Log Date: 1/31/96 Log Intro: Rayek has finally been tracked by Tilia, who has been employing the magic of the Palace to locate and send to him. Spurred to acknowledge his own growing restlessness with his current quiet life, Rayek grows noticeably more agitated to his companions, and his former deep sleeps are replaced with bouts of wakefulness that propel him out of their rock shelter long before anyone else in the little party stirs.... ---------- Ekuar stirs sleepily and rises onto his elbow, voice soft in the close chamber. "Brownskin...?" Petalwing flitflitflits. /Sharpdark highthing outside,/ it pouts. Ember nods. "Went out a while ago." Petalwing flits, and pouts, and flits, and observe tartly, /Sharpdark highthing muchmutter. Make scowlface at Petalwing!/ Ekuar sits fully upright, narrow shoulders sagging forward, shaking his head. "I have a feeling, pretty huntress... A decision has, eh, been made." Large, mild eyes gaze unseeingly into the middle distance, a mist of unhappiness in their depths. Ember mmmmphs softly, falling to sending. ** He tried it our way a long time. Maybe he knows best for himself. ** The corner of Ekuar's thin mouth quirks gently upward. "Oh, child!" His chuckle, dry and soft, rises in the air. "Like the Wolfrider you are, you strike to the heart of it. Hm?" He sighs. "Brownskin sets his own course, eh, to be sure. It was so hard to do it for him... I don't care to make anyone do anything. But it was... necessary." There is a quiet layer of grief in the depths of his voice, but also a palpable relief. Petalwing flits curiously about Ekuar and Ember, and pipes, /Wethings go back to homeplace now?/ Ember tilts her head back against the shelter wall. ** The air's been good for him, I tihnk. Outside, not worrying his fool head so much. He's a lot stronger than he used to be. So. Should we go see what he's frowing at the bug for? ** Ekuar takes his staff and absently tucks it against his body, reaching trustingly for Ember's hand for support out of the chamber. Petalwing flits, and darts out. You duck through the tunnel that leads under the mountains, eventually traveling into a wide-open valley. You crawl out of the rock shelter. Quiet Valley Caught in a deep plunge between the mountains, the valley gives notice of its glacier-born heritage with high rock walls that, though enclosing, provide a feeling of safety. The valley's floor is wide, mostly flat, evergreen forest nourished with silt, grown up in thousands of years of solitude. From the north flows a glacier-fed stream, water murky with dirt, but pure and sweet when left to settle. The creatures here, undisturbed for millennia, have grown to enormous sizes and to strange new shapes, interbreeding and inbreeding taking a certain toll. Contents: Rayek(#3218PBOUXac) Obvious exits: Glacier Rock Shelter Petalwing steps out of the tunnel leading back to the safety of the rock outcrop. Petalwing crawls out of the rock upcropping. Petalwing has arrived. Ember steps out of the tunnel leading back to the safety of the rock outcrop. Ember crawls out of the rock upcropping. Ember has arrived. Ember looks at you for a moment. Ekuar steps out of the tunnel leading back to the safety of the rock outcrop. Ekuar crawls out of the rock upcropping. Ekuar has arrived. Rayek stands off near the stream, his spear thrust into the ground beside him. He twists it restlessly, in one lean dark hand. Ekuar pulls his staff from against his body and leans on it, slowly making his way toward the stream, his face serene. Ember hangs back a bit, moving more towards the trees nearby, to swing up into a branch and watch from above. Rayek looks up, slightly, and over his shoulder, as Petalwing does a swooping circle around his head. His ear twitches, just slightly, noting the tread of feet and Ekuar's staff. "Ember... Ekuar." Rayek's voice is low. Ekuar nods benignly, continuing on his way until he's close enough behind Rayek to touch him. And touch him he does, tucking the staff in to free his single hand, reaching out with a familiar motion toward the dark elf's shoulder. An offer of a touch saying simply that he is here, always here. Rayek says quietly, "I have been... thinking, Ekuar." Ekuar's eyes crinkle at the corners with gentle humor. "I had noticed, Brownskin. You can tend to get-- ehm-- preoccupied." Ember grins a bit, from her perch. Rayek doesn't quite manage a smile, as he turns his head to look down at the elder. "I am thinking," he goes on levelly, "that it is time to deal with this." He taps his dark forehead. Ekuar looks up into the dear, familiar young face. "'Deal', Brownskin?" The question