[WeaversFiction] Digest Number 1024
There are 3 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1=2E [DL-W] Realizations (JP)
From: lady_elf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[DL-W] Yin and Yang
From: Joshua Sample <jsample9685@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3=2E USS Falcon: Dolts and Bolts
From: Josh Turnof <josh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 10:36:53 -0500
From: lady_elf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[DL-W] Realizations (JP)
*Day 17 - Very early morning *
The two were up early. Once again, Xanthia had awoken in Dru'Kar's arms
and
it was fast becoming the place she felt the safest. She stood ****d and
stretched as the large ****d man beside her did: these exercises were
becoming a routine, and she took comfort in this as well.
They finished with a deep cleansing breath.
"Braid your hair and get yourself and the children ready." Dru'Kar
instructed.
Xanthia dashed through the hole in the wall between the two apartments
and
readied herself before getting the children up and ready.
She was surprised to find Oberon already up and dressed in a pair of
buckskin boots and a loincloth identical to Dru'Kar's, his chest puffed
out
with pride.
"Very nice!" Xanthia smiled. "I think I shall be a bit out of place
today."
She sat the children down and braided their hair. Oberon's she bound in
a
single braid down the back, and she braided young Alina's in pigtails
like
her own before the three returned to Dru'Kar's side of the wall.
***
Dru'Kar, now dressed himself in his usual loincloth and buckskin boots,
held something leather in his hands as the three entered. His teared up
slightly as he saw the boy chieftain in his traditional garb. He
coughed,
pulling himself together.
"Ya****na, you need to wear something appropriate to the woods," he
said,
holding out the leather bundle to her.
"We're going to the woods!" Oberon piped up as Xanthia set the bundle
down
on the bed and went through it.
"Yes young one...time for you to start learning some of the things you
must
know to be a hunter, a warrior, and a chieftain of the bear nomads."
Dru'Kar replied simply.
She gasped in awe as she held up a knee-length dress made of the
softest
doeskin she'd ever felt and a matching pair of boots.
"For me? Did you make this?" Xanthia said, tackling the barbarian in a
tight hug.
"Yes. And the matching set for Alina," he gestured back toward the bed.
Xanthia squealed in thanks and set to changing clothes and dressing
Alina
right there.
She turned around, beaming. "How do we look?"
"Like Bear Nomads," Dru'Kar replied and smiled widely and with pride.
***
The three started making their way into the woods. Dru'Kar instructed
the
three as to what was edible and what not as they filled baskets with
various berries, roots, and tubers. He was pleasantly surprised to
learn
that Xanthia not only knew of the herbs she grew in her garden, the one
often referred to as Trinale's Garden though that queenrider was long
gone,
but could identify the rarer ones that are more likely found in the
wild.
***
** In the woods near the warren, Mid-morning**
Dru'Kar saw a plant growing near a tree and called them all over to it.
"See this plant with the very small bright purple flowers?" the giant
of a
man asked his charges.
Both Ya****na and Oberon nodded and studied the plant carefully.
"Memorize it well," Dru'Kar said as he pulled a small working knife out
of
it's sheath inside his boot. He then dug around the base of the plant
and
pulled hard to get the entire root out of the ground. Once he had the
root
in his hand he broke it in half and rubbed the raw inside of the root
on
his hand and showed it to them. "See how it turned me skin yellow?"
Again the two nodded
He hand each of them a piece "Taste it".
While both of them made a face from the very bitter taste of the root,
Dru'Kar had to fight back a laugh from the expression on Oberon's face.
"The turning of skin yellow and bitter taste tells you that it is good
for
helping the stopping of blood in a wound.
While Ya****na was not a bit surprised in the type of lesson Dru'Kar was
teaching them she indeed saw the young boy suddenly get a very serious
look
on his face ass he realized that all his lessons were not going to be
how
to have fun.
After a few moments of silence, Dru'Kar wanted that to sink in well,
they
began their walk again.
"What's in that cave?" Oberon asked, pointing to a cave. The entrance
was
too small for a wild dragon, he knew.
"Why don't we find out?" Dru'Kar suggested.
Xanthia looked at Dru'Kar askance and Dru'Kar nodded his reassurance.
Still, he kept his hand on his sword as they entered the cave.
They had just entered the cave when suddenly something small and furry
screamed and lunged at Oberon's feet, wrapping around his ankle. The
boy
screamed reflexively.
Dru'Kar's protective instincts kicked in as he pulled his sword in a
flash,
and then as he looked down he began laughing in his loud, roaring belly
laugh. Oberon and Xanthia looked at the large man as if he'd lost his
mind.
