The Chronicles of Meriden

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I heard her stomach rumble when I mentioned a stew, and knew immediately she wanted one.her words only confirmed my knowledge. I nodded, and began preparing by taking out our largest pot.
"Well then, Kay, could you please get some water for me? And take Meret with you, she needs to know where everything is," I told Kay. I hope Meret didn't mind going with Kay, and that Kay didn't mind going with Meret. They needed to get along, and Meret needed to learn the layout of the forest.
As they left together to the spring with two buckets, I lit a fire in our fireplace, helping it grow using twigs and leaves. Soon I had a fire blazing, and I got ready the stick which the pot would hang by. Once that was all done Kay and Meret still hadn't returned. I was worried, but decided that I should give them at least ten more minutes before I go looking for them.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

When Hunter suggested that Meret went with Kay to fetch the water Meret gave the sphinx a suspicious look. Seemingly oblivious to Meret's apprehension, the sphinx knocked the ladder out of the tree house and begun to descend it without even looking back. Her nonchalance made Meret wonder whether Kay was just as unsure about the situation as she was. Either way, Meret had no choice but to follow.

Kay led the way through the thick forest. It was all Meret could do to keep up with her. There were a couple of times where she thought that she had lost the Sphinx only to see her hair flash through the trees. It wasn't until Meret could hear the soft splatter of shallow water over rocks that Kay began to slow down.

"So... Kay... How did you meet Hunter?" Meret asked as they approached a stream. She would have been happy not saying anything, but the tension between the two females had become uncomfortable for Meret. If Meret was going to be staying with Kay and Hunter the least she could do was attempt to make polite conversation.

 

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Kay had led Meret through the forest, not going slow. Enough for her to really stay with her, but when they began nearing the spring, Kay began slowing down, letting Meret catch up. The walked closer to the water, buckets in hand, when Met asked Kay a question.
"So... Kay... How did you meet Hunter?" she asked her. Kay knew that Meret was. Only trying to break the tension between them, so she thought about not answering. The question was very personal, and it was quite a long story as to. How she got here into the Wild in the first place.
"That is a very personal matter, Meret," she told her. She wanted to leave it at that, but for some reason she felt she was being rude by not giving her an answer. She decided to elaborate.
"If you really want to know, I must warn you, we will be here for quite a while once a begin telling you. It isn't the shortest story in the world. You don't have to listen to it if you don't want to," she warned.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Kay's resposne to her question threw Meret. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but it was clear that the Sphinx wasn't really interested in sharing how she met Hunter.

"Er- don't worry about it." Meret said slowly, trying to think of something else to say to break the awkward tension that was building ."Maybe another time when we know each other better. Do you and Hunter cook stew often?" Meret asked, hoping not to offend the sphinx again.

 

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Kay was glad that Meret had decided not to press on with her question; she was in no mood to tell her. Kay walked towards the spring, her bucket close to the water, when Meret asked yet another question.
"Do you and Hunter cook stew often?" she asked. Kay was slightly annoyed with all these question, and she didn't keep it out of her voice.
"No, we have only cooked it once," she said through clamped teeth. Kay scooped up water into the bucket, and then walked away from the spring, motioning for Meret to get some water with her bucket.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

"Right." Meret said with a stiff nod at the rather rude rebuff. Meret had tried light conversation twice, only to have KAy become annoyed at her, so she decided not to push it further. Instead, she filled the bucket she was holding with water like Kay had. When the bucket was full she took a step back; "Ready to go." Meret said, gripping the bucket tightly in one hand.

 

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When Meret had filled the bucket and was ready to go, Kay headed off into the forest again, not checking to see if Meret was following her. She had to be extra careful with the bucket of water, but they eventually, after a long while, made it back to the house. Kay gave a yell, and the rope ladder was rolled down, allowing them to climb. Kay transformed into an eagle and carried the bucket up. When she had deposited it into the house, she flew back down, grabbed the bucket that Meret was carrying, and did the same. She then waited for Meret to climb up the ladder, and when she did, Hunter immediately spoke.
"What took so long?!?! I was about to go out after you!" he said, voicing his concern.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Meret was quite exhausted by the time that they got back to the tree house. It was bad enough trying to follow Kay the first time, but it was even more difficult whilst carrying a full bucket of water. When they had reached the ladder Meret was trying to figure out just how she would carry it up whilst climbing, only to be relieved when Kay shifted into a bird and flew it up there for her. Nevertheless, after the trek through the forest, climbing the ladder only added to Meret's exhaustion.