is non-intrusive, coaxing. Rayek clarifies, gravely, "The hole in my memory, Ekuar." Ekuar mms sagely, slowly, his face and voice reflecting only unhurried deliberation. "How shall we deal with it, dear one?" Weak, strained, difficult, from a great distance ushered by the undercurrents of many slight voices, ** Fine, then I'm coming there. ** Rayek begins to answer, then suddenly starts, and looks into the air. Rayek closes his eyes, and sighs. "Tilia," he says heavily, "insists on joining us." Ekuar's eyes widen, his senses, physical and mental, coming to the alert. Reaching, seeking, bracing himself. Ember scowls, straightening up on her branch. You locksend, to Ember, Tilia, Ekuar: Rayek reaches out, without much enthusiasm, but with a sure concentration. His reply is terse. ** Meet us on the way, then, if you insist. ** Tilia locksends ** Don't think for a moment that when I leave this rock I'll be able to find you. ** Ekuar's mental presence gently sifts its way into/around/through Rayek's, a comfortable and well-known mind, waiting supportively (although warily) for the visitor. Rayek closes his eyes, black eyebrows drawing together. If she insists on continuing the conversation, well, so be it.... You locksend, to Ember, Tilia, Ekuar: Rayek focuses in, narrowing his awareness to the distant glimmer of contact. ** So why try seeking? ** And a little fainter before the souls rush in a wall of noise carrying the words: ** You refuse to understand so I will not explain it all over. ** and then there is silence. Rayek muttergrowls, "What sort of explanation is _that_?" and opens his eyes. Ekuar looks curiously up at his student, his mental presence still lightly in the back of Rayek's mind, softly touching but non-intrusive. His forehead wrinkles inquisitively. Rayek shrugs a shoulder. "Tilia leaves the Palace," he reports brusquely. "She does not choose to explain why she wishes to spend time seeking me."| Ekuar gives a mild, lopsided shrug, his easy mental link with Rayek dissipating like fog at the touch of the sun. He chuckles. "All that way, hm, just to drop hints? The lass has energy." Rayek smirks, again twisting his grip on the spear he's thrust into the ground. "She has something, but why she chooses to apply it to me eludes me." Ekuar bobs his head. "Yes, indeed. Is she coming physically to find you, then?" "That is what she said." Rayek frowns. Ekuar looks baffled and cheerful. "Eh! Strange, that's what it is. Does she know that you have plans of your own to be gone from here?" Rayek stares, amber-ly, at the spear and his sunbrowned hand gripping it. "She claims she'll have no luck finding me; I asked her, why seek? She chooses not to explain." Ekuar shakes his head in a gentle dismissal of Tilia's enigmatic statements, although beneath the muzzy, kind eyes there is an awareness and an almost puzzled consideration of the turn events are taking. "Well! I suppose we cannot control what she chooses to do, nor why. Tell me, Brownskin, for this is, eh, closer to my heart: what are -we- going to do, hm?" Rayek shifts his gaze back to you. "I must return to the Palace, Ekuar." Ekuar nods, lifting his pale hand to touch your chin for a moment. "I understand. And I'm coming with you." He smiles up, earnestly. "Thank you, dear one, for taking this walk with me." Rayek's lean face crinkles a little, as he finally smiles. But his eyes are solemn. "I... am not as whole as I would like," he admits, very low. Ekuar tips his head appraisingly. "Ah! Who among us is?" His tone is light, but the nod he gives is grave enough. "There's always time between us to do more work, Brownskin. To help you mend, help you feel whole and centered. Eh, that's one of my dearest wishes." Rayek begins, "I..." He glances up over his shoulder, at Ember's lingering form; the Wolfrider huntress shrugs a bit, and melts off into the trees. But Rayek, apparently still skittish, drops into sending. You locksend ** I have... fragments of memory. ** to Ekuar. You sense in a locksend, Ekuar considers this confession, taking it into his mind, deeper where the power lies beneath the layers of age and mist. ** Fragments... can you tell me? ** You locksend ** Hands... gentle, brown hands. A voice. ** to Ekuar. Rayek pulls in a breath, troubled. Ekuar nods very gently, as he might to a startled woodland creature. His send is simple, carrying truth. ** Yes. ** Rayek considers, then adds, quietly, ** There is... loss there. ** Ekuar's mind-touch hesitates for only a moment, as if weighing the value of saying too much, but finally the ancient elf opens his thoughts to you, frank and kind: ** Loss perceived, perhaps. But not a true loss. This I do know. ** Rayek flicks you a strangely naked kind of glance, then sends warily, ** I... remember green eyes. Angry. ** Ekuar echoes the truth of this, although the concept of "anger" here is transmuted into something more complex. Love/frustration/pain/friendship/anger, the kind of emotion someone would have for someone dear to them, a bond too deep to be shattered by twists in life's path. ** It... hurts, when I think of... her. ** Rayek sends this as if with effort, not quite looking at you. His grip tightens on the spear. You sense in a locksend, Ekuar's mind-touch is cool, soothing. ** Easy, now, dear one. You've spent much time bringing pain to yourself with thoughts of her... Try and ease back, hm? ** Earnestness and truth, flowing like balm onto wounds: ** I -know- her. She would not want to be just another weapon you use to torment yourself. Please. ** Rayek closes his eyes, trying to steady himself; his grip on the spear goes white around his knuckles. You locksend ** But... I... do not remember _why_ it hurts.... ** to Ekuar. An entreaty flows through Ekuar's thoughts twining with yours, clear as a bell: ** It doesn't matter why. You are talented at holding onto things long after they are done and gone, my dear one. Stop. Let the pain go, keep the name, the face, the green eyes. ** A pause, and then an impulsive offering: ** She does not want to cause pain, suffering, especially to you. She does not wound... she heals. ** A reflexive movement, then, as Rayek's left hand rises to finger his right shoulder. He frowns to himself. Heals... Ekuar waits, neither pushing nor coaxing, his mind hovering softly on the outskirts of Rayek's consciousness. If it comes, he is ready. If it doesn't, he will wait. Rayek tells you, at last, wonderingly, ** My... arm. I remember... jackals tore it. When I was small. ** Ekuar says "Mmm. So I have been told..." Ekuar lets his sentence fade, hoping perhaps that Rayek will continue the story, the memory. You locksend to Ekuar, Rayek sends you, at last, a wisp of memory: a veil, flashing. A tiny giggle. A hug, and suddenly, his arm could move. You sense in a locksend, Ekuar savors that brief glimpse of your childhood, cherishing it as something precious to him. ** You see, ** he sends encouragingly. ** Even then. She could not bear pain, your pain... ** His gaze turned liquid, Rayek turns to look at you, or perhaps just past you. You locksend ** I... harmed her... ** to Ekuar. Ekuar's face nearly glows, as does his mind, with a steady compassion and encouragement. ** We harm each other every day, Brownskin. All of us. Mistakes are made, hasty decisions. There is pain. We mend, we learn, and we move on... ** A mild reproof, concerned and paternal, creeps into his tone: ** Unless we insist on clinging to that harm, building it up, torturing ourselves with it when the time is long past and forgiveness is due. ** His eyes seek out yours, brows lifting slightly and meaningfully. Rayek's frown deepens; as you send, he does not contradict you, but for the longest time he is silent. Finally, he sends again, ** I dreamt. ** Ekuar has eased back a bit after his mild scolding. Again he waits, slow and patient and accepting. ** And what did you dream? ** Rayek crouches, by way of reply, staring down at his tousle-haired image in the water. Rayek sends openly ** She was... there. But without substance, like a reflection in the water... I could reach for her, but... when my fingers made contact, she vanished.... ** Ekuar stands close to the lean, crouching figure, reaching out with light fingers to momentarily stroke the top of the dark head. ** Our hearts tell us things when we dream, sometimes. ** Rayek sends, slowly, ** But... what is mine telling me, Ekuar? ** Ekuar considers this, and replies: ** Two things. One you already know, that you had forgotten her. The other is something you might not know, yet... something you might struggle against. ** He looks into the distance, considering green eyes and auburn hair against desert sands, the last time he saw her. ** In the dream, you reached for her. You care for her, Brownskin. You love her. You two are tied together. Fight it as you will, deny her, try to avoid her, in the end your heart tells you that you will always reach for her. ** A small, wise smile touches his lips. ** Listen to your heart this time, Brownskin. And listen to me. Do not try to forget... to avoid... to close off any longer. ** Rayek looks up. That liquid look remains in his eyes, a vulnerable kind of gaze. ** And if she eludes me...? ** Ekuar's eyes, ineffably