"It's a baby! A bear cub!" He explained through chuckles as he wiped
his
eyes and tried to regain his composure.
"A bear cub? But why did it scream and attack me?" Oberon asked,
looking
down at his foot helplessly.
The guardian bent down and scooped up the small creature. "He's scared,
he
was looking to you for comfort," Dru'Kar replied, cradling the tiny
thing.
"But why me? Where's his mamma?" Oberon asked as Dru'Kar handed the
small
creature to him.
"Wait here," Dru'Kar said before venturing further into the cave.
***
Dru'Kar returned a few minutes later and shook his head sadly,
muttering
words about careless hunters.
Oberon looked between Dru'Kar and his aunt in confusion.
Dru'Kar motioned for the boy to follow him deeper into the cave. It
didn't
take long and soon the two of them were standing and looking down at a
large female bear. In the rear haunches of the animal was about a dozen
arrows sticking out.
Oberon regarded the scene in horror, a strange mix of outrage and
sorrow
started rolling through his young frame as he cradled the baby bear in
his
arms, petting it's soft fur. He slowly walked toward the fallen bear
and
knelt before her, tears in his violet eyes as he stroked the mother
bear's
own fur.
His voice was husky as he looked up at his mentor and demanded, "Who
could
do such a thing?"
"Stupid careless hunters - the men who live in the cities and hunt for
the
s****t: the rich men who do not need to hunt for food, but rather for
the
joy of killing. They hunt with neither skill, sensibility, or honor.
They
fail to make a clean kill and then continue to shoot with abandon as
the
prey retreats, rather than hunt it down and put it out of it's misery.
Then
they not only leave the animal to die, but leave the carcass to rot
rather
than giving honor to the creature by at least using that which it gives
to
us: the meat, the fur, the organs." The large man was visibly vibrating
as
he fought to control his own outrage.
"But why? It seems so senseless," he asked.
"Cowardly fear, young Chieftain. A wounded animal can be dangerous, but
rather than face the fear and do the right and honorable thing, they
leave
it for the vultures and seek out another kill. They are rich with money
and
worldly goods, but not of spirit: it matters not to them."
Oberon shook his head as he absorbed all that Dru'Kar said. "What can
we do
to make it right?, he asked.
Dru'Kar examined the dead bear. "She's not been down long. We can still
do
what the hunters ought."
***
"She's with your Nomad ma and da now," Xanthia gently said reassuringly
after the two had come back to the mouth of the cave.
"But who will take care of this little one?" the boy asked even as the
small bear suckled on the his chin.
"Is it not obvious, little bear?" Dru'Kar asked. "He ran to you,
Oberon,
coming to you for comfort and care."
"But why?" Oberon asked.
"He sensed the very spirit of the bear within you, for you are a bear
nomadL you are bear kin." Dru'Kar tapped the birthmark on the boy's
chest.
"Look you even bear the mark of the bear over your heart, as does
Ursa."
Oberon touched his own chest and looked down. "It used to look more
like a
dagger," he commented, "But it's changed."
"Honor blade to bear paw: you are blessed. The cub knows it, too. Look,
"
he gestured to the small creature who was still trying to nurse in vain
on
Oberon's chin, "He tries to nourish on your very essence. He's probably
hungry. When we get back to the warren we can make up some nursemilk
for him."
"Like the milk formula Faylen makes for her baby animals?" Oberon
asked.
Dru'Kar nodded, "For now,crush up some berries and let him lick the
juice
and meat of the berries from your hand. Then get a blanket out of the
pack
and wrap him up so he doesn't get cold," Dru'Kar said. "I will be back
in a
few minutes."
***
Dru'Kar returned from the woods a short while later bearing tree limbs
and
vines. He had Oberon hand the bear cub over to Xanthia and had Oberon
assist him in assembling a wooden frame.
"Looks like a triangle, or maybe an A, but more like a triangle than an
A,"
Oberon commented. He found some comfort in helping Dru'Kar lash the
limbs
together. He watched at Dru'Kar tested each of the bindings.
Oberon looked on quizzically as Dru'Kar proceeded to pull each and
every
arrow out of the bear and set them aside in a neat pile before rolling
it's
carcass onto the frame.
Dru'Kar read the unasked questions in the boy's face.
"We are going to use this to take the bear back to the warren, and do
what
those hunters should have."
"Using the fur, meat, and stuff?" Oberon asked for confirmation.
Dru'Kar nodded and picked up the pile of arrows, holding them up in his
fist as he spoke, noting that they were indeed bearing a mark on each
sheaf
His voice was a husky growl as he spoke.
"And these we will take with us, too, so I can find out who was
responsible
for this travesty."
