Listening to the giant's unfair and unjust challenge brought an icy glare to Rilana's face. That the people of Jhrogramir would deny them entrance in a time of need seemed to blow the druid's nutural compassion away with a cold wind. The last thing she wanted to do was fight a sneering, arrogant giant. But neither would she simply let herself be smashed with a crude club out here in front of the gates.
She glanced at Svarak for help, but he was too far away to reach them in time to fight the giant himself, so she slid from Kona's back, the image of a wooly rhino in her mind. Beside her, Kona postured defiantly, responding with a wordless falcon shriek. Even Ortha appeared, quickly swallowing something so that both heads could face the giant with stick jaws snarling noisily. With the two beasts on either side of her, Rilana herself looked rather stoic, though her blue gaze was defiantly stern.
"Screee!" I'll go for his eyes. Gut him with a rhino horn. He wont be so arrogant when he's bleeding in the snow! Kona was just about as fed up with this journey as Rilana was.
Kneecaps. Ortha volunteered, eyeing the giant's legs as he stomped towards them through the snow.
Fortunately for everyone, the giant was stopped not by Rilana and her Familiars, but by one of his own. A fellow Druid, Rilana suspected immediately. It wasn't until the moon fey relaxed that she realized how fast her heart was beating in anticipation of coming to blows. She barely had enough time to stop Ortha, dragging the balauradon back by her whippy tail as the dog-sized creature leaped forwards.
"Ihleen," she repeated the name, infinitely glad that the woman could speak Common so that she didn't have to struggle with giant. "Our mission is gravely important. But if we survive, I promise you I will look for Ihria myself and do whatever I can to see her safely home." The voice in her head was answered with a tired, I will.
A Druid indeed, Kona observed upon seeing the mammoth Mark.
Rilana felt as though she should have taken the time to observe Jhrogramir as they passed through. Wouldn't it be prudent to see what had changed since the last time she was here. But she was simply too tired, and let Kona be her eyes as he carried her along. She glanced back at Svarak once or twice, wondering if it would have comforted her any to feel his arms around her now.
I'll never know, will I?
Best let it go now. It will hurt less later.
The Cave of Sighs. Rilana had only been there once before. They'd spent the night under its eaves after delivering some trained mammoths to the giants. Lady Moira had introduced her to the soft-furred ice bats. Rilana recalled being fascinated by them and promising herself that she would be back one day to try Bonding with one. As they walked through the icy cave she reached up gently to stroke a blue one, barely disturbing it. Too bad there wasn't time.
Alya's voice in her head came as a shock. Not because Rilana wasn't used to hearing all sorts of craziness in her head these days, but because she hadn't realized how skilled Alya was with her songweaving. True, what she HAD heard was beautiful (mostly), but there hadn't been much time for music on this trip. So you can speak. I'm thrilled to hear your voice, even if it's only in my head, Alya. She managed a smile, genuine though it was small and tired.
Taking the piece of hide, Rilana had to literally snatch it out of Ortha's mouth as the ravenous two-headed creature decided to eat it.
"By the moon, let go! Do you have two stomachs as well as two heads?"
"Yes, this is Lady Moira, my friend's, handwriting." She repeated the riddle out loud for anyone to hear. "Was there anything with this?" If Alya told her about the shard it would only confirm for the moon fey that they were getting close to their goal.
"A drum?" She couldn't hear much beyond the flapping of the bats and the voices of the knights. "Kona, please tell them to stop."
Ruffling his wings, as a gentleman might roll up his sleeves, the large gryphon strode over towards the knights, fixing them with a glare. He could not speak out loud, but his tail swished and a hissing growl poured out of his mouth, interrupting their premature celebrations on behalf of his Druid.
Following Alya's lead deeper into the cavern, Rilana repeated the riddle to herself, trying to make sense of it. "Most of this is beyond me. Truly my heart can think of better places to be than here. 'Becoming a hare' seems more straight-forward, at least for me. I can become one if I wish."
