Illusion Vale: A Spirit's Cry

[Wolfsister]

Fay and Faelin

"How long do you think it's going to take now that I can fly? Maybe I could carry you when I get better..."

The wolf's eyes got large and round and she yipped in panic, "Oh no you don't. I have absolutely no intention of riding anywhere on you!" She sat down and watched as Fay had fun gliding around in lazy circles, just like an oversized eagle. Or, thought Faelin with a twist of her lips, an oversized raven. "I quite like solid ground, thank you," she huffed and closed her eyes briefly to expel the thought of being off the ground.

"We can go much faster now, that is if you can stay in the air," she yipped and then suddenly was running, loping along the ground, her four paws eating up the ground at an easy pace. In a rare playful mood, she howled over her shoulder, "Catch me if you can!"

At this rate, they'd be in Abark in no time.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

"Oh no you don't. I have absolutely no intention of riding anywhere on you!"

"And you call me the big chicken," she laughed as she coninued her lazy movements. She was still knew and didn't know it all but she was sure to seem more normal now that she could fly. She whispered she could just hover but she knew that she was no hummingbird.

"I quite like solid ground, thank you."

She laughed at that as she started to go a little faster, just testing the feel of it to see if it was plausible.

"We can go much faster now, that is if you can stay in the air."

"Well duh..." But then she looked and saw that the wolf had already started running leaving Fay, literally, in her dust. The avian laughed after a moment and sought after the wolf. Her powerful wings carried her as if they had longed to do this since she had gotten to the plane.

"Catch me if you can!"

"Alright wolf.... But if I catch you... I'm gonna pick you up!" She teased as she stayed relatively close but about five feet above the wolf because she didn't want to attract attention and she didn't want to fall from such a height and kill herself. "When we get to Abark... What are we going to do?" She wasn't sure if the wolf had told her yet but she was curious.

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

Then she frowned, "Do you ride?"[/QUOTE

"A horse?" Danae looked almost horrifed. "I rode a pony once at the fair..." she offered weakly.

She ate all the food on the plate. "It seems I never get full, but I'm never really hungry either. Could it be my new body?" She ran her hand over her sleek shape. She wasn't in any means thin, but her body was rounded and firm under a layer of ...she could say it...fat. But it wasn't like human fat, it was more...functional?

"Whatever you suggest then, I'm game. I may fall down a lot....but your sure there's no place we can swim to?" She asked hopefully.

 

[Angelus]

Largos knew that there was no way he was going to win this fight against a vampire like Talon. This vampire was so old that he had probably seen and done so many things he had forgotten what they had been along with the years that had passed before him. He ducked out of the way of each of the daggers until he heard Len flying from the trees towards him. She screamed at him not to take any offers that Talon was throwing his way and he knew that he would rather die then take that.

She landed on his shoulder and he hoped that it would give him a reprieve in this fight but when she screamed out that Talon was the one that was responsible for what had happened to him Largos was filled with a rage that burned through him. He wanted nothing more than to tear the vampire apart with his bare hands and hoped that he wasn't breaking the hilt of his sword with the strength of his grip. He moved towards the vampire as Len began to attack him and was about to strike but it was then that the dagger flew out and struck Len.

He heard the painful squawk inside his head as it echoed through the air just as Len was pinned to the tree with the blade of the dagger. He turned to looked at Talon who had a smile on his face before he turned to look at Len again just as Talon spoke.

"Does her blood drive you mad, vampire? Does her blood make yours boil? Take it, take it and see what real power is!"

He could see the blood that was coating that bark of the tree and felt the hunger growing within him as he moved towards the raven that was still pinned. He could feel his razor sharp fangs grow within his mouth again and could smell the blood in the air. There was no reason why he couldn't bite the annoying thing in the side, drain it of all its blood and be free once more.

Very slowly he moved to where Len was and opened his mouth, listening to Talon's footsteps as he moved up behind him. He could practically taste Len's blood in his mouth as Talon told him how easy it would be to bite her, have all her power and finally be free. It was so tempting and it would be easy to do so! He moved closer to her and prepared himself for the delicious blood that would soon flow into his mouth but something screamed inside his head and he stopped to see Len's head slumped there.

He moved quickly, pulled out the dagger from Len's wing and as he caught her in his hand stabbed backwards. He felt the blade enter Talon and turned back to look at him, his sword at the ready.

"No! I will not do this! She is my friend and I will not kill her to become just like you. You are what I was brought here to destroy. I will never turn into you!"