***
** Early Afternoon, On the green**
Dru'Kar dragged the frame containing the slain bear behind him. He wore
a
grim expression, as did Xanthia and Oberon, though Alina still
chattered
happily, too young to really understand the events that had just
happened.
They stopped next to a dragon of silvery green and a female rider.with
reddish gold hair.
Oberon scrutinized the strange pair.
"Hello, you're new here," the 6 year old boy, who looked to be closer
to 11
years being large for his age, clad in loincloth and soft buckskin
boots,
his black hair held back in a braid, asked as much as stated. The query
was
both verbal to the rider and mental to the dragon.
The young woman looked over the four people standing beside her. The
boy
held a small bundle in his arms and the man, who was enormously tall,
and
muscular was dressed identically to the child, his amber eyes
glistening as
much as his tanned chest. The woman beside him, whose hair was as red
as
the man's, was wearing a leather dress and her hair, though braided,
was
betrayed by several wild curls which framed her face. Beside the woman
was
a toddler who also had blazing red hair and was dressed in a similar
fa****on to the woman.
The lad continued to both send his thoughts and speak aloud. "That's
Dru'Kar, my sister Alina, and my Aunt Ya****na," the boy explained,
using
Xanthia's tribal name. He thumped his chest proudly. "I'm Oberon," he
finished, as if that should be evident, "Who are you?"
"I... uh... I'm Aeryth. You wouldn't know where to find the warrenlady,
would you?"
"That's my ma!" Oberon announced. He scrutinized the sky for a moment
to
tell the time as Dru'Kar had taught him. "She's in her office now. I
can
take you there."
"We have work to do," Dru'Kar reminded the boy. "Come with me and let
Ya****na take Aeryth to see Merissa."
The two women watched as Dru'Kar dragged the frame with the bear down
toward the river at the foot of the lake, carrying the pack they'd
brought.
as Oberon carried the precious bundle containing his new charge.
Xanthia
picked up Alina and set her on her hip, and picked up her basket which
contained all they had foraged.
"Come with me," Xanthia invited, leading the way to the warrenlady's
office.
<<TAG Steph! And welcome to WhiteRiver! >>
SUMMARY:
Day 17
Very Early Morning
Xanthia awakens with Dru'Kar the two exercise and then get ready to go
out
to the woods with the children. Dru'Kar has a gift of tribal clothing
he
himself made for Xanthia and Alina.
Mid-Morning
After some lessons in plants and their uses, and some foraging,
Xanthia,
Dru'Kar, Oberon, and Alina investigate a cave. Oberon is "attacked" by
a
bear cub. When Dru'Kar goes into the cave, he finds that the mother
bear is
recently deceased after being shot repeatedly with arrows by city
dwelling
hunters. Dru'Kar decides they should do what should have been done, and
they take the bear back to the warren to be dealt with as well as the
bear
cub which is now bonded to Oberon and the arrows with which the mother
bear
was shot. Dru'Kar swears to find out who is responsible.
Early Afternoon
As the Bear Nomads arrive back at the warren, they run into a new
arrival.
Oberon makes introductions and offers to take Aeryth to Merissa's
office.
Dru'Kar reminds them of what they must do and has Xanthia escort Aeryth
instead.
Respectfully Submitted by:
Morgan Allgood
lady_elf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bearheart
lordkeeper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
2
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 15:05:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Joshua Sample <jsample9685@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-W] Yin and Yang
-Day 17 Mid Morning-
Matt came around the curve in the road, whistling a nameless tune. He
had been traveling for a couple of days now, following the tiny voice
in the back of his head. He slowed as he saw a massive cliff rising
from the forest around him, the road running off to the side and making
a sharp turn to climb the cliff wall. At the base of the dangerous road
a line of wagons waited patiently, each wagon covered with brightly
colored cloth, some of them containing animals. Scratching his chin,
Matt shrugged slightly and continued walking, coming up the last wagon
and stopping near the driver.
The man was muttering slightly under his breath at the long wait, and
glared at Matt for a moment before responding.
"What do you want?" the man barked. Matt was a bit surprised at the
man's rudeness, but did not let it get to him.
"Well, it seems you have a large job in front of you, and it seems to
me like you don't have enough men to do it. I was wondering if perhaps
you needed another set of hands?"
The man narrowed his eyes at Matt's brashness, but Matt kept his face
smooth. After a moment, the man grunted and pointed to a large man
several wagons up. "Thats the owner. You gotta clear it with him, I
aint got the authority to say yes or no. Now, get outta my way, the
lines moving." With a flick of his wrist, the driver started the team
of horses moving, the large wagon creaking loudly behind.
