The morning Moraine lead her party out of Slen, Damoxte was on her own. Dark Harvest, although noting that Chloria did have two protectors, decided to keep his eye on the furre of seasons. Damoxte was left with the task of protecting the furres of music and ice, as well as Kaelin's orphans. Dark Harvest had the ability to appear in anyplace whenever he wanted to, therefore should the former commander of Xte needed his help, all she had to do was call his name.
Damoxte hoped to never see her master again.
The dead officer watched as Gorian and Mar laid the
shield down. She knelt beside it, still unseen by the explorers,
and grinned. So this was the nostalgia Kaelin felt, Damoxte thought.
It was indeed the shield of Gorian the Warrior. If only Gorian the
junior realized the power this steel had. It was amazing that it
was found after all these years. It might prove crucial in their
fight against the demons.
Month of Damoxte, Day 15:
At Cyiet's request, we've taken on two of the travellers that were with Forestwind's party. Gorian, whom I suggested as to having resentment toward my poet friend is friendlier with him. Perhaps because of Cyiet's efforts to include Gorian and Mar with us. Mar seems intent on getting to the vamp village on the other side of Matta Valley. He appears to be unstable, which could be a problem. His efforts, in his distraught over losing the green girl we travelled with earlier, causes some discomfort among my mate. Gelae actually thought that Mar caused a rain storm. Such a naive furre ... I adore that. ;-)
I decided to put Gorian and Mar to work. I have them in charge
of most of the tedious tasks. It was the least they could do.
Not only do we have to take them to the vamp village, but we had to buy
them warm clothing. Their mismanagement of their own money makes
me wonder why we even have them at all.
Moraine looked up from her scrolls to the two new furres in her party. The two appeared as if they never ventured outside a village before. They held the rodents she hunted as if they were laced with poison. And the fire they had made kept going out. Why must she concede to Cyiet? What does he see in these two?
She watched as her mate sniffed the air beside them. He glanced at her and nodded. It was going to be a cold night, she interpreted. She gestured for Gelae to take out the jackets and boots from her bag.
"It's going to be cold tonight," Moraine told the two rookie adventurers, "Take the clothing that Gelae's getting out."
Gelae took out a dark purple jacket and matching boots. Mar accepted them graciously, as he should considering the expense. Gorian received the yellow outfit. Mar struggled while putting on the jacket, while Gorian had difficulty with his boots. Moraine shook her head. Was there a level before rookie?
Her mate took out his own red outfit and showed them how to put them on. First he instructed them to slip on the boots and proceeded to explain how the buttons work, an obvious invention that eluded the two idiots. The jackets were next, which was less difficult. Gelae instructed to keep the top button undone, for now. So at the moment, the three furres were fully clothed with large improperly fashioned collars. Gelae offered Moraine her dark blue outfit, which she accepted with a grin.
She stood and slipped the jacket and boots on without difficulty. The black furre noticed the puny flames of a pathetic fire whither a little. She pointed it out to Gorian and Mar. They were too busy admiring their fashion to notice.
"You two want to pay attention to the fire?" she asked.
The two furres immediately jumped back to the fire and added more wood to it. Too much wood even, she noted.
"At least the fire won't be out of control," she muttered to Gelae. Her ice blue mate nodded.
Gelae looked to the east, "Cyiet should be coming back by now. He's going to need his jacket."
"He'll be fine," Moraine assured him, "Probably getting carried away with that flute of his."
Gelae still looked concerned. Moraine scratched under his big chin and grinned. Her mate relieved a little ... at least for a smile of his own anyway. She gazed into his light blue eyes, surrounded by his black tabby markings, which were almost covered by his long light blue hair. She had been with him for so long, it was almost impossible to recall how they first met. Yet she could not imagine a day without the big guy.
Her mate suddenly leaned into her with all his weight. She laughed as she tried to control their balance. The kitten was still alive in him. She hoped it always will. She wrapped her arms around him and itched her fingers down to the small of his back. If only the two idiots weren't here.
But there was something very alarming at the small of his back. There appeared to be a stick hanging out on it. Her fingers swept into something sticky too. She tried to lift her mate from her body.
"Gelae?" Moraine asked.
She managed to lift his face above hers. She saw pain. It was immense pain. So much so that Gelae could no longer stand. As she guided her lover to the ground, she spied his back. There was an arrow protruding it, now surrounded by dark seeping blood.
An arrow?
A scream from down the valley made her ears twitched. She looked up to the horizon. Little figures were suddenly there, flying little sticks towards them. It was an ambush.
"Mar! Gorian!" Moraine shouted, "Help me get Gelae!"