He looked down at Len.

I am so sorry my friend. Please be okay, please.

 

[Optimas]

Darkness falls

The wolf ate quickly and looked at Goreab, then he looked at the sky it was glowing red and the sun was setting. The wolf had a sixth sense like most beasts, it looked at Goreab with sad eyes knowing his time was at and end. His puppy eyes burned into Goreab,as the sun began to set and the wolf began to change.

 

[blaster8]

Eeth the Archer

Eeth smiled as Rolyn spoke, and nodded his head at the appropriate times. Then a simple bow, with a full quiver of arrows, was brought to Eeth. Eeth set about examining the bow, testing the strength of the string and the flexiblity of the bow. He examined it as he would if he had made the bow himself, making sure that there were no imperfections. He didn't expect to find any, of course, but he examined anyways. As he examined the bow, and then the arrows with practiced skill, he spoke to Rolyn.

"Of course I understand the short timeframe, but I wonder if you are familiar with phrase 'self-fulfilling prophecy?'" asked Eeth. "It happens all the time where I come from, and most of the time, it's not good." Eeth looked up at Rolyn, as he finished his inspections, as if to emphasize the relevance of what he was saying.

Not waiting for Rolyn to respond, he nocked an arrow and tested again the pull of the bow. Eeth figured that if he had not been made into an elf, but remained as he was before, he would not have been able to even bend the bow. But, as it was, he pulled it with ease, feeling the resistance of the wood and judging the power that would be put in the arrow when loosed from different pull lengths. He behaved as a professional archer would when testing a new bow.

He then continued to speak: "I appreciate what you're doing for me, Rolyn. The crash course will come in handy." He had decided that he would surprise Rolyn and the other elves later with the information that he was already trained to fight, having spent a tour of duty with the Marines in Iraq; he just wasn't trained for the type of combat he'd see here in the Vale. It would be personal, one-on-one combat here, where he could see his opponent's face, not through the sights of an M-16 at a hundred yards, but with his own eyes close enough to spit in the other guy's eye.

He then took the bow and arrow, pulled it back, aimed at the first stone, and let it fly. He just nicked the left edge of the rock, causing it to pivot on the spot. Had it been a person's head, it would have taken off an ear. But that's not good enough for a kill, especially with a bow and arrow. Eeth nocked another arrow, pulled, aimed, and released. This time, it took off the other ear. Well, at least the person's face is symeterical again, if it ever was to begin with, Eeth mused. Eeth nocked a third arrow, and repeated the process. This time, he managed to wedge the arrow underneath the rock, which was equivalent to grazing the chin to punch through the throat. Not an instant kill, but you could rule that person as not a threat.

Eeth relaxed, turned to Rolyn, and, with a smile, said: "You wanted me to show you that I can handle a bow. I think that's a good start."

 

[Wolfsister]

Fay and Faelin

Faelin was having way too much fun to answer. She yipped and jumped into the air with the exuberance of a newly born cub. Her tongue lolled out and she actually laughed into the wind. She tossed her head and looked back at the large Avian flying low behind her.

For the first time in her life she didn't care about anything except putting one paw in front of another. She wanted to see just how far and fast she could go. Being a wolf, she was naturally built for endurance, but it had been so long since she had just let go. Really let go and have fun.

Too long.

They crested a rise and all of a sudden a city seemed to spring up from the ground. It was a sprawling... well... mess. There were a number of buildings that just seemed to... lean. At first glance it would seem that they had run in circles and gone back to the Travelers Camp. Except now, instead of tents, there were buildings.

Faelin skidded to a halt, "Fay, its Abark. I don't believe it! We were going that fast!!" she turned and grinned up at the hovering Fay. There was a moment of silence and then she coughed, suddenly embarassed at her impromptu display of joy.

"Erm... we should look to getting some supplies," she mumbled awkwardly.

 

[Wolfsister]

Danae and Sishota

"Whatever you suggest then, I'm game. I may fall down a lot....but your sure there's no place we can swim to?"

Shishota frowned and went deep into thought as she absently spooned out some more food onto Danae's plate. Having no need for food herself, she often found that when she cooked for people, she cooked way too much.

"Now that you mention it, dear, there is a way to make things a little easier for you," she mused for a moment, mentally going over a map of the Vale inside her head.

"There is a river that runs into the Narin Range. It by no means goes all the way to Nariel, but it will take us at least two thirds of the way. I can follow on land by the bank while you swim," she smiled, "Good thinking Danae, it will take us a lot less time now,"

 

[Wolfsister]

Largos/Len/Talon

"No! I will not do this! She is my friend and I will not kill her to become just like you. You are what I was brought here to destroy. I will never turn into you!"

