Log Cast: Suntop, Flashfire, Treestump, Cutter, Leetah
Log Date: 8/4/1998 

Base of the Lost Holt Father Tree(#765RJ)
A dense grove of grotesquely shaped trees dominated by one immense
 Grandfather of a tree whose age is no less great than its size.
It is obvious that the old tree has survived a terrible tragedy but new
 growth and thick strong branches cover the worst of the scars left by
 the terrible blaze. Weeds and night blooming wildflowers grow in a riot
 of natural disorder around the trees roots, taking advantage of the
 NewGreen warmth. Like old friends, the gnarled trees embrace one
 another, their many branches entwining to form a dense canopy high
 above the ground. As the daystar sets the air turns chilly in the
 NewGreen evening.
Contents:
Suntop
Flashfire
Bearpaw
Cobweb
Rainrunner
Patience(#6936Jepq)
Skylark
SafeRunner
Obvious exits:
Into the Tree<N>  Around the Tree<AT>  Clearing<S>  

Suntop is reclining on one of the lower branches, frowning as he
 believes he said something to make Yun stalk off in a huff, and
 watching the cub try to work his way out of a dreamberry fog.

Flashfire's curled up near some roots, looking mostly unaware of things
 going on around him. Yun played a pretty nasty trick on him.

Up in the trees, someone seems to have slept in for a hearty yawn is
 heard trailed off by a familiar thump-bump!-thump of a not so graceful
 descent down the side of the Father Tree. After a moment, Treestump
 appears on branch just above Suntop before hopping to the ground,
 landing lightly, if not quietly. He almost seems unaware of the pair
 already here and does indeed nearly walk right on through before
 halting. He blinks. Oh yes. "Hullo!"

Suntop smiles as his great-uncle descends so...gracefully. ** Shade,
 Treestump...sleep well? **

Flashfire blinks as well, looking up towards Treestump. How many does he
 see? Two? Three? "H'lo..Treeshtump..." he murmurs, grinning strangely.

Cutter walks out of the Father Tree.
Cutter has arrived.

"Half the time, aye," Treestump answers gruffly, his gaze resting on
 Suntop before shifting to Flashfire at the lad's slurred greeting.
 Taking note of the cub's appearance, an eyebrow arches slowly and his
 arms lift to fold over his chest, looking up again to Suntop. Dare he
 ask?

Suntop grins and pulls his legs up onto the branch with him. ** Aye, Yun
 got him with dreamberries. **

Flashfire shakes his head slowly, things spinning a bit as he sits up
 against a root. "Yun..tr..wha he shaid.."

Cutter ducks, when he steps out of the tree, and stretches enormously
 when he's got room to do so.

Treestump has his back to the Father Tree, having just arrived from
 somewhere in its boughs, so does not notice Cutter immediately. He
 smirks up at Suntop, eyes twinkling fadedly. "Lucky him," is all he
 offers in reply before he does take note of the chieftain's appearance
 and turns slightly. His brows furrow, looking slightly uncomfortable
 now. "Hullo there, Cutter."

Suntop swats lightly at his father's topknot as he passes under his
 treebranch. ** Evening, father..."

Flashfire closes his eyes, thinking about going to sleep. It just won't
 come, though. He blinks again, seeing Cutter's tall form. "H'lo,
 Cutter," he murmurs.

Cutter ducks his head, and squints one-eyedly up at Suntop. "Evening,
 all of you." He runs a hand absently over the topknot, smoothing it,
 before he asks, "What have I missed, since you're all up already."

Suntop scoots back to rest against the trunk of the tree, smirking over
 at Flashfire. "Just Yun feeding Flashfire dreamberries..." He then
 looks off to see where the half-Goback went...and it looks like she's
 not coming back. Well, puckernuts.

"She tricked me," Flashfire clarifies, managing not to slaughter his
 words this time. He makes a bit of a face, not too happy for Yun's
 trick.

Leetah wanders out of the tree, smiling to all present.

Treestump moves to seat himself upon one of the larger exposed roots of
 the Father Tree, one hand resting on his knee. He can't help grinning a
 bit, but crookedly, at the lad, then looks up at Leetah's arrival.
 "Hullo there, lass."

Leetah smiles. "How is everything this evening?"

Cutter chuckles. "You," he tells Flashfire, "ought to be glad Pike
 didn't catch her. You'd have been in real trouble."

Suntop's eyes sparkle as he asks, glancing occasionally to the cub,
 "Isn't it true that he counts each dreamberry on every bush?"

