Log Date: 7/9/96, 7/11/96

Log Cast:
	Karga, Alorn, SongBird, Goldensweet (run by SongBird),
Zichri (spoofed by Alorn), Patience

Log Intro:
	The Vastdeep beach camp of Alorn, Zichri, and Karga has for the
most part gone undisturbed. Only one stranger, an elf called WaveDancer,
has found their camp and witnessed Karga's presence there; Karga herself
has been spending as little time as possible in Alorn and Zichri's
company, as she struggles with whether she wishes to stay with them.
Only the need to care for the hawk's egg which she has accepted from
Alorn -- and for which she doesn't yet know how to care -- has kept
her from fleeing; the hawk's egg, and the fact that Karga is still
troubled over Zichri. But before she decides either way, more strangers
find their camping place....

----------
The beach is rather crowded, at least compared to what it has been. Alorn 
  sits up near the high water mark, looking down toward the water itself, 
  where a small blonde elf lies, half in and half out of the water. A small 
  winged thing darts around that elf, pulling gently at her hair and 
  chattering rather loudly. Zichri is here as well, looking less than pleased 
  about something. As usual.

Goldenwing flutterflits over to the seated elf. ~Tallhighthing helphelp 
  beesweethair? No make wrapstuff?~

Alorn considers, still watching the prone figure. Before she can answer, 
  though, Zichri pipes up. "Go ahead and wrap her! Wrap yourself, too!"

Up the beach, the barefoot figure of Karga comes loping into view. Thegirl has 
  gotten taller, arguably gawkier, over the last few moons, but for now, at 
  least, she moves with reasonable assurance. Toted on one hip is the pouch 
  she uses to gather food.

The bug flitflutters over nearby the smaller elf. ~*Splut*~
~Helphelp Beesweethair!~

Alorn nods a bit to the bug, but gives her son a warning glance. He shrugs and 
  crouches by SongBird to watch.

SongBird is once again the attention of the bug, which proceeds to land in her 
  hair, patpatting her face. ~Wakewakeup Beesweethair!~

Up the beach, Karga spies the crowd near the campsite, and slows, scowling.

Goldenwing
Goldenwing is aptly named, it's wings a brilliant yellow and orange color. The 
  wings are mainly yellow, with only small bits of orange that match the skine 
  hue of the preserver, a bright orange. Goldenwing's personality is exactly 
  as her coloring, bright and energetic, too energetic in fact, just ask 
  anyone. Goldenwing is always flitting about, from one thing to the next, 
  always looking for more 'highthings' to take care of and look over.

Goldenwing's eyes light up as you look it's way, suddenly you wished you 
  hadn't seen the annoying bug.

SongBird
Young and lithe, this small blonde elf seems to have all the joys of the world 
  wrapped around her. Frequently lost, SongBird doesn't mind. She just pushes 
  her blonde hair out of the way, and peers about with her blue-green eyes. 
  Now in that long golden summer of her years, her youthful litheness is 
  slowly being replaced by an older beauty.

Zichri glares at the bug and tries to wipe off the wrapstuff inflicted on him. 
  "No." He tells it and throws more sand.

Goldenwing ignores the small elf now. ~Beesweethair! Wakewake!~ It moves 
  towards her ear, inhaling, then: ~~Breee-deee-deee 
  Breee-deeeeeeee-deeeeeeeeet!~~


Alorn stays where she is, absently tracing patterns in the sand with one hand. 
  And still she watches. When the bug starts to screech, she winces.

~Beesweethair needhelp! Tallhighflything help Beesweethair!~ 
  ~~Breee-deeeee-deeeeeeet!~~

The blonde form twitches weakly again.

Karga comes to a halt, staring at the... thing she can see clearly, now. What 
  in the name of... she doesn't complete the thought, and as she spies Zichri 
  present at the camp, she stills herself. She's learned better than to let 
  Zichri see her troubled, or scared, about anything.