Frowning slightly, Matt turned and walked up to the headman. He was a
man of middle height, with tan skin wrinkled with years on the road.
The man turned towards Matt, a question in his eye, but he quickly
covered it up with a smile. "What can I do for you son?"
"Well, I am a simple traveler from quite far away, and I am getting a
little bored with walking by myself for miles and miles. I was
wondering if you might have another spot for a set of hands? I can also
perform acrobatic feats if you would like, depending on what you want."
Matt said, stretching his tall and lanky frame to good effect.
The man studied Matt for a moment, suspicion in his eyes, but then he
nodded and pointed to the wagon just passing. "Hop in the back of that
one and make yourself known to my foreman, and he will get you a
place."
Matt nodded and reached up with a hand as the wagon rolled past,
swinging himself easily onto the driver's seat. He almost jumped
straight back up and kicked out when he sat next to the foreman, his
instincts screaming at him. At first glance, the foreman was simply a
little bigger then most men, with plain features and an expressionless
face. Matt could tell that there was something very wrong with the man,
though he could not put his finger on it. Pulling his pack off and
dropping it between his feet, he nodded at the man.
"Hello sir, I have just been hired on and was told to make myself known
to you." he said, his muscles tense. The man looked at him with those
dead eyes, danger emenating from him like a cloud.
"Fine, when we get to the top, hop in the back and help unload the main
tent." The man said in reply, then went back to driving. Matt settled
down for the long trip up, watching his new foreman from the corner of
his eye.
-Several Hours Later-
Bubba stretched and worked out the kinks in his muscles before getting
back to the drudgery of the tasks at hand.
Talking his way into the safety and camouflage of the Carnival had been
easy. They were always taking on extra hands for safety on the road
from possible highwaymen or any other assorted attacks. Then if you
worked for your food and shelter....they had help without the expense
of pay.
Bubba had traveled this way several times, and with his gift for
expounding the truth and his ability to blend and be who he wished
others to see him as....he always had his back door and escape route.
Now they were on the outskirts of the Warren and beginning to settle in
for the few days of festivities surrounding the attendance of the
Prince and his court. Rumors flew across the land as the Nobles were
seen coming to the Warren called WhiteRiver.
Bubba's talents for such hard work and a few well mentioned names in
his past. Along with his sad tale of not hearing from his dear sweet
old frail mother had gotten him a place on the caravan.
Bubba smiled as his ideas of where to set up the Carnival had taken
root, and so he had been given the foreman's job and they began the
long arduous process to get the camp set up so that the runner's
could announce their presence and invite the Warren and ALL their
im****tant guests.
One of the newer members to the crew intrigued Bubba. He sensed from
the boy a dark past and he held himself as one who knew more than he
let on. He was one to watch, but perhaps he could be found a good
weapon to use if the need arose.
For now they all worked in harmony as they attempted to get the tents
up and readied for their honored guests and paying customers.
The owner was certainly hoping for a large turnout and generous
patronage to help defray the poor season they had been having.
It was also a boon to him to have been able to pick up 4 extra sturdy
and strong hands and backs to help with the set up and dismantling of
the camp once their run was over.
Having them work for food and shelter was cheap pay and it would help
them with a profit in the long run. He glanced over at his new foreman
and hoped that the news he sought at the Warren would be good, and he
would change his mind and travel with him.
He admired the simple devotion a son had to his mother. Made him wish
he had been a better son to his own.
Shaking off the thoughts he carried, he too turned back his attention
to the matters at hand. They had a Carnival to set up and run.....and
to entertain the court and the populace with feats of daring and
spectacular events never before seen.
Yes, this was going to be a good show.
"Great Job men, lets get those last fini****ng touches in!" he
called out encouragement.
At this fast pace....they would be able to have their first show
tonight!
Summary-
Matt finally reaches the trail leading up to Whiteriver Warren and
meets up with a traveling carnival that is going to perform tonight for
the gathered nobles and dragon riders in the Warren. When he meets up
with his new foreman, Bubba, his instinctivley knows evil when he sees
it. Just the same, Bubba recognizes Matt for what he is, a seasoned
traveler and fighter who will not be easy to fool, but perhaps can be
included in Bubba's plans if approached the right way. The two strike
up a guarded relation****p that could prove to be...interesting.
Respectfully Sumitted By:
Joshua Sample
aka
Matterick
and
Carys Murray
aka
Bubba
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 22:29:33 -0400
From: Josh Turnof <josh@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: USS Falcon: Dolts and Bolts
=B3Wow, that was incredibly stupid.=B2 Captain Hodges started
condescendingly.