Cutter nods. "Probably."

Flashfire mumbles something unable to be deciphered towards Cutter,
 smiling faintly. He looks back up towards the branches, closing his
 eyes after a moment.

Leetah chuckles softly, "Though I suspect he loses track before he's
 finished."

Suntop laughs, "I'll bet he eats most of them while he's counting..."

Treestump remarks with a grin, "No doubt of that."

Cutter mms. "It'd take a bushfull to make him bubbleheaded, anyway."

Leetah slips over to Cutter with a smile.

Flashfire holds up one finger. "Yun made me eat..three!" he proclaims,
 blinking at those gathered nearby once again. He tries to stand up, and
 ends up sitting on the nearest root, unable to get up all the way.

Leetah tsks, "Poor kitling..." She holds out her arms to him.

Suntop chuckles softly, but won't tease Flashfire anymore about it. He
 looks over to his great-uncle and asks, "When did you get back?" The
 sun-cub has been keeping to himself of late, until very recently in
 fact.

Treestump looks amused as he watches the youth, leaning forward slightly
 to rest his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm. "So much for
 tolerance," the old wolf comments, chuckling softly.
Treestump then looks up at Suntop and tilts his head slightly. "Been
 back for a while now, lad," he answers, blinking slowly.

Suntop ohs and then looks off into the distance. "Good." he says. Better
 back for some time than stuck in the Underworld for a long time.

Flashfire's eyes narrow as he squints towards Leetah, trying to
 recognize her. It takes a moment. He concentrates enough to stand up
 and move shakily over to her, reaching out to hold himself up as he
 tries to take one of her arms. Sad..he's got a ways to go before he can
 tolerate more than two dreamberries.

Treestump looks caught somewhere between amusement and puzzlement, but
 chooses to look back to the auburn-tressed healer and the drunken youth
 rather than pursue the subject.

Leetah hugs Flashfire gently, a warm glow dispelling some of the
 confusion.

Suntop fiddles with the blindfold tied onto his belt, toying with the
 idea of seeing if he can differentiate all the scents here yet.

Cutter prompts Treestump with, "Back long enough to be healed, hey?"

Flashfire feels a good amount of his drunken, dreamberry-induced haze
 fading as Leetah hugs and heals him - enough for him to become more
 aware of things, and walk around without danger of falling. He smiles
 at her, and sends, ** Thanks. ** before sitting down on another root,
 next to Leetah and Cutter.

That catches Suntop's attention and he looks from father to great-uncle.
 "Healed? What happened?"

Now Treestump's gaze shifts to Cutter, lifting his chin up from his
 hand. "Eh? Oh.. No, no, lad. Suntop meant.. the Underworlders. Jaylorra
 and her.. family." He puncuates the sentence with a slight jerk of his
 head, indicating the general direction of the river.

Flashfire rests his elbows on his knees, chin in hands. He blinks,
 looking between Cutter and Treestump, biting his lip at mention of the
 ones by the river.

Cutter glances toward the river himself. "Then they're still here..."

"Presumably." Now Treestump shrugs, his brows drawn together. "But not
 for long. Jaylorra wants to return home, she said."

Suntop adds, "Flashfire and I saw one of them the other day."

Flashfire looks up to Suntop as he mentions the little meeting with
 Jaylorra, and he nods to everyone. "Aye..maybe now they can go, since
 it's Newgreen." It should be safer to travel, he figures.

Suntop swings around so that he is sitting with legs dangling over the
 branch. "What of the other one though?" From what he's heard, that is
 the one to watch out for.

Cutter says, "They both need to go. The sooner the better."

"If Jaylorra leaves, I don't doubt Malandor would go with her."
 Treestump emits a dry, humorless chuckle. "That lad does like being her
 shadow."

Suntop says "Are they both so evil then?"

"He is, enough that I'd feel better if they were all gone.." Flashfire
 admits after a moment. But it's not at all his decision.

Leetah slips her arm gently around Flashfire. Consolingly, now.

Treestump's gaze shifts to Suntop and settles there. His voice tightens,
 but only slightly. "Jaylorra is a good lass. Doesn't mean any harm, and
 won't pose any in the future, if she keeps her head on straight. Its
 just that foul-mouthed mate of hers that likes to stir up trouble."

Cutter says "We can't afford any trouble, Treestump. Not from anyone. If
 she's too close to him to go without him, then it's best that they both
 go."

Suntop converses with Treestump now, "And he came up here because
 Jaylorra, his mate, wished it? Is that the only reason?" For if this
 elf is as evil as he has heard, there has to be an ulterior motive,
 doesn't there?