"Then you help it, bug." Alorn holds out a hand to Zichri, who tosses a small 
  shell at Goldenwing before heading up toward his mother. Halfway there he 
  pauses, noticing Karga. "You're back too, huh?" Alorn glares at him again, 
  then glances over at Karga. "<Hello Karga.>"

Karga frowns, brown hand still on her pouch of gathered eggs, pilfered from 
  what nests she could find on the beach. She nods shortly to Alorn, keeping 
  most of the rest of her attention divided between Zichri and the strange 
  Others.

The bug continues to sing in the ear of the elf it sits on. 
  ~~BREEEEE-DEEEEEE-DEEEEEEDEEEE-DEEEEEEEET!~~

Alorn points to the sand beside her, looking quite meaningfully at Zichri. 
  Grudgingly he sits, then turns his attention back to the bug.

SongBird twitches again, a weak motion.

Zichri glances up at Alorn, then peers around the sands nearby. When she isn't 
  watching, he picks up small rocks and more shells, settling them in his lap.

~~BREEEEE-DEEEEEEE-DEEEEEEET! BREEEEEEE-DEEEEEEEET!~~

Karga finally points with her free hand, towards the form on the beach. "<What 
  is that?>" Her finger takes in the Preserver, as well.

Alorn watches the pair by the water for a moment before answering. "<That is 
  annoying.>" A brief pause. "<The one is a half-drowned demon, the other a> 
  Preserver."

Goldenwing crees to the elf. ~Wakewake Beesweethair!~

Zichri picks out one of his sharper shells and pitches it in at the noisy bug. 
  "<It's a> pest."

The bug flutters, looking up to ~*Splut*~ towards the sitting elf.

Karga's face darkens. "<Demon?>" she demands. Setting down the food-pouch, she 
  approaches the fallen figure, and eyes the... what IS that colored thing?... 
  flittering about it.

Zichri throws another, sticking his tongue out. "You can't hit me from that 
  far away." Alorn sighs softly, then nods. "<Yes. With any luck, though, it's 
  dying.>"

The bug crees at the elf some more.

Karga reaches the elf on the sands, stands over, it, and scowls down at it, 
  and the shrill-voiced bug-thing. Then she flicks a yellow gaze -- though 
  arguably a troubled one -- back at Alorn. "<Why do you not kill it?>"

The softest of weak coughs issues from the limp form... to the loud delight of 
  the bug.

"<That one,>" points out Alorn, "<is quite small. And she lacks the brains to 
  do any harm.>" The Glider shrugs lightly, reaching over to disarm Zichri. 
  "<Besides.. I'd have to get past the bug first, and I'm not sure it's worth 
  the trouble.>"

~Beesweethair coughcough!!~

Karga jerks back at the voice issuing from the flittering creature. "<What is 
  THAT?>" she demands, pointing at it, now.

Again, the small form coughs.

Zichri rolls his eyes. Stupid human, doesn't know anything. "<It's a bug.>" 
  Alorn nods lightly to that. "<It's actually called a> Preserver. <But it 
  might as well be a bug.>"

Hazy blue eyes flicker open. It's doubtful she can see at this time.

Karga reaches to poke at the Preserver, half-scowling, half-curious. But the 
  stirring of the demon catches her attention, more, and she freezes a moment, 
  before staring down at it, again. _This_ is a demon? This small, delicate 
  thing?

Delicate indeed, frail, even. The bug turns and ~Breeeedtts~ at the new form 
  warningly.

Alorn reverts to watching, mostly silent. Beside her, Zichri as well watches, 
  only he plots as well.

Another frail cough.
Water comes with this cough, lending to more coughs.

Karga jerks back, staring, fascinated. Demons cough up water?

SongBird coughs again, the bug patpatting her. ~Yesyes, Beesweethair 
  coughcough up nastybad water. Poor Beesweethair no breathe water!~

The elves on the beach continue to watch, both apparently silent.

SongBird moves slightly now, the bug happier.

Karga crouches back slightly, still watching in utter fascination, but her 
  wary scowl remains on her face. Is the demon going to live? Karga's hand 
  closes on the spear without which she goes nowhere.

Goldenwing crees happily as its elf attempts to sit

She doesn't exactly sit, no... she more or less rolls over and coughs up 
  lungfuls of water.

