By The Wayward Darlene

             Ricewine...always the ricewine.

            My common group of Mithra met together just outside the city of Windurst.  We sat in a circle with a wonderful view of the great sea, surrounding a small fire.  We used to meet together at the top of some of the various tarutaru schoolhouses.  That is, until we annoyed a particular taru who decided to be rid of us by teleporting us in the middle of the Dhamel farm's watering holes.  Wet fur is a bit too much to deal with more than one occasion...and it took a long time to get the Dhamel smell out of our clothing.

            All because of the ricewine.  And people ask me why I don't drink.  But it was still good...I love the smell of the sea.

            "I've been killing lots of goblins lately."  One bragged happily, polishing some odd stacks of beastcoins.  "Had those smelly things running away in those ruins."

            "Oh yeah...?"  Another said, as she pull out a crudly crafted yagudo musical instrament.  "I've been running rampant in Giddeus.  More than a few of them fell to my sword."

            The others shared small trinkets of their conquests, all equally impressive.  I listened to their stories as I sipped my tea, thinking about my own similar experiences. 

            Someone noticed the stacks of rarab pelts I had along my robe, and pointed to them.  "Don't tell me you still hunt those?" She asked with a laugh.

            I pulled some of the pelts from my side and held them out, petting the fur.  "I don't know..." I said.  "I just like the little things.  Maybe I have a soft spot for fuzzy creatures...that sure would explain why I hang out with you people."

            Everyone laughed at that, the evening alcoholic buzz growing.

            One reached out to the grab onto the bandaleer I held across my should where I had the rarab skins attached.  "What's this?"  She asked.  "It looks like a yagudo necklace."

            I sighed, and reached to the back of neck to unlatch the clasp.  I pulled the bandaleer out and turned it over to reveal the necklace that it truely was, the skins down.  Even ordinary yagudo necklaces normally worn around the necks of birdmen were too big for a normal person; this one seemed doubly so.  The others sounded awed by the sight.

            "That ...that doesn't look like a normal one," the same one said, fingering the different clumps of metal bound together with different colours of thread.  "Isn't that silver?  And mithral�and gold!"  She looked up at me.  "I thought they were all made of just copper and brass!"

            I made a face, embarassed by what was to come.  "This is...a Yagudo Prince Necklace."  I announced.

            My circle of Mithra was speachless.  One pipped up.  "E..e..exactly how powerful ARE you?" one stuttered.

            I laughed deeply at their missunderstanding.  "You don't think I actually killed a Prince, do you?"  I asked.  Relief washed acrossed my friend's faces.  "No... I was fighting some group of yagudo in the mountains and they had a large wooden box with this necklace in it.  Find of a lifetime." 

            This time they gasped at such luck.  "Why did ordinary birds have such a thing?"  One asked. 

            I shruged.  "It was�an expidition."  I surmized.  "A group that were supposed to be travelling to the Castle but decided to attack random merchants and adventurers.  I was just happened to be there to take them on."

            One made a face.  "Well...that was lucky." She said with an envious tone.

            I made a face.  �You�d think, wouldn�t you.�  I said, grimacing and sipping tea.  �But what you forget is the fact that beastmen do have a mind, even though they don�t seem to use it beyong �hit this� or �hit that� most of the time.  The necklace was a promised gift from an up and coming bird and he wanted it back.  It doesn�t pay to dissapoint royalty.�

            My group thought about that for a bit.  �Well..you still have it.  So you must have thought of something.�  One said.  �What happened?�

            I looked down at the thought of the memory.  �He kidnapped a little Mithra girl�and held her hostage.�  I confessed. 

            Everyone gasped.  Such things were unheard of by yagudo.

