Quintar the swordsman had fallen asleep from the heat and from boredom, and had fallen behind, way behind. The man in black at the rear of the caravan looked no bigger than a housecat from the distance he was away from them now. When he came awake and realized what had happened he lost his balance and started to topple off his camel, digging into his back with his sharp talons he was able to right himself. But his camel became most distressed, from the sharp pain that was caused. The camel halted and refused to travel on.
Quintar the swordsman knew not what to do, he needed to catch up with the caravan but his camel had given out on him. "Well why dont you fly, Quintar?" the camel said to him. "After all you are an owl!"
"I am a swordsman," grumbled Quintar "traveling this hot desert to meet fate armed with cold steel!"
The camel wagged his head, bid Quintar good day and headed back toward the village from where they came.
Quintar the eagle lifted off, soaring high above the desert floor, the caravan from that height looked no more than a worm. The freedom of flying felt wonderful to him, but he had get back to his journey. Quintar the eagle spiraled downward, heading down toward the caravan marking his spot to land in his eye. Landing ever so gently in a cart.
Quintar the wagonmaster had a very important job, he was responsible to get this wagon across the desert and all that followed to safety. He held the reins tightly with one hand, while wiping the sweat from his brow with the other, he took a small sip of water from his goatskin bag. Quintar the wagon master sat up straight and proud, he had to give the impression of great strength and bravery to the others. Quintar the wagonmaster plotted the caravan's course in his mind's eye as he led the others through the hot desert sand.
"Not bad for an owl," he said to himself. "Not bad for an owl at all".
Thundercat
Madrina had a restless night. Plagued with dreams filled with sandstorms and dark shadows, ending with a glow of white light in the distance. She knew she was on the right trail to follow the dream, even if last night's dream was overcast with shadows. Stretching, then shaking the sand out of her braids, Madrina greeted the morning. Kah-peh was restlessly passing, waiting for the trip to begin.
"Patience, Kah-peh. We'll be moving soon." With that said, Madrina wandered the caravan, watching the servants busy at their tasks. She stopped at one wagon and slipped bread and cheese into the back, knowing a special rat had taken up residence there. She then gathered an armful of hay that had been dropped here and there. Part of that hay she slipped into the rat's wagon. The rest she wove into a bird's nest, which she then placed securely on the back of her Arabian stallion. Sensing the area, Madrina located the still sleeping faery and quietly picked her up and placed her in the nest.
Climbing the white steed, Madrina looked about her. Towards the back of the caravan she saw a dark shadow of a man busily eyeing the group. A chill raced up her spine. She nudged Wind, her white stallion, with her heel, glancing down to see that Kah-peh eagerly followed.
The caravan sidewinded along the shifting sands. Madrina trudged along quietly, once again sensing the group, this time searching for the cat that had tagged along. And where was that other large creature hiding? He should be easy to sense, since he carried a scent of heather about him. But instead of catching a sense of either creature, her senses once again picked up on that shadow lingering at the back of the caravan.
"Kah-peh, do you sense 'him', too?" Looking down at the lion, she watched him swing his massive black mane in the direction of the shadow. Kah-peh let out a low growl. "Yes, I sense he is up to no good as well. He will bare watching." Just before Madrina turned Wind back into the caravan's trail, she spied a large bird flapping hurriedly towards the front of the troupe. Madrina laughed to herself. "Look, Kah-peh, someone has overslept and is just now catching up." Checking to make sure the nesting faery was secure, Madrina dug her heels into wind, and headed towards the caravan master.
Pulling up along side, Madrina smiled as Quintar eyed her suspiciously. "Good morning, or should I say afternoon?" Madrina giggled. "How far shall we travel this day before we settle in for the night?" Madrina giggled once more as Quintar grunted a reply.
kit10ish
The rat captain woke at the sound of rustling in the wagon and right near his head. From under the canvas in dropped a nice hunk of cheese and and a huge piece of bread. "My favorite!" cried the rat with joy. "But who has left this here and for me?"
He heard more rustling from outside the tent and in fell some hay. Enough hay to make a nice cozy bed in a safe corner of the wagon. "Well," said the rat captain "someone is certainly kind outside this wagon." He looked out from under the wagon's cover but only in time to see a woman on horseback racing to the front of the caravan. "I bet that was her who left me these things," the rat thought to himself. "I will have to thank her."
He made his hay bed for later use and set his cheese and bread upon a trinkets box he was using as a dining table. "A meal fit for a king," he thought to himself, and imagined what it must be like to be a king. A rat king! He imagined too hard because that is when the throne and rats in armor appeared.