Alorn watches this all for some time before speaking again. "<What do you make 
  of them, Karga?>"

Karga frowns. "<Do the...>" She does not try to pronounce 'Preserver', but she 
  does flit her free hand at the little thing. "<Do demons have those?>"

Goldenwing eeeks, and flits out of the way of the water. ~No get Goldenwing 
  wetwet! Nastybad water!~

Alorn shakes her head, then looks up at something. She frowns and shakes her 
  head again. "<Very rarely. This one just happened to show up.>"

SongBird leans against the sand, her head down, trying to take a lungful of 
  air into water-damaged lungs.

Alorn narrows her eyes faintly and looks at the sand.

SongBird sits up now, blinking sea-green eyes,

Karga skitters back, scowl deepening, hands closing on her spear.

The bug sits on her shoulder now, happily creeing to her.

SongBird looks at the water and shivers, thoughts crossing her mind...

Karga clings to her spear, and squints at the little elf. "<If she is a demon, 
  where is her wolf?>"

Alorn shrugs lightly. "<I don't know. I'm not sure this particular demon -has- 
  a wolf.>"

Said little elf watches the water with a dumb expression.

Patience has arrived.

Karga jabs a brown finger at the Preserver, and asks Alorn, "<Is that the 
  demon's guard?>"

Goldenwing is too busy watching the elf to answer.

The Glider tips her head slightly to one side and looks at the Preserver. 
  After a moment, she nods. "<You could call it that.>"

Karga, as neither the little demon nor the creature with wings seem inclined 
  to do anything dangerous, continues to stare at them, fascinated. At least 
  for the moment, she does not notice that a stranger has come within view of 
  their camp -- if indeed the stranger is visible.

Patience
This petite Wolfrider has finally succeeded in integrating her blood and her 
  Island home into a unique self. She wears a scant leather top, no more than 
  a halter knotted closed through a ring of coral between her breasts and a 
  blousy skirt of woven cloth. An odd belt made of many separate lengths of 
  leather circles her waist and hips without any apparent pattern. Her hair is 
  a rich chestnut color, short all around except for two chin-length tails, 
  one in front of each ear. Eyes a pale blue like the cloudless sky are as 
  friendly as they are shy, slow to meet yours, but sparkling with warmth and 
  gentle confidence. She wears a necklace of two circles, silver inlaid with 
  gold, showing the Child Moon in her Mother's arms, and a silver and 
  blue-stone braclet that slips between her wrist and elbow. Both ornaments 
  are tokens from beloved mothers, one from the sea and one from the shore.
Carrying:
Crystal Dagger
belt

Patience shifts slightly, rolling over to face the voices as she wakes

The small blonde elf simply stares mute and dumb at the water.

Karga finally declares bluntly, "<She can't be a demon -- she is... so small!>"

Patience blinks once or twice, trying to place the strange words

Mute, the small elf in question starts to shake.

Alorn chuckles softly, nodding to Karga. "<She is a demon. One of the marks of 
  the demonic is their size.>"

Karga's black brows draw together over her nose, giving her a fierce look, but 
  as the human girl flicks her gaze back to Alorn, that look wavers, slightly. 
  "<The demon that killed Mother was... huge!>" Does she notice the slight 
  quaver in her voice?

Alorn folds her hands together, steepling fingertips. "<Karga, this is one of 
  those you think of as demon. She is a young demon, and she is female, but I 
  assure you. She is one of the wolfblooded.>"

A wave laps at the silent elf's feet. The small elf suddenly becomes all feet 
  and hands, scrambling backwards a foot or two.

Patience draws her feet under her, staying beneath the sheltering bush still

Karga's eyes darken. "<Then we should kill it.>"
Karga, with that, stands, and hefts her spear. She moves it towards the small 
  creature by the water, and barks, "<Demon! Get up and fight!>"

Alorn chuckles again, quietly. She leans forward a bit, quirking a brow. "<Do 
  you really think so, Karga?>"

A soft keening sound from the small elf. She remains shaking, staring at the 
  water in terror.

Karga snaps to Alorn, "<You know that I want to hunt the demons! If the gods 
  have brought me one, I will hunt it!>" The gawky human pokes the small elf 
  harder, then, with the butt of her spear, and yells, "<DEMON! Get up!>"

The small elf only shifts slightly, the odd keening becoming strangely melodic.