            I poured myself more tea.  �I heard from the gate guards what had happened.�  I explained.  �The outposts were visited by a Yagudo with a demand to �Return my present� and about �That damned Mithra� and so forth.�  I laughed.  �Coulda referred to many of us, but only I knew who they were talking about.  So I had to act.�

            The group actually stopped drinking to listen closer to my story.  I never understood why they liked my stories�

            �So I bullied one of those yag�s that hang around Windurst to send the bastard a message.�  I explained.  �I was going to meet him close to the castle�some place where he�d feel confortable�and promsied to bring his box back to him.�

            �To get out of there in tact would require some planning.� I said.  �So I stopped by the canyon first to get a special surprise and then went to the mountains.  But before I went to the castle, I found a useful Coeurl wondering about�annoying creatures normally, but I was able to charm it�and secured the box to the back of the animal.�

            I sighed at the thought of what came next.  �When I finally saw the group, they had the little girl�tied up�and very hurt.  There were a dozen or so yagudo milling around the biggest bird I�d ever seen.  It was almost twice the size of most of the weaklings that hang around Giddeous.  I�m sure I could have taken the group--except for the big one--but not without killing the girl.  However, beastmen understand strength.   I stayed back as far as I could as I cast a flashy spell and blew up the small fire they had built up.  Flaming brands flew everywhere.�

            ��Alright, Mr. Bird!� I shouted.  �I have your present!  Now give me the girl.��

            �The birds weren�t happy about the explosion, but it did keep them busy putting out fires instead of heading out to me.  The leader, however, looked unphased.  He shook his claws at me and shouted �Skwaa!  Damn Mithra!  Skwaa!   Give me my present!�  The creature had actual burning feathers all about him, but didn�t seem to even notice.� 

            I sipped my tea again, wetting my dry mouth.  Everyone�s attention was getting to be unnearving.  �I called my charmed creature to me, letting them see the bright box.  �Now I want you to send the girl to me, and I�ll send you your box.  Nobody has to get hurt.�� 

            �The bird was almost a blur�when it grabbed the girl with his hand and lifting her up without any effort.  It�s claws were almost big enough to wrap completely around the scared child.  �NO!� it shouted at me.  �You will give my present or the damn mithra dies!��

            Again, my mouth dry and my heart pounding, I sipped at my tea again.  Some memories were hard to relive. 

            �I pointed my hands at the box, and shouted, �DO IT AND I DO TO THE PRESENT WHAT I DID TO YOUR FIRE!�  It was a bad threat, but it was all I could do.  I didn�t want them to rush me.  But none of his group moved and we stood there staring at each other for a while.  He finally let the girl down.�

            ��Skwaa!  Very well� he said then, pushing the girl toward me.  She look like she could hardly stand, but a true Mithra, she started walking towards me.  Immediately, I commanded the coeurl to head towards the mob of yags.�

            �It�s much easier to risk your own life than someone else�s, but sometimes there�s no avoiding it.  Much is the pitty.  But as soon as the animal passed the girl, I shouted out �RUN GIRL, RUN!� as I sent out a command to set my charmed pet to run.  In a few seconds, the girl started running to me as the coeurl leapt out beyond the group and fled in the oposite direction at full speed.  As I had hoped, most of the group ran after it, including the monstrous one.�

            �As soon as I had the young mithra in my arms, I began casting a spell.  A couple of the birds choose to attack me instead of chase the errant present, but their blows hit against me magical skins and shadows, protecting us both.  And we teleported away.�

            The group sighed audibly at the end of my narrative.  I wondered if they�d like these stories more if they weren�t so drunk, but I suppose it wasn�t so important.  I liked being � liked.  So it was worth it.  I just wish they wouldn�t stare at me so much.

            One of them had a thought.  �But�if you gave it back.  Why do you still have it?�  She asked.

            I chuckled in spite of myself.  �You forget� I stopped off in the canyon before I met the birds.� I explained.  �While I was there I had a friend put a group of rarabs to sleep.  I hid one in the box with a hand-full of weights.  Obviously�he never bothered to check.�

            A few of them laughed, but the same looked even more confused.  �But�if he didn�t get the necklace back�why didn�t he go after you again?�  She asked.

            I gave her my most evil smile.  �It�s my�understanding�that the creature went directly to the King of the Yagudo.  By then, the little bunny was awake and angry.  It was chewing on the King�s beak the instant he opened the box.  I understand he was very creative in rewarding that bastard.�

            Everyone looked shocked, then everyone started laughing.