"Sorry, I'm not quite as quick as Kay is." Meret said lightly, giving Hunter a bright smile.

 

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I heard Meret's explanation, and calmed down. I grabbed the buckets of water and emptied them into the pot hanging over the fire. I then went over to where all the food was and began preparing as the water was heating up.
"Well then, Meret you should probably unpack your things and get your bedroll, since we usually go to bed after we have supper," I explained to her. I turned to Kay, but she had already left the room, probably to her own. I shrugged and continued cutting the herbs and preparing for the stew. Not wanting to just be in silence, I decided to strike conversation with Meret.
"Meret, why did you come to the Wild? I mean, why not go to some place else to escape the Bears?" I asked her. I hoped hat it wouldn't be such a sensitive topic to sadden her or anything of that sort. I just wanted to learn more about her if we would be sharing a house.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

"I tried everywhere else. Well, everywhere I could reach." Meret said, feeling the despair of her journey creeping up on her with its sinister black tendrils. "I spent six weeks travelling the countryside and trying to find a township that had survived the Bears. I didn't want to come into the Wild, believe me. I had no choice; the Bears surrounded me and this was the only place to escape them. I thought that the Wild had to be better than what the bears do." Meret stopped speaking abruptly and looked away from Hunter's enquiring eyes. It took all of her concentration to hold back the tears that were welling in her eyes.

 

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I saw her effort to keep tears out of her eyes, so I decided to end the conversation. Once I had cut everything, I began putting it in the boiling water, and began mixing.
"The stew is almost ready," I told Meret and Kay. Kay was still in her room, but I heard her rustling at the mention of stew. Soon it was all ready. I had used rabbit meat since it was the best to use in stew, and I grabbed some bowls and filled them up with the stew. Soon I had three bowls filled with the stew, and I handed one to Meret and Kay, who had re-entered the room, and we all sat down at the table, where spoons had been laid out. I hoped that the stew was good, since it was only my second time ever cooking stew, and this was really the first meal I had ever cooked for a guest, besides the roast rabbit.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Meret sat down at the table and enjoyed the stew that Hunter had cooked. It wasn't as flash as the stews that she'd eaten at The Last Bastion, but it satisfied her much more than they ever had.

"The stew was delicious. Thank you Hunter. And thanks to you and Kay for your hospitality." Meret said. "Let me clear the bowls and clean them." Meret said, standing and reaching for Kay's bowl.

 

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I gave a sort of blush at her compliments, feeling glad that the stew was good. When she reached for Kay's bowl, Kay grabbed it before she could. Kay had a look in her eyes that frightened me, but I knew she wasn't going to hurt Meret. But she had different plans. I couldn't tell what, but I knew she was up to something.
"No Meret, you are the guest. Let me clean the bowls." Kay stood up abruptly, causing her chair to screech against the floor. She grabbed my bowl and then grabbed Meret's as well. Before I could say anything, though, I heard some commotion outside, and, using it as an excuse to let Kay and Meretvsort their problems out by themselves, I grabbed my bow and climbed down the ladder.
"Kay, Meret! I am going outside for a minute. Just stay here, okay?" I told them. I climbed down the ladder and jumped onto the forest floor, arrow drawn, my bow ready to shoot within a moments notice. When I had heard the noise, it sounded like something huge had been moving and had caused the trees to sway slightly. I was not sure if I was the only one to hear it since I was paying some attention, but the sound was quite loud. I looked around, trying to find the cause of it.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

As soon as Hunter left the treehouse the tension between the two females rose significantly. Instead of Kay's anger, there was a cold distance between them as Kay washed and Meret wiped the dishes. From their earlier encounter Meret did not wish to aggravate the sphinx further.

As soon as she had finished the last dish, Kay took the pot of water and threw it out of the window before retreating back behind the door. Unsure of what to do, Meret walked over and sat back at the table. She rested her elbows on the table and her head in her hands as she waited for Hunter to return, still completely shocked by the strange turn her life had taken.