kind, meet the amber softness of Rayek's own. ** Make your feelings known. Make your -self- known. And then wait. ** His face lightens in a familiar, comforting smile. ** You and she are young. The both of you, you always forget, but old Ekuar, he remembers. There is time for everything to be set right, for forgiveness to be exchanged, for hurts to subside. There is time for the two of you to put yourselves right with one another. And I'll see it gets done, if it takes me until my leg has worn away. ** His small, firm nod belies the lightness of his words. Rayek frowns to himself, lowly. ** Perhaps... we should see if Ember wishes to return to her tribe, first.... ** Ekuar agrees to this without comment, quietly supportive... Beneath the placid surface is a deep understanding. ** Mm, yes. She's been away a while... Perhaps she'd welcome our company back to her home. ** Rayek trails off, not voicing, or sending, the implication: Ember's mother would be there. Ekuar's aged face is suddenly wreathed in a smile as proud and tender as you've ever seen. "Eh!" he breathes aloud. His mind flows into yours, joyous and protective: ** You're a good lad, Brownskin. And a brave one. It's glad I am to walk with you. ** Rayek smirks, as close as any expression of his will allow him to come to appearing embarrassed. ** Brave? ** he echoes, grimly. ** Explain then why I am frightened? ** Ekuar answers the question with respect, the smile still lingering warmly on lips and eyes: ** Because you're facing something difficult. It's often said, and it's still true: only a fool is never afraid. Bravery is keeping on -through- the fear. ** Rayek sighs, then. And sends quietly, ** I shall speak to Ember. ** [Meanwhile, far away to the south in the Palace of the High Ones, the place has not gone untenanted during Rayek's absence. WolfFlame and Delenbae have remained in guardianship of the Palace, and recently, more visitors have begun to arrive and linger near. But Tilia, too, Rayek's companion in the Palace of old, has also lingered in the Palace, as has Ktai, the former Glider. And Tilia, having decided for reasons of her own to set out to bring Rayek back to the Palace, is noticed by Ktai....] Entry Hall(#8823RAF) Contents: Black Spiril Whitepaw(#6671IJaep) Obvious exits: Corridor Winding Stairway Doorway You step out through the doorway, leaving the entry hall behind. Palace(#500Jae) Contents: Shado(#9352PJMXceoy) Sunlink Obvious exits: Doorway You approach the huge battered stone structure. Ktai walks outside, peering about. ** Hello.. what's all this I hear about Tilia looking for Rayek? ** Shado blinks, as another arrives..**Is she the one that just left?..The one that doesn't want the palace moved?** Ktai: Long black hair has been tied up in a bun at the nape of her neck, and she looks out with dark eyes. Yellow silk sleeves and pants are covered by a tan leather jerkin with a beaten gold belt. Fur rises over the shoulders, providing some warmth, and her boots are of the same leather, with fur cuffs. She looks quite warm, and much different from the rest of the Gliders that she once called relations to. Ktai nods. ** That's her. ** Ktai sends openly ** Which way did she go? ** Sunlink points over towards the Spine mountain Pass.. ** That way.. What makes her think the Palace /can/ be moved anyways? ** Shado points out away from the palace. **That way..Tell me..How would she expect any to move this place, anyway?..And Why would I bleed here if it did move?** Ktai shakes her head. ** I don't really know what goes on in her mind... Perhaps I can find out. ** Ktai moves to follow Tilia You move away from the huge stone structure, stepping around the rubble that litters its immediate vicinity. Wide Pass Through the World's Spine Mountains Contents: Tilia Palace(#500Jae) Obvious exits: Northwest South Near the Palace, Shado chuckles, and nods. **Good luck..She /just/ left, so...** You locksend ** May I join you? ** to Tilia. Tilia is some ways off, short legs moving at a steady pitch. Near the Palace, Shado looks at Sunlink, and can't help but start chuckling.."Do you have /any/ idea.." Ktai rises a bit off the ground, gliding in order to try and catch up with the swiftly moving elf. Tilia looks over her shoulder and grunts. "Who are you?" Ktai sends openly ** I am Ktai... and one used to travel such as this. ** Near the Palace, Sunlink shakes her head.. "I don't even see how it /can/ move.." Ktai nears the elf, slowing her glide to match pace as she drops to the ground, walking now. Tilia says "Where do you think I'm going." Ktai shrugs slightly. ** Out there, I imagine. ** Near