Chapter 3: An Old Friend

Kiriani sat up in the chill of the night at the sound of movement in the trees. It seemed all at once the sounds of nature chimed together in a melody as a slight breeze picked up, chilling her skin even further. Reaching a slender arm over to her gear she clutched her cloak made from lizard scales and pulled it around her as she glanced about.

"Greetings, child" a familiar, melodic voice chimed out from everywhere and nowhere at once, "mind if I join you?"

As Kiri turned to face the direction she had begun looking in she startled at the presence of another. She quickly relaxed though as the warm yet mischievous smile met her gaze, and she lay back rolling her eyes into her head.

"oh, it's you" the young elf said in an almost annoyed tone. She felt no desire to talk to the goddess like woman who had come to speak with her.

"I'm shocked, young Kiriani" the woman spoke in a hurt tone, her voice still a melody of nature, "You used to enjoy my visits"

" That was before you talked me into coming to this awful world," Kiri retorted with a depleted tone, "I'm more alone now than ever before, Tunia."

"I thought you enjoyed being alone?" Tunia queried with an arched brow, "All the times you hunted the Orcs and goblins in the Faydarks and Butcherblock Mountains on your own. The months you spent raiding the Crushbone Orcs Castle and Slave pits by yourself, even when you began to hunt in the Commonlands and Kithicor Woods, you did it all by yourself, with few friends ever joining you"

"Things changed in the past four years and you know it!" Kiri hissed as she sat up again, beginning to dress.

She thought back to the marvelous fights she endured on her own, and how others were amazed she could travel and fight alone so well. She thought of the few friends she traveled with in those days before they moved on: Siga, Fandidar, Ironshaper, Wink, Galenbor, Tadge, and Kelek. Now and then she would team up with these friends, but more often than not she hunted and fought alone. Over the few short years she had forgotten all about the Fyrelake Elves, and her dreams of restoring their lands. She even forgot about her heritage from them. After all, none had ever sought her out after that day, at least that she was aware.

But she had met a gnome one day that changed her life....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiri had never before felt so at home. No, she wasn't in the hut she had boarded up years ago in Kelethin, vowing never to return. She sat in the middle of Highpass with many of her new "family" mulling about nearby. She had met Miffe, one of the famed Treetall brothers who had formed a "guild" called Familjen. The ranks of the guild were of all races and professions, all with a common thread: they needed a family, not an army.

She sat with Anikka talking about the events of the attempted Teir'Dal invasion of Highpass, and how Kiri had been present for it. Not far off the snoring of Kirian Bowmore could be heard as he slept against a rock, and the ruckus of Elassar and Berlion drinking and challenging each other. Sparki and Miffe were shopping for supplies, and Moffe was trying to practice some of his new tricks on Maffe. It was a happy time for Kiriani, who felt she had finally found a family of her own.

"Oh, Annika," she continued with her tale, "There was another scout there with me, a fellow ranger! I don't know why but he seemed so very...familiar...like I had some sort of past with him."

"Uh huh" Anikka chuckled, "One of yer so-called boyfriends?"

"No!!" the younger elven ranger chuckled as she punched the older ranger in the arm playfully, "His name was Strykewolf Duath'Dil. And I don't date"

Kiri stuck her tongue out tat Anikka and they both chuckled for a few moments.

"Hmm...I wonder if he's related to Amberle?" Anikka mused.

"Amberle? Wasn't she the one that helped you guys save my bacon from the Pirates of Gunthak a few months back?"

"Heh, yeah, that would be here" the elder elf replied, "You two have met several times, right?"

"Yeah...." Kiri began to sink into thought, "I swear I knew her from elsewhere though..."

At that moment the two suddenly were drenched in a massive torrent of water and the scrambled to keep from falling off the bridge. Rising to their feet they were met with a cacophony of laughter from four gnomes, mostly from Miffe and Sparki.

"See?" Sparki nudged Miffe in the ribs, "I told ya I could get them wet!"

And with that, the playtime had begun as each of the women tackled a gnome and tossed them into the water a few feet away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I was happy then" the embittered young woman hissed as she slid on her darkened mail gauntlets, the last of her gear to be worn. She bent down to pick up her pack and belts with her swords and bow.

