sit with us!" Dresden said walking out of the water, "we don't need another stick In the mud we have Adrass for that...hey! Maybe you can make something to get the stick out of his ass! That thing makes him so grumpy." Dresden said jokeingly as he sat next to the fire.

[Torrent505 370]

Clarke let the touch of a smile pull at the corners of his mouth, "no need to apologize Miss Whisp, I don't think you had much choice in the matter. Your blood cleans up pretty quick and really it gave me an excuse to work on my cart." He thought for a moment maybe that was why she had come over here; she felt guilty and so he put her at ease. But then she asked for him to come back to the fire with her, to sit with her and the others. He stared into her eyes curious about what she was thinking, what did she want from him?

 

He was about to open his mouth to ask her 'why' when Dresden called out to them and Clarke snapped back to reality. Of course, fitting in, acting merry and raising moral that made sense, it must have been the difference in his status and hers that threw him off. He could do all that, and would enjoy it; one could enjoy his work right? These people were going to make him rich might as well treat them right.

 

He nodded, "yes, of course I'd bee happy to join you by the fire. Just promise the dragon won't get too ornery because of it." He grabbed his bedroll and started towards the fire. Spreading it out, he almost laid down himself before hesitating to look back at Whisper, he had just walked away from her sure he was doing what she had suggested but something felt wrong. He realized what it was and gestured for her to sit on the bedding next to him. He realized he'd never sat on his bedroll before, it was comfortable.

 

He looked at Dresden, "there I'm by the fire, but that device for Adrass might take a few days." He smirked at the literal thought of such a device.

[Sanctified Absence 126]

"I wouldn't worry too much about him," Zaddion had been in deep thought ever since Adrass had left, long enough for him to return to a less aggressive mental state. Being careful not to disturb the bird perched on his shoulder, the Mage made his way to the fire and took a seat a bit further away from the others. How Adrass felt about all Mages almost infuriated him, but Ancients know whether or not he was right in this case. "I can't understand why he thinks the way he does, but there has to be a reason," of course this didn't mean he had to like it.

 

Holding out his arm for his new 'companion,' to land on, Zaddion pondered the possibilities, why was this thing here? How was it capable of such Magick? Was it still set on killing the Princess? The last question would've had him kill it if he were not so confident in his abilities to restrain it with Light Magick. What... Are you?

[The Elusive Cinder 1,328]

Adrass.

 

Adrass didn't believe in doing things by halves - he didn't understand how. Lunging forward and drawing his shortsword, he wove it deftly between the creatures horns and twisted - locking its head sideways as it snarled and lashed out uselessly. The hunter paused for a moment to look over the creature before using his free hand to snatch at its body. Pulling sharply, the body and head twisted in opposite directions with a low crunching sound.

 

"Much easier than chasing the thing." He said simply. "Remember a time I set this girl trying to catch a rabbit - don't think I've laughed so much in my life - the poor thing was exhausted when it finally gave up... and the rabbit wasn't much better off."

 

Shaking his head, Adrass let out a brief snort of amusement before setting to work trying to figure how to free the carcass from the snare.

 

"Do you think we need more?" He asked. "Or will this be enough? I don't suppose miss prissy will eat much..."

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

Whisper sat down next to Clarke, folding herlegs underneath her delicately. "His name is Serrafinno. He's just protective. " She leaned on one hand looking into the flames " I doubt we'd get close enough to get that stick out."

 

The raven fluffed up and walked it's way along Zaddions shoulder.

 

Tulla undid the snare around the beasts ankle "He'll be enough for now. Miss Prissy? You mean Whisper? She eats like a pig."

[Torrent505 370]

Clarke was surprised how tired he felt so early in the night, he realized heard missed his evening coffee in all the excitement and the fact he hadn't slept the night before. 'Damn he thought to himself 'I paid for that Inn room'. His eyelids felt so heavy now, he hadn't had a sudden crash like this since his Tinker Training as a child.

 

The sudden grogginess gave him a dopey grin, "Serafinno? I remember that story from when I was a child." He rubbed an eye leaving it black with soot as he looked between Dresden and Whisp, "Just you watch. I already know what I'm going to build to get that stick out. It'll blow that damn stick away too." He gave a small chuckle. His head started to nod as sleep was stealing his mind away, he didn't even realize he was leaning against the princess.

 

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

 

Inside the fire Finn started to snore, this turned one unfortunate side of the fire into a sudden bursting flamethrower, luckily no one was in the way.

[RunsWithSquirlz 274]

She jumped lightly at the burst of flames; causing Clarke to fall over into her lap. Her face as red as her hair used to be; this was so informal. She wasn't sure what to do but she let him lay there.

 

After a moment, she finally managed to get out "That's who I named him after...you should sleep. I'll wake you when the foods ready."