She heard one of them swear, but they were both there in an instant. The arrows were landing around them now. She looked to the invading figures again as they got Gelae off the ground. One was rushing towards them.
"The boulder!" she shouted, "Let's get to the boulder!"
Moraine was thankful that she decided to tent up next to the large boulder. Technically it was used to protect them from the cold wind, now it was going to be used as their natural shield.
Gelae slipped a couple of times. He struggled, but he was still able to function. Moraine was thankful of that. She and Gorian had his shoulders, while Mar decided to take his legs in an effort to reach the stone faster. The uncoordinated foursome bungled as they ran, finally reaching their destination.
Moraine immediately placed Gelae gently on the other side of the rock. Her mate cried out with shallower breaths. The explorer gently stroked his cheek as she wondered what to do. The arrows have now reached the boulder.
Moraine heard Gorian curse. She looked back to the blue furre and realized why. Mar took off for an object to the left of the boulder. She squinted at the grass and realized it was his crossbow. Unfortunately that crossbow was being surrounded by arrow impacts at the moment. An admirable idea, but stupid.
A blur crashed into Mar. It was the rushing figure Moraine noticed a few seconds ago. The two struggled on the grass, while the arrows showed no mercy for invader nor defender. Moraine heard metallic twangs to her right. Arrows were now impacting Gorian's shield behind her. Perhaps they could use that to their advantage.
She looked back for Gorian to give him her idea, but he was gone. Idiot Number Two rushed out to help his friend, defenceless. Or at least she thought he was defenceless. She watched as arrows, while shooting at the blue furre, suddenly flew up over him, missing him by a furre's length. How was he able to do that?
Moraine returned her gaze to Mar, who was now biting the invading furre in the arm above him. Arrows were literally changing projectory over them as well. These furres ... do they have supernatural guardians?
Gorian reached the crossbow. He held it in his arms and shouted something, Moraine could not hear. The invading furre, instead of listening, took out a dagger behind him and glared at Mar. Gorian's hand shook as he aimed the bow.
He shot the furre in the back. The arrowhead protruded out his chest. Mar looked at it horrified. Then, as he realized the situation, tossed the body to his right. He took his dazed friend by arm and led him back.
"You two are really stupid," Moraine shouted as they returned beside her, "Stay low!"
"Ayem," Gorian whispered, "He's still alive."
Moraine and Mar followed his gaze. The injured furre's leg gave a twitch. He was did, Moraine mused. Or at least, he was on his way there. But she later realized that she should have said that allowed.
Gorian dropped Mar's crossbow and ran for him.
"Gorian!" Mar shouted, "Get back!"
"We can save him!" Gorian yelled.
It took one arrow to level him to the ground, beside the dying furre. Moraine tried to look, but Mar's head was there, frantically looking for his friend in the tall grasses. There was no sign of him. It did not matter, she thought. He was a goner. She watched as the arrows whizzed into his direction ... and watched them fly up once more.
"How ...?" Mar gasped at the sight. He whirled back to Moraine, his eyes filled with panic, "We have to get him!"
"Forget it," Moraine snarled, "We stay down."
"We got him," he argued, pointing at Gelae, who at the moment was trying all he could to keep his head up. Moraine looked back to protest again, but was put off by Mar. He was baring his teeth to her. He was right, she thought. She owed him one.
Moraine grabbed the shield behind her. She offered one end to Mar and gestured him to get behind it. She proceeded to the other end and after a long look to her mate, took off under the arrows.
Moraine cursed to herself for this. She and Mar rolled the steel, feeling the twangs of arrowheads impacting against the shield. It was not so much the arrows she was worried about, by now the figures she saw before must be rushing to the boulder like their anxious friend did.
As she loomed closer, she was able to make out the face of the rushing furre. He was definitely dead, she thought. A heavy twang slammed the shield against her face. She stumbled and lost her grip. The shield landed on the two furres. Mar cried out to Gorian. She regained her footing and the two continued.
Gorian was now within sight. Moraine heard him grunt and concluded that he was, obviously, alive. But how bad was he? They finally reached his side and she inspected the damage. It was an arrow to the shoulder. There was a lot of blood, but it was an easy fix. Perhaps there truly was a guardian for him.
Another heavy twang slammed the shield on them. This time, both Mar and Moraine lost their grips. The shield landed, covering all three furres with exception to Gorian's lower legs. Moraine grunted. The shield was giving her a very bad position. She felt her back crack in several spots.
Moraine twitched her ears again. The twangs had stopped. Moraine knew why. She knew it was over even before the shield was lifted from the outside. The darkness of the inside gave way to the setting sun on the outside. And above the green grasses, in front of the orange sunlight, were a dozen furres. Only one village existed in this valley and she knew who they were.
Mar finally met his vamps.