=B3First of all, yes, I made you Chief Engineer, as I was required by
Admiral
Jackson. However, did you hear me make any comments to the computer to
transfer any command codes to you?=B2
=B3No sir,=B2 Dei said, standing tall, attempting to summon all the
strength he
could not to flush his face.
=B3Also, while I didn=B9t mention it, did you think the ****p had been
operating
without a CEO this whole time? I mean, did it not dawn on you to look
at
the crew manifest before you got here?=B2
=B3Due respect, sir, no, it did not.=B2 Dei again, attempted to keep his
face
as pale as he could summon.
=B3As I attempted to explain to the ensign...=B2
=B3Oh, don=B9t worry, Ensign Andretti, I=B9ll get to you next.=B2 the
captain
continued to bore his eyes into his new CEO. =B3You should know better,
Vox!
While it may not appear it, I have some experience running a star****p,
and
CEO is a position where I have to trust my officer. You started off
well
with those other repairs, but now you=B9ve really let me down.=B2 Turning
toward Claudia, Spence asked her to start repeating what she was about
to
say.
=B3Yes, captain, as I was about to say, I wanted to explain to the
ensign who
I was, however, he started by ordering me to do things without
regard.=B2
=B3Ah, yes, Ensign. I heard something about a PADD striking a beam. Do
you
think, by some way, that you are without blame here?=B2 She bucked up,
as Vox
had before her. =B3Part of me simply wants to lock the two of you, tied
by
the wrists, in the holodeck, and see who comes out alive, but I=B9m
afraid
you=B9d enjoy it too much.=B2
The two of them were stunned. Pissed, but stunned. =B3Here is what is
going
to happen. As of midnight tonight, I expect that the two of you will
have
both worked out your differences, and at midnight, if not, I am going
to
devise something that will make you both absolutely miserable. IF,
however,
you have resolved this, then at tomorrow=B9s staff meeting, I will
expect to
hear it. Are we clear?=B2
=B3Yes, sir.=B2 they both chimed in, dejectedly.
=B3I truly am disappointed in the both of you. Now, get out of here.
Dismissed.=B2
Walking out, Vox looked over at his counterpart, as she looked at him,
but
rather than apologize, he felt intense anger wash over him. As he
opened
his mouth, he realized the wrong words would come out, and as the
Med-Bay
door closed, they both walked away in opposite directions to their own
respective turbolifts.
*****
=B3Ah, ensign, welcome back. I=B9ve got these repairs that need to be
checked
off...=B2
=B3Would it have killed you to tell me she existed before this whole
little
tet-a-tet happened?=B2 Vox said, storming back into engineering, after
doing
a once over around the deck. He needed just that time to bottle the
steam
up. Coming back in, however, he felt it all trickle out in spurts. =B3I
mean, was it just for s****t that you did that?=B2
Barbra looked him in the eye, before saying this. She was nearly his
full,
and rather tall height, so she didn=B9t feel the pressure the others
felt
around him. =B3Ensign, do you need a timeout to rest your head in the
corner
for a few moments before we get started, because otherwise, I need you
to
focus. Mm=B9kay?=B2
=B3Yeah, fine.=B2
=B3now, I need you to sign off on these repairs.=B2
=B3Yeah, go with it. Who are you going to send? Max?=B2
=B3Are you still testing out new nicknames?=B2
=B3Yes.=B2
=B3Keep testing.=B2
=B3Right. Yes, send Barr-bara.=B2
=B3Great. I=B9ll take care of the replicators.=B2
=B3Good. Let me ask you a question, now that you obviously know what=B9s
going
on...=B2
=B3Oh, you mean that you and Ensign Andretti had it out? Yeah, the
top=B9s
pretty much off that bottle.=B2
=B3yeah...=B2 Vox started to say something, but bit his tongue. Reality
was,
he didn=B9t care much for Claudia in the least, but did want the job
badly.
On the other hand, he didn=B9t need Barbra number 1 to see him as weak
right
now. She already didn=B9t have any sort of respect for him. =B3Nevermind.
Forget I brought it up.=B2
=B3That shouldn=B9t be hard.=B2 she said, walking out towards the door,
=B3I=B9ll be
in the lounge if you need me.=B2 Meanwhile, Vox ordered a scotch from
the
replicator in his office.
****
Respectfully Submitted,
(a severely embarrassed) Ensign Vox Dei
(maybe?) Chief Engineering Officer
USS Falcon (or maybe somewhere else by the end of the next post ;) )
------ End of Forwarded Message
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
To Join World Weavers, visit: http://www.worldweavers.net/
Only members of WorldWeavers Worlds should post to this list. To post
messages to this group, send email to WeaversFiction@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|
