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Old 02-13-2004, 07:42 PM   #104
Hilde Bracegirdle
Relic of Wandering Days
 
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: You'll See Perpetual Change.
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Surinen

Surinen and Narayad had spent the early morning hours shivering in the dawn, as they waited for their clothes to dry in the chill parching breeze, the acrid odor of the vulture’s spew still clinging to their campsite despite their prompt attention to its removal from themselves. Surinen had experienced this stench only once before and found himself remembering startling just such a bird during lambing season many years ago. The great hulk had settled itself down upon a stillborn and was frightening the ewes. Surinen, with youthful inexperience had taken it upon himself to shoo away the intruder, but found himself pelted with large rank grey and brown pellets, that unmistakable smell permeating even his reverie. But on that day, the pellets had consisted of fur and bones, and this vulture, though emitting the same perfume, had bobbed its head and retched (with amazing accuracy) bread and coffee and insects. Not standard fare for carrion foul. And there was no mistaking it, between the vulture’s stomach contents, the shawl it had so thoughtlessly soiled, and the conspicuous absence of their “guest”, either Rôg was indeed the bird or had been recently consumed by the same. In any case it appeared that their guest was a skin changer too, and though he did not appear to be a threat, Surinen was still troubled by his appearance. And even more by his abrupt disappearance.

Packing up the last of their gear while they waited, Surinen called over to Narayad who was lashing the three worn and stunted trunks onto the back of the camel. “The clothes are still cold, but I feel we should leave now. Something seems amiss to me, and I would tell Ayar of our visitor here.”

“I have been keeping a watch for any sign of the buzzard, but have not seen a trace of him once he found the horizon. I do not think he was interested in following us back to the camp.”

“Thankfully so,” Surinen said, “for a do not wish to waste time trying to elude him.”

After all the water skins were refilled with the fresh water of the well, the outriders set off for the Eagle clan’s encampment, heading north and east of the well. Appearing, if one was in the air, as small specks creeping slowly along the ground, but to themselves they seemed as if they were adrift in the vast sea of dust and sand that made up these marginal lands.
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