the Palace, Shado looks off at the other two, departing elves.."Maybe if a bunch of bird elves got together..Nah..I wonder if either of them are Rayek that Wolfflame was talking about..er, no..one is going /looking/ for that Rayek..hmm.." Tilia grunts and continues walking. Near the Palace, Sunlink hmms.. "Who is Rayek anyways?" Ktai follows, not having been told to leave. Tilia heads towards Northwest Tilia has left. You head towards the Foot of the World's Spine Mountains. Foot of the World's Spine Mountains(#350RJ) Contents: Tilia Group of Tents(#10777AJLQYaelt) Obvious exits: SouthEast North Tilia says "So what do you care." Ktai sends openly ** Care? There's a few things to care about in this world. One is yourself. Another, is knowledge. ** Tilia says "What could you learn from me." Ktai smiles. ** In my 2200 turns Outside, I have not travelled in mountains. I could learn that from you. ** Tilia stops and turns to look at you piercingly. "How did you get here then." Ktai smiles a bit. ** I flew. The Gliders brought me here from Sorrow's End. I thought the mountains looked interesting. ** Tilia says "Then fly back out." Tilia turns and continues her trek. Ktai sends openly ** Why? ** Ktai follows still. Tilia says "If you want to leave, leave how you can." Ktai shrugs. ** I can always fly. I do not always have an opportunity to learn something new. ** Tilia says "You had not conisdered the asking?" Ktai sends openly ** I asked if I could join you. I wsa not denied. I know the risks. ** Tilia says in a mutter, "If you knew the risks you would not need to learn them." Ktai sends openly ** So teach me. ** Tilia says "Why." Ktai smiles enigmatically. ** Why not? Why go this way? Why not the other? ** Tilia says "This is the way I'm going." Ktai sends openly ** So teach as you go. I'm willing to learn. ** Tilia says sterner, "This is the way I am going is the reason I am going this way. Would you stop sending; it still makes my head pound." Ktai switches to speaking, her voice light on the ears. "I am sorry. Perhaps then, you would consent to have a travelling companion." Tilia says "I don't trust you, glider." Yet she doesn't stop her walking. "If I find there is some other reason for this, I will kill you where you sleep." You say "Then don't trust me. But I have reason to think you are looking for Rayek. I am interested in finding him as well. Two travelling is far safer than one alone, so I joined you... and please. Don't call me a Glider." Tilia murmurs, "Are you honest so little that it must be threatened out of you?" You say "No... everything is the truth. If you want that sent, I'll send it. I've been close enough to dying. Death matters little to me, so it was no threat. The only way anyone could threaten me is to threaten my daughter. I don't know you... and did not know how you would take my request to look for Rayek." Tilia says "I wonder why you want to find him." Ktai smiles a bit shyly. "I thought everyone in the Palace and Sorrow's End knew." Tilia says "Knew what?" Ktai sighs softly. "I love him. I shouldn't, I know it. But I love him. And if he cannot love me back, then I will do everything in my power to help him - in whatever he needs." Tilia stops to look you over, slow and, truly, incredulous. Ktai simply shrugs, an eloquent gesture that says simply "It is as it is." Tilia says "You would slave yourself to that old bear?" Ktai smiles, a bit of light in her dark eyes. "Sometimes bears have a softer side, as well as a strong side. I would choose that, yes." Tilia snorts again and continues walking. "You will never see it." You say "Then it will be as it is. I do not ask love in return. I ask nothing at all in return." Ktai walks easily, not quite beside, but not quite following, either. Tilia says "Then you /are/ stupid." You say "Perhaps. Perhaps not." Tilia says "Definately. Do you expect it to be given?" You say "No. Do you ever expect love to be given?" Tilia says "I wouldn't know." Ktai doesn't say anything. Foot of the World's Spine Mountains(#350RJ) You are standing at the base of the World's Spine Mountains. To the north is a vast, desolate plain, while your passage to the south is blocked by the mountains themselves. To the southeast you notice a wide pass that may lead you further on. A harsh desert wind blows in from the north. Contents: Tilia Group of Tents(#10777AJLQYaelt) Obvious exits: SouthEast North Tilia doesn't, either, as she continues to walk toward the edge of the relative flatness of the crash site. Ktai continues on foot, her dark eyes watching all around her. [Tilia's player logged out to sleep] [End log.]