Alorn nods a bit, picking herself up off the sand. "<Indeed. However..>" She 
  considers for a moment, chewing on her lower lip. "<It might be more 
  educational to do something besides kill this one.>"

Karga, seeing no response to her spear-poke, growls, "<I want the demon 
  dead!>" She lunges, then, with one hand, clearly intending to grab the small 
  elf with it.

She is an easy catch, seeming to see nothing but the water that sits before 
  her, singing now a strangely hollow melody.

Karga shouts, hoarsely, "<Wake up, demon! Wake up! Curse you!>" Dropping her 
  spear, Karga rattles the limp form's shoulders, her eyes now blazing, her 
  face contorted.

The Glider moves over, pausing to rest a hand on Karga's shoulder. "<Easy, 
  Karga. That won't get you anywhere with this one.>"

Shaken, the small form only continues to sing, the melody shaking as she is 
  shaken, yet reedy and thinly terrified.

Karga holds the smaller form in her strong young hands, then abruptly drops 
  it, and spits to one side, disgusted. "<Paugh! This is no demon! It is not 
  worth a hunt!>"

The small elf lands, now senseless, in the sand.

Karga stands there, trembling now -- if Alorn notices.

Alorn brings up her other hand, placing it on Karga's other shoulder. "<It is 
  a demon, Karga. They come in as many different sizes and ages with as many 
  different tempers and actions as any of the rest of us do. This one never 
  has been right in the head.>"

Goldenwing flits above Song, landing on her chest, she moves up to her face 
  and tugs on one of her lips, ~Beesweets upup! Sing 'gain! Goldenwing sing 
  with!~

The small elf twitches, a low keening cry issuing.

Karga's two fists clench. "<We should _kill_ it,>" she repeats, but now her 
  voice is far less certain, carrying a ragged and anguished tone.

Alorn withdraws her hands, folding them again. "<Alright Karga. Kill it, if 
  you can.>"

SongBird continues to softly moan, the moan turning into a low song

"<It won't fight me,>" mumbles the girl, at last, still scowling, but much 
  more sullenly now. Conscious of Zichri lurking in the camp, watching all 
  this with his supercilious smirk, she remains stiff of carriage, fists 
  balled.

Karga's gaze turns oddly distant.

Goldenwing moves onto Song's forehead and belts out a rather loud and 
  obnoxious tune, if you could call it that. Seeing Song's eyes still closed 
  she tries to open them, by pulling on the eyelashes. ~Beesweets all wake up! 
  Goldenwing make prettyhair 'gain!! And Sing!!~

"<But -why- won't it?>" asks the Glider, still watching. Now she holds out a 
  hand, toward the Preserver. "<There are many things you have yet to learn, 
  Karga.>" When the thing starts singing again, she sighs. "Goldenwing?"

The song is familiar to SongBird, even if it is racious. It begins to pry her 
  out of her trauma.

Karga jerks away, then, eyeing the Preserver, and finally grabbing her spear, 
  as if for some odd kind of comfort. "<Demon magic,>" she blurts at Alorn, 
  too promptly, her gaze still oddly unseeing. "<Wouldn't fight then... won't 
  fight now...!>"

Goldenwing continues singing, its hands between its feet, almost like a 
  sitting wolf. It pauses for just a moment to look at the flyhigh curiously. 
  ~Want Goldenwing make prettyhair? Is GOOD!~

"<You cannot learn to swim simply by diving into deep water.>" Alorn keeps her 
  hand out to the bug, nodding. "<For the same reasons, you cannot learn to 
  kill demons simply by seeing one.>"

Karga yells, abruptly, "<Then teach me!>" She whirls on Alorn, still fiercely 
  clinging to her spear.