Talon took a step back and looked down at his shoulder. The hilt of the small dagger was protruding from his flesh and he blinked in surprise. The other vampire had been quicker than he had first estimated. He reached up and pulled the blade from his shoulder and watched as the blood drizzled down his arm.

The wound was deep but would heal in time. In fact it was starting to heal now, though it would not be finished for some time. Talon looked up at Largos's eyes, he saw the hatred in them. Saw the murderous look in his deep dark orbs. He laughed.

"Largos, is it? Hardly a name that instills fear," he arched an eyebrow, "The look in your eyes, though, now there's the proof that you are a killer," he flipped the dagger idly in the air, "You've already killed one man, if I assume correctly about the state of affairs at Haven," he chuckled, "Come boy, I'm older, more experienced and far more powerful than you,"

He flicked the dagger to the side, the blade burying itself deep into the soft soil beneath them. He took another step backwards and again laughed in that low deep voice of his. The air seemed to thicken around them, "And don't forget, boy, I know far darker magicks than you,"

The night seemed to get darker and darker still. The surrounding earthly sounds dimished and they were soon caccooned in a bubble of silence, but through that silence, faint whispers could be heard. Talon's low voice encanted a spell form and the whisperings got louder and louder. Largos would hear dark words, words of pain and destruction. He would hear the sibilant promises of death echoing around him.

Talon's laughter rang through the whispers, rang through the unearthly silence. "Scream, boy, scream and know you are at your end!"

Another sharp and gutteral word exited Talon's mouth and suddenly the night cleared, the darkness gathering around the older vampire and solidifying. Dark objects surrounded him, glistening in the intermittent moonlight. Sharp jagged edges shone through the night in ebony silence as with another word from the dark vampire sent them flying through the air.

Fifteen long dagger like objects sailed towards the young vampiric elf. Fifteen Shadow Blades screamed his name as they sought his blood.

 

[rengadeirishman]

"Ah nothing lass, just a few new character marks." Michael said chuckling. "Me and a horde of goblins had a little ceile is all, I'll be fine, worry about yourself." He said, shifting slowly to relieve some of the pressure on his wounds.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

Fay was so surprised when she saw this city. Her eyes almost couldn't believe it. She was shocked and it was almost too much for her to imagine. Was she crazy and simply imagining it? Could she be? She didn't think so.

"Faelin..." She started before getting cut off.

"Fay, its Abark. I don't believe it! We were going that fast!!"

"I... I know this place..." She said.

"Erm... we should look to getting some supplies."

"Faelin... I've had dreams about this place," she said trying to make the wolf get it. "Back in my world... I dreamed of this world... I even painted it..." She was surprised as all hell that she would actually get a chance to look upon it in a full scale. "It's... It's so beautiful and odd..." She laughed before landing on her butt, having not realized she had lost her balance.

"I'm sorry... You said supplies?" She asked trying to get over it and calm herself but she was having a hard time with it... Just a little. "I don't have any money...."

 

[Wolfsister]

Dinnie and Goreab

Goreab looked up too and was saddened to see the orange glow cast into the clouds. The sun would go down and he knew that when it did, Dinnie would return. While he had nothing against the vampire, he also was rather scared of him. That tended to sour their relationship just a little bit.

Goreab sighed and stroked the wolf's fur one last time before scrambling back and letting it change back to its night form. His eyes widened with recognizable fear and anxiety when Dinnie emerged and he whimpered, "We travel now? We go see the Spirit?"

 

[Wolfsister]

Eeth/Van/Rolyn

"Of course I understand the short timeframe, but I wonder if you are familiar with phrase 'self-fulfilling prophecy?'"

Rolyn shook his head. "I know of it. The funny thing about prophecy is that if it really was meant to happen, then it happens," he shrugged, "All we can do is hope that when it does, its for the best," he watched as Eeth seemed to expertly check the string and bow. He silently admitted that the boy knew something about archery, at the very least how to pick a good bow.

"I appreciate what you're doing for me, Rolyn. The crash course will come in handy."

Rolyn laughed, "Well despite my earlier words, we would be sorry if we lost you due to poor training on our part. We are elves after all. Love for all life and all that," he grinned, "You know the story,"

Rolyn watched in silence, Van sitting beside him, licking his paws, and saw the careful aim given and the results had by Eeth. He was once again silently impressed, but he wasn't about to say anything like that. From his experience, when told too early just how good students were, they tended to get big heads. But he would at least agree that Eeth had huge potential with the curved weapon.

