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piosenniel · 07-20-2003, 03:33 AM

‘Damnable Elf!’ muttered the jackdaw as she flapped southwards. Already her wings were growing tired and herself irritable as she realized just how wide an area there was to be concerned about between Ferny’s place and Andrath. ‘Always ordering people about without so much as a by-your-leave. Never even asked if I wanted to scout out the route, just assumed I’d do it because she said it needed doing. And for that matter, she assumed I’d know where she meant me to go.’ Bird flew on, in the direction of the South Downs. From there she guessed she’d head west and try to locate the Greenway.

She coughed and sneezed, a dangerous thing in mid-flight for a bird. The smoke rising from the burning pipeweed fields made it difficult to breathe, and difficult to see. ‘And that’s another thing!’ she snorted, ticking off another on her list of aggravations from Pio. ‘Here I am flying about in the dark – the DARK, mind you. What am I supposed to do if one of the night hunters come after me. An owl! A nighthawk!’

Her litany of the rude abuses of friendship continued on as she flew through the dark sky. Soon she left the cloud of drifting smoke and could see more clearly. She cast a wary eye about for any birds of prey, prepared to assume her other winged shape despite the previous warning of Pio. Her little heart thudded faster than usual as she scanned the skies above and to her sides.

Nothing! Bird breathed a sigh of relief and cast a glance to the ground below her. ‘What’s this?’ she thought to herself, seeing a lone rider heading south. She watched him as he stopped in a little clearing, and fumbled with something tied at the back of his saddle. His eyes darted round the clearing as he dismounted and went about resecuring the good sized, jingling box he now held in his hands.

Dropping lower she perched on the branch of a nearby tree, her interest piqued by the man’s furtive actions and the sounds of clinking issuing from the box. Visions of coins, gold coins, starred her eyes. She ruffled her feathers and chirped at the thought of it. His ears caught the sound and his head whipped round to see who was making it. Bird gasped, nearly losing her grip on the branch.

‘Stoatie!’ That despicable man stood there in the moonlight, looking straight at her. She dropped quickly to the ground, behind the tree shielding her self from his gaze. ‘Naught but a stupid bird, Stoatie,’ she heard him say to himself. ‘Better calm down, man, yer getting too spooked.’ A sudden inspiration flamed up in her mind, and with a satisfied twitter she put it into action.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Imagine his surprise as the woman of his dreams, vile as they might be, came walking . . . no, sauntering . . . out toward him from the cover of the trees. And smiling, invitingly at him . . . never mind that her eyes were hard as glass as she looked him up and down.

‘So ya just couldn’t stay away, eh, lass?’ he crooned to her, smoothing his greasy hair behind his ears with his filthy hands. ‘I’ve got us a little something to keep us comfortable once we get away from these parts, my little dumpling.’ He gave her a lascivious wink, and walked toward her, his arms outstretched, intending to plant a claiming kiss on her luscious lips.

‘Yes,’ he heard her say, in a low and smoky voice. ‘Come to mama, big boy!’ She reached out her arms as he sprinted to cover the distance between them . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Imagine his surprise, as his expectant lips met the rough bark of a gnarled willow tree, and the arms he imagined would hold him in their warm clasp, whipped round him like a noose, the thick branches of the tree drawing him tight against the trunk . . . crushing him in an inescapable embrace . . .

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And so it was that Bird, who had never wanted to ride a horse in the first place, found herself trotting along on the back of Stoatie’s mount. There was no way around it if she were to bring the strongbox along with her . . . and there was no way she was leaving the coins to be found by others . . . She turned the horse west, hoping she would meet someone to point her toward Andrath.

‘Damnable Elf!’ she muttered to herself, as the horse’s gait jostled her up and down. ‘This never would have happened if she’d stayed in Gondor . . .’