"So you blame me for bringing you here?" Tunia probed, still quite calm.

Kiriani whirled on her, an angered look in her eyes. Tunia had urged her to come to this new world, and almost exact replica of the Norrath she grew up in: it was a mirror universe. It was the will of Tunare that she came here, leaving her friends and family behind.

"I am alone again!!!" she yelled, "Those I came here with have changed, they are not my Family any longer!! I have nobody left! If not for you-"

She stopped dead and began to sob, dropping her belts and pack to the ground and bringing her hands up to hide her eyes. No matter how tough she tried to be, she couldn't hide the pain of being alone inside her any longer.

Tunia looked compassionately as she pulled the young wood elf to her shoulder.

"My child, you are still young," she spoke softly, her voice the whispering of the leaves, "You still have much to learn, but you have become a great ranger, as I promised 6 summers past."

Kiriani felt comforted as a soothing feeling washed through her body. Although she felt bitter towards the great ranger that held her at the moment, there was something awe-striking about her, and comforting. There were very few times when Tunia had spoken to Kiri, and every time she seemed to appear out of thin air. Often Kiriani had thought the woman a spirit of some sort. She seemed so wise and caring, much like her mother had been. It was almost as though this woman was her mother's spirit, but that was not the case. Tunia had confirmed that long ago. This woman was something much more, although she eluded any further questioning about it.

Tunia leaned down and placed a kiss on Kiriani's forehead and stood the ranger up at arm's length to look at her and smile warmly in her eyes.

"You have always trusted my words in the past, no?" she queried the young but seasoned ranger, who responded with just a simple nod as her tears stopped flowing.

"And you have faith in your goddess, correct?" she questioned further, again met by another nod.

She dropped her arms and began to walk around young miss Greywynd, smiling.

"You are not alone here...many came here, including one I told you about. One you would seek out one day, and your blood-kindred. They have watched you for a long time now, even though you have forgotten all about them in so short of time." she explained softly as she rounded a tree.

"Who?" was all Kiri could manage to ask meekly as she stood with her brow furrowed, looking to the ground in concentration.

"Kyllilli and the Fyrelake Elves, Kiriani, your lost sister and your true family"

Suddenly a cloud lifted in Kiriani's mind. For the past six years she had denied that she had a sister, and driven the fact she was a descendant of the Fyrelake Elves from her mind in what could only be described as a psychological block. All those thoughts had pained her with memories of her mother's death. Now, although some of that pain stung at her, she realized that Tunia spoke the truth. She had a sister, somewhere out here, and many relatives in the Fyrelake Elves.

She turned to speak to ask Tunia where she could find them once again, for more information, but as always, Tunia was gone without a trace. Again Kiri debated the chance this woman was indeed her mother's spirit, or a spirit of some kind.

With a sigh, she reached down and strapped her weapon belts on, and slung her pack over one shoulder. It was time to seek out Saybr, Amberle, and the other Fyrelake Elves she had met, and then, on to Neriak to find her sister.

As she thought of the Fyrelake Elves, many memories of their presence suddenly began to make sense as she reflected back

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amberle woke up gently and for no apparent reason. The night sky over Firiona Vie was cloudless and a slightly cool breeze blew in over the outpost with the sound of rustling leaves. The beautiful ranger arose from her bed here, careful not to rouse Tyriell in his sleep as she stepped to the basin for a drink of water.

As she pour herself a small cup from the pitcher she mused over the strange dream she had just had. A woman, the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, had been talking to her. The woman's blue eyes gleamed like the stars, her long golden hair was adorned with several leaves and flowers, all arranged perfectly, and it fell well below her belt, tied together with ivy at intervals. Her green armor was etched with many objects of nature, most surrounded by ivy and vines of thorn. At her hip rested a sword unlike any she had ever seen, and in the woman's hand was the most elegant bow ever to be crafted. The woman spoke to her of another long lost relative of whom Amber was very familiar with. The girl was finally ready to come home to her family, and knew of a sister they had yet to find as well.

Amberle found it strange to have had this dream. She shrugged to herself as she made her way back to bed, figuring it was nothing more than wishful thinking that Kiriani Greywynd would finally accept her heritage and come home.