"You wanted me to show you that I can handle a bow. I think that's a good start."

Rolyn nodded, taking the bow from Eeth and nocking his own arrow. After the stones had been set up in their previous position by another elf, he took aim and knocked all five of them down in quick succession. Releasing the string, Rolyn turned to Eeth, "When you learn to do that, or close enough to it, then we'll turn to your next objective," he grinned, "Moving targets,"

No time like the present to train. At least he hadn't been forced into teaching the boy from scratch.

 

[Wolfsister]

Michael/Sila/Tula

"Ah nothing lass, just a few new character marks. Me and a horde of goblins had a little ceile is all, I'll be fine, worry about yourself."

Sila's eyes widened and her mouth made a little 'oh' of surprise while Michael was speaking. Then her eyes got even wider, if it were possible. "Goblins!" she turned to Tula and her voice rose in volume and agitation, "Oh mother! There were goblins and they hurt Shela and they came out of a tunnel and they hurt Shela and they... they..." she frowned in confusion and turned back to Michael, observing the wounds on his body and the various minor wounds on her mother as well, "Mother? What happened?" she asked in a tiny and quite frightened voice.

Tula shook her head, "I'm a little sketchy on the initial details my dear, perhaps we should ask your new friend here to elaborate?" she looked up expectantly towards Michael.

 

[Wolfsister]

Fay and Faelin

"Faelin... I've had dreams about this place, Back in my world... I dreamed of this world... I even painted it.... It's... It's so beautiful and odd..."

Faelin shook her head, her earlier embarassment instantly forgotten, "How could you know it? You have never been here, Fay." she shook her head, "Perhaps its because you were called to this place from birth? As a future Guardian?" she mused out loud, turning over the puzzle in her head. Then she looked at Abark, looked at Fay and then at the great sprawling city once again, "You painted this?" she blinked, "What kind of artist are you?" she looked at the great city and shook her head. "Is all Guardian Art so... messy?"

"I'm sorry... You said supplies? I don't have any money...."

Faelin blinked, "Oh... that is a problem," she mused and then smiled at the Avian, "Not to worry. If you look into your pack, you should see a small coin purse there. Our kind host put it in there with the rest of the clothing she no doubt hand stitched for you,"

Faelin yipped and started down the incline towards the city, "Well come on," she said and then paused, looking over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eye, "And do try to land on your feet next time?"

 

[rengadeirishman]

Michael turned back to Sila and began to explain. "Goblins kidnapped ya lass." he said "I chased them, and started killing them, but there were too many. then your ma showed up with a bunch of other faeries and killed what was left and saved ya, then they beamed us all back to guarden hall pretty as you please." he said leaning back.

 

[blaster8]

Eeth watched as Rolyn nailed each of the rocks in quick succession, knocking them down. Eeth was impressed, but he wasn’t going to show it beyond an approving nod of his head. Eeth took the bow from Rolyn again, and this time simply nocked an arrow, aimed loosely at the first rock as it was being set up, and released. The arrow whistled down range and struck the rock dead center just as the elf setting the rocks up got his hand clear.

“Another thing about prophecies: they may not be destined to come true, but they can be made to come true. Example: in economics, if a company believes that the market prices of their goods will go up, then they cut back the supply of their goods, thus increasing the market price. Now, tell me, what would have happened if they had not cut back the supply?” asked Eeth, as he nocked another arrow, aimed and released, catching the second rock on the left edge, causing it to spin, and eventually fall off. “The future is always in motion, Rolyn. Just because you believe something will happen in a certain timeframe, doesn’t mean it will. You could end up causing it to happen by taking actions to prepare for it,” continued Eeth. He waited a little while for the rest of the rocks to be set up, and then aimed at each and fired, in turn. He hit each rock hard enough to knock them down, although, not necessarily in the center each time.

“As for that whole bit about elves loving life and whatnot, I do believe that your beloved queen is an exception to the rule,” said Eeth. He had said the word beloved on purpose, to see what sort of reaction it would get from Rolyn. He watched Rolyn for a reaction, while waiting for the rocks to be reset.

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

"Good thinking Danae, it will take us a lot less time now,"

Danae smiled shyly. "It's just, I got in the water yesterday, and it was.........bliss. That it may be faster is an added benefit. Can I help you pack up then?" Amazingly her plate was empty already.