Flashfire quiets now, content to lean closer to Leetah, as she puts an
 arm around him.

"Never said any different, Cutter," Treestump answers his nephew first,
 regarding him for a moment. "I don't see that as being a problem
 anyway, since she wants to go and he doesn't have any reason to stay.
 If they aren't gone by now, I wouldn't think to see them around much
 longer.." He pauses then, frowning lightly to himself, then looks back
 to Suntop. He answers simply, "He came because he doesn't trust
 'Upworlders' to take good care of his mate."

Suntop huhns and looks to the river as well, this time. "I'm glad I
 haven't met him."

Cutter nods, once.

"You should be, Suntop." Flashfire says, leaving it at that. All told,
 he's surprised Malandor actually did behave, even if some of his words
 were harsh.

Treestump falls quiet now, eyes finding their way back to Cutter and
 there they rest for a while before the old wolf interlaces his fingers
 and rests his chin upon them. "Do you want me to talk with them, lad?"
 he asks after a while.

Cutter says "I'd consider it a .. favor, if you would, Uncle."

Suntop sits back once more and watches from his perch.

Flashfire glances towards Treestump at Cutter's words, before smiling up
 at Leetah, relief evident in his features.

Treestump offers a faded version of a grin, nodding but once. "Aye,
 lad.. Of course."

You locksend to Cutter, Treestump's sending is gruff, yet meant for your
 "ears" alone. ** I didn't quite realize, lad, the threat that.. that
 they posed to the Holt, when the idea touched my head. It seems..
 (heh).. It seems even we elders can foul up once in a while.. ** He
 pauses, then, for a brief moment that seems longer than it is. ** I'm
 sorry, lad. **

You sense in a locksend, Cutter's send is not accusatory at all. ** You
 don't have to apologize, Treestump. You just have an easier time
 believing and forgiving than I do, I guess. Like Joyleaf. I wish you
 could be right about the tribes, now. **

Suntop looks around at the gathered elves and sends softly, ** We're all
 so quiet... **

Leetah chuckles softly, hugging the dreamberried kitling.

"What would you like to talk about?" Flashfire asks, directing it
 towards Suntop. He smiles as he hugs Leetah back, staying like that.

You sense in a locksend, Cutter adds, a little sheepishly, ** I still
 need you, and the rest, to help me see sometimes. **

Suntop shrugs. "Oh, I don't know..." But then he does. "How did Yun 
-force- you to eat dreamberries?"

You locksend to Cutter, Treestump sends slowly, as if thinking out each
 word before putting it to form. ** I.. don't think that the trust.. I
 gave to Jaylorra, nephew, could be extended to the rest of her folk.. I
 suppose you'd have to be there.. ** That sentence he lets trail off
 unfinished, then sends again in response to the latter sending. ** Aye.
 (faint chuckle) And the other way around, too. **

Flashfire makes a sudden face, frowning at that one. "I was sitting on a
 branch, and she stumbled in. I thought she needed to be helped
 somewhere and when I got close, she grabbed me and forced them in my
 mouth and made me swallow them. She wouldn't let go until I did." Hey,
 he can talk straight again.

Treestump's gaze still rests on Cutter, eyes flickering slightly, then a
 corner of his faded grin quirks slightly up, turning crooked. When
 conversation starts up again, his attention shifts between the two,
 head tilting slightly.

Cutter affords Treestump a lopsided smile that rights itself as she
 listens to the others' conversation.

Suntop tries really hard not to laugh. He nods to Flashfire...he never
 thought Yun would do something like that, but then again, the two seems
 to be growing more apart every day. Glancing at Leetah he nods, his
 eyes lingering on his father for a moment before looking back to the
 cub.

"She got me good," Flashfire admits, with a touch of dejection in his
 voice for falling for a trick like that. He shrugs, mostly better now.

Treestump finally speaks after a long period of silence, his tone light.
 "I remember the first time you got into those berries, lad. Way back at
 the Village."

Suntop leans forward a bit. A story!

Cutter prompts, "And? Did he kiss Sun-Toucher? Dance naked on the
 Bridge?"

Flashfire frowns at that one, giving Treestump a bit of a look.
 "Shhhhh...nobody needs to know about that.."

Suntop slides an impish glance to Flashfire. "Oh, I think we do..."

"No!" Flashfire nearly sputters at Cutter's questions, joking or not.
 Then, he gives Suntop a look and admits, "If I don't tell you,
 Treestump probably will." High Ones, he'll never hear the end of this
 one.