 

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I waited a few more moments to see if there was any more movement, but there was none. I turned to climb back up the ladder, but I heard the sound of water, and I turned around again. I saw it was only Kay dumping out the water from the dishes, so I turned back again. But that was when I heard movement. I turned around, and I saw some brown fur. I couldn't see it clearly, so I moved behind a bush which would hide me but also give me a better of the thing. What I saw shocked me.
I saw one of the Bears. There was no doubt about it. It was bigger than any bear I had ever seen, it's paw at least twice the size of my head, and it stood well over ten feet tall. I slowly started backing away, not wanting it to notice me. However, I made the greatest mistake any hunter could. I stepped on a twig, which snapped under my foot. The Bear's ears stood up, and I prayed that it wouldn't notice me. It slowly turned it's gigantic head, but right before it would see me, there was even greater movement on it's other side. It faced that movement and slowly limbered away.
I gave a sig of relief, thankful that it hadn't noticed me, but I waited a couple more moments, just to make sure it wasn't returning. When I was satisfied, I climbed up the ladder, put my bow and quiver away, and went to report the news to Kay and Meret. When I saw Meret in the kitchen, I went after Kay to bring her too. She was in her room, as suspected, and I didn't even need to speak, my facial expression speaking for me. She and I returned to the kitchen, and she sat down on the opposite side of Meret. They both turned to look at me, and I spoke.
"They're back. The Bears have come back into the Wild. They aren't scared anymore."

 

[SinisterSpiders]

When Hunter returned to the kitchen Meret forgot about the horrid silent exchanged that had happened between Kay and herself. She could tell by the look on his face that there was something wrong, and when he returned with Kay it was clear that there was something happening.

"They're back. The Bears have come back into the Wild. They aren't scared anymore."

Meret gasped and reached back, quickly grasping the table before leaning against it. Her eyes were wide and her heart was racing.

"It... It's not possible!" She cried, aghast.

 

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I saw Meret's surprised, but also fearful, reaction, and I felt the same way. Last time I had faced them was weeks ago, and Kay and I had killed many Bears, frightening the others away. But apparently they had come back for the kill.
"We have three options really. We can hide for s long as possible, we can fight them, or we can leave this place and go somewhere else.bwhat do you think?" Throughout the conversation, Kay had been silent, but now she spoke.
"I think we should fight," she said simply.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Meret was still shocked by the fact that the Bears had entered the Wild. She was also amazed that Kay and Hunter had managed to fight them off at some stage. She had seen dozens of her father's skilled knight try to take down the Bears and fail. It made her look at the pair before her from a new light.

"I... I can't really fight." Meret said slowly, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment. "All I can do is use my bow and arrows. I am a pretty good shot, but against the bears... " She trailed of slowly, not able to meet either Kay or Hunter's eyes. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let them know that she wasn't much of a fighter. But, if she had to chose to lay her fate at the hands of the Bears or Hunter and the Sphinx, she knew who she would choose.

 

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I heard Meret's confession at her lack of the ability to fight, and how she could on,y use her bow, but I dismissed it.
We could always make better bows or arrows. The might not kill the Bears, but they will slow them down. But we still need to train you to fight. We only haves
Ears and a couple daggers at ours disposal, and of course bows. If we stay, the we wil,have to train you how to use them." I told her.
"So Kay votes staying, and I vote hiding. What do you want to do Meret? We could always leave the Wild and head somewhere else." Despite the fact I wanted to hide, in reality I wasn't sure. Kay and I had fought the Bears before. But it was risky. But since they had Meret now, it might be easier. Hiding was just as risky, since they could be surrounded and then be starved out. And leaving was as well. There might not be any safer place. All were risky options. I just hoped that what we chose was the right one.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

"There is nowhere else." Meret said, panic creeping into her voice as her body tensed. "I traveled the entire southern border before coming into The Wils. Everywhere I went there was devestation and not a single dead Bear!" Meret turned away from Hunter and Kay, hoping they would forgive her bad manners. "Fighting won't be enough, those Bears are strong and brutal." Her tone was laced with the despair that she felt and she wondered what, if anything, her future could possibly hold.