 

[Wolfsister]

Michael/Sila/Tula

A bustling dwarf came round after Michael's short and sweet explanation of what had happened the day before and handed them a platter of food each. On Michael's plate was a steaming leg of lamb roast, several very large potatoes and a gigantic tanker of ale. It wasn't watered down either.

Sila's was more moderate fair, but good all the same and she tucked in while absorbing the information. Tula's was much the same as her daughter's but she decided to eat a little more sedately. Well, more royally, at least.

Sila chewed thoughtfully and then turned to her mother, wincing in slight pain as she twisted her back, "Mother, why would they kidnap me?"

Tula almost choked at the question as she started to laugh, "Sila, my darling. You're the princess to the fairy empire. You do remember the war between the green skins and our race, don't you?'

Sila's eyes widened and she made a little 'oh' with her mouth again, "Oh yeah... now that you mention it. It does make sense, doesn't it?" she giggled.

 

[Wolfsister]

Eeth/Van/Rolyn

Rolyn sighed, "Eeth, she wasn't always like this. She was..." he paused, searching for the right word, "She was an elf in every sense. She was truly a Queen of our beautiful race. When she was younger...," he sighed again, "She was a different person back then. Its a reason why we're doing this now. For all I said before, about prophecy and the such, it is already in motion. The moment our queen met and fell in love with Malas, then the branch of prophecy was taken. Now, with you, we're trying to move it onto a new branch, a branch of hope," he shrugged, "Forked prophecies are strange things, but it is not for you or I to ponder. What we need to know is that we have a hope of changing the future, of saving ourselves. But if we don't do anything, then," he shrugged, "Then there is no hope. Thus," his hand swept around the cave, "why we are here now, today and training. We're doing something about it,"

He nodded in quiet satisfaction as Eeth had knocked down all four ealier, before his long winded speech. He would get Eeth to do that four more times, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. After this, the rocks would be moved away and he would be given a stronger bow.

It was a long bow, made of a very flexible wood and rubbed to a dark colour. The arrows were a special though, instead of the hardened metal tip, like most arrows were made with, these had a fluffly white fabric tip. These were dipped in white paint and handed to Eeth.

Rolyn uncrossed his arms, "This is to test moving targets. Ariet will throw seven rocks in quick succession, one after the other. The paint allows us to measure which you hit and where. Be careful with this bow, because of the fluff ends, the arrows tend to drag. So aim up a little higher and give it more power,"

He didn't really expect Eeth to get more than one or two the first try, after all, he needed to get used to using the different bow. He would see, however, just how good the elf was. He had instructed Ariet to thow at three second intervals. Just to give the younger elf a little more time for tracking and firing.

In the dim light and the small confines, this would be a difficult task. However, if Eeth managed to get this right in a relatively short time, then he could hit a moving target anywhere. Rolyn grinned, for a moment he prayed that Eeth would not succeed so quickly, for the quicker he was, the harder became the lessons.

 

[Wolfsister]

Danae and Sishota

Danae smiled shyly. "It's just, I got in the water yesterday, and it was.........bliss. That it may be faster is an added benefit. Can I help you pack up then?" Amazingly her plate was empty already.

Sishota nodded, "It would be a good idea to help. At least by securing the packs onto the animals. That way, they can get to know you and not be afraid of you. You could also let them get used to your Selkie form. I know for a fact that you can transform on land, if only for a short period of time. Say, about ten minutes or so," she shrugged, "I've heard of longer, but I guess it depends on how strong you are,"

She noted the empty plate and smiled, "I was curious about whether you would like your fish raw, or cooked. I guess in your land form, you would prefer the latter?" her grin was merry and a twinkle came to her eye, "I think I will enjoy cooking for you, you seem to have a very good apetite,"

Then she began gathering up the plates and the cooking utensils. She extinguished the fire and sighed, "Well, I suppose you can help by packing the tent up," she smiled, "Just fit it into that pack and I will sort out the rest."

It would give Danae something to do as the tent was rather large and bulky. Sishota hoped it would occupy the Selkie for some time while she packed camp. She knew that she would need to the majority of the work for the meantime, at least until Danae got a little more used to Vale life.

 

[PoliteSuccubus]

Danae looked at the tent. It looked back at her. "Ok." She said, but she approached it like a wild animal. It was made of sticks and cloth and ties and...more sticks pounded into the earth.

At one point, the point when it collasped, she was inside the tent. "I got it, dont' worry!" She said.

