Ria and Bael both raised glasses in unison. "To family!"
Tali followed a moment later with her own. "Eh, yeah. Lets get grubbin'."
-------------------------------------------------
Later...
Stories flowed around the table as easily as the wine-and, an easy camaraderie develops between the crew.
Bael is the first to tell a story. Which might be slightly embellished.
"...So, I was...looking for a birthday present for Ria, that one year. Yes, Elves celebrate birthdays. Why should we miss out on all the fun?
Well, I wasn't more than three days out, when I found a Drake-a real one! A Green Drake. You can smell them for miles. I have a good nose.
He was flying in the sky, like this..."
Bael made his hands into a pair of 'wings', adding a wooshing sound effect for emphasis.
" He would have surely eaten me if he saw me...so, I ducked down into the brush, where he couldn't see me. I'm a cunning strategist, you see?"
Bael smiles to himself.
"..anyway, I hit him the eye with an arrow at 250 ft-it was dark and windy too! That year Ria had a Green Drake handbag to show all her friends. She rewarded me, yes.
Best. Shot. Ever." Bael finished, smiling, raising his glass and finishing it off.
Ria grinned, remembering...
"Last time he told the story, it was 150 ft...anyway, tell them the story of how you found this, Bael." She added, pointing to the Silver Leaf in her hair.
Bael seems to straighten up.
"Well, that's a real story.
It starts something like this..."
Flashback!
On that day, Bael had been out hunting-food, not Orcs. He had been tracking what he believed was a large buck-a few large hoofed tracks, and a fleeting brown flash, or the outline of an impressive rack of horns in the brush. He licked his lips, smiling. The clan was going through a lean time-bringing in something that big would be most appreciated.
In fact, the concept of coming back to the village with news of his trophy had made him temporarily forget some of his hard learned lessons. He was alone-Jhondryr, still laid up in bed, resting off her the injuries she had obtained from blundering into a giant wasps nest. He hadn't even told anyone he was going.
But, he was amazing that day. He spotted even the slightest track, never slowing, never tiring. It seemed to him this was the most difficult hunt of his life...
He ended up tracking it for almost a week.
At the end, he stepped into a clearing...and the tracks stopped. He looked up-and saw his prey. And took a step back.
This was not a normal beast-nay-it was Celestial! The strength and beauty of the Stag almost blinded him. It made no move to evade, merely standing proudly in the glade, stamping it's hooves idly.
Bael stepped forward, nonetheless. He spoke, and his voice was heavy with regret.
"...so very Beautiful you are. But, my Clan must eat. I am sorry."
He drew his bow to full strength. The Stag still didn't move. Bael held it for a few breathless moments...before letting it fall with a sigh.
"You're making this difficult for me..." He said, dropping his gaze. As he raised it, the Stag was gone-in it's place a woman. An Elven woman. She was...passing fair. Gulp. She was more than just beauty-she was power, raw and uncontrolled. Bael had a sudden insight, that she could have drawn such powers from the Earth to slay him on the spot, if she chose to. He was afraid.
It spoke to him, in a voice that sounded like a hymn.
"Not so easy a trophy now, Elf, do you think? You are good though. I give you that.
Indeed..Mercy is a rare trait in a hunter...and, even rare in the prey who suddenly finds themselves in a position of strength." She mused. Bael had no response.
"My name is Isieria.
...let us make a deal, Kanesbael Tyrmitore. You are the only being that has ever been swift enough to track me during my sojourns on this world. Let's say...today, we exchange gifts. Then, some years from today, we will meet again-some time and some place far from here...and then, we hunt for real.
One lives...one dies. Like the old times."
Her voice dropped in pitch, echoing deep melancholy.
"Do not be afraid...I wish it were otherwise. But, the universe must stay in balance...and what was begun on this day, must be finished."
Bael nodded silently. He drew a medallion from his pocket. A symbol of Amatae.
"...that will do. I can feel it means something to you. Fear not, she will understand the need for which you give it...and, in return...
A gift for your own love...so that she may forgive me for what I will do to survive."
Bael hadn't had time to ask. There was a flash in his mind.
When he regained consciousness, he found the silver leaf lying on his chest...he took it home, and made it into a brooch for Riawildes hair. He thought it looked quite beautiful on her.
Today...!
Bael took another drink.
"The Stag Spirit is still out there, waiting for me. I can sometimes feel her, in the back of my mind, the sound of a hunting horn in my dreams. One day...I'll have to face her again.
It's not something either of us has a choice in. It may be hard for the rest of your to understand, I know...but, the Hunt never ends, once it's begun."
Ria comforted Bael quietly. Indeed, had she not worried for him? It was only one of a multitude of threats that Bael had faced, but she always felt as if this would be the one that changed him...or ended him.
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Topic: Trail's End : NPC Interaction Thread (Read 53002 times)