But then the hare dies.
I'm going to ignore that part.
But if someone had to voluntarily die for Svarak to have a chance at doing the terrible thing he needed to do, Rilana knew who it was going to be.
She glanced at Svarak for help, but he was too far away to reach them in time to fight the giant himself, so she slid from Kona's back, the image of a wooly rhino in her mind. Beside her, Kona postured defiantly, responding with a wordless falcon shriek. Even Ortha appeared, quickly swallowing something so that both heads could face the giant with stick jaws snarling noisily. With the two beasts on either side of her, Rilana herself looked rather stoic, though her blue gaze was defiantly stern.
"Screee!" I'll go for his eyes. Gut him with a rhino horn. He wont be so arrogant when he's bleeding in the snow! Kona was just about as fed up with this journey as Rilana was.
Kneecaps. Ortha volunteered, eyeing the giant's legs as he stomped towards them through the snow.
Fortunately for everyone, the giant was stopped not by Rilana and her Familiars, but by one of his own. A fellow Druid, Rilana suspected immediately. It wasn't until the moon fey relaxed that she realized how fast her heart was beating in anticipation of coming to blows. She barely had enough time to stop Ortha, dragging the balauradon back by her whippy tail as the dog-sized creature leaped forwards.
"Ihleen," she repeated the name, infinitely glad that the woman could speak Common so that she didn't have to struggle with giant. "Our mission is gravely important. But if we survive, I promise you I will look for Ihria myself and do whatever I can to see her safely home." The voice in her head was answered with a tired, I will.
A Druid indeed, Kona observed upon seeing the mammoth Mark.
Rilana felt as though she should have taken the time to observe Jhrogramir as they passed through. Wouldn't it be prudent to see what had changed since the last time she was here. But she was simply too tired, and let Kona be her eyes as he carried her along. She glanced back at Svarak once or twice, wondering if it would have comforted her any to feel his arms around her now.
I'll never know, will I?
Best let it go now. It will hurt less later.
The Cave of Sighs. Rilana had only been there once before. They'd spent the night under its eaves after delivering some trained mammoths to the giants. Lady Moira had introduced her to the soft-furred ice bats. Rilana recalled being fascinated by them and promising herself that she would be back one day to try Bonding with one. As they walked through the icy cave she reached up gently to stroke a blue one, barely disturbing it. Too bad there wasn't time.
Alya's voice in her head came as a shock. Not because Rilana wasn't used to hearing all sorts of craziness in her head these days, but because she hadn't realized how skilled Alya was with her songweaving. True, what she HAD heard was beautiful (mostly), but there hadn't been much time for music on this trip. So you can speak. I'm thrilled to hear your voice, even if it's only in my head, Alya. She managed a smile, genuine though it was small and tired.
Taking the piece of hide, Rilana had to literally snatch it out of Ortha's mouth as the ravenous two-headed creature decided to eat it.
"By the moon, let go! Do you have two stomachs as well as two heads?"
"Yes, this is Lady Moira, my friend's, handwriting." She repeated the riddle out loud for anyone to hear. "Was there anything with this?" If Alya told her about the shard it would only confirm for the moon fey that they were getting close to their goal.
"A drum?" She couldn't hear much beyond the flapping of the bats and the voices of the knights. "Kona, please tell them to stop."
Ruffling his wings, as a gentleman might roll up his sleeves, the large gryphon strode over towards the knights, fixing them with a glare. He could not speak out loud, but his tail swished and a hissing growl poured out of his mouth, interrupting their premature celebrations on behalf of his Druid.
Following Alya's lead deeper into the cavern, Rilana repeated the riddle to herself, trying to make sense of it. "Most of this is beyond me. Truly my heart can think of better places to be than here. 'Becoming a hare' seems more straight-forward, at least for me. I can become one if I wish."
But then the hare dies.
I'm going to ignore that part.
But if someone had to voluntarily die for Svarak to have a chance at doing the terrible thing he needed to do, Rilana knew who it was going to be.