An hour and half later she had the tent stuffed into the pack, tho bits still stuck out.

 

[Optimas]

Dinnie says Goreab.

Goreab sighed and stroked the wolf's fur one last time before scrambling back and letting it change back to its night form. His eyes widened with recognizable fear and anxiety when Dinnie emerged and he whimpered, "We travel now? We go see the Spirit?"

Dinnie awoke from his sleep, and looked at Goreab, "Oh fuck me sideways," he said placing his head in his hands, "So this is not a dream?."


Dinnie could see a look of sadness on Goreabs face and some how that pulled at hidden feelings tucked in dinnies sub conscious. He shook the thought from his mind, and shouted at Goreab, "Finally we go to this spirit, I will pack my loin cloth, why did you not wake me earlier? In the day light this place might even be nice." Dinnie pulled on a loin cloth, then stopped, his eyes a blaze, "Why am I naked?" He pointed an accusing finger at the cowering Imp, "You my little Goreen or whatever your name is. You Shall. . ." Goreab shivered, he thought he was going to die then Dinnie continued aware of the thoughts in th little imps head," You shall . . . take me somewhere to get some proper clothes ok."

Dinnie launched foward with uncanny speed and picked Goreab up in a flash, "Oh and Goreab," Goreab gulped, he had used his proper name," You will travel on my shoulders as you are a little tubby and not as fast as me." Dinnie laughed it was almost manic in its hysteria, it was a release. Dinnie pulled himself together with a intake of breath. He gently placed Th imp on his shoulders the blaze in his eyes a tiny ember.

 

[ultimate_nerdslut]

"How could you know it? You have never been here, Fay. Perhaps its because you were called to this place from birth? As a future Guardian?"

"That is no impossible... I suppose..." She said looking around the city. "I have never felt quite at home back at home, not that this place makes me feel at home either... It was more like

"You painted this? What kind of artist are you? Is all Guardian Art so... messy?"

"Messy?" She laughed. "Well I don't know I have never met any other guardians as of recently or in the other world... if I did I did not know that they were guardians...." She explained with a smile. "I know that I am a messy artist but it ends up looking good... it sells anyway," she chuckled.

"Oh... that is a problem.. Not to worry. If you look into your pack, you should see a small coin purse there. Our kind host put it in there with the rest of the clothing she no doubt hand stitched for you."

"She?" Fay stared at the other for a moment. "She hand sewed all of this?" She asked looking at her clothing which she adored. Her purse was a different story... This she knew came form the human world.

"Well come on. And do try to land on your feet next time?"

"Faelin... You do know that... This is an item from my world don't you?" She asked pointing to the purse... "I wonder if that person is still here? Still alive?" She said. "And I will work on my landings thank you," she said petting the pretty wolf to keep her silent for now.

"Comeon then... Let's take a look around this city then..."

 

[blaster8]

Eeth with the long bow

Eeth had his answer; whether or not Rolyn intended to, he just confirmed that he loved at one point, and still holds some strong feelings for, the queen. He will save this information for a later discussion, for now was not the time to discuss such things, especially if Rolyn was trying to keep his feelings for the queen secret. While Rolyn had not quite gotten what Eeth had meant by “the future is always in motion,” Eeth wasn’t about to argue the point right now. He simply picked up the bow and knocked down the stones four more times, each time getting more accurate and faster. He still wasn’t as fast as Rolyn, but that didn’t matter at the time. Time and practice would change that eventually.

Then Eeth was given a new bow, a long bow. It was a marvelous piece of work, and Eeth examined it just as he had the short bow. After doing a thorough job of examining the bow, he picked up one of the arrows and signaled that he was ready to start.

The first stone was thrown and Eeth tracked just ahead of it. He had hunted plenty of moving animals back home, so he knew how to track a moving target. He released the arrow, but missed the stone low and behind. The second stone he missed just behind it, in fact it may have a little bit of paint on it, but not a hit. The third stone, Eeth missed just ahead; in fact, the stone caught the shaft of the arrow as it passed, but not the head. The forth stone, Eeth hit, catching the back end of it, causing it to spin off its original trajectory. The next three were also hits, with one hit on the back end, like the forth stone, one hit on the front, and finally, a dead center hit.

Eeth had to admit, it was hard to see the stones, but his eyes were well adjusted to the dim light. So, the main difficulty for hitting those stones was adjusting for the unusual drag of the fur tipped arrows. With no more stones being thrown, Eeth turned to examine Rolyn's expression for a reaction when the results came back.