 

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I heard the despair in Meret's voice, and the panic as well. She had a point: there was no where to go, and fighting them would be difficult. But she got one thing wrong. She underestimated our abilities. I was going to point this out, but Kay beat me to it.
"Meret, fighting will be enough, at least for a while. Last time we fought, we faced three Bears, just Hunter and I. And we killed all of them. With you, we might be able to do more damage. And they are big and slow, while we are agile and fast. And besides, I am a sphinx. I can shapeshift. We have many options if we fight."
I nodded in approval with Kay's statement. I hoped that Meret would agree with it as much as I did. Even though I would much rather hide or flee, we stood a chance if we fought.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Meret still wasn't the idea of fighting the Bears, but it seemed as though Kay and Hunter had already made up their minds. Besides, there really was no better option.

"Yes. We'll fight." Said Meret with a strange sounding confidence that she didn't really feel. She looked at her new companions and wondered just what she had gotten herself into.

 

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I was glad Meret had agreed; I really wasn't in the mood to fight. Trying to change the topic, I decided to go from the Bears to our sleeping arrangements.
"Well then, now that whave that figured out, lets talk about how we are going to sleep. Now Meret, I insist you take one of the beds, either mine or Kay's. You are, after all, the guest." I had a very strong hunch that Kay wasn't going to give up her bed, buti was willing to give up mine. It didn't make a difference to me either way.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Meret Silverstream

Meret could tell by the look on Kay's face that she would not be surrendering her bed.

"I can sleep on the floor," Meret said, looking around at the wooden planks that made the floor of the treehouse. She had been sleeping uneven and rocky ground for weeks; even the hard timber floor would be luxurious compared to that. "I would hate to put either one of you out. This is your house and you should be comfortable," She added with a small smile to Kay that she hoped conveyed her respect for the Sphinx's territory.

 

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As much as I wanted her to sleep on a bed, we had already been there, so he finally conceded and let her sleep on the floor. I saw Kay stiffen a bit when Meret finished, but I didn't catch why. I was too tired at this point to care, the sun almost set. As everyone get ready for sleep, I made sure the ladder was pulled up, the curtains were closed, and that all the fires were out. Once everything was fine, I went to my own bed.

I was running through a forest, not unlike the Wild, but not the same. Bears were chasing me. Massive, organized, and not tiring, they gained on me with every step. One raced ahead, lifting his paw to hit me. I dodged, and thankfully his claws missed me, but I was still knocked over. The surrounded me, blood dripping from their claws. I was about to admit defeat, when someone gave a war cry, and charged into battle on a horse.
The Bears turned, and in that moment I loaded arrows into a bow that appeared in my hands, and shot at them. The person on a horse had a sword, and they cut through the Bears, And at the same time the roots of the trees grabbed the Bears and strangled them. We were winning, the dead Bears piling. We had only a couple to go, and I gave a cheer, but then a Bears ran into the horse, knocking it and it's rider over. The Bear crushed the horse and the riders legs. It stood, and then with a swipe of its paw knocked the head off, and for a brief moment, as the helmet slid off and the head went flying, I got a glimpse of the riders gave, my saviors face. The roots of the trees appeared to die with the rider.
I felt several things at once, sadness, grief, anger, despair. But the most overwhelming was fury. I felt my vision growing dark, but not before I saw my hand change into a-
I awoke quickly, my body soaked in sweat. I was panting for air. The dream had been so vivid, so real. Just to check, I looked at my hand, to see if it was what it wa sin the dream. When I looked, I saw a normal human hand. I gave a sigh of relief, and laid back down in bed. But try as I might, sleep wouldn't come.
I got out of bed quietly, not wanting to wake anyone, and quickly got dressed. I went to the nearest window and peeked outside to see what time it was. I saw the sun peeking over the horizon. It was just before dawn.
I sighed and went into the kitchen, sitting at the table. It was then that I realized that Meret was sleeping in the kitchen. I quietly got out of my seat, not wanting to wake her, but before I left the room, I saw something I had overlooked. I saw a bird, a sparrow, on the mantle of the fireplace, looking down on Meret. When I saw the bird, it appeared to see me, and we looked at each other for a moment, into each others eyes.
I gave a nod, recognizing the bird, and left to my room again, deciding I would ponder the dream.