Rat-atat
It was a bumpy ride, and Sze awoke with a start to find herself in a birdsnest made of hay and caring.
Sze looked up at the woman who held the Stallion's reins. Strong yet loving, she read from her eyes. "I will remember this kindness always."
As a faery, Sze was not accustomed to desert travel, and to be given a bed to sleep in was a wonderful gift indeed.
Sze grasped the wand the Queen of faeries had presented her with and marked in her mind that a power must be used to help this considerate person.
The wand held but 5 powers left.
Trink
Simone awoke to the rustling of the wagon's canvas, and the scent of cheese and bread. And there was another familiar scent, a rodent was in the wagon also.
She crept slowly and quietly toward the direction from which the noises had
come. And there in front of her was a rat, sitting behind a trinkets box, with a feast of bread and cheese atop of it, and deeply lost in thought.
Simone considered to herself, that while she preferred a nice bowl of fish, or saucer of fresh milk, that under the present situation this rodent would make a quick and easy breakfast. She hunched down, and shifted her weight endlessly, from side to side, paw to paw, getting her bearings for the leap that would capture breakfast in one sure thrust.
But just as she was ready to leap, she froze, for there appeared in front of her a beautiful throne, on which sat the rat now fully concious, and in front of him a group of rats in armor, as knights awaiting the kings command. Simone crept slowly back into the shadows of the corner of the wagon where she
had spent the night, and watched, and listened, and learned.
Purring_Kitten
Commencing the journey with the caravan was a tense time for Og. He was, by nature, a solitary creature and the proximity of the others of the caravan unsettled his usually balanced nature. It was equally unsettling that his senses, usually so acute in �reading� others, were unable to define any of the creatures he was now travelling with. Whilst he could detect no evil from them, they were, nonetheless, an enigma.
To add to his unease was the terrain and the weather. Og was a highlander. Wild mountains of the north, snow, cold and the smells of heather, lochs and the sea were his life and all he had ever known. Throughout his journey so far, all that had changed and this strange land of heat and dust was anathema to him. He wanted nothing more than to be home running free away from all the oppressive heat and dust and insects, but the compulsion that had brought him on this quest was a chain that had wrapped itself around him and was inexorably pulling him along. If he was not to sink into total depression Og decided to break his usual habit and try to get to know some of his companions.
Pipedreams
Quintar the swordsman had fallen asleep from the heat and from boredom, and had fallen behind, way behind. The man in black at the rear of the caravan looked no bigger than a housecat from the distance he was away from them now. When he came awake and realized what had happened he lost his balance and started to topple off his camel, digging into his back with his sharp talons he was able to right himself. But his camel became most distressed, from the sharp pain that was caused. The camel halted and refused to travel on.
Quintar the swordsman knew not what to do, he needed to catch up with the caravan but his camel had given out on him. "Well why dont you fly, Quintar?" the camel said to him. "After all you are an owl!"
"I am a swordsman," grumbled Quintar "traveling this hot desert to meet fate armed with cold steel!"
The camel wagged his head, bid Quintar good day and headed back toward the village from where they came.
Quintar the eagle lifted off, soaring high above the desert floor, the caravan from that height looked no more than a worm. The freedom of flying felt wonderful to him, but he had get back to his journey. Quintar the eagle spiraled downward, heading down toward the caravan marking his spot to land in his eye. Landing ever so gently in a cart.
Quintar the wagonmaster had a very important job, he was responsible to get this wagon across the desert and all that followed to safety. He held the reins tightly with one hand, while wiping the sweat from his brow with the other, he took a small sip of water from his goatskin bag. Quintar the wagon master sat up straight and proud, he had to give the impression of great strength and bravery to the others. Quintar the wagonmaster plotted the caravan's course in his mind's eye as he led the others through the hot desert sand.
"Not bad for an owl," he said to himself. "Not bad for an owl at all".
Thundercat
Madrina had a restless night. Plagued with dreams filled with sandstorms and dark shadows, ending with a glow of white light in the distance. She knew she was on the right trail to follow the dream, even if last night's dream was overcast with shadows. Stretching, then shaking the sand out of her braids, Madrina greeted the morning. Kah-peh was restlessly passing, waiting for the trip to begin.
"Patience, Kah-peh. We'll be moving soon." With that said, Madrina wandered the caravan, watching the servants busy at their tasks. She stopped at one wagon and slipped bread and cheese into the back, knowing a special rat had taken up residence there. She then gathered an armful of hay that had been dropped here and there. Part of that hay she slipped into the rat's wagon. The rest she wove into a bird's nest, which she then placed securely on the back of her Arabian stallion. Sensing the area, Madrina located the still sleeping faery and quietly picked her up and placed her in the nest.