Treestump sits up straighter now, his mood lightened considerably as his
 blue eyes glitter with amusement. "Just waddled around like a top-heavy
 swimmerbird before getting his ears yammered off by.. by.." He pauses
 briefly, searching for a name. "... by that lass of his. Heh heh." He
 winks at the youth. "Not sure I've ever seen your face turn that color
 again since then."

Cutter casts a brief sidelong glance at Leetah, then suggests, "Must
 have been Shenshen."

Leetah covers her mouth and chuckles.

Suntop is laughing so hard he almost rolls right off of the branch!

Flashfire shakes his head vehemently, and his face would be the same
 shade it was way back then if not for the darker shade it's become.
 "Nonono!" He blurts, eyes settling on Treestump for a moment, before
 his story is coaxed from him. "We were all in the gardens, and nobody
 was watching me..I never had any dreamberries before, and I ate four of
 them before Picture caught me. She was my chieftess, Treestump, and you
 didn't do anything to stop me either." He pauses, catching his breath
 as he stiffens a little, next to Leetah. "She took me off and I got
 sick and she scolded me for eating things that I didn't know about."
 There.

Suntop tries really hard to stop laughing. ** Four dreamberries?? ** But
 his shaking belies his efforts...

Treestump's hand creeps up to hide his grin, and his shoulders shake
 with barely suppressed laughter. All he sends, though, is an amused, **
 Picture. Knew it was something like that. Some Wolfrider lass. ** His
 blue eyes twinkle.

"Four..I think." Flashfire answers, not at all laughing or smiling like
 the others are. Feh.

Suntop manages to calm himself and shakes his head. He still grins
 though, "Poor Flashfire...we'll get your tolerance up, don't worry."

"Give him to Pike for an eight-of-days," Treestump advises, lowering his
 hand to reveal his broad grin, the hand settling over his knee. "Either
 the lad'll come out of it with enough tolerance to gobble down two
 bushels of berries or be found dead-drunk somewhere and babbling."

Flashfire gives Suntop and Treestump another Look, shaking his head. "No
 thanks." he says, having seen the state Pike's always in. The cub likes
 being aware of things.

Suntop nearly bursts out laughing again, but manages to catch himself.
 Then, without warning, he looks up, his laughter fading. He offers a
 smile to the others and starts to climb down from his branch. "If
 you'll excuse me...It's Savah..."

Leetah nods.

Treestump's grin returns to a more proportionate size and nods to the
 sun-haired mystic. "All right, lad." He pauses then, thoughtfully, and
 his grin fades down further, a hand lifting to scratch at his beard.

Flashfire finally manages to smile at Suntop, and waves. "See you later,
 friend.." Well, one 'tormenter' less. That's good.

Suntop reaches over to ruffle Flashfire's hair as he passes and moves to
 a quieter part of the Holt to converse with the Mother of Memory.
Suntop walks around to the back of the Father Tree.
Suntop has left.

Flashfire has to grin as Suntop ruffles his hair. That never fails to
 make him feel better. He continues to sit with Leetah, quietly.

Leetah snuggles Flashfire gently.

Treestump rises to his feet, but slowly, as if reluctant to do what he
 needs to. "Well," he says slowly. "I'd best be off to see if Jaylorra
 and her group are still about."

Leetah sends openly ** Luck be with you, Treestump. **

Flashfire looks up to Treestump, and doesn't envy him his task at all.
 "If there's any trouble..you know we'll come." That said, he hugs
 Leetah's waist.

Leetah returns the hug, gently.

Treestump offers a crooked smile to that. "Thank you, lass." He
 stretches slightly, waking up joints that had fallen back to sleep when
 he chosen a seat and not budged from it, and scratches his side
 briefly. To Flashfire, he only inclines his head. "Truly, cub, I don't
 see any trouble. Jaylorra.." He pauses briefly. "She's a smart lass."
 And he leaves it at that.
Treestump moves towards the edge of the clearing, to leave, but pauses
 just long enough to lift up his hand. "Be back in a bit. Anyone needs
 me, I'll be by the river."

Flashfire is of course more concerned about Malandor, but he's confident
 Treestump can take care of things. Surely, if Cutter trusts him to,
 it's all right. He moves an arm and waves a hand to him. "See you
 later," he says.

[Taking that as his cue, Treestump departs, making his way towards the
 Silver Run River to converse with the Underworld trio that camp out at
 its bank.]