Goldenwing dashes to Alorn.. though not to her hand.. Rather her hair. ~Is 
  good! Goldenwing make all prettypretty!~

SongBird's singing rises now, a hollow terrified sound./

Alorn scowls a bit at the bug.. oh well, at least it's not trying to wake the 
  'demon' up. "<I've been trying, Karga. You must have patience.>"

Karga edges back a step, still not trusting this fluttering creature, nor the 
  prone demon. A derisive snicker from the direction of the camp makes her 
  turn noticeably crimson, and she strives to make up for it by growling, 
  "<What lesson is here, then?>"

Goldenwing divebombs into Alorn's hair and continues singing loudly, trying to 
  drown out the sound of Songbird's horrible singing. She happily starts tying 
  /pretty/ knots into Alorn's hair, and pulling the hair up and tangling in 
  with it.

SongBird pushes herself into a semi-seated position, singing softly

Karga flashes her yellow gaze to the rising demon. For all the human girl's 
  fierce glower and stance, there's a real fear in her eyes, and her grip on 
  her spear tightens.

"<The lesson of deception.>" Alorn again scowls up at the Preserver. "Why 
  don't you find some flowers?" She asks, then looks back at Karga. "<The 
  deception of the demons.. that they can make themselves seem much larger 
  than they actually are. That they can seem much weaker than they are.>" 
  Another scowl as the bug pulls hard. "<Or the lesson that they have things 
  you might not be prepared to face. Like this thing.>"

Karga stares hard at the demon, and snarls, "<It tricks us?!>"

Alorn nods a bit.

SongBird shivers as her blue-green eyes scan the water again, and she grows 
  oddly silent

Goldenwing pauses for a moment in her singing, though not in her tying knots.. 
  she looks over at Songbird, ~Beesweetshair want flowers too? Bring pretty 
  shaperocks!~

Karga glowers at the little elf, then, pondering Alorn's words, her gaze 
  smoldering. "<You said it is not right in the head,>" she says suddenly, 
  coldly.

Alorn nods again to Karga. "<I did. Look at it.>" She reaches a hand up to 
  poke at Goldenwing. "She does. Go find some."

A sudden sharp keening, and SongBird scuttles away from the water some more.

Karga demands, "<Then how does it know to trick us?>"

Goldenwing flits away from Alorn, though not to get soem flowers.. instead it 
  tries to wrapstuff the water, as it the wrapstuff floats on the water and 
  sinks it scowls down at the defiant water. ~Is nastybad. No good for 
  wrapstuff. Badbad.~

"<Sanity is relative, Karga.>" The Glider steeples her fingers together again, 
  watching.

Karga frowns, not liking this, not trusting. "<It will keep trying to trick 
  us?>"

"<It might.>"

Karga glowers. "<Then what do we do with it?>"

She knows water. Water she fears. But as big blue-green eyes turn now to 
  regard the one standing over her, a dumb confusion settles. Human, she does 
  not know. So she does not fear.

"<I would suggest watching it.>" Alorn frowns a bit. "<You can learn a great 
  deal from your enemies by watching them. It might even decide to go away.>"

Goldenwing flits to Song, ~Beesweets awake! Is good! Now /really/ sing with 
  Goldenwing and Goldenwing make prettyhair!~

Karga cries, "<But... it could bring other demons!>" Her gaze flashes fully to 
  Alorn now.

Alorn nods a bit. "<It could. But you must learn how to deal with them.>"

Wide blue-green eyes blink as she absently reaches out to offer a hand to the 
  Preserver. What is this thing that screeches so?

"<Then tell me how,>" insists the human.

"<I have been trying.>" answers Alorn, shaking her head. "<It takes time. You 
  have been learning for how long, a turn, if that?>"

Goldenwing flies to Song's hand, landing lightly, it's grin nearly splitting 
  it's face in half. ~Goldenwing make prettyhair? Yesyes?~

Karga's voice suddenly drops again. "<I have not learned about demons.>"

Alorn nods slightly. "<What -have- you been learning about?>"

SongBird absently gives the a scritch on the back, nodding.

Goldenwing oooohs! and darts into Songbird's hair, happily tying /pretty/ 
  knots....

SongBird, for her part, simply blinks at the other, noting the small ears and 
  odd hands.

Alorn reaches a hand up to her hair and attempts to undo a knot.

SongBird seems to be totally oblivious to the bug's antics, not even wincing 
  when the bug pulls too tightly.

[To be continued...]