Climbing the white steed, Madrina looked about her. Towards the back of the caravan she saw a dark shadow of a man busily eyeing the group. A chill raced up her spine. She nudged Wind, her white stallion, with her heel, glancing down to see that Kah-peh eagerly followed.
The caravan sidewinded along the shifting sands. Madrina trudged along quietly, once again sensing the group, this time searching for the cat that had tagged along. And where was that other large creature hiding? He should be easy to sense, since he carried a scent of heather about him. But instead of catching a sense of either creature, her senses once again picked up on that shadow lingering at the back of the caravan.
"Kah-peh, do you sense 'him', too?" Looking down at the lion, she watched him swing his massive black mane in the direction of the shadow. Kah-peh let out a low growl. "Yes, I sense he is up to no good as well. He will bare watching." Just before Madrina turned Wind back into the caravan's trail, she spied a large bird flapping hurriedly towards the front of the troupe. Madrina laughed to herself. "Look, Kah-peh, someone has overslept and is just now catching up." Checking to make sure the nesting faery was secure, Madrina dug her heels into wind, and headed towards the caravan master.
Pulling up along side, Madrina smiled as Quintar eyed her suspiciously. "Good morning, or should I say afternoon?" Madrina giggled. "How far shall we travel this day before we settle in for the night?" Madrina giggled once more as Quintar grunted a reply.
kit10ish
The rat captain woke at the sound of rustling in the wagon and right near his head. From under the canvas in dropped a nice hunk of cheese and and a huge piece of bread. "My favorite!" cried the rat with joy. "But who has left this here and for me?"
He heard more rustling from outside the tent and in fell some hay. Enough hay to make a nice cozy bed in a safe corner of the wagon. "Well," said the rat captain "someone is certainly kind outside this wagon." He looked out from under the wagon's cover but only in time to see a woman on horseback racing to the front of the caravan. "I bet that was her who left me these things," the rat thought to himself. "I will have to thank her."
He made his hay bed for later use and set his cheese and bread upon a trinkets box he was using as a dining table. "A meal fit for a king," he thought to himself, and imagined what it must be like to be a king. A rat king! He imagined too hard because that is when the throne and rats in armor appeared.
Rat-atat
It was a bumpy ride, and Sze awoke with a start to find herself in a birdsnest made of hay and caring.
Sze looked up at the woman who held the Stallion's reins. Strong yet loving, she read from her eyes. "I will remember this kindness always."
As a faery, Sze was not accustomed to desert travel, and to be given a bed to sleep in was a wonderful gift indeed.
Sze grasped the wand the Queen of faeries had presented her with and marked in her mind that a power must be used to help this considerate person.
The wand held but 5 powers left.
Trink
Simone awoke to the rustling of the wagon's canvas, and the scent of cheese and bread. And there was another familiar scent, a rodent was in the wagon also. She crept slowly and quietly toward the direction from which the noises had come. And there in front of her was a rat, sitting behind a trinkets box, with a feast of bread and cheese atop of it, and deeply lost in thought.
Simone considered to herself, that while she preferred a nice bowl of fish, or saucer of fresh milk, that under the present situation this rodent would make a quick and easy breakfast. She hunched down, and shifted her weight endlessly, from side to side, paw to paw, getting her bearings for the leap that would capture breakfast in one sure thrust.
But just as she was ready to leap, she froze, for there appeared in front of her a beautiful throne, on which sat the rat now fully concious, and in front of him a group of rats in armor, as knights awaiting the kings command. Simone crept slowly back into the shadows of the corner of the wagon where she had spent the night, and watched, and listened, and learned.
Purring_Kitten
Commencing the journey with the caravan was a tense time for Og. He was, by nature, a solitary creature and the proximity of the others of the caravan unsettled his usually balanced nature. It was equally unsettling that his senses, usually so acute in �reading� others, were unable to define any of the creatures he was now travelling with. Whilst he could detect no evil from them, they were, nonetheless, an enigma.
To add to his unease was the terrain and the weather. Og was a highlander. Wild mountains of the north, snow, cold and the smells of heather, lochs and the sea were his life and all he had ever known. Throughout his journey so far, all that had changed and this strange land of heat and dust was anathema to him. He wanted nothing more than to be home running free away from all the oppressive heat and dust and insects, but the compulsion that had brought him on this quest was a chain that had wrapped itself around him and was inexorably pulling him along. If he was not to sink into total depression Og decided to break his usual habit and try to get to know some of his companions.
Pipedreams
Chapter 3