[ July 22, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

07-20-2003, 03:33 AM	#73
piosenniel Desultory Dwimmerlaik Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pickin' flowers with Bill the Cat..... Posts: 7,779	‘Damnable Elf!’ muttered the jackdaw as she flapped southwards. Already her wings were growing tired and herself irritable as she realized just how wide an area there was to be concerned about between Ferny’s place and Andrath. ‘Always ordering people about without so much as a by-your-leave. Never even asked if I wanted to scout out the route, just assumed I’d do it because she said it needed doing. And for that matter, she assumed I’d know where she meant me to go.’ Bird flew on, in the direction of the South Downs. From there she guessed she’d head west and try to locate the Greenway. She coughed and sneezed, a dangerous thing in mid-flight for a bird. The smoke rising from the burning pipeweed fields made it difficult to breathe, and difficult to see. ‘And that’s another thing!’ she snorted, ticking off another on her list of aggravations from Pio. ‘Here I am flying about in the dark – the *DARK, mind you. What am I supposed to do if one of the night hunters come after me. An owl! A nighthawk!’ Her litany of the rude abuses of friendship continued on as she flew through the dark sky. Soon she left the cloud of drifting smoke and could see more clearly. She cast a wary eye about for any birds of prey, prepared to assume her other winged shape despite the previous warning of Pio. Her little heart thudded faster than usual as she scanned the skies above and to her sides. Nothing! Bird breathed a sigh of relief and cast a glance to the ground below her. ‘What’s this?’ she thought to herself, seeing a lone rider heading south. She watched him as he stopped in a little clearing, and fumbled with something tied at the back of his saddle. His eyes darted round the clearing as he dismounted and went about resecuring the good sized, jingling box he now held in his hands. Dropping lower she perched on the branch of a nearby tree, her interest piqued by the man’s furtive actions and the sounds of clinking issuing from the box. Visions of coins, gold coins, starred her eyes. She ruffled her feathers and chirped at the thought of it. His ears caught the sound and his head whipped round to see who was making it. Bird gasped, nearly losing her grip on the branch. ‘Stoatie!’ That despicable man stood there in the moonlight, looking straight at her. She dropped quickly to the ground, behind the tree shielding her self from his gaze. ‘Naught but a stupid bird, Stoatie,’ she heard him say to himself. ‘Better calm down, man, yer getting too spooked.’ A sudden inspiration flamed up in her mind, and with a satisfied twitter she put it into action. ~~~~~~~~ Imagine his surprise as the woman of his dreams, vile as they might be, came walking . . . no, sauntering . . . out toward him from the cover of the trees. And smiling, invitingly at him . . . never mind that her eyes were hard as glass as she looked him up and down. ‘So ya just couldn’t stay away, eh, lass?’ he crooned to her, smoothing his greasy hair behind his ears with his filthy hands. ‘I’ve got us a little something to keep us comfortable once we get away from these parts, my little dumpling.’ He gave her a lascivious wink, and walked toward her, his arms outstretched, intending to plant a claiming kiss on her luscious lips. ‘Yes,’ he heard her say, in a low and smoky voice. ‘Come to mama, big boy!’ She reached out her arms as he sprinted to cover the distance between them . . . ~~~~~~~~ Imagine his surprise, as his expectant lips met the rough bark of a gnarled willow tree, and the arms he imagined would hold him in their warm clasp, whipped round him like a noose, the thick branches of the tree drawing him tight against the trunk . . . crushing him in an inescapable embrace . . . ~~~~~~~~ And so it was that Bird, who had never wanted to ride a horse in the first place, found herself trotting along on the back of Stoatie’s mount. There was no way around it if she were to bring the strongbox along with her . . . and there was no way she was leaving the coins to be found by others . . . She turned the horse west, hoping she would meet someone to point her toward Andrath. ‘Damnable Elf!’ she muttered to herself, as the horse’s gait jostled her up and down. ‘This never would have happened if she’d stayed in Gondor . . .’ [ July 22, 2003: Message edited by: piosenniel ] __________________ Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.